Best Of South Florida® 2003 Winners
Arts & Entertainment
Hard times for art galleries these days. In a sluggish economy, art, for many people, becomes an expendable luxury -- something to look at, maybe, but not to buy. For those with weak willpower, even looking may become too great a temptation to risk. And so established galleries close; new ones fail to materialize. The Carone Gallery is different. Matthew Carone runs a serious gallery for serious collectors: so serious, in fact, that the gallery, just off Las Olas Boulevard, is open by appointment only. No waltzing in off the street to browse. But Carone, himself a widely respected painter who had a small, excellent one-man show at the Boca Raton Museum of Art last year, is important for another reason. For the past two years, he has joined Susan Buzzi and the Broward Art Guild in saving the Hortt Competition after it was abandoned by Fort Lauderdale's Museum of Art. The guild's gallery was a woefully inadequate display space for the large show, so Carone graciously volunteered his gallery. For that alone, the area arts community should be eternally grateful to him.
Legendary in the area's clubs for his cantankerous unpredictability as well as his horn-blowing, saxman Turk Mauro is difficult to ignore. A loud, tough, and brawny guy, Mauro's performances are charged with the kind of physicality usually reserved for young rock acts, whether he's playing with his quartet or on his own. Unfortunately, no one has yet been able to capture his live vibe on tape with any degree of precision, making your best bet catching him one of these nights at O'Hara's Jazz Café in Hollywood. When Mauro breaks out his big baritone sax, it puts a rumble in the room and makes you feel woozier than a strong cocktail. That's a feeling best experienced with a drink in front of you anyway.
Legendary in the area's clubs for his cantankerous unpredictability as well as his horn-blowing, saxman Turk Mauro is difficult to ignore. A loud, tough, and brawny guy, Mauro's performances are charged with the kind of physicality usually reserved for young rock acts, whether he's playing with his quartet or on his own. Unfortunately, no one has yet been able to capture his live vibe on tape with any degree of precision, making your best bet catching him one of these nights at O'Hara's Jazz Café in Hollywood. When Mauro breaks out his big baritone sax, it puts a rumble in the room and makes you feel woozier than a strong cocktail. That's a feeling best experienced with a drink in front of you anyway.
Certainly, monster musicianship counts for something. Pygmy -- a frenetic five-piece with members scattered across Miami-Dade County -- has that part sewn up. On the band's new full-length CD, The Council of Important Scientists Say NO!, you'll certainly encounter dancing strings, cocktail chords, bizarrely backward arpeggios, and John Zorn-like arithmetic cacophony, slowing down and speeding up with the out-of-control frenzy of a locomotive descending a steep grade without brakes. But wait, there's more. Pygmy also has the threads. These young Cuban/Dominican/Peruvian/American kids wear blazers, cardigans, polished dress shoes, button-down shirts, and ties on-stage. No mere fashion victims, though, Pygmy is best-known for performances so energetic that band members (and their shoes) separate from the stage like fur flying in a cat fight, feet rarely touching floors. This combination of spastic energy, conflagration potential, unconventional harmonic structures, singer Adames' lean, feline croon, and a penchant for song titles like "Nous Vetement D'Hiver Sont Beaux" make Pygmy the most dangerous -- and worthwhile -- band around. The hunt for these Pygmies is most fruitful at Ray's Downtown in West Palm Beach, Club Q in Davie, the Alley in Miami, or the Factory in Fort Lauderdale.
Certainly, monster musicianship counts for something. Pygmy -- a frenetic five-piece with members scattered across Miami-Dade County -- has that part sewn up. On the band's new full-length CD, The Council of Important Scientists Say NO!, you'll certainly encounter dancing strings, cocktail chords, bizarrely backward arpeggios, and John Zorn-like arithmetic cacophony, slowing down and speeding up with the out-of-control frenzy of a locomotive descending a steep grade without brakes. But wait, there's more. Pygmy also has the threads. These young Cuban/Dominican/Peruvian/American kids wear blazers, cardigans, polished dress shoes, button-down shirts, and ties on-stage. No mere fashion victims, though, Pygmy is best-known for performances so energetic that band members (and their shoes) separate from the stage like fur flying in a cat fight, feet rarely touching floors. This combination of spastic energy, conflagration potential, unconventional harmonic structures, singer Adames' lean, feline croon, and a penchant for song titles like "Nous Vetement D'Hiver Sont Beaux" make Pygmy the most dangerous -- and worthwhile -- band around. The hunt for these Pygmies is most fruitful at Ray's Downtown in West Palm Beach, Club Q in Davie, the Alley in Miami, or the Factory in Fort Lauderdale.
If somehow you encounter John "the Cop" Eischen and his trusty sidekick Jim "the Other Guy" Harrison playing somewhere that doesn't have a cheap happy hour, wake up and rub the crust from your eyes. You must be dreaming. Guitarist/singer John the Cop and fretless bassist the Other Guy are built for comfort, not speed, and they're built for bars, not theaters, convalescent centers, or gazebos. No, this old (John the Cop recently retired from the Fort Lauderdale police force) Delta blues duo know each other and their loyal, hard-partying fans well enough to know not to mess with a good thing. So one John the Cop and the Other Guy set is pretty much the same as any other, with Robert Johnson, Peatie Wheatstraw, and Muddy Waters tunes served up well-marinated and warm. The sharp, sprightly sound John wrings from his six- and 12-string resonator guitars is so authentic and pure that it practically ensures that you stay until last call. The day these two start doing shows at Starbucks next to the frappuccino and vanilla lattes or inside some snooty wine bar, best check your watch: It's probably time for the world to end. Until then, find 'em at the Downtowner Saloon or the Poor House in Fort Lauderdale. Right where they should be.
If somehow you encounter John "the Cop" Eischen and his trusty sidekick Jim "the Other Guy" Harrison playing somewhere that doesn't have a cheap happy hour, wake up and rub the crust from your eyes. You must be dreaming. Guitarist/singer John the Cop and fretless bassist the Other Guy are built for comfort, not speed, and they're built for bars, not theaters, convalescent centers, or gazebos. No, this old (John the Cop recently retired from the Fort Lauderdale police force) Delta blues duo know each other and their loyal, hard-partying fans well enough to know not to mess with a good thing. So one John the Cop and the Other Guy set is pretty much the same as any other, with Robert Johnson, Peatie Wheatstraw, and Muddy Waters tunes served up well-marinated and warm. The sharp, sprightly sound John wrings from his six- and 12-string resonator guitars is so authentic and pure that it practically ensures that you stay until last call. The day these two start doing shows at Starbucks next to the frappuccino and vanilla lattes or inside some snooty wine bar, best check your watch: It's probably time for the world to end. Until then, find 'em at the Downtowner Saloon or the Poor House in Fort Lauderdale. Right where they should be.
"Noise is alive and well in Lake Worth!" proclaims Kenny 5, onetime member of Detroit's infamously ear-splitting Princess Dragon Mom, former proprietor of Lake Worth's now-defunct Downtown Books and CDs, current owner of hippie-trippy head shop/toy store Purple Haze, and famed inventor of the electric grease pan. Now, we fully understand that a baking sheet fished from a trash bin isn't a musical instrument to most people. And we certainly grasp the fact that even after Kenny gets finished with it, it's still not a musical instrument to most people. But with a guitar pickup on one end, a bridge on the other, and 18-gauge steel wire in between, it sure do make a helluva racket. So do his electric surfboard, skateboard, lunchbox, and shoe. He's powerful pleased with that 'lectric skateboard: "Six wheels and a whammy bar!" he says proudly, as if it's a mint-condition Cadillac convertible. When he's not out searching for the ever-elusive Lake Worth Lagoon monster, the "pied piper for crazy art and noise" is making a horrifically pretty din, usually amplified, somewhere in the otherwise calm hamlet.
"Noise is alive and well in Lake Worth!" proclaims Kenny 5, onetime member of Detroit's infamously ear-splitting Princess Dragon Mom, former proprietor of Lake Worth's now-defunct Downtown Books and CDs, current owner of hippie-trippy head shop/toy store Purple Haze, and famed inventor of the electric grease pan. Now, we fully understand that a baking sheet fished from a trash bin isn't a musical instrument to most people. And we certainly grasp the fact that even after Kenny gets finished with it, it's still not a musical instrument to most people. But with a guitar pickup on one end, a bridge on the other, and 18-gauge steel wire in between, it sure do make a helluva racket. So do his electric surfboard, skateboard, lunchbox, and shoe. He's powerful pleased with that 'lectric skateboard: "Six wheels and a whammy bar!" he says proudly, as if it's a mint-condition Cadillac convertible. When he's not out searching for the ever-elusive Lake Worth Lagoon monster, the "pied piper for crazy art and noise" is making a horrifically pretty din, usually amplified, somewhere in the otherwise calm hamlet.
Perhaps the best South Florida rapper you've never heard, Bolansky has a new CD arriving in stores by the end of May through local rap collective Block Bottom Entertainment. Judging from his past performances on a variety of compilation albums, the Dirty South is about to get a whole lot dirtier, but not in the traditional booty-shakin' way. Bolansky raps about drugs and thugs in the sort of tone that lets you know he draws on personal experience. Time will tell if South Florida is ready to abandon its dance pretenses for some straight-up gangsta flava. Dig?
Perhaps the best South Florida rapper you've never heard, Bolansky has a new CD arriving in stores by the end of May through local rap collective Block Bottom Entertainment. Judging from his past performances on a variety of compilation albums, the Dirty South is about to get a whole lot dirtier, but not in the traditional booty-shakin' way. Bolansky raps about drugs and thugs in the sort of tone that lets you know he draws on personal experience. Time will tell if South Florida is ready to abandon its dance pretenses for some straight-up gangsta flava. Dig?
Twenty-two-year-old South Florida singer/songwriter Isaac Lekach performs and records under the rubric Poulain, with friends lending helping heads, hands, and feet. And Lekach -- a shy guy with sweet, saucer-sized brown eyes and a mop of tousled brown hair -- has plenty of pals to help him fill out his melancholic, wistful ork-pop or dork-pop or whatever his homespun-but-orchestral tunes are called these days. His ear for brooding balladry and gimmick-free love songs has made him South Florida's answer to the Magnetic Fields, evidence of which can be heard on his two upcoming discs: one recorded in Athens, Georgia, with Andy LeMaster (Now It's Overhead, Macha) and another he's working on in L.A. for big-deal indie label Fiddler Records.
Twenty-two-year-old South Florida singer/songwriter Isaac Lekach performs and records under the rubric Poulain, with friends lending helping heads, hands, and feet. And Lekach -- a shy guy with sweet, saucer-sized brown eyes and a mop of tousled brown hair -- has plenty of pals to help him fill out his melancholic, wistful ork-pop or dork-pop or whatever his homespun-but-orchestral tunes are called these days. His ear for brooding balladry and gimmick-free love songs has made him South Florida's answer to the Magnetic Fields, evidence of which can be heard on his two upcoming discs: one recorded in Athens, Georgia, with Andy LeMaster (Now It's Overhead, Macha) and another he's working on in L.A. for big-deal indie label Fiddler Records.
Jerrods Door started out as a sort of elite drum circle featuring didgeridoo. A few other musicians remained on the fringes of the band, but the nebulous group always seemed to center almost solely on percussion. And if you dug the sort of trancey stuff Jerrods Door was capable of producing, that was all fine and good. But over the past year, a subtle transformation has occurred. Sure, a Jerrods Door show still includes a varying number of percussionists, but the bass, guitar, and other instruments that used to be ambient background music now play a larger part, and Jerrods Door is sounding like an honest-to-goodness rock band. An extremely patchouli-scented rock band, but a rock band nevertheless. One almost gets the impression these folks have been, like, rehearsing or something. No, seriously! The group tends to open for most jam bands that come to town, and it's getting to the point where they even upstage the main act on occasion. If Jerrods Door continues to flesh out its sound and its members grow tighter as musicians, we'll just have to take up our bong habits again and get our microbus back from the repo man.
Jerrods Door started out as a sort of elite drum circle featuring didgeridoo. A few other musicians remained on the fringes of the band, but the nebulous group always seemed to center almost solely on percussion. And if you dug the sort of trancey stuff Jerrods Door was capable of producing, that was all fine and good. But over the past year, a subtle transformation has occurred. Sure, a Jerrods Door show still includes a varying number of percussionists, but the bass, guitar, and other instruments that used to be ambient background music now play a larger part, and Jerrods Door is sounding like an honest-to-goodness rock band. An extremely patchouli-scented rock band, but a rock band nevertheless. One almost gets the impression these folks have been, like, rehearsing or something. No, seriously! The group tends to open for most jam bands that come to town, and it's getting to the point where they even upstage the main act on occasion. If Jerrods Door continues to flesh out its sound and its members grow tighter as musicians, we'll just have to take up our bong habits again and get our microbus back from the repo man.
In the world of reggae music, Freddie McGregor is known as "Mr. Big Ship." The name of one of his many albums, as well as his label and Kingston-area recording studio, Big Ship fits McGregor's reputation as a world-traveling ambassador of reggae's positive vibrations. Active in the Jamaican music scene since the early 1960s, Freddie started as a kid too short to reach the microphone, gradually molding his Rasta roots into ultrasmooth, romantic lover's rock. By now, Freddie is one of reggae's most enduring living icons. A family man (six kids!) with a part-time home in Hollywood -- a city whose mayor, Mara Giulianti, even named a day in his honor -- McGregor is known locally for his good works as well as his good music. Dr. Robert Hochstein of Fort Lauderdale's County Line Chiropractic Center treated the singer for a shoulder injury a few years ago. McGregor was so pleased with his recovery that he referred friends to the clinic -- and did a series of radio ads and billboards bearing his beaming likeness. Last year, County Line donated a new Honda Civic that was raffled off to raise funds for the Haile Selassie Comprehensive High School in Kingston, a neglected institution McGregor decided to help out. Living out the example set in one of his early songs, "Do Good and Good Will Follow You," McGregor is still famous for his philanthropic deeds -- like the Freddie McGregor Children's Fund. His last album, 2002's Grammy-nominated Anything for You, contains the most affecting love songs to date from the perennial golden-voiced ladies' man. Like they say, big ship, big heart.
In the world of reggae music, Freddie McGregor is known as "Mr. Big Ship." The name of one of his many albums, as well as his label and Kingston-area recording studio, Big Ship fits McGregor's reputation as a world-traveling ambassador of reggae's positive vibrations. Active in the Jamaican music scene since the early 1960s, Freddie started as a kid too short to reach the microphone, gradually molding his Rasta roots into ultrasmooth, romantic lover's rock. By now, Freddie is one of reggae's most enduring living icons. A family man (six kids!) with a part-time home in Hollywood -- a city whose mayor, Mara Giulianti, even named a day in his honor -- McGregor is known locally for his good works as well as his good music. Dr. Robert Hochstein of Fort Lauderdale's County Line Chiropractic Center treated the singer for a shoulder injury a few years ago. McGregor was so pleased with his recovery that he referred friends to the clinic -- and did a series of radio ads and billboards bearing his beaming likeness. Last year, County Line donated a new Honda Civic that was raffled off to raise funds for the Haile Selassie Comprehensive High School in Kingston, a neglected institution McGregor decided to help out. Living out the example set in one of his early songs, "Do Good and Good Will Follow You," McGregor is still famous for his philanthropic deeds -- like the Freddie McGregor Children's Fund. His last album, 2002's Grammy-nominated Anything for You, contains the most affecting love songs to date from the perennial golden-voiced ladies' man. Like they say, big ship, big heart.
Trouble was, with the power out, we couldn't see a damn thing. So we rested against the burnished-brown walls of the mine shaft, our helmets protecting us from the sharp shards of nougat falling from above. By the time we were rescued -- specks of caramel still clinging to our coveralls -- none of the crew wanted to see a Milky Way, Three Musketeers, or Snickers bar ever again. It took several minutes for our eyes to adjust to the harsh sunlight. Though safe again on the surface, we all knew it would be only a matter of time before we plunged the depths of the nougat mine again, emerging from the dark, creamy shaft with carts filled with chunks of the chocolatey goodness we extracted from the swirly veins of nougat beneath the earth.
Trouble was, with the power out, we couldn't see a damn thing. So we rested against the burnished-brown walls of the mine shaft, our helmets protecting us from the sharp shards of nougat falling from above. By the time we were rescued -- specks of caramel still clinging to our coveralls -- none of the crew wanted to see a Milky Way, Three Musketeers, or Snickers bar ever again. It took several minutes for our eyes to adjust to the harsh sunlight. Though safe again on the surface, we all knew it would be only a matter of time before we plunged the depths of the nougat mine again, emerging from the dark, creamy shaft with carts filled with chunks of the chocolatey goodness we extracted from the swirly veins of nougat beneath the earth.
Best Band to Break Up or Leave Town in the Past 12 Months
Baby Robots
It's only fitting that we'd have tons of tears to shed for the group we named Best Rock Band only this time last year. Suppose it was expecting too much for Bobby Baker's beloved Boca-based Baby Robots (say that five times fast) to hang around much longer. After all, as Bobby would say, this is the place where "you stick to yourself twice a day." The 'Bots went through several permutations since their 1997 inception, beginning with acoustic guitars and pretty female vocals, ending up as a terrifying psychedelic combo along the lines of Medicine or Bardo Pond. Baker always claimed a frontman without an instrument was a waste, and it's true, he wasn't much of a singer. But his Black Sabbath-cum-Spaceman 3 guitar work always sprawled, stretched, and screamed into the right shadows. At New Times' Best Of concert last December, the Baby Robots trafficked in richly sensual swirls of feedback, contorted melodies, and songs that careened around the room for upward of 15 minutes before resting. With girlfriend and fellow guitarist Tamara Engle, Baker (who could also be found playing guitar with Cactus Eye Relief, Mr. Entertainment and the Pookie Smackers, Game 4, and Wolfboy and the Fantods) split for Austin, Texas, around the first of this year. He'll rebuild the Robots there, so Boca's loss is Austin's gain. As if they need it.
Best Band to Break Up or Leave Town in the Past 12 Months
Baby Robots
It's only fitting that we'd have tons of tears to shed for the group we named Best Rock Band only this time last year. Suppose it was expecting too much for Bobby Baker's beloved Boca-based Baby Robots (say that five times fast) to hang around much longer. After all, as Bobby would say, this is the place where "you stick to yourself twice a day." The 'Bots went through several permutations since their 1997 inception, beginning with acoustic guitars and pretty female vocals, ending up as a terrifying psychedelic combo along the lines of Medicine or Bardo Pond. Baker always claimed a frontman without an instrument was a waste, and it's true, he wasn't much of a singer. But his Black Sabbath-cum-Spaceman 3 guitar work always sprawled, stretched, and screamed into the right shadows. At New Times' Best Of concert last December, the Baby Robots trafficked in richly sensual swirls of feedback, contorted melodies, and songs that careened around the room for upward of 15 minutes before resting. With girlfriend and fellow guitarist Tamara Engle, Baker (who could also be found playing guitar with Cactus Eye Relief, Mr. Entertainment and the Pookie Smackers, Game 4, and Wolfboy and the Fantods) split for Austin, Texas, around the first of this year. He'll rebuild the Robots there, so Boca's loss is Austin's gain. As if they need it.
Best Album of the Past 12 Months
fivesixsixfive, fivesixsixfive
After disbanding Iris, Seth Brody (five-foot-six), that cute, curly-haired little Jewish kid with the huge record collection hooked up with Jimmy Allen (six-foot-five), a fan of "the original phase-shifter, Karl-heinz Stockhausen." The result: fivesixsixfive, Fort Lauderdale's computer-bohemian, cut-and-paste, electro-indie-pop stars. Clever marketing strategies, including saturating the area with bumper stickers and lighters and passing out a promo photo of the pair as Styrofoam silhouettes, fivesixsixfive hit the scene running. Half of the 12 tracks on the band's self-titled debut sound like half-baked experiments revolving around synths, samplers, and drum machines; but the quirky pop songs that make up the rest make it the best local release all year. Marrying hip-hop beats to acoustic guitars and even glockenspiels, xylophone, and timpani, the album's should-be single, "Freeform," sports an innate catchiness thanks to playful boy-girl breathy vocals. The band's sole live performance turned into a charmingly chaotic blend of dinner theater, live jamming, and karaoke. Unfortunately, with Brody planning to follow his career track in stage design all the way to New York City, the future of fivesixsixfive, sadly, may stay short.
Best Album of the Past 12 Months
fivesixsixfive, fivesixsixfive
After disbanding Iris, Seth Brody (five-foot-six), that cute, curly-haired little Jewish kid with the huge record collection hooked up with Jimmy Allen (six-foot-five), a fan of "the original phase-shifter, Karl-heinz Stockhausen." The result: fivesixsixfive, Fort Lauderdale's computer-bohemian, cut-and-paste, electro-indie-pop stars. Clever marketing strategies, including saturating the area with bumper stickers and lighters and passing out a promo photo of the pair as Styrofoam silhouettes, fivesixsixfive hit the scene running. Half of the 12 tracks on the band's self-titled debut sound like half-baked experiments revolving around synths, samplers, and drum machines; but the quirky pop songs that make up the rest make it the best local release all year. Marrying hip-hop beats to acoustic guitars and even glockenspiels, xylophone, and timpani, the album's should-be single, "Freeform," sports an innate catchiness thanks to playful boy-girl breathy vocals. The band's sole live performance turned into a charmingly chaotic blend of dinner theater, live jamming, and karaoke. Unfortunately, with Brody planning to follow his career track in stage design all the way to New York City, the future of fivesixsixfive, sadly, may stay short.
Best Concert of the Past 12 Months
Wilco at the Carefree Theatre, November 4, 2002
Surfing a wave of positive press heralding Yankee Hotel Foxtrot as album of the year, Wilco made its South Florida debut during a fortuitous moment in its history. At this sold-out performance -- the same week the band's documentary film I Am Trying to Break Your Heart opened in area movie theaters -- a very ripped Wilco flexed strong creative muscles. Mid-concert, sensing the 750 seated souls had melted into their seats, leader Jeff Tweedy invited the crowd to its feet, announcing, "You guys can stand up, you know -- this isn't the Wilco movie!" With the gap between audience and performer bridged for good, Tweedy and company rode the songs from Summerteeth, Being There, and YHF atop monstrous, "A Day in the Life"-styled crescendos amid a sound mix so pristine that instruments could be heard bouncing from speaker to speaker in stereophonic acrobatics. Talk about catching a band at the top of its game -- this night, Wilco blasted 'em out of the park with every pitch.
Best Concert of the Past 12 Months
Wilco at the Carefree Theatre, November 4, 2002
Surfing a wave of positive press heralding Yankee Hotel Foxtrot as album of the year, Wilco made its South Florida debut during a fortuitous moment in its history. At this sold-out performance -- the same week the band's documentary film I Am Trying to Break Your Heart opened in area movie theaters -- a very ripped Wilco flexed strong creative muscles. Mid-concert, sensing the 750 seated souls had melted into their seats, leader Jeff Tweedy invited the crowd to its feet, announcing, "You guys can stand up, you know -- this isn't the Wilco movie!" With the gap between audience and performer bridged for good, Tweedy and company rode the songs from Summerteeth, Being There, and YHF atop monstrous, "A Day in the Life"-styled crescendos amid a sound mix so pristine that instruments could be heard bouncing from speaker to speaker in stereophonic acrobatics. Talk about catching a band at the top of its game -- this night, Wilco blasted 'em out of the park with every pitch.
Though this year was Langerado's inaugural, the local jam fest got off to a good start, drawing a crowd of more than 3,500 noodle-dancing souls. Those die-hard fans who braved the whole concert were rewarded with performances by luminaries of the festival set such as moe.; Medeski, Martin, and Wood; and G. Love and Special Sauce as well as standout sets by local performers like Jerrods Door and Hashbrown. If you missed out on all the fun or if you simply salivate at the idea of doing it again, fear not -- plans are already underway for the second-annual Langerado. And while it's still too early to tell which bands will make an appearance, we can rest assured that, with such auspicious beginnings, Langerado may linger for years to come.
Though this year was Langerado's inaugural, the local jam fest got off to a good start, drawing a crowd of more than 3,500 noodle-dancing souls. Those die-hard fans who braved the whole concert were rewarded with performances by luminaries of the festival set such as moe.; Medeski, Martin, and Wood; and G. Love and Special Sauce as well as standout sets by local performers like Jerrods Door and Hashbrown. If you missed out on all the fun or if you simply salivate at the idea of doing it again, fear not -- plans are already underway for the second-annual Langerado. And while it's still too early to tell which bands will make an appearance, we can rest assured that, with such auspicious beginnings, Langerado may linger for years to come.
Best Radio Station
Anything not owned by Clear Channel
South Florida radio sucks. We'll say it again -- the radio down here flat-out sucksssssss. It's so completely worthless, so dominated by industry whores, payola, corporate streamlining, unfettered monopolization, dumb DJs, and strictly limited playlists that hardly anyone bothers to listen to it anymore. The best bet on the LCD dial remains the underground pirate stations that are still lashed to their own narrow MOs, naturally, but have so much more to offer in terms of local flavor and personality. The illegal reggae station 90.9 remains high on our list, but the regional roundup of radio outlaws changes as often as the weather. Lock it!
Best Radio Station
Anything not owned by Clear Channel
South Florida radio sucks. We'll say it again -- the radio down here flat-out sucksssssss. It's so completely worthless, so dominated by industry whores, payola, corporate streamlining, unfettered monopolization, dumb DJs, and strictly limited playlists that hardly anyone bothers to listen to it anymore. The best bet on the LCD dial remains the underground pirate stations that are still lashed to their own narrow MOs, naturally, but have so much more to offer in terms of local flavor and personality. The illegal reggae station 90.9 remains high on our list, but the regional roundup of radio outlaws changes as often as the weather. Lock it!
Earlier this year, weekend DJs at WKPX-FM (88.5) were shut down for good, replaced by soulless tapes set on repeat. Except, however, "Sunday Blues with Dar." From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sundays, blues aficionados can still get their fix, courtesy of Darlene McCauley. When DJs were told they either had to get enough sponsorship cash to justify their existence or else hit the road, Dar somehow pulled it off when everyone else went the way of the dinosaurs. Dedicated listeners come naturally when one's radio show happens to be the only outlet in the area for traditional blues. Keep wailin', Dar!
Earlier this year, weekend DJs at WKPX-FM (88.5) were shut down for good, replaced by soulless tapes set on repeat. Except, however, "Sunday Blues with Dar." From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sundays, blues aficionados can still get their fix, courtesy of Darlene McCauley. When DJs were told they either had to get enough sponsorship cash to justify their existence or else hit the road, Dar somehow pulled it off when everyone else went the way of the dinosaurs. Dedicated listeners come naturally when one's radio show happens to be the only outlet in the area for traditional blues. Keep wailin', Dar!
Last year, Sally Ordile was like many a South Floridian, a transplant from the north, in her case from New York City to Boynton Beach. She had been practicing art a scant half a dozen years, and then something remarkable happened: At age 62, she was discovered. Palm Beach Institute of Contemporary Art's director, Michael Rush, and PBICA Assistant Curator Jody Servon included the budding artist in their flashy "Sculpture Now" show, which reasserted the relevance of contemporary sculpture. Ordile was the only South Florida-based artist represented in the show, a detail especially notable given her choice of medium. Although Ordile also produces prints and encaustic, her most powerful work takes advantage of things most South Florida homeowners consider an annoyance: those bulky stalks and husks that peel off from the larger varieties of palms, littering lawns and streets and occasionally inflicting damage on cars. In Ordile's hands, they become things of beauty, smoothed and painted and adorned with bits of fabric and other items. No other area artist has so thoroughly integrated the readily available materials of her adopted home into her art with such force and originality.
Last year, Sally Ordile was like many a South Floridian, a transplant from the north, in her case from New York City to Boynton Beach. She had been practicing art a scant half a dozen years, and then something remarkable happened: At age 62, she was discovered. Palm Beach Institute of Contemporary Art's director, Michael Rush, and PBICA Assistant Curator Jody Servon included the budding artist in their flashy "Sculpture Now" show, which reasserted the relevance of contemporary sculpture. Ordile was the only South Florida-based artist represented in the show, a detail especially notable given her choice of medium. Although Ordile also produces prints and encaustic, her most powerful work takes advantage of things most South Florida homeowners consider an annoyance: those bulky stalks and husks that peel off from the larger varieties of palms, littering lawns and streets and occasionally inflicting damage on cars. In Ordile's hands, they become things of beauty, smoothed and painted and adorned with bits of fabric and other items. No other area artist has so thoroughly integrated the readily available materials of her adopted home into her art with such force and originality.
Hard times for art galleries these days. In a sluggish economy, art, for many people, becomes an expendable luxury -- something to look at, maybe, but not to buy. For those with weak willpower, even looking may become too great a temptation to risk. And so established galleries close; new ones fail to materialize. The Carone Gallery is different. Matthew Carone runs a serious gallery for serious collectors: so serious, in fact, that the gallery, just off Las Olas Boulevard, is open by appointment only. No waltzing in off the street to browse. But Carone, himself a widely respected painter who had a small, excellent one-man show at the Boca Raton Museum of Art last year, is important for another reason. For the past two years, he has joined Susan Buzzi and the Broward Art Guild in saving the Hortt Competition after it was abandoned by Fort Lauderdale's Museum of Art. The guild's gallery was a woefully inadequate display space for the large show, so Carone graciously volunteered his gallery. For that alone, the area arts community should be eternally grateful to him.
Best Museum in Broward
Art and Culture Center of Hollywood
Not so long ago, the Art and Culture Center of Hollywood seemed to have fallen into the doldrums. After the departure of an especially adventurous curator (Laurence Pamer), the museum lacked direction and, more important, vision. But then, new curator Samantha Salzinger arrived, and the place has been on a roll ever since. Salzinger's "Fat Painting" show was a defiant celebration of the enduring influence of abstract expressionism that left some critics (although not ours) scratching their heads. "Modus Operandi" ventured even further with its eclectic blend of photography, mixed-media works, and installations, including one -- Bill Burke's Thin Spaces -- that turned a whole gallery of the museum into an alien environment engaging all the senses. Most recently, Salzinger snagged Pamela Joseph's traveling exhibition "The Sideshow of the Absurd," an extended multimedia installation of carnival-inspired (and feminist-tinged) pieces that was easily one of the most bizarre shows of the past year. Let's hope the Art and Culture Center is brave enough to let Salzinger continue her winning streak.
Best Museum in Broward
Art and Culture Center of Hollywood
Not so long ago, the Art and Culture Center of Hollywood seemed to have fallen into the doldrums. After the departure of an especially adventurous curator (Laurence Pamer), the museum lacked direction and, more important, vision. But then, new curator Samantha Salzinger arrived, and the place has been on a roll ever since. Salzinger's "Fat Painting" show was a defiant celebration of the enduring influence of abstract expressionism that left some critics (although not ours) scratching their heads. "Modus Operandi" ventured even further with its eclectic blend of photography, mixed-media works, and installations, including one -- Bill Burke's Thin Spaces -- that turned a whole gallery of the museum into an alien environment engaging all the senses. Most recently, Salzinger snagged Pamela Joseph's traveling exhibition "The Sideshow of the Absurd," an extended multimedia installation of carnival-inspired (and feminist-tinged) pieces that was easily one of the most bizarre shows of the past year. Let's hope the Art and Culture Center is brave enough to let Salzinger continue her winning streak.
The grande dame of South Florida museums just got grander: In March, the Norton continued its astonishing expansion with a new 45,000-square-foot, 14-gallery wing that brings the place to a total of 122,500 square feet, making it the largest art museum in the state. This follows the expansion and renovations of the early 1990s, which transformed a small, dignified facility into a cultural institution worthy of its holdings. And those holdings are vast -- so vast that the museum has never quite figured out how to showcase them properly, trotting out selections from time to time but never really finding a way to emphasize the depth and breadth of the permanent collection. Founders Ralph and Elizabeth Norton kicked off that collection in 1941 with an emphasis on European art after 1870, including works by Picasso, Matisse, Gauguin, Braque, Monet, Renoir, Brancusi, and Camille Pissarro. Other subsets of the permanent collection include photography (Julia Margaret Cameron, August Sander, Philippe Halsmann), contemporary art (Duane Hanson, Frank Stella), European art before 1870 (Courbet, Rubens), and American art (Georgia O'Keeffe, Jackson Pollock). The Chinese collection includes pieces ranging from the 12th Century B.C. to the early 18th Century. The new three-floor wing, which includes a dramatic atrium featuring a dazzling glass ceiling installation by Dale Chihuly, will give the permanent collection room to breathe as large segments of it are rotated, while the rest of the museum will continue to play host to such shows as the recent "Fire and Form: The Art of Contemporary Glass." Now if the Norton could just come up with enough parking to satisfy those crowds it's already attracting.
The grande dame of South Florida museums just got grander: In March, the Norton continued its astonishing expansion with a new 45,000-square-foot, 14-gallery wing that brings the place to a total of 122,500 square feet, making it the largest art museum in the state. This follows the expansion and renovations of the early 1990s, which transformed a small, dignified facility into a cultural institution worthy of its holdings. And those holdings are vast -- so vast that the museum has never quite figured out how to showcase them properly, trotting out selections from time to time but never really finding a way to emphasize the depth and breadth of the permanent collection. Founders Ralph and Elizabeth Norton kicked off that collection in 1941 with an emphasis on European art after 1870, including works by Picasso, Matisse, Gauguin, Braque, Monet, Renoir, Brancusi, and Camille Pissarro. Other subsets of the permanent collection include photography (Julia Margaret Cameron, August Sander, Philippe Halsmann), contemporary art (Duane Hanson, Frank Stella), European art before 1870 (Courbet, Rubens), and American art (Georgia O'Keeffe, Jackson Pollock). The Chinese collection includes pieces ranging from the 12th Century B.C. to the early 18th Century. The new three-floor wing, which includes a dramatic atrium featuring a dazzling glass ceiling installation by Dale Chihuly, will give the permanent collection room to breathe as large segments of it are rotated, while the rest of the museum will continue to play host to such shows as the recent "Fire and Form: The Art of Contemporary Glass." Now if the Norton could just come up with enough parking to satisfy those crowds it's already attracting.
Best Proof that Minimalism Lives
Telephone Piece (1997/2001) by Yoko Ono
"YES YOKO ONO"
Depending upon your source, minimalism ended in the mid-1970s. Tell that to Yoko Ono. The notorious Beatle widow has never been one to heed the dictates of the art world, as she demonstrated in a recent landmark retrospective at the Museum of Contemporary Art. The piece? A simple white Slimline telephone, with an equally simple instruction posted nearby: "When the telephone rings, pick up the receiver and talk to Yoko Ono." And for the show's three-month run, Ono made random calls and chatted with whoever answered. You can't get much more minimal than that.
Best Proof that Minimalism Lives
Telephone Piece (1997/2001) by Yoko Ono
"YES YOKO ONO"
Depending upon your source, minimalism ended in the mid-1970s. Tell that to Yoko Ono. The notorious Beatle widow has never been one to heed the dictates of the art world, as she demonstrated in a recent landmark retrospective at the Museum of Contemporary Art. The piece? A simple white Slimline telephone, with an equally simple instruction posted nearby: "When the telephone rings, pick up the receiver and talk to Yoko Ono." And for the show's three-month run, Ono made random calls and chatted with whoever answered. You can't get much more minimal than that.
Best Solo Art Exhibition
"Maria Martínez-Cañas: A Retrospective"
Photography has a very good friend in Maria Martínez-Cañas, whose retrospective at Fort Lauderdale's Museum of Art last year was her first one-woman show at a South Florida museum. The Cuban-born, Puerto Rican-reared, Miami-based artist in a very real sense reinvents photography, transforming it into a hybrid medium better suited to her needs. She's smart to steer clear of digitally manipulated photography, which is still new enough to come across, in most hands, as gimmicky and contrived, but she also eschews what we usually think of as photography: no portraits, no still lifes, no landscapes, at least not in any ordinary sense. Instead, Martínez-Cañas incorporates drawing and collage into her photographs, manipulating the imagery in her own ways to make it extraordinarily expressive -- she snips photographs into fragments that she then uses as compositional elements, or she takes them apart and reassembles them in unexpected ways. At a time when the medium is just over a century old and still coming to terms with its long-fought-for status as an art form, Martínez-Cañas takes that status for granted and runs with it.
Best Solo Art Exhibition
"Maria Martínez-Cañas: A Retrospective"
Photography has a very good friend in Maria Martínez-Cañas, whose retrospective at Fort Lauderdale's Museum of Art last year was her first one-woman show at a South Florida museum. The Cuban-born, Puerto Rican-reared, Miami-based artist in a very real sense reinvents photography, transforming it into a hybrid medium better suited to her needs. She's smart to steer clear of digitally manipulated photography, which is still new enough to come across, in most hands, as gimmicky and contrived, but she also eschews what we usually think of as photography: no portraits, no still lifes, no landscapes, at least not in any ordinary sense. Instead, Martínez-Cañas incorporates drawing and collage into her photographs, manipulating the imagery in her own ways to make it extraordinarily expressive -- she snips photographs into fragments that she then uses as compositional elements, or she takes them apart and reassembles them in unexpected ways. At a time when the medium is just over a century old and still coming to terms with its long-fought-for status as an art form, Martínez-Cañas takes that status for granted and runs with it.
Best Group Art Exhibition
"Reality and Figuration: The Contemporary Latin American Presence"
As a rule, group exhibitions are a mixed bag, as likely to include misses as hits. The Boca Raton Museum of Art's "Reality and Figuration" was one of the rare exceptions. The show featured works by ten living artists, all but two in their 40s, representing half a dozen Latin American countries: three each from Cuba and Argentina, one each from Brazil, Chile, Mexico, and Uruguay. Other than their ethnic origins, however, these artists have little in common except the idea of exile -- most have studied and worked abroad, and most are now expatriates. But their work, executed in dramatically different styles, touches on a variety of themes, and most amazingly, almost every piece in the show clicks. Credit Executive Director George S. Bolge, formerly of Fort Lauderdale's Museum of Art, who has taken the Boca museum to new heights during his tenure. This exhibition was one of them.
Best Group Art Exhibition
"Reality and Figuration: The Contemporary Latin American Presence"
As a rule, group exhibitions are a mixed bag, as likely to include misses as hits. The Boca Raton Museum of Art's "Reality and Figuration" was one of the rare exceptions. The show featured works by ten living artists, all but two in their 40s, representing half a dozen Latin American countries: three each from Cuba and Argentina, one each from Brazil, Chile, Mexico, and Uruguay. Other than their ethnic origins, however, these artists have little in common except the idea of exile -- most have studied and worked abroad, and most are now expatriates. But their work, executed in dramatically different styles, touches on a variety of themes, and most amazingly, almost every piece in the show clicks. Credit Executive Director George S. Bolge, formerly of Fort Lauderdale's Museum of Art, who has taken the Boca museum to new heights during his tenure. This exhibition was one of them.
Known to his friends as Eston, this local sci-fi novelist is the queen of publicity. He somehow manages to get himself booked into every reading in town, then shoots off a press release before the hosting organization even jots the event in its calendar. Dunn founded ArtsUnited as a way to showcase local gay artists, including himself. If a book festival doesn't invite him to perform, he rents a booth. Dunn even found a way to put a positive spin on his rejected work: While his ideas for episodes of Space: 1999, Battlestar Galactica, and Buck Rogers in the 25th Century were turned down, his press releases boast the show titles by saying he submitted story lines. At readings, he claims none of the shows were progressive enough to even consider them. His novel, Echelon's End, twists gender and sexual orientation on a series of planets where same-sex relationships are the norm and heterosexuality a necessary evil that exists only to propagate the species. His work seems to resonate with a lot of people. While he doesn't have his own personal Trekkies, he does have a loyal following that shows up at Borders, the Pride Factory, the Gay and Lesbian Community Center -- wherever Dunn has booked himself an event.
Known to his friends as Eston, this local sci-fi novelist is the queen of publicity. He somehow manages to get himself booked into every reading in town, then shoots off a press release before the hosting organization even jots the event in its calendar. Dunn founded ArtsUnited as a way to showcase local gay artists, including himself. If a book festival doesn't invite him to perform, he rents a booth. Dunn even found a way to put a positive spin on his rejected work: While his ideas for episodes of Space: 1999, Battlestar Galactica, and Buck Rogers in the 25th Century were turned down, his press releases boast the show titles by saying he submitted story lines. At readings, he claims none of the shows were progressive enough to even consider them. His novel, Echelon's End, twists gender and sexual orientation on a series of planets where same-sex relationships are the norm and heterosexuality a necessary evil that exists only to propagate the species. His work seems to resonate with a lot of people. While he doesn't have his own personal Trekkies, he does have a loyal following that shows up at Borders, the Pride Factory, the Gay and Lesbian Community Center -- wherever Dunn has booked himself an event.
Best Dinner and a Movie
Carefree Theater and Gemini Cafe
It's rare to get a gourmet dinner in the same place you can catch a show, but the addition of Gemini Cafe inside the building that houses the Carefree Theater in West Palm Beach provides a one-stop spot for dinner and a movie. The Carefree, Palm Beach County's only moviehouse dedicated to foreign and alternative films, is a well-suited match for Gemini, which moved into an adjoining spot in the building that houses the theater. Gemini's menu, which changes every week, is as different as the movies playing next door. A recent menu ranged from the $22 New York strip glazed with balsamic vinegar and gorgonzola to the vegetarian black bean flautas covered in three sauces, for $8. Since its opening earlier this year, Gemini has already received a rave review from the Palm Beach Post and a mention as a hot spot in none other than the New York Times. Be sure to get comfy at the eclectic Gemini before spending a couple of hours on the hard, old-school seats inside the Carefree.
Best Dinner and a Movie
Carefree Theater and Gemini Cafe
It's rare to get a gourmet dinner in the same place you can catch a show, but the addition of Gemini Cafe inside the building that houses the Carefree Theater in West Palm Beach provides a one-stop spot for dinner and a movie. The Carefree, Palm Beach County's only moviehouse dedicated to foreign and alternative films, is a well-suited match for Gemini, which moved into an adjoining spot in the building that houses the theater. Gemini's menu, which changes every week, is as different as the movies playing next door. A recent menu ranged from the $22 New York strip glazed with balsamic vinegar and gorgonzola to the vegetarian black bean flautas covered in three sauces, for $8. Since its opening earlier this year, Gemini has already received a rave review from the Palm Beach Post and a mention as a hot spot in none other than the New York Times. Be sure to get comfy at the eclectic Gemini before spending a couple of hours on the hard, old-school seats inside the Carefree.
Best Movie Theater
Premier Theaters Bistro & Bar at Muvico Palace 20
A meal and a movie -- how much more basic can you get? That's what distinguishes the Premier, which brings these two quintessential American experiences together for maximum convenience and enjoyment. Granted, it'll cost you more -- admission is $13 before 4 p.m., $17 thereafter -- but you'll definitely feel pampered. First, there's no scouring the parking lot for a good space. Just pull up to the entrance and a valet will take it from there. Once inside, you can select your seats, if you haven't already called to do so in advance. Then, when you step off the gleaming escalator that takes you up one level, you can wonder, like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, if you've taken a wrong turn somewhere along the way. This is no ordinary theater lobby -- it's a full-service restaurant and bar. At a concierge-like counter, there's someone to help you work out the logistics: lunch or dinner before or after the movie? Either way, you'll be able to choose from Chef Adam Lamb's extensive menu. On your way into the theater area, you can pick up your complimentary popcorn (including refills) at a concession stand that offers a few out-of-the-ordinary items such as beer, wine, champagne, pizza, and sushi. Then an usher will take you to your plush, oversize seat (or a loveseat, if you like) in one of six small balcony auditoriums that give you a view far superior to what the riffraff below have. After all this pampering, the state-of-the-art sound and projection will seem almost anticlimactic. And if you've suffered through one too many movies with screaming kids in the audience, a Premier bonus is that it caters to ages 21 and older.
A meal and a movie -- how much more basic can you get? That's what distinguishes the Premier, which brings these two quintessential American experiences together for maximum convenience and enjoyment. Granted, it'll cost you more -- admission is $13 before 4 p.m., $17 thereafter -- but you'll definitely feel pampered. First, there's no scouring the parking lot for a good space. Just pull up to the entrance and a valet will take it from there. Once inside, you can select your seats, if you haven't already called to do so in advance. Then, when you step off the gleaming escalator that takes you up one level, you can wonder, like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, if you've taken a wrong turn somewhere along the way. This is no ordinary theater lobby -- it's a full-service restaurant and bar. At a concierge-like counter, there's someone to help you work out the logistics: lunch or dinner before or after the movie? Either way, you'll be able to choose from Chef Adam Lamb's extensive menu. On your way into the theater area, you can pick up your complimentary popcorn (including refills) at a concession stand that offers a few out-of-the-ordinary items such as beer, wine, champagne, pizza, and sushi. Then an usher will take you to your plush, oversize seat (or a loveseat, if you like) in one of six small balcony auditoriums that give you a view far superior to what the riffraff below have. After all this pampering, the state-of-the-art sound and projection will seem almost anticlimactic. And if you've suffered through one too many movies with screaming kids in the audience, a Premier bonus is that it caters to ages 21 and older.
Artistic Director Louis Tyrrell's company takes the prize for the third year in a row for its admirable, well-produced, well-acted shows and its commitment to developing new writing talent. This season has yet to deliver a huge smash, but the lineup of plays -- The Last Schwartz, Bach at Leipzig, The Cavalcaders, Constant Star, and the upcoming The Last Five Years -- is a good indicator of what Florida Stage is all about: top-quality, literate, thought-provoking entertainment. The Stage also gets a round of applause for its array of supporting programs: New Voices, which presents new scripts from nationally significant writers in workshop readings; Young Voices, which presents the works of high school-aged writers; the Learning Stage, an admirable community outreach program; and Stages, the company's excellent in-house publication, which offers in-depth writer profiles and essays.
Artistic Director Louis Tyrrell's company takes the prize for the third year in a row for its admirable, well-produced, well-acted shows and its commitment to developing new writing talent. This season has yet to deliver a huge smash, but the lineup of plays -- The Last Schwartz, Bach at Leipzig, The Cavalcaders, Constant Star, and the upcoming The Last Five Years -- is a good indicator of what Florida Stage is all about: top-quality, literate, thought-provoking entertainment. The Stage also gets a round of applause for its array of supporting programs: New Voices, which presents new scripts from nationally significant writers in workshop readings; Young Voices, which presents the works of high school-aged writers; the Learning Stage, an admirable community outreach program; and Stages, the company's excellent in-house publication, which offers in-depth writer profiles and essays.
No doubt about it, the hands-down winner this year was the touring production of the long-running, groundbreaking Broadway musical hit, featuring director Julie Taymor's stunning visual imagination. Using a blend of lithe, live actors, huge carnival-like puppets, and an array of exotic theatrical traditions, Taymor took the popular Disney animated movie story and did it one better, reinventing it as spectacular, unforgettable theater. The Lion King blended traditional American musical elements with classic literature (the story of the dispossessed lion cub is a reworking of Hamlet) together with a joyful celebration of African culture. The show was also a happy merger of art and commerce, and the Broward Center was packed to the gills throughout the show's sold-out run.
No doubt about it, the hands-down winner this year was the touring production of the long-running, groundbreaking Broadway musical hit, featuring director Julie Taymor's stunning visual imagination. Using a blend of lithe, live actors, huge carnival-like puppets, and an array of exotic theatrical traditions, Taymor took the popular Disney animated movie story and did it one better, reinventing it as spectacular, unforgettable theater. The Lion King blended traditional American musical elements with classic literature (the story of the dispossessed lion cub is a reworking of Hamlet) together with a joyful celebration of African culture. The show was also a happy merger of art and commerce, and the Broward Center was packed to the gills throughout the show's sold-out run.
Though the season featured several premieres, the best of the crop was Cruz's steamy, sophisticated saga, with its heady blend of raw emotion and poetic language set against an era of wrenching cultural and political change. Cruz, a Miami native who now lives in New York City, has a sizable national reputation that far outstrips his reputation here -- where, oddly, he is largely ignored. Fortunately, the New Theatre has commissioned yet another Cruz play -- and residency -- for next season. As South Florida struggles to reinvent itself as a sophisticated, world-class community, perhaps it's time for us to recognize that world-class artists such as Cruz are already thriving here.
Though the season featured several premieres, the best of the crop was Cruz's steamy, sophisticated saga, with its heady blend of raw emotion and poetic language set against an era of wrenching cultural and political change. Cruz, a Miami native who now lives in New York City, has a sizable national reputation that far outstrips his reputation here -- where, oddly, he is largely ignored. Fortunately, the New Theatre has commissioned yet another Cruz play -- and residency -- for next season. As South Florida struggles to reinvent itself as a sophisticated, world-class community, perhaps it's time for us to recognize that world-class artists such as Cruz are already thriving here.
Much of the success for this year's smash Floyd Collins lies with its solid-gold ensemble, which produced one memorable performance after another. Besides Tally Sessions' work in the leading role, the show featured Blythe Gruda as the ethereal, off-kilter sister Nellie, Brian Charles Rooney as their movie-struck brother, Jerry Gulledge as their haunted father, and Lourelene Snedeker as their warm-hearted, long-suffering stepmother. The cast also featured terrific work from Michael Turner as a guilt-ridden reporter, Brian M. Golub as a wannabe folk singer with a bell-clear voice, and Ken Clement as a blustering, officious engineer. To that add Wayne Steadman, Mark Filosa, Terry King, Oscar Cheda, and Barry Tarallo and what you got is a dream of a cast.
Much of the success for this year's smash Floyd Collins lies with its solid-gold ensemble, which produced one memorable performance after another. Besides Tally Sessions' work in the leading role, the show featured Blythe Gruda as the ethereal, off-kilter sister Nellie, Brian Charles Rooney as their movie-struck brother, Jerry Gulledge as their haunted father, and Lourelene Snedeker as their warm-hearted, long-suffering stepmother. The cast also featured terrific work from Michael Turner as a guilt-ridden reporter, Brian M. Golub as a wannabe folk singer with a bell-clear voice, and Ken Clement as a blustering, officious engineer. To that add Wayne Steadman, Mark Filosa, Terry King, Oscar Cheda, and Barry Tarallo and what you got is a dream of a cast.
Best Actor
Dennis Creaghan
Park Your Car in Harvard Yard
Creaghan's understated portrait of an isolated, retired teacher at the end of his long life was a masterful, moving performance, the centerpiece of a lovely production that was the highlight of the Caldwell season. A New York City veteran of stage and television, Creaghan recently appeared in Neil Simon's latest Broadway production, 45 Seconds to Broadway, and in a long list of theaters across the country. Though Creaghan is no stranger to Florida stages -- he performed at the Coconut Grove Playhouse and at the old Planetarium in the late 1970s and early '80s -- Park Your Car is Creaghan's first area appearance since that time. Let's hope we'll be seeing a lot more of him in future South Florida productions.
Best Actor
Dennis Creaghan
Park Your Car in Harvard Yard
Creaghan's understated portrait of an isolated, retired teacher at the end of his long life was a masterful, moving performance, the centerpiece of a lovely production that was the highlight of the Caldwell season. A New York City veteran of stage and television, Creaghan recently appeared in Neil Simon's latest Broadway production, 45 Seconds to Broadway, and in a long list of theaters across the country. Though Creaghan is no stranger to Florida stages -- he performed at the Coconut Grove Playhouse and at the old Planetarium in the late 1970s and early '80s -- Park Your Car is Creaghan's first area appearance since that time. Let's hope we'll be seeing a lot more of him in future South Florida productions.
Best Children's Theater
Actors' Playhouse Musical Theatre for Young Audiences
South Florida is blessed with an abundance of theater for kids, but none tops the Actors' Playhouse, which takes children's theater very seriously. For starters, the playhouse, one of the area's major professional companies, has created an entirely separate children's division, led by peripatetic artistic director Earl Maulding, that produces a full season of plays for children as well as provides classes and workshops. Maulding and Executive Director Barbara Stein really aim for excellence, hiring experienced professional actors and designers to staff their children's shows. Then there's the company's National Children's Theatre Festival, which holds a national competition for new children's plays and stages a spectacular weekend event for the winner's world premiere. Finally, there's the context of all of this: Children who come watch the plays often discover they want to attend the main-stage adult fare the playhouse offers. Some kids from the training program end up on stage themselves in the big playhouse musicals like this season's The Sound Of Music. All in all, the Actors' Playhouse not only offers the best in children's entertainment but it also provides South Florida with an important cultural service by nurturing the audiences of tomorrow.
South Florida is blessed with an abundance of theater for kids, but none tops the Actors' Playhouse, which takes children's theater very seriously. For starters, the playhouse, one of the area's major professional companies, has created an entirely separate children's division, led by peripatetic artistic director Earl Maulding, that produces a full season of plays for children as well as provides classes and workshops. Maulding and Executive Director Barbara Stein really aim for excellence, hiring experienced professional actors and designers to staff their children's shows. Then there's the company's National Children's Theatre Festival, which holds a national competition for new children's plays and stages a spectacular weekend event for the winner's world premiere. Finally, there's the context of all of this: Children who come watch the plays often discover they want to attend the main-stage adult fare the playhouse offers. Some kids from the training program end up on stage themselves in the big playhouse musicals like this season's The Sound Of Music. All in all, the Actors' Playhouse not only offers the best in children's entertainment but it also provides South Florida with an important cultural service by nurturing the audiences of tomorrow.
Simply put, this guy is a one-man repertory company. The chameleon-like Kwiat, who appears regularly in many local theaters, is a director's dream: He can take the tiniest role and turn it into a perfectly realized character. Some of his recent work was memorable -- the brooding Irish drinker in The Weir and the embittered Yiddish actor in Smithereens, both at New Theatre, as well as his hilarious cameos in Comic Potential at Actors' Playhouse. But it was GableStage's Dirty Blonde that really turned into a Kwiat riot, turning in one carefully etched characterization after another.
Simply put, this guy is a one-man repertory company. The chameleon-like Kwiat, who appears regularly in many local theaters, is a director's dream: He can take the tiniest role and turn it into a perfectly realized character. Some of his recent work was memorable -- the brooding Irish drinker in The Weir and the embittered Yiddish actor in Smithereens, both at New Theatre, as well as his hilarious cameos in Comic Potential at Actors' Playhouse. But it was GableStage's Dirty Blonde that really turned into a Kwiat riot, turning in one carefully etched characterization after another.
De Acha has long been producing solidly professional work, but lately his talents have really blossomed. In one production after another this season -- Hamlet, Anna in the Tropics, Madame Melville, The Credeaux Canvas -- his staging has been consistently subtle, sensual, literate, evocative, and (most important) clear. De Acha has shown an exceptional ability to bring a play's text and subtext to theatrical life. It's no wonder so many writers enjoy working with him. The courtly Cuban-born, New York City-trained director is also a master of musicality, using elements of rhythm, tone, and harmonics in his productions. Hardly surprising, as he's also an experienced opera director.
De Acha has long been producing solidly professional work, but lately his talents have really blossomed. In one production after another this season -- Hamlet, Anna in the Tropics, Madame Melville, The Credeaux Canvas -- his staging has been consistently subtle, sensual, literate, evocative, and (most important) clear. De Acha has shown an exceptional ability to bring a play's text and subtext to theatrical life. It's no wonder so many writers enjoy working with him. The courtly Cuban-born, New York City-trained director is also a master of musicality, using elements of rhythm, tone, and harmonics in his productions. Hardly surprising, as he's also an experienced opera director.
Talk about contradictions: The most dazzling performance of the season was Alicia Roper in what had to be the mousiest role of the year. In her Florida debut, Roper triumphed as Bonnie Schwartz, a horribly repressed, desperate-to-please neurotic whose self-effacing front masked a seething stew of emotions. Roper managed not only to make everything crystal clear but her performance was also very, very funny. A Broadway veteran and Yale Drama School graduate, Roper has a detailed, emotionally grounded acting style and a cool, blond look reminiscent of another Yale alumna, Meryl Streep. Roper is now back in New York City and on to other projects, but perhaps we'll see her back here again in future Florida Stage productions.
Talk about contradictions: The most dazzling performance of the season was Alicia Roper in what had to be the mousiest role of the year. In her Florida debut, Roper triumphed as Bonnie Schwartz, a horribly repressed, desperate-to-please neurotic whose self-effacing front masked a seething stew of emotions. Roper managed not only to make everything crystal clear but her performance was also very, very funny. A Broadway veteran and Yale Drama School graduate, Roper has a detailed, emotionally grounded acting style and a cool, blond look reminiscent of another Yale alumna, Meryl Streep. Roper is now back in New York City and on to other projects, but perhaps we'll see her back here again in future Florida Stage productions.
Morgan has long been a well-known and well-liked actress on the local scene, but her work this season really showed off her range of skills. The British-born actress recently knocked off the crotchety Scottish housekeeper Mrs. Hudson in Sherlock's Last Case for Actors' Playhouse, plus some bizarre comedic cameos as an android actress and a wacky wigged hooker in Comic Potential, also at AP. And her work in Tom Walker for the New Theatre was a range in itself -- playing Tom's nightmare of a harridan wife and doubling as his new love, the harried Widow Baine. While Morgan has been lauded for each of these performances, it's the span of her abilities that's really remarkable. Some actors do well by playing the same role over and over. Lisa Morgan is never the same twice.
Morgan has long been a well-known and well-liked actress on the local scene, but her work this season really showed off her range of skills. The British-born actress recently knocked off the crotchety Scottish housekeeper Mrs. Hudson in Sherlock's Last Case for Actors' Playhouse, plus some bizarre comedic cameos as an android actress and a wacky wigged hooker in Comic Potential, also at AP. And her work in Tom Walker for the New Theatre was a range in itself -- playing Tom's nightmare of a harridan wife and doubling as his new love, the harried Widow Baine. While Morgan has been lauded for each of these performances, it's the span of her abilities that's really remarkable. Some actors do well by playing the same role over and over. Lisa Morgan is never the same twice.
Cynthia Miller
is director of the innovative Art and Culture Center of Hollywood
Q: Do you watch reality TV?
A: I'm going to blow my image as an intellectual. Yes, I do.
Q: Which shows?
A: I used to watch Survivor when it first came out. Now I watch American Idol -- pretty religiously, I have to admit.
Q: What draws you to them?
A: I think with Survivor, I must have stumbled on it by accident. The interaction between individuals was rather compelling. With American Idol, it was probably the arts educator in me that drew me to it. I'm interested in young people with talent, aspiring to be the best in entertainment arts. I like seeing that it's not necessarily the prettiest people advancing. That's a good message to send in an image-conscious medium like television. It's based on talent. I like the audience-participation component too. It definitely intrigues people that they can take an active role.
Q: What's the down side?
A: The academic in me finds it interesting the way they make marketing products seem as if part of the show. There's a really aggressive kind of marketing going on.
Q: Like what?
A: Well, obviously a lot of grooming goes on there. People change hairstyles. Some person came up with the idea of incorporating Herbal Essence [products] into the show so they're in the reality part. I root for the contestants, but I also watch with objectivity and a lot of skepticism.
Q: What do you think of Simon Cowell?
A: I think he's dead-on. Someone has to make those kinds of decisions. If you work in the arts, you make those decisions all the time. It's difficult giving honest, constructive criticism. I admire the fact that he has the courage to do it. Most of the contestants are young; they're not professional. Anyone who has gone through being rejected by a jury knows how they feel. But as an artist, you have to toughen your skin, take advantage of that experience of rejection. You have to be constantly putting yourself out there.
Cynthia Miller
is director of the innovative Art and Culture Center of Hollywood
Q: Do you watch reality TV?
A: I'm going to blow my image as an intellectual. Yes, I do.
Q: Which shows?
A: I used to watch Survivor when it first came out. Now I watch American Idol -- pretty religiously, I have to admit.
Q: What draws you to them?
A: I think with Survivor, I must have stumbled on it by accident. The interaction between individuals was rather compelling. With American Idol, it was probably the arts educator in me that drew me to it. I'm interested in young people with talent, aspiring to be the best in entertainment arts. I like seeing that it's not necessarily the prettiest people advancing. That's a good message to send in an image-conscious medium like television. It's based on talent. I like the audience-participation component too. It definitely intrigues people that they can take an active role.
Q: What's the down side?
A: The academic in me finds it interesting the way they make marketing products seem as if part of the show. There's a really aggressive kind of marketing going on.
Q: Like what?
A: Well, obviously a lot of grooming goes on there. People change hairstyles. Some person came up with the idea of incorporating Herbal Essence [products] into the show so they're in the reality part. I root for the contestants, but I also watch with objectivity and a lot of skepticism.
Q: What do you think of Simon Cowell?
A: I think he's dead-on. Someone has to make those kinds of decisions. If you work in the arts, you make those decisions all the time. It's difficult giving honest, constructive criticism. I admire the fact that he has the courage to do it. Most of the contestants are young; they're not professional. Anyone who has gone through being rejected by a jury knows how they feel. But as an artist, you have to toughen your skin, take advantage of that experience of rejection. You have to be constantly putting yourself out there.
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