Joey Barreiro is pretty stoked to be returning to his hometown as a newsie. And not just any newsie—Jack Kelly, the leading role in Disney’s original movie-turned-musical. Newsies the Musical will be playing at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts from November 17-29. Both Cuban and Portuguese, Barreiro says…
If you’ve never heard of Cuban Pete and the Hialeah Hooligans, then you may at least be familiar with the song “Cuban Pete,” which was performed by Desi Arnaz on the show I Love Lucy. Cuban Pete lead singer and guitarist Lexy Semino chose that moniker not just in homage…
Buddy Guy says he was “born to play the guitar,” but after watching him at the Hard Rock Live in Hollywood last night, I’m convinced he was already playing it in the womb. He treats his instrument like a best friend, and picks it as if it were another natural…
The Broward Center for the Performing Arts began its fall 2015 season of Off Broadway shows on October 6 with the adapted-from-film Once, a charming, indie-fied Irish tale about two musicians whose crossing paths result in some truly beautiful, heartbreaking music together. As crowds filtered in on opening night, the ensemble cast…
In a recent interview with CBS, Idol said he is “soberish” these days, at the age of 58. He smokes pot and drinks occasionally — a far cry from his crazy touring days in the ’80s, fueled by sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll. Over 20 years later, he’s still…
This year’s Florida Burlesque Festival at Cinema Paradiso in Fort Lauderdale was proof that sexy comes in all different shapes and sizes. Performers like Dirty Martini — “Miss 44 and a whole lot more” — and burlesque legend Dusty Summers (who is still stripping in her 60s) prove that the art…
Every Monday night at the Hullabaloo in West Palm Beach, the Whiskey Wasps bring their haunting but soothing sounds to Clematis Street. Billy Schmidt and his wife, Rachel DuVall, who are also the creators of the indie-rock band Raggy Monster, make up the duo and bring a different acoustic sound…
These days, burlesque is largely known for its striptease, filled with beautiful costumes and tantalizing dances. But originally burlesque, which by definition means parody, began as a comedy act where men and women performed satirical social commentaries on culture. By the time of the Great Depression, vaudeville variety shows included…
Some of my best memories have involved singing karaoke with friends. In high school, my girlfriends and I won 50 bucks singing “Don’t Speak” in a local contest, and my first legal cocktail was enjoyed at a bachelorette party singing “Love Is a Battlefield.” Ever since I started watching The…
There is going to be a lot of celebrating this weekend, so you might as well start your Fourth of July festivities early with some incredible live music. Kat Riggins and her Blues Revival band will be performing at Blue Jean Blues this Thursday to get your Independence Day weekend…
Professional trumpet player, Yamin Mustafa, can teach you how to play the trumpet in three seconds. Though that may sound crazy to you, Mustafa proves it to be true every Wednesday night at the Kreepy Tiki Lounge & Bar in Fort Lauderdale. Last week, Mustafa went up to a young…
At 85-years-old, swing dance champion Sugar Sullivan says she doesn’t have a single regret. “I’ve had a beautiful life,” she said on her birthday this past Wednesday. “I had a wonderful childhood, I have a beautiful family. We have fun together, and I have no regrets about anything. I’ve really…
Pippin is not your average, ordinary everyday kind of Broadway show, and that’s exactly why you should go see it. Birthed in 1972 by writer Roger O. Hirson, choreographer Bob Fosse, and composer Stephen Schwartz, this deeply significant yet hilariously satirical musical has been revived for our modern-day stage. After…
I don’t usually spend my Sunday mornings in front of a mirror doing victory roll curls in my hair, but it was a special occasion. My dance teachers Yuval Hod and Julia Slavikas asked me, my boyfriend Andy Whiting, and some of our friends from our swing dancing troupe, Swing…
What does the performing arts world look like from behind the curtain? The musical Performing Arts Politics answers that question using comedy, dance, and music to expose the often-harsh realities of what it’s like to compete as an entertainer. The show is running for two nights — Friday and Saturday March 20…
Arts Garage, the cultural funhouse in Delray Beach, is once again putting on its annual fundraiser, Grunge & Glamour. But this time, the team is doing things a little differently. The president of Arts Garage, Alyona Aleksandra Ushe, said the event was moved from the fall to February 28 to…
When you walk into the coworking space at General Provision, you may see a painter creating his next masterpiece, a writer diligently working on her first novel, or a group of techies on their laptops designing a new app. Though all of them have a different craft, they have the…
About two years ago, singer/songwriter Melissa Sandoval was on the brink of a record deal in New Jersey when the offer went sour due to circumstances out of her control. But what seemed like a big disappointment at the time actually became the spark she needed to produce her own…
It’s Monday night, and people from all over South Florida are trickling into the Harold Solomon Tennis Institute for the weekly swing dance in Fort Lauderdale. Some are dressed in jeans and Converse sneakers, while others are in their Sunday best. It doesn’t really matter, as long as they are…
It’s hard to get in the Christmas mood when it’s 80 degrees outside and everything still looks the same as it did in July. Thankfully, there are some ways South Floridians can get in the holiday spirit this December, and it doesn’t involve drinking peppermint mochas from Starbucks or playing…
I remember when my brother gave me a couple of Anberlin CDs years ago when I was in college — the Never Take Friendship Personal and Cities albums. I fell in love with the rocky ballads, graceful lyrics, and the voice of Stephen Christian, which always softly rose above the…
By Michelle de Carion Five years ago, a friend invited me out to swing-dance in downtown Chicago. Though I’d dreamed of learning to dance as a kid, watching Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers twirl about, I was honestly terrified and had never taken a lesson. She assured me, “Come anyway…
