SPRING ARTS PREVIEW

BY JW ARNOLD

The new year is still “new,” but most Americans have already shed those optimistic (or pesky) resolutions. After a few days, exercise and diets require deeper commitments. But, when it comes to the arts, resolutions are easily made and easily kept. And it’s not too late to make new ones. Lunar New Year was Jan. 22, so consider that a reset even if we are already into February. Resolve to check out one of the award-winning regional theater companies or take in a concert. Explore funky new venues – or a funky new opera.

South Florida boasts one of the most vibrant arts scenes in the country and many of the most exciting productions are set for later in the season. Here’s a look at what’s happening this winter and spring.

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’s first production of the year, Puccini’s comic gem “Gianni Schicchi”, returns to the FGO stage for the first time since 1953. The darkly comedic tale of a toxic family that 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 one-acts. 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.

After January performances at the Arsht Center, the double bill moves Feb. 9 and 11 to the Broward Center in Fort Lauderdale.

Next up is a fiery tale of love, loyalty, and sacrifice in Napoleonic Rome, Puccini’s “Tosca,” one of the Italian’s most beloved scores. “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 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. The cast also features Metropolitan Opera soprano Toni Marie Palmertree, making her house and role debuts.

In the final opera 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.

Broadway In Fort Lauderdale

The 2022-23 Broadway in Fort Lauderdale season at the Broward Center continues with three South Florida premieres: “Tina – The Tina Turner Musical,” Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird” and “Beetlejuice.”

“It’s another fantastic season for Broadway fans at the Broward Center,” said Kelley Shanley, CEO of the Broward Center, “We are sure to delight fans with dynamic music, drama, dance and great storytelling.”

The Kander and Ebb classic “Chicago” returns, Feb. 14 – 19, followed by Aaron Sorkin’s gripping adaptation of Lee’s seminal Southern novel “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.

Mnm Theater

“Have theatre, will travel!” is the motto for MNM Theatre Company, which added the Willow Theatre in Boca Raton last fall as a second venue for its Palm Beach County performances.

After a successful December run of “The 25th Annual Putnam Co. Spelling Bee” at the Willow, MNM returns April 14 – 30 with “Avenue Q,” the Tony Award-winning grown-up spoof on “Sesame Street.”

The musical offers a clever and irreverent look at the world through the eyes of the fictional neighborhood as they explore and address issues associated with growing up in the “real” world, rather than the one their parents – and “Sesame Street” – described to them.

The award-winning regional company concludes the season with the South Florida premiere of “Disenchanted” in the Rinker Playhouse at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts in West Palm Beach, May 12 – 27.

“Disenchanted,” a parody on naive “princess musicals,” promises “Snow White and her posse of disenchanted princesses in this ‘musical comedy for grownups’ that’s anything but Grimm! 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 directs both productions.

Tickets and more information at MNMTheatre.org.

South Florida Symphony Orchestra

The South Florida symphony Orchestra’s (SFSO) 25th anniversary season is off to a big start to its 25th anniversary season with performances at the Parker in Fort Lauderdale, Tennessee Williams Theatre in Key West and the New World Center, its new Miami Beach home.

The music of 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 Brahms Concerto for Violin and Cello in a minor.

Finnish composer Sibelius’ Symphony No. 5 and the spirited overture to Berlioz’s “Béatrice et Bénédict” round out the program.

In March, Maestra Alfonso will conduct an all-Dvořák program, including his Cello Concerto in B minor, featuring returning soloist Zuill Bailey. The concert also features the Czech composer’s famed Symphony No. 9 in E minor, “From the New World,” a musical love letter to his travels in America. Performances are March 22 – 25 in Fort Lauderdale, Miami Beach and Key West.

The season concludes on April 26 at the Parker with Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor with Svetlana Smolina and Bruckner’s Te Deum, once again showcasing the symphony chorus and soloists soprano Elaine Alvarez, mezzo-soprano Rehanna Thelwell, bass-baritone Neil Nelson and tenor Andres Lasaga. 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 ushered in Mielgo’s second year with the symphony, after the pandemic delayed his long-anticipated arrival from Spain.

SOTA continues its commitment to serving South Florida’s multicultural population with diverse programming – a cultural crossroads of music, ranging from classical to Broadway.

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.

Miami City Ballet

Miami City Ballet (MCB) is offering a busy schedule filled with some of ballet’s most revered works, including Jerome Robbins’ “West Side Story Suite,” “Afternoon of a Faun” and the company premiere of “Antique Epigraphs.”

As usual, signature George Balanchine masterworks figure prominently: “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.

Programs in 2023 include “Modern Masters,” Feb. 10 – 12 at the Arsht Center in Miami, Feb. 17 – 19 at the Kravis Center in West Palm Beach and March 4 – 5 at the Broward Center in Lauderdale; “Fresh and Fierce,” Feb. 14 – 16 at the Arsht Center, April 21 – 23 at the Kravis Center and April 29 – 30 at the Broward Center; and “Entradas,” May 12 – 14 at the Kravis Center and May 19 – 21 at the Arsht Center.

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… We again share stories that traverse time and emotion this season, reminding us that we are all connected.”

For a complete schedule and tickets, go to MiamiCityBallet.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. Last fall, the museum underwent a dramatic high-tech transformation, inspired by the traveling Van Gogh exhibitions and 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.

Exhibit luncheon packages are available, including admission to the exhibition, three-course meal, live entertainment and the “hat room” experience.

The 2023 season at the Wick continues with “Anything Goes,” playing through 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.

Kravis On Broadway

The Kravis Center in West Palm Beach celebrates 30 years of the best of Broadway in South Florida this season with a line-up of hit shows that include multiple Tony Award winners and the Palm Beach County premiere of the longtime box office smash “Wicked.”

The ‘80s currently rule the stage on and off Broadway and the Kravis Center is bringing several hits to South Florida, including the new musical adaptation of the Dustin Hoffman film “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.”

The 2022-23 Kravis on Broadway season continues with “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 are being treated to the perfect mix of new and beloved musicals at the Arsht Center’s Ziff Ballet Opera House.

Jeweled slippers and magic portions wield amazing powers in the Broadway phenomenon “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. Incredibly, the score includes most of their 42 top 10 hits.

For tickets and more information, go to ArshtCenter.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.

Looking ahead to the company’s next decade, Artistic Director Andy Rogow planned an equally challenging – and entertaining –season.

Questions about gender identity threaten to tear apart a lesbian couple in the thought-provoking “Rotterdam,” playing through Feb. 19. 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.

Maltz Jupiter Theatre

If Burt Reynolds were still alive, he would hardly recognize the dinner theater he opened in Jupiter more than 40 years ago. But he would be proud of its successor, the Maltz Jupiter Theatre. During the pandemic, a major renovation and expansion was completed, making the venue one of the best in South Florida.

Artistic Director Andrew Kato has programmed an eclectic season to showcase the Maltz, including “Good People,” Feb. 12 – 26, a dramatic comedy that captures working class American dreams and the spunky “Oliver!,” March 14 – April 2, Lionel Bart’s musical based on Charles Dickens’ “Oliver Twist.”

In addition to the regular season productions, Maltz continues its traditional lineup of limited engagement concerts, including the Celtic Tenors, March 3 and Lucie Arnaz, March 4.

Tickets and more information at JupiterTheatre.org.

GAY MEN’S CHORUS OF SOUTH FLORIDA

Following a triumphant holiday return to the Hard Rock with Broadway star Shosana Bean, the Gay Men’s Chorus of South Florida (GMCSF) has two more big productions planned for their 2022-23 season.

Artistic Director Gabe Salazar will lead the 150-voice chorus in “Songs of the Phoenix,” Friday, March 24 at the Parker in Fort Lauderdale. The performance will be especially poignant as members of the former Fort Lauderdale Gay Men’s Chorus, which recently merged with GMCSF, sing together for the first time.

“Songs Of The Phoenix,” a co-commissioned concert sponsored by The Maurer Family Foundation, is centered around the themes of new beginnings, starting again, and rising up as seen through the lenses of social justice, racial justice, LGBT equality, actual democratic values and hope.

GMCSF returns to the Parker on June 24 – 25 with “Disney PRIDE in Concert,” a new program that celebrates LGBT life, love, family and pride through the combination of timeless songs from the Disney songbook, curated video clips from the Disney vault and the personal life experiences of local chorus members.

Featuring sparkling new arrangements, “Disney PRIDE in Concert” draws musical inspiration from iconic Disney films including “The Little Mermaid,” “The Lion King” and “Mary Poppins” to modern classics such as “Coco,” “Zootopia,” “Wreck-It Ralph” and the music of Disney Parks, all interwoven with storytelling from the diverse chorus community.

For more information and tickets, go to GMCSF.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 planned a 2022-23 season that featured two Pulitzer Prize-winning plays, a Pulitzer finalist and a world premiere. The world premiere of “The Science of Leaving Omaha,” Feb. 3 – 19, a standout from the company’s 2022 New Year/New Plays Festival. Bruce Linser directs this play about young, marginalized, working-class Midwesterners with limited options in life.

Next up is the Pulitzer Prize-winning “August: Osage County,” March 31 – April 16, a harrowing and hilarious comedy 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 AfricanAmerican 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.

Zoetic Stage

Following the world premiere of Michael McKeever’s “American Rhapsody” in January, Zoetic Stage, the regional company in residence at the Arsht Center in Miami, tackles Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey’s Tony and Pulitzer Prize award-winning musical, “Next to Normal,” March 16 – April 9.

The deeply moving story explores how one suburban household copes with crisis and mental illness. “Next to Normal” takes audiences into the minds and hearts of its character, presenting their family’s story with love, sympathy and heart.

Zoetic closes their season, May 4 – 21, with another world premiere, “#Graced” by Vanessa Garcia and directed by Sarah Hughes.

Garcia’s protagonist, Catherine, is searching for something authentic as she embarks on a Lewis-and-Clark-esque trip across America with her new lover and colleague, Lewis. Along the way, they pick up a wayward nun named Rosalie who has just gone through deep loss, meet a queer homeschooled teenager named Blake and rummage through the layers of migration and gender inequity that make up America. As Catherine travels, she comes to more questions than answers about “the real America,” her own identity and what authenticity even means anymore.

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

Empire Stage

Empire Stage, the intimate performance space in Fort Lauderdale, is a busy place this season – just like its namesake, New York, the “Empire State.”

Artistic Director David Gordon is teaming up with Artbuzz Theatrics for Mike Bartlett’s “Cock,” Feb. 3 – 25 and directed by Amir Darvish. Most gay men might argue that the plot is unlikely: John leaves his boyfriend of seven years after finding himself attracted to and having sex with a woman. However, in this age of pansexuality, maybe it is more plausible.

Pig Do Fly Productions, a company that features mature actors and themes, is back March 3 – 19 with “Cemetery Pub,” a comedy by Tom Dugan and “inspired by actual rumors.”

Speaking of goofy geriatrics, “The Golden Girls Gone Wild,” a parody written and directed by Keith Dougherty, makes a stop at Empire Stage, March 24 – April 9.

Island City Stage’s Andy Rogow directs “Tru,” April 14 – May 7, Jay Presson Allen’s acclaimed one-man Broadway play about the scandalous life of Truman Capote. The show is a collaboration with BaranBookman Productions.

Harvey Fierstein’s “Casa Valentina,” rounds out the season, May 12 – 28. David Simson directs this ensemble comedy about a group of men who gather at a secluded resort to dress in drag.

For more information and tickets, go to EmpireStage.com.

ACTORS’ PLAYHOUSE

Actors’ Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre in Coral Gables is celebrating its 35th anniversary season in 2023.

Put in your order for a frozen daiquiri or margarita to celebrate because Actors’ Playhouse nabbed the rights to the regional debut of the Jimmy Buffet jukebox musical, “Escape to Margaritaville,” Feb. 1 – 26.

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 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 males 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

Youth Pride Band Of South Florida

The South Florida Pride Wind Ensemble presents the Youth Pride Band of South Florida at the Broward Center on Sunday, Feb. 26. A select group of talented LGBT (and ally) high school instrumentalists from the tri-county area will perform band works by renowned composer Julie Giroux, who will also conduct the performance. The students will be joined by members of the Pride Wind Ensemble on the Amaturo Theater stage and over $10,000 in college scholarships will be awarded.

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

SLOW BURN THEATRE CO.

Slow Burn Theatre Co. (SBTC), in residence at the Broward Center in Fort Lauderdale, had audiences dancing in the aisles during a successful production of “Footloose the Musical” over the holiday season.

Next, Artistic Director Patrick Fitzwater and his talented creative team and performers tackle the regional premiere of Andrew Bergman and Jason Robert Brown’s “Honeymoon in Vegas – The Musical,” Feb. 4 – 19. Based on the hit 1992 film, “Honeymoon in Vegas” is a hilarious new musical that centers on an unusual love triangle. 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 these shows don’t have you excited, check out the lineup for 2023-24: “Into the Woods,” “Disney’s The Little Mermaid,” “Sister Act,” “The Prom” and “The SpongeBob Musical.”

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