VERY Local Theater

Last weekend, I attended a flamenco performance at the Colony Theater on Miami Beach.  The venue is an old movie theater (I used to go to the movies there, when I was growing up on the Beach) now used as a stage as well as a screen.  Although the theater itself is not intimately local to us, the sponsoring organization-- Ballet Flamenco La Rosa-- is.  Ilisa Rosal founded the organization in 1985, and she continues to run it.  A flamenco school exists at their site, which is at 131st St on W Dixie Highway in North Miami.  I've seen notices for modest recitals there, but they use larger and more established venues for shows like the one I attended last weekend.

I have seen only a couple of performances sponsored by Ballet Flamenco La Rosa.  They have been uniformly excellent.

Interestingly, the part of the show's program that asks attendees to consider membership in Ballet Flamenco La Rosa states that the organization is "one of the only professional dance companies in the U.S. dedicated to the development, presentation and education in the art of flamenco."  If that's true, which it might be, another of the apparently rare such organizations is Siempre Flamenco, which is founded and operated by Paco and Celia Fonta, who have lived for many years in Surfside.  I have seen many of their shows, which always include Paco, who plays guitar and sings, and Celia, who dances and rarely plays guitar.

So we have some highly notable and very local flamenco talent.

Last night, Richard and Debbie Ederr and I attended a play at the Miami Theater Center's Mad Cat Theater.  Also an old movie house (Debbie says they have been around for 50 years), this theater has also given way to much more common use as a stage.  The theater is on the northwest corner of NE 98th Street and 2nd Avenue in Miami Shores.  It's half a block north of Proper Sausages and across the street from the post office.  It could not be more convenient for us.

A few years ago, I attended a play at this venue.  The play was called "We All Drink the Same Water," and I had/instigated company.  The play was awful, and I was embarrassed for having encouraged some of my friends to go.  I have resisted all other offers to attend shows at the Miami Theater Center, because I had no confidence they would do a good job.  Sometimes, I've been close to relenting, but I always held out.  Until now.

"The Flick," by Annie Baker, is reportedly acclaimed, and it and its author have won awards in 2013 and 2014.   And the flyer for it was forwarded to the group that included me by Joe Adler, the Director and head honcho of GableStage.  I have huge trust in Joe Adler.  And the tickets were dirt cheap.  For students and old people ("seniors," as people like the Ederrs and me are patronizingly, if courteously, called), the cost was only $15.  For unqualified and unexcused adults, it was still only $30.  The point is, I just couldn't resist this time.

"The Flick" is a weird play.  It's not a bad play-- not at all-- but it's weird.  There were several seats for the audience, and they were set up on the stage.  The action of the play occurred in the main part of the auditorium, where the audience normally sits.  The actors portrayed employees of an old-time movie theater.  Their jobs were to sweep up the debris after the movie audience left, and to run the projector.  And that's what they did.  The props were brooms, dustpans, a large garbage can, and a movie projector.  The actors worked, and they talked.

I wasn't sure, and neither were the Ederrs, what this play was really about.  It had a barely recognizable trajectory-- maybe ultimately not recognizable-- but it was very well acted, and it was well directed.  The other play I saw at Mad Cat had magnificent costumes, but the acting and directing were miserable.  So at least I see Mad Cat can do much better, and I won't be so reluctant about attending something there next time.

Speaking of very local offerings, tonight is the free jazz MOCA concert.  The featured performer is one of my favorites: Jean Caze.  This event occurs on the last Friday of every month, in the courtyard at MOCA, and it starts at 8:00.