Review: Everything’s Alright With Loxen’s ‘Play That Goes Wrong’

Ryan Crout as Thomas, Noah Stephanny Noria as Annie, Kalen Edean as Chris Bean-Inspector Carter, and Giorgio Volpe as Perkins in Loxen Entertainment’s “The Play That Goes Wrong” at the Colony Theatre on Miami Beach’s Lincoln Road through Sunday. Sept 22. (Photo courtesy of Loxen Entertainment)

With the dour seriousness that hovers over the current world in which we exist, Loxen Entertainment’s “The Play That Goes Wrong” at the Colony Theatre is a much-needed respite.

This is Miami-based Loxen’s opening show in its three-production performance schedule at the Colony Theatre on Lincoln Road and the setting couldn’t be better for the hapless comedy. The premise of the gone-wrong play is that it is opening night for the Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society’s “The Murder at Haversham Manor,” one of those typical whodunnit Agatha Christie “Mousetrap” yarns.

Upon entering the theater, we were greeted by Mr. Chris Bean (Kalen Edean) in a white tuxedo. He’s Cornley’s director, box office manager, press secretary, and stars in the play as The Inspector. He’s just part of the action before the show begins as Trevor (Corey Vega), Cornley’s lighting and sound operator, and Annie (“Noah” Stephanny Noria), Cornley’s stage manager, are trying to get some last-minute fixes in place. Annie nabs a person from the audience to help her get a mantlepiece that won’t stay put and Trevor asks that we all keep our eyes open for a dog named Watson who has gone missing as well as his prized Celia Cruz CD that someone has swiped.

As the curtain is set to rise on Cornley’s show, Bean welcomes his audience to the drama society’s offering. As the audience is clearly regulars to the society’s shows, we’re asked to remember earlier productions by the company that were amended because of limited budgets – Chekhov’s “Three Sisters” became “Two Sisters,” and “Cats” retitled as “Cat.” There’s also the apology for the box-office mix up that led ticket buyers to believe they were seeing the blockbuster musical “Hamilton” rather than Bean’s little show.

It’s the beginning of much wordplay and absurdity that puts “The Play That Goes Wrong” on course.

The real director of Loxen’s production is Gonzalo Rodriguez who has his hands full with this one. The moment that “Murder at Haversham Manor” begins, it is destined to fail – the foreshadowing of Annie unable to get the mantlepiece in place cues impending disasters. But how to make it all believable? For one, he has his ensemble cast invested as ever in ensuring the laughs come naturally.

Pedro Balmaseda and Jorge Noa, the team of NOBARTE, have created the set, which is, indeed, the star of the show. Set pieces fall, a tall grandfather clock becomes a hideout, a bookcase wall spins to reveal another area, a beam that holds up the second level becomes displaced leaving two actors (Ryan Crout and Edean) trying to keep the furniture and themselves afloat and safe from a perilous fall. Props are misplaced or disappear – allowing the audience at one point to help locate a ledger. The placement of the lighting and sound designer’s work area at stage left gives the audience a bird’s eye view of Trevor’s workspace including the Cecila Cruz wallpaper on his computer screen. Nice touch.

It’s not just the set that’s falling apart around the cast – these amateur thespians have their own bungling that adds to the mayhem. The ensemble and the director of Loxen’s production hold true to the authors’ production notes ensuring the play’s parody and farce doesn’t turn exceedingly silly: “The actors of the Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society are not bad actors, but the victims of unfortunate circumstances . . . Everything must of course be played for truth and not for laughs or parody.”

Charles Haversham (Samuel Krogh) is late for his engagement party only to be found dead in his study. But Cornley’s deceased character is terrible at playing a corpse – it doesn’t help that the other actors are stepping on his hands and hitting him in his privates. And that the stretcher they are to take him out on breaks, leaving the corpse-actor to figure out how to leave the set himself.

There’s the bumbling butler, Perkins (Giorgio Volpe is a standout) – obviously unable to remember his lines, he’s written notes on his arms leading to frequent mispronunciations. Charles’ flapper-esque fiancée, Florence, (Hannah Hayley) gets knocked out cold accidentally and must be replaced by the stage manager who clumsily reads her part from the script. So taken by the spotlight, she refuses to give up the role when the fiancée-actress comes to, which leads to an all-out hair-pulling (or wig-pulling) brawl.

Charles’ duplicitous brother, Cecil, is played by Benjamin Leon IV, the real-life founder of Loxen. His character constantly flashes a cheeky smile or a wink at the audience breaking character and the fourth wall, but Leon does it with panache so that it is in keeping with the play and never a distraction.

Crout, as the dedicated best friend Thomas Collymore and brother to Florence, has much of the stage business to wrestle with – especially in a scene where he’s to take a phone call but is in the midst of holding set pieces in place. He’s also one of those called on the most for hefty doses of physical comedy (but the writers have tasked everyone with plenty of physical business), which Crout aces (see the aforementioned failing second level).

Ernesto Pinto’s lighting design successfully toggles between the 1920s murder mystery and the real world of the drama society’s announcements and pre-show antics.

Costumes by Vega, Florence’s colorful flapper sparkles, Thomas’ rugged marksman, and Cecil’s “Sloane Ranger” style – the British Preppy Look, all work exceptionally well.

The show that became “The Play That Goes Wrong” was first performed in 2012 at the Old Red Lion Theater, a classic London pub theater, later moved to London’s West End, then to Broadway and, in 2019, began its run off-Broadway. Written by Britain’s Mischief Theatre (specifically by Henry Lewis, Jonathan Layer, and Henry Shields), the writers were weaned on improvisational theater, which can so handily be seen in their farcical play.

Now Loxen has found its production a home at the Colony Theatre – a perfect fit where the 1935 Art Deco venue adds another layer to the play within a play.

By the looks of audience count, Loxen at the Colony hasn’t yet caught on. But this production should surely cement the company’s place on Lincoln Road. Its next run there is “Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” opening Dec. 13 and then another farce, “The Drowsy Chaperone” opening on Feb. 28.

But catch “The Play That Goes Wrong” before it goes away. Disappear from despair for two hours (not including an intermission), and enjoy a spectacular production that gets it all right.

WHAT: Loxen Entertainment’s “The Play That Goes Wrong”

WHEN: 8 p.m., Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Through Sept. 22.

WHERE: The Colony Theatre, 1040 Lincoln Road in Miami Beach.

COST: $81.50 includes $6.50 service charge; $69.50 includes $6.50 service charge and $46.50 includes $6.50.

INFORMATION: 305-674-1040 or loxen.org

ArtburstMiami.com is a nonprofit media source for the arts featuring fresh and original stories by writers dedicated to theater, dance, visual arts, film, music and more. Don’t miss a story at www.artburstmiami.com.

Urban Film Festival Sets Dreams In Motion

Samuel Lee Fudge stars as Marcus Garvey in “Mosiah.” Directed by Jirard, the first narrative film about Garvey’s life will be screened during the Urban Film Festival. (Photo courtesy of Mosiah Film)

It was easy to dismiss someone like Kionne McGhee.

Once labeled “dyslexic,” “emotionally disturbed” and “borderline mentally retarded” it’s clear  that he’s come a long way.

He was raised in the Naranja Projects in South Miami, where he was one of six siblings who relied on their mother’s love, government assistance and any profits she eked out from the fields harvesting beans.

His father, however, wasn’t in the picture. Though not uncommon, missing male role models in his community proved to be devastating.

“During those times fathers were forced to make decisions, especially in housing projects, because they were not allowed to be shown on the lease in public housing,” says McGhee.

The absence made him feel ill equipped to fend off taunts by cruel peers and he lacked the support needed to navigate hostile attitudes and labels bestowed by torpid school officials.

Filled with frustration, it’s no wonder he answered the call of the streets. There  he battled his demons to escape from the anger and the pain. But even at his lowest points,  there was one person who remained firmly in his corner.

For when his mother wasn’t bending over picking beans she was on her knees in prayer,

She never gave up.

She  knew that he could do better than this.

And she knew that God had different plans.

Turns out she was right.

Today, McGhee is not only  a husband and a father, he is an accomplished attorney and author who currently serves as Miami-Dade County Commissioner for District 9.

In 2012, he was also elected to the Florida House of Representatives and served as the Minority Leader from 2018 to 2020.

His accomplishments and his triumphant rise to success has recently been captured on film and will be screened during the world premiere of “The Reject.”

The true life story directed by Bla G & Yonel Aris will be shown at 8 p.m on  Saturday, Aug. 31 at the.Lyric Theater as part of the 9th annual Urban Film Festival.

The free event, held over Labor Day weekend from Friday, Aug. 30 to Sunday, Sept.1 in Overtown, celebrates the craft of urban filmmaking through education, networking and distribution opportunities.

Marco Molinet, co-founder of  the Florida Film House which hosts the event, says that the festival is something that filmmakers don’t want to miss.

“We’re screening over 150 films,” says Molinet.

“We are doing five master classes, five meet and greets. We’re doing six or seven panels. We also have a media center where we’re doing non-stop interviewing with different media outlets. And then we have the awards ceremony and our Welcome to Miami (at Red Rooster) Party and a celebration of our 1st Take Youth Film Program.”

The celebration is particularly poignant this year given the role of  Kamal Ani-Bello, a former 1st Take Youth Film Program student himself, who stars as McGhee in the film.  The program provides hands-on training, education and leadership skills for those who are interested in cinema.

Molinet is astounded how Ani-Bello’s participation as a student has come full circle.

“(Kamal) was given a trophy by Romeo Miller on stage at the Urban Film Festival about four or five years ago,” recalls Molinet,  “And at that time, he told Romeo, ‘I’m going to work with you one day.’ Romeo said,. ‘Let’s do it.’ And now they’re working side by side, less than five years later.”

Ani-Bello, who is also screening his first short film “Pound Cake,” at the festival. is awestruck at how far he has come. He was 15 and in the ninth grade when he first got involved in the program.

“I think it’s every actor’s dream,” says Ani-Bello.

“I feel blessed. I’m grateful. I’m scared. I’m happy, excited and everything in between,” he laughs. “I think it’s truly a testament that anything is possible”.

Molinet agrees.

One of the reasons he hosts the festival is to urge filmmakers to hold onto what they want to achieve.

He remembers how his own  film festivals submissions were all rejected and how that propelled him to launch his own platform for urban filmmakers.

Good thing he did as it was a rousing success, right from the very beginning.

“We didn’t get into a film festival that comes here in June and then I launched my Film Festival in September that same year and it was sold out.”

And this is why Molinet urges filmmakers to hold strong and keep going even in the face of adversity.

“Imagine if you’re a kid or a young and up and coming filmmaker but your mom is telling you to go to medical school. “Art don’t make no money’ she’ll say. And then you graduate, make a movie, and then you scrape all your money together and spend thousands of dollars to submit it and enter all the film festivals and you don’t get in none. The dream is dead. Your mom was right.”

Or was she?

Molinet demonstrates that with platforms like the Urban Film Festival, you can gently tell your mom that your aspirations are from over.

He  says he knows he is right when he hears how much of an impact his festival has made on others.

“I’ve watched these filmmakers get better and better every year, and a lot of the filmmakers, they’ll come and they say, Marco, your film festival is the only film festival I got into, And it has kept me going,’

WHAT:   The Urban Film Festival

WHERE:  Various locations, “The Reject” will be screened at 8 p,m, on Saturday, Aug. 31 at The Black Archives Historic Lyric Theater: 819 NW 2nd Ave, Miami. Virtual screening of films are also available at uds.tv

WHEN:  Friday, Aug. 30 through Sunday, Sept. 1

COST:  Free

INFORMATION: For full schedule and programming visit urbanfilmfestivals.com

ArtburstMiami.com is a nonprofit media source for the arts featuring fresh and original stories by writers dedicated to theater, dance, visual arts, film, music and more. Don’t miss a story at www.artburstmiami.com.

Review: ‘Boomer’ Is Perfectly Absurd Season Opener For LakehouseRanch

Richard K. Weber as Marc and Bianca Utset as Jess in LakehouseRanchDotPNG’s production of “Have You Seen Boomer?” running through Sunday, Sept. 1 at Main Street Playhouse in Miami Lakes. (Photo courtesy of Zachary Oshaugnessy)

A man and woman dressed alike – gray non-descript sweatshirts and sweatpants – are already on stage as the audience settles in for LakehouseRanchDotPng’s production of Robert Kerr’s “Have You Seen Boomer?”

They are seated toward the front of the stage on a wooden box in the shape of a cube. The 1959 dreamy nostalgic tune “Sleep Walk” by Betsy Brye loops in the background.

When the lights go up, we see that there are multiple wooden cubes on stage. Handwritten in black marker on each are identifiers of rooms in a house – kitchen, dining room, bathroom, computer room.

A single light bulb hangs from the ceiling. It’s all very mundane.

The man, Marc (Richard K. Weber) is walking from room to room. “Jess? Jess? Jessica?” In spite of how contained the space looks, the way Marc can’t find his wife makes it seem like it’s a cavernous home. Jessica (Bianca Utset) hollers that she’s in the kitchen. He bellows back, “the where?” “The kitchen,” she says.

He’s concerned about their cat Boomer. “Have you seen Boomer?” He’s been missing for days. She still can’t hear him. “Please come here so I don’t have to shout,” she tells him.

This is the world of Marc and Jess, a twentysomething married couple whose relationship will play out in 14 scenes in Kerr’s inventive 90-minute play.

“Have You Seen Boomer?” opens LakehouseRanchDotPng’s third season, and it is the first show in the company’s new home at the Main Street Playhouse in Miami Lakes. The company, which bills itself as absurdist and experimental, spent its first two seasons at the small Artistic Vibes in East Kendall.

Kerr’s play is a perfect season opener, where the group first presented it as a staged reading in July of 2023. Now it comes to life in all of its repetition and containment in the intimate yet more open space of the Main Street Playhouse, which allows the play room to breathe and unravel.

“Boomer” most entirely fits the definition of Theater of the Absurd, following in the meaning of life – or lack thereof – plots of the masters of the absurd movement such as Samuel Beckett, Eugene Ionesco, and Jean Genet. Plays that spring from the philosophy of French existentialist Albert Camus’s notion that the absurdity of the human condition is in living a meaningful life in a meaningless universe.

And this is where we find our couple – trapped in the monotony of day to day. They make dinner – there’s always a salad with one of three dressings which sparks conversation. There are no real dishes, silverware, or any table setting. In fact, the actors don’t even mime serving each other or eating. When Jess stands making dinner, for instance, she’s not stirring a pot or pretending to take a dish out of a cabinet. She stands with her back to the audience. There is a purposeful meaning to this action — that even the most mundane tasks are even too mundane to play act.

Karina Batchelor-Gomez’s skillful direction creates a whole world in an environment that is as stark as possible. The set, by scenic artist, Indy Sulliero, is a collection of white walls, which adds to the tediousness.

But the production is anything but monotonous. Batchelor-Gomez provides moments of interest. At the start of each scene, the couple walks toward the back wall and circles each other – sometimes smiling, other times not even looking at each other.

Using the back wall of the white set, Jessica marks off the scenes in black chalk reminiscent of the way a prisoner would create tally marks only she writes numbers.

There’s no eraser, so she uses her sweatshirt sleeve to erase the prior scene’s numeral. There’s really not numeric linearity. That too is an illusion. Kerr’s “Boomer” is meant to be, he writes in his script, “a play in three million four hundred twenty-five thousand eight hundred and sixty and a half scenes.”

Marc and Jess appear to be a satisfied couple. Newly married but not so new that they aren’t yet settled in, they discuss over and over again a canoe trip they’ve orchestrated for a group of friends. And as discussions continue in different scenes about those friends, jealousy rears its head. They decide that their relationship might be better if they had a baby.

Their life, as simple as it is meant to be portrayed, however, is not at all.

“Boomer” is a challenging, multi-layered play. Kerr has written the same scenes to play over and over again, but he also takes us on a journey of Marc and Jess’s relationship – where underlying jealousies bubble up, where secrets are revealed and, they are pushed to realize that maybe their reality was all smoke and mirrors. Perhaps it’s why at the end of almost every scene, one of the characters asks the other, “do you smell smoke?” As the lights dim and between each scene, a snippet of the haunting Pied Pipers 1945 “Dream” plays.

Weber as Marc and Utset as Jess have the difficult task of bringing life to complicated characters who have to present themselves as one dimensional. But the characters, are in fact, multi-dimensional and the two actors more than succeed in creating this and make it all work when they have much going against them – no props, a purposefully sparse set, drab colored clothes, no shoes and barefoot.

As a couple, the pair has just the right amount of chemistry but also know where they need to be siloed off from one another in order for the audience to become invested in their emotions.

Batchelor-Gomez smartly makes sure the pacing of the show overcomes what could be routine.  There’s skillful work in movement and intimacy director Nicole Perry’s bedroom scenes with the couple are some of the best and contain riotously comic moments.

Brandon Urrutia, the artistic director of the company, is co-lighting designer along with Maleeha Nasser, who also is costume designer. Pam Cartwright is production manager.

While “Have You Seen Boomer?” is meant to be theater of the absurd, it’s not so out there that it isn’t relatable. Who hasn’t felt like their relationship, and for that matter, their life is some sort of alternative reality and as repetitious as “Groundhog Day.”

With this third season opener, LakehouseRanchDotPng once again proves that they found their niche. And now they’ve found a new home. “Have You Seen Boomer?” is a great way to get acquainted with this relatively new group that is becoming a formidable force in South Florida’s theater landscape.

WHAT:  Robert Kerr’s “Have You Seen Boomer?”

WHERE:  Main Street Playhouse, 6812 Main St., Miami Lakes

WHEN:  8 p.m., Friday and Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday through Sunday, Sept. 1.

COST:  $20.

INFORMATION: 786-427-4721 and lakehouseranchdotpng.com

ArtburstMiami.com is a nonprofit media source for the arts featuring fresh and original stories by writers dedicated to theater, dance, visual arts, film, music and more. Don’t miss a story at www.artburstmiami.com.

Immersive and visionary, Chroma Art Film Festival returns for its second edition  

The second edition of Chroma Art Festival, described as a singular event that blends tactile and immersive installation art with digital elements, is at Superblue for two days, Saturday, Aug. 17 and Sunday, Aug. 18. (Photo courtesy of Chroma Art Film Festival)

The Chroma Art Film Festival (CAFF) returns for its second edition, proposing a fusion of immersive art and storytelling. Spearheaded by Miami’s Rainbow Oasiiis, the festival, on Saturday, Aug. 17 and Sunday, Aug. 18 at Superblue’s Allapattah location, promises an expanded and reimagined experience compared to its inaugural edition last year.

Reflecting on the inaugural festival, Shantelle Rodriguez, director of Superblue Miami, described its impact, noting that it received submissions from more than 400 filmmakers worldwide. “The first edition of the Chroma Art Film Festival exceeded our expectations, both in terms of participation and audience engagement,” says Rodriguez.

Known for its large-scale immersive installations, Superblue Miami is the ideal host for the Chroma Art Film Festival with the venue’s mission to support and present artists who push the boundaries aligning with the festival’s goals, according to Rodriguez.  “Superblue was founded to nurture future artists and emerging talent, which makes a program like Chroma integral to our core values.”

The upcoming edition will feature a redesigned layout, with 19 visual artists transforming the space to create a new environment exploration. Aileen Quintana (who goes by the artist name of Haiiileen) is the founder and director of Rainbow Oasiiis, the nonprofit foundation behind the festival. She describes Chroma as a singular event that blends tactile and immersive installation art with digital elements.

“The second edition,” she continues, “will feature high-level production skill sets from our directors and producers. Notably, Nick Rodriguez from Gravitate Production and James Tejada from Unreal Systems will bring their expertise from major festivals and arenas to create an immersive 360-degree experience.”

She says that the festival itself is a work of art describing it as “a conceptual artwork for the world to experience.”

The event’s format is designed to evolve annually. “Each year, we bring in new visual artists, formats, and layouts, making the festival as unique and fluid as the art it presents,” says Quintana.

The festival founder and director believes that the event is not just evolving but revolutionizing the experience for both festival-goers and artists alike. “Revolutionizing the festival experience means showcasing intellectually and narratively rich new concepts with high production value. Our programming and stylistic approaches are unique and we are thrilled to present them in our home base,” she says.

Rainbow Oasiiis’ mission is to create platforms where immersive installation art can thrive, allowing artists to develop their careers and audiences to engage with non-traditional forms of art, according to Quintana. “Chroma is our largest program, and it’s dedicated to intertwining immersive installation art with media and meta works (art that explores its own nature or the concept of art itself). It’s a space where storytelling and art objects coexist in a meta-physical space, providing artists with a dedicated platform to showcase their work,” she says.

The festival’s focus on the convergence of art and technology is exemplified by the work of artists like Fabiola Larios. An interdisciplinary artist from Mexico now based in Miami, Larios’s work explores themes of surveillance, obsolescence, and representation in the digital age.

For Chroma 2.0, Larios has created a piece that blends playfulness with critical commentary. “I like to talk about surveillance in my work, and I make technology cute by bedazzling surveillance cameras and TVs,” says Larios. Her piece is meant to provoke reflection on the duality of being watched, presenting surveillance as both comforting and intrusive. “By broadcasting live footage from the bedazzled camera to Disney Princess TVs, the audience confronts the reality of being watched in a cute way without the permanence of recorded footage,” she explains.

Larios’s work fits well within the broader narrative of the festival, which seeks to explore and challenge the role of technology in contemporary life. “I work with old technology, so I enjoy creating art for the festival because it allows me to explore and present an alternative narrative of what happens to technology as it ages,” adds Larios.

Filmmaker Bee Nix, another participant in Chroma 2.0, will present her piece “Suture.Blue,” which offers a deeply personal exploration of identity and connection. Nix, a new media artist, curator, and researcher based in Pittsburgh, works at the intersection of animation, game art, and experimental video. “I’ve rarely shown myself as myself in my animations, even though I use my form for most of them,” says Nix.

For “Suture.Blue,” she took a different approach, integrating her personal experience into the animation. “This piece felt very personal, so I thought I should present myself in it, even though it’s not something I usually do,” she explains. Through her work, Nix hopes to evoke a sense of connection among viewers, sparking emotional resonance that transcends the screen.

The collaboration between Superblue Miami and Rainbow Oasiiis has been pivotal in shaping the festival’s identity and ensuring its success, says Quintana.

“Superblue’s dedication to immersive installation art aligns perfectly with the festival’s goals,” she says.

For its second edition, the Chroma Art Film Festival wants to even further deepen its exploration of the intersection between art and technology, creating a platform for artists to push creative boundaries. And for those ready to join in the creative exploration, Chroma is already accepting submissions for its 2025 festival.

WHAT:  Chroma Art Film Festival

WHERE:  Superblue Miami, 1101 NW 23rd St., Miami

WHEN:  11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 17 and Sunday, Aug. 18

COST:  $50, general admission (one day pass); $20, students (one day pass); $80, VIP (2-day screenings); $250, founder (2-day screenings, includes meet and greet and other extras); children under 2 admitted free.

INFORMATION: superblue.com or chromaartfilmfestival.org

ArtburstMiami.com is a nonprofit media source for the arts featuring fresh and original stories by writers dedicated to theater, dance, visual arts, film, music and more. Don’t miss a story at www.artburstmiami.com.

Miami Filmmaker’s ‘Mountains’ Shot In Little Haiti Gets Nationwide Release

Shot in Little Haiti, Monica Sorelle’s “Mountains” gets its U.S. film debut at the Coral Gables Art Cinema on Friday, Aug. 16, where it will have a week-long run before getting a nationwide release. (Photo courtesy of Music Box Films)

After pounding the pavement and entering their film, “Mountains,” in festivals from Canada to New York to Miami (the Toronto Film Festival, New York’s Tribeca, and the Miami International Film Festival, among others), there is more on the horizon for Monica Sorelle, director and co-writer, and Robert Colom, producer and co-writer.

“Mountains,” shot on location in Miami’s Little Haiti neighborhood, has been picked up by Music Box Films, a distributor of international and independent films. It gets its United States theatrical debut on Friday, Aug. 16 at Coral Gables Art Cinema with a red carpet opening before a rollout that will continue across the United States. It also opens at O Cinema South Beach on Friday, Aug. 30.

“Mountains” looks at the gentrification of Little Haiti through the lens of an immigrant who works on a demolition crew that is tearing down neighborhood homes to make way for high rises and other modern developments.

Xavier (so authentically played by actor Atibon Nazaire) is working hard to realize the American dream. As he and his family, his wife Esperance (Sheila Anozier) and adult son Junior (Chris Renois, a stand-up comic from Miramar), outgrow their Little Haiti home, Xavier sets his sights on a new house nearby. Soon he realizes that his work and his dreams are on a collision course.

The film was born after Sorelle was selected in 2019, the first year of Miami’s Oolite Arts’ Cinematic Arts Residency. The idea of the residency is for local filmmakers to create their films without having to leave the area. Those selected receive a grant of $50,000 for the creation of the movie as well as access to other benefits of the residency.

“It gave us a lot of freedom to write the script,” says Sorelle, who met her co-writer when both were working on the production crew of the Oscar-winning-shot-in-Miami film “Moonlight.”

“Robert and I wrote (‘Mountains’) the whole first year of the residency. It was nice to be surrounded by a community in that way and to have access to mentors was really great.”

She says when the opportunity to make the film became a reality, it was more about creating it for herself. “I didn’t think anyone would want to see my little movie and so to have it validated outside of Miami has been a privilege.”

The movie is multi-layered – about the gentrification of neighborhoods originally made desirable by the very people who get pushed out of them, generational gaps between immigrants and their American-born children, race wars between cultures, and the universal feeling of being displaced.

Most of the dialogue in “Mountains” is in Creole with subtitles that aren’t intrusive but guide the moviegoer, which brings a closeness in the viewer’s relationship to the lives and experiences of Xavier and Esperance. “Language and how language is expressed was a really important part of the film,” says Sorelle.

Renois, appearing in his first feature film, says “Mountains” has helped him expand his career.

“I think I was part of the first generation that could openly be proud about their Haitian heritage,” says Renois, who plays Junior. “I’m familiar with the stories of the people who grew up in the late ’80s or early ’90s and the bullying that they had to take on in school or in places of work.”

In the film, Renois as Junior sneaks off nightly to a comedy club (the movie’s location is the real Villian Theater on NE 2nd Ave. in Little Haiti) where he’s able to unleash stories on stage shrouded in comedy about his immigrant parents. But Renois’ own comedy hadn’t previously touched on the Haitian experience.

“I stayed away from doing Haitian comedy, not because I was afraid of it – about letting people know I was Haitian – but because I didn’t want to put myself in a box. I had challenged myself to be broader in that regard. I think this move gave me the first opportunity to really explore that side of my life and since then I’ve been writing more about my own experience growing up in a Haitian household.”

Growing up Cuban in Miami for Colom also brought another element into the film – a scene where Xavier overhears his Cuban co-workers disparaging members of the demo crew who are Haitian.

“We were always kind of sharing what the Haitian experience versus the Cuban experience in Miami – the historical discrepancies between the two,” says Sorelle, who is Haitian-American but grew up in a different part of Miami other than Little Haiti. Her mother, however, worked in the neighborhood.

“My mother would talk about her interactions with her Cuban co-workers and Robert was very open to having that dialogue – critiquing the power dynamics in this city when it comes to these two immigrant groups and the underbelly of racism happening within the community.”

While there are so many layers in “Mountains,” the filmmakers say they made sure nothing was heavy handed. “We really tried to pack the film with everything that Monica and I criticize about the city every day and everything that we love about the city every day for the last 8 to 10 years of our friendship,” says Colom. “We tried to do it subtly, so we don’t try to make a meal out of any one of those situations. We are still critical to this place that we love and that we can be critical because we have such a close connection to it.”

With Music Box Films now as its partner and the film playing everywhere from Illinois to Iowa and West Hollywood to Brooklyn, N.Y., there is much moviegoers will relate to about the human condition.

“I do think that ‘Mountains’ is a film that the closer you are to it culturally the richer the experience of watching it is,” says Colom. “If you are from Miami, you understand it and to a certain degree and if you’re Haitian, you understand it to an even further degree. If you’re Hispanic, you may relate to it in a different way. And for millennials, and I believe it is what Chris was so wonderfully able to convey in his performance, who have immigrant parents, will also relate to it in yet another way. This is what makes the film feel so very personal.”

The title of the movie is also personal. “Proverbs are big in Haitian culture,” shares Sorelle. She’s placed a Haitian proverb – “Behind mountains, there are more mountains,” at the beginning of “Mountains.” The meaning has as many layers as the film itself.

She conveys her view of the many interpretations that can be taken from the proverb: The struggle of figuring things out, then more and more to figure out, a positive interpretation of what can lie behind a horizon, and the Sisyphean journey the working-class immigrant in America feels. “Where you try to roll this ball up the mountain, but there’s always something that knocks you down.”

WHAT: “Mountains,” a film by Monica Sorelle

WHERE: Coral Gables Art Cinema, 260 Aragon Ave., Coral Gables

WHEN: Opens Friday, Aug. 16, 3:30 p.m., regular screening, red carpet opening night event, 6:30 p.m., screening at 7:30 p.m., question and after session following the film, also Q&A following screening at 5:15 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 17 and 4:15 p.m., Sunday, Aug. 18.

COST: $21.75, opening night red-carpet event; $12.75, regular admission, $11, senior, student and military, $8 member price.

 INFORMATION: (786) 472-2249 or gablescinema.com.

ArtburstMiami.com is a nonprofit media source for the arts featuring fresh and original stories by writers dedicated to theater, dance, visual arts, film, music and more. Don’t miss a story at www.artburstmiami.com

True Mirage Theater Buckles Up For ‘Ride the Cyclone’

The cast ofTrue Mirage Theater’s “Ride the Cyclone,” from left, Olivia Polo, Nadya Lopez, Darcy Hernandez-Gil, Raul Ramirez, and Paolo Pineda. The show opens Friday, Aug. 9 and runs weekends through Sunday, Aug. 18 at the Main Street Playhouse, Miami Lakes. (Photo courtesy of Maylix and Sofia Graterol)

Darcy Hernandez-Gil and Daniel Gil founded their local, small theater company in 2018 with one mission in mind they say: ” . . . To uplift local theater artists and present works that are new to the South Florida theater stage,” says Hernandez-Gil.

Last year, the company produced the world premiere of “Songs from the Brink” by Robyn Eli Brenner and Mackenzie Anderson, and “Hoo Hah!” by Armando Santana, both performed at Main Street Playhouse in Miami Lakes.

In 2023, the Gils’ children’s theater arm, Mini Mirage team put on a student performance of “Ride the Cyclone,” which Hernandez-Gil also directed. This time around, the cast is comprised of professional, adult actors making it the official South Florida professional premiere.

“It’s a hard show to describe to be honest, because there’s really nothing like it,” says the show’s director Hernandez-Gil.

“Ride the Cyclone” opens Friday, Aug. 9 and runs through Sunday, Aug. 18 at Main Street Playhouse, Miami Lakes.

On a recent Saturday, the cast of the Gils’ True Mirage Theater’s “Ride the Cyclone” gathered in a small black box theater, Artistic Vibes, in Pinecrest, surrounded by props and pizza boxes in the midst of a rehearsal break.

The original music by Canadian writers Brooke Maxwell and Jacob Richmond, first premiered in British Columbia in 2008 and over the years has found an online cult following on TikTok and social media. The premise centers on a group of teenagers, all part of a chamber choir, who go on a rollercoaster ride and die. They then awaken in purgatory and are offered the chance to return to Earth if they tell a compelling story — through song, of course.

“Through all that, we get to know every single character and what their dreams and aspirations were in life. It’s a very zany, out-there story,” says Hernandez-Gil. “But at its core, it’s really about appreciating what you had in life and not taking all the little things for granted.”

In addition to directing, Hernandez-Gil also stars in the production. She plays Constance, who she describes as the quiet one and the nicest girl in town.

“I never would think of myself as a Constance,” says the talkative and self-assured actor. “But there’s so much fun in being able to play with her character arc and starting low and ending with her true self coming out.”

While bringing the character to life is one challenge, Hernandez-Gil also has to navigate the challenges of being both on stage and on the sidelines.

“Two things have really helped me in this production. One is the fact that I did have the chance to direct the show before, so it’s all my choreography and all my direction and my vision. I still have all of that in my body and I’m now able to tailor it to this cast. And the second thing is I have someone in the show who is able to take my place on stage as a sort of body double when I need to step back and inspect the scene.”

Hernandez-Gil’s double-duty isn’t the only impressive aspect about the production. The music is surely to leave audiences enthralled.

“We’re seeing how it’s a show that attracts people of all ages, and I think that’s in large part due to the music,” says musical director Priscilla Blanco, the show’s musical director. “We have such a wide variety of arrangements; we have such a wide variety of genres.”

The 90-minute show features hip hop, jazz, pop, rock, folk, electronic, and even a moving ballad.

“It all fits really well to each character,” says Blanco. “Each individual song is tailored to fit the mood, to fit the personality of the character singing. It all serves the show really well.”

The show made its U.S debut at the Chicago Shakespeare Festival in 2015 and then headed for a 2016 run off Broadway. It then found a cult following online. But listening to the score without context might leave the listener confused on what exactly is happening – and why, according to the local producers.

“Once it’s all strung together, it makes so much sense,” says Hernandez-Gil. “The show really takes you on a roller coaster and by the end, you will hopefully have found this new appreciation for life.”

Blanco agrees: “Out of nowhere, it’s very heartwarming.”

WHAT: “Ride the Cyclone” by Brooke Maxwell and Jacob Richmond

 WHERE: Main Street Playhouse, 6812 Main St., Miami Lakes

 WHEN: 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 3 p.m. Sundays. Opens Friday, Aug. 9 through Sunday, Aug. 18.

 COST: $40, $30 for seniors, students, and veterans. Tickets at onthestage.tickets

 INFORMATION: (786) 484-4711 or truemiragetheater.com.

ArtburstMiami.com is a nonprofit media source for the arts featuring fresh and original stories by writers dedicated to theater, dance, visual arts, film, music and more. Don’t miss a story at www.artburstmiami.com

Review: Area Stage Extends Its Redux Of Immersive ‘The Little Mermaid’

Delaney Benson is Ariel in Area Stage Company’s “The Little Mermaid” in South Miami through Sunday, Aug. 11, at the Shops at Sunset Place.  (Photo courtesy of  David Caserta).

They had the best seat in the house, the table in the center of Area Stage Company’s latest incarnation of its immersive “The Little Mermaid.” Two couples, an adult woman on one side, her head frequently titled on her seatmate’s shoulder and wiping tears from her eyes, while on the other side, a man dressed in a Disney fan costume, both entranced, mouthing every word of Ariel’s signature song, “Part of Your World.”

This is the mesmerizing effect of Area Stage Company’s immersive productions on an audience.

It’s the up-close performances – in this case actress Delaney Benson, the daughter of Jodi Benson, who was the original voice of Ariel in Disney’s 1989 animated movie. Benson right there in the middle of the table singing the signature ballad bringing tears to those seated so close to her. On another side of the room, a mother quickly jumped up from her benchseat to nab her toddler who wandered out to be part of the rousing ensemble in “Under the Sea.”

Area Stage Company has made it one of their hallmarks as of late to create these immersive productions – “Beauty and the Beast” in 2022, then its first go ’round of “The Little Mermaid” in 2023, and “Oliver” in 2024.

For this redux of Area Stage’s “The Little Mermaid,” they’ve set up the under-the-sea world – wooden benches and tables in an atmosphere that’s reminiscent of a pirate tavern and a schooner ship by set designer Frank J. Oliva – at South Miami’s Shops at Sunset Place. The company’s headquarters are in the open-air mall and they were able to secure a large empty space nearby and transform it into what they’ve dubbed The Little Mermaid Tavern.

After entering the space, guides lead you through what looks like an underground tunnel. It’s dark and illuminated by candles on the floor. Then they direct you to your seat. Depending on ticket price, seating is on the Top Deck, which are elevated benches, or in The Grotto, floor benches and tables for the up-close, immersive view.

Before the show starts, cast members mill around chatting, some playing instruments, and dressed in sailor costumes (costumes by Maria Banda-Rodaz and Sofia Ortega) while sometimes stopping at tables to give instructions – no programs, playbills, or folded hands on the tables, since they are essentially the stage — playing areas for the actors. And stay out of the way of the action.

The show itself has been cut from the previous run time of two and a half hours to 90 minutes with a 15-minute intermission. It’s just long enough.

For anyone who doesn’t know the story, here’s a quick recap. A mermaid who lives under the sea and the daughter of the King of the sea, wants to know what it’s like to live on land and be like humans. She wants to be finless. When she ventures to the top, she comes across a prince who has gone overboard and saves him. Her evil aunt, Ursula, who knows the mermaid’s desires comes up with a contract to have her meet the prince and become human. But there’s a catch, of course. He must kiss her within three days or she goes back underwater and remains under the grips of the sea witch for the remainder of her life.

Many of the inventive elements that Giancarlo Rodaz, the artistic director of Area Stage and the director and conceptualizer of the immersive productions, are still in place from his original “Mermaid.” The opinionated seagull, Scuttle, is a puppet, maneuvered this time and voiced by actress Laura Plyer. It’s the puppet that was built for Area Stage by a company who excels in puppetry, Phantom Limb of New York City.

Flounder, a fish and Ariel’s best pal, is played by actress Amanda Harris, who wears a sailor suit, carries a beach ball and sways as if floating in the water. King Triton is an oversize wall mount a la the Wizard of Oz with the talented John Luis Mazuelos voicing Triton. But unlike Oz, he’s not behind a curtain instead playing the part out in front. It’s an interesting choice by Rodaz and one of the many exciting pieces of action to watch.

Benson, who graduated in 2023 from Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music, was approached by Rodaz this year to join the cast, who was no doubt in awe that her mother was the original Ariel. Benson plays a more mature Ariel, which makes the mermaid less of a stubborn teenager and a more confident woman.

Henry Thrasher (a doppelganger to Justin Timberlake) is Prince Eric, whose stance and demeanor is every bit of royalty. He and Benson, though, are like two ships sailing separately; better chemistry would make the characters’ love story more convincing.

Imran Hylton as the high-energy crab, Sebastian, who works for Triton and is told to keep tabs on Ariel, whirls around the set. In his top hat, he brings a magician-like appeal to his character, popping up, sometimes unexpectedly, in all different places.

Reprising their role as Ursula is Jonathan Chisolm whose character is unmistakably inspired by Jon Waters’ Divine and imbued with a dastardly laugh. When Chisolm is at the center of the show, everything is larger than life. It’s a role they obviously relish.

The other cast members, all stand outs, include Ava Bean, Nicole Becker, Carlos Bravo, Matisse Carmack, Tico Chiriboga, Greta Hicks, Donesha Rose, Luke Surretsky, David Velasco, and Katie Duerr who is also listed in the program as associate music director.

A three-piece orchestra, hidden not far from the entrance, brings a full sound to the score: Michael Day is the conductor on piano, Liubov Ohrimenco on violin, and Tom McCormick, winds.

Choreographer Irma Becker had her work cut out for her creating movement in a non-traditional environment and the skill that she brings out in the cast should not go unnoticed. Also credited with movement are Lauren Gaspard and Luciano Cortes. Sound design by Abraham Oleksnianski recreates the swishes and splashes of the sea that are so incredibly real you may feel as if you are on a boat, and Joe Naftal’s constantly shifting lighting design  – bright for the cheery times then darker to bring out the menacing – sets every mood.

The show is a wonderful treat for the summer and has been extended through Aug. 11 after an initial closing date of Aug. 4. The high price of tickets may be a drawback for some families who might want to enjoy “The Little Mermaid.” With the large cast, the detailed set design, the location, and the drastic cuts to arts funding by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, the price is understandable, just unfortunate.

WHAT: Area Stage in association with Loxen Productions presents Disney’s “The Little Mermaid”

WHERE: The Shops at Sunset Place, on the first floor in the northeast courtyard, 5701 Sunset Drive, Miami

WHEN: 7 p.m. Thursday-Sunday, 2 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, through Aug. 11

COST: $105, adult; $45, child, 12 and younger (immersive The Grotto), $85, adult, $45 child, 12 and younger, (Top Decks elevated seats), $50, adult, $30, (The Reef, corners further away from the action), all have extra $5 booking fee; $20 with no booking fee (obstructed view on stool with chance of free upgrade if available), only for 12 years of age and older.

INFORMATION: 305-666-2078 or www.areastage.org

ArtburstMiami.com is a nonprofit media source for the arts featuring fresh and original stories by writers dedicated to theater, dance, visual arts, film, music and more. Don’t miss a story at www.artburstmiami.com.

Review: Actors’ Playhouse’s ‘Hundred Days’ Is The Theatrical Epitome of Brat Summer

From left, Mallory Newbrough, Melanie Vitaterna, Nate Promkul and Stephen G. Anthony in Actors’ Playhouse at the Miracle Mile Theatre’s production of “Hundred Days” through Sunday, Aug. 4 in Coral Gables. (Photo courtesy of Alberto Romeu)

It may take one hundred days to fully realize all that’s happening on the Balcony Theatre stage at the Miracle Theater with Actors’ Playhouse’s season closer. And while the unusual musical theater concept “Hundred Days” may not be for everyone, it is an experience that should not be missed.

The talented actors-musicians, the direction and production design behind the scenes, and the unique all together different approach of the piece is 90 minutes of theater that’s bar none energizing.

The show runs at Actors Playhouse through Sunday, Aug. 4.

With shades of the influences of “Once,” “Rent” and “Hedwig and the Angry Inch,” indie rock duo and real-life married couple Abigail and Shaun Bengson (played in the regional production by Mallory Newbrough and Nate Promkul), created the 17-song musical memoir about their falling in love and marrying after only three weeks.

The concert song cycle smartly weaves together the Bengsons’ original songs, dialogue, banter and plenty of breaking the fourth wall conversations with the audience. The book was written by Sarah Gancher.

[RELATED: Read the artburstmiami.com preview of “Hundred Days.”]

The setting is New York City, and the vibe is an underground Greenwich Village club. The design by the talented Jodi Dellaventura creates the onstage club atmosphere, a back wall of faux brick, plenty of black musical instrument and large road equipment cases that double as representational set pieces: the benches of a diner booth, a car, a bed in an emergency room, a doctor’s office exam table. The floor is decorated in assorted styles of throw rugs, typical of rock band stage décor.

The story is a personal exploration of a late twenties to early thirtysomething couple with universal themes aplenty, but pointedly here: What if you meet the love of your life and, due to the wounds of past circumstances, you question the chances to lasting happiness?

 

Newbrough as Abigail has the lion’s share of heavy lifting in “Hundred Days.” The singing is a lesson in vocal gymnastics, from punk rock to folk to blues and testing a vocalist’s range from low alto to a yodeling soprano, most notably acute in the gritty song “Three Legged Dog.” Newbrough is more than up for the task and proves why she is one of the most versatile and committed South Florida actors.

As the character, she’s a bundle of nervous energy, waiting for the doomsday downfall of her relationship, which hangs over her like a black cloud. Abigail’s fear is based on her past and on a dream that’s haunted her for years.

Behind the heavily made-up eyes – blue eyeshadow covering every inch of lid and thick false eyelashes – Newbrough as Abigail brings the audience into her neurosis in a constant series of “what if’s?”  Promkul, on the other side of the relationship, captures Shaun as a doe-eyed lovestruck but solid guy who needs to and does have the patience of a saint. Abigail at one point leaves him because her unfounded fear has become too much.

Promkul, who has become a regular on the South Florida theater scene (he was a stand out as son Gabe in the 2023 of “Next to Normal” at Zoetic Stage), shows his skill for depth of character but also the score counts on him to be the leader of the six-piece band. He’s more than able and, remembering that the music duo wrote the score, must have the guitar skill to be that believable front man. And that he does.

Director David Arisco has found in Newbrough and Promkul the perfect yin to each other’s yang and it’s entrancing to watch. There are multiple times to see this in action, but the most captivating is the scene where the two, seated at the edge of the stage, imagine their future, decade by decade, even into their 100s. Newbrough and Promkul’s natural free form in the dialogue is mesmerizing. The duo’s beautiful chemistry in the fourth song in the show, “I Will Wait For You,” where the composers have given the pair verses that wrap around each other, is a musical highlight. The entirely catchy title song “Hundred Days” is one that lingers and deserves a Spotify download for the drive home.

The remainder of the cast is made up of other double and triple threat talents who act and play musical instruments – Jenn Chandler is Collette, the cellist seated next to the drummer and unassuming. But, just at the right time, she injects a bit of advice through dialogue. Melanie Vitaterna as Barrie is the bad-ass right hand singer-accordion player to Newbrough’s Abigail. Stephen G. Anthony, once again shows that given any role he can bring something remarkable to it. Here he’s the adult in the room, bass player Reggie. And multi-instrumentalist Dennis Fuller is the solid drummer who also adds the necessary tick-tock beats that signal the passage of time.

Dominique Scott had his work cut out for him as music director but the musician in his own right (he’s releasing a new album of his own called “Rise” this year) brings authenticity to the music and, in working with the actors-musician, imbues in them that same authenticity.  The familiar onstage face at Actors’ Playhouse starred as Jerry Lee Lewis in the theater’s “Million Dollar Quartet” and “Million Dollar Quartet Christmas.”

Reidar Sorensen as sound designer had the tricky task of making sure that the lyrics didn’t get lost in music that, by its nature, could overpower. Sorensen’s keen ear and attention to detail makes everything crystal clear. Erik Nelson’s lighting fits the concert-club bill but brings in dramatic hot tension or soothing cool tones to match the storytelling. Ellis Tillman’s costume designs, especially for the rock chick look for Abigail – her short skirt recalling a Sex Pistols’ album cover with phrases such as “Politics of Dance,” “Love Hurts,” and “Everything’s Gonna Be Alright,” Anthony’s retro guitar T-shirt, and Vitaterna’s ripped leggings, with Promkul’s more subdued browns and greens, capture the essence of the characters.

The pair’s story isn’t remarkable and sometimes it can seem trite, but what wraps around this glorious production is an infectious energy that is undeniable. Just like the couple who dive into their fear feet first, “Hundred Days” asks its audience to leave expectations at the door and abandon notions of what musical theater should be. It’s a great way to jump on the bandwagon of the latest trend: “Hundred Days” is the theatrical epitome of “brat summer.”

WHAT: “Hundred Days” by Abigail and Shaun Bengson 

WHERE: Actors’ Playhouse at the Miracle Theater, 280 Miracle Mile, Coral Gables

 WHEN: Through Sunday, Aug. 4; 8 p.m., Wednesday through Saturday, 3 p.m. Sunday.

 COST: $40 for preview performances (July 17-18), $55 and $65 weekdays, $65 and $75 on weekends (seniors 65 and older, 10 percent off weekdays), $15 for students with valid ID for rush tickets available 15 minutes before weekday performances.

 INFORMATION: 305-444-9293 or actorsPlayhouse.org

ArtburstMiami.com is a nonprofit media source for the arts featuring fresh and original stories by writers dedicated to theater, dance, visual arts, film, music and more. Don’t miss a story at www.artburstmiami.com.

 

Actors’ Playhouse Closes Season With ‘Hundred Days,’ A Theatrical Concert Experience

From left, Mallory Newbrough, Melanie Vitaterna, Nate Promkul, Dennis Fuller, Stephen G. Anthony and Jenn Chandler in “Hundred Days” opening at Actors’ Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre, Coral Gables, on Friday, July 19. (Photo courtesy of Alberto Romeu)

A crimson drum set takes up a large chunk of the stage area, marked off by yellow tape. A keyboard, accordion, an electric guitar, and an acoustic guitar are all set neatly by black chairs set up in a circle in the rehearsal space.

The cast of the upcoming “Hundred Days” musical, opening at Actors’ Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre on Friday, July 19, is preparing for a full run through. Their musical director, Dominique Scott, settles behind a black music stand, while their director (and the theater’s artistic director), David Arisco, takes a seat off to the side. One of the stars of the show, Mallory Newbrough, who plays lead vocalist Abigail Bengson, positions herself behind the center microphone stand.

Newbrough rolls her shoulders back and wraps both her hands over the mic. She gets a gleam in her eyes and the transition from Newbrough to Abigail is complete.

The six-person show is a unique theater experience. It’s an intimate concert meets Broadway musical meets cabaret. The story centers around a real-life couple, Abigail and Shaun Bengson, and the first one hundred days of their relationship. The pair, who met and were married three weeks later, wrote the musical together.

“When I heard the music, I knew that I wanted to do the show,” says Arisco. “This is a show that’s driven by the soundtrack, it’s driven by the score and by the music.”

When he was first organizing the 2023-24 season for the playhouse, Arisco knew he wanted to include “Hundred Days,” he just wasn’t sure how.

“There was something about the show that didn’t seem to fit into the season,” says the artistic director. “And then I had the summer slot, and I just had this crazy idea to try something new for the younger folks in Miami… I hate to use the word ‘eclectic,’ but this might be the most eclectic season we’ve ever done.”

“Hundred Days” is not like a traditional musical where the orchestra is hidden somewhere out of sight from the audience. Instead, the musicians are integrated within the performance and their instruments remain on stage the entire time. The production also requires a musical director with a skilled ear. Arisco knew exactly who he wanted: Scott.

“The first musical I ever did professionally was ‘Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat’ directed by David Arisco,” he says, looking over at his mentor-turned-colleague sitting to his right. “Hundred Days” will be the fourth professional production with Actor’s Playhouse for Scott. “If you count all the shows I did as a teen here, it would be over a dozen,” he adds with a laugh.

Scott has plenty of experience arranging, producing, and starring in musicals. As a musician himself, his skillset was ideal to be musical director.

“Speaking musically, there’s like a very acoustic sound to the show,” says Scott. “But then there’s also an electronic sound as well. And what’s cool is that you’ll hear folk sounds but then you’ll also hear hip hop and trap sounds. This music is really unique. People will experience something that they can’t experience elsewhere.”

The music has had an impact on the performers, too, they say.

“I introduced myself via the music,” says Newbrough, who plays Abigail Bengson. “The soundtrack itself is quite narrative and tells a story on its own.”

About her character, Newbrough describes Abigail as someone who is haunted by her own demons. She’s an anxious person, which will be a trait that many in the audience will understand.

“I would say because Abigail is quite a complex character, she’s kind of plagued by her past. This baggage from the past makes future happiness with anyone seem impossible, and I think it’s something that’s relatable to a lot of people.”

In the end, “Hundred Days” is a love story. It touches on all sorts of emotions and anxieties tied to those first one hundred days of a fresh relationship, namely the fear that the relationship will end. In Abigail’s case, she thinks Shaun will die. Which begs the question that inspired the production: what would you do if you only have one hundred days to live?

“My answer, up to now, has always been ‘yes,’” says Scott. “Even though you know that the roller coaster is gonna end, you still get on it — for better or for worse.”

An inevitable ending shouldn’t stop anyone from a beginning. “Hundred Days” wants to encourage audiences to live life to the fullest because we never know how much time we’ve got.

Arisco, the show’s director, chimes in saying, “The message of the show is no matter how difficult the road is, and how many turns it takes, and how many times you want to run away from it, when you find that special someone, how do you make the most of it? How do you make the most of every moment you have together?”

WHAT: “Hundred Days” by Abigail and Shaun Bengson 

WHERE: Actors’ Playhouse at the Miracle Theater, 280 Miracle Mile, Coral Gables

 WHEN: Opens Friday, July 19 through Sunday, Aug. 4; 8 p.m., Wednesday through Saturday, 3 p.m. Sunday.

 COST: $40 for preview performances (July 17-18), $55 and $65 weekdays, $65 and $75 on weekends (seniors 65 and older, 10 percent off weekdays), $15 for students with valid ID for rush tickets available 15 minutes before weekday performances.

 INFORMATION: 305-444-9293 or actorsPlayhouse.org

ArtburstMiami.com is a nonprofit media source for the arts featuring fresh and original stories by writers dedicated to theater, dance, visual arts, film, music and more. Don’t miss a story at www.artburstmiami.com.

Audiences Are Part of The Party In ‘Sweet 15 My Quinceañera’

Rene Lavan plays a deadbeat dad and Lauren Lopez is his resentful daughter in “Sweet 15 My Quinceañera!,” which opens in previews on Saturday, July 20 through Sunday, Sept. 22 at The Hub at Temple Beth Am,  Pinecrest. (Photo courtesy of Ivonne Photos)

After years of long-running success of the interactive off-Broadway play “Tony ‘N’ Tina’s Wedding,” that ran for 22 years and which brought audiences into the dysfunctional family Italian American wedding, it was only a matter of time before we got a Latino party play.

“Sweet 15 My Quinceañera” is the latest audience-immersive play to join the fold.  It’s Sonora’s Sweet 15 party, but she’s 22 years old. She didn’t have her “quince” after Miami family patriarch Eddy Valderrama, played by Rene Lavan, left his family when his daughter was just about to turn 15.

“She’s missed her quinceañera because her father gambled away all of his money and now, he wants to make it up to her,” says Lavan.

The show had a limited run in Miami last April, but now opens with a newly revised production at The Hub at Temple Beth Am, a 514-seat theater in Pinecrest, in previews on Saturday, July 20 and runs through Sunday, Sept. 22.

Written by Rick Najera, who wrote and starred in “Latinologues on Broadway,” which was directed by Cheech Marin of the duo “Cheech & Chong,” and played on Broadway at the Helen Hayes Theatre in 2005, Najera describes “Sweet 15 My Quinceañera” as a play about all kinds of celebrations.

“It celebrates family, it celebrates forgiveness, and it’s about seeing the human condition. It’s very funny, but there are real stories happening between the lines. I think it also has heart because it really is about my family. You’ll see aspects of my family throughout the play,” says Najera, who grew up as a Mexican American in San Diego, Calif., and says he could see Mexico from his house.

Lavan had worked with Najera in “Latinologues,” which began in Los Angeles, he says, in a 99-seat theater. “We decided to take that on tour together,” he says. The pair teamed up again when Lavan was cast in the Chicago try out of “Sweet 15 My Quinceañera” in 2023.

“The audiences there really liked it, so we said, ‘let’s regroup.’ We had already taken one show all the way to Broadway, so I said, ‘Let’s do ‘Sweet 15’ in my hometown of Miami.”

“Sweet 15 My Quinceañera” had a short run at Coral Gables wedding hall Renaissance in the Gables in April of 2024. They invited William “Willie” Fernandez, who is based in Miami, of Broadway Factor Productions, whose company (including Jim Kierstead and Deborah Ramirez) has produced Tony-nominated plays and also a movie shot in South Florida, “Borrowed,” which is now streaming on multiple platforms.

“Willie said, yes, we could take this all the way off Broadway, so that’s kind of the plan,” says Levan, who not only stars in the show but also became one of the producers during its Chicago run. The play also stars Ruben Rabasa, Melissa Ann Hubicsak, Lauren C. Lopez, Roberto Escobar, Randy Garcia, Margarita Coego, and Michael Ferreiro and is directed by Jesus Quintero.

“There are a lot of references to the stuff that we, as Latinos, well, the way we think and the way we approach things and so you get a glance into this . . . madness of a Cuban American family and then there is the boyfriend, he’s Jewish. So, you have the Jewish perspective from Sonora’s boyfriend. You also have things that strike a chord – like the type of entertainment, the dances, the songs, so you get the flavor of what it’s like to go to an actual quinceañera.”

Najera wrote the play for his daughter, Sonora, he says. “This play kind of came out of me becoming a father,” says Najera. He recalls talking on the phone when the person on the other end of the line heard his young daughter in the background. “He said, “You’re going to throw her a quinceañera, right?’ And I said, ‘Well, I don’t know.’ Anyway, she was too young then.”

But Najera says it got him thinking about the tradition. “Some people are into quinceañeras and some are not, some people send their kids to Europe or something else.” He started writing a show built around an idea whose family didn’t celebrate the tradition with her on her fifteenth birthday and then says he had to figure out why.

“And the father comes back seven years later to throw (the party) and it goes terribly wrong.”

Did Najera throw his daughter a quinceañera?

“No, I actually sent her to Europe instead. But I do like the idea of the ceremony. In fact, we have women who have come to the show wearing their tiaras from their own parties. And they will come up and tell us that it was one of the happiest memories of their lives. Some of them say that was the day that they realized that their family really loved them, and they were so honored. For us, as Latinos, it’s a very particular Latin custom,” says Najera.

In Najera’s show, to make things up to his daughter for not being there, Valderrama now wants to throw the most extravagant celebration that money can buy.

“That’s what the character that Rene plays learns. That he didn’t have to do this to show his daughter that he loved her. He just had to be around and to be in her life.”

Lavan says he’s had the time of his life playing Eddy Valderrama. “We break the fourth wall constantly. We’re in the audience. We involve the audience as Sonora’s court at the quinceañera, the audience becomes the celebrity guests that I’ve hired. It’s a very interactive show.”

And whether you’ve had a quinceañera or have never been to a Sweet 15, Lavan says the show is relatable to anyone.

“The play is in English, but we throw a couple of words in Spanish to give it our flavor. It strikes a chord with any audience because of the idea of either throwing a party above and beyond what they can afford – families who go above and beyond to celebrate any holiday.”

Through all the antics and over-the-top comedy in “Sweet 15,” Lavan says that Najera also makes sure that the message comes across.

“The message is about the meaning of family, about second chances, and about forgiveness,” says Lavan.

WHAT: “Sweet 15 My Quinceañera,” an interactive play by Rick Najera

WHERE: The Hub at Temple Beth Am, 5950 N. Kendall Drive, Pinecrest

WHEN: Preview Saturday, July 20, opening night, Sunday, July 21. Through Sunday, Sept. 22. Pre-show cocktails for purchase at 7 p.m., show at 8 p.m. Saturday; pre-show cocktails at 4 p.m., showtime at 5 p.m., Sunday.

COST: $54 and $64 including fees

INFORMATION:  305-667-6667 or www.sweet15show.com

ArtburstMiami.com is a nonprofit source of dance, visual arts, music, and performing arts news. Sign up for our newsletter and never

Hispanic Theater Fest Of Miami Has Everything From Dramas To Mime To Musicals

Ecuador is represented this year by “Bruma” (“Haze”) by the Teatro del Cielo group, which takes the stage at the Koubek Center on July 12, 13 and 14 as part of the International Hispanic Theater Festival of Miami’s 38th edition. The festival runs through Sunday, Aug. 4 at four locations throughout the city. (Photo by Juan Xavier Borja/courtesy of Teatro del Cielo).

The International Hispanic Theater Festival of Miami (IHTF) opens its 38th edition on Thursday, July 11 at the Westchester Cultural Arts Center, in Tropical Park, with “Orgia,” a collection of intimate stories of abducted and battered women by the Spanish group La Rara.

“Orgia” is one of the 11 theater productions from Argentina, Ecuador, Mexico, Spain, the United States, Puerto Rico, Venezuela and Uruguay that will take to four stages in South Florida through Sunday, Aug. 4. Four of the plays will be performed with English supertitles: “Alan,”  “Barrabás, historia de un perro” (“Barabbas: Story of a Dog”); “Homenaje a los Alvarez Quintero” (“Tribute to the Álvarez Quintero”) and “Disonancia” (“Dissonance”).

For the second time in its almost four-decade history, IHTF includes a musical. “Alan,” from Spain, is based on real events about a trans boy who was harassed during his gender transition.

Also from Spain is “Homenaje a los Alvarez Quintero” (“Tribute to the Álvarez Quintero”), which walks audiences through the work of brothers Serafín and Joaquín Álvarez Quintero, famous Sevillian comedy authors, skits and zarzuela librettos from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The third play from Spain is for children. “Peneque, cien por cien valiente” (“Peneque, One Hundred Percent Brave”) is presented with no admission charge.

From Uruguay comes “Barrabás: historia de un perro,” the story of what happens when a two-year-old boy is attacked by the family dog ​​in the presence of his mother, who is unable to stop the attack. “It’s quite strong,” says Mario Ernesto Sánchez, the Festival director.

Sánchez runs down some of the other plays in the festival.

“From Argentina we bring a very different ‘Celestina.’ “From Ecuador is ‘Bruma’ (‘Haze’), with fantastic mimes; from Puerto Rico comes ‘Eter’, with a married couple as the protagonist; from Venezuela ‘La ira de Narciso’ (‘The Wrath of Narciso’), by Sergio Blanco, and (Teatro Avante) closes the Festival with a new work by the playwright Abel González Melo, ‘Disonancia,’ about some people that you find around in a Miami street after they were repressors in Cuba or in Venezuela.”

In addition to the Westchester Cultural Arts Center, there will be shows presented at the Adrienne Arsht Center’s Carnival Studio Theatre, Koubek Center Hall, and the Key Biscayne Community Center.

We asked Sánchez five questions about the festival.

You have said that to choose the plays you go as a scout to festivals such as FIBA ​​​​(Argentina) and Santiago a Mil (Chile), and that, in addition to what you manage to see during the year, you receive proposals and recommendations from colleagues and friends. How did it work this time?

The selection of works for the festival begins a year before. We have a board of a few people dedicated to reviewing all the applications and watching the videos. I prefer to see the work in person, because then, first-hand, I realize everything we need to invite the group to and also because I can appreciate the public’s reaction.

I am interested in observing the applause and comparing it with those that are lavished here in Miami, where it is already “unacceptable” to applaud while seated, and it is almost an obligation to shout “bravos” standing up with the most astonishing presumption.

Tell us about the main selection criteria.

There are several points, but first we must receive the required form that all companies or groups must send with the basic information of the work and all the artistic, administrative and technical needs. The main selection criteria are:

1. The work must be by an Ibero-American author, adaptation or descendant. This is very important, since our mission is to preserve our Hispanic culture. 2. (We consider) the artistic quality of the production, its message, the number of members, the ease of touring, obtaining a visa and other less important ones, such as not repeating works by the author in the same year.

What are the biggest setbacks you’ve faced this year?

Time is always the biggest setback. It’s as if the calendar passed us by without warning. Funds to achieve an adequate budget are also an obstacle. Many times, we are fragile and move forward trusting in “the generosity of strangers,” like Blanche Dubois, the character in “A Streetcar Named Desire.” For us, after 38 years, strangers are no longer strangers, we have gained the trust and friendship of many sponsors, colleagues and groups.

In Latin America, as in Spain, where there is a Ministry of Culture, public funds can be obtained for selected groups to participate in festivals. However, when the government in power stops supporting the arts and theater, companies have no choice but to remain in their country.

Finally, the biggest setback I have had to overcome in recent years has been being able to find a “stand-in”’ in every way, much younger than me. Somebody who knows, above all, how to accept the job with enthusiasm, interest, discipline and rigor for excellence, regardless of the hours it takes to achieve it.

Why did the Festival choose Juan Margallo and Petra Martínez to give them the Lifetime Dedication to the Arts Award?

This selection is as difficult and rigorous as the selection of the works. Through a panel led by Beatriz J. Rizk, director of our educational program, we choose one or more people who have dedicated their lives to the performing arts, as indicated in the title of the award.

Headed by late maestro Francisco Morín since 1989, the festival has awarded these recognitions to people who have more than deserved it. We already have 34 winners. The selection must be from Latin America, but so much time has passed that even if we don’t want to, the country is repeated, especially countries where theater is not a luxury, but a necessity. We have also selected celebrities from the United States’ Hispanic world.

Juan Margallo and Petra Martínez, talented creators, are also winners of the National Theater Award in Spain. They are considered one of the longest and most solid teams in Spanish theater. The festival invited them a few years ago and they brought “La Señora Doña Margarita,” by Roberto Athayde, directed by Margallo.

A new work by Abel González Melo and directed by you closes this festival. Can you give us a preview of the topic and a synopsis?

“Dissonance” takes place between two eras and two spaces, and its central theme is the mark that dictatorships, often arising under the guise of democratic revolutions, leave on societies and human beings. We analyze, through the tools that theater, thought and art give us, how totalitarian regimes develop mechanisms of violence, often overlapping and subtle, that violate and test the integrity of people.

WHAT: 38th International Hispanic Theater Festival of Miami featuring 11 shows and four with English supertitles

WHERE: Carnival Studio Theater at the Adrienne Arsht Center, 1300 Biscayne Boulevard, Miami; Westchester Cultural Arts Center, 7930 SW 40th St. (Tropical Park), Miami, Koubek Center Theater, 2705 SW 3rd St., Miami, and Key Biscayne Community Center, 10 Village Green Way, Key Biscayne.

WHEN: Various times. Thursday, July 11 to Sunday, Aug. 4

COST: $26.91, $29, $30, $32.10, $34. Free admission to “Peneque, One Hundred Percent Brave.”

INFORMATION: (305) 445-8877 or teatroavante.org/programa

ArtburstMiami.com is a nonprofit media source for the arts featuring fresh and original stories by writers dedicated to theater, dance, visual arts, film, music and more. Don’t miss a story at www.artburstmiami.com.