STRAZ ’23/’24 BANK OF AMERICA BROADWAY SEASON

from Osprey Observer Bloomingdale/FishHawk June 2023

MOULIN PLAYS FINAL

The Straz Center for the Performing Arts is thrilled to announce the 2023-2024 Bank of America Broadway at The Straz season, supported in part by the Tampa Bay Times, ofcial media sponsor of The Straz. The slate includes Beetlejuice, Funny Girl, Company, Girl From the North Country, Mrs. Doubtﬁre, Peter Pan, Clue and, for a twoweek engagement, the Tony Award®-winning best musical Moulin Rouge! The Musical. The season also features The Choir of Man in the intimate Jaeb Theater. In addition to the nine-show package, the season hosts encore engagements of Jesus Christ Superstar, THE BOOK OF MORMON and Les Misérables

“Our 2023-2024 Bank of America Broadway at The Straz season will give our audiences wonderful new experiences,” said Straz Center President and CEO Greg Holland. “As always, the season is anchored with the most compelling Broadway musicals. For the upcoming season, we’re working with the producers of London’s West End musical The Choir of Man to create a special ‘Tampa-only’ production in the Jaeb Theater. 2023-2024 promises to be a magniﬁcent season at The Straz.”

The 2023-2024 season features: actor who will do anything for his kids.

Beetlejuice, Tuesday to Sunday, October 24-29. Based on Tim Burton’s dearly beloved ﬁlm, this hilarious musical tells the story of Lydia Deetz, a strange and unusual teenager whose whole life changes when she meets a recently deceased couple and a demon with a thing for stripes.

Funny Girl, Tuesday to Sunday, November 28-December 3. Featuring one of the greatest musical scores of all time, including the classic songs “Don’t Rain on My Parade,” “I’m the Greatest Star” and “People,” this love letter to the theater is the story of the indomitable Fanny Brice.

Company, January 9-14, 2024. Winner of ﬁve Tony Awards, including Best Revival of a Musical, this revelatory new production of Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s groundbreaking musical comedy is at once boldly sophisticated, deeply insightful and downright hilarious.

31, 2024. A new Tony Award-winning musical, written and directed by celebrated playwright Conor McPherson and featuring Tony Award-winning orchestrations by Simon Hale, Girl From the North Country reimagines 20 legendary songs of Bob Dylan as they’ve never been heard before.

Peter Pan, April 30-May 5, 2024. This high-ﬂying musical has been delighting audiences of all ages for close to 70 years and is now being brought back to life in a new production directed by Emmy Award® winner Lonny Price with an additional book by celebrated playwright Larissa FastHorse.

Clue, May 28-June 2, 2024. Murder and blackmail are on the menu when six mysterious guests assemble at Boddy Manor for a night they’ll never forget. Based on the cult hit 1985 Paramount movie and inspired by the classic Hasbro board game, Clue is the ultimate whodunit that will leave you dying of laughter and keep you guessing until the ﬁnal twist.

The season also features The Choir of Man, Tuesday, October 3-Sunday, November 26. The runaway international hit is coming to the Jaeb Theater. The Choir of Man offers up one hour of indisputable joy. It’s a party. It’s a concert. It’s the best pub lock-in you’ve ever been to. Featuring pop, classic rock, folk, Broadway and pub tunes, The Choir of Man has something for everyone.

In addition to the nine-show Broadway series, The Straz will present engagements of these ever-popular Broadway productions: Jesus Christ Superstar, March 5-10, 2024; THE BOOK OF MORMON, April 16-21, 2024; and Les Misérables, June 11-16, 2024.

Moulin Rouge! The Musical, February 7-18, 2024. The winner of 10 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Moulin Rouge! The Musical is a celebration of truth, beauty, freedom and — above all — love. Moulin Rouge! is more than a musical; it is a state of mind.

Girl From the North Country, March 27-

Mrs. Doubtfire, April 2-7, 2024. Everyone’s favorite Scottish nanny is headed to Tampa in an internationally acclaimed new hit musical. Based on the beloved film and directed by four-time Tony Award winner Jerry Zaks, Mrs. Doubtfire tells the hysterical and heartfelt story of an out-of-work lotusnailsandspabiz@gmail.com

Sign up now to become new season ticket holders. Prices for the nine-show season package range from $361.75-$980.50. For more information, visit www.strazcenter. org or call the Straz Center Ticket Sales Ofce at 813-229-STAR (7827) or outside the Tampa Bay area at 800-955-1045. Individual show tickets will go on sale at a later date(s), to be announced. Events, days, dates, times, performers and prices are subject to change without notice.

Florida Southern Offers The Wright Tour

When thinking of a famous architect, the name that probably comes to mind is Frank Lloyd Wright, America’s most famous 20th century architect. Perhaps you’ve seen photos of the remarkable Fallingwater home in rural Pennsylvania or the iconic Guggenheim Museum in New York City. But here in our backyard is one of Wright’s greatest triumphs, a literal architecture museum disguised as a university campus: the beautifully designed grounds, chapels, ofces and eye-popping buildings of the lovely Florida Southern College in Lakeland.

In 2012, the Florida Southern College Historic District was designated a National Historic Landmark by the National Park Service of the U.S. Department of the Interior for being the largest single-site collection of Wright architecture in the world. Daily tours take visitors through a mile-long covered esplanade artistically designed to replicate the orange grove that once covered the grounds, complete with tree trunks, leafy coverage and even individual oranges. Our entertaining and informative tour guide had ready answers to our many questions and peppered interesting historical anecdotes throughout the tour. You will also get exclusive

By Jef Hoening

access to two beautiful chapels — the Annie Pfeifer and Danforth chapels, as the college was once a Methodist seminary. The chapels were meticulously designed for beauty, modernity and efciency, even incorporating unique Native American motifs. Many buildings incorporate water features and individually hand-placed colorful glass pieces that capture bright Florida sunshine for beauty inside and out. At the campus center, check out the large reﬂecting pool, a rendering of the local lakes of ‘lake land.’ Wright designed fountain jets to shoot streams of water 45 feet high, replicating a domed collegiate building. This design in the early 20th century was over 60 years before the technology was available, a sign of Wright’s ingenuity. The tour ends at the fascinating Usonian home, a 1,333-square-foot, full-scale example of a planned faculty home designed for professors at the college. Unfortunately, none were ever built, as money ran out and costs were too high.

Whether you are a novice or connoisseur of architecture, anyone can enjoy this tour. For more information, visit www.ﬂsouthern.edu/frank-lloyd-wright/ tours.aspx.