The Mirror: A&E Edition v11 iss3

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ALIVE AND KICKING

INTERVIEW WITH EMILY ARMSTRONG OF DEAD SARA

BY GREGG SHAPIRO

Pictured: Emily Armstrong Photo via www.deadsara.com.

Hardrocking L.A.-based band Dead Sara has been at it for 20 years, even scoring a minor hit with the 2012 single “Weatherman,” a song that was featured in a Fiat ad. Label issues impeded some of the band’s progress, however, after a six-year gap between full-length albums, Dead Sara rose up and released “Ain’t It Tragic” (Warner Records). At a time when Dead Sara’s brand of heavy-hitting rock is taking a backseat to other genres, the songs on “Ain’t It Tragic” deserve to be heard for the way they revive our interest in fist-pumping rockers such as “All I Know Is That You Left Me For Dead,” “Heroes,” “Starry Eyed,” “Lights Out!” and “Gimme Gimme.” Queer lead singer Emily Armstrong was kind enough to answer a few questions about the new album before the band returned to the road for its concert tour as the opening act for Demi Lovato. [Dead Sara performs on October 30, 2022 at Hard Rock Live in Hollywood.]

GS: Right. When you listen to that first album, it still sounds timeless, like it could have been made yesterday.

GREGG SHAPIRO: Emily, for those not in the know, I’d like to being by asking you to say something about the genesis of the band’s name, Dead Sara.

EMILY ARMSTRONG: Well, we changed that a lot [laughs]. It’s basically just a misheard lyric, is what it comes down to. There’s no meaning to it. But right now, we’re telling people that it was an imaginary friend I had when I was a kid [laughs].

GS: The songs on the new Dead Sara album “Ain’t It Tragic” are credited to you, Siouxsie, Sean, and other cowriters. What can you tell me about the band’s songwriting process?

EA: I feel like the first two albums were strictly just us and the producer. For some reason, we were very in-the-box on what we did for those two albums. It wasn’t until the third EP where we were just kind of like, “Why don’t we get some breathing room? Why don’t we see what we can discover working with other people?” We don’t have to keep anything, but just learn a little bit more about what we do. This is all we knew. We were all self-taught. It was an experiment, like a school for us. We worked with a lot of writers, half of whom were people that do it for a living. We made some really good friends out of it and learned a hell of a lot. From that, we took that experience into this album. I don’t think we worked with one actual songwriter. It was more friends that came in. Like on “Heroes,” (co-writer) Kane Ritchotte, he’s been a friend forever. We said, “We’re in the studio if you wanna

come by.” It wasn’t like, “Let’s set up a time and talk about what you know you wanna write about.” That’s how all these songs came about. Some of them are really old. There were a lot of people that ended up, through many of the transitions of the song, making suggestions that we had to credit. It was that kind of process. But at the core it was us three, trying to get these songs and working hard for the past two years during the pandemic.

GS: You made good use of the lockdown time.

EA: Yes! It saved our minds.

GS: To my ears, I detect the influence of Otep, another queer modern metal artist. Is Otep someone that you consider to be an inspiration for what you do?

EA: I know her [laughs]! We’ve talked a lot about music before. And I remember years ago, we were like, “Let’s do something together. Let’s tour.” But that’s about it. I think she’s super rad.

GS: Who are some of the other artists from whom you derive inspiration?

EA: There’s so many. I was listening to the Pretenders just now. That’s somebody that comes to mind. It’s always refreshing! How do they do that? Where you listen to it, and it’s always refreshing. They’re obviously very popular, but never to the point where you say, “Oh, turn this song off.”

EA: Yeah! I was listening to it today and yesterday, and I’m like, “Whoa!” My mind is being blown by the production of it even though I’ve heard the songs many, many times. They were so ahead of their time. This is probably an album that I’m going to return to a lot moving forward. Certain songs pop out at me going through playlists and stuff as I’m rolling into the future. Obviously having to do the production ourselves with “Ain’t It Tragic,” with Sean Friday at the helm. I’m starting to think more like that. It’s very interesting how you relive these songs very differently. You see them in a different light because you’re starting to put yourself in that seat as an engineer or a producer. You start to find fun things that the average person who doesn’t write music might not hear. That is super inspiring to me. It just so happened that I had that realization, that inspiration recently.

GS: The music scene of the 2020s seems more fragmented than ever with country and hip-hop being the dominant styles now. Where do you see Dead Sara’s hard rock sound fitting in with listeners?

EA: Country. I’m just kidding [laughs]. That’s always a topic amongst ourselves and with management and our team. We just don’t know. We end up just laughing at the end of it. You just keep doing you and somehow find a place, hopefully. Or it never does, or the tide will turn, and it’ll miraculously find its spot. You have to be patient sometimes and just do who you are.

GS: Like so many things, musical tastes are cyclical. It could very well be that you’re ahead of the curve, that this music will once again come back in the way that it has in the past.

EA: Exactly!

GS: In the song “Heroes” you sing that “you never wanna meet your heroes” and that “all my heroes are dead.” Is this song about a specific hero who disappointed you or is it more of a composite?

EA: [Laughs] I thought it was a kind of funny thought when I jotted down that lyric. It had nothing to do with the song. The song was already pretty much written in its form and had been sitting for a couple years. When we were working with producer Noah Shane, at the time, we knew that we had to breathe new life into it. We had to finish the song. It wasn’t quite there. I was looking down at my phone where I write all kinds of bits and things that I like and hear and think of or people say. I was singing. We were just jamming in the room, seeing how we could break it in real time. I started singing, “All my heroes are dead” in that pre-chorus. The band was like, “Wait, what did you say? That’s cool! That’s sick!” That was it. I reframed and rewrote those verses fitting that title. It was very easy. For some reason that was the piece of the puzzle that put it all together. It wasn’t necessarily that I thought of somebody. It seemed to make sense once I wrote it down.

GS: The ironically titled “Good Times,” which poses the question “Are we all just dying to feel?” sounds like a musical reaction to the state of the country during the reign of Joe Biden’s predecessor. Am I on the right track with that song?

EA: Yeah! I wouldn’t say anything political, but yes. [Laughs] there’s definitely a lot of that. We’re all just getting numb to this feeling of everything being wrong in the world. The world is dying to feel human again. You start to try and feel some sort of sanity with what is happening. Even if it’s a friend that’s close to you that dies from a drug overdose. In the world of politics and everybody just at each other, it’s almost like a civil war happening. Are we just animals? What’s going on? There’s a lot of confusion. I just feel like we’ve lost the touch, some sort of human nature.

GS: In the midst of “Ain’t It Tragic”’s metal edge, there are unexpected dance music elements to be found on songs such as “Hypnotic” and “Starry Eyed” (which includes the line “Dance, dance tonight”). How would you feel if those songs were given the dance remix treatment?

EA: Oh, how I would love that. I would absolutely love that. We would all love that. That’s like a dream that somebody would do that.

GS: Dead Sara is embarking on a multi-city concert tour. What are you most looking forward to about that?

EA: Just trying new songs. Hopefully to play new songs too, even newer ones. We’re

starting to write more, to get ahead of everything. So, that’s gonna be exciting. But also play songs that we haven’t played in a long time or probably never played live. We’re getting very excited about that. I would definitely expect something like that to happen. On the last tour that we did, I don’t think we played the same set every night at all. We played a different set pretty much every night. That was the first time we’d ever done that.

GS: You think you might work a Pretenders’ song into the set?

EA: I thought about that. Is there a way? As I was listening, I thought, “Gosh, this would take too much time to learn!” We’d need to concentrate a little bit more on what we’re doing. But if it if we found the time, absolutely.

Pictured: Emily Armstrong. Photo via emilyarmstrong/Instagram.

THE REAL MAGIC MIKE

An Interview with Actor/Illusionist Michael Carbonaro

// Gregg Shapiro

Michael

Carbonaro has made magic cool again. His wildly popular hidden camera show “The Carbonaro Effect,” which took illusion and tricks to a new level, established him on a global scale.

Of course, it helps that he has movie star good looks that leave David Copperfield (remember him?) in the dust. Those looks also came in handy for his acting career. Carbonaro, an out actor, gave an award-winning performance in Todd Stephens’ 2006 wacky comedy “Another Gay Movie.” Presently, he is, once again, taking his act on the road to dazzle and delight audiences in a show titled “Carbonaro: Lies on Stage.” Michael was generous enough to make time in his schedule for an interview.

michaelcarbonaro.com

Michael Carbonaro performs on October 16 in Coral Springs at Coral Springs Center for the Arts.

GREGG SHAPIRO: The title of your new tour is “Carbonaro: Lies on Stage,” which is a clever play on “Live on Stage.” What does it mean to you to be able to return to live performance?

MICHAEL CARBONARO: It’s everything to me. I had never been away from performance for that long since I was 13 years old. This was new territory, to not be doing what is really a kind of meditation for me and a love that I knew I had, but I didn’t know how important it really was for my soul. This is so wonderful to be able to get back out there and have extra appreciation for how important this is really part of my being now. Being up on a stage and being a conduit for joy. Transcending happiness through myself back from the audience, back from them to me, and seeing the smiles and feeling that love. I knew it was important, but I had no idea how much it was until I guess, like they say, you don’t know how much you appreciate something until it’s gone.

GS: Did the forced time off during the pandemic, maybe more so than if you had been constantly touring, provide you with opportunities to come up with new illusions and tricks?

MC: 100%! In fact, I was lucky and excited for this speedball of a ride that “The Carbonaro Effect” was. I started “The Carbonaro Effect” and for seven years it was a rollercoaster that did not stop. It was so exciting, but at a certain point, you really do need to reconnect. I had no time off. It was wonderful, but I was going from writing to pre-production to production to editing to writing to pre-production to production to editing with zero time off in between. As awesome as that was, it does take something away from you. I was probably the only person in the world that was like, “Yay, a

pandemic!” I kind of needed a break. At first, it was wonderful to be like, “Oh my gosh, I’m gardening at my house. I’m sticking my hand in the dirt and not talking to anybody for hours, maybe a day or two.” Maybe I’ll talk to my husband while we’re chilling out. But there isn’t this constant buzz all around me, which was wonderful. And then it got boring really quick [laughs]. Although I have to say, maybe for six months there were all these virtual opportunities. They asked, “Do you want to do virtual shows for corporate stuff?” And I was like, “No, not really. I’m just sort of chillin’.” Then I was like, “All right, let me try a few.” Then, after about six months, I was like, “OK, I need to make something. I’m not going back out there, and this isn’t ending, I need to make something creative.” While I was writing and coming up with other ideas I could do on stage and for television, I thought, “I want to make something special for the now time.” So, I made a virtual show which was called “Live from Space.” I did eight shows. I had 500 families a night tuning in. It was really cool. It was its own different kind of thing that afforded a different kind of creativity that I don’t do on television or on

stage. It was more intimate. You were joining me in my messy office. We were playing. I’m digging through stuff. Wild things happened. A live chicken arrived from outer space in my office. I end up flying out the window at the end. We did some cool, awesome effects that could only exist in that genre. (It made me realize), “OK, I do need to be creative.” It was a fun thing to do, but still nothing like getting up on stage.

GS: Is your husband Peter (Stickles) your test audience when it comes to trying out new parts of your show?

MC: [Laughs] It’s funny you say that. No, and I probably should more because, boy, he’s got such a threshold to get through. We have this joke where I say something, and if he laughs out loud, we both kind of look at each other like, “You made me laugh, honey!” I’m always making jokes and he’s always like, “Uh huh.” Every now and then when something gets through that threshold, it’s like, “Wow, still got it! OK!” No, I’m usually better off practicing in front of my cat and a live audience, versus Peter.

GS: What can your fans expect to experience in the new show?

MC: It’s a great show. I’m so excited! That was another thing, too. It was really hard; because I’m touring, I’m touring, I’m touring, I’m touring, and people want to keep seeing those shows, and there was no time to stop

“This is an all-new tour show, brand new magic,” said Carbonaro. Image via Michaelcarbonaro.com

“THERE’S THIS ELECTRICITY THAT HAPPENS WHEN I START DOING THINGS RIGHT THERE, IN FRONT OF THEM, FOR REAL. THERE’S THIS EXCITING RELIEF.”

- Michael Carbonaro ACTOR/ILLUSIONIST

and put together an all-new tour. So, that was fun to get the time over the pandemic to be able to do that. This is an all-new tour show, brand new magic. Which is insanely difficult to put together. A lot of the routines in my first tour were spinoffs of things that I had been doing since I was 13 years old. I had all this audience-tested material that I adapted into the tour. Suddenly, I was starting from scratch. I popped up at a few clubs to workshop some stuff. We’re just having a ball. There’re mischievous gnomes in the tour that keep popping up and stealing items from me and the audience. There are silly tricks; I teach the audience how to magically separate laundry. Lots of audience participation. Me going out in the crowd showing off some new “Carbonaro Effect” devices and bringing people up on stage to help. Every night, two people from the audience are brought on stage and made to disappear.

GS: Do you ever get the sense that some people come to the show as skeptics and that over the course of the evening you’ve won them over?

MC: I wonder if there are people who literally come in like Houdini used to do and call out spirit mediums. Like they’re going to stand up and shout, “Impostor!” I think that even if they’re fans, somewhere

in their head they’re like, “I’ve seen this guy on TV. I don’t know how much I trust TV. Gosh, I hope this can happen in front of my eyes and that’s why I’m here and hope to fulfill that excitement.” There’s this electricity that happens when I start doing things right there, in front of them, for real. There’s this exciting relief. Like it’s real. Not real, real. It’s real, fake real. It’s not camera tricks. It’s not actors. This is happening to me or it’s happening right in front of their own eyes. I think there is that excitement that comes from the relief that it’s not BS on TV.

GS: To commemorate the 15th anniversary of “Another Gay Movie,” a director’s cut of the movie was released on DVD and VOD. Did you do anything special to mark the occasion?

MC: It’s so funny. Peter, my husband, who buys DVDs with CDs, and loves going to (record store) Amoeba (Music), took a picture the other day (and asked me), “Did you know this DVD 15th-anniversary cut was released?” I knew that they were releasing it and they did a screening. But I didn’t know that it was going to be a hard copy, going to be sold. I was so excited to see that it was out there. I have to go get a copy. I knew of the cut, and we did a little online reunion. We also went to

the Austin Gay and Lesbian Film Festival. They did a 15-year anniversary screening and the whole cast came, all four boys and the director. It was that moment in life where I was like, “This is the most special thing I’ve ever had.” It was so incredible to reconnect with this project 15 years later. All of us together, where we are in our lives now. It was an interesting story, and I don’t know how much you followed that. But one of the actors in “Another Gay Movie” (Jonathan Chase, who played jock Jarod), as soon as the movie was released in 2006, didn’t take part in any of the promotion for it. He had this crazy strong team who didn’t like the cut and he wasn’t going to promote it. He never went on any of the fun rides. That was really the whole thing about making that movie, aside from how fun it was to make. He didn’t go to the Castro or any of the film festivals. The Miami Gay and Lesbian Film Festival! The Tribeca Film Festival! That was the excitement of it, and he didn’t take part in any of that. So, this 15-year anniversary was the first time the four of us watched the film together. He really came around and supports it now wholeheartedly. He regrets not supporting it back at the time. We rented a little Airbnb, and we had a hot tub. I felt so lucky and blessed to have a moment like that and friends like that.

GS: “AGM” writer/director Todd Stephens’ latest movie was 2021’s critically acclaimed “Swan Song.” Given the chance, do you think you’d ever work with Todd again on a film project?

MC: A million percent! Oh my gosh, I can’t wait to. I know he’s working on another TV thing that sounded so cool. All four of us, the boys, were like, “Todd, if we come in it’d be pretty cool to see one of the boys from that movie come in on your new TV show, even as a guest star.” I love Todd. He’s like a big brother, totally family. That was the greatest ride of my life. For all the things I’ve gotten to do in my life in “the showbiz,” that movie, shooting that film and meeting those people and that ride just tops them all.

“I was probably the only person in the world that was like, ‘Yay, a pandemic!’” Carbonaro told SFGN. Image via Michaelcarbonaro.com

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Persistent ‘Memories’

WRITER JOHN D’EMILIO

BY GREGG SHAPIRO

Pictured: John D’Emilio Photo via Facebook.

Ofall the people that gay historian, educator, and activist John D’Emilio has ever written about, he may be the most fascinating of all.

Delivering on the promise of the title of his new memoir, “Memories of a Gay Catholic Boyhood” (Duke, 2022), D’Emilio takes us from the Parkchester housing project in the Bronx, where his religious upbringing began, to his personal transformation as a Columbia University student in the turbulent late 1960s, and his eventual coming out as gay. Told with the same thoughtful voice he utilizes when writing about others, D’Emilio makes the reader feel as if they are sharing his experiences firsthand.

John was generous enough to make time to answer a few questions in advance of the publication of “Memories of a Gay Catholic Boyhood.”

GREGG SHAPIRO: John, why was now the time to write your memoir, “Memories of a Gay Catholic Boyhood?”

JOHN D’EMILIO: Well, interestingly, I did not start the writing with the intention of creating a book-length memoir. The initial impulse came in 2004, when I had triple-bypass heart surgery. Lying in bed in the hospital, awaiting surgery the next day and wondering if I would survive it, I was just flooded with early memories of family, childhood, and neighborhood. And afterward as I recovered and returned to my normal life, I began writing up some of those memories that were especially vivid and emotionally meaningful. At some point, after I had retired, I realized I had enough of these that I could construct a full continuous narrative. I would say that the motivation to take that next step came in part from the awareness that – in this very politically conservative era with someone like Trump as president – there was a need to bring the 1960s back to life, when large numbers of young people became progressive activists, built movements, and made significant change in the world.

GS: Were you a journal keeper or did you rely on memory for the details?

JD: I didn’t start keeping a journal until after the years covered in this memoir, and so memory served as a major source. I came from an Italian family that whenever it got together, which was often, one of the major topics of conversation was reminiscing about the past and telling memorable family stories. Also, my mother kept wonderful family photo albums, and my dad, who worked in a camera store, had a video camera, and often filmed family get-togethers, on holidays and for birthdays, so these were helpful in bringing the past back to life. And then, during my college years at Columbia in the ‘60s, I wrote many letters to high school friends describing what was going on – the antiwar protests, my struggles with my religious faith, and my emerging gay identity – and received letters back. I have all their letters to me, and one of my friends –when I told him I was writing a memoir – sent me the letters I had written to him. All of this helped me reconstruct stories in ways that I feel confident about.

GS: What are the advantages and challenges of being a historian when writing about your own personal history?

JD: The biggest challenge has been this: When I’ve written books on historical topics, of course I hope they will be well received but, if someone doesn’t like it, it just means we have different interpretations of the past. But in the case of this memoir, I’ve lived with the feeling that, if a reader doesn’t like it, does that mean they don’t like me? I know that sounds a bit crazy, but it’s the emotional reality.

The advantages of being a historian were twofold. I’ve learned the importance of constructing readable narratives with stories compelling enough to keep the reader’s attention. And, because of all my historical work on the mid-twentieth century, I was able to ground my personal life story in the larger historical contexts in which it occurred –the family-oriented baby boom years of the 1950s; the campus-based protests of the 1960s; the movement against the war in southeast Asia; the oppression that LGBTQ faced in those years.

GS: Would it be fair to say that you were exercising different writing muscles when writing about yourself than when writing about others or history?

JD: I don’t know that I would describe it as different writing muscles, because I think the book reflects key elements of how I write – especially the emphasis on constructing narratives that are interesting at the same time, that they have something to teach. But what was certainly different about the experience of writing this is that it engaged me emotionally in a way that writing about a historical topic that was not part of my own life didn’t. Some of the memories and episodes brought joy. Others brought to life feelings of sadness, pain, and struggle. Emotions like that don’t usually surface when I’m writing history.

GS: You described your mother as storyteller. Was she an inspiration to you as a writer?

JD: Hmm. Well, actually, if my mother were still alive, I think she would be begging me not to publish this. She had a firm belief – very Sicilian in its origins – that family needed to keep its stories, its relationships, its events all within the family. She believed that if you revealed to outsiders – as all non-family members were thought of – the life of the family, it brought the possibility of attacks in some form or another. But, at the same time, the love that she had for her large extended multi-generational family was so deep, so intense, that it has made me value their lives and their experience and has helped motivate me to tell some of these stories and bring this immigrant/ethnic experience to life.

GS: How do you think your mother would feel about the way she’s portrayed in the book?

JD: I think she would appreciate the way I’ve portrayed her love for her mother and father and sisters and her loyalty to them. I think she would have gotten a chuckle out of my reference to her as “the boss,” which is how her sisters often referred to her. And, I suspect she would have reacted defensively to those moments in which I portray her and me in conflict.

GS: You wrote with great affection for some of your teachers, including Miss McGlynn, as well as several others in chapter nine. Would you consider them to be your inspiration to become a teacher?

JD: Despite having some wonderful teachers, especially at the Jesuit high school that I went to, teaching was not something that I imagined myself doing. I saw historical research and writing as a tool for making progressive social change, and I hoped that I would be able to support myself doing that kind of work with advocacy and activist organizations. When that didn’t work out, college teaching became a means to support my research and writing. But, by the end of my first year of full-time teaching, I found the interactions with students in the classroom so compelling and engaging, that I knew I would continue doing it. The teachers whose praises I sing at various points in the memoir inspired me to value intellectual work, and, in that sense, they influenced me deeply, since research and writing have occupied me for almost 50 years now!

GS: Do you know if any of the childhood friends you mentioned are aware that they’re in the book?

JD: Sadly, the childhood friends that I was closest to have all passed away. But one of them, whose mother I also describe fondly,

read an early draft and was very excited and encouraging. I’m in regular touch with a lot of my high school friends – as I mentioned, one of them has provided me with letters to him – and some of them came to a pre-publication reading that I did at a class reunion. So far, the responses have been pretty positive.

GS: “Memories of a Gay Catholic Boyhood” lives up to its title with examples such as chapter seven being the most religious chapter and chapters 16 and 17 being where you began to embrace your gay identity. Which came easier to write about, the chapters in which religion was the focus or the ones in which you wrote about coming out and living as a gay man?

JD: It was definitely easier writing the chapters about my gayness and the struggle over a few years to come to terms with it and accept myself for who I was. Writing LGBTQ history, teaching it, and engaging in activism over the years has been a central part of my adult life and so I have been living it out and feel constantly engaged by it. By contrast, my discussions of my religious upbringing and my struggles and conflicts with it put me in touch with a part of my upbringing that, although I took some very important moral lessons from it, was largely painful and has been something that I had left behind. Now, suddenly, I was reliving it in a way.

GS: The fact that you were a Columbia University student during that period of upheaval and anti-war protests in the late 1960s, as well as being a young gay man hanging out in Greenwich Village who had been to the Stonewall Inn, gives the book considerable gravitas. At a time when conservatives are once again attempting to erase LGBTQ+ folks, how do you see your book’s place in the world?

JD: Well, I am sure there will be many places where local libraries and school districts put it on their banned books list. I can imagine many of these moral conservatives saying “Memories of a Gay Catholic Boyhood? We

don’t want any of our kids coming into contact with that!” Beyond that, though, for a younger generation of LGBTQ folks, and for younger generations as a whole –Gen Z, and to some extent millennials, I hope it brings to life a history that is so different from what many experience today – a history of invisibility and silence, of isolation, of active and universal oppression. A world in which there are no GSAs or QSAs in high schools, in which there are no Netflix series about young queer lives, no web and social media through which there is access to a seemingly limitless supply of information and advice. And then, there’s my own generation of baby boomers – those who remember the sixties and can identify with the kind of experiences I describe.

GS: In early August 2022, you posted on social media that, after being encouraged by friends, you have started working on “a second volume of memoir.” What is the status of that project?

JD: I’m definitely moving forward on a second volume, but slowly, trying not to put too much pressure on myself. The second volume will also be a more complex one to write since it will cover the 1970s, ‘80s, and ‘90s, which were decades of activism for me in the LGBTQ movement. And so, I will be writing about more public events, and about my involvement with organizations and campaigns of various sorts. There’s much more of a historical, archival record to deal with than there was with the first volume, which is much of a personal coming-of-age story.

GS: Finally, if there was a movie version of “Memories of a Gay Catholic Boyhood,” who would you want to play you?

JD: [Laughs] well, since the book covers the years from my childhood until about age 23, it would have to include both a child actor and a very young adult actor who could also reasonably pass as a teenager. Honestly, I have no idea who those might be! But I have to confess, that I would love to have it become a movie, whether in theaters or on television.

Pictured: John D’Emilio Photo via IMDB.

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FALL PREVIEW ARTS

// JW Arnold

Whata difference a year makes! Last year, South Florida arts venues, theater and dance companies and musical ensembles were still cautiously resuming operations amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Schedules were tentative and audiences skittish about public events.

Masks are now optional and negative tests are no longer required to attend. Patrons have returned and nonprofits that were teetering on the brink of financial collapse have shored up their finances, thanks to generous donors, foundations and government grants.

Arts lovers are being rewarded with spectacular seasons at the region’s three worldclass performing arts centers, award-winning regional theaters and concert halls. Here are some of the highlights of the 2022-23 arts season in South Florida.

Photo courtesy of Miami City Ballet.

MIAMI CITY BALLET

Miami City Ballet (MCB) will celebrate its 37th season at the Arsht, Broward and Kravis Centers with a busy schedule filled with some of ballet’s most revered works, including John Cranko’s “Romeo and Juliet,” Jerome Robbins’s “West Side Story Suite,” “Afternoon of a Faun,” and the company premiere of “Antique Epigraphs.”

The season will also include the company’s signature George Balanchine masterworks “Square Dance,” “Symphony in C,” and “Symphony in Three Movements.” Martha Graham’s joyous “Diversion of Angels,” will become the first Graham work to enter MCB’s repertory.

And in MCB’s continued commitment to usher in diverse and ground-breaking voices, MCB will debut three world premiere commissions by noteworthy choreographers. In her second commission for the company, Amy Hall Garner will explore the interplay between ballet and modern dance. Also by Garner, “Rita Finds Home,” a co-production with the Joffrey Ballet, will be part of the company’s community engagement programming.

Swedish-born multimedia choreographer Pontus Lidberg will premiere an original work set to music by Philip Glass. Then, prodigies from the worlds of fashion and ballet collide when MCB School alumnus Durante Verzola and famed Colombian/Miamian designer Esteban Cortázar collaborate on a new work set to Cuban/ American composer Ernesto Lecuona.

No season is complete without the holiday magic of “George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker.”

Following a triumphant 2021-22 season that saw sold-out performances of both “George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker” at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. and Alexei Ratmansky’s Swan Lake (MCB’s largest production to date), the company also completed its the Transforming Lives Campaign.

The capital campaign had an initial goal of raising an unprecedented amount for the company: $55 million. MCB not only reached this goal but has exceeded it, raising an estimated $58 million. Funds raised support four pillars identified as crucial to delivering the company’s mission: artistic expansion, community building, dance education, and organizational capacity. A formal announcement on the completion of the Transforming Lives Campaign is expected in the coming week.

Artistic Director Lourdes Lopez said, “Ballet has this wonderful ability to transport us to faraway places and cultures, to unleash the imagination, and to entertain us. This past season has been nothing short of extraordinary, having presented an uplifting season filled with programs that touched upon themes of love, betrayal, and the ultimate power of forgiveness. We again share stories that traverse time and emotion this season, reminding us that we are all connected. Beginning with one of the greatest love stories of all time, Romeo and Juliet.”

Lopez continued, “And with the highly successful completion of the Transforming Lives Campaign, MCB’s momentum is at an all-time high. We are excited to build upon this extraordinary moment for the organization and look forward to bringing our audiences performances that honor ballet’s illustrious past while propelling the art form into the future as we continue to strengthen and grow the organization.”

FLORIDA GRAND OPERA

Stages in Miami and Fort Lauderdale will glitter with stars from all corners of the operatic world in a grand season filled with romance, ruses and rebellion.

Florida Grand Opera will kick off its 81st season at the Arsht Center with a nod to Miami’s vibrant international culture, a Spanish-language production of Domenico Cimarosa’s family comedy, “El matrimonio secreto” (“The Secret Marriage”), Nov. 12 - 15.

Commissioned by FGO General Director and CEO Susan T. Danis, the production, set in colorful 1980s Miami Beach, was conceived by Puerto Rican creative Crystal Manich and celebrates Miami’s Caribbean, Latin, and South American diaspora.

“El matrimonio secreto” will be directed by Elena Araoz and conducted by Cuban conductor and founder of the Florida Chamber Orchestra, Marlene Urbay. It is a new production by FGO with set design by Lindsay Fuori, costumes by FGO’s own Darío Almirón, and lighting by Stevie Agnew.

This winter, Puccini’s comic gem “Gianni Schicchi” returns to the FGO stage for the first time since 1953. The darkly comic tale of a toxic family who tries to circumvent their late patriarch’s will pairs with Michael Ching’s equally clever contemporary sequel, “Buoso’s Ghost,” which picks up at the moment “Schicchi” ends.

Audiences will enjoy the rare opportunity to hear a composer conduct his own opera, as Ching takes the stand for both oneacts. Ching served on the FGO music staff for several years at the beginning of his impressive career: first as music assistant, then music administrator and finally, chorus master.

The double bill runs January 28 – 31 at the Arsht Center in Miami and February 9 and 11 at the Broward Center in Fort Lauderdale.

A fiery tale of love, loyalty, and sacrifice in Napoleonic Rome, “Tosca” is one of Puccini’s most beloved scores, and the cast features Metropolitan Opera soprano Toni Marie Palmertree, making her

Photo courtesy of Florida Grand Opera.

house and role debut.

Maestro Gregory Buchalter and stage director Jeffrey Marc Buchman reunite after last season’s acclaimed “A Streetcar Named Desire” to conduct and direct, respectively. “Tosca” will be performed March 18 – 21 at the Arsht Center in Miami and April 13 and 15 at the Broward Center in Fort Lauderdale.

In the final show of the season, FGO revives the beloved Rossini comedy, The Barber of Seville, April 29 – May 2 at the Arsht Center and May 18 and 20 at the Broward Center.

South Korean baritone Young-Kwang Yoo, a rising international star, takes on the lovable rascal Figaro. Returning as a guest artist after two years in the Studio Program, mezzo-soprano Stephanie Doche brings her brilliant coloratura and charming stage presence to the clever ward Rosina. Tickets and more information at FGO.org.

MNM THEATRE

“Have theatre, will travel!” is the motto for MNM Theatre Company. The award-winning regional company will perform in two Palm Beach County venues during the 2022-2023 season.

The first production of the season, “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” will performed at the Willow Theatre in Sugar Sand Park in Boca Raton, Dec. 2 – 18 and “Disenchanted” will have its South Florida premiere in the Rinker Playhouse at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts in West Palm Beach, May 9 - 28. A third production, scheduled to run at the Willow Theatre in April will be announced.

“We are very excited about our upcoming season,” said Producing Artistic Director and CEO Marcie Gorman. “The shows we have chosen are fun, funny and very clever, and we know they will appeal to audiences of all ages. Our new venue, the Willow Theatre, is a lovely space – intimate and inviting, and we are looking forward to bringing MNM to a brand-new South County audience. And we’re so pleased to be heading back to the Kravis Center as well.”

“The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” the Tony and Drama Desk Award-winning musical that has charmed audiences across the country, features an eclectic group of six mid-pubescents as they vie for the spelling championship of a lifetime. While candidly disclosing hilarious and touching stories from their home lives, the tweens spell their way through the contest, hoping never to hear the soul-crushing, pout-inducing, life un-affirming “ding” of the bell that signals a mistake. Six spellers enter, but only one speller leaves. At least the losers get a juice box.

“Disenchanted,” a parody on the “princess musicals” will make its South Florida debut at the Kravis Center. As MNM’s promotional materials point out, “Poisoned apples. Glass slippers. Who needs ‘em? ‘Not Snow White’ and her posse of disenchanted princesses in this ‘musical comedy for grownups’ that’s anything but Grim! Forget the princesses you think you know. These royal renegades will toss off their tiaras to bring their hilariously subversive, not-for-the-kiddies musical to the Rinker Playhouse – and fairy tales will never be the same!”

Jonathan Van Dyke will direct all three 2022-2023 MNM Theatre Company productions.

Tickets and more information at MNMTheatre.org.

SOUTH FLORIDA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

The South Florida Symphony Orchestra (SFSO) announced its 25th anniversary season earlier this year, but the biggest news was the symphony will make the New World Center its new Miami Beach home.

The New World Center, designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Frank Gehry, is an architectural landmark in the heart of South Beach. Its state-of-the-art acoustics, cutting-edge multimedia equipment and dramatic views of the iconic Miami Beach Art Deco skyline will offer SFSO patrons an elevated musical experience and increased seating capacity, promised Jacqueline Lorber, the orchestra’s president, in a statement.

A perennial favorite at its birthplace in Key West, last year, SFSO was named a Partner in the Arts for The Parker in downtown Fort Lauderdale. SFSO performed to full houses during its inaugural season at the former Parker Playhouse, which had undergone a $30 million renovation in 2021.

Growing audiences in Miami necessitated a larger venue to accommodate patrons and funding for the move was provided by the Gerald L. Laskey Charitable Fund of the Community Foundation of Broward.

“In recent years, the momentum in Miami has continued to build, establishing the foundation to enter our next stage of growth at the New World Center … with an enthusiastic patron base and full support,” said Lorber. “We are grateful for the generosity and foresight of Gerald Laskey.”

SFSO’s celebratory 25th anniversary season kicks off in November and will feature classical masterworks:

Askar Salimdjanov performs Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto in D major, along with Barber’s “First Essay for Orchestra” and Elgar’s iconic “Enigma Variations,” Nov. 9 and 10 at the Parker and the New World Center.

The symphony and chorus celebrate the holidays with Handel’s “Messiah,” Dec. 3 and 4 at the Parker and Barry University. Soloists include bass Neil Nelson, mezzo-soprano Stephanie Newman, tenor Gerardo Ortega and soprano Kyaunnee Richardson.

In January, the SFSO adds the Tennessee Williams Theater in Key West to the schedule, Jan. 24 – 28, with Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 9, great opera areas and the premiere of Gottsch’s “Ocklawaha.”

Photo courtesy of South Florida Symphony Orchestra.

The music romantic composers Berlioz, Brahms and Sibelius will be featured in February at the Parker and Tennessee Williams Theater, Feb. 15 and 18. Geneva Lewis and Gabriel Martins are the featured soloists for the Brahm Concerto for Violin and Cello in A minor.

In March, Maestra Alfonso will conduct an all-Dvoř ák program, including his Cello Concerto in B minor, featuring Zuill Bailey, and the famed Symphony No. 9 in E minor, “From the New World.” Performances are March 22 – 25 in Fort Lauderdale, Miami and Key West.

The season concludes on April 26 at the Parker with Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor with soloist Svetlana Smolina and Bruckner’s Te Deum, once again showcasing the symphony chorus.

For tickets and more information, go to SouthFloridaSymphony.org

SYMPHONY OF THE AMERICAS

Under the direction of Artistic Director and Principal Conductor Pablo Mielgo, the Symphony of the Americas (SOTA) is celebrating its 35th anniversary in South Florida.

The 2022-2023 season ushers in Mielgo’s second year with the symphony, after the pandemic delayed his long-anticipated arrival from Europe. According to the Spanish conductor, this will be a season of discovery of music connecting the world, where styles and sounds intersect. It is also a season of exploration, developing the new relationship between the Symphony and its audiences.

SOTA continues its commitment to serving South Florida’s multicultural population with diverse programming – a cultural crossroads of music, ranging from classical to Broadway. The 35th season will include the works of Mozart and Beethoven, Haydn, Schumann and Brahms; Spain’s most notable composers Manuel de Falla and Joaquín Rodrigo; Argentine tango composer and bandoneon player Astor Piazzolla; Oscar-winning composer Aaron Copland; and a salute to Stephen Sondheim.

Mielgo opens his second season at the Broward Center in Fort Lauderdale on Nov. 8 with “Mozart & Beethoven … A Musical Destiny,” the overture to “Die Zauberflöte” (“The Magic Flute”), Sinfonia Concertante in E-flat major for violin and viola and

Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7. Spend the holidays with SOTA with a musical world tour on Dec. 6 and celebrate the music of “The Father of the Symphony – Franz-Joseph Haydn” on Jan. 10.

On Feb. 21, Mielgo conducts Copland’s “Appalachian Spring” Suite and Piazzolla’s “Estaciones Porteñas” (“Four Seasons”) in a program entitled “Dancing Across Borders.” Cabaret singer Liz Callaway offers a special tribute to Stephen Sondheim on March 14 and “Spain … Further Beyond!” celebrates the music of Mielgo’s homeland on April 11.

The season concludes with “Season Finale! Schumann & Brahms Bridging Musical Genius” on May 9. Sergei Babayan will be featured in Schumann’s Piano Concerto in A minor and the orchestra will shine in Brahms’ Symphony No. 4 in E minor.

For tickets and more information, go to SOTA.org

THE WICK THEATRE AND COSTUME MUSEUM

A visit to the Wick Costume Museum can be a religious experience for the true theater fan with a collection of hundreds of historical Broadway costumes. Now, museum has undergone a dramatic hightech transformation, resulting in a stunning new venue rechristened the Museum Club at The Wick.

The completely renovated space features a 360-degree immersive video experience, historic costume displays, dining and entertainment. The premiere exhibit, “Ascot!” features the original 1956 costumes for “My Fair Lady,” designed by Sir Cecil Beaton, including the dress worn by Julie Andrews on Broadway.

“Inspired by the Van Gogh exhibition, we embarked on a journey to marry an immersive video experience with our unmatched costume collection,” said Marilynn A. Wick, executive managing producer. “The mission of the Wick Costume Museum has always been to share our historic wardrobe in an entertaining and educational way. With this dramatic new remodel, we are thrilled to welcome fans to enjoy our collection in a glorious new fashion.”

“This venture is unlike anything we have ever done before,” said Kimberly Wick, curator of the museum. “We are taking the traditional museum tour and elevating it to a multi-sensory journey that celebrates the best of Broadway, live performance and dining in one glorious experience.”

The space was inaugurated in September by Tony nominee Christine Andreas, who also portrayed Eliza Doolittle on Broadway. Beginning in October, exhibit lunch packages will be available, including admission to the exhibition, three-course meal, live entertainment and the “hat room” experience.

The 2022-23 season at the Wick opens with Avi Hoffman starring in “Milk & Honey,” Oct. 13 – Nov. 6, featuring the first Broadway score composed by Jerry Herman (“Mame,” “Le Cage aux Folles”). The updated Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Cinderella,” Nov. 25 – Dec. 24, follows, along with “Anything Goes,” Jan. 12 – Feb. 12, and “Damn Yankees,” March 2 – April 2.

The season concludes with “Million Dollar Quartet,” April 20 –May 14, the reimagined meeting of Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Johnny Cash in a Memphis recording studio.

Tickets and more information at TheWick.org

Photo courtesy of Symphony of the Americas.

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BROADWAY IN FORT LAUDERDALE

The Broadway in Fort Lauderdale season at the Broward Center will include four South Florida premieres: “Six,” “Tina – The Tina Turner Musical,” Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird” and “Beetlejuice.” The season also features the return of “Hamilton” and two subscriber choice options, “Chicago” and “Mean Girls,” with “Riverdance” making a repeat appearance, too.

“We are thrilled that Broadway is back in South Florida,” said Susie Krajsa, president of Broadway Across America. “We will be kicking off [the season] with the highly-anticipated, global sensation ‘Six,’ and we are ecstatic that it will be making its South Florida premiere this fall at the Broward Center.”

“It’s another fantastic season for Broadway fans at the Broward Center,” said Kelley Shanley, CEO of the Broward Center, “and we’re delighted to bring such great entertainment to our South Florida audiences. We know everyone is ready to be back at the theater, and with eight exciting shows in the 2022-2023 Broadway in Fort Lauderdale season, we are sure to delight fans with dynamic music, drama, dance and great storytelling.”

The season kicks off with “Six,” a musical transformation of six Tudor queens to pop princesses, Oct. 11 – 23. The rap-retelling of the life of founding father “Hamilton,” makes another return to South Florida, Nov. 22 – Dec. 11. “Riverdance” celebrates its 25th anniversary on the Au Rene Theater stage, Jan. 13 – 15, followed by “Tina – The Tina Turner Musical,” Jan. 17 – 29. Now a Broadway legend, “Chicago,” also returns, Feb. 14 – 19, followed by Aaron Sorkin’s adaptation of Harper Lee’s seminal “To Kill a Mockingbird,” March 28 – April 9. The season concludes with Tina Fey’s cult favorite, “Mean Girls,” May 2 – 7, and Tim Burton’s equally addictive “Beetlejuice,” June 13 – 25.

For tickets and more information, go to BrowardCenter.org

KRAVIS ON BROADWAY

The Kravis Center in West Palm Beach celebrates 30 years of the best of Broadway in South Florida with a line-up of seven hit shows that include multiple Tony Award winners and local premieres of Disney’s “Aladdin” and “Wicked.”

The ‘80s currently rule the stage on and off Broadway and the

Kravis Center is bringing several hits to South Florida: “Dolly Parton’s 9 to 5 the Musical,” followed by the new musical adaptation, “Tootsie.” Then, fall in love all over again with one of Hollywood’s most beloved romantic stories, “Pretty Woman: The Musical.”

Finally, the season wraps up with the electrifying tale of brotherhood, family, loyalty and betrayal in “Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations.”

“As we enter our 30th season this fall, the Kravis Center continues to be at the heart of the cultural community in Palm Beach County – providing an exceptional schedule of great live performances, community collaborations, education initiatives and more,” said Diane Quinn, Kravis Center CEO. “This season’s Kravis On Broadway lineup is certain to introduce new audiences to the Kravis Center and bring Broadway fans back for more!”

The Kravis on Broadway season kicks off with “9 to 5 the Musical,” Nov. 15 – 20, followed by Disney’s “Aladdin,” Dec. 14 – 23. The new year opens with 2019 Best Musical “Hadestown,” Jan. 3 – 8, “Tootsie,” Feb. 7 – 12 and “Pretty Woman: The Musical,” March 7 – 12. “Wicked,” March 29 – April 9, and “Ain’t Too Proud,” April 26 – 30, conclude the season.

Tickets and more information at Kravis.org

BROADWAY IN MIAMI

Broadway fans in Miami will be treated to the perfect mix of new and beloved musicals at the Arsht Center’s Ziff Ballet Opera House, including two local premieres.

“Six,” Oct. 25 – 30, hands the mic to the six wives of Henry VIII to “remix 500 years of historical heartbreak into an exuberant celebration of 21st century girl power.” This conceptual show was a hit in London and New York City and now makes its way to South Florida.

Disney’s “Aladdin,” Jan. 3 – 8, is a theatrical event where one lamp and three wishes yield infinite possibilities, while jeweled slippers and magic portions wield amazing powers in “Wicked,” Feb. 15 – March 5. Director Bartlett Sher’s revival of “My Fair Lady,” March 28 – April 2, reimagines the story of Eliza Doolittle, a young Cockney flower seller, and Henry Higgins, a linguistics professor who is determined to transform her into his idea of a “proper lady.”

The season concludes with “Ain’t Too Proud – The Life and Times of the Temptations,” May 9 – 14, the jukebox musical that chronicles the band’s extraordinary journey from the streets of Detroit to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. The score includes most of their 42 top 10 hits.

For tickets and more information, go to ArshtCenter.org

LESBIAN THESPIANS

It’s been a whirlwind year for Carol Wartenberg and the Lesbian Thespians. The group of women actors, musicians, artists and art lovers founded during the COVID-19 pandemic experienced rapid growth as it tapped into the region’s largely unnoticed lesbian community. And just this summer, the group claimed a new home as theater company-in-residence at ArtServe in Fort Lauderdale.

The group got its start under the auspices of the newly formed

Photo courtesy of Broadway in Fort Lauderdale.

nonprofit Plays of Wilton (POW!), founded by independent theater producer Ronnie Larsen at the intimate Foundry theater space in Wilton Manors.

Wartenberg and a core group of women artists who had always felt marginalized within the local male-dominated LGBT community began hosting monthly mixers and soon added play readings, spoken word events and concerts.

The events proved popular and the group quickly outgrew the Foundry. But, with the pandemic subsiding and other theater companies and arts organizations returning to regular schedules, the availability of venues was limited.

“The past year has been difficult because theaters have gotten back into business and finding appropriate spaces to rehearse and perform has been a challenge,” explained Wartenberg, a retired clinical psychologist who always had an affinity for acting and theater. “We’re so grateful to Ronnie and POW! because they really gave us our start.”

When the opportunity to call ArtServe home was presented, Wartenberg jumped. The Broward County arts incubator, gallery and performing space would offer a safe, nurturing environment for the young organization and its largely amateur artists.

“When ArtServe asked, I told them I didn’t need my car to drive home because I would just float home,” she recalled. “We needed to grow and ArtServe was like going to heaven.”

Lesbian Thespians opened their 2022-23 season at ArtServe in August with a staged reading of the play “Enid’s Fly Trap,” Terry Baum’s play about the employees and patrons at an old-fashioned lesbian bar that has seen better days. Upcoming events include “Music Time,” an open mic night on Oct. 9 and a Halloween party on Oct. 29. Other socials and arts events are being planned and will be posted on the group’s Facebook page.

For more information, go to Facebook.com/PlaysOfArtServe

MALTZ JUPITER THEATRE

Timing is everything in theater — and not just on stage. For the Maltz Jupiter Theatre in north Palm Beach County, the COVID pandemic coincided with a planned $30 million expansion of the facility that used to be home to the Burt Reynolds Dinner Theater decades earlier.

After construction delays and supply chain challenges, the glistening theater, rehearsal and educational facility is ready for the 2022-23 season and perhaps more, as hinted by Artistic Director Andrew Kato in a statement:

“A portion of our theater renovation included expanding our stage to better serve pre-Broadway productions, so what better way to showcase what our new facilities are capable of than with a set of incredible Broadway hits? We remain grateful to all of our donors, subscribers and patrons who stood by us over the past two years and we are looking forward to a full season in this stateof-the-art production center, which will be a source of community pride in its physical beauty, but also in its ability to serve the entire community with world class entertainment.”

The season opens with “Jersey Boys,” Oct. 25-Nov. 13, canceled last season because of construction delays. The jukebox musical

showcases the music of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons.

The season continues with Stephen Sondheim’s “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum,” Nov. 29 – Dec. 18, and another show canceled because of construction woes, “Sweet Charity,” Jan. 10-29. This classic musical includes the songs “If My Friends Could See Me Now” and “Big Spender.”

“Good People,” Feb. 12 – 26, a dramatic comedy that captures working class American struggles and hopes, follows and the season wraps up with “Oliver!” March 14 – April 2, Lionel Bart’s musical based on Charles Dickens’ “Oliver Twist.”

In addition to the regular season productions, Maltz will present its traditional lineup of limited engagement concerts, including Odyssey Road: Tribute to Journey, Nov. 16; Best of The Eagles Tribute, Nov. 20; ABBAmania, Dec. 31; Earth, Wind, and Fire Tribute Band, Feb. 3; Lucie Arnaz, March 4; and the Celtic Tenors, March 3.

Tickets and more information at JupiterTheatre.org

PALM BEACH DRAMAWORKS

The contemporary American experience, in all its vigor and complexity, takes center stage this season at Palm Beach Dramaworks in downtown West Palm Beach.

Producing Artistic Director William Hayes has planned a season that features two Pulitzer Prize-winning plays, “Topdog/Underdog” by Suzan-Lori Parks and “August: Osage County” by Tracy Letts; a Pulitzer Prize-finalist, “4000 Miles” by Amy Herzog; the world premiere of “The Science of Leaving Omaha” by Carter W. Lewis; and the classic “Twelve Angry Men” by Reginald Rose.

With the exception of “Twelve Angry Men,” the plays were written in the 21st century and all tell stories that reflect America’s diverse tapestry as they shine a light on family dynamics and the tribulations of modern life. According to Hayes, even though “Twelve Angry Men” was introduced in 1954, it, too, speaks with unnerving immediacy to today’s audiences.

The season opens with “4000 Miles,” Oct. 14 - 30, in which a lonely 91-year-old former political activist and her 21-year-old, grief-stricken grandson reaches across the generation gap and find comfort in each other. Direction is by J. Barry Lewis, who also helms “Twelve Angry Men,” Dec. 9 - 24. The play examines how the baggage and prejudices people bring into a jury room can impede the Constitutional guarantee of a fair trial.

Next up is the world premiere of “The Science of Leaving Omaha,” Feb. 3 – 19, a standout from the 2022 New Year/New Plays Festival. Bruce Linser directs this play about young, marginalized, workingclass Midwesterners with limited options.

The fourth production is the Pulitzer Prize-winning “August: Osage County,” March 31 – April 16, a harrowing and hilarious comic drama about a middle-class Oklahoma family. Hayes directs. The season concludes with another Pulitzer Prize-winner, “Topdog/Underdog,” May 26 – June 11, and is directed by Be Boyd. It’s the story of a pair of African-American brothers, both in their thirties, who were abandoned as teenagers by their parents and are caught in an endless struggle to survive.

For tickets and more information, go to PalmBeachDramaworks.org.

ISLAND CITY STAGE

Island City Stage, an LGBT-centric regional theater company based in Wilton Manors, celebrated its 10th anniversary last season, despite the challenges of the pandemic.

“Two years ago, the cast and crew were in the middle of rehearsal for ‘Suddenly, Last Summer’ when we were given the news that we had to shut down. It’s been a long road for all of us, and we are grateful to still be here, working with a thriving organization producing thought-provoking theatre for full houses again,” said Managing Director Martin Childers in an email to patrons.

He added, “Because of you, we have been able to produce with mandated smaller audiences, find creative ways to keep people engaged and implemented physical upgrades to our facility to keep you safe and comfortable. All of this came at great cost, and we are grateful for those that helped us find the funds to manage these challenges.”

Audiences flocked to critically-acclaimed performances of gay playwright Tennessee Williams’ “Suddenly, Last Summer,” and thought-provoking productions that explored race and gender in the LGBT community.

Looking ahead to the company’s next decade, Artistic Director Andy Rogow has planned an equally challenging – and entertaining – season beginning in October with the outrageous gender-bending musical “Pageant,” Oct. 20 – Nov. 20, and Jon Brittain’s “Rotterdam,” Jan. 19 – Feb. 19, a bittersweet comedy that explores the relationship between two women while one transitions.

The season continues with “I Wanna F*#%ing Tear You Apart,” March 2 – April 2, an ode to the complications of friendship in its many fucked-up forms, and a National New Play Network world premiere of “Tracy Jones,” May 18 – June 18, a comedy about a young lesbian attempting to connect with others.

The season concludes with “Springfield Pride,” Aug. 3 – Sept. 3, a new commission imagined from today’s headlines after a liberal cisgender politician makes off-the-record comments about Black Lives Matter that become public and don’t quite match his social justice persona. Can he still be the grand marshal of the annual Pride parade?

For tickets and more information, go to IslandCityStage.org .

ZOETIC STAGE AND CITY THEATRE

The Theater Up Close series at the Arsht Center in Miami, featuring local award-winning companies Zoetic Stage and City Theatre, returns with five productions in 2022-23, including two world premieres, one Florida premiere and one regional premiere.

Liz Wallace, vice president of programming for the Arsht Center, said, “We welcome the community back for a strong, wide ranging, engaging and thought provoking 2022-2023 season.”

Zoetic Stage opens the series with the Florida premiere of “Mlima’s Tale” by Lynn Nottage, Oct. 13 – 20, followed by the world premiere of Michael McKeever’s “American Rhapsody, Jan. 12 – 29. In March, Zoetic tackles Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey’s Tony and Pulitzer Prize award-winning musical, “Next to Normal,” March 16 – April 9. They close their season with another world premiere, “#Graced” by Vanessa Garcia, May 4 – 21.

“We at Zoetic Stage are enormously excited to be partnering with the Arsht Center for our 11th season! Our programming … has been carefully curated, crafted with stories about personalized American experiences igniting a wanderlust filled with moments surrounding human connectivity and moving forward,” said Zoetic Stage Artistic Director Stuart Meltzer.

City Theatre will offer the regional premiere of Heidi Schreck’s Pulitzer and Tony Award nominated hit Broadway play, “What the Constitution Means” hopeful, and achingly human, Heidi becomes her teenage self, earning college tuition by winning constitutional debate competitions across the United States. Every amendment leads to surprising storytelling as adult Heidi traces the profound relationship between four generations of women and the founding document that shaped their lives.

“We expect it will resonate with South Florida audiences as powerfully as it did during its multi-award winning, sold-out run on Broadway,” said City Theatre’s Artistic Director Margaret M. Ledford.

For tickets and more information, go to ArshtCenter.o rg.

THINKING CAP THEATRE

Known for staging bold and boundary-breaking plays in the style of Off- and Off-Off-Broadway, Thinking Cap Theatre (TCT) has attracted a loyal fan base that appreciates the opportunity to see daring theatre locally – without traveling to New York, Chicago or Los Angeles.

“TCT thrives on experimentation, both in terms of the plays we select and how we rehearse and stage them. We challenge conventions and embrace playfulness. This is how we work to keep the art form dynamic and evolving,” explained Nicole Stodard, TCT’s founding artistic director. “The other cornerstone of TCT’s mission has been championing equity and diversity on and off stage.”

Earlier this year, the company relocated from Fort Lauderdale to nearby Dania Beach to become the resident professional theatre company at Mad Arts, formerly the Gallery of Amazing Things. MAD Arts, a 56,000 square foot, state-of-the-art venue, strives

Photo courtesy of Island City Stage.

to support the arts community by helping artists facilitate their ideas and adding its expertise and resources to help them create experiences that may have otherwise been out of their reach.

“While the company has made some wonderful memories at The Vanguard, we are stoked about the move to MAD Arts. This new home offers us a world of creative possibilities and resources that we’ve never had before. We are grateful and ready,” said Stodard.

The company’s ongoing “Uncensored” play reading series kicks off the fall schedule with “Elvis and Ali” by Tom Schreck, Oct. 10. As the story goes, in the mid 1970s, a frustrated Elvis Presley called Muhammad Ali for advice. Ali invited Elvis to his rural Pennsylvania training camp where they discussed life, race, family, politics, war, religion, women and the prison of fame.

TCT officially opens the 2022-23 season with Micheál Mac Liammóir’s “The Importance of Being Oscar,” Oct. 14 – 30, and starring local playwright, producer and actor Ronnie Larsen as the infamous Oscar Wilde in a fully staged production.

Stodard offers a twist on the traditional holiday family gathering with “O Christmas Tree,” Dec. 9 – 21. Described as “an original holiday play with music, inspired by the Florida Christmas tree farm industry about a South Florida family that takes a road trip to a pick-and-cut farm.”

For tickets and more information, go to ThinkingCapTheatre.org

SOUTH FLORIDA PRIDE WIND ENSEMBLE

The South Florida Pride Wind Ensemble raises the curtain on its 2022-23 season with “Beyond Borders 2” on Nov. 6 at the Broward Center in Fort Lauderdale.

In a loving celebration of our planet, the multisensory experience will feature videos emphasizing the beauty and fragility of Mother Earth shown on multiple screens in harmonic accompaniment with the musicians.

A highlight of the program will be an original piece by Emmy Award-winning composer Julie Giroux. An accomplished orchestrator, composer, arranger, clinician and guest conductor, Giroux’s recent symphonic masterpiece is the “Big Blue Marble.” She became the female composer to have her work performed during a U.S. Presidential Inauguration ceremony when “Integrity March,” the first movement from Giroux’s Symphony No. 3 titled “No Finer Calling,” was played by the presidential band as Vice President Kamala D. Harris was introduced.

In addition, the program will explore music from around the world and feature several guest artists including performers from Modern Marimba and an Argentinian tango duo, performed by members of the renowned dance troupe, Dance South Florida.

“As South Florida’s only LGBT wind ensemble, we are incredibly proud to return for our 36th season stronger and more resilient than ever,” said Dan Bassett, artistic director. “I’m fortunate to work with 60 incredible and extremely talented local musicians and encourage music lovers from all communities to attend this incredible concert.”

For tickets and more information, go to PrideWindEnsemble.org

ACTORS’ PLAYHOUSE

Actors’ Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre in Coral Gables is celebrating its 35th anniversary season. The company has carved out a reputation for creative productions of big Broadway musicals and Artistic Director David Arisco has some surprises for Miami-area audiences.

The season opens with “Million Dollar Quartet Christmas,” Nov. 16 – Jan. 1, an imagined holiday season reunion for Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Elvis Presley, inspired by the hit Broadway original.

Actors’ Playhouse nabbed the rights to the regional debut of the Jimmy Buffet jukebox musical, “Escape to Margaritaville,” Feb. 1 –26, including the singer/songwriter’s biggest hits, “Cheeseburger in Paradise,” “Margaritaville,” “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere,” “Fins” and “Volcano.”

Inspired by a true story and featuring the Tony-nominated score by Steve Martin and Edie Brickell, Broadway’s “Bright Star,” March 29 –April 16, tells a sweeping tale of love and redemption set against the rich backdrop of the American South in the 1920s and ’40s.

David Auburn’s “Proof,” May 17 – June 4, is an elegant and engaging story of passion, genius and family bonds. The story combines elements of mystery and surprise with old-fashioned storytelling and receives its first professional production in Miami in over 20 years.

The season comes to a comical end with Emma Peirson’s “Defending the Cavewoman,” July 19 – Aug. 6. A raucous mid-life existential crisis unfolds as Peirson digs deep into the “caves” of the female psyche and sends the male of the species scattering in all directions, by debunking the stereotypical myths about how women think.

For tickets and more information, go to ActorsPlayhouse.org

SLOW BURN THEATRE CO.

Slow Burn Theatre Co. (SBTC), in residence at the Broward Center in Fort Lauderdale, is promising its hottest season yet with five big Broadway musicals.

An alien man-eating plant takes over the Amaturo Theater in “Little Shop of Horrors,” Oct. 15 – 30. Will awkward Seymour finally get the attention of Audrey? Will the pair stop the monstrous Audrey II from conquering the planet? Real Broadway fans already know the answers.

The season continues with “Footloose – The Musical,” Dec. 17 –Jan. 1, the stage adaptation of the popular ‘80s film featuring Kevin Bacon. Artistic Director Patrick Fitzwater and his talented creative team and performers then tackle the regional premiere of Andrew Bergman and Jason Robert Brown’s “Honeymoon in Vegas – The Musical,” Feb. 4 – 19. Already, this season is looking like a jackpot, pardon the pun.

SBTC’s season concludes with two Disney favorites: “Mary Poppins,” March 25 – April 9, and “Newsies: The Broadway Musical,” June 10 – 25. Get the kids hyped up on a few spoonfuls of sugar and then they’ll tackle the nonstop athletic choreography in “Newsies.”

And if this season isn’t news enough, SBTC recently opened their own scenic shop, where they will be constructing all their own sets, as well as sets for other local companies.

For tickets and more information, go to BrowardCenter.org.

Baker’s Dozen: COOKBOOK AUTHORS

// Rick Karlin

have a

for

which I collect and read like cherished novels. For those who adore the food porn that are cookbooks as much as I do, we all have our favorite authors. Let me introduce you to some LGBT cookbook authors.

Ceyenne Doroshow

“Cooking in Heels”

In “Cooking in Heels,” Doroshow offers up 40 Southern-style favorites with a Caribbean twist. A transgender woman who was inspired to write her book while serving prison time for a prostitution conviction, she writes with good humor and begins with the story of her life. Doroshow proves that food and love are the ties that bind, and family is what you make it.

Tim Mulligan

While Mulligan isn’t a trained chef, he worked for years in restaurants and picked up delicious, satisfying, and failsafe recipes from fellow home cooks, adding some of his own touches along the way. He’s a gay dad who prepares meals every night for his family. In “The Perfect 10,” Mulligan provides failproof recipes from breakfast to appetizers and sides, to salads, entrees, desserts, and a full holiday menu.

Bryan Petroff &Douglas Quint

“Big Gay Ice Cream”

Fans of “Big Gay Ice Cream,” the titular cookbook, written by the founders of the beloved ice cream shop, this is for you. It gives you the scoop on everything you need to know about making homemade frozen treats. Along the way, you can enjoy Petroff and Quint’s stranger-than-fiction stories, cheeky humor, vibrant photography, and illustrations, and plenty of culinary and celebrity cameos (including an introduction by the late Anthony Bourdain).

Hannah Hart

“My Drunk Kitchen”

If you’re a fan of Hart, host of the hit YouTube series My Drunk Kitchen, you’ll love this cookbook that combines her culinary knowledge with her hilarious sense of humor. Recipes for saltine nachos and latke shotkas are both entertaining and delicious, exactly kind of food you make when you’re drunk. If you can follow a recipe.

Lou Rand Hogan

“The Gay Cookbook”

Of course, a discussion of LGBT cookbooks would not be possible without including chef Hogan’s “The Gay Cookbook.” A reprint of the original edition from the 1960s is now available. The book is campy, and chatty. But, while written humorously, the recipes often are complex and cosmopolitan, and hold up surprisingly well.

Elizabeth Falkner

“Cooking Off the Clock: Recipesfrom My Downtime”

If you’ve ever wondered how a professional chef cooks during their downtime, chef Falkner, best known for her appearances on Food Network and her successful restaurants, gives you a peek behind the kitchen door in “Cooking Off the Clock: Recipes from My Downtime.” The cookbook provides casual, everyday recipes that are exciting and inspiring. If you’re looking for all-purpose recipes that are both practical and delicious, start with this.

Edd Kimber

“The Boy Who Bakes”

Kimber is a baker, food writer and TV personality. Kimber realized the corporate world wasn’t for him after entering and winning the The Great British Bake Off. His cookbooks, “The Boy Who Bakes,” “Say It With Cake,” “Patisserie Made Simple” and “One Tin Bakes,” are British staples, and he currently hosts the popular “Stir the Pot” podcast.

Jesse Szewczyk

“Tasty Pride”

“Tasty Pride,” compiled by Szewczyk, features 75 recipes submitted from members of the queer food community. This rainbow cookbook is an eclectic mix of recipes ranging from spicy strawberry ice cream sundaes to everything bagel beignets. Each contributor shares a short personal story — some funny, some sad, and all filled with hope. Szewczyk is a food stylist and writer based in New York. He was named a Forbes 30 Under 30 of Food & Drink for 2021. “Tasty Pride” has already raised $50,000 for GLAAD.

Von Diaz

“Coconuts & Collards: Recipes andStories from Puerto Rico to the DeepSouth.”

Diaz is a writer, documentary producer, and author of “Coconuts & Collards: Recipes and Stories from Puerto Rico to the Deep South.” Born in Puerto Rico and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, she explores food, culture, and identity. In addition to her debut culinary memoir, she has contributed recipes and essays to several cookbooks and anthologies and her work has been featured in the New York Times, The Washington Post, Bon Appétit, NPR, Food & Wine Magazine, Eater, and Epicurious.

Paul Arguin& Chris Taylor

“Fabulous Modern Cookies”

On their first date in 2009, Arguin suggested they bake together over the phone. He let Taylor choose the recipe. Five years later, Arguin and Taylor were married. Today, they share a home in Atlanta with a commercial kitchen in the basement, and they just published a new cookbook, “Fabulous Modern Cookies” from The Countryman Press. Why cookies? Well, according to what they write in their book, cookies are the “most approachable of all desserts.”

Zoe Adjonyoh

“Zoe’s Ghana Kitchen”

Adjonyoh takes traditional Ghanaian recipes and adds her own style and point of view in Zoe’s Ghana Kitchen. From kyenam (fante fried fish with shaved papaya) to aboboi (bambara bean stew), you’re sure to find many recipes you’ll love.

“As a mixed-race, Black lesbian from a working-class immigrant background who works at the intersections of food, culture, identity, and politics, I’m driven to create change in the food landscape. I hope for an equal balance in the representation of global cuisines. I want to see jollof as readily accessible as curry in supermarkets and in the minds of diners,” she writes in her bio.

“The Perfect 10”

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2022 TOYOTA COROLLA HYBRID

Larry Printz

The 2022 Toyota Corolla Hybrid provides Prius fuel economy without its unfortunate looks.

If you’ve ever been to your high school or college reunion, you know the drill.The boring guys and gals became the biggest successes.That’s why, in a world filled with fast, sexy automobiles, it’s the humble cars the prove the most popular: the Ford Model T, the Volkswagen Beetle and the Toyota Corolla.

And Toyota is stepping up efforts to maintain the Corolla’s popularity with the introduction of the new Corolla Cross crossover SUV. But given the price of fuel, it drinks more than your friends at happy hour. This is why the Corolla Hybrid is the better choice. It capitalizes on the Corolla’s key selling point: fuel efficiency. According to the EPA, it returns 52 mpg in combined city/ highway driving, significantly better than the 31–34 mpg offered by other Corolla models and the same fuel economy rating as a Prius. However, unlike the Prius, it doesn’t resemble an alien life form.

That said, its 1.8-liter four-cylinder gas engine and a 53-kW electric motor only generates 121 horsepower, funneled it through a continuously variable automatic transmission. So it’s not the quickest little car you can buy. But that’s not its forte. Rather, its mission as inexpensive, efficient transportation. Yet the 2022 Toyota Corolla Hybrid feels more spirited off-the-line than its conventional siblings thanks to the instant torque flowing from its electric powertrain. It’s more than adequate for the daily drudgery of sprinting down pokey parkways, although its engine does emit a gruff engine tone when pushed for power. Thankfully, the continuously variable transmission is less rubbery in its responsive ness than similar transmissions, but it’s still less enjoyable than a conventional gearbox.

A MacPherson strut front suspension, a multi-link rear suspension, and two

stabilizer bars provide a generally comfortable ride and reduces body roll when cornering. Although not sporty, it is fairly nimble.

And it’s safe, garnering not only the top crash ratings, but also a suite of driver assistance safety systems.

But aside from its fuel-sipping savvy, there’s an element of eloquence to this Corolla. Step inside and you’ll find it possesses an eloquently simple instrument panel. Nothing unnecessary is present; simply high-quality components and a well-thought-out design that shames much more expensive automobiles. After all, simplicity is the essence of elegance, thanks to interior finishes that belies their price.

Tech goodies include an 8-inch infotainment touchscreen, which is sizable but not excessive, as well as a 4G LTE Wi-Fi hotspot, Apple CarPlay, Amazon Alexa, Scout GPS compatibility, auxiliary audio jack, USB port, AM/FM/ MP3, and, of course, Bluetooth.

The addition of a 2022 Toyota Corolla Hybrid to the lineup only reaffirms its mission of providing affordable, fuelefficient, comfortable, safe transportation. And it pencils well.

The Corolla Hybrid is $975 less expensive than the Prius while providing identical fuel efficiency of 52 mpg.

No, it’s not exciting. But let’s face it, what’s so exciting about slogging down Federal Highway or crawling along

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