A Slight Delay and a Notable Closing

The Culture Edit, May 20th-June 2nd

Author

Susan Bannon
May 19, 2024

The weather has already turned on us, and a lot of marquee companies have closed out their seasons, but there’s still a ton to see and do around town. This week, we have four new art exhibits opening, three dance performances, two local theater productions, and the second week of ChamberFest Miami, a series of innovative chamber music recitals.

The “slight delay” is for Laughs in Spanish, the final production at GableStage this season. Due to a cast member injury, opening night will now be this coming Saturday, May 25th, and the show will run until June 23rd.

The closing is Joliet, a restaurant I’ve put in this newsletter a lot for one very good reason: its location next to Lincoln Road. Lincoln Road is home to two of Miami’s best cultural venues - the Colony Theater and New World Center - but no one would argue it’s home to Miami’s best restaurants. Sigh. So if you find that my recommendations for the area are repetitive, or a little too far from your event, you know why. And if you’ve had a good meal on Lincoln Road lately, please let me know.

Let’s get planning...

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Wednesday, May 22nd

Author Talk: Liz Cheney with Ana Navarro

Books & Books and the Adrienne Arsht Center present an in-person evening with former Wyoming congresswoman Liz Cheney, to discuss her new book Oath and Honor. She’ll be in conversation with native daughter, political commentator, and co-host of The View Ana Navarro. Rsvp required.

7pm, Knight Concert Hall at the Arsht Center, $55 (book included)

Neighborhood: Downtown Arts & Entertainment District

Also on May 22nd: a performance of A Rock Sails By at Actor’s Playhouse.

Thursday, May 23rd

Jasmine Little: The Olive Garden

Nina Johnson Gallery presents The Olive Garden, a solo show of new work by ceramicist, sculptor and painter Jasmine Little. Best known for her hand-carved and inlaid stoneware vessels referencing historical sources, this exhibit marks Little’s return to painting. Two large-scale oil paintings depicting classical still life motifs will sit in conversation with her stoneware. Opening the same night in the adjacent gallery will be Jonathan Rajewski: Together Apart.

Opening Reception 6-9pm, Nina Johnson Gallery, Free

Neighborhood: Little Haiti

Nearby Eats: Phuc Yea*, Blue Collar, Boia De | Drinks: Bar Kaiju at the Citadel, Offsite Nano Brewery (*Phuc Yea is hosting a crawfish boil and garden party that night!)

Also on May 23rd: AIRIE Artists in Residence discuss their experiences making art in the Everglades at Greenspace Miami and ChamberFest Miami presents a genre-bending evening of classical masterworks in the klezmer style at Temple Beth Am.

Friday, May 24th

FREYLAKH: From Classical to Klezmer

As part of its ChamberFest 2024 festival, Miami Chamber Music Society presents an evening of masterworks by Mozart, Ravel, and Bartók, blended with the high-energy tradition of klezmer music. Three award-winning musicians - Ukrainian-American pianist Marina Radiushina, violinist Arnaud Sussmann, and clarinetist Moran Katz - will lead the audience on this boundary defying musical exploration.

7:30pm, Miami Beach Community Church, $10-$35

Neighborhood: Lincoln Road

Nearby Eats: Tropezón, Macchialina, Zaytinya | Drinks: Abbey Brewing Co., Water Lion at the Sagamore

Also on May 24th: choreographer Alice Arya presents Dancing Sinatra at Sanctuary of the Arts, Spirited Away kicks off the “Ani-May” series at Coral Gables Art Cinema, and Actor’s Playhouse presents A Rock Sails By.

Saturday, May 25th

Carolina Sardi: Whispers of Nature

Pan American Art Projects presents Whispers of Nature, a solo show of new sculptures and wall installations by Argentinian artist Carolina Sardi. Sardi’s sculptural metal works seek to reflect the interplay of forms in the natural world, encouraging a deeper appreciation of our environment and our interconnectedness with it.

Opening Reception 6-9pm, Pan American Art Projects (Design District), Free

Neighborhood: Design District

Also on May 25th: Laughs in Spanish opens at Gablestage, plus ChamberFest Miami stages an interesting fusion of film and live classical music at Coral Gables Art Cinema, and Pioneer Winter Collective presents fifteen site-specific dance creations at Vizcaya.

Sunday, May 26th

Peter London Dance: Heart of the Garden

The versatile dancers of the Peter London Global Dance Company bring their signature high energy and genre-crossing skills to Heart of the Garden, a free performance at the Miami Beach Botanical Garden. The program includes new company productions of I Am My Brother’s Keeper by Haitian-American dancer and choreographer Vitolio Jeune and Steppe Tango by Armando Gonzalez, principal dancer with Grand Ballet de Geneve, Switzerland.

4-6pm, Miami Beach Botanical Garden, Free

Neighborhood: Lincoln Road

Also on May 26th: Radio host and media mogul Charlemagne Tha God talks about his new book Get Honest or Die Lying at Books & Books, plus performances of Laughs in Spanish and A Rock Sails By.

Happening NEXT Week:

Because maybe your friends are busy this week. Or you're busy this week. Or this week just seems too soon to pull your act together and make a plan.

Tuesday, May 28th

An Evening with Author Kevin Kwan

Books & Books presents an evening with Kevin Kwan, internationally bestselling author of the Crazy Rich Asians trilogy, one of the most successful series in recent publishing history. (In 2018, the trilogy held the #1, #2, and #3 spot on the New York Times bestseller list simultaneously and the movie adaptation was the highest grossing romantic comedy in over a decade.) Kevin will be discussing his new book, Lies and Weddings, along with his publisher, Doubleday’s Todd Doughty. Lies and Weddings will be available for purchase at the event. Rsvp required.

7pm, Coral Gables Congregational Church, Free

Neighborhood: Coral Gables

Wednesday May 29th

Masters of Comedy: Jamie Kennedy

New this year, Faena Theater’s Masters of Comedy series brings top notch comics to their intimate cabaret-style theater space on the last Wednesday of each month. For this performance, actor and comedian Jamie Kennedy, best known for his roles in the Scream movie franchise and his show, “The Jamie Kennedy Experiment”, takes the stage with his stand-up hour. Seating at Faena is two by two, and you can upgrade with fancy bottle service and even caviar, so this is definitely a date night booking.

6:30pm and 9:15pm, Faena Theater, $65-$95

Neighborhood: Mid Beach

Nearby Eats: Los Fuegos at Faena, also 27 Restaurant and Cecconi's  | Drinks: Choose from three great bars at the Faena - Tree of Life, Living Room, and The Saxony Bar, or head to WunderBar for a change of scenery.

Also on May 29th: performances of Laughs in Spanish and A Rock Sails By.

Thursday, May 30th

An Evening with Sebastian Junger

Books & Books presents an evening with best-selling author Sebastian Junger, discussing his new book In My Time of Dying. Best known for The Perfect Storm and his long résumé of war reporting, Junger tackles “the idea of an afterlife” in the wake of his own near death experience. Rsvp required.

7pm, Books & Books Coral Gables, Free

Neighborhood: Coral Gables

Also on May 30th: Eight world-class string musicians play Mozart and Chopin at UM, Bradt Guide founder Hilary Bradt talks about 50 years of getting lost at Books & Books Coconut Grove, plus performances of Laughs in Spanish and A Rock Sails By.

Friday, May 31st

Ezra - Opening Night with Q&A

Coral Gables Art Cinema presents an opening night event for the new film Ezra, about a comedian (Bobby Canevale) and his father (Robert De Niro) finding beauty in the struggle to parent his autistic child. The stacked supporting cast includes Rose Byrne, Vera Farmiga, Whoopi Goldberg, and Rainn Wilson. Tickets include a reception before the show and Q&A with Emmy winner Eduardo "Gualo" Jaramillo, music editor and score producer of the film.

7pm, Coral Gables Art Cinema, $12

Neighborhood: Coral Gables

Also on May 31st: performances of Laughs in Spanish and A Rock Sails By.

Saturday, June 1st

Laughs in Spanish

GableStage caps off its 2023-24 season with Laughs in Spanish, a cafecito-fueled romp through Miami’s art scene. The plot centers around Mariana, a young woman trying to keep her art gallery ready for Art Basel when it’s suddenly become a crime scene, and her movie-star mother, who tries to save the day but just makes everything more complicado.

7:30pm, GableStage at the Biltmore, $25-$50

Neighborhood: Coral Gables

Also on June 1st: the first performance of the ChamberFest Miami finale at Sanctuary of the Arts and A Rock Sails By at Actor’s Playhouse.

Sunday, June 2nd

ChamberFest 2024 Closing Concert

For the closing concert of its ChamberFest 2024 series, Miami Chamber Music Society brings together four acclaimed soloists to perform masterworks by Mozart, Brahms, and Mendelssohn. Ukrainian-American pianist Marina Radiushina and young Russian-American violinist Maria Ioudenitch, fresh off the success of Songbird, her first classical album, will lead the ensemble for Mozart’s dark and dramatic Piano Quartet in G Minor.

2pm, New World Center, $10-$35

Neighborhood: Lincoln Road

Nearby Eats: Lucali, Casa Tua, Tropezón | Drinks: Barceloneta, Water Lion at the Sagamore

Planning Ahead:

With the summer approaching, you don’t really need to plan ahead - events probably won’t sell out and it’s easy to get a table at even the buzziest restaurants. But it’s always nice to have a few good outings on the calendar…

June 6th-23rd

Summer Shorts: Flipping the Script

A Miami tradition for 27 years, City Theatre Miami’s Summer Shorts has been dubbed “Miami's equivalent to Saturday Night Live” (Broadway World). This year’s edition, presented in partnership with Adrienne Arsht Center, stages eight provocative and hilarious ten-minute plays, four of which are new plays by local Miami playwrights. For the June 7th performance, the Arsht Center will host a party on Thompson Plaza with live music and local eats for purchase.

Carnival Studio Theater at the Arsht Center, $50 or $75 VIP (includes upfront cabaret-style seating and a free drink!)

Neighborhood: Downtown Arts & Entertainment District

Sunday, June 9th

Eric Andre at the Bandshell

Comedian Eric Andre is the creator and host of Adult Swim’s hit The Eric Andre Show, returning this summer for its sixth season, and an “expert panelist” on ABC’s Prank Panel, alongside fellow esteemed panelist Johnny Knoxville. If you’re a fan of his particular brand of outrageous humor, or just interested in how it will translate into a live show, book your tickets soon because they’re selling out fast. Must be 18+ to attend.

8pm, Miami Beach Bandshell, $50

Neighborhood: North Beach

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