Theater / Film
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
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