10 events not to miss this arts season
Now that South Florida’s arts season is officially going full steam, here are some of the concerts, plays, festivals and art shows that have our writers the most excited.
III POINTS
The two-day festival that champions alternative, experimental, indie and any type of music with an edge returns with a typically eclectic lineup featuring alt-rock darlings The Strokes, rap icons Wu-Tang Clan, chilled-out electronic group Rufus du Soul, Swedish techno DJ Eric Prydz and dozens more.
Oct. 22-23 at Mana Wynwood. Tickets at iiipoints.com
‘TURN OF THE SCREW’
IlluminArts and Vizcaya offer this eerie presentation of Benjamin Britten’s gothic masterpiece that tells the ghostly tale of an old mansion with expansive gardens and plenty of secrets. The production weaves together live video, projections and historical photographs that intertwine the opera’s plot.
Oct. 28 and 31, Vizcaya Museum & Gardens
HOMAGE TO MIAMI
Dimensions Dance Theatre of Miami presents the long-anticipated world premiere of choreographer Kevin Jenkins’ homage to Miami, “DECO: Danzón of Eclectic Cultural Origin.” The evening program also includes two additional world premieres — “Landscapes” by South Florida choreographer Donna Murray and
“Preludes” by Miami City Ballet dancer Ariel Rose, set to music by Grammy-nominated and Billboard Award-winning composer Jorge Mejia.
Nov. 13, South Miami-Dade Cultural Center; smdcac.org.
NILO CRUZ
The season brings not one but two world premiere plays from Cuban-American Miami playwright Nilo Cruz. “Hotel Desiderium” is a six-character play set on South Beach during an art fair and centers on a love triangle. “Kisses Through the Glass,” a two-character piece, was influenced by the pandemic. In it, a truck driver and an actress flee an unspecified malady, escaping and isolating and being brought to a moment of sacrifice.
“Hotel Desiderium” (Nov. 18-21) and “Kisses Through the Glass” (March 17-20), Arca Images at Miami-Dade County Auditorium’s On.Stage Black Box, Miami; 786-327-4539 or www.arcaimages.org.
MIAMI ART WEEK
A much more low key Miami Art Week returns this December after the 2020 COVID-induced closure. At Art Basel in Miami Beach, hours have been curtailed, with more time for VIP buyers and less for those who love art but don’t buy. Most other fairs, including Art Miami and Design Miami, plan to return with their usual schedules through the weekend.
Nov. 30-Dec. 5. Art Basel’s public hours are Dec. 2-4 at 1901 Convention Center Dr., Miami Beach; artbasel.com/miami-beach/. Art Miami’s public hours are Dec. 1-5 at the tent at 1 Herald Plaza, Miami; artmiami.com.
‘ARMATURE’
Starring Carbonell Award winner Karen Stephens, “Armature” connects a pair of troubled gay men and a black family whose matriarch is running for office, with themes that include racism, homophobia, eroticism and selfhate. Angie Radosh, also a Carbonell-winning actor, plays the imposing Violet Venable in “Suddenly Last Summer,” one of Williams’ most poetic, vivid and shocking plays.
Jan. 27-Feb. 27, Island City Stage, Wilton Manors; 954-9289800 or www.islandcitystage.org.
‘SWAN LAKE’
Miami City Ballet stages the U.S. premiere of choreographer and American Ballet Theatre artist in residence, Alexei Ratmansky’s 2016 reconstruction of the original 1895 production of “Swan Lake” by Mariinsky Theater choreographers, Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov.
Feb. 11-13, Arsht Center; Feb. 19-20, Kravis Center; Feb. 26-27, Broward Center; www.miamicityballet.org
JOSHUA BELL
Grammy-winning violinist Joshua Bell directing the beloved Academy of St. Martin in the Fields is a winning tradition at Arsht, generating standing ovations. The first night features Dvořák’s charming and virtuosic Violin Concerto in A minor, Opus 53, plus Beethoven’s groundbreaking masterpiece “Eroica.” The March 4 concert brings a unique collaboration with the Miami Chamber Music Society and the Miami City Ballet, with original choreography by Pontus Lidberg.
Feb. 26 and March 4, Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts
THE WEEKND
In 2015, the artist born
Makkonen Tesfaye — now known as The Weeknd — became the first performer in history to seize the top 3 spots on the Billboard Hot R&B songs chart, with the megahits “Earned It” (which was featured prominently in the sultry film “Fifty Shades of Grey”), “The Hills” and “Can’t Feel My Face.” Since then, he’s absolutely lived up to the hype, with his chart-topping collab with Daft Punk, “Starboy,” plus the No. 1 hits “Heartless,” “Save
Your Tears” and the endlessly catchy retro-‘80s track “Blinding Lights.”
March 29 and 30 at the FTX Arena in Miami.
PIANO FEST
Russian pianist Zlata Chochieva, who won international acclaim with her celebrated recordings of works by Chopin and Rachmaninoff, takes on a program of Bach, Schumann, Grieg and Brahms at the Miami International Piano Festival.
A May 1, Aventura Arts & Cultural Center
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