Audio By Carbonatix
Baseball season is upon us, but here in Miami, there might be more fans singing “Take Me Out to the Ballet.”
That’s because legendary catcher (and former Florida Marlin) Mike Piazza will take the stage with Miami City Ballet next month. Yes, really. He’ll portray the Gangster in Miami City Ballet’s production of George Balanchine’s Slaughter on Tenth Avenue.
No, Piazza hasn’t traded his catcher’s mitt for a tutu. Miami City Ballet’s announcement assures fans that “Piazza will not be dancing, leaping, or catching ballerinas.”
He will, however, stroll onstage like an extra from Boardwalk Empire, dressed in “a 1920s-era gangster costume,” and say a few lines in imitation of Al Capone. It’ll be the cat’s pajamas, see, dollface?
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Piazza isn’t performing for the love of ballet. (Well, probably not.) He’s doing it for the love of his daughters, one of whom is a 6-year-old student at MCB’s ballet school.
“It’s going to be a lot of fun seeing the reaction of my two little girls,” Piazza said in a statement. “My oldest daughter is a student at Miami City Ballet School, and for her to have the opportunity to see Daddy onstage is my little gift. I’m looking forward to it.”
OK, that’s pretty cute. Now who wants to bet that attendance at the Arsht Center during Piazza’s performance will beat attendance at Marlins Park during the average regular-season home game?
Piazza performs with MCB May 3 at the Arsht Center. Tickets cost $20 to $175. Visit arshtcenter.org.
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