Straining to describe to a tropical fish dummy the appearance of the moorish idol, one of the dozens of different species he keeps in his sixteen home aquaria, Rafael Estenoz resorts to the more familiar realm of home furnishings. “You’ll see them on a lot of bathroom curtains that depict…
Peter Bogdanovich, maybe the last man alive who wears a neckerchief without irony, holds a copy of a newspaper article in which his old friend Larry McMurtry is saying nice, or not nice, things about him–Bogdanovich can’t tell which. “He’s kind of risen from the dead,” McMurtry was quoted as…
So the issue of identity as a theme in a gay and lesbian festival may seem redundant — aren’t all gay films by nature dealing with sexual identity? Well, here comes a surprise at this year’s fest: Identity in a much broader sense is indeed the theme, including what should…
As a child Miami-born-and-raised Glenn Terry didn’t own a Water Wiggle or a Slip ‘n’ Slide, and he only recently began drinking the recommended eight glasses of water a day. So what led to his affinity for liquid? “I’m a Pisces,” he giggles. And what ignited the idea for the…
In nature (and on lottery tickets), flamingos seem perfectly happy being pink. On South Beach, of course, fabulous fashion rules. There flamingos sport high heels, hats, and bikinis. Such creativity ensues when dozens of South Florida artists apply their talents to seven-foot likenesses of the tropical icon. Separate public art…
What’s your pleasure, the sizzle or the steak? The Coconut Grove Playhouse offers both in its latest production, a musical revue called The Soul of George Gershwin: the Musical Journey of an American Klezmer. It’s a studious, educational show that also happens to offer some outstanding vocal and instrumental artistry…
After more than two years writing for this column, I’ve witnessed a tremendous growth in the arts in Miami: New galleries, better shows, a fresh breed of young local talent, exciting alternative projects, involved museums, and upcoming this year, an international art fair. But there are also other voices within…
An eighteenth-century battle of the sexes, Triumph of Love contains a radiant performance by Mira Sorvino as a princess whose complicated scheme to win the man she loves finds her juggling three suitors at once, all while disguised as a man. “I’m losing track of my own plot,” she giddily…
Ah, jealousy. Scourge of the spirit and seed of countless wicked plots, the green-eyed beast guarantees gripping drama. Celebrated British playwright Sir Peter Shaffer (Equus) seems to have grasped this concept in reorchestrating the intertwined lives of eighteenth-century composers Antonio Salieri and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Adapting his hit London and…
Quiz composer/vocalist Lila Downs about her striking resemblance (minus the unibrow) to troubled Mexican artist Frida Kahlo and surprisingly she doesn’t tear your head off or sigh impatiently. Ask her the question, which she’s heard 100 times, and Downs gently explains she’s not that unusual: “If you go to Oaxaca,…
Revolution is often sparked by the simplest of weapons — a voice, a guitar, a message. Such is the tradition of trova, an acoustic musical movement that blossomed in revolutionary Cuba and spread through South America in the 1970s. Also known as nueva trova and nueva cancion, its heroes, Cubans…
On a good day, Mark Cuban might respond to a journalist’s query with a terse, unpunctuated e-mail that reads like something dashed off by a hostage while his captors are in the can. It’s understandable: The man’s running the Dallas Mavericks, investing in movie distribution and exhibition companies, sticking it…
Bee-luther-hatchee (noun, African-American slang, 1920s-1940s): a far away, damnable place, the next station after the stop for Hell. They say the road to hell is paved with good intentions. But in Florida Stage’s intriguing new production, Bee-luther-hatchee, hell isn’t the final destination. There’s another torment ahead, so dreadful it doesn’t…
Roberto Matta Echaurren was born in Santiago de Chile in 1911. He graduated as an architect in 1931, moved to Paris in 1935, and landed a job in Le Corbusier’s architectural office. Then he switched to a different design. He befriended the inner circle of Surrealists in 1936, though by…
It is possible to admire Frailty, directed by Texas-born actor Bill Paxton, without actually liking it. It’s not, strictly speaking, a gratifying movie: Too dependent upon twists, both excruciatingly obvious and irritatingly ludicrous, it never fully satisfies; what you can’t guess you won’t see coming, because it’s too outrageous to…
Wending through the summaries of this year’s forthcoming blockbusters — dudes fight evil; chicks keep yanking up their trendy hip-huggers while fighting evil — it’s immediately refreshing to note a movie about furry freaks and saucy geeks whose primary goal is just to, you know, do it. In Human Nature,…
When asked if South Florida in general — and Miami Beach specifically — served as an inspiration for the ticky-tacky resort setting of “The Last Single Days of Don Viktor Potapenko,” one of twelve short stories in his just-published collection My Life in Heavy Metal, Steve Almond nods his head…
People stare and smirk as you pass in your culottes, bat-wing top, and shoulder pads. You wear stirrup pants over your shoes. Your getups are not ghetto fabulous but a modish monstrosity. On Saturday E! Entertainment television’s foremost fashionista, Leon Hall, will be in Miami to counsel the style-challenged. Hall,…
The work of Henry Jaglom is an acquired taste that for many of us remains unacquired. While his new film, Festival in Cannes, is not a huge departure from the usual, it may be his most accessible work for nonfans since 1991’s Eating. Not surprisingly the movie is set at…
Besides obvious political and economic ramifications, the aftermath of September 11 challenged charities, nonprofit organizations, and small arts groups to rise from the ashes. The throng of thespians behind The International Monologue Festival, which debuted last year to acclaim, constitutes one such association. Alberto Sarraín and Lillian Manzor, codirectors of…
The Beatles mugging, President Richard Nixon resigning, the Reagans dancing, IRA bigwigs lying in state. A few of the spontaneous moments captured by intrepid Scottish photojournalist Harry Benson. The maverick lensman strives for what he calls “pictures with air in them.” Given the countless scenes he has shot over the…
Here’s a question for you: When does a theater company become “significant”? Is it a question of the number of seats in the auditorium? If so, your average high school produces “significant” theater. Is it a question of the company’s annual budget? Or the number of shows produced? In the…
