Local theater fans have often griped about the state of the stage here in South Florida, and readers of this column will recognize me as one of that disgruntled crew. Despite the wide array of local companies, the choice of shows tends to run a narrow gamut from lightweight musicals…
SUN 9/7 When our dearly beloved commander in chief landed on that aircraft carrier with a big “Mission Accomplished” banner behind him to declare major fighting over, we were at once pleased with the results and nauseated by the photo op. Pity that those “results” were a bit overrated –…
SAT 9/6 Florida Atlantic University’s third season of football is under way, and the Owls, fresh off a huge upset win over Division 1-A Middle Tennessee State, open their home season at 4p.m. Saturday at Lockhart Stadium (301 NW 12th Ave., Fort Lauderdale). The story of FAU’s 2003 campaign should…
THU 9/4 Even a couple of weeks is enough to change a political landscape, and mark our words, the landscape of next year’s presidential election is already a-changin’. Former U.S. Army Gen. Wesley Clark will probably dive into the primary race after September 15, so that he doesn’t have to…
If you think Vampire Lesbians of Sodom means it’s ladies night at the local goth club, then maybe it’s time for some culture. Lucky for you, the Sol Theatre has just what you’re looking for. As one of the longest-running off-Broadway plays in history, Vampire Lesbians of Sodom lives on…
Some bands just know how to live up to their names. The Creepy T’s, composed of Derek Hyde on vocals and guitar, Tommy Rotten on organ, Marky Crypt on bass, and Ray Fang on drums, are Fort Lauderdale’s premier garage-rock peddlers, and they play like everyday is Halloween. In fact,…
Most will deny it, but inside every grown man lurks a hypersensitive adolescent girl. Allow me to tell you all about mine and to share some of my poetry… Whoa! Relax. Put away that gun. Just seeking to emphasize that in the case of director Catherine Hardwicke’s debut feature, Thirteen,…
What a difference two years can make. It has been that long (that short, really) since the Sol Theatre of Fort Lauderdale made its debut with a lively but rather shallow production of Shakespeare’s The Tempest, an opening gambit that was brave if overly ambitious. Since then, the Sol has…
WED 9/10 In the history of modern architecture, no name looms as large as Frank Lloyd Wright. One of several prominent architects to come out of Chicago in the late 19th Century — after that whole city burned down in 1871, it had a sudden use for lots of architects…
TUE 9/9 How many times have you witnessed an event, a person, an embrace, a fight, a facial expression, or a car crash and said to yourself, “I wish I had a camera”? We’ve all done it, right? The Young at Art Children’s Museum (11584 W. State Rd. 84, Davie)…
SAT 9/06 Damn right, Big Bill Morganfield’s got the blues. Unless you’re a diehard blues fan, you might not recognize the Morganfield name. That’s because Big Bill’s father, McKinley Morganfield, didn’t go by his given name. Instead, Bill’s daddy took the colorful sobriquet Muddy Waters. The rest, to use a…
Charlotte Sometimes introduces us to Michael (Michael Idemoto), a taciturn mechanic who also happens to be a landlord. Lori (Eugenia Yuan) is his tenant and one of his best friends, allegedly, but she’s also a fabulously beautiful woman who acts irritatingly flirty with him all the time, then has really…
SUN 8/31 While the rest of the world bellyaches over a summer of unbearable heat, Floridians love to bask in it. Year after year, we leather our skins and wear our sunburns like badges of honor. Our love affair with the heat is nothing new. We hold Sunfests and Fun-in-the-Sun…
Unless you live under a rock, you no doubt have heard the name Dontrelle Willis by now. Even the non-sports fan has been introduced to the beaming smile, tilted cap, and high leg kick of the “D-Train.” The 21-year-old rookie phenom of the Florida Marlins has turned baseball on its…
FRI 8/29 More than a century ago, Palm City (a.k.a. Palm Beach) and Lemon City (a.k.a. Miami) became large enough to warrant post offices. Alas, the land between the two towns was a mass of steaming jungle, chomping alligators, and malaria-ridden mosquitoes. The only possible route was along the beach…
TUE 9/2 In most cities, the coming of the hockey season is marked by leaves turning colors and an increase in the use of hockey jargon, like zamboni and slapshot. However, August in South Florida is a bit different. Fauna remains a bright green year ’round, the steamy humidity is…
THU 8/28 Now that he’s assured himself a place in the history books with his master-ful rendition of “Take Me Out to the Ball Game,” Ozzy Osbourne is ready to take South Florida by storm. Actually, we didn’t mind the bizarre garbled singing. We just wondered how come his “Ball…
Simon must propose to me now,” exclaims pretty, simple-minded Rose (Rose Byrne), “before he meets somebody else or gets to know me better!” Welcome to the none-too-subtly-named Mortmain family, wherein foundering patriarch James (Bill Nighy) — for all symbolic definitions a dead writer — has been allowing his prolonged delusions…
One of the intriguing aspects of the South Florida stage scene is the “branding” of the many resident companies here. Instead of cherry-picking specific plays from various theaters, audiences tend to stick with certain troupes, regardless of what programming they offer. And theaters that thrive here do so in part…
On Sunday, HBO will air the final episode of what has been the most consistently entertaining — and aggravating — show of the summer television season. Project Greenlight will fade to black, and the people who populated the series — the first-time screenwriter who’s had the optimism beaten out of…
Sitting down to a lunch of chicken soup and lechon (roast pork, Puerto Rican style), Latin music sensation La India, dubbed the Princess of Salsa, speaks of her latest triumph, the Latin Grammy-nominated album Latin Songbird: Mi Alma y Corazon, in her native San Juan. “I’m celebrating my success,” she…
THU 8/21 So the grass on your front lawn is filled with brownish splotches, and your only concession to landscape fashion is a pair of garden gnomes. Sounds like it’s time for Secret Woods Nature Center’s (2701 W. State Rd. 84, Dania Beach) Summer Landscape Series. From 7:30 to 9…
