WINTER 2015 • Vol. 3 Issue 4
Winter Arts Guide Edition guide begins on page 21
‘FIRST COMES LOVE’ PHOTO FEATURE SEX POSITIVE CULTURE CHALLENGES ETHICS HUNGARY FACES A HISTORIC STRUGGLE themirrormag.com
Winter 2015 | Vol 3 | Issue 4
Table of contents Opinions & Columns
Chief Executive Officer PIER ANGELO GUIDUGLI
EDITORIAL Art Director BRENDON LIES artwork@sfgn.com
News Features The 'Sex Positive' Revolution • 6 - 7 Hungary: The New Russia? • 4 - 5 Changing Attitudes in South • 10
Web Producer DENNIS JOZEFOWICZ dennis.jozefowicz@sfgn.com News Editor JOHN MCDONALD
jeanmichelmcdonald@gmail.com
Graphic Designer JOSUE ALEJANDRO
Special Sections
Staff Photographer J.R. DAVIS
The Word 'Queer' • 62 LGBTQ Parents in History • 66 Capturing Love in Photos • 68 - 73 Winter's Must Reads • 74
ead about the gay-friendly tourist destination of Puerto Vallarta. Pages 14 - 15
Publisher NORM KENT norm.kent@sfgn.com Associate Publisher JASON PARSLEY jason.parsley@sfgn.com
Publisher’s Message • 3 Transforming Gender • 76
R
2520 N. Dixie Highway | Wilton Manors, FL 33305 Phone: 954.530.4970 Fax: 954.530.7943
Interview Director Wakefield Poole • 8 Filmmaker David Decoteau • 18 Tom Gross: Singer/Songwriter • 64
Senior Correspondant TONY ADAMS A&E Editor J.W. ARNOLD
CORRESPONDENTS Christiana Lilly Terri SchlicHenmeyer Gary M. Kramer David-Elijah Nahmod BIL BROWNING DENISE ROYAL
SALES & MARKETING Director of Sales MIKE TROTTIER & Marketing mike.trottier@sfgn.com Sales Manager JUSTIN WYSE justin.wyse@sfgn.com
Travel
Advertising Sales Assoc. EDWIN NEIMANN edwin.neimann@sfgn.com
Italy Unveiled • 12 - 13 Puerto Vallarta • 14 - 15 Gay Lisbon • 16 - 17
Advertising Sales Assoc. CINDY CURTIS cindy.curtis@sfgn.comm
Short Story You Can See The Bay • 20
Winter Arts Guide • Page 21 Music To My Ears • 22 Comedy and Concerts • 24 Winter's Best Dance • 28 Top 10 Hot Tickets • 30 - 31 Classical Music and Jazz • 32 South Florida's Broadway • 34 - 35 An Interview with Andrew Kato • 36 Gardens of Glass • 38 Young Regional Conductors • 42 - 43 Movies and TV • 44 - 45 The Success of the Arts Garage • 46 Festivals Galore • 48 Datebook • 50 -52, 54, 56 Museum Crawl • 58 Gardens • 60
Sales Assistant DEVON WOODS devon.woods@sfgn.com Distribution Services BRIAN SWINFORD J.R. DAVIS Printing THE PRINTER’S PRINTER National Advertising RIVENDELL MEDIA 212-242-6863 sales@rivendellmedia.com Accounting Services CG BOOKKEEPING Cover: The Winter Arts and Entertainment Guide has arrived! Your guide to all the hot productions in South Florida. The Mirror is published quarterly. The opinions expressed in columns, stories, and letters to the editor are those of the writers. They do not represent the opinions of The Mirror or the Publisher. You should not presume the sexual orientation of individuals based on their names or pictorial representations in The Mirror. Furthermore the word “gay” in The Mirror should be interpreted to be inclusive of the entire LGBT community. All of the material that appears in The Mirror, both online at www.themirrormag.com, and in our print edition, including articles used in conjunction with the Associated Press and our columnists, is protected under federal copyright and intellectual property laws, and is jealously guarded by the newspaper. Nothing published may be reprinted in whole or part without getting written consent from the Publisher of The Mirror, Norm Kent, at Norm@NormKent.com. The Mirror is published by the South Florida Gay News. It’s a private corporation, and reserves the right to enforce its own standards regarding the suitability of advertising copy, illustrations and photographs. Copyright © 2014,
South Florida Gay News.com, Inc.
Associated Press 2 THE
• WINTER 2015
David Vance
Florida Press Association National Gay and Lesbian Journalists Association
Publisher’s Message
Norm Kent
Gay Life Has
Blossomed The seeds we planted many winters ago blossomed last year. Forty-five years after Neil Armstrong landed on the Moon, legal pot and gay marriage have landed on Earth. It was one small step for man, one giant high for mankind. America is in a different place, and so is being homosexual. Gay couples demanding to get married is totally inconsistent with what being gay years ago was all about. What ever happened to hedonistic nights at the Copa or on Fire Island, waking up stoned and hung over with someone you did not know the night before? A guy whose name you still did not know the morning after? Gay life was supposed to be an expression of independence, free from conformity and social norms. Gay life was sneaking yourself away from straight friends to conduct a late night rendezvous on the side of a mountain in Laguna Beach. We weren’t supposed to be having wedding ceremonies there. When the hell did we become normal? Didn’t we go to the Castro because we were unique? Weren’t we getting AIDS because we deserved to? Because we were defiling God’s plan? It served us right. Really, people thought those things and got elected saying them. Government did not fight AIDS. It fought people with AIDS. Gay life was supposed to be a political struggle so you could go to gay bookstores and watch eight-millimeter porn films in tiny booths for 12 minutes and 25 cents without being harassed by the police. When the hell did we ever start running gay and lesbian film festivals that get sponsored by Wells Fargo? Gay life was having a college gay rights group form and be allowed to exist on a campus, demanding equal access to a student affairs budget or committee room. When did we start becoming student council presidents or electing transgender folks as prom queens? Weren’t they supposed to be getting electro shock therapy to make them ‘normal’? Or was that us too? Gay life was forming groups like GUARD, Gays United Against Repression and Discrimination, fighting off police
brutality and legal intolerance. How did we suddenly become mayors of the town, issuing proclamations for Pride South Florida? Times change, and we do with them. We have grown and matured as a society. When Nadine Smith first came to visit me to tell me about the formation of Equality Florida, I am guessing she did not expect to be invited to the White House a decade later as a national LGBT leader. Weren’t we just a few years ago chaining ourselves to the White House fence to protest excluding gays from the military? When did we become Undersecretary of the Navy? Forty-five years ago, at Woodstock, a group of young people came together in a music festival that rocked the world. It was the dawn of a counter cultural revolution that still impacts America today. I don’t suspect that when Bob Dylan took the stage in Bethel, New York that rainy summer afternoon in August of 1969, he ever thought he would be performing in the White House East Room for an African American president one day either. But it happened. Ultimately, we have found we were never really that different from anyone else. We all want peace and harmony, friends and family, truths we can live by and people we can trust. We want lovers to love and partners to share lives with. Black or white, straight or gay, Russian or American, we just want to be left to be who we can become. Why the world continues to tell us who we must be is so beyond me. Isn’t it enough of a problem to run your own life without telling people how they should manage theirs? Stonewall was a riot, Woodstock a music festival. The message is that if you stay within yourself, and achieve your best, whether you are an astronaut, activist, or artist, there is no height you cannot reach, no goal you cannot attain, no mountain you cannot climb, no moon you cannot orbit. To be all you can be, let go of where you have been. If a man stands by his convictions and there abides, the whole world will come around to him. It has for us. Our flower has blossomed.
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[ News Feature ]
The New Russia?
Is Hungary Becoming Gays in Central Europe are finding an increasingly hostile environment John McDonald
I
Viktor Orban, Prime Minister of Hungary Photo: Európa Pont
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s the LGBT community in Budapest safe? Is it acceptable to be homosexual in the nation of Hungary? Sources close to the U.S. State Department are concerned about the rising level of intolerance in Central and Eastern Europe. At the forefront of this situation is Hungary, a traditionally conservative nation that is lurching ever more to the right. Stuart Milk, the gay nephew of slain American civil rights champion Harvey Milk, has traveled extensively to Hungary over the last few years. In his work with Pride events and receptions at the U.S. Embassy, Milk has observed very little homosexual expressions. “Society is normally OK with it (homosexual conduct), but they certainly do not talk about it and are not out,” Milk said during an interview with The Mirror from his attorney’s office in Wilton Manors, Fla. Milk, President and Co-Founder of the Harvey Milk Foundation, recently attended an LGBT themed “Night of Inclusion” at the U.S. Embassy in Budapest along with former ambassador Nancy Brinker and her gay son, Eric. Milk said Eric was disappointed that a number of his Hungarian friends said they could not attend such a public event. “The current climate has made it more difficult for LGBT people to be open and honest,” said Brinker. “[Being openly gay is] still not universally accepted at a professional level.” Brinker visited Hungary countless times while his mother served as the
U.S. Ambassador under President George W. Bush from 2001-2003. He insists Hungary is “a great country” and Budapest is a world-class city. “I absolutely encourage people to visit,” Brinker said. “It is a beautiful country. The people are incredibly nice and the cuisine is unbelievable and full of flavor. There’s wine, culture and arts. It really is a special place.” That said, Brinker said he feels Hungary is probably 20 years behind the U.S. in terms of LGBT rights. Viktor Orban currently serves as Hungary’s Prime Minister. There are reports Orban, 51, is leading his country toward a close alliance with the policies employed by those in the Russian Federation. Orban has held the position of Prime Minister since May of 2010. “Viktor Orban played a prominent role in challenging Hungary’s communist regime in its final months,” said Jim Bjork, a professor of Central European studies at London’s King’s College. “Unfortunately, since the conservative party he now leads won a supermajority in the Hungarian parliament, Orban’s government has embarked on a disturbing pattern of curtailing activities by independent organizations, including civil rights organizations. His government has also amended the constitution to define marriage as solely between a man and a woman.” The right to marry is just one area of civil rights the late Hungarian activist Milano Rosza was advocating before his tragic death inside a Budapest train station. The cause of death is still under investigation. Rosza’s story, Milk said, should be
Sketches of the LGBT protests in Hungary, which often turn violent
used to “highlight what our LGBT brothers and sisters go through” in Hungary. “He was the only visible face,” Milk said of late Rosza. So many others, Milk said, either burn out quickly or disappear. Rosza was often shown on Hungarian television protesting against internet taxes. His activism eventually landed him in jail, Milk said. The State Department does note, in a 2013 human rights report, of overcrowding and poor conditions in Hungary’s prison system. DOS also notes the most important human rights problems in Hungary are the on-going discrimination and exclusion of Roma (or Romani) people and anti-Semitism. Milk points to the far right Jobbick Party as perpetrators of an ultranationalistic spirit in Hungary that is associated with neo Nazi activity. Jobbick Party members, Milk said, align themselves with a “Putinism” style of government – a not so subtle reference to Russian Federation President Vladimir V. Putin. “The concept they’re (Jobbicks) pushing is to be against anything they deem as liberalism,” Milk said. In a speech in Romania last summer, Orban indicated he would take Hungary, a member of NATO and the European Union, on a course away from liberal policies. Hungary, Orban stated, “will undertake the odium of expressing that in character it is not of liberal nature.” Citing as models Singapore, China, India, Turkey and Russia, Orban added: “We have to abandon liberal methods and principles of organizing a society, as well as the
liberal way to look at the world.” Since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, no sitting President had mentioned Hungary in a U.S. address. That changed suddenly in September when President Barack Obama cited Hungary – along with Russia and Egypt – as examples of nations using endless regulations and overt intimidation to target civil society. U.S. Senator John McCain (R-Arizona) went one-step further, saying in early December that Hungary is “a very important country where bad things are going on.” In a statement, Sen. McCain claims “since Prime Minister Viktor Orban came to power in 2010, antidemocratic constitutional changes have been enacted, the independence of Hungary’s courts have been restricted, nongovernmental organizations raided and civil society prosecuted, the freedom of the press curtailed, and much more. These actions threaten the principles of institutional independence and checks and balances that are the hallmark of democratic governance and have left me deeply concerned about the erosion of democratic norms in Hungary.”
Vladimir Putin, President of Russia Photo: POOL, CNN
The Mirror reached out to the U.S. Embassy in Budapest for comment, but did not receive a response. The U.S. Senate recently confirmed the President’s choice for ambassador to Hungary, Colleen Bradley Bell. Bell, a producer for the television soap opera “Bold and the Beautiful” drew the ire of Sen. McClain during confirmation hearings on Capitol Hill. Sen. McCain said Bell was “totally unqualified” to hold the ambassador post.
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[ Feature ]
The ‘Sex Positive’
Revolution
Christiana Lilly
T
o some, the world of sexuality is a black and white one, a place where you’re either straight or not. But it’s far from that -- the LGBT movement’s symbol has long been the rainbow flag, including shades of varying sexual orientations and identities. Taking it even further, there are even more ways of expressing sexuality and gender, and for 15 years, it’s been the mission of the Center for Sex Positive Culture in Seattle. “I personally do not like the word 'alternative' sexuality because I think that all of our sexuality is legitimate,” said Allena Gabosch, the executive director. “But for people in areas of sexuality that are not as mainstream… there’s not a lot of space to be that way and be with people that are like you.” Sex positivity, in short, is the idea that if it’s a sexual lifestyle where all adults involved are consenting −whether for pleasure, an expression or love, or part of spiritual belief − why dismiss it? With its roots in the free love movement of the ‘60s and ‘70s, Gabosch says sexual positivity has since shifted from a sexual revolution to its renaissance today. When the center was formed in 1999, the executive director had no idea that it would become what it is today. Throughout the month, the center hosts socials and meetings for people who consider themselves to be LGBT, polyamorous and polygamist, kinky, asexual, and a litany of other sexual persuasions. Here,
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people can learn more about a lifestyle they might be interested in or meet other people like them in a safe place where they’re not odd. “The sex positive movement affects everyone,” she said. “Those in our community who are LGBT even more so in that sex negativity and sexual shaming seems more prevalent toward those who identify as LGBT.” Today, there are 2,200 active members and over the last 15 years 16,000 people have been a part of the center. Gabosch has also noticed that the movement has become more mainstream as television shows and books tackle BDSM and polyamory. The scripted drama, “Big Love,” and reality TV shows “My Five Wives” and “Sister Wives” on TLC have brought the idea of adults being perfectly happy with more than one spouse is possible. Also, while bodiceripper novels and pulp fiction have been around for decades, the mainstream “50 Shades of Grey” got more people talking about bringing kink into the bedroom… or talking about how they and their partner had already been doing it. “Young people today are so much more fluid around orientation, around gender, around sexual interest,” Gabosch said. “I’ve been speaking to colleges for 20-plus years and I’ve watched students’ reactions and I’ve listened very carefully to the kinds of questions, and the questions I get now are more well thought out. They’re less reactive, they’re less shamefaced, they’re less fearful.”
• WINTER 2015
"Sex Happens" How to reignite that spark Dr. Arlen Keith Leight, a therapist in Fort Lauderdale, published his book “Sex Happens: The Gay Man’s Guide to Creative Intimacy” in 2013 and since then has narrowed his scope of patients to only gay men and couples. Dr. Leight talked with the Mirror about how to explore and express one’s emotional needs, or creative intimacy -- something that can be very scary for some people.
Why is it important for couples to explore creative intimacy? Men in our society tend to avoid vulnerability, holding back emotions and holding back giving voice to their shifting desires. The result is often sexual disconnection and relational stagnation and breakdown. Creative intimacy is important for couples who want to see their emotional and sexual relationship grow as they grow and change.
Why are so many people reluctant to voice their bedroom fantasies? There is fear of hurting one’s partner, hurting the relationship and/or being rejected. The idea of sharing fantasies or asking for something new may feel threatening to the status quo. The important thing to realize is that people change over time. If a couple cannot or does not share with the one they love their inner desires
and struggles, the relationship is likely to lose its passion and energy.
If a couple is interested in doing something different, how do you suggest they start? There is a method to the unfolding of new dynamics in a loving relationship. I believe “Sex Happens” outlines that method in a clear, easyto-read and follow format. The book contains information on how to communicate around these difficult topics, exercises for improving sensual and sexual intimacy, and how to negotiate an open arrangement, bringing in thirds, or seeking individual sexual interests while minimizing risk and actually improving the intimate connection in the primary relationship.
What was your motivation to write this book? My own personal story as well as the core issues that continuously presented in my practice created the realization that many gay men struggle with the same foundational challenges. Primarily, despite love and commitment to a partner, shifting sexual desires arise. I felt it was important to help men understand the truth about their desire dynamics and present options for confronting the challenges these desires place on loving relationships.
Want More? Looking to expand the relationship with your significant other? Allena Gabosch from the Center for Sex Positive Culture in Seattle has some suggestions of where to start. Online seems like a no brainer, but like anything else, there’s tons of misinformation out there. Gabosch recommends FetLife, an online community of fetish, BDSM and kink akin to Facebook. Or, search for a munch in your community, a meetup of those interested in BDSM. Couples interested in incorporating whips, chains, gags, and other toys into the bedroom should look into “The Bottoming Book” and “The Topping Book.” “They’re really accessible books and they talk a lot about kinky stuff without getting into the really deep, philosophical side of it.” For polyamory or opening up your relationship to more people, check out “The Ethical Slut” and “Opening Up.” But remember, it’s not a fixer upper for a struggling relationship. “If you’re in a relationship that needs help, don’t think polyamory will help you. It won’t. You have to have a good strong base to start something like that, but it can be a really great way to explore new forms of sexuality.”
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[ Interview]
Iconic Porn Director
Gary M. Kramer
Wakefield Poole W
Talks to The Mirror
akefield Poole wanted to make “artistic, erotic—not dirty” films. And he did. He had blockbuster successes with “Boys in the Sand” and “Bijou” although not with his fascinating flop, “Bible!” Poole looked back over his remarkable life and career in a recent interview You were a dancer with the Ballet Russes. How did you come to have a career in cinema?
I found there was power in the camera because I could become a participant in the sex by what I chose to show — almost like a three-way, though my part was not physical, but totally mental. It was incredible feeling the power I had affecting the [actors’] action—zooming in, doing a close up, etc. Every film I felt I was participating, not just being a voyeur. You took an experimental approach to making erotic films. Why do you think your work “Boys and the Sand” and “Bijou” connected with audiences when they were made? I think the main reason people connected with my films is that they are real. I matched people up emotionally, and physically. They expressed themselves as they were feeling. My stars all had a reason to be there and do what they wanted to do because they wanted to do it. The camera was hand wound, and I would have to stop constantly, and I didn’t have two cameras, so I had to develop my style around what I had. Hence cut aways, and trees and sunsets. I couldn’t match the action. They kept on going. It made me edit, and I had to be creative in editing. Nowadays, they don’t have to edit, and there are so many restrictions. Did you feel a need to cultivate a particular audience? I wanted to attract straight people. Because of my reputation, I was known in theater circles, and I knew they would all come to see the movie. I knew I was getting the carriage trade. A lot of women were interested in my work. I wanted to have people sit and watch a porno as a movie, not a place to get hot and go to the men’s and turn a trick. What can you say about the lives and careers of Casey Donovan and Bill Harrison, the early gay male porn stars? Casey I met through a friend, Joe Nelson, and he recommended him to replace an actor who wanted an outrageous amount of money. Cal [Culver, Casey Donovan’s real name] came up to my house and I showed him the scene I shot, and he loved it. I got to know him after I hired him. He was a schoolteacher and came to NYC and began modeling. Once I made “Boys in the Sand,” he became a superstar. He had done two films before “Boys in the Sand.” People came to see the movie to see him. He got glowing reviews, and was called an Adonis. Casey had done other small jobs, fate got him into modeling.
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Bill was in San Francisco and wanted to be an actor, and got into ACT and studied there and did a couple of productions, and got notice and recognition. I didn’t know him. I met him the first day shooting “Bijou.” I hired him over the telephone. A friend of ours out there said I’m sending you a present, and sent Bill Harrison. They had it one night and Marvin called and said I think I found the star for “Bijou,” and he brought me a terrible photo and I almost didn’t hire him. He was charming on the phone More than charming. Like Cal, they knew who they were and they said what they wanted and didn’t want. After “Bijou,” Bill made his own films, for Falcon. Calvin put ads in the Advocate to make money and hustle. I wanted to know how do he could do it with anyone who wants to hire him--people who aren’t terribly attractive. He said there’s something good in everyone you meet. You have to concentrate on that and put everything else out of your head. He said he could get a hard on at the drop of a nickel. You made a sequel to “Boys in the Sand.” How did that career choice come about? I took things that were available to me. I made “Boys in the Sand 2” because I was involved with Male Express and they did porno stills and sell the whole shoot to a magazine. I tried to get back in the industry as I was dealing with my drug habit and taking care of my lover, so I literally had to become a pornographer. I still kept my integrity, even though I was making it on video. I tried to keep the same attitude even though the budget was smaller, and I had to audition people, whereas before people came to me. It became a business rather than fun, and it became a necessity because I had to eat and live. The [company] also had an escort service. I wanted nothing to do with that. They put me on a salary, and I had to turn out a video every six weeks. After I did three we decided to do “Boys in the Sand 2” and I found someone to take Casey’s place. There was a big lawsuit and it wasn’t released for 3 ½ years. Do you care to discuss your addictions and other struggles you faced in life? When I moved to San Francisco with [my lover] Peter, we’d been together 6-7 years. We broke up within 6 weeks. All my friends were in New York. I wanted to go to LA where the movie business was. Peter won out and we went to San Francisco. I wasn’t seeing him often, and he wouldn’t come home, and then I realized he met someone out there and decided he wanted to be with him. I was moved away from my friends and I was alone after 6 weeks. I had never done coke until then. I was destroyed and wallowed in selfpity. One of my neighbors brought down some coke and it made me feel better, and get through that awful period. What do you think accounts for your longevity? I moved on. When I got what I thought I was going to get from things, I moved on. Sometimes I had no choice.
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[ News Feature ]
ttitudes Changing A Attitudes
in the Deep South Mary Jane Kennedy may be a conservative Christian, but after two of her three sons came out, she has strived to spread a message of faith and the necessity to love eachother.
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Christiana Lilly
A
n unlikely woman is leading the charge to embrace LGBT people in the Deep South. Mary Jane Kennedy, a conservative, Christian woman living in Mississippi, has become the first face of the Human Rights Campaign’s series of commercials in its Project One America campaign. “Over 50 percent of people in Mississippi identify as Baptist and the framework that many people use when talking about their lives is around faith,” said Brad Clark, director of Project One America. “We’ve lead with the message about faith and the reality that we’re all God’s children, and that’s obviously really critical in the most religious state in the country.” In the commercial, Kennedy tells the story of two of her three sons coming out to her. Through tears, she explains how her thoughts were that it would tear their family apart and the pain she felt telling her husband. His response was, “Well, they’re my boys, and I love them.” “One of the main things that I want to happen is to open the arms of Jesus Christ to people that have been pressed out of the church,” she said in the ad. “We’ve closed our doors to people that need us the most. God called us to love each other.” According to a Pew poll, white evangelicals were the least likely religious group to approve of gay marriage, with 21 percent approving. The $310,000 campaign is a part of a three-year, $8.5 million initiative in the South and will include TV advertisements, direct mail, door-to-door canvassing, phone banking, and possibly billboards. The first TV ad hit Jackson’s airwaves in November -- the city is the largest in the state -- and should they be successful, the campaign will spread to Alabama and Arkansas. Kennedy’s TV spot was followed with similar advertising with other Mississippians. That includes a gay Iraqi War veteran, Baptist minister, transgender student, straight couple, and Rep. Alyce Clarke, who has a gay son.
She was the first black woman voted into the Mississippi state legislature in 1985. Recently, Apple chief executive Tim Cook, donated an undisclosed number to the campaign. An Alabama native, he is the first openly gay CEO of a Fortune 500 company. "Under the law, citizens of Alabama can still be fired based on their sexual orientation," Cook said in October. "We can’t change the past, but we can learn from it and we can create a different future." The HRC’s focus on the southern states is largely because of higher levels of discrimination compared to other parts of the country. It wasn’t until the last few months that southern states joined the growing number of states overturning same-sex marriage bans, including Kansas, North Carolina, and South Carolina. With the start of Project One America, the HRC opened offices in Jackson, Miss., Montgomery, Ala., and Little Rock, Ark. to have people on the ground working with the local communities. “We know…the only thing really changing public opinion in this country is when our friends and neighbors and coworkers come to know their LGBT people,” Clark said. Before the ads were run in Mississippi, the HRC conducted polling to gauge the community’s thoughts on gay marriage and LGBT people. Should they decide to run ads in Alabama and Arkansas, they will reshoot ads with local people from the state for greater impact to viewers. “[Kennedy is] like so many other moms in the area who have a deep-rooted faith. She’s a god-fearing Christian, but also loves her gay sons. That message resonates with so many people, but if we do this in other communities, it really has to be lead by local folks,” Clark said. “It’s finally time that we talk about Jesus’s love and acceptance and justice for everyone, and not just some people. I think that reception has been really well received here.”
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[ Travel ]
Italy Unveiled:
W
An LGBT Tour For Those Who Think They’ve Seen It All Tony Adams
hen HEtravel.com asked me to lead its brand new tour “Italy Unveiled,” I was delighted to read its itinerary, finding myself among the targeted: those who have seen the major attractions of Italy (Florence, Tuscany, Venice, etc.) and want to explore some of its lesser known regions. I greeted my charges, well-traveled couples and singles ages 30s to 70s, in Rome at an extravagant welcome dinner at Ba’Ghetto in the old Jewish quarter of the city. After a night at the venerable Hotel Ponte Sisto, we were chauffeured to the Stazione Termini where I got them settled into their first-class compartment on the high-speed “Freccia Rosa” train to Naples. Our guide and next driver were there to bring us to Pompeii where we toured the recently excavated bath house and inspected its frescoes depicting numbered sex acts helping foreign visitors to ancient Pompeii overcome language barriers in the selection of their pleasures. In the afternoon, we unpacked our bags, for a three-night stay at the elegant Eden Roc Hotel with majestic Mediterranean views of the bay of Positano, a magical seaside town built into the steep hills that cascade through winding roads and stone walkways down to the beach. Every room at the Eden Roc has a private
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terrace with water views and a Jacuzzi tub. Day three of our tour found us on a fast ferry to the island of Capri where our guide introduced us to Gennaro, an attractive local fellow who welcomed us onto his boat for a private tour of the coastline of Capri, slipping through natural stone arches and into hidden grottoes where the sun bouncing off submerged white limestone makes the water glow with a luminescent blue that is seen no where else in the world. Back in the port of Capri, we took the funicular up the steep hill to the town of Capri where we peeked into gardens and shops and marveled at the views in every direction. Back in Positano, our group, now cordially bonded, took a recommendation from the hotel manager and chose the nearby sophisticated and new Casa Mele for dinner where we established a pattern that would serve us well for the remainder of the trip: trusting the restaurant to bring us a family-style array of their best dishes and local wines. We were also presented with a round of drinks courtesy of our thoughtful hotel. Our tour of the dazzling Amalfi coast continued through the towns of Ravello and Amalfi. After a final night in Positano, our driver collected us for the crossing to the opposite
side of Italy where we checked into mysterious Matera, an ancient town consisting of cave dwellings carved into rock. Its winding stone paths and jumbled architecture of stone blocks built over the carved spaces made it the perfect setting for Mel Gibson’s movie “The Passion Of The Christ.” A remake of “BenHur” is scheduled to be filmed in Matera next year. Our rooms at The Hotel In Pietra, a converted monastery in the historic center of Matera, were each unique and, once again, our dinners were fantastic. The group said they had not been expecting such amazing food and instructed me to tell HEtravel to highlight the local cuisine in its description of the tour. The extravagant breakfast buffets provided at all of our hotels were great fortification for the adventurous exploring we did each day. After two nights in Matera, we moved on to the historic old-
town center of Monopoli, on the Adriatic coast. This would be our base for exploring some of the many fascinating towns of the Puglia region, including Ostuni, Cisternina, Locorotondo, Alberobello, Trani, Castel del Monte and a stop at the gorgeous Villa Cappelli where owners Paul Cappelli and Steven Crutchfield had prepared a poolside feast topped off with glasses of their own Limoncello. At our farewell al fresco dinner that evening under the white umbrellas of the elegant Ristorante Palmieri in Monopoli, our group took turns listing their favorite moments of the trip and toasting an excellent ten days. “Italy Unveiled” is a tour for congenial, fun-loving, inquisitive, epicurean LGBT folks who appreciate having all the transitions and transactions of their trip well planned and smoothly achieved, and who own good walking shoes.
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[ Travel ]
Paraíso Gay:
Puerto Vallarta W
Aaron Drake
hether you’re traveling solo, with a fab group of friends or that special someone, Mexico’s top gay-friendly destination offers a little something for LGBT travelers worldwide, from its renowned luxury amenities and daring adventure options to impeccable world cuisine and exciting gay nightlife. No matter the time of year, you’re sure to enjoy a slice of summer and experience sultry nights to remember.
Stay If you’re looking for a romantic getaway for two, Casa Velas (HotelCasaVelas.com) is where you’ll find the love. The 80-suite boutique resort is all-inclusive and adults-only so you can get frisky, and live it up while you do. While here you can enjoy a swim in the immersion pool and dine at the hotel’s own restaurant Emiliano’s — open for breakfast, lunch and dinner — preparing fresh dishes of gourmet Mexican and world cuisine. Guests also have access to Casa Vela’s sister properties Velas Ocean Club and the family resort Velas Vallarta for private beach access and even more amenities. Blue Chairs (BlueChairs.com), located in Puerto Vallarta’s gay neighborhood Zona Romantica, is a popular gay spot, both to stay and as a gathering place for many LGBT locals. The hotel is located on Puerto Vallarta’s gay beach, Playa Los Muertos, and close to the cobblestone streets of Old Town and the boardwalk Malécon, all just footsteps away from the city’s gay bars and nightclubs. Rooms are decorated in Mexican style, offering 43 ocean view rooms, with an additional 38 one-bedroom suites that will be opening this fall. You’ll find a ground-floor, beachside dining option, Blue Chairs Beach Club Restaurant & Bar, in addition to the rooftop Blue Sunset Restaurant & Bar, which brings out drag queens and go-go dancers nightly to keep the party going. For those looking for a little more action, also located in Zona Romantica close to Blue Chairs is the cruisier, gay men-only Vallarta Cora Hotel (VallartaCora.com), which offers cozy one-bedroom suites with one and a half baths, kitchenettes, balconies, free wifi, cable TVs, air conditioning, an on-property bar (open from 3 p.m. to midnight with many regular locals stopping in), pool, 30-person Jacuzzi, sauna, steam room, and towels and lockers for rent. Here it’s perfectly acceptable to walk around the property in nothing but your swimsuit all day, every day you’re visiting. Casa Cupula (CasaCupula.com), a stylish gay-owned-and-
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run boutique hotel, is located in the hills up a few blocks from the bars and clubs of Zona Romantica. With 18 rooms and four suites, the hotel offers guest a chance to stay in comfort, with free Wi-Fi, cable, flat screen TVs, home theaters with surround sound in select rooms, stereos with iPod docking capabilities and pillow top mattresses. Work out at the property’s PUMP Gym then relax at one of the resort’s three pools, rooftop deck, or select from a menu of in-room spa services. Also on the grounds is trendy dining spot Taste Restaurant (Taste. com.mx), serving Asian, Mexican and Mediterranean cuisine for a romantic dinner for two, or you can order it up for an intimate in-suite dining experience.
Dine Though you’ll undoubtedly want to spend your days in beach gear, Puerto Vallarta doesn’t skimp on formal dining. A popular favorite, and one of the best restaurants in the city, Café des Artistes (CafeDesArtistes. com) chef Thierry Blouet prepares Mexican ingredients with European flare for inventive and delicious dishes in a romantic, fantasy-like setting—all accompanied by a skilled live violinist who wanders from table to table taking song requests. When in Mexico, traditional Mexican food and fruity margaritas are a must. At El Arrayán (Elarrayan.com.mx) you can order your favorite Mexican dish, like quesadillas and empanadas, or be bold and order some of the more unusual fare—like duck or cricket tacos—while sipping on an el arrayán margarita. Cooking classes are also offered here, where you can learn to cook a few of the Mexican dishes and then feast on your efforts.
Play If you come seeking outdoor adventure, Vallarta Adventures (Vallarta-Adventures.com) is Puerto Vallarta’s number one adventure tour company, providing opportunities for adventures on land or by sea — zip lining, rappelling, horseback riding, scuba diving, snorkeling, surfing, fly boarding and much more — depending on how daring you want to be. Once the sun goes down, there’s no shortage of things to do. The lounge at La Noche is a chill spot to begin your evening with cocktails before dancing the night away. Relax in the warm glow of the downstairs lounge, or take it up to the lively rooftop bar and deck. Next to La Noche is Paco’s Ranch, a Mexican-style bar featuring the best nightly drag shows in town — starring versions of popular Mexican divas and some American ones you just might recognize — that is frequented by visitors and locals alike. Across the street is the locals’ favorite nightclub, CC Slaughters (CCslaughtersPV.com). Nighttime fun kicks off late here, midnight or later, and dancing usually goes until 5 a.m. If sexy Mexican strippers are more your speed, wind down the night at Wet Dreams, a men’s bar and lounge with all-male entertainment for your viewing pleasure. However you choose to spend your time in Puerto Vallarta, you’ll find just the experience you came searching for, and the chance to relax in your own personal paradise.
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15
[ Travel ]
Now Is The Time To Visit Tony Adams
Gay Lisbon
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ortugal always seemed to me like an imperial dowager from an age of colonial exploration when men wore cod pieces and claimed new lands for queens and gods, with Lisbon remaining its overripe, threadbare and marked-down capital city. I did not expect to discover a vibrant and creative gay community ready to welcome LGBT visitors looking for something in Europe that has not yet been tarted up for tourism.
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In September, my husband and I took an apartment in the epicenter of percolating gay Lisbon, the Principe Real neighborhood. Not a day went by without our agreeing that we could happily live in Lisbon, which is enjoying something of a gay heyday. The streets and cafes are filled with attractive gay men with thick black hair and stubbly beards; and there is
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Pack some sturdy walking/hiking shoes. Lisbon is composed of steep hills, and the marble cobblestones of its quaint narrow streets are sometimes challenging. Basically, the entire city is a medieval Stairmaster designed by M. C. Escher. Your legs and butt will get a great workout as you explore each distinctive neighborhood, but walking Lisbon will be the essence of your visit. We covered several miles a day on foot. There are plenty of buses and subway routes for when you get tired, or as an alternative way to reach destinations.
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Choose lodging in the Principe Real, Bairro Alto or Chiado neighborhoods. At the end of the day when you want to stroll to local restaurants, bars and cafes, you’ll be happy you did this. We chose one of the newly renovated Principe Real apartments owned by handsome and hospitable Jose Luz. The panoramic views from the private roof terrace were spectacular. The modern kitchen and bathrooms were immaculate and efficient. (Having a washer/dryer means packing fewer clothes.)
an energetic and inviting gay creativity in the air of Lisbon. It reminded us of the spirited Gay Village in Montreal of twenty years ago. Lisbon’s gay personality is young, festive and growing rapidly. When I asked some of Lisbon’s gay entrepreneurs (Everyone speaks English, but it’s only polite to master a few basic greetings in Portuguese.)
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At Lisbon’s International Queer Film Festival, we attended the debut of the final episode of Season One of the web series “Barba Rija” (Rough Beard) and complimented writer/director André Murraças on its huge success. We also socialized with some of the hot bears in the cast. Season Two is in the works.
Be sure to give yourself a day or two for visiting the magical town of Sintra, just an hour away from Lisbon by train. You’ll never be able to tour all its fantastic palaces, castles and gardens, so you’ll have to make choices. I recommend putting the fabulous “Quinta da Regaleira” at the top of your list. Here, you’ll learn all about the ornate Manueline architectural style that is prevalent in many of the historic buildings of the
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We toured a brand new 16-room gay guesthouse “The Late Birds” scheduled to open very soon. Owners Carlos Sanches Ruivo and Duarte Nuno Oliveira Branco are cordial and experienced guesthouse managers and will be living on the premises, assuring visitors of a comfortable stay. The pool is sleek and its adjacent deck is clothing-optional. Relax in the shade of the citrus trees. At dusk, peacocks strut along the tops of the property walls.
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We did some shopping. After all, Lisbon is still a bargain. We stopped into “UP! Town Lisboa” and I got acquainted with owners Bruno Ferreira and Jacob Jan de Graaf while my husband did some serious damage to their inventory of stylish European-cut shirts and trousers. Their wide selection is urbane, adventurous and on the cutting edge. We chatted with Jorge Gavancha, the owner of the colorful “Men Spot,” a clothing store for the fashionable young gay.
Lisbon is famous for its “azulejos,” decorative tiles used for the last five centuries to cover buildings and interiors with richly saturated and glistening blues and yellows. For a dazzling review of traditional azulejos, take a #728 bus to the National Tile Museum in a grand convent founded by Queen Leonor in 1509. She covered every square inch of its over-the-top chapel with azulejos and gilt. Save an afternoon for taking the tram to Belem, an adjacent town where you will tour the 16th century Benedictine monastery of Hieronymous and stroll the waterfront with its immense monument to explorers.
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Devote a day to the dreamy Alfama neighborhood where you will climb all the way up to the Castel de Sao Jorge for the 360 view and a lesson in Lisbon history. You will also visit Lisbon’s Pantheon and take the stairs up to the dome for another sweeping view over the city and the Tagus River. On your way down the hill, get yourself a haircut and shave from the hunky barbers of “Barbearia Oliveira” who deliver classic cuts for gay hipsters (and guys like me who sported the Bruno Mars look forty years ago when it was new and belonged to Ricky Nelson.)
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We spent a day at fabled gay “Beach 19.” It exceeded expectations, reminding me of Provincetown’s Herring Cove the way I remember it 40 years ago, but without the poison ivy, biting flies and mean rangers (and the stretch of sand is much wider and longer at Beach 19.) Naked is okay. Frolicking in the dunes and bushes is okay. Mixing tourists with locals, and straights with gays is okay. There are cheaper ways to get there from Lisbon but you should call Rui Silva who runs a car service driving the LGBT visitor from Lisbon to Beach 19 and back for 50 euros a couple or 35 euros for a single. (There are discounts for repeat customers.) You’ll make new friends in the car during the brief half-hour trip, and see Lisbon from the high bridge that spans the Tagus River. Bring water. Rui supplies beach towels.
when they started their businesses, their answers were always in the two-to-four-years-ago range, which coincides with Portugal’s becoming in 2010 the sixth European nation to legalize same-sex marriage. Perhaps that was the catalyst. In any case, now is the right time to book your gay Lisbon vacation. Here are a dozen tips to guide you, with links at the end.
region. If you can bear to tear yourself away from the Quinta, make the “Palácio Nacional da Pena” your second stop. We hiked up to the highest points in Sintra: the Moorish castle ruins (and aforementioned Pena.) It’s not for the weak of limb or the vertiginous, but the views are spectacular and the forest paths are drenched in emerald and bright moss. You’ll feel like a hobbit in Middle Earth. The Moorish castle is just a ruin, but climb to the top of it if you dare. We did. The palace of Pena is ever so slightly Disneyfied in its new paint, but its old monastery section has one of the most beautiful cortiles you’ll ever see, with two-level arches, carved stone scuppers and pillars, and tiles that date back several centuries. We spent two wonderful nights in Sintra and hiked the hills between the palaces. We splurged on lodging and were glad we did, watching sunsets from the private terrace of Suite 26 at the elegant Palacio de Seteais. (Take the express bus from the train station. It drops you off at the entrance to the hotel’s formal gardens.)
With its little pocket parks wedged into narrow cobblestone streets, Lisbon is a city of enticing nooks and crannies. I fantasize about living in Principe Real, maybe in a town house faced in blue and white azulejos on the charming triangular Praça das Flores with its gentle fountain surrounded by the tropical flowers of its Jardim Fialho de Almeida, where I’d take coffee on a bench and wave to the guys sitting on the corner in front of Ursus bar. They’d wave back, because that’s how they are in friendly gay Lisbon.
Because there are so many fine restaurants in the gay neighborhoods of Lisbon, giving you any list would be unfair, but we did enjoy a notable al fresco lunch with water and park views on the terrace of Pharmacia adjacent to the apothecary museum. Our server said that the chocolate cake would be the best we had ever tasted. He may have been right. Don’t miss the Café Corallo for some extraordinary coffee with decadent shards of ginger chocolate and rich brownies. On the waterfront, bargain with fruit and vegetable vendors (if you have a kitchen and like to cook) or, enjoy an excellent meal at one of the many restaurants of the new TimeOut Lisboa marketplace, the Mercado da Ribeira, showcasing some of the best food in the city. In general, with menu in hand, I often chose the grilled octopus, which was always tender, savory and coated with pungent olive oil.
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For gay nightlife, Lisbon’s got it all: clubs, bars (several of which are “Bear” bars, all named WOOF) cafes, backrooms, baths and a delightful old school venue called Bar Cru where you press a buzzer to be greeted speakeasy-style. Here, the men check their clothes into little lock-boxes and step up to the bar in only their skivvies. There is something disarming about forcing men to relate to each other in only their undershorts, making them refreshingly sociable and silly. The small room was crowded with a wide variety of fascinators both local (including a hot rugby star named Nuno) and from around the globe. The owners are friendly British ex-pats.
For More Information, facebook.com/uptownlisboa facebook.com/thelatebirdslisbon lisbonbeach.com lisboavacation.com/Prata-_A_Lis boaVacation_Apa.php
barbarija.tv/english/ queerlisboa.pt/en facebook.com/oliveira.barbearia facebook.com/BARCRU facebook.com/menspot facebook.com/Quinta.da.Regaleira
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[Interview ]
A Chat With Out Filmmaker
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Gary M. Kramer
David DeCoteau
ut filmmaker David DeCoteau has been directing movies for about 30 years. From “The Brotherhood” and “Voodoo Academy” series to the “666” and “1313” horror franchises, he has directed more than 100 pictures including the gay classic “Leather Jacket Love Story.” In the last 28 months, DeCoteau has shot 28 films.
His most recent feature, “Knock ‘em Dead,” is one of his best. A comedy-thriller about three aging actresses—Jenny (Rae Dawn Chong), Darien (Debra Wilson) and Alex (Anne-Marie Johnson)—reuniting and fighting as they prepare to make a sequel to their hit film from ten years ago. Written by Barry Sandler (who wrote “Making Love,” “Crimes of Passion,” and “The Mirror Crack’d”) the film is witty and bitchy in equal measure. Mirror spoke with DeCoteau about “Knock ‘em Dead” to get his thoughts on the film and the film industry. You mix comedy and horror in “Knock ‘em Dead.” What is the appeal of genre filmmaking? I grew up with genre movies and I stick with what I like and know. Working in the genres, like “The Brotherhood” and “Puppet Master,” I have the opportunity to discover new young talent like my mentor Roger Corman did in the 1950s and 1960s. Films like “Knock ‘em Dead” are a good example of how to make a movie in one week. The script attracted both the cast and me. The film is a satire of moviemaking. What are your observations on the industry? I think it’s very tough on women. There are so many highs and lows that it’s tough to have consistent career trajectory. Some of the greatest living actresses are working in TV, as are some of our greatest directors. TV is now a go-to place for writers/directors/talent to do quality work. I work so much because I make inexpensive movies not look so cheap, and I have enough of a following that people continue to buy them. Anyone can make a cheap movie, but most folks don’t know how to sell one. You have to find the right material, talent and the ability to make it happen in front of the camera and sell the movie. Jenny has the line, “Showbiz ain’t for pussies!” What have been some of the hardest things for you to overcome in the film industry? I don’t know any industry where there are so many people for so few jobs. You have to have
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determination, believe in yourself, take highs and lows and not give up. You have to have the tenacity to make it happen. You compiled an incredible cast for Knock ‘em Dead. How did you work with the actresses and develop the comic timing of their bitchy dialogue? It all starts with a great script. Barry did not write the script to be played by African Americans, he just wrote great characters. After years of trying to set this up, I thought we should cast the film as African American. It’s not about race, it’s just a choice, so why not? The cast members are consummate professionals. There’s nothing I could have said that would have made those performances better than they were. Actors need a director who will support them and keep an eye on them, and give them an objective perspective of the tone, and block them in a way that will make them look great. It’s not as easy as stepping out of the trailer, hitting a mark and saying the lines. I admire great actors, because I couldn’t do that, and I admire these actors doing this—it’s like watching great magic. How did they get there to get to that moment and play that line so perfectly, and so emotionally, whether it be dramatic or comedic. A lot of it was Barry rehearsing with them. We shot in a week so we had to shoot 15-20 pages in a day. We’d run lines during makeup. I work fast, and with the dialogue and repartee, I turned them loose and it just happened in front of the camera. It was a little bit of a miracle. What about ego? The characters have enormous egos. Any stories of an actor or actress (not necessarily on this film) who have, as one character in “Knock ‘em Dead” says, “heads bigger than their asses”? I’ve been lucky in that I’ve worked with only one actor (who has since passed) who was “difficult.” Actors like me, and think I will take care of them. There’s always the diva—male or female—out there, and many director friends have told me to beware of certain actors/ actresses who are not on the same page as the
movie. Not only have I discovered young actors who have gone on to success, but I’ve worked with veterans who are amazingly professional. One of my favorites was Christopher Plummer, who I directed in “Skeletons.” He was a doll. There are characters in “Knock ‘em Dead” that fall victim to snakes, suffocation and other peril. What scares you, or is your fear of dying? Religious extremists. I’m a devout atheist, so the supernatural doesn’t scare me, but crazy religion fanatics of all religions scare me. That’s tough to show in a comedy. It’s funny-ironic that many of the horrors movies I’ve made had supernatural/demonic possessions and ghosts, but I don’t believe in any of that. The characters have secrets—like one involving, well, let’s not reveal it. Any secrets you care to share? You used to make films under a pseudonym. I was never really in the closet, so everyone knew I was gay, so I didn’t have that secret, but I didn’t officially come out until I was 30. It’s been an interesting career. The pseudonyms were practical, because I was working so much in horror, family movies, and [softcore]. I was in the Director’s Guild, I had to work under an assumed name because they were non-union movies. While the script is bitchy, you deny us a shot of Tommy (Preston Davis) in the Speedo he mentions. [Laughs]. I‘ve made so many films with guys in their underwear! That was not a conscious choice. It was shot as it was written. If Barry had written a scene of him in a Speedo, I would have shot it. It wasn’t a creative choice. I got Preston in his undies in “Brotherhood V.” This film has tremendous gay appeal though.
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19
[ Short Story ]
From the Corner You Can
See the Bay Norm McLean
I
didn’t remember the conversation until after he was dead and cremated. It had been so offhanded and whimsical at the time. Neither of us was going to die right away. We were going to retire in maybe a year -two at the outside. Sell the house and go to Northern California and live in a rented house on the Russian River. Lung cancer had metastasized throughout his body, the oncologist said, spread to the bone and later to the brain and the other vital organs. Three months from diagnosis to cremation. About a week after he died, I got up very early and looked at the remains box. It was pretty heavy. I wondered if the ashes therein were really those of my lover or if it was like the packaged chicken one buys at the super market. I read somewhere they package the bird with whatever and whomever liver and gizzards come along the production line. To tell you the truth, it didn’t seem to matter all that much whether the box really contained Tom’s true remains or Joe’s or Jane Doe’s for that matter. He was gone and I was sure he was never coming back. So, I put on some clothes, unwrapped the box, and carried it out the front door. I walked down to the bay; I tried to ignore the graffiti on the estate’s walls that ran parallel to the road that I walked. I stepped over and around the litter strewn along the path to the water. I didn’t feel much like listening to Beethoven or even my favorite, George Jones, on my IPod. So, I just moved to the water’s edge, felt for the wind direction and scattered the remains as best I could. I suppose I said, “I love you and I’ll miss you “and, maybe, I said, “I’ll see you on the other side.” But the truth is, I don’t remember what I said or thought. I just did it and walked home. First, I called Tom’s father in Michigan to tell him what I’d done. He said he understood. If that was what Tom had wanted, then that’s what I should have done. We talked a little more and, after I hung up, I felt a little better. Like Tom’s father had given me his blessing or something. The next thing I did was take out the cell phone and dial up the second line on our bedroom phone which was sitting on the night stand across from our bed. I knew that I would hear Tom’s greeting on this line and I could leave a message for him. “Hi. This is Tom. I can’t come to the phone right now. If you’d like to leave a message, I’ll call you back as soon as I can. Thank you.” Just like him. No cutesy message just straightforward, polite, warm voice. It sounded like he really was sorry that he’d missed your call and was a man of his word who’d get back to you just as soon as humanly possible. “Hi. It’s me. I scattered your ashes just like you
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wanted but there was no ceremony and no music. Sorry. I’m trying here, but it’s really hard. I miss you so much. I worry that you are okay. Send me a sign if you can, send me a sign if you’re all right. Send the cardinals. I’ll talk to you soon.” You see, we’d had this cheap assed little bird feeder hanging on the deck outside the kitchen’s sliding glass doors for about seven or eight years. A lot of birds came to feed, including a flock of pigeons. In South Florida they call them doves but I know a pigeon when I see one. Tom had sawed off most of the perch rods at the feeder, so the pigeons couldn’t roost but posed no problem for smaller species. The pigeons would strut around on the ground after that to catch the seed that fell from the feeder unto the deck floor. Anyhow, there was this pair of Cardinals that started to come to feed in the first year. They were constantly bringing one or two of their chicks every spring. They showed the chicks how to feed and later, I guess, kicked the chicks from the nest. Over the years, we looked forward to seeing the cardinals. Sometimes, we wouldn’t leave the kitchen table when they were at the feeder-afraid the sound and/or the movement would chase them from their meal. After Hurricane Andrew, they stopped coming for about six weeks. We were afraid that they’d been lost in the storm. But, one day they just showed up again. Chirping, carrying on and apparently hungry as hell. Well, we would have kissed their little beaks if they had allowed it, we were so happy to have them back. Somehow, it seemed to be a sort of message that everything would be okay and return to normal soon. Following Tom’s death the cardinals stopped coming to the feeder. They disappeared. Maybe it was because we were spending so much time away from home in Houston for Tom’s cancer treatments that they got out of the habit or maybe they found better fare elsewhere. Maybe I neglected to fill the feeder and they really got ticked off... or, maybe, they knew Tom wasn’t around anymore and they didn’t feel like eating.
So, after I left the message, I waited for my sign. I went outside and made sure the feeder was full and their water was fresh. The day passed and the evening came and I have no idea what I did to fill the time. But, the next morning, really early when I was having breakfast they flew in from somewhere and hopped on the sawed off perches of the feeder. To see them, it was like they had never left. They pecked, they swallowed, they dropped seed all over the ground and roused the pigeons/doves from god knows where. I had my sign and I suppose I was smiling and crying at the same time, I couldn’t even attempt to explain the whole thing rationally. What’s the line from the old song, “Fools give you reasons, and wise men never try?” Two years and two months passed, I sold the house and moved to Fort Lauderdale. I was able to retire somewhat on the time frame that Tom and I had discussed so many times. The difference was that Plan “A” had been scrapped and I was forced to follow plan “B”...alone and middle-aged but still kicking albeit not kicking so high most days. As for the cardinals I figured I would discuss the bird feeding with the new homeowners. Hope they were bird fanciers and would agree to continue to feed the pair. Don’t ask me why but I never initiated that conversation. Instead, I left the feeder full and the water fresh. I left the balance of the birdseed on the kitchen counter as a clue for the new owners to figure it out. I never heard how it came out.. never asked my old next door neighbor to inquire with the new neighbors. Maybe, I didn’t want to know. Maybe time had healed certain hurts for me…maybe it was time for all of us survivors to set a new flight path. I’ll never know the answer or, maybe, I will understand sometime in the future…I’ll keep you posted…
Welcome to the Winter Arts Guide 2015
hottest events in south florida young conductors influence locals theater, museums, & gardens of florida
[ Off The Wall ]
Music To My Ears “As I play the game of life, I try to make it better each and every day. And when I struggle in the night, the magic of the music seems to light the way.” - John Lennon
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usic is a friend who will not abandon or betray you. From music we draw the delight and beauties of the universe whereas friends, with exceptions, often turn out to be tepid, fleeting, cunning and without gratitude. How does music become such a big part, and essence, of our very existence? The stirrup is the smallest bone in the human body. It rests in the middle ear and is the conductor of sound vibrations to the inner ear. Sound is collected by the pinna (the visible part of the ear) and directed through the outer ear canal. The sound makes the eardrum vibrate, which in turn causes the stirrup to vibrate. The vibration is transferred to the snail-shaped cochlea in the inner ear; the cochlea is lined with sensitive hairs, which trigger the generation of nerve signals that are sent to the brain. When sound is detected it travels through this labyrinth until it exits into the brain. That’s the end of the run. Humans have the ability to block out or muffle unpleasant sounds like the rumbling of city traffic, sirens, airplanes overhead as if a Minotaur inside our ears stood ready to devour the constant noise surrounding our lives. But the Minotaur can discern music and it immediately opens the door allowing the pleasant waves to run free and float inside our brain. Whether you’re listening to the driving heavy groove of a Five Finger Death Punch cut or the opening chords of “Stairway to Heaven,” both have an effect on our brain that is not seen in any other animal. When you turn the music on a part of the brain called the nucleus accumbens suddenly activates followed by the discharge of dopamine. Dopamine is the “pleasure chemical” that gets released when you eat your favorite food or when you taste a particularly good wine, causing you to want more. Daniel Levitin, professor of psychology and music, says that through a lifetime of listening we have learned the statistical probabilities of what chord is likely to follow what and how melodies are formed. Levitin has discovered with lab studies that a familiar song activates the same part of the brain as sex or opiates do. Songsters play with these expectations, meeting and violating them in interesting ways. The expectation builds anticipation, which, when met, results in the reward reaction. The Beatles were the supreme masters of timeless intricate melodies that slowly reveal themselves across hundreds of thousands of listening. Their music creates subtle and rewarding schematic violations of popular music forms that keep ‘getting better all the time and are guaranteed to raise a smile.’ Or take Pink Floyd, even
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Pier Angelo
the name connotes something specific: an elastic, echoing, mind-bending sound that evokes the chasms of space. Pink Floyd grounded that limitless sound with exacting analysis of mundane matters of ego, mind, memory, and heart, touching upon madness, alienation, narcissism, and society. They developed a musical identity that was expansive and eerie, characterized by the band's spacey, somber explorations, which caused deep resonances in the listeners’ mind especially when complemented by hallucinogens or pot. Neuroscientist and musician, Jamshed Bharucha noted that music allows humans to connect in a synchronized way, helping us develop a group identity and makes us more likely to work together. It was also noted that listening to music plays a major role when one is an expert at what he does, even if it’s something as demanding as surgery. A study in the Journal of the American Medical Association reported that surgeons worked more accurately when there is music they like in the background, a surgical team might listen to anything from classical to bluegrass. These studies have shown that it relaxes both doctors and patients, improves the O.R. team’s performance and lowers the amount of anesthesia a patient needs. If you're going to have surgery or a medical procedure, chances are there will be a soundtrack. And you can pick your playlist or artist. A painter paints pictures on canvas. Composers express ideas through rhythm, melody, and harmony. Music is a phenomenon that crosses all borders of nationality, race, and culture by arousing emotions and feelings, and it is far more powerful than language. Where words fail, music speaks. It can be described as primordial, something that shakes one’s inner soul. Plato once warned, “Musical innovation is full of danger to the State, for when modes of music change, the laws of the State always change with them.” That’s why Ludwig van Beethoven, and he was deaf, said, “Music can change the world.” The 60’s did just that. Brian Epstein, was the backbone of the Beatles. He was ever present wherever they went- a gay man who was a part of the most visible phenomenon the world has ever experienced. Back then, just being gay was illegal, but it didn't seem to matter too much anymore. Very quickly, on the heels of such stratospheric popularity, Her Majesty's government moved forward on legalizing homosexuality. Unintentionally perhaps, that might be considered, with their music, one of The Beatles’ greatest contributions and gifts to modern society. Music can be profoundly evocative, calling up specific memories, filling us with clarity, joy, freedom and peace within. It has an instant impact on our mood, faster and more intense than any other art form. With just a few chords we are lifted and transported by the sonic waves—suddenly tearing up, not knowing whether out of joy or sadness. While tastes vary greatly, listening to your favorite type of music lowers feelings of tension and brings a sense of the sublime. Music in itself is healing. And when it hits you, you feel no pain. It's an explosive expression of transcendent emotions that touches us all. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and joy to life. And it is all made possible by the wonders of the stirrup, the tiniest bone in the human body.
[ Concert ]
Comedy and Concerts J. W. Arnold
HARD ROCK LIVE – Hollywood
T
ucked away in the Seminole Paradise at the Seminole Hard Rock Resort and Casino in Hollywood, Hard Rock Live is arguably one of the best concert venues in the entire southeastern United States, attracting A-list performers year-round. This winter and spring, comedy and music lovers will be treated to a wide variety of acts: Michael Bolton, Jan. 23; opera sensation Andrea Bocelli, Feb. 12, 14 – 15; Diana Ross, Feb. 19; comedian Jerry Seinfeld, Feb. 27 – 28; K.C. and the Sunshine Band, March 20; and the divine “Miss M,” Bette Midler, May 8 – 9. For tickets and show times, go to MyHRL.com.
THE FILLMORE AT THE JACKIE GLEASON AUDITORIUM – Miami Beach The Fillmore has breathed new life into the cavernous Jackie Gleason Auditorium in Miami Beach. Two top tickets this winter include former “Saturday Night Live” cast member and late night talk show host Seth Meyers, Jan. 23, and ‘70s rocker Jackson Browne, Feb. 20. For show times and tickets, go to FillmoreMB.com.
KRAVIS CENTER – West Palm Beach Reflecting the diverse audiences in Palm Beach County, the Kravis Center has one of the most diverse comedy and concert lineups: Food Network personality Alton Brown, Feb. 6; former “The View” co-host Joy Behar and Susie Essman, Feb. 9; political satirists The Capitol Steps, Feb. 28 – March 14; Broadway diva Audra McDonald, March 24; and Celtic Woman, April 18 (also at the Arsht Center, April 22). For tickets and show times, go to Kravis.org.
CORAL SPRINGS CENTER FOR THE ARTS – Coral Springs The Coral Springs Center for the Arts is often overlooked, but regularly offers top tier programming. Readers should plan to catch lesbian comic Judy Gold on Feb. 28 at 7:30 p.m. This gay, Jewish mom has an opinion on just about everything! For tickets, go to CoralSpringsCenterForTheArts. com.
BROWARD CENTER – Fort Lauderdale The Broward Center also has an appealing season planned, including Dennis DeYoung & The Music of Styx with Rock Symphony, Feb. 17; dog expert Cesar Millan Live!, March 17 (also at the Kravis Center, April 1); teen opera sensation Jackie Evancho, March 29; R&B legend Roberta Flack, April 24; and perennial “D-lister,” Kathy Griffin, April 25. For tickets and show times, go to BrowardCenter.org.
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[ Paid Advertisement ]
WICKED The Musical L
ONG BEFORE DOROTHY DROPS IN, two other girls meet in the land of Oz. One, born with emeraldgreen skin, is smart, fiery and misunderstood. The other is beautiful, ambitious and very popular. WICKED takes you on their courageous odyssey through Oz, where these two unlikely friends grow to become the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good. WICKED is also a story about challenging preconceived notions of “good” and “evil” and realizing that they may not be as simple as black and white… or green. Winner of over 100 international awards, including the Grammy® Award and three Tony Awards®, WICKED has been seen by over 44 million people worldwide, with productions in London, Japan, Germany, Australia, Holland, Singapore, South Korea, Mexico, New Zealand and the Philippines. Over 8 million people have already seen WICKED on Broadway alone, where it continues to fly high as it shatters box office records. Even outside New York, the musical has broken house records at every single city on its tours across the U.S. and Canada. It’s no wonder Entertainment Weekly declares it “THE BEST MUSICAL OF THE DECADE!”
Buoyed by the musical’s success, Gregory Maguire’s original 1995 novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West has sold 4.5 and the novel still appears on best-seller lists 19 years after its initial publication. It was Stephen Schwartz, the Academy Award® and Grammy® Award-winning composer/lyricist of PIPPIN, GODSPELL and POCAHONTAS, who first explored the novel’s potential as a musical. His vibrant score includes comic numbers, classical ballads and pop anthems, such as “Popular” and “Defying Gravity.” The cast album earned Schwartz his fourth Grammy® Award and went on to earn Triple Platinum certification, becoming of SAN the fastest DIEGO TO INGone WICKED IS RETURN selling musical theater albums in years. WEEKS!
FOR FOUR SPELLBINDING
“Broadway’s Biggest Blockbuster.” The New York Times
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This advertorial was paid for by Broadway Across America.
[ dance ]
I
Dance
J. W. Arnold
n addition to Miami City Ballet’s increasingly diverse programming and world-class performances, South Florida dance lovers have many opportunities to enjoy leading U.S. and international companies at venues across the region: Les Ballets Trocaderos de Monte Carlo
DUNCAN THEATRE – Palm Beach State College, Lake Worth Situated on the Lake Worth campus of Palm Beach State College, the Duncan Theatre offers a Friday and Saturday dance series, featuring leading companies including Martha Graham Dance Company, Jan. 23 – 24; Paul Taylor Dance Company, Feb. 13 – 14; BodyVox, Feb. 27 – 28; and BodyTraffic, March 27 – 28. Subscriptions are $130 - 140 and individual performances are $45 at PalmBeachState.edu.
BROWARD CENTER – Fort Lauderdale The Broward Center hosts the nation’s foremost African-American contemporary dance company, Alvin Ailey Dance Theater, Feb. 19 – 22. Headed by artistic director and Miami native Robert Battle, Ailey continues to forge new horizons in physical expression through dance. For tickets and show times, go to BrowardCenter.org.
KRAVIS CENTER – West Palm Beach MIAMI CITY BALLET Under the artistic direction of Lourdes Lopez, Miami City Ballet continues its 2015 season with Program II: “Hear the Dance,” featuring Twyla Tharp’s “Nine Sinatra Songs” (and dazzling costumes by Oscar de la Renta), Paul Taylor’s “Mercuric Tidings” and George Balanchine’s “Symphony in Three Movements,” set to music by Stravinsky. Presented at the Kravis Center in West Palm Beach, Jan. 23 – 25, and the Broward Center in Fort Lauderdale, Feb. 6 – 8. Program III: “Passion and Grace” includes the American premiere of Richard Alston’s critically-acclaimed, flamencofueled “Carmen,” along with the company premiere of Twyla Tharp’s “Sweet Fields” and Balanchine’s “Allegro Brillante,” set to music by Tchaikovsky. Presented at Miami’s Arsht Center, Feb. 13 – 15; the Kravis Center, Feb. 27 - March 1; and the Broward Center, March 20 – 22. The season concludes with Program IV: “Points of Departure,” including the world premiere of a commission from Justin Peck and scenic artist Shepard Fairey, “Heatscape;” the great comic ballet, “The Concert (or, The Perils of Everybody)” by Jerome Robbins; and Balanchine’s classic, “Raymonda Variations,” set to the music of Glazunov. Presented at the Kravis Center, March 27 – 29; Arsht Center, April 10 – 12; and Broward Center, April 17 -19.
The Kravis Center hosts one of the most diverse arrays of dance companies, including the all-male, gender bending Les Ballets Trocaderos de Monte Carlo, affectionately known as the “Trocks,” Feb. 13 (also at the Arsht Center, Feb. 15); Moscow City Ballet performing “Swan Lake,” March 6; and the indescribable, yet incredibly pliable Pilobilus, April 2. For show times and tickets, go to Kravis.org.
Tickets start at $25. For show times and tickets, go to MiamiCityBallet.org.
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Miami City Ballet
[ Feature ]
Top 10 Hot Tickets in
South Florida J. W. Arnold
A
udiences in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach Counties have their choice of hundreds of wonderful theater, dance and musical performances during the busy winter and spring seasons. Here are our picks for the top 10 tickets:
“BONNIE & CLYDE” – Slow Burn Theatre This musical from Frank Wildhorn didn’t fare better on Broadway than the real Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow, but Slow Burn Theatre loves these kind of edgy shows. Expect a top-notch effort at West Boca High School, Jan. 22 – Feb. 8, and the Aventura Arts & Cultural Center, Feb. 12 – 15. Tickets $25 – 40 at SlowBurnTheatre.com.
“NEWSIES” – Broadway Across America The other new Broadway musical to arrive in South Florida at Miami’s Arsht Center, Feb. 3 – 8, is Disney’s high-energy adaptation of the movie, “Newsies.” This show is a dance fan’s delight with wonderful, award-winning choreography that will thrill audiences of all ages, even jaded theater queens. Tickets start at $35 at ArshtCenter.org.
“SETH RUDETSKY’S BROADWAY CONCERT SERIES” – Parker Playhouse
Cheyenne Jackson
“PIPPIN” – Broadway Across America Steven Schwartz’s musical story of Holy Roman Emperor Charlemagne’s son got a fresh, Tony Award-winning, cirqueish treatment from Diane Paulus and is definitely one of the highlights of the 2015 Broadway Across America season at Fort Lauderdale’s Broward Center, March 31 – April 12. Tickets start at $34.75 at BrowardCenter.org.
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If you enjoy Seth Rudetsky on SiriusXM, you’re going to love him at the Parker Playhouse as he shares the stage for some songs and a little chat with two of Broadway’s biggest talents, Cheyenne Jackson (“Glee,” “20Rock”), Feb. 14, and Sutton Foster (“Violet,” “Thoroughly Modern Millie”), March 20. Tickets start at $51.50 at ParkerPlayhouse.com.
“CASA VALENTINA” – GableStage We don’t know how GableStage producing artistic director Joseph Adler manages to snag the newest shows right off Broadway. The company will offer the regional premiere of Harvey Fierstein’s latest comedy, “Casa Valentina,” May 30 – June 28, about a Catskills resort that caters to male heterosexual crossdressers. Tickets $40 – 55 at GableStage.com
BETTE MIDLER – Hard Rock Live Yes, the divine Miss M is kicking off her 22-city concert tour right here in South Florida at Hard Rock Live in Hollywood with two performances, May 8 & 9. Enjoy all the signature songs from her iconic career, along with new material from her album, “It’s the Girls!” Tickets are $154 – 454, but how many times will you get to see Bette Midler live? Tickets at MyHRL.com.
GAY MEN’S CHORUS OF SOUTH FLORIDA – Broward Center There’s no sound more lush than a chorus of 200 men’s voices, but it gets better when they’re backed up by a full symphony orchestra. The Gay Men’s Chorus of South Florida teams up again with the Symphony of the Americas for two performances at the Broward Center, Tuesday, April 7 at 8:15 p.m. and Sunday, April 12 at 2 p.m. Tickets at BrowardCenter.org.
“THE CONSUL” – Florida Grand Opera Lately, Florida Grand Opera has tackled standard fare, but later this season audiences get a rare treat—gay American composer Gian Carlo Menotti’s “The Consul”—May 9, 10, 12, 15, 16 at the Arsht Center in Miami. Sung in English, this contemporary tale of love, hope and redemption ran for eight months on Broadway in 1950. Tickets start at $12 at FGO.org.
“BALLROOM WITH A TWIST” – Arsht Center You can admit it, you love all those television talent competition programs. “Ballroom with a Twist,” featuring the pros of TV’s “Dancing with the Stars,” “American Idol” and “So You Think You Can Dance” all on one stage, comes to the Knight Concert Hall at Miami’s Arsht Center, Saturday, Jan. 31, 5:30 and 8 p.m. Tickets are $35-300 at ArshtCenter.org.
“OCTOPUS” – Island City Stage Island City Stage has offered its LGBT and allied audiences an impressive season of three world and regional premieres. “Octopus,” by Steve Yockey, chronicles the consequences after a young couple engages in their first “four way” with another, more experienced pair. Catch the production Jan. 29 – March 1 at Empire Stage in Fort Lauderdale. Tickets are $30 at IslandCityStage.org.
Bette Midler WINTER 2015 • THE
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[ Music ]
Classical Music and Jazz J. W. Arnold
MASTER CHORALE OF SOUTH FLORIDA Youth Pride Band
SYMPHONY OF THE AMERICAS The Symphony of the Americas, under the direction of Maestro James Brooks-Bruzzese, continue their 2014-15 season in the Amaturo Theater at Fort Lauderdale’s Broward Center with “Dvorak Totems,” Feb. 10; “Symphony Classics and the Best of Broadway II,” March 10; and “Why We Sing” with the 200-voice Gay Men’s Chorus of South Florida, April 7 and 12. Tickets are $20 – 75 at SymphonyOfTheAmericas.org.
Under the direction of dynamic young conductor Brett Karlin, the Master Chorale specializes in the great choral works, with each program performed at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, Miami; First Presbyterian Church, Pompano Beach; and Lynn University, Boca Raton. The chorale will accompany the great Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli at Hard Rock Live in Hollywood, Feb. 12, 14-15, and perform the works J.S. Bach and his contemporaries with orchestra, April 24-26. Tickets are $30 for the Baroque concert and can be purchased at MasterChoraleOfSouthFlorida.com.
SOUTH FLORIDA SYMPHONY Maestra Sebrina Maria Alfonso and the South Florida Symphony perform their programs in Key West, Fort Lauderdale and Delray Beach. The busy winter and spring schedule includes “Continuous Crescendo,” works by Ravel, Barber and Mussorgsky, Jan. 17, 19–20; “Love, Loss and Redemption,” works by Mendelssohn, Sibelius and Brahms, Feb. 18-19, 22; and “Fate of a Hero,” works by Brahms and Beethoven, March 26, 29-30. For tickets and information, go to SouthFloridaSymphony.org.
CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA MIAMI RESIDENCY Every winter, one of America’s premiere symphonies, the Cleveland Orchestra, takes residency at Miami’s Arsht Center. This year, the season offers a variety of great masterworks: “Fate and Freedom: Music of Beethoven and Shostakovich,” Feb. 2728; “Mahler’s Sixth,” March 6-7; and Carl Orff ’s “Carmina Burana,” with the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus, March 26-28. For information and tickets, go to ClevelandOrchestraMiami.com.
FLORIDA GRAND OPERA Florida Grand Opera has an unusually diverse season planned for South Florida audiences, including a modern interpretation of Mozart’s “Cosi Fan Tutte,” Jan. 24-25, 27, 30-31, Arsht Center, and Feb. 12, 14, Broward Center; Georges Bizet’s French grand opera, “The Pearl Fishers,” Feb. 28, March 1, 3, 6-7, Arsht Center, and March 12, 14, Broward Center; and Gian Carlo Menotti’s contemporary American opera, “The Consul,” May 9-10, 12, 15-16 at the Arsht Center. Tickets start at $12 at FGO.org.
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South Florida Symphony
GAY MEN’S CHORUS OF SOUTH FLORIDA With 200 voices, the Gay Men’s Chorus of South Florida is the largest choral ensemble in the state of Florida. Under the artistic direction of Gordon Roberts, the chorus maintains a busy schedule. “Let Music Live” is the theme for the March 27 – 28 concerts at Fort Lauderdale’s Sunshine Cathedral. On April 7 and 12, the chorus teams up with the Symphony of the Americas for two performances, “Why We Sing,” at the Broward Center. Tickets to the chorus performances regularly sell out, so plan accordingly. Information and tickets are available at GMCSF.org.
MIAMI GAY MEN’S CHORUS The Miami Gay Men’s Chorus continues its multiyear children’s initiative with the world premiere of a new musical, “The Purim Superhero,” based on the book by Elisabeth Kushner with original score by Eric Lane Barnes. The musical is based on the first Jewish children’s book to portray a same-sex family and reinforces the chorus’ commitment to LGBT understanding and anti-bullying programs. The musical will debut on March 1 at Temple Israel Greater Miami. For more information and tickets, go to MiamiGayChorus.org.
REGIONAL GAY MEN’S CHORUSES The Fort Lauderdale Gay Men’s Chorus, under the direction of Dr. Gary Keating, performs throughout the year at the Museum of Art Fort Lauderdale and is known for their entertaining, cabaret style productions. For more information and tickets go to TheFLGMC.org. Voices of Pride, the gay men’s chorus of the Palm Beaches, is a favorite in Palm Beach County and continues to grow each year. For information and tickets, go to VoicesOfPride.org.
SOUTH FLORIDA PRIDE WIND ENSEMBLE Once again, the Pride Wind Ensemble will share the stage at the Broward Center with the Youth Pride Band on Feb. 15. In just four years, the honor band for LGBT and allied high school musicians has grown exponentially while using music to raise awareness of teen bullying. Guest conductor and clinician is world-renowned composer Frank Ticheli. This concert sold out last year, so reserve tickets early. The Pride Wind Ensemble wraps up its spring season with another concert on June 6. For more information and tickets, go to PrideWindEnsemble. org.
THE COLONY HOTEL ROYAL ROOM When it comes to cabaret, the Colony Hotel’s Royal Room in Palm Beach rivals the swankiest dinner clubs in Manhattan. The hotel recently underwent a multimillion dollar renovation and has booked a lineup of entertainers to match: Barbra Streisand’s kid sister, Rosalind Kind, Jan 27 – 31; TV host and crooner Regis Philbin, Feb. 17 – 21; Tony Awardwinner Christine Ebersole, Feb. 24 – 28; comedian and master impressionist Rich Little, March 3 – 7; and former Supreme Mary Wilson, March 24 – 28. For more information and reservations, go to TheColonyPalmBeach.com.
GOLD COAST JAZZ SOCIETY The Gold Coast Jazz Society is one of the best kept secrets in Broward County, attracting some of the best jazz artists to monthly concerts at the Broward Center. The winter and spring season includes jam sessions by Latin trumpeter Arturo Sandoval, Feb. 13; Canadian jazz pianist and vocalist Michael Kaeshammer, March 13; jazz organist Dr. Lonnie Smith, April 8; and jazz pianist Mike Longo, accompanied by the Gold Coast Jazz Society Band, May 13. Individual concert tickets are $53.10 at GoldCoastJazz.org.
Love, Loss, Redemption Feb 3, 8:00pm FAU, Boca Raton Feb 6, 7:30pm First Baptist Church Fort Lauderdale Favorite Beatles Songs Performing with the South Florida Symphony Orchestra
Feb 19, 7:30 pm Delray Center for the Arts
Feb 22, 7:30 pm Amaturo Theater, Broward Chee–Yun, violin
Mendelssohn: Ruy Blas Overture Sibelius: Violin Concerto Brahms: Symphony No. 1
Fate of a Hero
Mar 29, 7:30 pm Amaturo Theater, Broward Mar 30, 7:30 pm Delray Center for the Arts Svetlana Smolina, piano Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 1 Beethoven: Symphony No. 5
Tickets: SouthFloridaSymphony.org Or call 954-522-8445
[ Theater ]
Broadway
J. W. Arnold
Newsies Credit: Joan Marcus
W
ith three world-class performing arts centers covering a 70-mile stretch of I-95, South Florida regularly attracts the most popular touring Broadway productions (including some overlap). This season, the shows largely fall into three categories: Top shows making their first stops in the region, including “Pippin” and “Newsies;” tried and true box office hits that seem to make their way here every three or four years, a la “The Lion King” and “Wicked;” and a mish-mash of Broadway hits and misses. Here’s a quick overview of the productions taking the stage this winter and spring:
KRAVIS ON BROADWAY – Kravis Center, West Palm Beach The Kravis Center, which launched its own Broadway series just a few years ago, features a well-rounded line-up that includes ‘80s flashback, “Flashdance The Musical,” Jan. 27 – Feb. 1; the Tony-winning Cole Porter jukebox musical, “Anything Goes,” March 10 – 15; Segregation-era Best Musical “Memphis,” April 7 – 12; and Tony-winning Best Revival, Pippin, April 28 – May 3. For tickets and show times, go to Kravis.org.
BROADWAY ACROSS FORT LAUDERDALE – Broward Center, Fort Lauderdale Broadway Across America’s Fort Lauderdale series regularly sells out two-week runs at the Broward Center. After the extended January return of “The Lion King,” running through Feb. 1, audiences can look forward to “Motown The Musical,” Feb. 24 – March 8; Diane Paulus’ Tony-winning revival of “Pippin,” March 31 – April 12; and “Anything Goes,” May 5 – 17. For tickets and show times, go to BrowardCenter.org.
BROADWAY ACROSS MIAMI – Arsht Center, Miami Motown the Musical Credit: Joan Marcus
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In Miami, depending on who you ask, the big ticket is either the Disney dance spectacular, “Newsies,” Feb. 3 – 8, or the tweenage favorite, “Wicked,” March 11 – 29, an especially long run for the typically busy Arsht Center. To conclude the season, the uplifting musical adaptation of “Sister Act,” April 14 – 19, finally completes the South Florida trifecta. For tickets and show times, go to ArshtCenter.com.
• WINTER 2015
Regional Theater From comedies and dramas to musicals and experimental theater, South Florida’s professional regional companies have practically every genre covered. Here’s a look at the diverse offerings at some of the leading companies this winter and spring:
MALTZ JUPITER THEATRE – Jupiter The Maltz, under the direction of Andrew Kato, always offers extravagant musical productions—with a straight play sandwiched here and there—and this spring is no exception with a return trip over the rainbow in “The Wiz,” Jan. 13 – Feb. 1; David Mamet’s drama about the cutthroat world of real estate, “Glengarry Glen Ross,” Feb. 8 – 22; and a new interpretation of the epic Broadway hit, “Les Miserables,” March 10 – April 5. For tickets and show times, go to JupiterTheatre. org.
PALM BEACH DRAMAWORKS – West Palm Beach Palm Beach Dramaworks excels at traditional masterworks and continues the 2014-15 season with the intrigue of “Les Liaisons Dangereuses,” Jan. 30 – March 1, and the Pulitzer Prize winning “Buried Child,” March 27 – April 26. The company breaks out of the box with the recent Broadway musical hit about Billie Holiday, “Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill,” May 15 – June 7. For tickets and show times, go to PalmBeachDramaworks.org.
SLOW BURN THEATRE CO. – Boca Raton The guys at Slow Burn like to tackle offbeat, edgy kinds of shows, including “Bonnie & Clyde,” Jan. 22 – Feb. 8, at West Boca High School and Feb. 12 – 15 at Aventura Arts & Cultural Center. They wrap up season with “Rent,” April 9 – 26, and “Little Shop of Horrors,” June 5 – 28. Slow Burn also offers the fun musical, “25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” Feb. 26 – April 19, in the Broward Center’s Abdo New River Room. For tickets and show times, go to SlowBurnTheatre.org.
THE WICK THEATRE AND COSTUME MUSEUM – Boca Raton Executive producer Marilynn Wick’s namesake theater offers big Broadway musicals with unbelievable costumes. Broadway star Lee Roy Reams headlines in “La Cage aux Folles,” through Feb. 15, followed by “Man of La Mancha,” Feb. 26 – March 28; Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Oklahoma,” April 2 – April 26; and “Dames at Sea,” May 7 – 31, the Off Broadway show that launched Bernadette Peters’ career. For tickets and show times, go to TheWick.org.
THINKING CAP THEATRE CO. – Fort Lauderdale Producing artistic director Nicole Stodard’s Thinking Cap Theatre inaugurates its new home, The Vanguard, south of downtown Fort Lauderdale with comedy and experimental plays, including “Waiting for Waiting for Godot,” Feb. 12 – March 1; “Always….Patsy Cline,” March 12 – April 4; “Vita and Virginia,” April 16 – May 3; and “The Book of Liz” by Amy & David Sedaris, June 11 - 28. For tickets and show times, go to ThinkingCapTheatre.com.
OUTRE THEATRE CO. – Fort Lauderdale Scrappy Outre Theatre makes its Broward Center debut in the Abdo New River Room with the Off Broadway hit musical “Bloody, Bloody Andrew Jackson,” May 1 – 17, a crazy conglomeration of real stories and rock music that redefines our seventh president as an Emo rock star. History just got all sexy pants. For tickets and show times, go to BrowardCenter.org or OutreTheatreCompany.com.
ZOETIC STAGE – Miami Zoetic Stage, in residence at the Carnival Studio Theatre at Miami’s Arsht Center, is another one of those theater companies that is not afraid to tackle edgy, uncomfortable material. The schedule includes the regional premiere of Paul Waltz’s “Trust,” March 5 – 29, about an Internet millionaire who gets lost in an S&M club, and Harold Pinter’s “Betrayal,” May 14 – 31, about the lies behind a couple’s adulterous affair. For tickets and show times, go to ArshtCenter.org.
ACTORS PLAYHOUSE – Coral Gables “Ragtime,” Jan. 28 – Feb. 22, is one of the big musical extravaganzas that Actor’s Playhouse’s artistic director David Arisco does best, and another one of those “must see” shows of the season. Rounding out the spring season at the Miracle Theater in Coral Gables are the new musical comedy, “First Date,” March 18 – April 12, and “The Book Club Play” by Karen Zacharias, May 13 – June 7. For tickets and show times, go to ActorsPlayhouse.org.
GABLESTAGE – Coral Gables The award-winning GableStage opens 2015 with “Choir Boy,” Jan. 24 – Feb. 22, by Miami native and brilliant, openly gay playwright Tarell Alvin McCraney. The season at Joseph Adler’s theater in the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables continues with David Ives’ “New Jerusalem,” March 28 – April 26, and Harvey Fierstein’s “Casa Valentina,” May 30 – June 28, about a Catskills resort that caters to heterosexual male crossdressers. For tickets and show times, go to GableStage. org.
ISLAND CITY STAGE – Wilton Manors Island City Stage is a favorite with Fort Lauderdale’s LGBT and allied communities and programs show that tackle gay themes, including the premiere of Steve Yockey’s “Octopus,” Jan. 29 – March 1, about a four-way that goes awry; Douglas Carter Beane’s comedy, “The Little Dog Laughed,” April 16 – May 16; and concluding with another premiere, “Daniel’s Husband,” May 28 – June 28, by award-winning local playwright Michael McKeever. For tickets and show times, go to IslandCityStage.org.
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[ Theater ]
An Interview with
J. W. Arnold
Andrew Kato
Producing Artistic Director, Maltz Jupiter Theatre
I
n just nine seasons, Andrew Kato has built the Maltz Jupiter Theatre into one of the most successful South Florida regional companies. The walls of the Jupiter theater are lined with Carbonell Awards for the company’s critically-acclaimed musical productions. He recently oversaw a multi-million dollar expansion of the company’s facilities and subscriptions continue to break records (7,626 for the current season). A South Florida native, Kato led a successful career in New York City before returning home. He has been the Creative Consultant/Coordinating Producer on the Tony Awards for the last 11 years and received the Emmy Award eight times. Kato produced many Broadway concerts, including “Chess in Concert,” starring Josh Groban; the 20th anniversary concert benefit of “Dreamgirls,” starring Audra McDonald; “Funny Girl” in Concert; the original Broadway cast reunion concert of “Once On This Island;” and the 10th anniversary concert version of “Into the Woods.” On Broadway, Kato was a producing associate on “Jelly’s Last Jam” and “Angels in America.” He sat down with “Mirror” to discuss his career, life in the theater and the stunning transformation of the Maltz Jupiter Theatre during his tenure:
on floors, my first apartment I literally pulled out a sleeping bag almost every night. I’m not ashamed about that, those are the sacrifices you have to take.
You got an early start in theater, didn’t you?
When I got the call, I was very excited, but I was also happy in New York. Honestly, what I saw when I came down here, I told my partner I didn’t have a good feeling. The community had gotten tired of being disappointed so many times. Getting people to come back to a theater that they had given up on was going to be a challenge.
I grew up here in Jupiter and worked in the Burt Reynolds Theatre. I was a waiter for eight years through high school and put myself through college with the money I made….When I was growing up, people were always surprised because I was clear in what I wanted. In fact, someone I dated in my early 20s told me that I told him I would someday run this theater. So you didn’t have aspirations to become an actor?
No, in my early 20s, I wrote a musical called, “Switch!” with an exclamation point, because every musical has an exclamation point. We did a reading and the director of the institute said, “You’re done and you need a production.” Given the scale, we would need to raise $100,000—at that age, you don’t realize creating a 20-character show isn’t in the interests of a young writer. I invited friends and family, the Miami Herald, Palm Beach Post did pieces, (and I) raised $10,000 to put on the show. In a strange way, my early days were like an early education (in theater production). Did you leave Florida for New York?
No, I went to Portland, Maine, and spent two years at Portland Stage. What’s great about working in a smaller organization is that they need so much help and you automatically get to help. I was a sponge, soaking up everything….but, Portland was a bit too small of a town and I had my eye on New York. What was life like in New York City?
Making a living in the industry is difficult. Everything that you’re enjoying is an experience you’re paying for….I’ve slept
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But, you had some amazing opportunities, including working on “Jelly’s Last Jam” and “Angels in America” on Broadway.
To work on a show that had so much prestige was great. (It was) not too dissimilar to my work in Portland—even when you’re working with a Broadway producer, it’s a oneperson office. Broadway was my master class in producing. You eventually landed a gig working on the annual Tony Awards broadcast. What is that like?
Of the 11 years, we received an Emmy for eight. It’s such a well-planned and well-executed show. I’m really in awe of the team. A lot of TV shows you see a lot of errors. We rehearse that show for a week—every camera angle, every decision is planned and rehearsed until the last minute. Were you excited to return to Florida?
But in just a few years, you managed to turn the company around. How did you pull that off?
It’s one of the things I’m most proud of. In a leadership role, you learn that time is your friend and everything is strategic. An analogy I use is that we’re landing at an airport and when you bring a big plane in, you start the descent far away and slowly bring it in. I’m the air traffic controller, landing those planes over the course of a season. In order to do that you have to have a team of amazing people who are amazing pilots. The team is very self-critical. If we do it well, we’re happy, but if we don’t, we quickly do a postmortem and we plan way in advance. You still maintain close relationships in New York and with the Broadway community, don’t you?
I spend five weeks of each year working on (the Tony Awards) show… and I still go to New York City to do casting. Most of my relationships started at my first job. When you look back at your career, what are the most important lessons you’ve learned?
That’s something that I teach to our conservatory students, you can have your dreams if you want something bad enough. We live in a country where those dreams can come true with hard work and perseverance and tenacity. I believe in the power of carrying that image with you.
To learn more about Maltz Jupiter Theatre, go to JupiterTheatre.org.
[ Exhibit ]
Gardens of Glass Chihuly exhibit transforms gardens into J. W. Arnold magical world
R
emember that breathtaking moment in “The Wizard of Oz” when Dorothy first opened the door of the family farmhouse to reveal the Technicolor wonders of Oz? Or perhaps the fantastic giant flowers and plants Alice discovered on the other end of the rabbit hole in Wonderland? Fairchild Botanical Gardens in Coral Gables has undergone a similar transformation, thanks to the incredible, colorful glass creations of Dale Chihuly on display through the end of May. The gardens, an 83-acre tropical oasis on any day, have been adorned with translucent glass orbs, flowing petals and exploding blooms throughout the lush rainforest, picturesque Bailey Palm Glade Vista and new Wings of the Tropics exhibit, where they almost seem to interact with hundreds of exotic butterflies. “Each year, our garden is transformed into a unique natural gallery where extraordinary works of art are intermixed with spectacular tropical foliage. Our landscape, meticulously designed to showcase the best of the natural world, melds beautifully with artistic expression,” said Dr. Carl Lewis, director. “This year, we are pleased to have renowned American artist Dale Chihuly unveil his most comprehensive garden exhibition to date.” Chihuly, 73, is the leading glass artist of his generation, with works on display in museums and private collections around the world. His most prominent displays can be found in the famed Bellagio hotel on the Las Vegas strip and the MGM Grand casino in Macau. In 2010, a permanent exhibit was opened next to the Space Needle in Seattle. His garden exhibitions have been displayed across the country, but the current display at Fairchild is his largest. Visitors can enjoy the installations weekdays between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. and on weekends between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Guided tram tours are included in the price of admission. On Thursday and Sunday evenings between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m., visitors can view illuminated art under the stars of the South Florida sky while strolling the garden in the moonlight. Dinner is served in the Glasshouse Café or guests can bring a picnic. Admission is $25 for adults and $18 for seniors or free for members. A special day and night GlassPass is available for $50 for adults and $35 for seniors.
Fairchild Tropical Botanical Garden is located at 10901 Old Cutler Rd. in Coral Gables. For directions and more information, go to FairchildGarden.org.
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MIAMI’S MOST POPULAR MUSICAL IS “Broadway’s Biggest Blockbuster.” - The New York Times
“If every musical had the brain, the heart and the courage of WICKED, Broadway really would be a magical place.” - Time Magazine
“A CULTURAL PHENOMENON.” - Variety
“A BREATHTAKING SUCCESS STORY, of a magnitude the theatre has not witnessed since the peak years of ‘The Phantom Of The Opera’.” - The Washington Post
FLYING BACK TO THE ARSHT CENTER
Broadway Across America Photos: Joan Marcus and Christopher Draghi
MARCH 11 – 29
ADRIENNE ARSHT CENTER ArshtCenter.org • 305-949-6722 Groups 15+ 786-468-2326
[ Music ]
Call Them Maestro Young Conductors Shake Up Regional Music Scene J. W. Arnold Dan Bassett conducts the South Florida Pride Wind Ensemble.
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wo dynamic young South Florida musicians are challenging the stereotype of the stoic, seasoned classical conductor. At 28, artistic director Brett Karlin is among the youngest musicians in the Master Chorale of South Florida, a semi-professional chorus that performs the great standards of the repertoire in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach Counties. But don’t let his age deceive you, he is a serious— and equally accomplished—musician, who is also in his first year as the chorus master of the Florida Grand Opera and an instructor at the Miami Choral Academy. “It works for me and against me,” he says of his relative youth. “In the beginning stages of anyone’s career there is a little trepidation. Do I know what I’m doing? But it also works to my advantage being the youngest guy in the room,” especially when most of the 90 singers are at least 40-45 years old and several have had professional musical careers from 20 to 50 years. He cites the opportunity to offer “new perspectives from the way we’ve always done things. That’s the most dangerous phrase for any organization, particularly in the arts.”
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Karlin auditioned for the position after teaching at Hillsborough Community College in the Tampa Bay region. Education remains one of his professional priorities, especially working with the disadvantaged students at Miami Choral Academy. “I love to get young people excited by music,” Karlin said, “but there is nothing like conducting a professional chorus.” In two seasons, Karlin has expanded the chorus repertoire to include pop works—the Chorale will accompany tenor Andrea Bocelli at Hard Rock Live in February—as well as an incredibly popular “Messiah” sing-a-long that attracted nearly 800 participants last December. “Master Chorale is a world-class ensemble of stellar musicians, but we are also South Florida’s voice. It’s made up of our audience members’ friends and families, their realtors and their doctors. Together we make the experience that is the Master Chorale,” he explained. Tim Peterson, a board member of the chorale, thinks Karlin is a natural talent, “Clearly he is such a gifted musician and when you see him conduct, you recognize it immediately. I just hope we can keep him.”
When he’s not conducting or teaching, Karlin has the same interests as many other 20-somethings: The Sailboat Bend resident loves to kayak around the Middle River and spot manatees, runs regularly, reads sci-fi and fantasy novels and also enjoys an occasional glass of wine at the Naked Grape. (“In my ongoing quest for husband material,” he says.) Oh, and he likes to tune and repair harpsichords, too, maybe not the most popular hobby for most gay 28-year-olds. If the last two years are any indication, Karlin, who discovered the classics as a boy in Boca Raton, will be making music in South Florida for a long time to come. With nearly 10 years under his belt as artistic director of the South Florida Pride Wind Ensemble, Dan Bassett has not only raised the profile of his organization but brought national attention from the LGBT band movement. As a youngster growing up in upstate New York near the Canadian border, Bassett was selected for a highly competitive band program in his community and took up the trumpet. He recalled, “It was a small town with an abnormally good music program, so in fifth grade
I started in band, it went from there and by middle school it was something I wanted to pursue.” He completed a bachelor’s degree in music education and trumpet performance at Ithaca College, graduating mid-year. Bassett decided to accept a position with the summer music camp where he worked as a counselor during the summers and wound up in the company’s office in Coral Springs, setting his South Florida musical career in motion. Bassett served as the band director at Boca Raton High School for seven years before moving to St. Mark’s Episcopal School in Fort Lauderdale. Today, he is the head of the music department and assistant principal for the K-8 school. During this time, he began performing with the Flamingo Freedom Band, South Florida’s LGBT marching and concert band. In 2005, he was asked to audition to be the director, and after being selected, he initiated sweeping changes. At his suggestion, the name was changed to the South Florida Pride Wind Ensemble and Marching Band, an effort to emphasize the artistic nature of the organization, beyond marching in local Pride parades. Bassett also revolutionized the concert programming, adding guest performers, dancers and gymnasts and introducing innovative lighting and video effects to accentuate the music. “I did have a pretty clear vision of what I wanted to see on stage. The other was the freedom to change from a more serious concert to a more visual and entertaining approach to meet our audiences where they are,” Bassett explained. “The feedback has been great from audiences,” he added. “I think it’s worked.” The band has grown and even attracted straight musicians. “We’re getting more straight friends in the band because
Dan Bassett, director of the Pride Wind Ensemble Brett Karlin, artistic director of the Master Chorale of South Florida
it’s becoming a great ensemble. Our audiences have also changed because of this. I think it’s reflective of society in general—accepting, inclusive and mixed,” explained Bassett, who noted their concerts have been regularly selling out. “Dan has really elevated the performance level of the band,” said former band president Adam DeRosa, who also served as president of the Lesbian and Gay Band Association, “and more importantly, he’s led us to national recognition in the LGBT band movement.” Bassett likes to unwind after a long rehearsal, enjoying cross-fit workouts (“It clears my brain from everything in the day and reenergizes me.”) and quiet evenings at home with his longtime partner Francis Lyn. (“Francis likes to cook, so I get to eat.”) They also love to travel. The South Florida Pride Wind Ensemble takes the stage next at the Broward Center, Feb. 15, with the Youth Pride Band, a high school honor band and anti-bullying initiative started by the ensemble four years ago. To see these young conductors in action, find concert schedules at MasterChoraleOfSouthFlorida.org.
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[ Film ]
Movies and TV O
nce again, sequels will rule the box office this winter and spring. From superhero and action flicks to comedies and dramas, no movie was safe from the proven path to big bucks. Take heart, many promise to surpass their originals and, if you look carefully, there are several documentaries and new movies that deserve to be seen:
SPARE PARTS – January 16 This promises to be the feel good movie of the season: With the help of their new teacher, George Lopez, four poor Hispanic students form a robotics club. Pulling together $800 and parts scavenged from old cars, the hopeful teens build their robot and enter a national competition. Spoiler alert: They’re gonna win.
MORTDECAI – January 23 Johnny Depp returns to the big screen as a handsome and resourceful art dealer who travels the world to find a stolen painting that is rumored to contain clues to a bank account filled with Nazi Gold. This role offers Depp the opportunity to redeem himself after an unfortunate performance as the Big, Bad Wolf in “Into the Woods.”
BALLET 422 – February 6 From first rehearsal to world premiere, “Ballet 422” takes the audience backstage at New York City Ballet as up-and-coming choreographer Justin Peck creates a new work. This documentary is worth checking out because Miami City Ballet will be premiering their own new work from Peck later this spring.
FIFTY SHADES OF GRAY – February 13 When the gays want to experiment with a little BDSM we head to Leatherwerks or Ramrod. But for the past five years, undersexed housewives have gotten their lessons from a mediocre novel. Finally, that book comes to life on the big screen. Sure it’s straight sex—and probably campy as hell—but good for a few laughs, too.
THE SECOND BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL – March 6 Hunky Richard Gere joins the all-star ensemble cast—Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Bill Nighy, and Dev Patel—in this sequel to the 2012 sleeper hit comedy/drama about a hotel for the elderly and beautiful and its quirky residents and staff. Look for another breakout performance from the maturing Patel (“Slumdog Millionaire”).
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J. W. Arnold
INSURGENT – March 20
The sequel to the futuristic girl power movie, “Divergent,” finds Tris and her companions returning to the city where people are divided into different societal factions, based on their personalities and aptitudes. The elitist Erudites are afraid of Tris and she must discover why they seek to eliminate non-conforming divergents.
BEYOND THE BRICK: THE LEGO BRICKUMENTARY – April 24 For generations, LEGO bricks have captured the imaginations of young and old alike, amateurs and artists. “Beyond the Brick” explores the ongoing popularity of the colorful building blocks and interviews many of the pros who display their masterpieces at “Brick Conventions.” This promises to be a fun film.
AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON – May 1 What guy doesn’t love an action-packed, smash-em-up superhero flick? Joss Whedon (“Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,” “Serenity,” “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”) helms this highly-anticipated sequel, featuring the return of Robert Downey, Jr. as Iron Man, hunky Australian Chris Hemsworth as Thor, and Mark Ruffalo as The Hulk.
PITCH PERFECT 2 – May 15 You didn’t have to be a choir geek to enjoy the original “Pitch Perfect.” Sure, sequels rarely live up to their originals. Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson and Brittany Snow return, and this time, the Barden Bellas go for an international title that no American team has ever won. Spoiler alert: They’re gonna win.
MAD MAX: FURY ROAD – May 15 (Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, George Miller, dir.) Gay men of a certain generation first discovered a young Mel Gibson in the first “Mad Max” movie nearly 40 years ago. The post-apocalyptic saga gets a reboot thanks to director George Miller and starring allegedly bisexual actor Tom Hardy. He’s no Mel—even if he’s not bigoted—but expect lots of action. Insurgent. Credit: Summit Entertainment
THE NIGHTLY SHOW WITH LARRY WILMORE – Comedy Central, Jan. 19 Larry Wilmore has big shoes to fill—his new topical comedy show replaces the incredibly popular and smart “The Colbert Report.” Obviously he’ll be introducing some much-needed diversity to late-night television, but given recent events in the news, we’ll see how it goes over with Comedy Central audiences.
THE AMERICANS – FX, Jan. 28 “The Americans” is simply one of the best shows on TV, a thriller about KGB agents embedded in suburban Washington, D.C. at the height of the Cold War. This season, Frank Langella replaces Margo Martindale as the Jennings’ handler. Ironically, NBC is launching a series, “Allegiance,” about more covert Russian spies. Bet it’s not as good.
FRESH OFF THE BOAT – ABC, Feb. 4 Cultures clash for a Chinese-American family adjusting to life in mid-‘90s Florida. Based on the life and memoirs of restaurateur and food show host Eddie Huang, “Fresh Off the Boat” sounds much funnier—at least right now—than that 1994 misfire from comedian Margaret Cho, “All-American Girl.”
VIKINGS – History, Feb. 19 “Game of Thrones” may have made bloody sword fights cool, but “Vikings” and the saga of Ragnar Lothbrok actually looks and feels real. Life was hard a millennium ago, but men were men and so were the women! Season 3 follows the farmerturned-explorer as he finally takes the throne as king and must now rule.
HOUSE OF CARDS – Netflix, Feb. 27
The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. Credit: Fox Searchlight Pictures
WOLF HALL – PBS, April 5 Roll back the clock just a few centuries: Damian Lewis (“Homeland”) stars as Henry VIII and Tony Award-winner Mark Rylance is Thomas Cromwell in this “Masterpiece” series based on the historical novels of Hilary Mantel. Expect a lot more than the quasi-historic melodrama “The Tudors” dished up on King Henry.
GAME OF THRONES – HBO, April TBA Winter is coming and so is Season 5 of HBO’s hit fantasy series. Seemingly no one is safe, except maybe for John Snow, and this season will certainly reveal the fate of Tyrion Lannister, who has been sentenced to death for the poisoning death of his sadistic nephew, young King Joffrey. Tune in this April to find out.
SILICON VALLEY – HBO, April TBA What’s the next big thing after Facebook, Twitter and Google? This comedy from HBO provides a hilarious look at the machinations in California’s Silicon Valley and the next would-be tech start-up billionaires. We think it is safe to say that Mark Zuckerberg is not tuning in for Season 2 in April. Or maybe he is….
MAD MEN – AMC, July 19 It’s going to be difficult to say goodbye to Don Draper and the staff of Sterling Cooper Draper Price. And we’re not bitter the producers and network pulled a petty stunt by splitting the final season and broadcasting it over two years—obviously vying for more shots at ever more elusive awards. We’ll see what happens this time.
Just block off the entire week for a binge watching session of Netflix’s hit straight-to-streaming series about the intrigues of Washington, D.C. Sure, the storyline got a little melodramatic in Season 2, but show runner Beau Willimon isn’t reining it in – two members of Russian girl band Pussy Riot make a guest appearance.
BROADCHURCH – BBC America, March 4 David Tennant (“Doctor Who”) returns for the second season of the evocative British murder mystery. Producers have been tightlipped about the show’s top secret storyline, but told a British magazine, “It’s not another crime case.” Regardless, it’s bound to be one of the smartest shows of the spring season.
Danaerys, from Game of Thrones. Credit: HBO
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[ Venues ]
Lightning Strikes Twice Arts garage brings successful formula to Pompano J. W. Arnold
A
rts Garage was intended to be a temporary venue—an intimate facility tucked into a converted parking garage—until a permanent location could be established in rapidly redeveloping downtown Delray Beach. Three years later, Arts Garage is a beloved and booming performing arts center, home to a busy calendar of theater and jazz concerts, educational programs and more, and residents and staff have no plans to go anywhere soon. Community and business leaders in Pompano Beach are hoping to replicate Arts Garage’s formula at the Old Bailey Hotel, renovated and rechristened Bailey Contemporary Arts (BaCA) last fall. “I’m so excited about the possibilities,” said Alyona Ushe, CEO and president of Creative City Collaborative, the non-profit organization tasked with establishing and operating Arts Garage and now, BaCA. “All the ingredients are there….” “Arts Garage is about diversity in programming. When you mix and match various genres and forms and interpretations and give artists a stage, that’s when magic happens,” the Russian native said with a slight accent. “That’s the theme I want to see in everything we do.” Ushe, the self-described “Czarina” with more than 20 years of previous arts management experience in Washington, DC and New Orleans, is convinced that by following the same formula, Pompano Beach can also become a mecca for artists of all types. When that happens, the audiences will follow. The other key is to emphasize unusual
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programming like the Arts Garage Radio Theater, finding quirky and original ways to engage audiences and identifying “what makes people jump out of bed in the morning, lining up the passion with the resources that are available.” Over the past three years, Ushe has built the Creative City Collaborative staff to 12 full time professionals and many more contractors and tradesmen. The annual budget for Arts Garage has grown from $275,000 to $2 million last year. Even with the collective experience her team offers, BaCA offers its own challenges. “When it comes to arts and culture, Pompano doesn’t immediately come to mind,” she frankly pointed out, “We have more venues (BaCA, Pompano Amphitheatre and the planned cultural center) and must envision the city as a stage, connecting the dots between the venues. No matter where you go in Pompano, it’s going to be about arts and culture.” Both ArtsGarage and now BaCA would never have been possible without the support of the local officials and community redevelopment authorities (CRA) in each city. “We are a tool for the vision of the CRA and the city. They came up with the funding and facilities. It takes chutzpah and the leadership certainly has that,” Ushe pointed out.
CCC is also seeking corporate and foundation support to fund future programs at both venues. A portion of each ticket sale goes into an endowment to support local arts and culture because a local arts center cannot thrive without local artists. There is still plenty of work to do. Ushe hopes to expand the stage at Arts Garage and expand educational offerings. And BaCA is still in its infancy, but Ushe is optimistic, “I’m so excited about the possibilities. All the ingredients are there.” For more information, performance schedules and tickets, go to ArtsGarage.org and BaCAPompano.org.
[ Events ]
Festivals Galore Something to do Every Month
Winter Party Festival
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ooking for a nearby escape or just to get out of the house for a few hours? Check out one of these local festivals and experience the diverse art and culture of South Florida: ART DECO WEEKEND – Jan. 16 – 18
It’s hard to believe that just a few years ago, Miami Beach’s iconic art deco district was crumbling and in danger of being replaced with nondescript condos and hotels. Fortunately, community activists had the foresight to encourage a renaissance along Ocean Drive. Head down to South Beach and admire the architecture, along with street vendors and live entertainment. Info at ArtDecoWeekend.com. SOUTH FLORIDA RENAISSANCE FESTIVAL – Feb. 7 – March 15
“Suspended Between Myth and History” is this year’s theme for the annual festival, held in Deerfield Beach, no doubt a tribute to the popularity of “Game of Thrones” and other fantasies. Kilts and codpieces are especially encouraged. Don’t forget the sunscreen and bring a few bucks so you can chow down on one of those giant turkey legs fit for a king. Info at Ren-Fest.com. WINTER PARTY FESTIVAL – March 4 – 9
The largest dance party on South Beach has grown over the years into a week-long celebration of South Florida’s LGBT community and benefits both the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and local organizations. There are events for lesbians, gay men and even gay families, including parties, picnics and even brunch. Info and tickets at WinterParty.com. WINTER MUSIC CONFERENCE – March 24 – 28
Originally an electronic music industry event that attracted DJs and record label execs, Winter Music Conference has grown into a full-
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fledged, nonstop festival with industry panels, educational workshops, dance parties, pool parties and more that attracts thousands and is celebrating 30 years in 2015. Info and tickets at WinterMusicConference.com. PALM BEACH PRIDEFEST – March 28 – 29
Quaint Lake Worth is the perfect setting for Palm Beach County’s annual Pride celebration. The parade winds its way through the streets as onlookers cheer, winding up at the festival at Bryant Park, featuring live entertainment, vendors and exhibitors. More than 15,000 people from South Florida and the Treasure Coast are expected to participate. Info at CompassGLCC. com. LAS OLAS ART FESTIVAL, PART II – March 28 – 29
Twice each winter, Fort Lauderdale’s tony Las Olas Boulevard is closed for the region’s largest art fair, featuring hundreds of artists working in every medium imaginable from painting and sculpture to mixed media and textiles. This is a great opportunity to pick up that distinctive piece of art for your home. Info at ArtFestival. com. INTERNATIONAL GAY POLO TOURNAMENT – April 9 – 11
Get out your fancy hats, girls, because the International Gay Polo Tournament is returning to Grand Champions Polo Club in Wellington. From the kick-off party on Friday to the brunch and after-ceremony party on Sunday, this “sport of kings” event is sure to be memorable, whether you own a horse or just like men who ride them. Info at PalmBeachFL.com. MIAMI BEACH PRIDE – April 10 – 12
In its sixth year, Miami Beach Gay Pride has grown into one of the biggest LGBT
events in the region, attracting more than 100,000 participants and spectators to scenic Ocean Drive. After the parade, visit vendors and exhibitors, enjoy the live performances on the outdoor stages or just take in some people watching. Info at MiamiBeachGayPride.com. MIAMI GAY AND LESBIAN FILM FESTIVAL – April 24 – May 3
Film aficionados already know the Miami Gay and Lesbian Film Festival is one of the best in the country, regularly presenting regional and world premieres of the best in LGBT film. In between screenings, see and be seen at the many glitzy parties featuring the filmmakers, actors and writers who created these cinematic masterpieces. Info and tickets at MGLFF.com. PRIDE FORT LAUDERDALE – June
This will be the first time in many years that Broward county will only celebrate Pride once with Pride South Florida (also known as Pride Fort Lauderdale and Pride One of Broward) moving their event from February/March back to June where it initially started. Info at PrideSouthFlorida.org.
Arts, music, polo and PrideFests
J. W. Arnold
[ Datebook ]
Broward County Photos: Facebook
David Bromberg Quintet & Band
Lara Fabian
Bianca Del Rio
50 Shades! The Musical Parody
Jan. 21 at 7:30 p.m. at the Coral Springs Center for the Arts, 2855 Coral Springs Drive in Coral Springs. Based on the raunchy series, young and naive Anastasia falls for the kinky Christian and enters a world of sexual fantasies she never imagined possible. Tickets $37.10 to $63.30. Call 954-344-5990 or visit CoralSpringsCenterfortheArts.com. Four Score and Seven Years Ago
Jan. 22 to 23 at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, 201 SW Fifth Ave. in Fort Lauderdale. Set during the Civil War, Lemuel, who escaped from slavery in Georgia, is unsure about anything anymore after he befriends a Confederate soldier. Tickets $7. Call 954-462-0222 or visit BrowardCenter.org. The Second City Hits Home
Jan. 23 at 7:30 at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, 201 SW Fifth Ave. in Fort Lauderdale. The comedy troupe, which many alums have gone on to SNL, comes to Fort Lauderdale for the best in sketch comedy. Tickets $39. Call 954-4620222 or visit BrowardCenter.org.
Michael Bolton
Octopus
Jan. 23 at 8 p.m. at the Hard Rock Live, One Seminole Way in Hollywood. For decades the singer has enchanted listeners with songs like “When a Man Loves a Woman.” Tickets $45 to $65. Visit SeminoleHardRockHollywood. com
Jan. 29 to March 1 at Empire Stage, 1140 N. Flagler Road in Fort Lauderdale. Island City Stage presents the play of a younger gay couple that tries to keep up with an older, more experienced crowd during a night that challenges the core of their relationship. Contains nudity. Tickets $30. Call 954-519-2533 or visit IslandCityStage.org.
The David Bromberg Quintet
Jan. 24 at 7:30 p.m. at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, 201 SW Fifth Ave. in Fort Lauderdale. The Grammy-nominated Bromberg is joined by three more musicians for a night of bluegrass. Tickets $35 to $45. Call 954-462-0222 or visit BrowardCenter.org.
Bianca del Rio TI ft. 2 Chainz
Jan. 24 at 8 p.m. at the BB&T Center, One Panther Parkway in Sunrise. The Atlanta rapper promotes his ninth album with 2 Chainz. Tickets $25 to $175. Call 954-835-7000 or visit TheBBTCenter.com.
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Jan. 25 at 7 and 10 p.m. at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, 201 SW Fifth Ave. in Fort Lauderdale.The Louisiana drag queen hits the stage twice in her Rolodex of Hate comedy special. Tickets $42.40 to $84.80. Call 954-462-0222 or visit BrowardCenter.org.
Bobby Collins
Jan. 24 at 8 p.m. at the Coral Springs Center for the Arts, 2855 Coral Springs Drive in Coral Springs. The comedian recently wrote “On the Inside” filled with hilarious thoughts and tips on life. Tickets $39.50 to $44.50. Call 954-344-5990 or visit CoralSpringsCenterfortheArts.com.
The Hit Men
Jan. 23 at 8 p.m. at the Coral Springs Center for the Arts, 2855 Coral Springs Drive in Coral Springs. Former members of Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons come together for a musical walk down memory lane. Tickets $33.92 to $55.12. Call 954-344-5990 or visit CoralSpringsCenterfortheArts.com.
Arlo Guthrie
Jan. 25 at 7 p.m. at Parker Playhouse, 707 NE Eighth St. in Fort Lauderdale. The folk singer/songwriter comes to Fort Lauderdale to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the release of “Alice’s Restaurant Massacree,” performing the entire album. Tickets $40.50 to $50.50. Call 954-462-0222 or visit ParkerPlayhouse.com.
Merle Haggard
Jan. 26 at 7 p.m. at Parker Playhouse, 707 NE Eighth St. in Fort Lauderdale. The awardwinning rebel of country music is known for hits “That’s the Way Love Goes,” “Mama Tried,” “Okie from Muskogee” and others. Tickets $50 to $70. Call 954-462-0222 or visit ParkerPlayhouse.com.
Lucinda Williams
Jan. 24 at 8 p.m. at Parker Playhouse, 707 NE Eighth St. in Fort Lauderdale. The renowned songwriter is known for her hits “Sweet Old World,” “Passionate Kisses,” “Car Wheels on a Gravel Road” and more. Noah Gunderson opens for Williams. Tickets $37.50 to $47.50. Call 954462-0222 or visit ParkerPlayhouse. com.
• WINTER 2015
Potted Potter
Jan. 27 to Feb. 1 at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, 201 SW Fifth Ave. in Fort Lauderdale. British performers Daniel Clarkson and Jefferson Turner spoof the Harry Potter series in 70 hilarious minutes. Tickets $39 to $75. Call 954-462-0222 or visit BrowardCenter.org.
Luis Chataing: Todo Gira
Jan. 30 at 8 p.m. at the Miramar Cultural Center, 2400 Civic Center Place in Miramar. The Venezuelan funny man is known for his role on “Stand Up Comedy.” Show is in Spanish. Tickets $35 to $55. Call 954-602-4500 or visit MiramarCulturalCenter.org. Laine Kazan: The Music That Makes Me Sing
Jan. 31 at 7:30 p.m. at the Coral Springs Center for the Arts, 2855 Coral Springs Drive in Coral Springs. A star on the silver screen, television set, and the stage. Call 954-344-5990 or visit CoralSpringsCenterfortheArts.com. La Boheme
Jan. 30 at 8 p.m. at the Miramar Cultural Center, 2400 Civic Center Place in Miramar. Puccini’s famed opera of young bohemian artists making ends meet in the Latin Quarter of Paris in 1830 would inspire the Broadway hit, “Rent.” Tickets $45 to $50. Call 954-602-4500 or visit MiramarCulturalCenter.org. The Pure Zeppelin Experience
Jan. 31 at 8 p.m. at Parker Playhouse, 707 NE Eighth St. in Fort Lauderdale. The legendary rock band comes to life by this extraordinary tribute band. Tickets $30 and $40. Call 954-4620222 or visit ParkerPlayhouse.com.
The Lion King
Through Feb. 1 at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, 201 SW Fifth Ave. in Fort Lauderdale. The all-time Disney favorite comes to life on stage with actors playing out the roles of lions and other African animals on the plains. Tickets $40.42 to $91.16. Call 954-462-0222 or visit BrowardCenter.org. Fully Committed
Through Feb. 1 at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, 201 SW Fifth Ave. in Fort Lauderdale. John Manzelli stars in this one-man show as the highly stressed maître d’ at a hot restaurant. Tickets $45. Call 954462-0222 or visit BrowardCenter.org. Knight with the Stars
Feb. 6 at 7 p.m. Parker Playhouse, 707 NE Eighth St. in Fort Lauderdale. No need to head to Vegas, see Cher through the performance of Debbie Knight, who captures her mannerisms and voice like you’d never believe. Tickets $35 to $45.28. Call 954-4620222 or visit ParkerPlayhouse.com. Hear the Dance
Feb. 6 to 8 at the the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, 201 SW Fifth Ave. in Fort Lauderdale. The Miami City Ballet performs Sinatra, Taylor/ Schubert, and Balanchine/Stravinsky. Tickets $20 to $175. Call 954-4620222 or visit BrowardCenter.org.
Indigenous
Feb. 7 at 12:30 p.m. at the Hard Rock Live, One Seminole Way in Hollywood. The Osceola Brothers and Jordan Mowat perform traditional Native American dance and music during the hotel and casino’s Tribal Fair and Bow Wow. Free. Visit SeminoleHardRockHollywood.com Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band
Feb. 7 at 8 p.m. at the BB&T Center, One Panther Parkway in Sunrise. The band performs in support of their new album, “Ride Out.” Tickets $65 to $95. Call 954-835-7000 or visit TheBBTCenter.com. Three Hysterical Broads… Off Their Medication
Feb. 7 at 8 p.m. at the Coral Springs Center for the Arts, 2855 Coral Springs
Drive in Coral Springs. Carmen Lynch, Marion Grodin, and Michelle Harrington return for a rip roaring night of comedy. Tickets $30.74 to $41.34. Call 954-344-5990 or visit CoralSpringsCenterfortheArts.com. Jonny Lang
Feb. 8 at 1:30 p.m. at the Hard Rock Live, One Seminole Way in Hollywood. Lang is joined by the Osceola Brothers and Guthrie Brown during the hotel and casino’s Tribal Fair and Bow Wow. Free. Visit SeminoleHardRockHollywood.com Mayhem Poets
Feb. 8 at 5 p.m. at the Miramar Cultural Center, 2400 Civic Center Place in Miramar. A mix of comedy, theatre, and spoken word by a unique troupe of performers. Tickets $15. Call 954-602-4500 or visit MiramarCulturalCenter.org. Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra
Feb. 9 at 8 p.m. the the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, 201 SW Fifth Ave. in Fort Lauderdale. The orchestra performs a range of music from Dvorak and Copland to Queen and John Williams. Tickets $44 to $135. Call 954-462-0222 or visit BrowardCenter.org. Dvorak Totems
Feb. 10 at 8:15 p.m. the the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, 201 SW Fifth Ave. in Fort Lauderdale. Dvorak’s music, influenced by Native American traditions, is accompanied by Yehuda Hanani on the cello. Tickets $50 to $75. Call 954-462-0222 or visit BrowardCenter.org. Chris Brown with Trey Songz ft. Tyga
Feb. 12 at 7:30 p.m. at the BB&T Center, One Panther Parkway in Sunrise. The three heavyhitters of hip and RnB tunes perform together in the Between the Sheets Tour. Tickets $55.50 to $121.50. Call 954-835-7000 or visit TheBBTCenter.com. Andrea Bocelli
Feb. 12, 14 and 15 at the Hard Rock Live, One Seminole Way in Hollywood. The king of romance, the Italian singer comes to South Florida almost every year in time for a Valentine’s Day. $204 to $554. Visit SeminoleHardRockHollywood.com
Cosi Fan Tutte
Let It Be
Feb. 12 and 14 at 7:30 p.m. at the the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, 201 SW Fifth Ave. in Fort Lauderdale. In Mozart’s comic opera, two military officers test the faithfulness of their fiancees by dressing in disguise. Tickets $21 to $200. Call 954-462-0222 or visit BrowardCenter.org.
March 11 at 7:30 p.m. at the Coral Springs Center for the Arts, 2855 Coral Springs Drive in Coral Springs. The entirety of the Beatles album will be played by skilled musicians. Tickets $36.04 to $46.64. Call 954-344-5990 or visit CoralSpringsCenterfortheArts. com.
Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding
March 12 at 7:30 p.m. at the Coral Springs Center for the Arts, 2855 Coral Springs Drive in Coral Springs. The cast of the NBC show hit the road for their second tour. Tickets $41.87 to $63.07. Call 954-344-5990 or visit CoralSpringsCenterfortheArts.com.
The Sing-Off Live! Tour
Feb. 12 to 22 at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, 201 SW Fifth Ave. in Fort Lauderdale. The madness of an Italian American wedding comes to the stage in New York’s longest running comedy -you’re a guest at the fete too, with dinner, cake, and a champagne toast! Tickets $65. Call 954-462-0222 or visit BrowardCenter.org. Rex Smith: Confessions of a Teen Idol
Feb. 13 at 7:30 p.m. at the Coral Springs Center for the Arts, 2855 Coral Springs Drive in Coral Springs. Smith presents a musical autobiography. Call 954-344-5990 or visit CoralSpringsCenterfortheArts. com. An Evening with Arturo Sandoval
Feb. 13 at 7:45 p.m. at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, 201 SW Fifth Ave. in Fort Lauderdale. Cuban American music is celebrated by the trumpeter. Tickets $50. Call 954-462-0222 or visit BrowardCenter. org. Michael Amante
Feb. 14 at 7:30 p.m. at the Coral Springs Center for the Arts, 2855 Coral Springs Drive in Coral Springs. Spend your Valentine’s Day with this handsome tenor, making waves in Broadway and mainstream. Call 954-344-5990 or visit CoralSpringsCenterfortheArts. com. Lily Cai Chinese Dance Company
March 7 at 8 p.m. at the Miramar Cultural Center, 2400 Civic Center Place in Miramar. Principal dancer of the Shanghai Opera House, Cai combines modern dance with traditional Chinese culture. Tickets $35 to $45. Call 954-602-4500 or visit MiramarCulturalCenter.org.
Fairy Doll
March 14 and 15 at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, 201 SW Fifth Ave. in Fort Lauderdale. A young boy works in a store filled with dolls, and at night, the most beautiful one of them all comes to life. Tickets $30. Call 954-462-0222 or visit BrowardCenter.org. The Original Florida Follies: Dance! Dance! Dance!
March 15 at 1:45 p.m. at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, 201 SW Fifth Ave. in Fort Lauderdale. A show featuring former New York and Las Vegas dancers from ages 55 to older than 90! Tickets $29. Call 954462-0222 or visit BrowardCenter.org. Lara Fabian
March 28 at 8 p.m. at the Hard Rock Live, One Seminole Way in Hollywood. A multilingual singer (try English, French, Italian, German, Greek…), she sold more than 20 million records worldwide. Tickets $79 to $129. Visit SeminoleHardRockHollywood.com Melodia
April 18 at 8 p.m. at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, 201 SW Fifth Ave. in Fort Lauderdale. A moving performance by Brazilian Voices. Tickets $30 and $35. Call 954462-0222 or visit BrowardCenter.org. Australian Chamber Orchestra
April 22 at 8 p.m. at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, 201 SW Fifth Ave. in Fort Lauderdale. The orchestra performs music from Prokofiev, Mozart and Johnny Greenwood.Tickets $35 to $115. Call 954-462-0222 or visit BrowardCenter. org.
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[ Datebook ]
Palm Beach County BBC Concert Orchestra
Photo: Facebook
ABBA the Concert
Jan. 21 at 8 p.m. at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, 701 Okeechobee Blvd. in West Palm Beach. A tribute to the Swedish band that has had us dancing to “Dancing Queen” and “Mamma Mia” for decades. Tickets $15 and up. Call 561832-7469 or visit Kravis.org. Broadway’s Next H!t Musical
Jan. 22 and 23 at 7:30 p.m. at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, 701 Okeechobee Blvd. in West Palm Beach. An improv show with audience involvement to create a brand new musical on the spot. Tickets $35. Call 561-832-7469 or visit Kravis.org. Zap Mamas & Antibalas
Jan. 23 at 7 p.m. at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, 701 Okeechobee Blvd. in West Palm Beach. Music from the Congo and New York City come together for a night of Cuban, West African and Afro beats. Tickets $15. Call 561-8327469 or visit Kravis.org. Orphans
Jan. 23 to Feb. 1 at the Lake Worth Playhouse, 713 Lake Ave. in Lake Worth. Two orphaned brothers are living in a Philly row house when the eldest kidnaps a rich man -who ends up being the father figure they’ve always wanted. Tickets $15. Call 561-586-6410 or visit LakeWorthPlayhouse.org. Memories of Elvis in Concert
Jan. 24 at 1:30 and 7:30 p.m. at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, 701 Okeechobee Blvd. in West Palm Beach. An ode to the great Elvis Presley with impeccable impersonator, Chris MacDonald, from The King’s fringed Las Vegas number to his iconic snarl. Tickets $50. Call 561-832-7469 or visit Kravis.org. I’m in Love with Vienna
Jan. 24 and 25 at 7:30 p.m. at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, 701 Okeechobee Blvd. in West
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Palm Beach. Steve Ross puts on a cabaret exploring the music of Austria, Germany, and the classic American songbook. Tickets $50. Call 561-832-7469 or visit Kravis.org. Flashdance the Musical
Jan. 27 to Feb. 1 at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, 701 Okeechobee Blvd. in West Palm Beach. The beloved story of a woman working in a steel mill by day and a bar performer by night, all with dreams to become a dancer. Tickets $25 to $76. Call 561-832-7469 or visit Kravis.org. Celebrity Autobiography
Jan. 28 to Feb. 1 at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, 701 Okeechobee Blvd. in West Palm Beach. Lainie Kazan, Gary Beach, Eugene Pack, and Dayle Reyfel act out real celebrity autobiographies. Tickets $38. Call 561-832-7469 or visit Kravis.org. Other People’s Money
Jan. 31 to Feb. 15 at the Delray Beach Playhouse, 950 NW Ninth St. in Delray Beach. Lawrence Garfinkle decides to save himself during the 2005 housing bubble, even if it means taking other people down. Tickets $30. Call 561-272-1281, ext. or visit DelrayBeachPlayhouse.com. South Pacific
Through Feb. 1 at the Lake Worth Playhouse, 713 Lake Ave. in Lake Worth. Stationed in the South Pacific during World War II, Nellie and Joe both find love with a French expat and the daughter of a local grass skirt maker in the middle of war. Tickets $29 to $72. Call 561-586-6410 or visit LakeWorthPlayhouse.org. Mariinsky Orchestra
Feb.4 at 8 p.m. at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, 701 Okeechobee Blvd. in West Palm Beach. The orchestra is joined by Uzbekistani piano youngster Behzod Abduraimov. Tickets $35 to $110. Call 561-832-7469 or visit Kravis.org.
• WINTER 2015
Patsy
Feb. 4 at 8 p.m. at the Lake Worth Playhouse, 713 Lake Ave. in Lake Worth. Barbara Van Eycken pays tribute to the country star, Patsy Cline. Tickets $25 to $30. Call 561-586-6410 or visit LakeWorthPlayhouse.org. Golden Boys
Feb. 5 at 8 p.m. at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, 701 Okeechobee Blvd. in West Palm Beach. The South Philly boys Frankie Avalon, Fabian, and Bobby Rydell are back on the stage. Tickets $25 to $115. Call 561-832-7469 or visit Kravis.org. Wuthering Heights
Feb. 5 and 6 at 7:30 p.m. at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, 701 Okeechobee Blvd. in West Palm Beach. Emily Bronte’s classic is transformed into the theatre, telling the story of two lovers on the English moors. Tickets $38. Call 561-8327469 or visit Kravis.org. Gyorgy Under the Stars
Feb. 7 at 7:30 p.m. at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, 701 Okeechobee Blvd. in West Palm Beach. Known as the Gypsy Guitar King, the guitarist is a virtuoso on the Spanish guitar. Tickets $27. Call 561832-7469 or visit Kravis.org. The Tempest
Feb. 7 and 8 at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, 701 Okeechobee Blvd. in West Palm Beach. A storm is brewing in Shakespeare’s final play. Tickets $38. Call 561-832-7469 or visit Kravis.org.
Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra
Feb. 8 at 1 and 7 p.m. at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, 701 Okeechobee Blvd. in West Palm Beach. America’s oldest orchestra is lead by Keith Lockhart. Tickets $30 to $100. Call 561-832-7469 or visit Kravis.org. A Salute to the Great American Songbook
Feb. 10 at 1:30 p.m. at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, 701 Okeechobee Blvd. in West Palm Beach. Songs from Tony Bennett, Nat King Cole, Bing Crosby, Judy Garland and others are the focus of this afternoon of music. Tickets $25. Call 561-832-7469 or visit Kravis.org. The Very Best of Celtic Thunder Tour
Feb. 10 at 8 p.m. at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, 701 Okeechobee Blvd. in West Palm Beach. A collection of the best from the iconic Irish dance and music troupe. Tickets $25 to $105. Call 561832-7469 or visit Kravis.org. The Improvised Shakespeare Company
Feb. 10 and 11 at 7:30 p.m. at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, 701 Okeechobee Blvd. in West Palm Beach. Working with suggestions from the audience, the theater company puts together a Shakespearean play on the spot. Tickets $28. Call 561-832-7469 or visit Kravis.org.
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WINTER 2014 2015 • THE
53
[ Datebook ] Palm Beach County (continued) A Night with Harry Connick, Jr.
Lang Lang, Piano
Feb. 11 at 8 p.m. at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, 701 Okeechobee Blvd. in West Palm Beach. The Grammy Award winner is a wiz on the stage and in front of the camera in his music and acting career. Tickets $39 and up. Call 561-8327469 or visit Kravis.org.
Feb. 23 at 8 p.m. at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, 701 Okeechobee Blvd. in West Palm Beach. The international pianist plays works by Bach, Tchaikovsky, and Chopin. Tickets $35 and up. Call 561832-7469 or visit Kravis.org. Tom Rush
Gospel Gala ft. The Clark Sisters
Feb. 12 at 7 p.m. at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, 701 Okeechobee Blvd. in West Palm Beach. The four sisters are joined by an opening act by the Port Salerno Church of God Celebration Choir. Tickets $15 to $55. Call 561-832-7469 or visit Kravis.org. Danish National Symphony Orchestra
Feb. 15 at 8 p.m. at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, 701 Okeechobee Blvd. in West Palm Beach. The orchestra pays tribute to the works of composers Sibelius and Nielsen. Tickets $30 to $105. Call 561-832-7469 or visit Kravis.org. Yesterday and Today: The Interactive Beatles Experience
Feb. 17 at 8 p.m. at the Delray Beach Center for the Arts, 51 N. Swinton Ave. in Delray Beach. Everyone has a favorite Beatles song, and in this unique concert, the audience directs the show. Tickets $39. Call 561-2437922 or visit DelrayArts.org. Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain
Feb. 20 to 22 at the Delray Beach Center for the Arts, 51 N. Swinton Ave. in Delray Beach. Inspired by the music of the Hawaiian islands, the orchestra performs hits with some ukulele flavor. Tickets $45. Call 561243-7922 or visit DelrayArts.org. Enemies, A Love Story
Feb. 20 to 22 at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, 701 Okeechobee Blvd. in West Palm Beach. It’s New York in 1948 and a Holocaust survivor is struggling to juggle his mistress and his wife, who he thought was dead. Tickets $25 to $125. Call 561-832-7469 or visit Kravis.org.
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Feb. 24 at 7:30 p.m. at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, 701 Okeechobee Blvd. in West Palm Beach. Rush revived the folk movement in American music and has influenced artists for decades. Tickets $39. Call 561-832-7469 or visit Kravis.org. The Kravis Center Pops Orchestra Feb. 24 at 8 p.m. at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, 701 Okeechobee Blvd. in West Palm Beach. Conductor Michael Feinstein leads the orchestra. Tickets $27 to $135. Call 561-832-7469 or visit Kravis.org. Ramsey Lewis and His Electric Band
Feb. 25 at 8 p.m. at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, 701 Okeechobee Blvd. in West Palm Beach. Lewis is joined by Philip Bailey of Earth, Wind & Fire. Tickets $25 to $100. Call 561-832-7469 or visit Kravis.org. Rene Marie: I Wanna Be Evil With Love to Eartha Kitt
Feb. 26 at 7:30 p.m. at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, 701 Okeechobee Blvd. in West Palm Beach. The performer brings Eartha Kitt’s heart and soul to the stage. Tickets $35. Call 561-832-7469 or visit Kravis.org. Arsenic & Old Lace
Feb. 26 to March 15 at the Lake Worth Playhouse, 713 Lake Ave. in Lake Worth. Out of the goodness of their hearts, the Brewster sisters serve poisoned drinks to elderly men to give them a peaceful death in this raucous comedy. Tickets $29 to $70. Call 561-586-6410 or visit LakeWorthPlayhouse.org. Passion and Grace
Feb. 27 to March 1 at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts,
• WINTER 2015
701 Okeechobee Blvd. in West Palm Beach. The Miami City Ballet performs excerpts from “Carmen,” “Sweet Fields,” and “Allegro Brillante.” Tickets $20 to $175. Call 561-832-7469 or visit Kravis.org.
in West Palm Beach. The rock legends join forces for an unforgettable tour. Tickets $48 to $1,213. Call 561-7958883 or visit CruzanAmphitheatre. net. Les Yeux Noirs
Jekyll & Hyde: The Musical
March 6 to 8 at the Delray Beach Center for the Arts, 51 N. Swinton Ave. in Delray Beach. Dr. Jekyll’s alter ego, Mr. Hyde, turns his life upside down as he causes havoc through London in the Victorian Era. Tickets $45. Call 561-243-7922 or visit DelrayArts.org. One Singular Sensation: Music of Marvin Hamlisch
March 8 at 7:30 p.m. at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, 701 Okeechobee Blvd. in West Palm Beach. Award-winning singers join the Palm Beach Pops in honor of Hamlisch’s music. Tickets $33 to $89. Call 561-832-7469 or visit Kravis.org. Anything Goes
March 10 to 15 at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, 701 Okeechobee Blvd. in West Palm Beach. The musical takes place aboard the SS American, where all the rules go out the window when it comes to love. Tickets $25 to $78. Call 561-832-7469 or visit Kravis.org. The Liverpool Legends
March 11 at 7:30 p.m. at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, 701 Okeechobee Blvd. in West Palm Beach. Hand-picked by the sister of George Harrison, the tribute band sings the tunes of The Beatles. Tickets $25. Call 561-832-7469 or visit Kravis.org. John Sebastian in Concert
March 13 at 8 p.m. at the Delray Beach Center for the Arts, 51 N. Swinton Ave. in Delray Beach. Once a part of the band The Lovin’ Spoonful in the ‘60s, the musician performs solo now. Tickets $49 to $75. Call 561-243-7922 or visit DelrayArts.org. Journey, Steve Miller Band & Tower of Power
March 15 at 7 p.m. at the Cruzan Amphitheatre, 601-7 Sansburys Way
March 22 at 7:30 p.m. at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, 701 Okeechobee Blvd. in West Palm Beach. Two Parisian violin brothers are joined by a four-piece to play Yiddish and Gypsy tunes. Tickets $30. Call 561-832-7469 or visit Kravis.org. Points of Departure
March 27 to 29 at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, 701 Okeechobee Blvd. in West Palm Beach. The Miami City Ballet takes a different direction with new, joyous pieces. Tickets $20 to $175. Call 561832-7469 or visit Kravis.org. BBC Concert Orchestra
April 13 at 8 p.m. and April 14 at 2 p.m. at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, 701 Okeechobee Blvd. in West Palm Beach. The orchestra is led by conductor Keith Lockhart and joined by special guest pianist, Charlie Albright. Tickets $35 to $99. Call 561-832-7469 or visit Kravis.org. Celtic Woman
April 18 at 3 and 8 p.m. at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, 701 Okeechobee Blvd. in West Palm Beach. Celebrating 10 years, the troupe of female Irish singers meld old Celtic traditions with new age sounds. Tickets $25 to $115. Call 561832-7469 or visit Kravis.org. Free Friday Concerts
Fridays at 7:30 p.m. at the Delray Beach Center for the Arts, 51 N. Swinton Ave. in Delray Beach. Enjoy live music from the comfort of your picnic blanket or lawn chair every week, for free! Call 561-243-7922 or visit DelrayArts.org.
The Poverello Center Inc. is known for its special needs food pantry and thrift store. Perhaps less well known is Poverello’s 12-year history of providing health and wellness services to the HIV community. These services work in tandem with standard medicine and proper nutrition to produce the best health outcomes for people living with HIV/AIDS.
Full Service Gym
Therapeutic Massage Chiropractic Care
Acupuncture Services
Poverello’s health & wellness services are free and located at: 2200 NE 12th Ave., Wilton Manors 33305 (less than one block from Poverello) Phone: 954-563-1299 (hours of operation vary, please call before coming in) www.poverello.org
[ Datebook ]
Miami Dade County The Second City Hits Home
Capitol Steps: How to Succeed in Congress Without Really Lying
Jan. 22 at 8 p.m. at the South MiamiDade Cultural Arts Center, 10950 SW 211st St. in Cutler Bay. The comedy troupe, which many alums have gone on to SNL, comes to Miami for the best in sketch comedy. Tickets $35. Call 786-573-5300 or visit SMDAC. org.
Jan. 28 to Feb. 1 at the Aventura Arts & Cultural Center, 3385 NE 188th St. in Aventura. The comedy troupe has been spoofing the madness of Washington, D.C. politics for more than 30 years. Tickets $35. Call 800745-3000 or visit AventuraCenter.org.
Into the Woods
Twelve Angry Men
Jan. 22 to Feb. 15 at the Arsht Center, 1300 Biscayne Blvd. in Miami. See the musical that inspired the blockbuster film, entangling the Brothers Grimm fairy tales all in one story as a husband and wife travel through the woods. Tickets $50. Call 305-949-6722 or visit ArshtCenter.org.
Jan. 30 to Feb. 22 at the South MiamiDade Cultural Arts Center, 10950 SW 211st St. in Cutler Bay. In the 1950s, 12 men are stuck in the jury room to decide the fate of a teenager, and one juror is stirring things up. Tickets $26. Call 786-573-5300 or visit SMDAC. org.
The Doo Wop Project
Feb. 7 at 8 p.m. at the Aventura Arts & Cultural Center, 3385 NE 188th St. in Aventura. The story of doo wop and its influence on modern music is explored in this riveting performance. Tickets $45.50 and $49.50 Call 800745-3000 or visit AventuraCenter.org. Bonnie & Clyde
Richie Minervini and Friends
Newsies
Jan. 24 at 8 p.m. at the Aventura Arts & Cultural Center, 3385 NE 188th St. in Aventura. The stand up comedian is joined by “the “Dynamic Duo” Rodi Alexander and Mark Friedman. Tickets $39.50 and $44.50. Call 800-745-3000 or visit AventuraCenter.org.
Feb. 3 to 8 at the Arsht Center, 1300 Biscayne Blvd. in Miami. In this Broadway hit, a group of newspaper boys become the headline as they fight New York’s most powerful men. Tickets $26 to $125. Call 305-9496722 or visit ArshtCenter.org.
Zap Mamas & Antibalas
Feb. 5 at 8 p.m. at the Arsht Center, 1300 Biscayne Blvd. in Miami. Trumpeter Irvin Mayfield is joined by the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra for a unique brand of sound. Tickets $35 to $125. Call 305-949-6722 or visit ArshtCenter.org.
A Night in New Orleans
Jan. 24 at 8 p.m. at the South MiamiDade Cultural Arts Center, 10950 SW 211st St. in Cutler Bay. Music from the Congo and New York City come together for a night of Cuban, West African and Afro beats. Tickets $25 to $45. Call 786-573-5300 or visit SMDAC.org. Megan Hilty in Concert
Jan. 25 at 7 p.m. at the Aventura Arts & Cultural Center, 3385 NE 188th St. in Aventura. The Broadway star is also known for her role on the television show “Smash.” Tickets $45. Call 800745-3000 or visit AventuraCenter.org.
Vivace
Feb. 6 at 8 p.m. at the Aventura Arts & Cultural Center, 3385 NE 188th St. in Aventura. Classic opera and new school rock come together from four very unique male and female performers. Tickets $40 and $45. Call 800-745-3000 or visit AventuraCenter.org.
The Star Spangled Girl
Mariinsky Orchestra
Through Jan. 25 at the SandBox at Miami Theater Center, 9816 NE Second Ave. in Miami Shores. In its 15th season, Mad Cat Theatre Company presents its version of the Neil Simon play set in the ‘60s, taking it forward to 2066. Tickets $30. Visit MadCatTheatre.org.
Feb. 6 at 8 p.m. at the Arsht Center, 1300 Biscayne Blvd. in Miami. The program includes music by Shchedrin, Tchaikovsky, and Mussorgsky. Tickets $50 to $130. Call 305-949-6722 or visit ArshtCenter.org.
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• WINTER 2015
Feb. 12 to 15 at the Aventura Arts & Cultural Center, 3385 NE 188th St. in Aventura. Tickets $40 and $45. Call 800-745-3000 or visit AventuraCenter.org. Seraphic Fire
Feb. 15 at 4 p.m. at the South MiamiDade Cultural Arts Center, 10950 SW 211st St. in Cutler Bay. The band performs Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass. Tickets $20 to $55. Call 786-573-5300 or visit SMDAC.org. Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo
Feb. 15 at 8 p.m. at the Arsht Center, 1300 Biscayne Blvd. in Miami. An all-male ballet company with dancers squeezed into tutus and pointe shoes. Tickets $25 to $100. Call 305-9496722 or visit ArshtCenter.org. The Fella Sings Ella
Feb. 21 at 8 p.m. at the Aventura Arts & Cultural Center, 3385 NE 188th St. in Aventura. Scott Coulter, nicknamed “the male Ella Fitzgerald,” performs her music. Tickets $35 and $40. Call 800-745-3000 or visit AventuraCenter.org. Nikolay Khozyainov
Feb. 22 at 5 p.m. at the Aventura Arts & Cultural Center, 3385 NE 188th St. in Aventura. At just 21, the young piano genius plays Haydn, Chopin, and Tchaikovsky. Tickets $30. Call 800-745-3000 or visit AventuraCenter.org. Jason Mraz
Feb. 18 at 8 p.m. at the Arsht Center, 1300 Biscayne Blvd. in Miami. His hit song “I’m Yours” won six Grammy Awards. Tickets $59 and up. Call 305949-6722 or visit ArshtCenter.org.
Mummenschanz
Feb. 28 to March 1 at the South Miami-Dade Cultural Arts Center, 10950 SW 211st St. in Cutler Bay. Everytime items come to life in this unique performance. Tickets $20 to $30. Call 786-573-5300 or visit SMDAC.org. The Pearl Fishers
Feb. 28 to March 7 at the Arsht Center, 1300 Biscayne Blvd. in Miami. Set in British colony of Ceylon, a love triangle is formed between two pearl fishermen and a priestess. Tickets $16 to $139. Call 305-949-6722 or visit ArshtCenter.org. Judy Gold: If You Only Knew the Agony
March 1 at 7 p.m. at the South MiamiDade Cultural Arts Center, 10950 SW 211st St. in Cutler Bay. The actress and comedienne has two off Broadway shows. Tickets $40. Call 786-573-5300 or visit SMDAC.org. The Cleveland Orchestra
March 4 at 8 p.m. at the South MiamiDade Cultural Arts Center, 10950 SW 211st St. in Cutler Bay. Free, but must have a ticket for a spot. Call 786-5735300 or visit SMDAC.org. Golden Sounds From Hollywood
March 8 at 6 p.m. at the Arsht Center, 1300 Biscayne Blvd. in Miami. The Miami Symphony Orchestra is led by conductor Eduardo Marturet as they perform favorites from the silver screen. Tickets $31.50 to $119. Call 305-949-6722 or visit ArshtCenter. org. A Jew Grows in Brooklyn
March 11 to 15 at the Aventura Arts & Cultural Center, 3385 NE 188th St. in Aventura. The stand up comedian has plenty of fodder for laughter in his life’s anecdotes of growing up in New York with survivor parents. Tickets $39.50 to $65. Call 800-7453000 or visit AventuraCenter.org.
WINTER 2015 • THE
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[ Datebook ]
Museum Crawl
T
he museum’s archives currently contain more than 5,000 items, and document a century of LGBT cultural and social history with an emphasis on the southeastern United States. The collection has been professionally catalogued and is maintained according to strict conservation standards. It is used by community leaders, writers, scholars, researchers, historians, and members of the general public. Among the many treasures in the archives are our extensive
pulp fiction collection; organizational records of local, national and regional LGBT organizations; our large serials collection; personal records of local and national personalities; the Joel Starkey Collection; gay erotica–pictorial works; and LGBT ephemera, film, audio and oral histories. The Archives recently added a significant collection of material donated by the Dade Human Rights Foundation. Materials were also added to the collection from GLSEN of South Florida.
Coral Castle
Museums of Art Palm Beach
Armory Art Center www.ArmoryArt.org Boca Raton Museum of Art www.BocaMuseum.org Cornell Museum of Art & American Culture www.DelrayCenterForTheArts.org Florida Atlantic University, University Galleries www.FAU.edu/Galleries Hibel Museum of Art www.Hibel.com/Museum Norton Museum of Art www.Norton.org Society of the Four Arts Galleries www.FourArts.org Broward
Art and Culture Center of Hollywood www.ArtAndCultureCenter.org Coral Springs Museum of Art www.CSMart.org Mark K. Wheeler Gallery bit.ly/155kL3k Museum of Art Fort Lauderdale www.MoaFL.org Miami
ArtCenter/South Florida www.ArtCentersf.org Bass Museum of Art www.BassMuseum.org Dante Fascell Visitor Center 1.usa.gov/188C6Dj Deering Estate at Cutler www.DeeringEstate.com Frost Art Museum www.TheFrost.fiu.edu Kendall Art Gallery www.MDC.edu/Kendall/Art/
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Lowe Art Museum www.Miami.edu/Lowe/ Museum of Contemporary Art www.Mocanomi.org Perez Art Museum Miami www.Pamm.org
Fort Lauderdale History Center Broward www.oldfortlauderdale.org
Palm Beach Maritime Museum Palm Beach www.pbmm.org
World Erotic Art Museum www.weam.com
Old Davie School Museum Broward odshm.ch2v.com
Wolfsonian-FIU www.Wolfsonian.org MORE MUSEUMS
Old Deerfield School Broward deerfield-history.org
Fort Lauderdale Antique Car Museum Broward www.antiquecarmuseum.org
Museums of History
Old Dillard Museum Broward www.broward.k12.fl.us/ olddillardmuseum/
Rubell Family Collection rfc.museum/
Yesteryear Village Palm Beach www.southfloridafair.com/ YesteryearVillage Barnacle Historic State Park Miami www.floridastateparks.org/ thebarnacle Museum of the Americas (Florida) Miami www.museumamericas.org
Local History Museums Boca Raton Historical Society & Museum Palm Beach www.bocahistory.org Cason Cottage Museum Palm Beach www.delraybeachhistory.org/cason_ cottage.aspx Johnson Palm Beach County History Museum Palm Beach www.historicalsocietypbc.org Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse & Museum Palm Beach www.jupiterlighthouse.org Museum of the City of Lake Worth Palm Beach bit.ly/14LSTem
• WINTER 2015
South Florida Railway Museum Broward www.sfrm.org Wings Over Miami Museum Miami www.wingsovermiami.com
Plantation Historical Museum Broward www.plantation.org/Museum/
Gold Coast Railroad Museum Miami gcrm.org
Stranahan House Broward www.stranahanhouse.org
Ethnic Museums
Coral Gables Merrick House Miami bit.ly/1f7DwC0 HistoryMiami Miami www.historymiami.org Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum at Okalee Village Hendry County www.ahtahthiki.com
Planes, Trains and Automobile Museums
Spady Cultural Heritage Museum Palm Beach www.spadymuseum.com Holocaust Memorial on Miami Beach Miami holocaustmemorialmiamibeach.org Haitian Heritage Museum Miami www.haitianheritagemuseum.org Jewish Museum of Florida Miami jmof.fiu.edu
Other Museums
Boca Express Train Museum Palm Beach bit.ly/19CpDLy
Palm Beach Photographic Centre Palm Beach www.workshop.org
Flagler Museum Palm Beach www.flaglermuseum.us
Turn Of The Century Electrotherapy Museum Palm Beach www.electrotherapymuseum.com
Museum at Ragtops Motorcars Palm Beach www.ragtopsmotorcars.com
Coral Castle Miami coralcastle.com
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[ Datebook ]
Gardens of Florida F
rom West Palm Beach to Key West here’s a look at some extraordinary gardens throughout South Florida. From sculptures and Japanese tea houses to rainforests and jungles South Florida
Mounts Botanical Garden, 559 North Military Trail in West Palm Beach
Mounts Botanical Garden is Palm Beach County’s oldest and largest public garden. It includes 14 acres of landscaped gardens that should give visitors ideas of what they can accomplish in their own home exterior spaces. The garden displays tropical and subtropical plants from six continents, including plants native to Florida, exotic trees, tropical fruit, herbs, citrus, palms and more. Must Sees: Check out their vegetable and dooryard tropical fruit garden, shade and color Island and rose-fragrance garden. Call 561-233-1757 or visit Mounts.org for more information. Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens, 253 Barcelona Road in West Palm Beach
The Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens consists of the Norton House and 1.7 acres of property. It features more than 100 sculptures by Ann Weaver Norton, the second wife and widow of Ralph Hubbard Norton, an art collector and museum founder. The sculptures are displayed in the house, studio and gardens. Must Sees: The gardens feature more than 300 species of tropical palms. One of the must see items are the Ann Norton’s Gateway sculptures. Call 561-832-5328 or visit www.ansg.org for more information. Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, 4000 Morikami Park Road in Delray Beach
The museum features exhibition galleries, a 225-seat theater, authentic tea house with viewing gallery, library, classrooms, museum store, cafe and lakeside terrace with Japanese courtyard garden. The museum houses 5,000 Japanese art objects and artifacts, while the 200 acres that surround the two museum buildings include expansive Japanese gardens with strolling paths, tropical bonsai collection, small lakes, nature trails, pine forests and park and
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gardens are as varied as they are spectacular. Take a trip to Japan at the Morikami Museum in Delray or to Hawaii at The Kampong of the National Tropical Botanical Garden in Coconut Grove.
picnic areas. Must Sees: Must Sees include the museum’s many festivals including the Lantern Festival In the Spirit of Obon during which guests will personalize hand-made, paper lanterns with special messages to honor and remember their loved ones. Other festivals include New Year celebration Oshogatsu and the annual Spring festival Hatsume. Call 561-495-0233 or visit www. morikami.org for more information. Flamingo Gardens, 3750 S. Flamingo Road in Davie
This 60-acre botanical gardens and wildlife sanctuary features thousands of rare, exotic and native plants, as well as alligators, bobcats, otters, flamingos and over 70 native species of birds. They feature native and exotic plants living among Florida’s largest collection of “Champion” trees. They are also a sanctuary for injured non-releasable Florida Wildlife. Must Sees. Some of the must-sees include a free-flight Aviary with over 40 species of Florida wading birds, the Florida panther habitat, the Flamingo pond, river otters and the Florida Bobcats. Call 954-473-2955 or visit www. flamingogardens.org for more information. Bonnet House, 900 N. Birch Road in Fort Lauderdale
Bonnet House (named for the bonnet lily that grows in the slough) was designed by American artist Frederic Clay Bartlett and began construction in 1920. Bonnet House remains much as it was in the 1930s and 1940s, when Frederic and his wife Evelyn created the unique blend of art and whimsy that delights us today. Must Sees: Bonnet House hosts an annual series of outdoor music concerts, an Orchid, Garden & Gourmet Food Festival, provides exhibition opportunities for artists, and displays examples of the artwork of Mr. and Mrs. Bartlett. Ad. Call 954-703-2614 or visit www. bonnethouse.org for more information.
• WINTER 2015
Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, 10901 Old Cutler Road Coral Gables, in Coral Gables
Fairchild includes 83 acres and 11 lakes. The garden bills itself as one of the world’s preeminent botanic gardens and is an international leader in tropical plant conservation. They have an extensive collection of rare tropical plants. Must Sees: Their rainforest is a spectacular exhibit which blends native Florida species with true rainforest species. The 2-acre exhibit includes an aerial irrigation system to enhance rainfall and humidity, so visitors will have an opportunity to experience the plants and environment of the world’s dwindling rainforest ecosystems. Visit FairchildGarden.com for more information. The Kampong of the National Tropical Botanical Garden, 4013 S. Douglas Road in Coconut Grove
The National Tropical Botanical Garden includes five gardens all located in Hawaii except for the Kampong, which is located on Biscayne Bay. The garden contains a fascinating array of tropical fruit cultivars and flowering trees. The Kampong serves as the mainland campus for the NTBG’s educational courses. Must Sees: Their heritage collections from Southeast Asia, Central and South Americas, the Caribbean, and other tropical locales create a cornucopia of exotic fruit, including candle fruit, peanut butter fruit, egg fruit, cocoplums, and more than 50 varieties of mango. Call 305-442-7169 or visit Ntbg.org for more information. Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, 3251 S. Miami Avenue in Miami
This Italian Renaissance-style villa contains antique furnishings and art dating from the 15th through the 19th century. The home is surrounded by more than 10 acres of formal gardens and fountains. The gardens are spectacular and unusual for their
architectural features, fountains, and sculptural elements. Must Sees: Check out their Secret Garden, which is a walled space with a raised terrace that provides views the gardens and Biscayne Bay and the Garden Mound, a large architectural feature capped with large live oaks. Call 305-250-9133 or visit Vizcayamuseum.com for more information. Montgomery Botanical Center, 11901 Old Cutler Road in Miami
Montgomery Botanical Center is a not-for-profit botanic garden established in 1959. The Botanical Center keeps living specimens from wild plant populations worldwide. They emphasize palms and cycads. MBC has a scientific focus and its mission is to advance science, education, conservation, and horticultural knowledge of tropical plants. Must Sees: Montgomery Botanical Center’s collections of palms and cycads are world renowned. MBC houses the largest Microcycas calocoma in the U.S. They also has a robust collection of Syagrus, a sister group to the coconut, and many other rare cycads. Call 305-667-3800 or visit MontgomeryBotanical.org for more information. Jungle Island, 1111 Parrot Jungle Trail in Miami
Jungle Island, Miami’s premier entertainment destination, combines the beauty of Miami’s tropical landscape with a jungle full of extraordinary animals from around the globe. Today Jungle Island is a contemporary theme park, featuring extremely rare twin orangutans, the world’s largest cat, the liger, and over 300 vibrant birds, including the world’s only trained Cassowary. Must Sees: Besides the animal life Jungle Island also features unusual flora, from the extraordinary African sausage tree to a collection of rare cycads. Call 305-400-7000 or visit www. jungleisland.com for more information.
WINTER 2015 • THE
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[ History ]
The Word ‘Queer’ Fred Fejes
Its history and its future
T
he word “queer” has occupied a prominent place in modern American gay culture, either as a hateful term of insult and denigration or as a vibrant affirmation of one’s sexuality and desire. In a 1971 scholarly article on the “Homosexual Dialect,” linguist Julia Stanley studied the language use by homosexuals in Miami, San Francisco, Houston, New York and Chicago. Of the many terms used by those studied, she found that “‘queer’ was cited by homosexuals as the one that has the strongest connotation of distaste or disgust. One male respondent pointed out that the utterance of the word in his presence was enough to make him visibly flinch.” Instead, in the Stonewall era of the 1970s, calling oneself “gay” or “lesbian” as (opposed to a “homosexual” or a “homophile”) was seen as a powerful political statement. Moreover by the mid 1980s, in the face of the conservative religious right/Reaganite backlash and the escalating AIDS epidemic, openly claiming a gay or lesbian identity was an act of defiance and an affirmation of one’s desires and being. For many lesbians and gay men, to openly call oneself a “gay man” or a “lesbian” was an act of courage, possibly leading to a loss of job, housing and even family. It represented a struggle and hard won victory. So where did the word “queer,” as a forceful affirmation of sexual desire and identity, come from? Two developments in the mid/late 1980s and early 1990s led to a redefining of the word. The first occurred on college campuses. There a group of feminist and other scholars writing on the nature of sexual desire and identity were beginning to question the accepted notions of sexual and gender identity as something inalterably fixed in nature. Indeed, they questioned the whole range of categories that society used to define people’s desires and gender, including gay and lesbian. Instead they argued that, desire, sexuality and gender were fluid and were critical of attempts to create and enforce stable categories. At an academic conference in 1990 this body of critical inquiry was formalized as “queer theory” and went on to shape much of the scholarly discussion of sex, gender and desire, particularly in the humanities. This may have remained an arcane scholarly discussion confined to the halls of academia. However another development, this one occurring in the streets, fixed the word queer as a part of popular culture. In the summer of 1990 at the gay pride parade in New York a group of young activists passed out an inflammatory manifesto bearing the titles “I Hate Straights” and “Queers Read This.” This group, calling themselves “Queer Nation” had previously had organized a number of direct actions aimed at increasing visibility (“outing” of closeted lesbian and gay public figures a favorite tactic) and protesting the growing anti-gay violence. By using “queer” they distanced themselves from the more
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respectable lesbian and gay rights organizations such as the Human Rights Campaign Fund. They felt the strategies and methods of these organizations failed to recognize that straight society would never really accept lesbian and gay people unless forced to. Their “in your face” tactics and energy (“We’re here, we’re queer, get used to it”) quickly connected with many younger lesbians and gay men who saw the established gay rights organizations as irrelevant to their daily experience. Within the next year chapters of Queer Nation were organized through out the country, many of them engaging in direct actions against anti-gay violence and discrimination. In the south, chapters Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee and Kentucky protested against the discriminatory hiring practices at the Cracker Barrel restaurant. At the 1992 Republican Convention in Houston, they organized a major protest. Aside from political action, Queer Nation eschewed the earlier, stricter notions of lesbian and gay identity. By defining themselves as primarily “anti-heterosexual” (“I Hate Straights”), they opened up a space for the growing transgender movement. Also many of them connected with the queer theory movement in academia. By the mid 1990s, Queer Nation as a movement had spent itself and many of the chapters disbanded. However one important legacy was redefining the word “queer” as an affirmative term. In the early 2000s, popular television shows such as “Queer as Folks” and “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy” made the word a part of mainstream popular culture. Today the word “queer” functions less as a confrontational, political statement and more as a rejection of categories. Indeed, one of the findings of numerous studies of youth sexual identification is that there is a strong tendency to reject all labels. That includes both the term gay (which is tied to hyper- consumption: “That’s so gay”) and even queer which, according to one youthful respondent: “That’s so ‘90s.” Indeed, queer may be a label that a somewhat older generation is now applying to a far younger generation, whether they want it or not. In any event, self-definition is becoming far more powerful than sexual and even gender labeling in defining a person and their life and desires. In any event, to quote Ritch Savin-Williams, noted psychologist and researcher on gay youth, the reluctance of youth to embrace either an explicit gay or queer identity (and its politics) is “less a harbinger of the end of gay rights than a sign that gay activism has succeeded so well.”
Photo: Leanne M. Watt
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63
[ Interview ]
Tom Goss: Gary M. Kramer
O
ut singer/songwriter Tom Goss has been busy this year. In May, he released a catchy new CD, “Wait,” with the single, “Illuminate the Dark.” He also appeared in writer/director Rob Williams’ entertaining mystery, “Out to Kill.” In the film, Goss played the murder victim, Justin Jaymes, an out singer/songwriter—check out his sexy video “You Don’t Know How Hard. “ Jaymes is killed for reasons unrelated to his music. (Goss does get to perform a few tracks before he snuffs it). Mirror caught up with Goss while he was on tour to talk about his music, his film, and his desire to go to bed at 9:30. How were you inspired to become a singer? It was a fluke for me. I started playing guitar and writing songs immediately after I graduated from high school. Writing and playing music was what I was enjoying most. I wanted to make a record. I did, with “Naked Without,” in 2006. Making the record turned into performing, and that snowballed into what it is today. Your songs are most personal stories. “Worst of Me” is about loving someone, faults and all, whereas “I think I” is more like a “break up” song. What prompts you to tell stories through music? I think music cuts through the bullshit. I think that we have conversations and political and social arguments on an intellectual level, but music moves us in a different way. Social and political change is driven by artists’ ability to touch our heart, and music is unique in its ability to do that. It’s a powerful way to change people’s minds and hearts. Is your songwriting meant to be personally cathartic? What makes your songs universal? I think we all know how to empathize. We’ve all had relationships that have ceased to be — romantic, or a friendship, or a mentor, or with a family member. We’ve seen things deteriorate. I’ve written love songs, and fans have asked me to write about situations they are in. One of the main jobs and challenges of being an artist is being empathetic to other people’s lives and putting yourself in that space. It can be about a breakup, but it’s not me looking at a breakup, but how it feels to be left out, or when people in your life give you negative energy. It’s severing that, but it doesn’t
Out Singer Songwriter
have to be a romantic relationship. We’ve all be hurt by people in our lives and had to let go of people who have hurt us. What considerations do you make about the style of the song—power pop (“This Is Real”) vs. ballad (“Breath and Sound”)? How orchestrated or stripped down you want the song to be? I like that this CD rejects the EDM scene, but you embrace it with in Justin Jaymes’ songs in “Out to Kill.” There’s a lot of EDM influence; synth-counter melodies. All my songs are written stripped down— just me. The orchestrations come later. One of my goals with “Wait” was blending traditional singer/ songwriter pop rock with more of the modern sounds [of EDM]. I think EDM is one of the most interesting genres right now. Justin Jaymes’ character is mocking it with “You Don’t Know How Hard.” There is also a song in the film’s party scene that’s more club-style. Do you feel pigeonholed as a gay singer and do you find it difficult to forge a career as a result? No. Not necessarily. Sometimes. For me, being out has given me the power to tell a different story. “Lover” was about two lovers separated by war. “Bears” was also a big hit. Everything I do tries to push the boundaries. I wouldn’t be able to tell those stories authentically, if I was not gay. I appreciate having a different experience. Otherwise, I would be
singing boy meets girl in the suburbs and it would be really fucking boring. I’ve also met really awesome people. I feel honored. It is harder for me to break out to the major demographics, but I’m not in the business to be inauthentic. Being a gay artist pushes me to think creatively and differently. That’s what I love about being an artist. I’m in the business because I want to do something positive and create positive change in the world. What disappoints me is that the people with the power to do that chose not to. I can’t imagine you being boring. I’m super boring. [Laughs] If it were up to me, I’d be in bed at 9:30 every day. People think I have a more glamorous life than I do. I don’t drink, or smoke. I’m very stable and thoughtful and intentional, and I care about having a good rest. Let’s talk about “Out to Kill.” How did you get involved in that project? I’ve known Rob [Williams] for years, and he’s been a really great supporter of my music. My song “Rise” was in his film 3-Day Weekend. And “Lover” was featured in “Role Play.” We talked back and forth about acting. I was open to it. I turned down offers in the past, because people see my videos and thought I was an actor. But Rob gave me an opportunity to write music for the movie. Because my character died, I only have to memorize a third of the script. It was different and fun. Maybe more will come of it. Given that you play the murder victim in the film, is there anyone who might want to kill you in real life? [Laughs.] I’m sure there are people out there, but luckily I don’t know who they are. I live in blissful ignorance.
Photos: Matt Sprague Photography
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[ Mombian ]
Seeking LGBTQ Dana Rudolph
O
Parents in
pponents of LGBTQ equality often try to make LGBTQ parents seem like a new and untested phenomenon, and therefore something to be avoided. The history of LGBTQ parents and our children, however, goes back further than one might think. The Greek poet Sappho, whose island home of Lesbos gave us the term “lesbian,” may have had a daughter named “Cleis.” That would mean that the history of LGBTQ parents goes back to around 600 BCE. The existence of her daughter is only attested through a few fragments, though, making it far from certain. It’s also anachronistic to apply modern identity terms to historical figures, even such a lesbian icon as Sappho. The possibility of her existence, however, should encourage us to reflect that the history of parents who fall under a broad LGBTQ umbrella (not tied to modern conceptions of the terms) likely goes back as far as the history of LGBTQ people as a whole. They may not have been “out and proud” like many modern LGBTQ parents, but we can still see them as our forebears. Sticking with better-documented cases, Oscar Wilde was the father of two boys with his wife Constance Lloyd, and apparently a loving one. His son Vyvyan, in his book “Son of Oscar Wilde,” wrote about Wilde’s relationship with him and his brother, “He was a hero to us both. . . . a real companion to us. . . . He would go down on all fours on the nursery floor, being in turn a lion, a wolf, a horse, caring nothing for his usually immaculate appearance.” Alas, when the boys were eight and nine, their mother took them to Switzerland after Wilde’s trial for “gross indecency” (having same-sex relations) and they never saw him again. Vita Sackville-West had relationships with several women, including fellow writers Virginia Woolf and Violet Trefusis, and had two children with her husband, Harold George Nicolson (who also had same-sex relationships). Her son Nigel Nicolson later used her account of the affair with Trefusis as the heart of a book about his parents, “Portrait of a Marriage.” There, he called his mother’s description of the affair “one of the most moving pieces that she ever wrote.” While he acknowledged both parents’ same-sex relationships, he also said their marriage “became stronger and finer as a result.” Their love affairs were mere “ports of call,” but it was “to the harbour that each returned.” Nevertheless, it is easy to see Nicolson as the product of parents within the LGBTQ spectrum, and to place another brushstroke in our picture of LGBTQ family history. Looking only at parents who had a more modern sense of their LGBTQ identities, out LGBTQ parents go back to the very start of the LGBTQ civil rights movement. Most still had their children within the context of differentsex marriages, but were more likely than in earlier times to leave those marriages, even though this often meant losing custody of their children. Del Martin, one of the founders in 1955 of Daughters of Bilitis, the first national lesbian rights organization in the U.S., was one such parent. Not surprisingly, her organization held some of the first known discussion groups on lesbian motherhood—way back in 1956. (See Daniel Winunwe Rivers’ “Radical Relations: Lesbian Mothers, Gay Fathers, and Their Children in the
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United States since World War II.”) Even the term “gayby boom”—referring to same-sex couples starting their families together—is already over two decades old, dating to at least March 1990, when Newsweek reported, “a new generation of gay parents has produced the first-ever ‘gayby boom.’” That means that many of the children from that boom are themselves now adults—while many of the first generation of out parents are becoming grandparents. Think of it this way: the fictional Heather who had two mommies was in preschool in Lesléa Newman’s classic 1989 children’s book. If she were real, she’d now be in her late 20s. Those who continue to insist that LGBTQ parents are not good for children have failed to realize that if that were true (even leaving aside the extensive social science research to the contrary), there would be many more maladjusted adults running around. Analyses from UCLA’s Williams Institute have found that currently, between 2.3 and 4 million adults have an LGBTQ parent. If they suffered harm because of that, someone
History surely would have noticed the connection by now. As a lesbian mom, I believe that learning the history of LGBTQ parents and our children can also help us feel less alone, less like we are the first to face each challenge. Having confidence that others have succeeded before us can translate into confidence in our parenting skills, which in turn can positively impact our children. Knowing the struggles—and triumphs—of LGBTQ parents in the past can also give us hope and strength in overcoming the challenges— legal, political, social, and emotional—that we still face. And seeing how the early organizations for LGBTQ parents helped shape the overall LGBTQ rights movement of today (a story told in Rivers’ book and in the 2006 documentary “Mom’s Apple Pie: The Heart of the Lesbian Mothers’ Custody Movement”) can inspire us to keep contributing to that broader effort, even as we balance the demands of work and family. Dana Rudolph is the founder and publisher of Mombian (mombian.com), a GLAAD Media Awardwinning blog and resource directory for LGBT parents.
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[ Special Section > Couples ]
‘First Comes Love’
Capturing love in pictures Barbara Proud
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hen the “First Comes Love” Project began in March of 2009, the country had just inaugurated a fair-minded President, yet in the same election, Proposition 8, outlawing LGBTQ marriages in California, was passed. The Defense of Marriage Act was the law of the land. Now five years later, DOMA has been declared unconstitutional and Proposition 8 has been defeated…for good. But the work is not done. There are still many states in the USA where gay marriages are illegal and the relationships are not recognized. While the tide is rolling across the country to provide equal rights to all citizens, there remains a deep misunderstanding of the relationships in the LGBTQ community. New laws do not always change minds. Understanding is the only weapon to combat hatred, bigotry, violence, and bullying towards LGBTQ individuals and couples of all ages. This project serves to provide a new perspective on the issue and illuminate the real life stories of the couples involved by educating those outside of the LGBTQ community, while celebrating those who are a part. The goal of “First Comes Love” is to provide a glimpse into the “everyday” lives of LGBTQ couples who have been in their relationships for 10, 20, 30, 40 and even 50 years! Unlike the stereotypical picture painted by the media, these portraits and stories seek to educate those
who question, celebrate those who have loving, devoted relationships, and provide an historical record of the strength of this community. We have photographed and recorded diverse, LGBTQ couples and created an expressive portrait to represent in each relationship the depth, the seriousness, and the love between two people who have made a commitment to one another. Portraits are presented in black and white to further break down the stereotypes in a society where homosexuality is often characterized by nothing more than images of drag queens, gay pride parades, and rainbow flags. But the essence of this community goes much deeper. The world needs to see the more human side of these relationships and this project intends to show just that. These couples are “over the rainbow” in love and the portraits, by being in black & white, force the viewer to take a deeper look into the true nature of these relationships. This project emphasizes that gay relationships are in many ways no different than heterosexual ones, yet each is unique, in and of itself. The people represented in this project live “ordinary” lives made extraordinary by their endurance of the attitudes and policies that society directs against them, all the while facing the everyday struggles faced by any enduring relationship. Through tenderness of touch or intimacy of gaze, the deep
“We did something abnormal in the gay world when we first met. . . we concentrated on ourselves. There was no promiscuity. We were in a relationship for almost 13-14 years and when it was right for us, we opened the doors to play around collectively with other people.” 68 THE
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seeded emotions of these couples are revealed. The “First Comes Love” Project is a traveling exhibition of photographs, stories and video and in the fall of 2014 became a self-published hardbound book (Soleil Press), available only via the project website (www.firstcomeslove.org) and select independent bookstores. This documentary will bear witness that couples represented in the project have endured the challenges, victories, defeats, births, deaths, loves and losses that any couple faces in many years together. These couples stand together “for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health” and withstand the test of time and the discrimination allowed by inequitable laws of many states. The book emphasizes the “normalcy” of these relationships and will serve as a testament to the LGBTQ youth of our community, that long-term, stable, loving relationships are possible for their future. Every effort has been made to show as much diversity as possible within the community by including many racial and cultural groups as well as transgendered and questioning individuals and couples. Some of the issues raised in the stories of these couples include raising children, custody of or adopting children, immigration policies, medical issues, living with HIV/AIDS, death of a long-term partner, interracial relationships, and even divorce. This work shows a group of people as diverse as the human race itself yet who share the common bond of what it takes to commit to a lifetime of love.
ANTHONY and DOMENICK, together 33 years Anthony de Maio and Domenick Falcione met 33 years ago in Atlantic City at Caesar’s Palace, where Anthony was working the craps table. His chiseled features and pale blue eyes captivated Domenick instantly. A few months later, they officially met in a bar,
again in Atlantic City, and Domenick “dragged him home.” Thirty-three years later, they are still together. They work together. They play together and their relationship is strong...by the looks of their biceps… very strong. It is fueled by their Latin blood but built on honesty and trust.
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[ Special Section > Couples ] “We look at life very similarly. Our politics are like that. Our giving is like that. Our appreciation for each other and what we do is like that. The Yiddish word for that is ‘kvelling.’”
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For Ruthie and Connie—two amazing, generous, enthusiastic, and hysterically funny Jewish women from Brooklyn—it began in 1958 when they nodded to each other at the apartment complex mailbox. Housewives married to very traditional Jewish men, they had both just begun to raise families. Their friendship grew through the “carriage brigade” of neighborhood women, baby strollers, a constant exchange of advice, and a growing trust. …[Ruth] and Connie became activists. They counseled other women; they led
Ruthie and Connie
workshops (one was called “The Importance of Being or Is Their Life After Coming Out); they lectured; they marched; they started a newsletter. In 1988, they joined two other couples and the New York City Gay Teacher’s Association in suing the City of New York for domestic partner benefits. After a six-year battle, they won their case. In 2000, Ruthie and Connie moved to Florida, bringing along their exuberance, their goodness, and their giving, through an “unofficial” charity known as the “Oona Numan Fund.”
EDRIE and JAN, together 55 years Edrie and Jan have spent a colorful 55 years together. With homes in three different locations, they have a circle of friends that spreads far and wide and spans many decades. They met when Edrie was a student and Jan was on the faculty at the University of California, Berkeley, and wisely waited for Edrie’s graduation before pursuing a romance. Six years the elder and Edrie’s first lesbian experience, Jan thought it best to introduce Edrie to all aspects of the gay lifestyle. Edrie remembers, “I respected her for trying to show me that there was a culture out there and some of that culture was not exactly consistent with who she thought I was or would want to be.” She continues, “I was totally lucky to fall in love with someone like Jan because I’m not the kind that would have been going around to bars.”
“By the 50th year, there better be depth. The joy in it just amplifies; the deeper you go, the fuller you feel and the more meaningful the moments. I mean, it’s just a wonderful thing, but you have to go through some stuff to get to the depths. If you’re not willing to challenge some of your inadequacies or some of your feelings or some of the ways in which you’re insecure or whatever, if you’re not willing to challenge them, chances are you’re going to dead end right there.” WINTER 2015 • THE
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[ Special Section > Couples ] Sandra and Anita Sandra Holiday and Anita Priest had been together for 23 years when Anita passed away from complications due to cancer. Today, her portrait hangs above the piano where she will always hear the music, something she loved very much. The gold “A” that hangs around Sandra’s neck is a constant reminder and keeps Anita close to her heart.
Theirs was a storybook romance. It all began when their “eyes met across a crowded room” at Jimmy January’s in Fort Lauderdale in 1985. It was electric. Although Sandra was living in Boston at the time, had two homes, a business, and a failing relationship there, the two women began a long distance courtship and within 3 months were living together in Florida.
“When I think back to the time of being with her, I think that I am one of the luckiest girls in the world. Some people don’t get a little glimmer of what I had and I had it for 23 years and we never lost the magic. We really didn’t. We were totally in love. I think we were more in love every year were together.”
Larry and Joe, together 39 years Larry and Joe met in 1975 in New York City and have been celebrating life to the fullest ever since. Together now for 39 years, they have homes in Greenwich Village, the Berkshire Mountains of New York State, and sunny Aventura, Florida... Now retired, Joe was a visual merchandise planner and designer, while Larry still works in the family printing and real estate business. They both spoke with great pleasure and amusement about their early days in New York. They met when Joe was hired to decorate for a Halloween Party that Larry and a friend were having. In lieu of payment, Joe asked if he could come to the party and bring some friends. He brought 20. …Decades later, one of their best parties, dubbed the “Hundred-Year Celebration,” celebrated Larry’s 70th birthday and their 30th anniversary. In typical Joe-and-Larry fashion, they began preparing seven or eight months ahead: they raised a tent
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at their country home in the Berkshires, and they hired a lighting expert to help them realize their theme—“everybody was a star in our galaxy.” As their 140 guests sat down, they were treated to the sight of their names flying like shooting stars across the top of the tent. Unbeknownst to their guests, who thought they were attending a birthday/anniversary celebration, Joe and Larry had chosen that very night to surprise everyone and get married. They snuck off to the guesthouse and donned tuxedos for their grand entrance. But it wouldn’t be Joe and Larry without a little fanfare. Or, actually, a lot of fanfare. In fact, make that a marching band. Joe and Larry had hired the entire local high school marching band to escort them into the tent to their wedding before their shocked, but delighted guests.
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[ Books ]
Winter’s Must Reads Looking for a good book check out ‘Being Mortal,’ ‘The Language of Houses,’ ‘Travels with Casey’ Terri Schlichenmeyer
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o, picture this: you’re heading for the bookstore to finish off your shopping list for the season. Of course, gift buying doesn’t stop with friends and family; you have to buy a little something for yourself, too, right? But it’s easy to get overwhelmed in a bookstore. So many books, so little time, as they say – but here are three can’t-miss, don’t-pass books for you… There’s a reason that “Being Mortal” by Atul Gawande is on all the best-seller lists. It’s a book for anyone who wants to die of old age someday. I guess I wouldn’t call this a happy-happy seasonal book, but it’s one of those necessary things that we all should read because it’s something we all will face. Here, Gawande particularly looks at the medical establishment’s (incorrect) perception that aging is a medical problem rather than a normal, even desirable, period of life that can be managed if need be. “Being Mortal” is heartfelt, in part because Gawande uses his own father’s story as illustration, mixed in with memorable patients Gawande’s cared for – which makes it thoughtprovoking and a little on the sad side. Still, because everybody wants to live long and prosper, this book could change how you live the rest of your life. On a lighter note, look for “The Language of Houses” by Alison Lurie. This is a book about what our humble (or not-so-humble) abodes tell the world about us; why we utilize the rooms we have (why, for
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instance, do we have rooms in our homes that we rarely, if ever, use?); why we place furniture in the spots we do; how we utilize color in our homes and businesses; and why we instantly know a church, say, from a school. You’ll also learn a little history here, as well as some subtle ideas to make your own home distinctively “you.” I liked this book because it’s unusual, informative, and just plain fun. Hint: HGTV fans will eat it up! And then there’s “Travels with Casey” by Benoit Denizet-Lewis, a tale about a (grown-up) boy and his dog. Denizet-Lewis was afraid that his golden lab, Casey, didn’t like him – so, with bonding in mind and a curiosity about why we’re so howlat-the-moon in love with our dogs, he set out on a cross-country jaunt with his pooch. The pair visited dog parks and shows, only to find out that most of the dogfights are between the creatures at the upper end of the leash. They talk to breeders and handlers about mongrels, purebreds, and high-stakes dog shows. DenizetLewis attends a trade show for dog owners, to see what that sort of thing might be like. He and Casey visit breed rescuers and, conversely a high-kill shelter. Of course, they meet up with lots and lots of dog lovers all over the country. And along the way, the author falls in love with the man of his dreams. Presumably, so does the dog… And there you are. Gifts for you because – let’s face it – don’t you deserve books this winter, too?
[ Transforming Gender ]
Her Name Was Jennifer Gable H Rebecca Juro
er name was Jennifer Gable. She was 32 years old when a brain aneurism tragically ended her life on October 9, 2014. She’d spent the last few years of that life living as the woman she was. She’d reached out to the trans community and the community reached back. She was a trans woman, and that’s how we’ll remember her. Jennifer Gable was one of us. Jennifer’s family, however, didn’t see it that way. Jennifer was buried as a man, under a name she’d legally discarded, dressed in a men’s suit she would not have worn when she lived. Her long feminine hair was cut short into a masculine style she would not have chosen for herself. Jennifer Gable was forced back into a gender role in death, which she had rejected in life. All of the outward signs of Jennifer’s true identity, everything which physically presented her to the rest of the world as the woman she was, rendered invisible by her family as they laid her to rest. We don’t know if it was done as an expression of or in deference to bigotry against trans people, or if it was due to ignorance and a lack of understanding. The answer to that question, though, is less important than the ease with which her family was able to simply ignore Jennifer’s obvious wishes and de-transition her in death. In Idaho, where Jennifer lived, a trans person has no civil rights. There are no state laws in Idaho forbidding discrimination based on gender identity, no way of achieving full legal recognition as a gender which does not appear on one’s birth certificate. In short, Jennifer’s family was able to ignore who she was and de-transition her in death because according to the laws of the State of Idaho, Jennifer Gable is still legally considered a man. This story hits home for me on multiple levels. First, because I’m 52, right around the age when many of us first begin to contemplate our own mortality, as you come to realize that statistically speaking you’re now fully into the second half, closer to the end of your life than you are to the beginning. I’m comforted by the knowledge that than when my time comes my family and friends will bury and remember me as I lived, as the woman I am. I don’t need to spell it out, they get it, and they accept me for who I am. Not every trans person is so fortunate.
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The other reason this story struck a chord with me is because it reminded me of when my father passed late last year and the funeral home asked me, as the oldest of his six children, if I had a problem with any of the arrangements. My father had been married three times in his life, and he’d made it known that he wanted to be buried next to his third wife, not my mother. It seemed that there was some concern at the funeral home that some of us might have a problem with that, but all six of us were of the same opinion. Even if we had disagreed (we didn’t), our wishes weren’t relevant, only his were. This was about honoring Dad and the way he lived his life, nothing else. We loved and respected him far too much to even consider doing anything other than exactly what we knew he wanted. Forcible de-transitioning in death is the greatest possible betrayal anyone can inflict on the memory of a trans loved one, and the greatest conceivable insult to our community as a whole.
We may never know Jennifer Gable’s full story, or what her family’s actual motivations were for laying her to rest as a man. What we do know is that Jennifer reached out to other trans women seeking answers. We know she had legally changed her name to Jennifer. We know she saw herself as a woman, and we know that’s how she lived the last few years of her life. We also know one more thing: We will remember Jennifer Gable as the woman she was. The online memorial guest book set up under Jennifer’s former male name is filled with condolence notes from trans people and allies who remember her as she lived. Even in tragedy, even in death, we stand up for our own. Her name was Jennifer Gable. She was a trans woman, and that’s how we’ll remember her. Jennifer Gable was one of us.
Martha Graham Dance Company January 23 & 24, 2015 @ 8PM
Paul Taylor Dance Company February 13 & 14, 2015 @ 8PM
modern dance series
BodyVox… FIFTEEN
February 27 & 28, 2015 @ 8PM
BoDyTraFFIC
March 27 & 28, 2015 @ 8PM
Concerts TITo PuENTE, Jr
– a Walk in My Father’s Shoes
January 16, 2015 @ 8PM
ThE Doo WoP ProJECT
February 6, 2015 @ 3PM & 8PM
Jo DEE MESSINa
February 21, 2015 @ 8PM
aBBa MaNIa
&
March 17, 2015 @ 8PM
Special Events!
ThE PEkING aCroBaTS February 19, 2015 @ 8PM
JuDy GolD
– Stand-up in Stage West March 25, 2015 @ 7:30 & 9:30PM
LAKE WORTH 4200 Congress Avenue (I-95 Exit #63, west 1 mile)
Go online and check out the entire season of exciting shows! www.duncantheatre.org