Review: ‘Jersey Boys’ At Actors’ Playhouse A Certified Hit

From left, Joshua Charles Skurnik, Domenic Servidio, Nathan Cockroft, and Quinn Corcoran in Actors’ Playhouse’s “Jersey Boys” at the Miracle Theatre in Coral Gables through Sunday, Feb. 23.  (Photo by Albert Romeu, courtesy of Actors’ Playhouse)

“Jersey Boys” has finally arrived at Actors’ Playhouse in a lively production sure to have audiences on their feet, mouthing the words, and surreptitiously singing along.

In case you’ve been living under a musical theater rock for the past 21 years, “Jersey Boys” is a jukebox musical about the chart-topping quartet the Four Seasons – from their hardscrabble beginnings in New Jersey in the 1950s to their induction in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990. The musical debuted on Broadway in 2005 and spent the next 12 years there, in addition to touring the world.

At the Actors’ Playhouse opening night, artistic director David Arisco and director of the production said in his curtain speech that he’d been waiting since 2005 to get the rights for “Jersey Boys.” It was worth the wait.

From left, Nathan Cockroft as Tommy DeVito, Joshua Charles Skurnik as Frankie Valli, Quinn Corcoran as Bob Gaudio, and Domenic Servidio as Nick Massi in Actors’ Playhouse’s “Jersey Boys” (Photo by Albert Romeu, courtesy of Actors’ Playhouse)

The structure of the show is that each of the original members of the Four Seasons – Frankie Valli, Tommy DeVito, Nick Massi, and Bob Gaudio – tell their versions of the story of the group. With a few exceptions, the Four Seasons’ songs are used chronologically to portray the group’s rise to super stardom.

The story begins in the 1950s with Tommy DeVito (Nathan Cockroft), and the various incarnations of his early bands with his friend, Nick Massi (Domenic Servidio).

Tommy meets Frankie Valli, (Joshua Charles Skurnik) a young teen with the voice – and falsetto – of an angel and brings him into the group. They flounder under a constantly changing band name and revolving door of musicians in that fourth slot, until a friend of Tommy’s named Joey (Tony Lawrence Clements) introduces the band to Bob Gaudio (Quinn Corcoran). Gaudio is a songwriter, keyboardist, and singer who’s already had a hit song with another band. He joins the group, the Four Seasons are born, and suddenly the sky is the limit.

“Jersey Boys” focuses on the music and hits, including “Sherry,” “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” and “Walk Like a Man,” but doesn’t shy away from the darker side of those happy years, which includes financial mismanagement, infighting, personal loss, and the eventual replacement of some of the original members. And while there is drama and plenty at stake, “Jersey Boys” always returns to the resilience of Valli – the man is in his 90s and still touring – and the longevity of the music.

The actors capture the sound and harmonies of the actual Four Seasons, and many of the musical numbers are staged so the audience feels they’re at one of the band’s concerts in the 1960s.

The four leads are the only cast members who play a single character; everyone else has multiple roles.

Domenic Servidio, Caroline Ordonez, and Nathan Cockroft in Actors’ Playhouse’s “Jersey Boys” (Photo by Albert Romeu, courtesy of Actors’ Playhouse)

Michael Scott Ross brings plenty of humor to his main role as Bob Crewe, the astrology-loving, flamboyant songwriter and producer for the Four Seasons. Seth Trucks excels as Gyp, the mobster friend to the band, as well as other characters throughout the show. And in a sea of male characters, Elaine Cotter delivers a standout performance as Mary Delgado, Frankie Valli’s first wife.

Cockroft nails the Jersey attitude needed to play DeVito, and he’s a fine singer, too, as he demonstrates on “Earth Angel” early in the show. If there’s a villain in “Jersey Boys,” it’s DeVito, and Cockroft leans into that, but also imbues his character with an invincibility and affability that makes his behavior believable and forgivable.

Corcoran plays Gaudio, one of the lynchpins to the band’s success, with an otherness that fits the show and character. While Gaudio was a team player, his Jersey upbringing was suburban, unlike Tommy, Nick, and Frankie, and that has an impact on his perspective. Corcoran plays Gaudio with refinement and warmth, and performs the classic 1975 hit, “December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night)” to perfection.

Servidio is spot on as Nick Massi, a man of few words, although when he does let loose, it’s fabulous. Servidio’s big spotlight scene is when impeccably groomed, fastidious Nick finally vents to the rest of the group about what it’s like to share a hotel room with Tommy, a thoughtless, disgusting slob. It’s a very funny scene, made all the more comical by Servidio’s explosive delivery.

From left, Quinn Corcoran, Joshua Charles Skurnik, Nathan Cockroft, and Domenic Servidio in Actors’ Playhouse’s “Jersey Boys.” (Photo by Albert Romeu, courtesy of Actors’ Playhouse)

Skurnik is a Jersey boy (from Bergen, N.J.) in real life and does a fine job portraying fellow native Frankie Valli. Although Skurnik’s voice has a nasal quality that comes through on some songs, his interpretation succeeds on most of the Four Seasons songs as well as Frankie Valli’s solo hits. He’s particularly great in portraying the evolution of a singer’s voice – as a very young Frankie he sounds like Mickey Mouse – and Skurnik’s voice in the show matures as his character ages.

Brandon M. Newton’s interpretation of the “Jersey Boys” scenic design of two metal staircases on each side of the stage flanking a narrow runway overhead is the perfect frame for all of the locations in the show. Ellis Tillman’s costumes are fun and evoke their period setting, especially in the free-wheeling 1960s. Eric Nelson’s lighting design gives the show a real-life concert vibe. Reidar Sorensen’s sound is crisp, clear, and does not overpower the performers.

A special shout-out to the excellent nine-piece live band, who perform onstage, behind the set and performers. They do a lot of the heavy lifting in “Jersey Boys,” and perform each song beautifully.

There’s a reason “Jersey Boys” spent 12 years on Broadway and has played to packed houses throughout the world. It’s fun and it’s nostalgia at its best.

Whether you’ve seen the show before or it’s your first time with the “Jersey Boys,” the Actors’ Playhouse production is a great way to experience the music of the Four Seasons — a part of the soundtrack of our lives.

WHAT:  “Jersey Boys”

WHERE:  Actors’ Playhouse at The Miracle Theatre, 280 Miracle Mile, Coral Gables

WHEN:  8 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday; 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday through Sunday, Feb. 23. 

COST:  $50, $60, and $70, weekdays; $65, $75, and $85, weekends.

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.

GableStage Takes Audiences Inside a Southern Plantation House For ‘Appropriate’

Seated, from left, Brandon Lafleur as Rhys, Rachel Burttram as Toni, Lorenzo Garcia as Ainsley, and Cecile Etzbach as Cassidy. Standing, Natalie Donahue McMahon as River, Tony Larkin as Frank/Franz, Mark H. Dold as Bo and Suzanne Ankrum in GableStage’s “Appropriate” opening Friday, Jan. 31 through Sunday, Feb. 23, inside the Biltmore Hotel, Coral Gables. (Photo by Magnus Stark/courtesy of GableStage)

It’s summer in Arkansas and members of the Lafayette family arrive after the brood’s patriarch has died. They are ready to sift through what’s left in the Southern plantation home, perhaps sell the place, split the money, and do everything most families are tasked with when someone passes away.

“Appropriate” opened on Broadway in December of 2023 and, after a demand for ticket sales, moved to another theater for an extension, finally closing at the end of June 2024. Only six months since its bow on Broadway, the play gets its Miami premiere at GableStage opening Friday, Jan. 31 and running through Sunday, Feb. 23.

Producing artistic director Bari Newport first read Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ play “Appropriate” in 2013. Now she’s bringing it to GableStage only six months after it closed on Broadway. (Photo by Magnus Stark/courtesy of GableStage)

Bari Newport, GableStage’s producing artistic director, says she read the original version of the play in 2013 when she was leading the Penobscot Theater Company in Bangor, Maine. “At the time, it wasn’t right for that theater; the many, many layers didn’t make themselves known on the page,” she recalls. When she saw it on Broadway, she noticed that some “nips and tucks” had been made, which “helped bring out” more of the comedy. “It’s really quite funny and poignant. I believe it’s very much an actor’s piece and an ensemble piece. Each one of the characters is somewhat of an archetype and I try to find the Achilles heel of each of them.”

Written by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, a Black playwright, “Appropriate” deals with a white family faced with denying or profiting from a legacy of racism. While the play is a feat getting eight actors together to create the perfect ensemble (two child actors are in the production, eight-year-old South Florida actor Lorenzo Garcia and Cecile Etzbach, a 13-year-old student at Ransom Everglades), there are other mountains to climb to create the realistic atmosphere.

For the company to put “Appropriate” inside the theater has been a technical undertaking, admits Newport. “It is pushing us in a lot of different ways to be more ambitious technically. It’s one thing to design it and then it’s another thing to build it,” she says, giving credit “where credit is due” to her technical team behind the scenes.

Newport says audiences will be “absolutely astounded by the set.” While the New York production created a cavernous, high-ceiling Southern mansion, Newport says the antebellum Arkansas plantation had to be entirely rethought for the GableStage space, housed since 1998 in the former horse stables at the historic Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables.

“We only have width. We don’t have much depth,” confides Newport, about the approximately 140-seat theater.

The set, created by GableStage’s resident designer Frank J Oliva, is built out into the audience with the carpeted area of the floor covered with wood. The chandelier, which hangs in the house, is over the audience. “It’s about family roots and tree roots and history repeating itself. I wanted to make sure that the audience weren’t passive observers; they are truly sitting inside the house,” she says.

Rachel Burttram returns to GableStage as Toni in “Appropriate” after her debut with the company as Nora in “A Doll’s House, Part 2” in 2023. (Photo by Magnus Stark/courtesy of GableStage)

Rachel Burttram last appeared at GableStage in 2023 as Nora in Luca Hnath’s “A Doll’s House, Part 2.” She’s playing the role of Antoinette “Toni” Lafayette, which won Broadway actress Sarah Paulson, who originated the role, a Tony Award.

Toni is the oldest of the three Lafayette siblings, along with brother Bo (played by Mark H. Dold, last seen in GableStage’s “The Lehman Trilogy”) and estranged kid brother Frank, who now goes by Franz (played by Tony Larkin). She asserts herself as the matriarch, a sharp-tongued, no-holds-barred caretaker who remains loyal to her father especially when discoveries are made in the home that have everyone questioning his character.

Buttram, who was raised in Birmingham, Alabama, and has recently moved back to her hometown to be closer to her aging parents, says she relates to Toni’s over-protectiveness of her father.

“I was talking to some people about the play recently and I was fascinated because I just assumed everyone’s dynamics with their father were what I knew. All Southern women, if they have a good relationship with their father, well there’s this special bond, especially if you’re the eldest daughter,” says the actress. “That’s my life, right? He wants you to be tough because he probably wanted a son, and so you do have that toughness, and maybe you are a little bossy and you’re not afraid to have an opinion.”

Minneapolis-based Tony Larkin makes his debut with GableStage as Frank/Franz in “Appropriate.” (Photo by Magnus Stark/courtesy of GableStage)

Buttram says as she was reading the play before starting rehearsals, she said to herself, ” ‘I have to have really deep, serious conversations with my dad around this play,’ ” adding that he was “completely fascinated.”

While it does fit the mold of an American family drama a la Eugene O’Neill’s “Long Day’s Journey Into Night” or Traci Letts’ Pulitzer Prize-winning “August: Osage County,” Newport says it’s more of a satire on the genre.

Newport says that with all the drama that is inherent in “Appropriate,” she believes it shouldn’t be “played” as a drama. “It’s a satire or a dramedy if anything, but it’s very much a satire.”

When a book of photographs is found among the dead father’s belongings, it brings out long-held resentments among other turmoils within the family.

“What the play is really about,” says Newport, “are the people in the book who are not on stage. In many, many inappropriate ways, the play is a ride. It’s a fun night at the theater because it’s so wrong in so many right ways.”

WHAT: “Appropriate,” the Miami premiere by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins

WHERE: GableStage in the Biltmore Hotel, 1200 Anastasia Ave., Coral Gables 

WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. 2 p.m. Wednesday and Sunday. Opens Friday, Jan. 31 through Sunday, Feb. 23.

COST: $40 and $50, all with additional $10 service fee (discounts for students, teachers, artists, military and groups). 

INFORMATION: 305-445-1119 or gablestage.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: ‘Bad Dog’ At Miami New Drama Tackles The Art World, Identity, And A Dog’s Life

Liba Vaynberg as the Gallerina and Caleb Scott as David/Buddy in Harley Elias’s “Bad Dog,” getting its world premiere at Miami New Drama at the Colony Theatre, Miami Beach, through Sunday, Feb. 16. (Photo by Morgan Sophia Photography/courtesy of Miami New Drama)

In 1974, German Conceptual artist Joseph Beuys arrived by plane to New York City. He was met by assistants who wrapped him in a large piece of felt per his direction, put him on a stretcher, loaded him into an ambulance and delivered him to a gallery in SoHo.

Waiting there was a coyote in a small space made to look like a corral. Beuys would spend three days, eight hours a day, with the live coyote. A spirit animal in Native American culture, the art piece was viewed as a critical commentary of the United States and how it had not found a way to coexist with Indigenous people.

Mia Matthews as Jane, Liba Vaynberg as the Gallerina and Caleb Scott as David/Buddy in Harley Elias’s new play “Bad Dog” at Miami New Drama. (Photo by Morgan Sophia Photography/courtesy of Miami New Drama)

“Bad Dog” at Miami New Drama recalls Beuys and his “Coyote.”  In Harley Elias’s dark comedy, making its world premiere at the Colony Theatre through Sunday, Feb. 16, there are parallels to Beuys’ message — the questioning of one’s identity and identity politics, which are crucial to shaping the play’s narrative.

An artist, only identified as David (Caleb Scott), whose works can net a fortune for a gallerist, Jane, decides to present his most compelling piece to date for the Art Basel crowd who’ll descend on Miami. Gallerist Jane sees it as a cash cow.

For one month, he’ll be completely in character as a dog named Buddy. He instructs that wee-wee pads be placed in corners of the gallery and that he’ll be walked outside as a “dog” to relieve himself. He’ll only eat dog food. He’ll also be chained to a wall of the gallery.

Throughout the show and the “art show,” pieces of information left by the artist on an encrypted hard drive are revealed, which provide a window into the performance artist’s reasoning for his latest work. The artist appears on a video screen for insight, or someone must read a text that is unsealed in dramatic fashion.

Caleb Scott as David, a performance artist, who lives as a dog in a gallery for a month in Harley Elias’s “Bad Dog” at Miami New Drama. (Photo by Morgan Sophia Photography/courtesy of Miami New Drama)

David is the central character that gives voice to his struggle. We learn in Scene Two after the initial comic effect is introduced – a grown man in a jock strap on a chain and on all fours – why the artist has chosen to have surgical implants to have real fangs and undergo drastic transformations to become like a dog.

Elias’s play was commissioned as part of Miami New Drama’s The Y6K project, an initiative that began in the wake of the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas and an increase in antisemitism.

David reveals in a statement that is read by the Assistant that he has always been perceived as a Jewish artist. A video screen on a side wall shows the word “Jew” in large text. The assistant reads the artist’s statement. It is existential to the core and, as a satire in itself, is wrapped up in philosophical art speak, but there is a message. “In a time when in the art world at large, all art must deal with one’s identity, the only art that people allow me to make, is art that deals with my Jewishness. . . ” As a dog, he has “relinquished his humanness.” He invites visitors to the gallery to “domesticate” him.

Liba Vaynberg as the Gallerina bares her soul to David/Buddy in a scene from “Bad Dog” at Miami New Drama. (Photo by Morgan Sophia Photography/courtesy of Miami New Drama)

As “Bad Dog” progresses, the comedy is heightened among the challenges of what it takes to keep a man as a dog in a gallery for a month, including the legality of a human defecating in public even if he’s in character as a canine.

But it isn’t only the artist’s life we’re asked to buy into: the playwright has created high stakes for each of the other three characters, where inevitably David’s choice leads to them questioning their own identities.

Mia Matthews’ Jane is the big dog, barking orders at her lead curatorial assistant, the Gallerina, played by Liba Vaynberg, and demanding sandwich runs from Krystal Millie Valdes as her assistant. Meanwhile, the two assistants have their own competition over pecking order.

Liba Vaynberg and Krystal Millie Valdes as assistants in a Miami gallery in “Bad Dog,” a new play at Miami New Drama. (Photo by Morgan Sophia Photography/courtesy of Miami New Drama)

Each actress is given a singular story by the playwright, a tall order to pull off in the midst of the central focus – a man entirely devoted to life as a dog.

But they are all up to the task in originating the characters. Matthews goes from Miranda Priestly in “The Devil Wears Prada” to someone who realizes that maybe she’s been judgmental her entire life because of antisemitic messages she was exposed to by her family. It’s a hard turn for an actress to make convincingly – to go from caricature to a sympathetic character, but a depth she is able to reach.  Meanwhile, she gets the laughs with her physical comedy when Jane gets on all fours letting Buddy do whatever is necessary for her to sell his priceless works – it is a side-splitting pas de deux.

Mia Matthews gets down to Caleb Scott’s level in “Bad Dog” at Miami New Drama through Sunday, Feb. 16. (Photo by Morgan Sophia Photography/courtesy of Miami New Drama)

Valdes as the Assistant is left to discover that she’d rather be a poetic songwriter than scratching and clawing her way through the ranks of the art world. Valdes shows depth as she takes her character from meek to mighty. Sometimes, however, the rapid fire in which she approaches her lines leaves some of the important elements missed. One of the character’s crucial tasks is to convey the artist’s message as to why he’s become a dog.

Vaynberg makes the most of the Gallerina and basks in the rich material that Elias has given her. A monologue in which she talks aloud to the dog is exceptionally expressive, especially with no other actor on the other side as Buddy doesn’t speak  – her timing is so wonderfully natural. Perhaps it’s because she is a playwright herself that she makes meaning of every word and each line.

Scott as David/Buddy plays the part with wild abandon, believable to his core. As Buddy, he’s entirely in the moment throughout and finds incredible nuances. He spends almost an entire scene fixated on a chew toy. In taped sessions as David, the actor stands in stark contrast to the panting mutt on stage. What is truly a difficult role, Scott makes look easy.

Michel Hausmann’s direction instills a sense of urgency at every moment allowing for an edge-of-your-seat experience. There are multiple scenes, which demand different configurations and no set change. Hausmann finds a way to keep everything and everyone on course during the one hour and 40-minute piece, which has no intermission. A good choice as an intermission would interrupt the necessary flow required of the story.

Krystal Mille Valdes as the Assistant delivers a message from David, the artist, about why he’s transformed into a dog. (Photo by Morgan Sophia Photography/courtesy of Miami New Drama)

Christopher and Justin Swader’s scenic design of the gallery is minimalist as it should be with the addition of skylights that bring in a sense of place. Christopher Vergara’s costumes chooses black and white ensembles for the assistants to allow for Jane’s contemporary art, overly colorful swatched dresses to be in stark contrast. And for Buddy, Vergara’s creation lends itself to realism along with humor. Original music by Salomon Lerner, with a focus on the deep masculine cello creates tension. At the same time, Kirk Bookman’s lighting design transforms the atmosphere from comic lightness to a deeply emotional narrative. Jemeelah Bailey as props designer and set dresser gets laughs from the oversized dog bed and Buddy’s metal bowls, and more.

Seeing new theater is thrilling when it is done well and while “Bad Dog” could use a few tweaks here and there — there are too many stories to follow giving each of the four characters an arc (could the assistant just be a supporting character?) – it’s a soul-searching, comic rollercoaster ride. This original play certainly follows the theory of what good art should do – elicit emotion, provoke thought and, of course, entertain.

WHAT: “Bad Dog” by Harley Elias

WHERE: Miami New Drama production at the Colony Theatre, 1040 Lincoln Road, Miami Beach

WHEN: 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, 3 p.m. Sunday, through Feb. 16

COST: $46.50, $66.50,  $76.50 (plus a $6.50 service charge)

INFORMATION:  305-674-1040 or miaminewdrama.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: ‘Lincoln Road Hustle’ Is A One-Of-A-Kind Miami Theatrical Experience

Gregg Weiner as the Host and Jovon Jacobs as the Streetsweeper in Miami New Drama’s “Lincoln Road Hustle” playing a scene in front of the outdoor audience on Lincoln Road in the immersive experience running through Sunday, Feb. 16. (Photo by Julia Rose/courtesy of Miami New Drama)

Miami is a town of hustles –outdoor menu hosts barking today’s specials trying to get people into a Lincoln Road Mall restaurant, big name chefs vying for a Michelin star, developers taking advantage of the untouched beach of the Atlantic Ocean, building extravagant penthouses with designer interiors to line their pockets.

Miami New Drama takes the hustle and puts it into five short plays surrounded by a central theme (“the hustle” and not the 70s disco dance) with the stories coming together for a rousing finale.

There’s “Kitchen Critiques” where a social media Food Influencer (Marcela Paguaga) is invited for a freebie meal for promotional video purposes at the pre-opening of Chef Luna’s (Carmen Palaez) restaurant. In “Only Fandom,” a mother (Irene Adjan) and possible future daughter-in-law (Krystal Mille Valdez) sit at an outdoor table (the scene is the real Issabella’s on Lincoln Road) to discuss the future, which may include a pre-nuptial agreement along with other surprises.

A social media Food Influencer (Marcela Paguaga) is invited for a freebie meal for promotional video purposes at the pre-opening of Chef Luna’s (Carmen Palaez) restaurant in “Lincoln Road Hustle.” (Photo by Morgan Sophia Photography/courtesy of Miami New Drama)

A young entrepreneur (Carlos Fabian Medina) tracks down his role model, billionaire developer Deleon (Steve Anthony) in “Lifted.” “I’ve read all your books,” he says. ” ‘Building Fountains of the Future’ is my favorite. It changed my life,” he gushes, but the praise has an undercurrent: He’s hustling to get his cleaning business inside Deleon’s soon-to-be first casino on Miami Beach. And there’s more.

Two thieves (Kaelyn Gonzalez and Gabriell Salgado) bump into each other in a dark empty space filled with valuable relics uncovered during a development dig in “The Heist,” and a street sweeper (Jovon Jacobs) and a restaurant host (Gregg Weiner) trade stories of their groundhog-day jobs in “Shit Dance.”

Kaelyn Gonzalez and Gabriell Salgado meet unexpectedly in “The Heist,” a scene in Miami New Drama’s Lincoln Road Hustle. (Photo by FURIOSA Productions/courtesy of Miami New Drama)

Every character in “Lincoln Road Hustle” is taking risks. And, with the immersive production, MiND artistic director Michel Hausmann, who also directs the production, does too. It’s part of the heart-pounding fun of “Hustle.”

Let’s consider the setup. “Lincoln Road Hustle” is performed live along the busy pedestrian stretch of Miami Beach. Get your ticket at the box office, check the color of the ticket,  then head over to a table filled with headphones and guides to outfit you with the right one. Your ticket and headphones are color-coded to coincide with what group you’ll be in.

How this all plays out is that you may see “Kitchen Critiques” first, then go to “Only Fandom.” Or maybe you see “Shit Dance” first then head off to the “indoor restaurant” to meet the food influencer and the chef. The succession of the five plays is different for each group.

It’s as fascinating as a Rubik’s Cube how everything coalesces despite five different starts at different scenes. And this is what sets “Lincoln Road Hustle’s” bar higher than MiND’s previous immersive shows, which began with “Seven Deadly Sins,” born of necessity to COVID with audiences in chairs outside of storefronts and actors behind glass performing to keep a safe distance. This first incarnation employed headphones, which is the same as “Hustle,” both needing the technology to allow for the dialogue to be heard.

“Only Fandom” takes place at an outdoor table at the real Issabella’s where regular patrons are part of the action. Krystal Millie Valdes and Irene Adjan are a future daughter in law and mother in law in the short play. (Photo by Morgan Sophia Photography/courtesy of Miami New Drama)

The second immersive show by MiND at the Rubell Museum used priceless artwork as the focal point to develop the scenes. In both cases, every short play stood on its own. The finale of “The Museum Plays” gathered the cast and the audience for the last play, but it was a standalone that didn’t tie everything together.

“Hustle” follows the same finale format. In this case, the audience returns to where they were told to gather for the opening scene. It’s a set up for the press conference for Roberto Antonio Francisco Emilio Rodrigo Deleon, the Lion of Lincoln Road, to make his announcement about developing Miami Beach’s multi-use extravaganza with luxury condos and a casino. For the wrap up, all hell breaks loose with close degrees of separation between all the characters appearing in the five plays.

The short plays (12 to 14 minutes each) are catchy and comical, written by Billy Corben and Harley Elias, who were commissioned to put into words and create characters from Hausmann’s initial idea.

Some work better than others – “Kitchen Critiques” and “Only Fandom” have good beginnings, middles and ends, while “Shit Dance” seems up in the air and a bit contrived – something about a sick kid and a found diamond ring. “The Heist” is interesting in the use of a real Miami story about ancient relics being unearthed at a development site.

Carlos Fabian and Steve Anthony in one of the short plays in “Lincoln Road Hustle.” Passersby become part of the action unbeknownst to them. (Photo by Morgan Sophia Photography/courtersy of Miami New Drama)

They are all tightly written, but lightweight enough so as not to overshadow what the real drama of “Lincoln Road Hustle” is – the wonder of pulling off live theater against the odds and using all kinds of obstacles (passersby, street noise, the unpredictability of Lincoln Road itself, weather and what not) to an advantage.

In between scenes, a podcast plays – a nice extra ditty in the headphones as the audience walks from one location to the next. That’s writer Corben interviewing someone about the unearthed relics and commercial pitches for Deleon’s Anti-Aging Clinics and Surgery Centers. And throughout the scenes, a roller skating Miami Beach fixture and hustle Cardio (Kristian Bikic) shows up unexpected at any moment (a usual occurrence on every day Lincoln Road.)

Michel Hausmann is directing “Lincoln Road Hustle” and “Bad Dog” both running simultaneously through Sunday, Feb. 16. (Photo by Erik J. Rodriguez/courtesy of Miami New Drama)

“Lincoln Road Hustle” is what theater needs to be to get non-theatergoers interested. Maybe they’ll like it so much they’ll buy a ticket for MiND’s other show that’s being performed on the proscenium stage inside the regional theater company’s Colony Theater. Getting its world premiere is the new play “Bad Dog” by Elias, who was half the team that wrote “Hustle,” and directed by Hausmann. (It opens Saturday, Jan. 25 and continues through Sunday, Feb. 16.)

Yes, Hausmann has two shows running simultaneously on Lincoln Road. Now that’s hustling.

WHAT: Miami New Drama’s “Lincoln Road Hustle” by Billy Corben and Harley Elias

WHERE: Along two blocks of Lincoln Road starting near the Colony Theatre, 1040 Lincoln Road, Miami Beach.

WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 7 p.m. Sundays through Sunday, Feb. 16.

COST: $85 or $95 for premium seating; $49 for standing room.

INFORMATION: 305-674-1040 or miaminewdrama.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: Zoetic Stage’s ‘POTUS’ Provides Comic Relief From Reality

The cast of Zoetic Stage’s ‘POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive.’ The comedy runs through Sunday, Jan. 26 in the Carnival Studio Theater at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, Miami. (Photo by Morgan Sophia Photography/courtesy of Adrienne Arsht Center)

When Selina Fillinger’s “POTUS” opened on Broadway in 2022, Joe Biden was president after defeating Donald J. Trump in 2020 and no one imagined that a Black woman would run for the White House when the incumbent dropped out of the 2024 election.

Zoetic Stage’s production of “POTUS” was obviously programmed by the regional company way before anyone could have foreseen the rollercoaster of the recent election, but its moment in the season is perfectly timed.

The sheer craft of Fillinger’s farcical comedy is what makes jokes that landed perhaps one way in 2022 even more on point today amid the United States’ current state of the union. This is a play about partisanship – a cavernous divide caused by patriarchy.

Amber Joy Layne as Dusty and Elena Maria Garcia as Stephanie in Zoetic Stage’s production of Selina Fillinger’s “POTUS.” (Photo by Morgan Sophia Photography/courtesy of the Adrienne Arsht Center)

“POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive” runs at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts through Sunday, Jan. 26.

The ensemble of seven South Florida actresses, Renata Eastlick, Elena Maria Garcia, Autumn Kioti Horne, Amber Joy Layne, Elizabeth Price, Karen Stephens and Gaby Tortoledo, create sidesplitting moments reveling in Fillinger’s gift for uproarious and outrageous scenarios.

The play’s secondary title, “Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying To Keep Him Alive,” describes the plot, a female staff trying to keep a misogynic, narcissistic president from sinking.

Zoetic’s founding artistic director Stuart Meltzer’s spot on direction ensures everyone and everything is intact to pull off the fast pace and outrageously zany situations – a secretary’s drug trip, a mistress’s penchant for Slurpees that result in blue-tinted vomit, the bust of a suffragette hurled across a room causing bodily harm, guns drawn, ankle cuffs cut, noisy breast pumps, and so much more.

Gaby Tortoledo as Jane, the White House press secretary, gives unsolicited advice to harried Harriet, played by Elizabeth Price as the White House Chief of Staff in Zoetic Stage’s “POTUS.” (Photo by Morgan Sophia Photography/courtesy of Adrienne Arsht Center)

Three already consumed cans of Diet Coke placed on White House press secretary Jean’s desk in the first scene hint at how overly caffeinated the next two hours will be.

And, while the opposite sex is talked to and talked about, the only hint of a male the audience ever sees on stage is suit pant legs, dress socks and shoes sticking out of an industrial laundry bin. It’s part of the biting feminist satire that maintains that patriarchy is present even when its recipients are absent.

It’s most likely a typical day in this White House, which the playwright in her script describes as the setting, which should not be “any current administration, but broad strokes of past presidents, combined with stress dreams of future ones.” And, she writes, “if we’re being honest, an amalgamation of them all.”

The clean-up crew has already started out the day with a public relations crisis on their hands. Press secretary Jean (Tortoledo) and harried White House chief of staff Harriet (Price) are trying to figure out how to put a spin on yet another POTUS faux pas as he tells a room full of diplomats that his wife, Margaret (Stephens) is absent because she was “having a (c word) morning.”

The play is not for anyone offended by the c word, the f word, or other assorted sordid sundries. But, if we’re being honest, it works, peppering the dialogue to what’s usually attributed as men’s “locker room talk,” the playwright point about double standards.

Karen Stephens is the gun toting First Lady, left, and Renata Eastlick is the journalist Chris in Zoetic Stage’s “POTUS.” (Photo by Morgan Sophia Photography/courtesy of Adrienne Arsht Center)

Stephens plays the president’s wife whose designer footwear has been replaced by Crocs after a social media frenzy when FOTUS wore stilettos to a homeless shelter. Eastlick is breast-pumping journalist Chris who’s on site for an interview scheduled with The First Lady but now she’s in the right place to get the exclusive on the c-word debacle. GenZ guys from hipper publications than the stodgy mainstream newspaper she works for are edging her out, so she’s desperate for a scoop.

Garcia is anxiety laden Stephanie, the prez’s secretary, who is practicing Harriet’s “power stance” mentoring and listening to a BitchBeats playlist – Joan Jett, Heart, Olivia Rodgrio, mixed taped for her by Harriet.

Enter Layne as the president’s mistress, Dusty – does the name Stormy come to mind? – who has been flown in from Iowa by private jet on the president’s orders. And the other surprise visitor played by Kioti Horne, Bernadette, who has been locked up in prison for drug trafficking. She’s still wearing an ankle monitor but ready for the pardon that’s been promised by her POTUS brother.

To clearly define personalities of seven characters is a challenge both in the writing and directing, but singular in their characterizations they are. Each actress provides multiple layers, which gives them depth, and surely thanks to Meltzer’s guidance, they can overcome Fillinger’s lack of dimensionality – the script and characters seem drawn from a sketch comedy template.

Autumn Kioti Horne is the president’s sister, Bernadette, who has a past with the White House press secretary Jane, played by Gaby Tortoledo in Zoetic Stage’s “POTUS.” (Photo by Morgan Sophia Photography/courtesy of Adrienne Arsht Center)

Price’s Harriet is tightly wound but never over the top so as to not be convincing, Stephens as the gun-toting First Lady commands the stage adding an ever so slight nuance of a certain familiar vice president. Tortoledo’s Ann Taylor-wearing press secretary is picture perfect ready to face the press at a moment’s notice.  Eastlick’s Chris brings it on as the burned-out career woman and mother fighting to remain relevant.

Garcia, Layne and Kioti Horne are given the lion’s share of comic moments. It’s difficult to buy into Garcia as meek (SNL’s Rachel Dratch played the character in the Broadway production). Still, there aren’t many performers who can evoke such laughter with their physical comedy as Garcia. After Stephanie gets hold of some of Bernadette’s pills, she’s off and running on a drug trip giving Garcia the freedom to use every ounce of her physical comedy toolbox. The veteran actress knows how to balance the antics so there’s never any upstaging of her fellow actors. Layne’s Slurpee slurping farmgirl is a peppy cheerleader, laying on the requisite ditziness but just enough to stay believable. Kioti Horne, as the president’s butch jailbird sister is every bit of a rock star – channeling the looks of Chrissy Hynde with the moxie of “Orange is the New Black’s” Piper Chapman.

From left, Autumn Kioti Horne, Amber Joy Layne, Renata Eastlick, Elizabeth Price, Elena Maria Garcia and Karen Stephens in a scene from Zoetic Stage’s “POTUS.” (Photo by Morgan Sophia Photography/courtesy of the Adrienne Arsht Center)

Sound design includes a girl power soundtrack credited to Meltzer and associate director Bailey Hacker, set design by Michael McKeever puts the focal point on large portraits of past presidents and a change of set a couple of times moves the action to a vanity in the office’s ladies’ bathroom. Set changes run smoothly and appear practically choreographed as stagehands and actors move things quickly in and out. Dawn Shamburger’s costume design runs the gamut from corporate to crazy (wait until you get glimpse of Harriet’s  glittery tuxedo in the final scene), Shannon Veguilla’s props and set dressing are perfectly presidential, and Becky Montero makes subtle but impactful lighting design choices to emphasize the fast-paced action. Kudos to the work of fight choreographer Paul Homza and intimacy director Jeni Hacker.

As inauguration day looms, political fighting over flags at half-staff, and confirmation hearings underway or delayed on Capitol Hill, Zoetic Stage’s “POTUS” takes us inside a White House whose executive order is hellbent on hilarity. Now, isn’t that the perfect declaration of independence?

WHAT: Zoetic Stage’s “POTUS: or, Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive” by Selina Fillinger

WHEN: 7:30 p.m., Thursday, Friday and Saturday; 2:30 p.m. Sunday. Additional Saturday matinee on Jan. 25.  Through Sunday, Jan. 26.

COST:  $56-61

WHERE: Carnival Studio Theater at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, 1300 Biscayne Blvd., Miami

INFORMATION: (305) 949-6722, zoeticstage.org or arshtcenter.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

ScreenDance Miami is a film festival that shows ‘what dance is and what dance can be’

Dancer and mountain climber Yelda del Carmen strives to make history in the film “Mataperra,” showing Friday, Jan. 24 as part of “Films You Gotta See Big!” at New World Center’s Soundscape Park as part of ScreenDance Miami 2025.  (Photo courtesy of Miami Light Project)

Dance on film can mean many things, says ScreenDance Miami festival director Pioneer Winter. In this year’s ScreenDance, he elaborates on one documentary that is part of the festival about a dancer and mountain climber. In the 21-minute “Mataperra,” directed by Rachel Trudeau, Yelda del Carmen strives to make history by becoming the first Cuban woman to conquer three legendary ascents in Viñales, Cuba..

“Audiences can expect to see a wide variety of things,” promises the festival director. Represented in the programming is definitely my own expansive view of what dance is and what dance can be,” says Winter.

In an 8-minute film, “The Rooster,” filmmakers Rolly Dib and Chadi Younes bring to life Nizar Qabbani’s poem “AL Deek” on Program 1 of the Official Selections and Invited Short Films at PAMM at noon on Saturday, Jan. 25. (Photo courtesy of Miami Light Project)

The international dance on film festival, presented by Miami Light Project, has been bringing audiences a carefully curated selection of dance on film since 2014.

The five-day festival returns Friday, Jan. 17 through Saturday, Jan. 25 at different venues throughout the city. ScreenDance Miami kicks off with “Films You Gotta See Big!” on the 7,000-square-foot projection wall at the New World Center’s Soundscape Park at 7:30 p.m. with additional “Big” films on the lawn at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 24. On Wednesday, Jan. 22. short and feature film selections play at the Miami Beach Bandshell and also Thursday, Jan. 23 at The Light Box Studio at Miami Theater Center, Miami Shores. ScreenDance Miami’s “2024 Official Selections” take center stage at the closing event at noon on Saturday, Jan. 25 at the Pérez Art Museum Miami.

Winter, a dancer and choreographer, describes his idea of what it means to capture movement on camera. “I love dance on film because I feel like it is this perfect marriage between movement and recorded image”.

When viewing a live performance, dancers are not in control as to what the audience’s attention may be drawn to, Winter says, but when choreographing for film, the director is able to focus the lens on what the audience sees and when.

“There’s a specificity to choreographing for the camera,” says Winter. “They call it the dancing camera, where the camera is just as an active participant as the dancer. Those are my favorite ones to program . . . they give you an experience that you wouldn’t have otherwise had if you were seeing this live.”

Making its world premiere is a 2-minute flamenco film titled “Silencio” by Cristina Candela showing at noon on Saturday, Jan. 25 at PAMM. (Photo courtesy of Miami Light Project)

Winter promises an eclectic selection of films in this year’s edition. “There are a mix of different films that we have programmed into the festival,” he says. “We have a few films that are kind of very frontal and are more documentation of a performance.”

Highlights include 12 Florida premieres, two U.S. premieres, six world premiere films, and six different countries represented in the lineup. Winter adds how he’s proud of how far the festival has come over the last 11 years. For the first time, three of the festival’s main features were submitted via the annual open call for submissions.

The dancer explains how in previous years, the features were “invited” films rather than submissions. “This is our first time having some really wonderful feature length films that have come to us,” he says.

Winter is particularly excited about the screening of Gabri Christa’s film, “Kankantri.” The 25-minute feature is having its Florida premiere during the Official Selection closing night event on Saturday, Jan. 25.

“She’s been a mentor of mine for years,” says Winter. “Gabri has been involved with ScreenDance since the beginning so I’m incredibly excited to be screening her film at PAMM.”

“KANKANTRI: The Silk Cotton Tree,” follows a woman’s journey of spiritual discovery as she connects with her ancestors through dance and rituals until she feels whole.

Christa says she the film has won several awards in Caribbean and Latin American festivals and in the Philippines.

Gabri Christa’s “Kankantri” is having its Florida premiere and tells the story of a woman who is transported to a parallel universe full of her ancestors. (Photo courtesy of Miami Light Project)

“I’m grateful and honored to have my new film included in ScreenDance Miami,” she says via email.  “I hope the Miami audience will also relate to the experimental and magical realism nature of the film that was shot in Suriname, South America.”

Another film screening included in as an Official Selections is the two-minute short “Batientes” by filmmakers Roxana Barba and Claudio Marcotulli. The film is the Spanish word for “hinge” and features dancer Barba flowing between a unique space filled with openings and potential.

The pair filmed the short back in 2019 while they were in Cuba for the “305 & Havana International Improv Festival.” They entered an interesting old home that had many doors and vibrant colors and were instantly inspired.

“I knew at the moment (of filming), as we were improvising, that the doors were going to be an important aspect of it. The film speaks to space and portals,” says Marcotulli.

Describing his process, the director adds, “Sometimes I produce a film, and I don’t even know what I’m doing. Eventually, the film tells me more or less the logic of it because I’m very abstract in my way of working.”

Roxana Barba and Claudio Marcotulli’s “Batientes” is featured in Program 1 of the Official Selections screening at PAMM beginning at noon on Saturday, Jan. 25. (Photo courtesy of Miami Light Project)

The two have been collaborating for over a decade. Whereas Marcotulli films and directs, Barba uses her rhythm to ebb and flow in all sorts of spaces. The dancer explains the nature of their partnership, saying, “We work very organically. When we start a film, we just film and see what comes out of that… We knew that while in Cuba we wanted to shoot something at that house, and it all happened so organically. I personally enjoy works like that.”

Dancer and performer Carla Forte, a part of the selection committee for this year’s festival, explains how the process includes focusing on a certain criteria, which includes choreography, performance, cinematography, and editing techniques.

“ScreenDance focuses on dance for the camera and experimental works, many of which are connected to our nature and the essence of who we are as human beings,” says Forte.

WHAT: ScreenDance Miami

WHERE: Miami Beach Bandshell, 7275 Collins Ave., Miami Beach; The Light Box Studio at Miami Theater Center, 9816 NE 2nd Ave., Miami Shores; New World Center’s Projection Wall at Soundscape Park, 400 17th St., Miami Beach; and Pérez Art Museum Miami, 1103 Biscayne Blvd., Miami.

 WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 17, Wednesday, Jan. 22, Thursday, Jan. 23, Friday, Jan. 24, and noon, Saturday, Jan. 25.

 COST: Free with RSVP via miamilightproject.com. At PAMM, free with museum admission. Admission is $18 for adults and free for museum members.

 For the complete schedule, go to miamilightproject.com/program/screendance-miami-2025

 INFORMATION: (305) 576-4350 or miamilightproject.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

At Miami Jewish Film Festival, directors with local ties examine the gravity of Oct. 7 attacks

Director Jonathan Jakubowicz with Moran Zer Katzenstein, founder of Israeli women’s rights activist group Bonot Alternativa, in “Soul of a Nation,” which opens the 28th edition of the Miami Jewish Film Festival at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 9 at the Miami Beach Bandshell. (Photo courtesy of Soul of a Nation)

When filmmaker Jonathan Jakubowicz went to Tel Aviv, he wanted to investigate the depths of the country’s polarization. He had been talking with his mother who has lived in Tel Aviv for almost two decades. “And then suddenly she started talking about the marches and the division and the end of democracy.”

His interest went deeper than his Jewish roots. He was born in Caracas, Venezuela, what he calls a “failed state that broke apart in many ways because of polarization.” Then, while in Tel Aviv in 2023 working on his project, “Soul of a Nation,” Palestinian group Hamas launched the largest ever terrorist attack on Israel on Oct. 7.

“We had no idea Oct. 7 was going to happen when we started making the documentary.” “Soul of a Nation” has its world premiere kicking off the 28th edition of the Miami Jewish Film Festival (MJFF) at 7:30 p.m., on Thursday, Jan. 9 at the Miami Beach Bandshell.

A scene from Jonathan Jakubowicz’s documentary “Soul of a Nation,” which gets its world premiere opening the 28th edition of the Miami Jewish Film Festival. (Photo courtesy of Soul of a Nation)

Miami native Wendy Sachs’ documentary “OCTOBER H8TE” gets its southeast United States premiere at The Hub at Temple Beth Am, Pinecrest, at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 12.

For both films, the filmmakers will be present to participate in question-and-answer sessions.

“I was born in South Miami and actually went to Temple Beth Am where the film is going to be screening. I grew up at the day school – from pre-school when I was four years old until I was in sixth grade,” Sachs fondly recalls. “It’s really a full circle moment.”

That is her origin story. Then there’s the origin story of how “OCTOBER H8TE” became a story that Sachs, a filmmaker, Emmy award-winning television producer and former Capitol Hill press secretary, felt she had to tell. Less than 24 hours after the Hamas massacre, anti-Israel demonstrations and support for Hamas swept across America and college campuses.

“On Oct. 7, I was visiting my daughter, Lexi, at the University of Wisconsin-Madison,” says Sachs. “Our phones started lighting up with messages and then we started to see the horrendous videos that were being put up on social media. And I think like so many in the Jewish community, we felt gutted.”

Documentary filmmaker and Miami native Wendy Sachs interviews IDF soldier Maya Bentwich at Kfar Aza, the site of the Hamas attacks, in southern Israel. (Photo courtesy of OCTOBER H8TE)

But it was the next day that Sachs says was the stunner. “There was a rally in Times Square celebrating Hamas as freedom fighters rather than terrorists. More than 30 student groups at Harvard signed a letter blaming Israel for the massacre. I knew that something had gone terribly wrong; it felt like the world had lost its mind.”

By the end of October 2023, Sachs put together a film treatment presenting the story she wanted to pitch to production companies. “(Places) where I had recently worked – NBC News and CNN. Everyone passed and I wasn’t surprised.”

She was determined to make the film and decided to move forward on her own.

“It needed to be documented, unpacked — what’s going on here and how we got to this moment,” says Sachs.

As is the case when creating a documentary and unlike a scripted film, events that happen in the midst of putting together the movie tend to shape the narrative.

Both filmmakers agree.

“The more time we spent in Israel and the more we spoke to people who participated and defined life there in the past, in the present, and who will define it in the future, the more evident it became that what was happening was the prelude for something truly horrific,” says Jakubowicz. “When we started the documentary, we had no idea what the third act was going to be.”

He points out one of the scenes in his film where Israeli reservists were hanging it up – no longer willing to fight for Israel. “When you heard it at the moment in Israel, you were like, well, that sounds risky, but when you see it in the documentary, and you realize that it had happened 77 days before Oct. 7 everything takes on a different meaning.”

Miami native Carlos Arroyo Jr., director of photography for “Soul of a Nation,” with Jonathan Jakubowicz on the streets of Tel Aviv. (Photo courtesy of Soul of a Nation)

Jakubowicz was able to shape his documentary with interviews with some of Israel’s key political figures – former Prime Ministers Naftali Bennet and Ehud Olmer, former President of the Supreme Court of Israel Dorit Beinisch, former Israeli Ambassador to the United States Michael Oren, and former Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Israel Tzipi Livni and Shlomo Ben Ami, as well as peace activists, and Muslim leaders.

Sachs onboarded actress, producer and social justice and human rights activist, Jewish American Debra Messing as co-executive producer. Messing also appears in the film. “Debra was using her platform and her voice to speak out when so many other celebrities and high-profile people were just silent and remained silent. So many people are being shut down and canceled out for showing support for Israel even for the hostages. She was just fearless and courageous and I really wanted her to be a part of this project.”

Actress and political activist Debra Messing appears in the film “OCTOBER H8TE” and is also co-executive producer. (Photo courtesy of OCTOBER H8TE)

She says through social media she found that they had a mutual connection, and she was able to speak with Messing through Zoom. “I told her about the film, and I told her what I was looking to do and she said, “OK, I am in.”

The Palmetto High School graduate, who was a journalism major at Northwestern University, right out of college was the youngest press secretary on Capitol Hill working for U.S. Rep Peter Deutsch. Fast forward to the 2024 election cycle and the former Democratic congressman made headlines when he vocally supported Republican Donald Trump citing the security of Israel as his reason for stepping out of party lines.

It was the 2016 election that led Sachs to make her first independent film released in 2020. “Surge” followed three women running for Congress. After that, Sachs worked on other documentaries mostly for MSNBC and CNN.

“And then, well Oct. 7 happened, and I just felt like I needed to tell this story.”

Jakubowicz lives in Los Angeles but says Miami is his second home. Miami New Drama co-founder Moises Kaufman turned Jakubowicz’s best-selling first novel, “Las Aventuras de Juan Planchard,” into an original stage play that had its world premiere in Miami Beach at the Colony Theatre in 2023. “When I am here and I stay in Aventura, I can’t tell you how many former classmates from Caracas I run into when I am walking through Aventura Mall that are living in South Florida.”

Ashager Araro, an Ethiopian-Israeli activist, in a scene from Wendy Sachs’ documentary “OCTOBER H8TE” showing as part of the Miami Jewish Film Festival. (Photo courtesy of OCTOBER H8TE)

The filmmaker’s voice is the narrative throughout “Soul of a Nation,” something Jakubowicz hadn’t planned. “The reality is that the journey was personal from the beginning. I’m Venezuelan. I’m also the grandson of Holocaust survivors so Israel matters to me because if it had existed during the war, my family would have been saved. This isn’t about a foreign county on the other side of the world.”

Jakubowicz acknowledges that his film feels eerily prophetic in light of what is happening around the world. In his voice, the end of the narrative of “Soul of a Nation” is this:

“I started this journey because the nation where I was born was bleeding too. A similar affliction has impacted almost every society in the world. I don’t know what the future holds for humanity, but I have now seen two nations face their darkest hours as a result of polarization, so I invite you to ask yourself: ‘Is your neighbor as bad as you claim or are you being manipulated into intolerance?’ ”

OTHER FILMS IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Films by South Florida directors and others about inhabitants of the Sunshine State and beyond are a few of the many don’t misses at the 28th edition of the Miami Jewish Film Festival.

“Milk & Honey, Blood & Tears”

Miami-based filmmaker Leslie Gelrubin Benitah takes a deep dive into the impact of Oct. 7 on Kibbutz Be’eri, a community once known for its peace and coexistence just a few miles from Gaza. Benitah is the creator of the online project called “The Last Ones,” a series of interviews with some of the last living Holocaust survivors and shares the stories with younger generations. Born and raised in Paris, she is a third-generation Holocaust Survivor and received her PhD in journalism from Sorbonne Université, now living in Miami. In her new documentary, Benitah talks to residents and uses archival footage and real-time accounts to tell the story of the kibbutz movement and the aftermath. Benitah will introduce the film and participate in a question-and-answer session after the screening.6:30 p.m., Sunday, Jan. 19, Michael-Ann Russell JCC.

The once thriving Miami Garment District is chronicled in the film “Miami Schmatta” from South Florida filmmakers Aaron Glickman and Grace Arts Center founder Clare Vickery. (Photo courtesy of Miami Jewish Film Festival)

“Miami Schmatta”

South Florida director Aaron Glickman teamed with Grace Arts Center founder Clare Vickery as co-director for a look back at what Wynwood was before it was the Wynwood of today – Miami’s garment district that flourished. The film, which is getting its world premiere at MJFF, follows the rise of the post World War II garment industry that thrived in Miami. Despite challenges and labor shortages, a scaled-down garment industry endures in Miami. The directors will introduce the film and participate in a question-and-answer session after the screening. 7:30 p.m., Monday, Jan. 13, Michael-Ann Russell JCC.

“One Big Happy Family”

Actress Linda Lavin, who passed away on Dec. 30, best known for her role in the 1970s sitcom “Alice,” appears in one of her last film roles in “One Big Happy Family.” Lisa Brenner, wrote, produced and co-stars in the film about a woman whose life takes an unexpected turn on her 40th birthday when a DNA test reveals a surprising result. Lavin plays her mother who accompanies her on a journey of self-discovery. The movie gets its world premiere at the MJFF with Brenner appearing who will introduce the film and participate in a question-and-answer session after the screening. 8 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 11, Temple Beth Am; 3 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 12 and 8 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 21, Miami Theater Center.

“Janis Ian: Breaking Silence”

Grammy Award-winning musician Janis Ian became a Florida resident in 2018 after moving to Anna Maria Island on the coast of Manatee County. Ian has a musical career that spans five decades and known for hits such as “At Seventeen” and the trailblazing “Society’s Child.” The documentary chronicles the singer’s life beginning with her Jewish childhood raised on a chicken farm in New Jersey to her release of the album “Breaking Silence,” which she leveraged to come out publicly about her relationship with wife, Pat Snyder. Ian will introduce the film and participate in a question-and-answer session after the screening. 8 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 18, O Cinema Miami Beach.

Amichai Lau-Lavie, the subject of the documentary “Sabbath Queen.” (Photo courtesy of Miami Jewish Film Festival)

“Sabbath Queen”

Amichai Lau-Lavie was born in the suburbs of Tel Aviv to a family that spanned 38 generations of Orthodox rabbis. The feature documentary, directed and produced by Sandi DuBowski, was filmed over 21 years following Lau-Lavie’s epic journey – he was ordained as a rabbi in 2016. The Israel-born gay man has spent his life’s journey breaking norms with part of the journey performing Jewish rituals in drag. Lau Lavie and DuBowski will introduce the film and participate in a question-and-answer session after the screening. 7 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 16, Miami Beach Botanical Garden.

IF YOU GO

WHAT: The 28th edition of the Miami Jewish Film Festival

WHEN: Thursday, Jan. 9 through Thursday, Jan. 23

WHERE: Coral Gables Art Cinema, 260 Aragon Ave., Coral Gables; Michael-Ann Russell JCC, 18900 NE 25^th Ave., North Miami Beach; Miami Beach Bandshell, 7275 Collins Ave., Miami Beach Botanical Garden, 2000 Convention Center Drive, Miami Beach JCC, 4221 Pine Tree Drive, O Cinema South Beach, 1130 Washington Ave., Miami Beach; Miami Theater Center, 9806 NE 2^nd Ave., Miami Shores; The Hub at Temple Beth Am, 5950 N. Kendall Drive, Pinecrest.

COST:  $54, opening night; $36 closing night; $15 general admission for all other films, $14 seniors 65 plus and students with ID; $325 for all access.

INFORMATION: 305-503-5182 or miamijewishfilmfestival.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: ‘Both Sides Now’ at GableStage An Intimate Musical Tribute

Danielle Wertz and Robbie Schaefer in “Both Sides Now: The Music and Lives of Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen” perform at GableStage in the Biltmore Hotel through Jan. 5. (Photo courtesy of Magnus Stark)

Two stuffed chairs with a guitar leaning against one of them; a small table between with a large retro ceramic lamp with a white shade; two microphone stands; at stage right is a baby grand piano; Oriental rugs of different sizes are underneath. This is the atmosphere that sets the scene for GableStage’s “Both Sides Now: The Music and Lives of Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen.”

Billed as a “theatrical concert,” it’s more of a salon-listening room show than a theatrical presentation although through the storytelling we learn about the legendary musicians with tales interwoven by Danielle Wertz and Robbie Schaefer; the performers developed the piece at Washington D.C.’s Signature Theatre. It’s played smaller concert venues such as The Ark in Ann Arbor, Mich., and will kick off a tour after its three-week run at GableStage — The Concert Hall at City Winery, Atlanta; The Music Hall Lounge in Portsmouth, The Chocolate Church Arts Center in Bath, Maine, and other venues.

Danielle Wertz and Robbie Schaefer developed “Both Sides Now: The Music and Lives of Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen” at Washington D.C.’s Signature Theatre.

While a bit of a departure as GableStage is the purveyor of staged theatrical works, Wertz and Schaefer’s musical cabaret about the two folk singers keeps the duo’s writing and musical selections intact; GableStage contributes its expertise in scenic design (Frank J. Oliva), lighting design (Tony Galaska, whose lighting must be mentioned with its soft spotlights on the performers, sometimes even mimicking a flickering candle), set dressing (Marcela Paguaga) and sound engineering (Hector Martinez).

The genial pair enter the stage as Wertz carries a candle, which she places on the table, then lights it. Both are holding mugs with teabags hanging out of each cup. They sit, set down the tea. Schaefer grabs his guitar.

Before the show began at the first Friday performance, GableStage artistic director Bari Newport confided that she had been looking for a Leonard Cohen “theater piece” since she was 22 years old and believed she found it with “Both Sides Now.” She also told the audience that Schaefer was ordained as a rabbi only days before the GableStage appearances.

With 15 songs and an “encore,” the show opens with Danielle Wertz on vocals singing Mitchell’s “A Case of You” while Robbie Schaefer accompanies her on guitar. (Photo courtesy of Magnus Stark)

“Both Sides Now” weaves in stories and biographies of Mitchell, now 80 years old, who started her career as a painter and Cohen was a poet and novelist before becoming a defining musical voice in the folk scene during the 1960s; he died at the age of 82 in 2016.

With 15 songs and an “encore,” the show opens with Wertz on vocals singing Mitchell’s “A Case of You” while Schaefer accompanies her on guitar. The song is from Mitchell’s 1971 “Blue” LP, her fourth studio album and considered her greatest work.

“Both Sides Now” features nine of Mitchell’s songs and seven of Cohen’s.

Schaefer says that the performing duo met two years ago through their shared love of each of the icons’ music but “Jonie and Leonard met decades before.” Lovers for only weeks, according to Schaefer, their friendship lasted a lifetime.

This is where “Both Sides Now” connects  – through the earnestness of Wertz and Schaefer conveying their personal stories as they weave through stories of Mitchell and Cohen’s careers and personal lives.

Wertz’s admission: “I was a teenager listening to Duke Ellington’s ‘Melancholia.’ What teenager does that?” she jokes. And commentary courtesy of Mitchell about how she felt regarding stardom: “If they are going to put me on a pedestal, they should know who they are worshipping,” she said of her laid bare lyrics.

There’s a beautiful rendition sung a capella by both Danielle Wertz and Robbie Schaefer on Joni Mitchell’s “Fiddle and Drum.” (Photo courtesy of Magnus Stark)

Schaefer is a gifted storyteller painting a vivid image of a hiking trip he took to the top of a volcano in Nicaragua. He says he imagined Leonard Cohen sitting next to him as he lay at the summit crater staring into the black hole.

He talks about spending his childhood outside of the U.S. until he was 11 years old and when playing his guitar then for a girl at school, she told him his voice sounded like singer-songwriter James Taylor. He wanted to impress the girl and acknowledged the compliment – then reveals he didn’t know who James Taylor was.

Schaefer does have a bit of Taylor in his vocal delivery, but he has the soul of Cohen.

The pair hit all the high notes in the song choices, Mitchell’s “Big Yellow Taxi” with Wertz at the piano and the two singing it as a jazzy-tinged duet, “Little Green,” which Wertz prefaces by telling the story of Mitchell writing the song in 1966 shortly after she signed the papers to give up her daughter for adoption.

There’s a beautiful rendition sung a capella by both of Mitchell’s “Fiddle and Drum” and another memorable styling as the two join together vocally  each time for the chorus of Cohen’s “Lover, Lover, Lover.”

Then there’s Schaefer’s arrangement of Cohen’s 1974 “Who By Fire,” which he pairs with Jewish prayer, the only song the duo recorded because, they say, it was difficult for them to obtain the rights to the Mitchell and Cohen library. It’s by far the most moving piece in the evening.

Of course, no Cohen show would be complete without “Hallelujah,” which he wrote in 1984, and has been covered by artists of every genre from Willie Nelson to k.d. lang, the most famous rendition by Jeff Buckley released in 2007.

The atmosphere is that of a cozy living room for GableStage’s presentation of “Both Sides Now: The Music and Lives of Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen. (Photo courtesy of Magnus Stark)

More concert etiquette than stage bow, the duo ends the show with “Hallelujah” and leaves the stage. The audience stands and applauds (some who thought the show was over began to leave – not unusual for Miami audiences who frequently duck out before curtain calls.). The pair returns to perform the “encore,” which is listed in the program – Mitchell’s 1966 “Circle Game.” The audience is asked to help out with the chorus: “And the seasons, they go ’round and ’round, and the painted ponies go up and down, we’re captive on the carousel of time.”

“Both Sides Now: The Lives of Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen” will be a Rock 101 introduction to the troubadours for some and a revisiting of the legends for others. A few small tweaks could add dramatic flair and create more of a theatrical experience. Perhaps projections (we never do see photographs of the real pair); maybe sound clips of Mitchell’s and Cohen’s voices speaking from the countless audio interviews available.

Danielle Wertz, a vocalist with jazz influences has Miami ties – she graduated from University of Miami’s Frost School of Music. (Photo courtesy of Magnus Stark)

Wertz, a vocalist with jazz influences who has Miami ties – she graduated from University of Miami’s Frost School of Music, and Schaefer, a rock-folk musician, do here what they do best. They are musical performers and their interpretations of the songs of these modern music legends are worth spending 75 minutes in GableStage’s cozy listening room.

WHAT: “Both Sides Now: The Music and Lives of Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen” by Danielle Wertz and Robbie Schaefer

WHERE: GableStage in the Biltmore Hotel, 1200 Anastasia Ave., Coral Gables 

WHEN: 2 p.m., Wednesday, Dec. 18 and Tuesday, Dec. 24; 7:30 p.m., Thursday (except for Thursday, Dec. 19), Friday, and Saturday; 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Through Jan. 5.

COST: $45, $50, $55, $60, all with additional $10 service fee (discounts for students, teachers, artists, military and groups). 

INFORMATION: 305-445-1119 or gablestage.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 New Drama Takes To The Streets With ‘Lincoln Road Hustle’

Carlos Fabian is a young ambitious entrepreneur learning the ropes with Robert Deleon played by Stephen Anthony, right, in Miami New Drama’s “Lincoln Road Hustle,” which takes place along two blocks of Miami Beach’s Lincoln Road through Feb. 16. (Photo courtesy of Morgan Sophia Photography)

When Miami New Drama staged its original interactive production “Seven Deadly Sins” with actors performing in empty storefronts along Lincoln Road, it was in the midst of the pandemic. Small groups watched from seats outside each space while there was only a smattering of people walking around Lincoln Road.

Miami New Drama (MiND) then staged its next immersive production, “The Museum Plays,” in February of 2024 where guides would lead five groups of 30 people from one play to the next to watch original art-inspired short plays inside The Rubell Museum, a somewhat easily contained environment although not without its challenges.

Marcela Paguaga as a savvy social media influencer and Carmen Pelaez as Chef Luna in Miami New Drama’s “Lincoln Road Hustle.” (Photo courtesy of Morgan Sophia Photography)

For its third production, the regional theater company, based at the Colony Theatre on Lincoln Road, is “pushing the boundaries,” as Michel Hausmann, founder and artistic director of MiND puts it about its “Lincoln Road Hustle,” now playing along Lincoln Road through Sunday, Feb. 16. Hausmann commissioned Miami-based documentary filmmaker and playwright Billy Corben and New York-based playwright Harley Elias (who had worked with MiND on one of “The Museum Plays”) to imagine a story that takes place throughout Lincoln Road.

Miami-based documentary filmmaker Billy Corben co-wrote Miami New Drama’s “Lincoln Road Hustle.” (Photo courtesy of Miami New Drama)

Corben says that “Lincoln Road Hustle” is site specific and inspired by the Miami Beach location, albeit a fictional story. “Everyone has gathered at the 1100 block of Lincoln Road for a ceremonial groundbreaking,” says Corben describing the premise.

Robert Deleon, a Miami developer and Medicare fraudster, is going to be demolishing the entire block to build a 75-story luxury hotel condo – “starting at the reasonable price of $3 million,” adds Corben. It isn’t the first time Corben’s created an original script with MiND. In 2019, Hausmann teamed playwright Aurin Squire (who also penned MiND’s “Wonderful World” which is now playing on Broadway) to work on turning Corben’s mega successful “Cocaine Cowboys” documentary into a play, “Confessions of a Cocaine Cowboy.”

Audiences watch a scene featuring Carlos Fabian Medina and Steve Anthony in Miami New Drama’s “Lincoln Road Hustle.” (Photo courtesy of Morgan Sophia Photography)

Add to the intrigue that Deleon is also building a multi-level Vegas style casino, Miami Beach’s first ever. It’s not too far-fetched from Miami’s real world as new development continues to take hold around every corner and Jeffrey Soffer, the billionaire owner of the Fontainebleau Miami Beach, is in a constant rally to open a casino inside the iconic hotel.

“There’s a lot of what I call Miami fan service in ‘Hustle,’ ” says Corben, a term originating in Japanese anime but fits the bill here, delivering archetypes of Miami characters. “Like a Miami Only Fans model. A Miami Instagram food influencer. Or a Miami mama’s boy that still lives with his mother well into adulthood.”

And then there’s the plot twist, Corben says, that could “thwart this multi-billion-dollar development.”

At least that’s where the script was a week before opening. “We have been writing it for some months and, to be honest, it’s still ongoing,” admits Corben.

Harley Elias co-wrote Miami New Drama’s “Lincoln Road Hustle.” (Photo courtesy of Furiosa Productions)

The logistics of having a live performance along a busy pedestrian stretch of Miami Beach are a challenge. “It’s as if you were juggling a bowling ball, a flaming torch and a machete, and then someone tossed you a chainsaw,” says Corben. With that said, Corben promises that it’s a fun, full night of theater.

“We spent a lot of time on the 1100 block of Lincoln Road (the play takes place along two of the pedestrian walkways blocks),” says co-playwright Elias. “We would walk the streets to look at different times of day from different angles. Inevitably someone would say, ‘Wait, did you see this . . .?”

“Lincoln Road Hustle” is the brainchild of Hausmann, who put Corben and Elias together. “I wanted a story that took place on Lincoln Road and boy, did they deliver.” Notwithstanding it is a bigger undertaking than the last two interactive productions. “It’s an experiment, right? But we use the abundance of people on Lincoln Road in our favor.”

Krystal Millie Valdez and Irene Adjan in a scene at Issabella’s on Lincoln Road in Miami New Drama’s “Lincoln Road Hustle.” (Photo courtesy of Morgan Sophia Photography)

In one scene, audience members eavesdrop on a conversation between two actors, Irene Adjan and Krystal Millie Valdez, who are seated at an outdoor table at Issabella’s restaurant as regular diners are around them.

The experience is made accessible, according to Hausmann, by a reliance on audio technology. Members of the audience are each given a set of headphones to wear and can hear the dialogue and the actors. “We can’t really control lighting outdoors but what we can control is the sound doing it this way.”

Audience members wear headphones to hear the action while watching “Lincoln Road Hustle” by Miami New Drama, which takes place along Lincoln Road. (Photo courtesy of Morgan Sophia Photography)

Hausmann says the use of the sound devices was made possible by a Knight Foundation grant which was used to develop, purchase and design the audio.

Here’s how “Hustle” works: Five groups of about 40 people are outfitted with headphones to navigate through each scene. For the first scene, the prologue starts with everyone at one spot – the Colony Theatre location. Then using a color-coded system, groups are divided into sets of five where they are guided through five 12 to 14 minute scenes. Unlike the past two original interactive plays, Hausmann wanted more than a thematic relationship but a script that was “complete, a whole” and together with a beginning, middle and end.

For the finale, all audience members come back together for the end scene.

Some of the action takes place in the middle of the street, some inside storefronts, and, says Hausmann, it is definitely an evolution in how the company began with “Seven Deadly Sins,” then “The Museum Plays” and now this third installment.

Gregg Weiner in Miami New Drama’s “Lincoln Road Hustle.” (Photo courtesy of Furiosa Productions)

There have been what Hausmann calls “accidental triumphs.” For instance, a scene that was to take place inside a store was so fraught with difficulties that it was pulled out of the location and restaged to take place on the street. “It actually works much better now,” says Hausmann who is directing the production. Would he have preferred having someone else wearing the director’s hat? “Yes, but the learning curve is too steep.”

Corben confides more than once during the interview that it isn’t a secret that almost daily, he’s half-jokingly said to Hausmann, “Why don’t we just stage this on the proscenium in the Colony Theatre?’ ”

And Hausmann’s answer is the same. “Anyone can pick out a play from a catalogue. We do world premieres that are about our community and that’s what excites you, right? And this is a hyper-local play, Lincoln Road – it’s isn’t just about Florida, it’s about Miami.”

He adds: “I think there is a responsibility when it comes to theater companies and nonprofits,” he says during an interview. “There is a big crisis around the country for regional theaters. Many are closing, many are having a hard time. (Theater companies) need to constantly expand the base to keep afloat. The traditional theater audience is not enough to sustain regional theaters today,” says Hausmann.

Guides assign color-coded headphones to audience members outside the Colony Theatre for Miami New Drama’s “Lincoln Road Hustle.” (Photo courtesy of Morgan Sophia Photography)

The outdoor interactive experiment “Seven Deadly Sins” produced its “youngest and most diverse audience that we’ve ever had,” says Hausmann. He’s honest in the fact that he believes theater needs to meet people where they are, but he states emphatically while not “talking down to them.”

There’s also the commitment of time on the part of an audience.

“We have to come to terms that people’s attention span has dramatically decreased. To ask for two or two and a half hours to sit inside a theater, that’s a tough sell,” says Hausmann. “There are hundreds and thousands of people who will spend money to see a sporting event, to go out to a restaurant, but they don’t go to see a play. This experience is a ‘night out’ and with this, we can get those ‘night out’ people in.”

Founder and artistic director of Miami New Drama, Michel Hausmann, directs “Lincoln Road Hustle.” (Photo courtesy of Juancho Hernández Husband)

For playwright Elias, he wanted to capture the essence of what he loves about theater and to find a way to have something intriguing and exciting enough to pull people away from the television and streaming services.

He says the answer for him as a co-creator of “Lincoln Road Hustle” is this. “Let me tell you a story in a way that you haven’t heard and that you haven’t seen and that we haven’t had the opportunity to tell before in some kind of new and exciting way. . . . that will make you laugh and put you on the edge of your seat.”

WHAT: Miami New Drama’s “Lincoln Road Hustle” by Billy Corben and Harley Elias

WHERE: Starts at the Colony Theatre, 1040 Lincoln Road, Miami Beach

WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 7 p.m. Sundays through Sunday, Feb. 16.

COST: $85 or $95 for premium seating; $49 for standing room.

INFORMATION:  305-674-1040 or miaminewdrama.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.

The Ultimate StorySLAM Is The Grand Finale Of Miami Storytelling

Moth StorySLAM Host Gabriela Fernandez and the GrandSLAM storytellers at last year’s “Fight or Flight” competition. This year, the GrandSLAM is on Friday, Dec. 13 at The Black Archives Historic Lyric Theater. (Photo by Pati Laylle)

A storyteller lives in everyone. At least that is the philosophy behind The Moth, a nonprofit that is all about bringing the community together over a microphone to share stories.

How it works is the team, based out of New York, organizes a theme for the monthly events, called StorySLAM. The community gathers and some attendees sign up to share a tale. Ten participants are selected and given five minutes to tell a totally true and totally personal story that is aligned with that evening’s theme.

While the headquarters are in New York, the organization has local producers who handle the monthly shows. Virginia Lora, who lives in Miami, has been producing shows for The Moth in Miami since 2016.

At last year’s The Moth GrandSLAM, Trace Jackson shares her story with the theme “Fight or Flight.” (Photo courtesy of Pati Laylle)

“It feels like a well-oiled machine,” she says. “The events are once a month and they always follow the same format.” Guests come in, sign up, names are pulled from the proverbial hat, stories are shared, the judges in the audience give their rating, and a winner is selected at the end of the night. Simple enough.

“However, it feels like every night is different and you never know what could happen,” says the producer as she clutches her large clipboard. She goes on to say how there are guests who come prepared and it’s clear they have been rehearsing their story for days, and then there are storytellers who get inspired by the evening and sign up to share on the spot.

“This is such a great concept, to create a safe space where the community can come together and share a personal story is a beautiful thing,” says Lora.

The Moth organizes three types of events in their participating cities: The MainStage, which consists of two acts and five storytellers; the StorySLAM, which is a monthly community open-mic night; and the GrandSLAM, the end-of-the-year event where winners from monthly StorySLAMs compete. This year it’s on Friday, Dec. 13 at The Black Archives Historic Lyric Theater.

Storyteller Doug Hales during last year’s The Moth Miami GrandSLAM event. (Photo by Pati Laylle)

The not-for-profit’s Miami chapter took up residence at the Sandrell Rivers Theater in 2019 for their StorySLAMs. Evelyn Sullivan, the theater’s manager, admits she is an avid listener of The Moth podcast. She relates listening to The Moth to therapy. The stories would make her laugh, cry, and think. A few years ago, she decided to reach out to their corporate offices about hosting their events at her theater.

“And that was the start of a beautiful relationship,” says Sullivan. “After all, storytelling is what theater is, that’s what theater is all about.”

In November, the theme was “Yes, Chef!,” “Strange Encounters” in October, and, in September it was “Elbow Grease.”

Christine Anglin, a local writer and Moth supporter, was in attendance that night in September and was selected to share. “I love stories,” she says of what drew her to attend Moth events. For her five minutes, Anglin shared an experience she had being a single woman at her local church. She realized that there were plenty of resources for couples or married people, but opportunities were scarce if you didn’t have a partner. So, she decided to be the change she needed and start groups and build resources for single people at her church.

Jared Bistrong competed in last year’s “Fight or Flight”  Miami GrandSLAM event.(Photo by Pati Laylle)

Other stories during the “Elbow Grease” night ranged from a former lawyer who uprooted his life in Miami to move to upstate New York for a teaching job (and then eventually moved back home). Another storyteller shared how he suffered from “pretty privilege” and decided to enroll in a challenging college course to prove he was more than just a pretty face.

Every story told on a Moth stage is recorded and has the potential to end up on the widely popular The Moth podcast. According to an associate producer for the organization, Gabriel Szajnert, a Miami native who has been living in New York and working for The Moth for the past two years, the program is on over 560 radio stations and their podcast is downloaded more than one hundred million times a year.

“We have a team of directors that curate each radio hour,” says Szajnert. “They choose the themes, they choose the topics, and they put things together. It could be stories as recent as a couple of weeks ago, or it could be something that was in our system a decade ago.”

Szajnert picks the monthly theme for StorySLAM. He’s currently in the process of selecting for Spring 2025. “We have a giant database of all these themes that we’ve come up with,” says the producer about the process. “We’ll kind of sift through that and also take learnings from popular themes from the year.”

One theme that consistently draws a large crowd is the annual Love Hurts night that takes place in February. “That is always a really popular StorySLAM that we do every year,” says Szajnert.

Whereas The Moth needs its storytellers, the audience is an equally important piece of the puzzle. (Photo by Pati Laylle

The Moth was founded by novelist George Dawes Green in 1997 and currently hosts events in 29 cities across the world. Over the years, The Moth has inspired over 60,000 people to share their stories live.

Green first had the idea for The Moth because he would invite friends to come over and they’d share their stories on the porch. “While he was telling stories, it’s said that moths would gather around the lights. They were always surrounding and listening to the stories as well,” says Szajnert of the origin.

As for being a performer, Anglin says it’s a double-edged sword.

“You’ve the lights on your face and people are staring at you, so it’s very nerve-wracking,” says Anglin. “But it’s always nice to get up there and say what you have to say. There’s a healing, powerful act in getting up and stating how you feel about something.”

WHAT: The Moth GrandSLAM Championship

 WHERE: The Black Archives – Historic Lyric Theater, 819 NW Second Ave., Miami

 WHEN: 7:30 p.m., Friday, Dec. 13; doors open at 6:30 p.m.

 COST: $33 at eventbrite.

 INFORMATION: (305) 284-8800 or www.themoth.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.

City Theatre’s ‘Black Santa’ A Lesson in Christmas Tradition

Rita Cole as Patrice Patterson and Niki Fridh as Principal Ward in City Theater’s premiere of Aaron Mays’ “Black Santa” opening Thursday, Dec. 5 through Sunday, Dec. 22 in the Carnival Studio Theater at the Adrienne Arsht Center, Miami. (Photo courtesy of Morgan Sophia Photography)

Playwright Aaron Mays offers insight to those directing and acting in his play “Black Santa.”

He writes in the beginning of the script:

For the actors: “…Push too hard and the play falls apart so find the heart of the play, not the joke.”

For the director: “The tone of this play is not total hysteria or complete absurdity. There is almost always a sense of plausibility in each statement.”

The time period of “Black Santa,” which is getting its southeastern premiere by City Theatre at Miami’s Adrienne Arsht Center, opening Thursday, Dec. 5 and running through Sunday, Dec. 22, is revealed to the audience immediately. We hear a portion of President Barack Obama’s victory speech in 2008.

Rita Cole plays Patrice Patterson in City Theatre’s “Black Santa” opening on Thursday, Dec. 5 through Sunday, Dec. 22 at the Carnival Studio Theater in the Adrienne Arsht Center, Miami. (Photo courtesy of Morgan Sophia Photography)

Lights up and Patrice Patterson is reading to her students from the traditional Christmas tale ” ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas.” When she’s finished, she asks her students to share “one thing you want people to know for this holiday season?”

The lights go down, and we’re not sure what those answers were. That is until the principal calls a meeting with teachers at Dartmouth Day School in Buffalo, N.Y., to alert them that there is a “serious matter” and that, although it is a small fire, it must be taken care of before it turns into a “full-fledged inferno.”

A flash mob in the lunchroom? More fallout about the kid who brought a plastic blowup pool to school, filled it with milk, took a bath in it, and then posted it to YouTube? No. It’s a more “pressing event,” says Principal Ward. Sharifa, a third grader, proclaimed that the one thing she wanted people to know for the holiday season was that Santa Claus is a Black man and he is from Detroit.

The principal tells those in the faculty lounge that it took 30 minutes to stop the children in the class from crying and screaming and a teacher’s aide fainted.

“In the play, there are many touch points within the story that are from real life or inspired by my life,” says Mays. “My parents were teachers. I went to a private school and some of the names in the script are actual friends of mine. There is a real Sharifa in the world,” he says.

Chicago playwright Aaron Mays wrote the comedy “Black Santa” somewhat based on an interaction he had with a friend in high school. (Photo courtesy of Mark Duggan/Nickel City Headshot)

The Chicago playwright grew up in Buffalo, which he says is a “steel mill town” and racially segregated. “I grew up on the east side of Buffalo, a predominantly Black neighborhood.”

There was an impetus for the play, he explains. “My mother had a tradition of giving out Christmas cards. I followed suit in high school, and I gave a card to a friend of mine. When she opened it, she just looked at it. I have yet to find the word to define or describe her expression – a sneer, a smirk. Anyway, it seemed as if she was uncomfortable with the image,” says Mays. The image was of a Black angel. And the friend was not Black.

Years later when Mays started thinking about the play he wanted to write, he recalled the incident.

“The play is more relevant now.” He recalls that at the first rehearsal in Miami, he had a different reaction than in the past. “We played the opening, Obama’s speech, and I got emotional hearing it now because there’s a contrast. What we have now is not the idea of hoping for a post-racial society . . . of that we are moving forward . . . but now, at least politically, we have now gone so far back.”

It isn’t lost on him nor should it be on the audience, he says, that the setting is a school . . .  “What could be at stake, like cutting the U.S. Department of Education,” says Mays.

When a third grader tells her teacher played by Rita Cole, right, that Santa is a Black man, the school’s principal, played by Niki Fridh, wants to set things right in City Theatre’s “Black Santa” opening at the Carnival Studio Theater in the Adrienne Arsht Center, Miami. (Photo courtesy of Morgan Sophia Photography)

The playwright doesn’t want to give the idea that his play is political or preachy. He says he’s accustomed to writing drama — “that’s usually where I land.” But he discovered that with comedy he could still tackle tough topics. “You know, with satire, it softens the blow of those realities when we can look at them through the lens of something that may be satirical. I’m hoping and believe that people will walk out of the play laughing.”

Margaret M. Ledford, City Theatre’s artistic director and the director of the play, says “Black Santa” is a “heartwarming story that embraces the idea of pluralism in America . .. that we can still be the great American melting pot. And it does embody the true mean of Christmas in terms of compassion – empathy and goodwill to all.”

She says what the audience will see in her direction and in the cast is that everyone has been given “the license to have fun.” She did, however, take her job seriously: A white woman directing a primarily Black story.

Ledford explains: “In our first day of rehearsal we addressed that ‘elephant in the room,’ so to speak. We had very candid conversations and workshops about how I may ‘present in the world’ is not how everyone else in my cast does. So, there were agreements made – how to approach misunderstandings that inevitably happen, and how, for all of us to grant everyone grace.”

The main character, Patrice, the school’s only Black teacher, is asked to create an ad campaign within the school to make Santa white again; at the same time, she’s hoping to get an assistant principal job that’s open at the school. “So how much does she need to assume code-switching to be in that white space?,” says Ledford. Code-switching is changing behaviors or presenting yourself to fit in and often used to play down racial differences to be accepted in a certain space.

Rita Cole, who plays Patrice, says everyone at different points in their life code switches. “For instance, how you speak on the job versus how you speak with your kids or your spouse or your partner. And I am not sure if people realize that they do it but when they watch this play, it is my hope that they do see that — that they see that a little bit in themselves.”

The battle over Santa’s race is a touchpoint in the play “Black Santa” with Rita Cole, left, as Patrice Patterson and Niki Fridh as Principal Ward in City Theatre’s production. (Photo courtesy of Morgan Sophia Photography)

Cole says that she’s been working on the struggle within her character – the complexity that Patrice has from being “super professional and putting on a smile even when her core values are being challenged. How do I bring that onto the stage – her having to navigate both of those worlds?”

Joining Cole in the cast are Niki Fridh, Jeff Burleson, Robert L. Strain, Kimmie Harvey, and Phillip Andrew Santiago.

City Theatre is known for its short play festivals and Ledford says there’s an advantage to the shorts – to be able to tell so many stories in one night, but she welcomes the opportunity to present full plays like “Black Santa.” “There are topics that just take longer to talk about.”

Ledford says this is also the chance to give South Florida audiences a different Christmas play.

“Christmas Carol has been done. We know Scrooge’s heart can change but how about other people’s hearts?,” says Ledford.

WHAT: “Black Santa” by Aaron Mays

 WHERE: Carnival Studio Theater in the Ziff Ballet Opera House at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, 1300 Biscayne Blvd., Miami

WHEN: Opens Thursday, Dec. 5. 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday;  2:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Through Sunday, Dec. 22.

COST: $56 and $61; VIP experience for an additional $30 includes a drink, up-front seating and a gift bag; a portion of the proceeds benefit City Theatre’s arts education initiatives.

INFORMATION:  305-949-6722 or arshtcenter.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.