BroadwayWorld.com Tampa Stories

Todd Rundgren's DAMNED IF I DO TOUR to Stop at Bilheimer Capitol Theatre

Wed, 10 Jun 2026 19:40:44 PST

The Nancy and David Bilheimer Capitol Theatre presents Rock & Roll Hall of Fame member Todd Rundgren on Thursday, June 25 and Friday, June 26, as part of his Damned If I Do Tour. Both shows start at 8 pm. Tickets are on sale now.

Considered by many to be the “Ultimate Rock Cult Hero”, Todd Rundgren has maintained a legion of fans through four decades. A pop savant who fastidiously avoided easy categorization throughout the course of his career, Todd Rundgren straddled the gap separating a mainstream star from a cult figure. It was in the late 1960s when Todd's searing guitar work reached a nationwide audience, in his role as lead guitarist for the blues-psychedelic band Nazz. He wrote and arranged almost all of the work that went into the three albums the group produced. Their music ranged from Southern blues to hard rock to heavily orchestrated symphonies. Nazz broke up in the early 1970s and Todd released two solo albums under the name of Runt. His first big solo success was in 1971 with We Gotta Get You a Woman and in 1973 from the double album Something/Anything? he scored big on the charts with I Saw the Light and a revision of a Nazz song, Hello, It's Me. In the late 1970s and through the 1980s Todd formed the group Utopia, each member an accomplished musician and vocalist. Rundgren toured in late 2019 with Micky Dolenz, Jason Scheff, Christopher Cross and Joey Molland of Badfinger in celebration of the Beatles' White Album on the It Was Fifty Years Ago Today – A Tribute to the Beatles' White Album. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2021.

Tickets starting at $51.50 and a limited amount of VIP Packages are available at The Raymond James Central Ticket Office at Ruth Eckerd Hall, by calling 727-791-7400 or visiting www.RuthEckerdHall.com. The Ticket Office at Ruth Eckerd Hall is located at 1111 N. McMullen Booth Road in Clearwater and is open Tuesday through Thursday, from noon to 6 pm, Friday, from 10 am to 6 pm, and Saturday, from noon to 6 pm. The Bilheimer Capitol Theatre Box Office will open two hours prior to show time.

Rodrigo y Gabriela to Perform at Bilheimer Capitol Theatre This Fall

Wed, 10 Jun 2026 11:48:19 PST

GRAMMY-winning guitar duo Rodrigo y Gabriela's new album OurHome, is due September 18th via ATO Records. The album is available for pre-order and pre-save now. A limited-edition D2C pressing of 500 units on custom red, clear, and blue chaotic splatter vinyl is also available exclusively through the band's official store. The announcement arrives alongside news of an extensive North American headline tour this fall, followed by dates across Ireland, the U.K., and Europe in spring 2027. The tour includes a stop at the Nancy and David Bilheimer Capitol Theatre on Wednesday, October 14 at 8 pm.

Tickets go on sale Friday, June 12 at 10 am. For a complete list of tour dates and more information, please visit: https://www.rodgab.com/

Recorded in Japan and self-produced by Rodrigo Sánchez and Gabriela Quintero at NK Sound Tokyo, OurHome marks a new chapter for the Mexico City-bred duo, whose singular blend of instrumental guitar music and fearless musical exploration has earned them a global audience over the past two decades.

Alongside the announcement, Rodrigo y Gabriela have shared the album's first single, Monster, accompanied by a new music video created by legendary manga artist Naoki Urasawa.

One of Japan's most celebrated creators, Urasawa is the acclaimed author of Monster, 20th Century Boys, Pluto, and Master Keaton, with more than 140 million copies of his work sold worldwide. Inspired by Urasawa's seminal psychological thriller Monster, Rodrigo y Gabriela's new single explores the tangled contradictions of the human psyche through one of the album's darkest and most cinematic compositions. The accompanying video brings the connection full circle, with Urasawa creating original artwork inspired by the song and its themes.

The collaboration serves as the opening chapter of OurHome, an album deeply shaped by Rodrigo y Gabriela's long-standing connection to Japan. After a period of creative frustration and uncertainty, the duo found renewed inspiration in a country that has long served as a source of artistic and personal renewal.

Rodrigo y Gabriela to Perform at Bilheimer Capitol Theatre This Fall

Wed, 10 Jun 2026 11:48:19 PST

Tickets go on sale Friday, June 12 at 10 am. For a complete list of tour dates and more information, please visit: https://www.rodgab.com/

Alongside the announcement, Rodrigo y Gabriela have shared the album's first single, Monster, accompanied by a new music video created by legendary manga artist Naoki Urasawa.

SAY ANYTHING Screening With John Cusack to Come to Bilheimer Capitol Theatre

Tue, 09 Jun 2026 22:34:07 PST

The Nancy and David Bilheimer Capitol Theatre presents An Evening With John Cusack and a screening of the film Say Anything on Saturday, November 21 at 8 pm. A post show Q&A will be hosted by Charley Belcher. Tickets go on sale Friday, June 12 at 10 am.

With an impressive body of work spanning the course of three decades, John Cusack has evolved into one of Hollywood's most accomplished and respected actors of his generation, garnering both critical acclaim as well as prestigious accolades for his dramatic and comedic roles.

Cusack first gained the attention of audiences by starring in a number of 1980's film classics such as Say Anything, The Sure Thing and Sixteen Candles. Following these roles, Cusack successfully shed his teen-heartthrob image by demonstrating his ability to expand his film repertoire by starring in a wide range of dramas, thrillers and comedies including The Grifters, Eight Men Out, Being John Malkovich, High Fidelity and Gross Pointe Blank.

In recent years, Cusack has starred in a wide variety of films, including Bill Pohland's Love and Mercury in which he played iconic Beach Boys songwriter and musician Brian Wilson, and in David Cronenberg's Maps to the Stars, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. The satirical drama is an analysis of the entertainment industry's relationship with Western civilization as a whole.

In 2001, Cusack was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical for his role in the feature version of Nick Hornby's English novel, High Fidelity. In addition to starring in the film, Cusack also co-produced and co-wrote the script with Steve Pink and D.V. DeVincentis.

Most recently, Cusack appeared in the WWII spy film Fog of War, playing Robert, a conflicted intelligence officer navigating moral ambiguity during the war; Detective Chinatown 1900, a historical Chinese blockbuster directed by Chen Sicheng and Dai Mo; and Chinese espionage thriller Decoded, which focused on wartime code-breaking and intelligence.

In 2020, Cusack was seen in Prime Video's SciFi series, Utopia, in which he stars as Dr. Kevin Christie, a charismatic, media-savvy and brilliant biotech mind who wants to change the world through science.

Some of his other feature film credits include: The Frozen Ground, Hot Tub Time Machine, War Inc., Grace Is Gone, The Ice Harvest, Runaway Jury, Identity, Max, Cradle Will Rock, The Thin Red Line, con Air, City Hall, Bullets Over Broadway, The Road to Wellville, True Colors, Broadcast News, Serendipity, Better Off Dead and Stand By Me.

In April 2012, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce presented Cusack with a Hollywood Walk of Fame star, honoring his long, groundbreaking career in film.

Released in 1989, Say Anything, stars John Cusack as well as Ione Skye and John Mahoney. The film tells the story of high school senior Lloyd Dobler (Cusack) who wants nothing more than to go out with beautiful and intelligent Dian Court (Skye). Lloyd attempts to win her heart over the objections of her over-protective father (Mahoney) before Diane leaves for a scholarship in England. The film was directed by Cameron Crowe, making his directorial debut.

Charley Belcher is a three-time Emmy award-winning feature reporter. His stories air Monday through Friday mornings on Good Day Tampa Bay in a segment called "Charley's World." They are stories about people and events in the Tampa Bay area all told from Charley's creative perspective.

Charley was born in Ft. Myers and grew up right here in the Tampa Bay area -- Pasco County to be exact. He received a degree in broadcasting at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina.

Reserved seats starting at $59.50, as well as a limited number of VIP Packages* starting at $250 are available at The Raymond James Central Ticket Office at Ruth Eckerd Hall, by calling 727-791-7400 or visiting www.RuthEckerdHall.com. The Ticket Office at Ruth Eckerd Hall is located at 1111 N. McMullen Booth Road in Clearwater and is open Tuesday through Thursday, from noon to 6 pm, Friday, from 10 am to 6 pm, and Saturday, from noon to 6 pm. The Bilheimer Capitol Theatre Box Office will open two hours prior to show time.

*VIP Packages include a premium seat and meet & greet photo op with John Cusack.

SAY ANYTHING Screening With John Cusack to Come to Bilheimer Capitol Theatre

Tue, 09 Jun 2026 22:34:07 PST

In April 2012, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce presented Cusack with a Hollywood Walk of Fame star, honoring his long, groundbreaking career in film.

Charley was born in Ft. Myers and grew up right here in the Tampa Bay area -- Pasco County to be exact. He received a degree in broadcasting at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina.

*VIP Packages include a premium seat and meet & greet photo op with John Cusack.

THE VAMPIRE CIRCUS to Perform at Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater

Tue, 09 Jun 2026 22:20:06 PST

Ruth Eckerd Hall will present The Vampire Circus on Thursday, October 15 at 8 pm. Tickets go on sale Friday, June 12 at 10 am.

Heralded as a mix of circus cabaret and theatre, The Vampire Circus is a mysterious, tantalizing, fun, dark, cutting-edge production guaranteed to amaze the senses. The Vampire Circus has been called a mix of circus cabaret and theater and is the result of a fusion of Tim Burton and Cirque du Soleil. Enjoy a phenomenal night of live entertainment, based on the multidisciplinary skills of International performers showcasing theater, dance, and gymnastics. This amazing show pushes the physical boundaries of human performance and leaves audiences amazed, astounded, and astonished.

Mortal spectators will experience horrific feats of Cirque acrobatics, comical audience interactions, contortionists, jugglers, acrobats, and clowns. Tantalizing sounds, and mesmerizing illusions catapult audiences into an emotional roller-coaster of fear and joy, laughter, and wonder with raving cheers for a “Mad Graveyard Clown.” The 90-minute production is an immersive ride through the Underworld and Vampires. The Vampire Circus was inspired by the magical, captivating allure of legendary traveling carnivals — and a vision of Francisco Santos, CEO founder and Cirque du Soleil veteran performer.

Set in Bohemia during the 19th century, Count Dracula contemplates a plan for world domination, when he decides to open a traveling circus with his bodyguards. The Vampire Circus is a perfect cover-up to travel unnoticed and begin his world reign of terror and turn all humans into an army of vampires for global dominance. The Vampire Circus is a journey that takes audiences into an immersive experience, plunging guests into a deep hypnotic state while “breaking the fourth wall." With Vampire Circus, audiences are fully integrated into what is happening in front of them, surrounding them, and at times “inside” of them.

The Vampire Circus will delight the senses and deliver the unexpected. As the moon comes out the magical mystique of the Vampire World begins. Come meet the Vampires. We will leave the lights off for you!

Tickets starting at $33.25 are available at The Raymond James Central Ticket Office at Ruth Eckerd Hall, by calling 727-791-7400 or visiting www.RuthEckerdHall.com. The Ticket Office at Ruth Eckerd Hall is located at 1111 N. McMullen Booth Road in Clearwater and is open Tuesday through Thursday, from noon to 6 pm, Friday, from 10 am to 6 pm, and Saturday, from noon to 6 pm. The Raymond James Central Ticket Office will open two hours prior to show time.

THE VAMPIRE CIRCUS to Perform at Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater

Tue, 09 Jun 2026 22:20:06 PST

Ruth Eckerd Hall will present The Vampire Circus on Thursday, October 15 at 8 pm. Tickets go on sale Friday, June 12 at 10 am.

Around The BroadwayWorld: Top News, Reviews, Interviews & More from May 2026

Tue, 09 Jun 2026 12:03:21 PST

Around the BroadwayWorld is our monthly snapshot of the biggest stories making waves across the global theatre community. In this May 2026 edition, we're bringing you a fresh batch of standout reviews from regional stages across the country - from Brigadoon at Pasadena Playhouse in Los Angeles to The Phantom of the Opera at Seattle's Paramount Theatre and Pippin at Signature Theatre in DC.

Diane Paulus directs an immersive, David Bowie-inspired Life on Mars at American Repertory Theater, the producers of Japan's Gypsy revival walk back a planned title change, and we go behind the scenes with interviews spanning Adam Fields of the Beetlejuice national tour, The Muny's casting director Michael Baxter, Richard Kind on finally taking on Edna in Hairspray, and BWW's Kid Reporters chatting with the touring Von Trapp kids of The Sound of Music. Plus, get a first look at exciting new productions through performance videos and photos, including Anastasia at La Mirada Theatre, Dear Evan Hansen at Arden Theatre, Pippin at Signature Theatre, and the Manila cast of Jesus Christ Superstar - and so much more from across the BroadwayWorld.

Diane Paulus Will Direct Immersive David Bowie Inspired LIFE ON MARS at American Repertory Theater

Joshua Wright | Boston

Diane Paulus will direct Life on Mars, an immersive theatrical production set to David Bowie's music, as the inaugural production at the Goel Center for Creativity & Performance in May.

GYPSY in Japan: Producers Walk Back Title Change Ahead of 2026 Revival

Joshua Wright | Japan

The Japanese revival of GYPSY will retain its original title when it returns to the stage in 2026, reversing an earlier decision to present the production under the name 'Rose.'

Interviews

Interview: Adam Fields of BEETLEJUICE National Tour

Brock Mills | Jacksonville

For Adam Fields, returning to Jacksonville with the national tour of Beetlejuice the Musical isn’t just another stop, it’s a full-circle moment. The production will play in Jacksonville from May 12–17 at the Jacksonville Center for the Performing Arts.

Interview: BWW’s 'Kid Reporters' Chat With THE SOUND OF MUSIC’s Touring Von Trapp Kids

Melissa Heckscher | Los Angeles

BroadwayWorld Los Angeles' kid reporters talk with the young touring cast of THE SOUND OF MUSIC to find out what it's like to be part of one of Broadway’s most iconic shows and what actually happens behind the curtain.

Interview: Chatting with The Muny's Casting Director Michael Baxter

James Lindhorst | St. Louis

Michael Baxter’s work will shine on The Muny stage during all 50 performances this summer. He led the efforts and had a hand in hiring every one of the 194 actors who will fill the principal and ensemble roles.

Interview: Richard Kind Talks Finally Taking on Edna in The Muny's HAIRSPRAY

James Lindhorst | St. Louis

When The Muny opens their production of Hairspray on June 15, 2026, the legendary Richard Kind will don Edna Turnblad’s housecoat and step into her fuzzy house slippers. Kind, star of stage, screen and film, calls it bucket list moments to get to perform at The Muny and play Edna all at the same time.

Reviews

Review: BRIGADOON at Pasadena Playhouse

Andrew Child | Los Angeles

Brava to Alexandra Silber for capturing all the heart and humor of Lerner’s original book with her thoughtful new adaptation and brava to Katie Spelman for dreaming up a Brigadoon that is as ebullient and spirited as it is deeply human.

Review: THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA at Paramount Theatre

Shelley Dean | Seattle

It’s almost unbelievable for me to admit that this was my first time seeing The Phantom of the Opera. Of course, I knew the iconic songs and had seen countless clips over the years, but experiencing the production live on stage for the first time was entirely different, haunting, and spine-chilling in the best way possible. From the chandelier drop to the monumental set pieces, the show truly lives up to its legendary reputation. The 2026 tour, directed by Harold Prince, serves as a revitalized version of the original production, featuring Maria Björnson’s iconic designs, musical staging, and choreography by Gillian Lynne. It is absolutely ravishing, and Seattle audiences are lining up hours early to witness the spectacle for themselves.

Review: PIPPIN at Signature Theatre

Aidan O'Connor | Washington, DC

Certain facets of the human condition are foundational to our very existence – change, connection, desire. One such particularly toxic universal truth is a constant need to be something more than we currently are. To search for happiness in external achievement rather than within ourselves, in our simple joys. Pippin at Signature Theatre breathes within that precise virulence, relatively orchestrated by a troupe of impeccably costumed and choreographed players. A feast for the eyes in all senses, Matthew Gardiner’s production surpasses even the highest of expectations.

Videos

Video: Watch La Mirada Theatre's ANASTASIA Star Lena Ceja Perform 'Journey to the Past'

Michael Major | Los Angeles

La Mirada Theatre has released new video footage of Lena Ceja rehearsing 'Journey to the Past' from their upcoming production of Anastasia. The production features Dillon Klena as Dmitry, a role first played on Broadway by his brother Derek Klena.

Photos/Video: DEAR EVAN HANSEN At Arden Theatre

A.A. Cristi | Philadelphia

Arden Theatre Company is now presenting DEAR EVAN HANSEN as the final production of its 2025/26 season, with performances continuing through July 5. New production photos and video have been released from the Philadelphia production, including footage of Evan A. Kaushesh performing “Waving Through a Window.”

Video: Watch 'Corner of the Sky' From Signature Theatre's PIPPIN

Michael Major | Washington, DC

Watch a video of Brayden Bambino performing 'Corner of the Sky' in Signature Theatre's production of Pippin. The in-the-round production is now running through July 26 with tickets available now.

Photos

Photos: Get a First Look at JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR in Manila

Oliver Oliveros | Philippines

The 2017 Olivier Award winner for Best Musical Revival, Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s rock opera 'Jesus Christ Superstar,' has officially opened at The Theatre at Solaire.

The Carbonell Awards is Seeking Nominations for Eight Special Awards to be Presented this November

Tue, 09 Jun 2026 15:51:08 PST

Gary Schweikhart, president of the Carbonell Awards, today announced that “South Florida’s Theater & Arts Honors” is seeking nominations for up to eight additional Special Awards that will be presented at the 49th annual Carbonell Awards Ceremony on Monday, November 16, at 7:30 p.m. at FAU’s University Theatre in Boca Raton.

The Carbonell Special Awards include:

The Vinnette Carroll Award for significant achievement in advancing the cause of diversity, equality, and inclusion in South Florida theater.

Previous winners of this award include Michel Hausman, co-founder and artistic director of Miami New Drama (2025); director, actor, and college educator John Pryor (2024); Christina Alexander & Katie Christie, for leading the South Florida Theatre League's AntiRacism Theatre Strategies Cohorts (2023); and Marshall L. Davis, who served for nearly 40 years as managing director of the African Heritage Cultural Arts Center (AHCAC) in Miami’s Liberty City (2022).

The Charlie Cinnamon Award honors an individual who contributes significantly to the support of the arts in South Florida and to the Carbonell Awards program.

Previous Cinnamon Award winners include longtime critic and former Carbonell Coordinator Mary Damiano (2025); veteran reviewer and founder of FloridaTheaterOnStage.com Bill Hirschman (2023); longtime critic and Carbonell judge Hap Erstein (2022), the Broward Center’s Director of Marketing Jennifer Sierra-Grobbelaar (2019); Tony Finstrom, playwright and founder of the Silver Palm Awards, (2018); and longtime arts patron and Carbonell judge Jerome J. (Jerry) Cohen (2017).

NEW- The Christine Dolen Award for outstanding debut.

Named after the award-winning theater critic for the Miami Herald for more than 35 years and dean of the Carbonell judges, this new Special Award could go to a first-time performer, playwright, director, designer, theater, or program.

The Ruth Foreman Award recognizes contributions to South Florida theater development by an individual or group, for singular achievement and/or career contributions.

Recent Foreman Award winners include Alexa Kuve, founder, executive producer and artistic director of Arca Images (2025); Marilynn Wick, Founder and CEO of The Wick Theatre & Museum Club and Costume World, Inc. (2024); the Maltz Jupiter Theatre (2023); actor, producer, director, poet, and educator Teresa María Rojas (2022); The Amparo Experience(2020); Juggerknot Theatre Company for Miami Motel Stories (2019); Nicole Stodard for the GAP Play Reading Series at Thinking Cap Theatre (2018); and Florida Children’s Theatre (2016).

The Bill Hindman Award honors significant, long-term contributions to the region’s cultural life and onstage career achievement by performing artists based in South Florida.

Recent Hindman Award winners include Beverly Blanchette, the former dean of theater at the Dreyfoos School of the Arts (2025); longtime stage manager Carl Waisanen (2024); James Samuel Randolph, theatre professor at New World School of the Arts (2023); actor and Actors’ Equity Association representative Margot Moreland (2022); actors Barbara Bradshaw(2020) and Harriet Oser (2015); and veteran performer Don McArt (2013).

The Howard Kleinberg Award honors an individual or organization for contributions to the health and development of the arts in South Florida.

Recent Kleinberg Award winners include Harvey Burstein / Miamiartzine (2025); Kermit Christman, Founder & Artistic Producing Director of the Palm Beach Shakespeare Festival (2024); actor, director, playwright, and producer Ronnie Larsen (2023); Andie Arthur, playwright, dramaturg, co-founding Artistic Director of Lost Girls Theatre, and Executive Director of the South Florida Theatre League (2022); Deborah Margol with the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs (2018); longtime critic and Carbonell judge Christine Dolen (2015); and Iris Acker, actor, director, author, talk show host, and Carbonell judge (2014).

The Jan McArt Award for significant achievement by a small theatre.

The only recipient so far of the McArt Award is New City Players (2025).

The Bill von Maurer Award for Theatrical Excellence honors a theater company that exemplifies excellence for the totality of its programming: productions, educational outreach, developmental programs, and audiences served.

Previous von Maurer Award winners include GableStage (2025); Area Stage (2024); Slow Burn Theatre Company (2023); Theater Lab (2022); Palm Beach Dramaworks (2020); City Theatre (2015); Maltz Jupiter Theatre (2011); and Actors’ Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre (2007).

How to Submit Nominations for Carbonell Special Awards 2026

Before July 8, please email nominations to: gary@pr-bs.net and put “Carbonell Nomination” in the Subject Line. In your submission, please include:

Nominee’s name
Name of the Special Award for which you are making a nomination
Why you believe he/she/they/it are worthy of consideration for this particular Special Award.

The Carbonell Awards Board of Directors will review all nominations before selecting which Special Awards to present this year and each recipient. The Board can choose from the list of submitted nominations or add other names for consideration. In addition, the Board can consider any nominee for any award – not necessarily just the one for which he/she/they/it has been nominated. The winners of the 2026 Carbonell Special Awards will be announced one-per-week starting in late July.

The Carbonell Awards announced last month that the 2026 recipient of the prestigious George Abbott Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Arts is Stuart Meltzer, founding artistic director of Zoetic Stage.

In September, the Board will announce this year’s 120 Carbonell Award finalists in 20 competitive categories based on accumulated scores from the nonprofit organization’s pool of nearly 50 experienced and diverse volunteer judges—with seven judges from various counties assigned to each show.

This season’s Carbonell Awards will be presented at a glittery ceremony on November 16 that is South Florida’s version of Broadway’s Tony Awards®. Hundreds of actors, musicians, performers, writers, directors, back-stage technicians, producers, reviewers, designers, specialty artists, and diehard theater fans are expected to attend the event that is being produced and directed by Andrew Kato, Producing Artistic Director/Chief Executive of the Maltz Jupiter Theatre, with the award-winning Caryl Fantel serving as Music Director. Eloisa Ferrer is returning as the production’s Coordinating Producer. Tickets for the ceremony and after party are only $45 and will go on public sale in mid-October.

About The Carbonell Awards:

The Carbonell Awards fosters the artistic growth of professional theater in South Florida by celebrating the diversity of our theater artists, providing educational scholarships, and building audience appreciation and civic pride by highlighting achievements of our theater community. More than 20 professional theater companies in Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties participate in the awards process every year. The Carbonell Awards also celebrate the accomplishments of local artistic leaders by presenting multiple Special Awards.

Along with New York’s Drama Desk and Chicago’s Joseph Jefferson Awards, the Carbonell Awards are among the nation’s senior regional arts awards and predate others, including Washington, D.C.’s Helen Hayes Awards. The Carbonell Awards are named after Manuel Carbonell, an internationally renowned sculptor, who designed the original solid bronze and marble award in 1976. The signature trophy is given annually to all Carbonell Award winners. Over nearly a half-century, the Carbonell family has donated more than $250,000 in awards. For more information, please visit www.carbonellawards.org.

Photo Credit: Premier Photo/Jacek Gancarz

Previews: PREDICTOR at Powerstories @Stageworks Theatre

Tue, 09 Jun 2026 13:42:52 PST

Running July 17 to 26, Predictor opens Powerstories Theatre’s 26th Season themed Greater Good, a year dedicated to stories of women whose courage, creativity, and persistence changed lives and expanded possibility. It is the first production under new Executive Artistic Director Clareann Despain.

Written by award winning playwright Jennifer Blackmer, Predictor tells the remarkable true story of Margaret "Meg" Crane, the young groundbreaking graphic designer who imagined a simple tool that placed life changing information directly into women’s hands. In 1967, she created the first home pregnancy test, offering privacy and autonomy at a time when those freedoms were rarely granted. Her breakthrough was nearly erased, yet its impact rippled across generations.

Powerstories Theatre is honored to announce that Crane will join audiences for three special events before and during the Florida premiere of Predictor at Stageworks Theatre. She will participate in a free Zoom Beyond the Story: Predictor event at Powerstories Theatre Studio on June 28, and a talkback on July 24 and a meet and greet on July 25, offering Tampa audiences a rare opportunity to meet the woman whose quiet idea reshaped autonomy for women.

Onstage, Crane's journey becomes a fast moving theatrical ride - part absurdist comedy, part game show, part intimate portrait of a woman insisting on being heard in a world determined to talk over her.

As Meg fights to bring her invention to life, the audience watches a revolution take shape in real time: a simple prototype that would eventually land on drugstore shelves and change millions of women’s lives. The story is funny, sharp, and deeply human, celebrating the courage it takes to push an idea forward when the patriarchy isn’t ready for it.

Directed by Gigi Jennewien, the play stars Jenna Jane as Meg, and features Ivy Sunflower, Kari Velguth, Jill Schroeder, Landon Green, Will Chamblee, and Matt dePasquale as the six choruses. Predictor moves through shifting worlds of corporate boardrooms, personal crossroads, and a surreal, fast paced game show that mirrors Crane’s struggle to be heard. Each moment underscores the pressure she faced as she fought to bring her idea to life.

This Florida Premiere brings Crane’s legacy to the stage with wit, warmth, and theatrical imagination. It invites audiences to cheer for the woman who dared to say, “I think there’s a better way,” and proved she was right.

Despain says, “Having Meg with us is a gift. Her story is the heartbeat of this production, and hearing her speak in person brings a depth that only the originator of this history can offer. Our audiences will not just watch her journey onstage. They will meet the woman who imagined a tool that never existed before, that gave women control over their reproductive rights.”

Her presence in Tampa deepens the production’s resonance at a time when conversations about women’s autonomy continue to shape headlines and courtrooms. Her invention reminds us that progress is imagined by those who refuse to wait, defended by those who refuse to be dismissed, and reclaimed each time access to knowledge is threatened.

Crane explains, “I am deeply grateful to Jennifer Blackmer for bringing my story to life on the stage. I was a young woman with an idea that was not acceptable to the male dominated company I worked for. That idea, that a woman should be able to test herself for pregnancy. Today, we haven’t moved far beyond the challenges women faced in the 1960’s. Jen tells my story in a way that is fast moving, funny, and true. Thank you Powerstories Theatre for bringing Predictor to Tampa!”

As Powerstories launches its 26th Season, the company continues its commitment to community access through the STAGE Initiative, providing sponsored tickets to local nonprofits so individuals who might not otherwise experience live theatre can attend a performance. Supporters have already sponsored tickets of individuals from MacDill Air Force Base, Project Return, PFLAG, and Crisis Center of Tampa Bay, among others.

Despain explains, “Predictor tells the story of a woman who changed the world by insisting that knowledge belongs in the hands of the people who need it. That belief is at the heart of our STAGE Initiative as well. When you sponsor tickets, you are helping someone access a story that might shift how they see themselves, their choices, or their future.”

That same belief in access and agency guided Powerstories’ artistic committee as they selected the stories that would shape this season.

Marketing Director Deb Kelley says, “We selected Meg’s story because it speaks directly to today’s fight for autonomy and access. Welcoming her to Tampa feels extraordinary. Audiences will meet the woman whose courage shaped the world in ways many never realized, and her presence turns this production into a once in a lifetime experience.”

Beyond the Story with Meg Crane will take place on Zoom at Powerstories Theatre Studio, 4237 W El Prado Blvd at 4pm on June 28. It is a free event, but RSVP is required. Performances of Predictor will be July 17-26 at Stageworks Theatre, 1120 E Kennedy Blvd, Suite 151, Tampa.

If you or your organization want to champion this important work, you can sponsor the show or tickets for a deserving nonprofit by making a one time or recurring donation at https://bit.ly/PSSUPORT. Nonprofits interested in receiving sponsored tickets through STAGE Initiative may contact deb@powerstories.com.

Tickets and additional information are available at www.powerstories.com/predictor.

SALUTE TO VIENNA New Year's Concert to Return to Ruth Eckerd Hall

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 16:51:45 PST

A timeless tradition, a dazzling celebration, Salute to Vienna New Year's Concert will return to Ruth Eckerd Hall on Thursday, December 31 at 3 pm. Tickets go on sale Friday, June 12 at 10 am.

This soul-stirring symphony of sound and spectacle evokes Vienna's Golden Age by bringing the music of “Waltz King” Johann Strauss, Jr. to vivid life. With elegant costumes and lush floral arrangements decorating the stage, Salute to Vienna New Year's Concert transports audiences to an era of sumptuous beauty.

Beloved by audiences across North America, this annual tradition features some of Europe's finest singers, internationally acclaimed dancers, and a full orchestra performing a soaring musical selection of overtures, arias, and duets, including the Blue Danube Waltz. Conducted and hosted with playful wit by a charming expert in Viennese music, this joyful holiday celebration invites audiences to waltz into the new year with delight.

Tickets starting at $35 and a limited number of VIP Packages are available at The Raymond James Central Ticket Office at Ruth Eckerd Hall, by calling 727-791-7400 or visiting www.RuthEckerdHall.com.

SALUTE TO VIENNA New Year's Concert to Return to Ruth Eckerd Hall

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 16:51:45 PST

A timeless tradition, a dazzling celebration, Salute to Vienna New Year's Concert will return to Ruth Eckerd Hall on Thursday, December 31 at 3 pm. Tickets go on sale Friday, June 12 at 10 am.

Tickets starting at $35 and a limited number of VIP Packages are available at The Raymond James Central Ticket Office at Ruth Eckerd Hall, by calling 727-791-7400 or visiting www.RuthEckerdHall.com.

CIRQUE ALICE to Bring North American Tour to Ruth Eckerd Hall

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 14:42:48 PST

Step down the rabbit hole during the North American tour of Cirque Alice, a breathtaking new theatrical cirque spectacular that reimagines Alice's Adventures in Wonderland through extraordinary acrobatics, dazzling theatricality, and gravity-defying wonder. Launching in the U.S. for the first time ever on Friday, January 8, 2027, in New Haven, Connecticut, the tour to more than 50 North American cities will make a stop at Ruth Eckerd Hall on Monday, March 8 at 7:30 pm. Tickets go on sale Friday, June 12 at 10 am. For a complete list of tour dates and more information, please visit: www.cirquealice.com

Following acclaimed international engagements in Australia, Singapore, and Europe, Cirque Alice invites audiences into a fantastical "Wonderland" brought to life through world-class acrobatics, larger-than-life characters, puppetry, comedy, dance, and live musical moments. Featuring mesmerizing aerial artistry and mind-bending contortion, the production transforms Lewis Carroll's timeless world into a modern cirque experience set against newly arranged contemporary interpretations of some of the world's most beloved classical music. Created by Simon Painter and Tim Lawson, the production comes from the same creative force behind some of the world's most successful live entertainment brands.

That larger-than-life spirit has helped Cirque Alice captivate audiences internationally before its North American debut.

The creative team for Cirque Alice is led by Creative Directors Ash Jacks McCready and Kirsty Painter, with choreography by Dane Bates, costumes by Angela Aaron, lighting by Hugo Mercier, and musical arrangements by Martin Raabe-Olsen and Marius Christiansen.

Tickets starting at $32.75 and a limited amount of VIP Packages are available at The Raymond James Central Ticket Office at Ruth Eckerd Hall, by calling 727-791-7400 or going online.

CIRQUE ALICE to Bring North American Tour to Ruth Eckerd Hall

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 14:42:48 PST

That larger-than-life spirit has helped Cirque Alice captivate audiences internationally before its North American debut.

Tickets starting at $32.75 and a limited amount of VIP Packages are available at The Raymond James Central Ticket Office at Ruth Eckerd Hall, by calling 727-791-7400 or going online.

Interview: Constantine Maroulis of THE FLORIDA ROCK SYMPHONY SERIES at Ruth Eckerd Hall

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 12:53:15 PST

Ruth Eckerd Hall and 107.3 The Eagle, in association with TCG Entertainment, are setting the stage for a summer of symphonic rock, uniting the 27-piece Florida Rock Symphony with the music of Led Zeppelin, Journey, and David Bowie. Two of those nights, June 27 and July 17, feature Constantine Maroulis, the American Idol standout and Tony nominated star of Rock of Ages, returning to Clearwater with the unmistakable presence that first won over millions.

The Florida Rock Symphony has built a reputation for merging classical precision with the voltage of rock, creating arrangements that feel expansive, cinematic, and unexpectedly intimate. Maroulis lights up when he talks about the first time he heard those orchestrations behind him. “It’s the sheer power of it… this epic cinematic quality,” he said. “It takes it to a different level.” Even songs he has lived with for decades feel newly unearthed when the strings swell beneath a guitar line or the brass cuts through a familiar chorus.

On June 27, he steps into the Led Zeppelin catalog respectfully but never imitatively. “Obviously there’s only one Robert Plant,” he said. “People want you to honor the melody, the lyrics, the power of the songs, but to bring something new.” His approach begins with the text, shaping the arc from the quietest breath to the full throttle release that orchestral rock makes possible.

The July 17 Infinity Rising: The Music of Journey concert brings another towering vocal legacy to the stage. One song in particular hits him with unexpected force: “Mother, Father.” “It’s so epic,” he said. “I really personalize it… I lost my mom, I lost my dad. It feels very personal to me.” He speaks about Steve Perry with the admiration of one technician recognizing another, marveling at Perry’s mastery of vowels, phrasing, and lift. “He can sing anywhere, anytime, anyplace,” he said. “It’s just good pure singing.”

Away from the spotlight, Maroulis has discovered a deep love for mentoring young performers, calling it “maybe the most rewarding” part of his artistic life. Watching a student take a note, adjust, and suddenly unlock a moment is, for him, its own kind of performance high. That generosity threads through his work onstage as well, an instinct to lift the material, the musicians, and the audience together.

He also has a long, easy rapport with Tampa Bay audiences, and he is entering these concerts in a season of creative renewal. “I turned 50, and I feel better and look better than I have in a long time,” he said. “There’s a lot to say.” He is balancing fatherhood to a teen, new writing, and the development of original musicals including Rock and Roll Man, which he recently performed in Europe. For audiences, these concerts offer the rare chance to hear legendary catalogs not just performed but transformed, ballads deepened by orchestral warmth, anthems magnified by symphonic force, and familiar songs illuminated in ways that feel both nostalgic and new.

And when asked which artistic lane excites him most now that he has acted, sung, written, mentored, and produced, he answers with the same philosophy Tom Brady used when asked which championship ring was his favorite.

“The next one.”

Learn more about Maroulis at ConstantineMaroulis.com and Instagram @ConstantineMaroulis. The Florida Rock Symphony performs The Music of Led Zeppelin on June 27 at 8 PM, Infinity Rising: The Music of Journey on July 17 at 8 PM, and Changes: A Tribute To The Music Of David Bowie On Friday, August 7 At 8 PM at Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater. Tickets are available at RuthEckerdHall.com

Review: RENT at Carrollwood Players Theatre

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 10:45:03 PST

I can give you five hundred twenty-five thousand, six hundred reasons to go to Carrollwood Players through June 27th, and David J. Valdez’ directing, Lisa M. Chase’s musical directing, and Devan Bittinger’s choreography are only three of them. On Saturday night, Jonathan Larson’s RENT hits just as hard in 2026 as it did when it debuted in 1996. I saw RENT in a massive theatre space nearly twenty years ago. Carrollwood Players is not a huge stage, and that intimacy is what makes this particular production so powerful.

Larson transformed the spirit of Puccini’s La Bohème into a story rooted in the East Village during the height of the HIV and AIDS crisis, creating a world where filmmakers, musicians, dancers, professors, and performance artists fight to hold on to love, purpose, and community in the middle of uncertainty. The neighborhood he wrote about was overflowing with creativity and activism while also carrying profound loss as friends and chosen families disappeared. That mix of beauty and instability shaped RENT, and it is why the show still resonates today.

From the first cue, the lighting by Todd J. Wiener and Lily Sanford becomes an emotional compass, shifting from cold urban grit to warm pockets of connection, then dropping into shadows that mirror the characters’ fear, longing, and resilience. It feels like a visual heartbeat that keeps time with the story.

The costumes and wigs by Alexandra Rios, Jonathan Virga, and Alli Lynn Thomas are beautifully curated, textured with personality and history. Nothing feels like a replica. Everything feels like a choice rooted in character.

The set by Krista Virga, Jonathan Virga, and cast/crew is one of the production’s most striking achievements. Instead of relying on traditional scenery, Valdez uses the actors as set pieces, creating a living landscape that rarely leaves the stage. It creates a sense of constant presence, as if the community is always intertwined.

Movement drives the show as much as music. The choreography throughout is sharp and expressive, but La Vie Boheme is a standout, wild and joyful and rebellious, and incredibly fun to watch. Mimi’s (Natalie Whitlock) Out Tonight is choreographed with a prowling, feline confidence that lets her command the space with ease.

Photo by Unmanaged Media

While Mark (Alex Markoulis) serves as the glue connecting the different character storylines, his performance with Joanne (Aaliyah Saint Charles) in Tango Maureen becomes a highlight of its own. Their voices blend with playful tension, and the choreography turns their back and forth into a clever, rhythmic duel that the audience cannot help but enjoy.

Benny’s (Adrian De La Rosa) performance of You’ll See adds another layer of texture to the evening. His presence is firm and grounded, and the number lands with a clarity that sharpens the stakes between him and the rest of the group. It is a moment that reminds the audience how complicated loyalty and survival can be in this world.

Maureen’s (Kristin Brazzell) performance of Over the Moon becomes a full room event the moment she calls for the audience to moo. And they do, loudly and gleefully. It is the kind of communal silliness that only works when a cast has the audience completely with them.

Angel (Michael Vega) is breathtaking. He makes her beautiful in every sense of the word, with a warmth and radiance that fills the room the moment she appears. Her Today 4 U becomes a burst of charisma and precision, delivered with such joy that the audience cannot help but lean forward. Every beat lands. Every flourish sparkles.

When Tom (Christian M. McLaurine) steps into 1000 Kisses with Angel, the production finds one of its quiet triumphs. Their chemistry is immediate and sincere, and the number unfolds like a conversation between two people who see each other fully. McLaurine’s grounded presence gives Vega’s brilliance an anchor, creating a duet that feels both joyful and fragile in the best way.

Emma Beckman is hysterical as Mark’s Mom on the answering machine. Her timing is perfect and the audience loves her.

The Seasons of Love ensemble is stunning, every voice blending into a sound that fills the room and settles right into your chest. But it is Beckman's solo in Seasons of Love that stops the room. The notes she hits are astonishing. It is one of those moments that lifts the entire show.

Photo by Unmanaged Media

And then there is Roger (Tony Capizzi). I could not look away when he sang. His voice filled the auditorium with raw power and aching vulnerability. One Song Glory, Light My Candle, I Should Tell You with Mimi, and Goodbye Love each land in a different emotional place, and he navigates every shift with clarity and force. Roger’s voice alone would be a reason to see this show beyond all the incredible vocals surrounding him. Absolutely phenomenal.

Carrollwood Players’ RENT strength lies in its closeness, in the way the performers breathe the same air as the audience, in the way the story feels less like a show and more like a shared moment in time. It is a production that honors Larson’s legacy by making it immediate, human, felt, and deeply needed in today’s hateful political climate where lawmakers continue to advance efforts that harm and marginalize LGBTQ+ community. RENT has always asked audiences to look at each other with more compassion, more understanding. This superb cast makes that invitation impossible to ignore.

Review: Jonathan Larson's RENT at the Carrollwood Players

Sun, 07 Jun 2026 06:34:30 PST

Welcome back from Uranus if you have never heard of RENT, that 90s zeitgeist musical that turns thirty this year and is in 12th place as the longest-running Broadway show ever.

When I first experienced the musical a couple of years after it first opened in the 1990s, I immediately dubbed it as “Hair for Gen X,” a perfect encapsulation of the Grunge/Slacker/Neo-Bohemian NYC spirit. It had so much power, as well as a compelling backstory (the show’s creator, Jonathan Larson, dying just before the first Off-Broadway preview in 1996), that we forgave its many flaws. Even its enthusiasts would concede that it’s far from perfect; who wants perfection with a show this, for lack of a better word, cool?

Based on the Puccini opera La Boheme, RENT focuses on the denizens of NYC’s Alphabet City in the 1990s, mainly roomies Roger, an AIDS-afflicted rocker who’s both has-been and wannabe, and Mark, a geeky filmmaker whose wife, Maureen, ran away with another woman, Joanne. You meet Mimi, the drug-addicted dancer at the Cat Scratch Club, and Benny, the Yuppie sellout. There’s also Tom Collins, whose love story with drag queen Angel proves to be the heart of the show. Act 1 deals with a single day in the life—Christmas; Act 2 centers on an entire year in the life, following the seasons of love and, sadly, death.

So many of its songs have become musical theatre staples, including “Seasons of Love,” “One Song Glory,” “Tango Maureen,” “Santa Fe,” “I’ll Cover You,” “La Vie Boheme,” “Take Me or Leave Me,” “Without You,” “I’ll Cover You (Reprise)” and “What You Own.” Any show with that many memorable songs must be great, right? So why do I have so many issues with it?

My main misgiving of RENT may be that I never believed it was entirely finished due to Mr. Larson’s untimely death. It came close, but I believe it was perhaps a tweak or two away from greatness. And Mr. Larson’s lyrics can sometimes be insufferable. Some may think the line from “La Vie Boheme”--“To sodomy/It’s between God and me”--as being quite clever; however, I find it incredibly forced. But he also rhymes “curry vindaloo” with “Maya Angelou,” so all is close to being forgiven.

And don’t get me started on the following line from the same song: “To Sontag, to Sondheim, and anything taboo.” This really gets my knickers in a twist. I know it’s a mere line, but it’s also a mere line that drives me crazy. I adore Sondheim; I don’t know a Broadway fan who doesn’t. But to claim that he is in any way “taboo” is a laugh. Besides, the bohemians would probably pooh-pooh Mr. Sondheim and tag him as mainstream; they would not celebrate him while they sing of the decadent things in life that they do love like leather, dildos and huevos rancheros.

Yes, the show boasts those incredible aforementioned songs, but the story is overlong and the ending exceedingly hokey. Roger, constantly gnarled in anger, spends the entire musical trying to write the perfect song, a song that is so powerful and magical that it will actually bring a character back to life. But his final composition that does the trick, “Your Eyes,” is arguably the weakest song of the entire show, a tune so inexorably boring that it would certainly never raise the dead, and if anything, it will make permanent insomniacs go immediately to sleep.

I wonder how younger people will react to RENT. They may know some of the songs—the iconic “Seasons of Love” or the powerful lesbian duet, “Take Me or Leave Me”—but will they understand what the fuss is all about? Will they understand that it was a big deal three decades ago, that era’s Hamilton? And will they understand the nightmare that AIDS was to the community and to the world? And some of the things in the show that seemed shocking in 1996—drag queens; a woman leaving her husband for another woman—come across as quaint today (well, maybe not in some red states). Besides, the whole “my-wife-left-me-for-another-woman” subplot was tackled in the TV series “Friends” just two years before RENT debuted.

With this much RENT-controlled baggage to contend with, why do I still recommend the musical? Because it’s a kick-ass night of theatre, and the Carrollwood Players have done a wondrous job with the material in their current winning production, directed by a true visionary, David Valdez.

This is not your average production of RENT. Immediately we know something is different because the cast remains onstage for the duration of the show. I love this choice, because it makes the whole thing rightfully presentational. You never question the brave and smart directorial decisions, like not having a long table in “La Vie Boheme” (trust me, it works). And Mr. Valdez is a master when it comes to stage pictures. The material may be overwhelmingly sad, but the joy of performing takes over; this RENT is a celebration of life set to music.

The production re-examines the original meaning of the show and turns it upside down; it also spotlight and deepens the connections and relationships of the various characters. Some productions lead head-first, this one dives in heart-first. It becomes quite emotional at times, so it’s best if you bring enough Kleenex for yourself and anyone sitting around you.

The cast is quite good.

The talented Tony Capizzi plays Roger appropriately, as if he’s constantly tied in an emotional knot; he has a wild rock-fueled voice in numbers like “One Song Glory,” though the part itself lacks shading (he's either bursting with fury or lost).

Alex Markoulis is strong as the bespectacled Mark, resembling Freddie Garrity from the Sixties group Freddie and the Dreamers. Unlike other interpretations of the reactive part that I’ve seen, he never recedes into the background; he becomes the anchor of the show. And Adrian De La Rosa makes for a formidable antagonist as Benny.

Michael Vega continues to fulfill the early promise as a performer by inhabiting the part of the drag queen Angel with such a brave heart. I have personally always had a problem with the part, who in “Today for Me, Tomorrow for You,” gets a lot of laughs for celebrating the killing of a dog named Evita in a most horrific manner. Vega even adds a little Vogue move during the song for good measure. But the performer fills the role with so much courage and soul that we forgive and root for them so deeply that it all becomes so unbearably heartbreaking during Act 2. Yes, we find ourselves mourning and crying over a dog killer.

Natalie Whitlock is a force to be reckoned with as Mimi, showing such a wide range with the rabid “Out Tonight” and the soul-breaking “Without You.”

Aaliyah Saint Charles brings a lot of spunk to the part of Joanne; her duet with Maureen, “Take Me or Leave Me,” is one of the show’s best numbers. Emma Beekman is a standout as Mark’s annoying mom. Tyler Brankey provides solid support, as does Nia Evens. Dylan Lauricello does quite well and gets to show off his strong vocals in various parts. Stephen Mikell, Jr. is always welcome onstage, inhabiting his roles with so much verve. And Alli Lynn Thomas hits just the right notes as Alexi Darling.

But two performances shine brightest of all, elevating this RENT to another dimension entirely: Kristin Brazzell as Maureen and, especially, Christian M. McLaurine as Tom.

I recall seeing Ms. Brazzell in SPC’s Into the Woods where I compared her Little Red to Manson Family murderess, Susan Atkins. She knows no fear onstage. Here, she takes Maureen and runs with it. Her “Over the Moon” is the stuff of legend, as strange a song as ever written, and Ms. Brazzell gets the joke and tears the song to shreds like it was a toy in a mutt’s mouth. Her Maureen is a fierce typhoon, and she burst the show to life whenever she became the focus of the scene.

Best of all is Christian M. McLaurine as Tom. I am still not over his rendition of “I’ll Cover You (Reprise),” a song that will leave you both breathless and sobbing. His duets with Angel, including the contagiously hummable “Santa Fe” and “I’ll Cover You,” are filled with so much joy over newfound love that we believe in their relationship 100%. His singing touches the depths of your soul.

This is the Christian McLaurine part that we’ve been waiting for. Wow! There’s a gospel quality with his singing, his voice sometimes going quite deep like an Alphabet City preacher, sounding like a combination of the Reverend Al Green and Paul Robeson.

The cast’s harmonies sound good under the musical direction of Lisa M Chase, especially in my favorite song of the show, “Will I?” The fun choreography of Devon Bittinger works as well as it can in the small Carrollwood Players stage.

I like the Keith Haring works that adorn Krista Virga's otherwise extremely minimal set design. Costumes work okay for the most part, although I never really got the sense that I was in a cold New York City winter.

I could hear the cast, even though they were not microphoned. However, I worry about some of the voices, straining so hard to be heard over the music that their vocal cords can be damaged if not properly warmed up. Microphones wouldn’t hurt the production and could help prevent any potential vocal damage (it’s a rockin’ show and the voices must be heard).

But this RENT comes to amazing life due to the brilliant vision of one man: director David Valdez. The show earned its instant standing ovation on the night I saw it, easily becoming one of the stronger musicals performed at the Carrollwood Players. It succeeds in making us enjoy every moment of every day. So, take advantage of each of these moments in this beautiful but very flawed world of ours, and that includes making sure you get your tickets now to join the Alphabet City avant garde. Because, as the show keeps reminding us over and over, there’s no day but today.

RENT gets a good long run at the CWP and ends its journey on June 27th.

Previews: BASH OF THE TITANS at FreeFall Theatre

Fri, 05 Jun 2026 14:17:11 PST

freeFall Theatre is gearing up to close its 25/26 season with a gleefully chaotic new musical parody, Bash of the Titans, co‑written by Eric Davis, Michael Raabe, and Matthew McGee. The trio has built a reputation for sending up pop‑culture universes with affection and precision, and this time they’re diving headfirst into the neon‑lit, sword‑swinging world of 1980s fantasy cinema. For McGee, the spark came from looking at what audiences are craving right now. “I think every theater company now is wondering what type of shows audiences want to see, and we’ve seen that people really get into music and comedy,” he says. Their 2016 intergalactic Pirates of Penzance spoof proved how much fun freeFall audiences have with genre‑bending mayhem. “We thought it was time to do a musical spoof of the 1980s swords and sorcery films. Eric had long wanted to program this into a season and so we made it the closer for 25/26.”

The creative process behind Bash of the Titans mirrors the show’s playful energy. McGee describes a rhythm of early brainstorming followed by independent writing sprints before the team reconvenes to stitch everything together. “After a few initial meetings, we all worked separately for the most part and then came together before rehearsals to refine and tweak the material. Something we are still doing now in the rehearsal process. Eric really worked on the structure, Michael on the arrangements and I have been punching up comedic material.” That shared shorthand comes from a deep well of Gen X nostalgia. “We are all proudly Gen X and it’s what we felt we knew the best in order to spoof the original material. That goes for references and songs. It’s a celebration of our childhood.”

That nostalgia pulses through the score, which riffs on the decade’s unmistakable sound. McGee explains that the team leaned into familiarity while reshaping it for parody. “We really tried to work hard to capture the sound of the time and make enough changes that the songs are parodies of other familiar 80s songs. Songs everyone knows.” The story itself pulls from a wide constellation of Greek myths, all filtered through the trio’s irreverent lens. “We knew we LOVED the idea of the Greek gods interfering with the lives of mere mortals. So, we used a real mix of the different myths. You’ll see Medusa, Poseidon, Aphrodite, The Kraken, Pegasus and many more.”

Even with all the winks and wildness, McGee is adamant that the show’s heart stays intact. “I think the plot holds up really well and could exist without the self‑referential and fourth wall breaking type of humor. The comedy is really just the cherry on top.” That balance is helped by a cast he calls essential to the show’s success. “It’s a powerhouse cast and I’m not sure it would work as well without these particular performers. We are thrilled we were able to book Kissy Simmons and Victor E. Chan. They are both so terrific as Aphrodite and Poseidon.”

Visually, the world of Bash of the Titans leans into spectacle with a wink. McGee describes it as “Ancient Greece meets Las Vegas showroom. It’s kitschy fun!” And while he’s careful not to spoil surprises, he hints that one moment in particular will stop the show cold. “I won’t spoil it, but the Pegasus reveal is going to be a big hit.”

For freeFall, the production fits squarely within the company’s ethos. “As a company we tend to program shows that are more timeless than timely. We want a broad audience and this current show is truly for everyone.” McGee hopes audiences leave with the same sense of delight the creative team felt while building it. “I hope they leave feeling happy and excited about the next adventure we plan to take them on.”

And as for what comes next, the team is dreaming big. “We are working harder and harder on pieces that could have a life beyond freeFall. Who knows? Bash of the Titans could be the next Titanique.”

Bash of the Titans runs June 12 through August 2, 2026, at freeFall Theatre, 6099 Central Avenue in St. Petersburg. Learn more and buy tickets at https://freefalltheatre.com/

Previews: END OF THE RAINBOW at Gulfport Community Players

Fri, 05 Jun 2026 14:20:04 PST

Photography courtesy of Lasting Reflections Photography by Donnette

Onstage tonight through June 21 is End of the Rainbow at the Catherine Hickman Theater in Gulfport, a fierce, funny, and heart‑rending look at Judy Garland in the final year of her life. Gulfport Community Players brings the story to the stage with Tammy Lukas stepping into the role of the legendary performer - a role she has, in many ways, been preparing for since childhood.

“The Wizard of Oz when I was 3,” she says. “Watching that movie for the first time is one of my earliest memories. That started my lifelong love and obsession with all things Oz and Judy Garland.” Her first time onstage was as Dorothy, and in her twenties she worked in New York as a Judy Garland/Liza Minnelli impersonator. When the show appeared in the GCP season, she immediately began preparing for “older Judy.”

Lukas is quick to lift up the people surrounding her in this production. “My fellow castmates are all marvelous in their roles: Brian Jacoby as Mickey Deans, Phillip Hubler as Anthony, and Bill Shideler as the Radio Interviewer, Porter & ASM,” she says. She also extends gratitude to director Myles Thoroughgood “for this amazing opportunity to play my icon,” and to the crew—Rose Gillespie, Donnette Romero, Kathleen Hall, Alicia Merel, Bob Rowand, Eileen Navarro, Jay Gendron, Peter Villa, Rachel Fennell, Stacie Steinke, John Herrick, and Jeff Lukas - "for all of your contributions to making this show a success.”

Photography courtesy of
Lasting Reflections Photography
by Donnette

To inhabit Garland in 1968, Lukas immersed herself in the era. “I did a deep dive into her last years,” she says. “I have repeatedly watched every interview, performance and recording available on YouTube… now I was watching in a new way - her facial expressions, how she moves, vocal and speech patterns.”

Her castmate Billy Shideler helped unlock Judy’s humor. “He pointed out that Judy has drag queen sarcasm and wit and that was a game changer,” she says. “Now I knew how to play it.”

The contrast between Garland’s public radiance and private exhaustion feels familiar to Lukas. “No imitation required. I can totally relate,” she says. “It’s exhausting, but you still must go out and shine onstage like you’ve got all the energy in the world. I need the stage just like Judy did.”

Studying Garland’s voice reshaped her own. “I have learned SO MUCH about phrasing, breath support, and song acting from Judy,” she says. “I was very surprised to discover how strong my lower register is… now I think this role has revealed my true wheelhouse.”

Her understanding of Garland’s relationship with Mickey Deans also deepened. “To Judy, he was her miracle,” she says. “The knight in shining armor who would fix everything in her life. Judy longed to be loved as herself, not the persona of ‘Judy Garland.’”

A comment outside rehearsal sharpened her sense of Garland’s emotional cost. “She was tired of being pushed and controlled,” Lukas says. “She was overworked, overwhelmed, and exhausted… Judy wanted to do things on her own terms.”

Physicality came from intense study. “I intensely studied her gestures, so now I just let Judy take over my body,” she says. “The emotional connection running underneath prevents any overshadowing.”

Performing Garland’s most iconic songs carries its own weight. “It is equally thrilling and a great responsibility to do my best to honor her memory,” she says. The final number, “Over the Rainbow,” is the hardest. “Reminds me of my mother who also died at 47. She introduced me to Oz and encouraged my love for the stage.”

What she hopes audiences notice are the quietest shifts. “The stillness. Judy’s humanity,” she says. “The little girl who just wanted to be loved for her and not just the icon onstage… History views Judy as this tragic figure but she didn’t see herself that way. She was a fighter and gave everything she had to the world.”

Leaving the stage doesn’t fully release her from the role. “Exhaustion!” she says. “However, I don’t know if I ever truly step away from Judy.” Her director, Myles Thoroughgood, once told her, “You ARE Judy Garland.” She calls it the greatest compliment she could receive.

End of the Rainbow runs tonight through June 21 at the Catherine Hickman Theater in Gulfport. Get tickets and learn more at https://gulfportcommunityplayers.org/

BroadwayWorld Launches Producer Fantasy Game

Tue, 09 Jun 2026 11:00:05 PST

Ever watched the weekly Broadway grosses roll in and thought you could pick the winners? Now you can put it to the test. BroadwayWorld has launched the Producer Fantasy Game, a free, season-long competition that lets theatre fans build a roster of Broadway shows and earn points based on how those productions actually perform at the box office. The draft window is open now.

How It Works

The setup is simple. During the draft window, you pick any six Broadway productions that opened this season. Drafting is non-exclusive, so there is no need to race a rival for a hot title. Any number of players can roster the same show.

From there, your shows go to work for you. Every week, each production on your roster earns fantasy points based on its reported box office grosses and capacity percentages. When Tony, Drama Desk, Drama League, and Outer Critics Circle nominations and wins are announced, your shows bank bonus points on top of that. And each week you can answer our Fantasy Forecast prediction questions for up to five bonus points per correct call.

Weekly Scoring

Each week, a show earns one base point for every $50,000 it grosses, so a $1 million week is worth 20 base points. On top of that, shows can earn bonuses: up to five points for filling seats (based on how close to full capacity the house ran), six points for grossing $2 million or more (or three points for grossing between $1 million and $2 million), and eight points if its gross jumped at least 15 percent from the week before. A show loses four points if its gross dropped at least 15 percent. If a show goes dark and reports no gross for a week, it scores zero for that week with no penalty.

The Fantasy Forecast

The Producer Fantasy Game is really two games in one. The first is the box office game: drafting shows and earning points from their weekly grosses and awards. The second is the Fantasy Forecast, a weekly set of prediction questions about what's happening on Broadway, where each correct answer is worth up to five points. You can play one or both.

We track them separately so you can shine at either. Your Producer score covers the box office game, your Forecast score covers your prediction results, and your Combined score adds the two together for the overall championship ranking. The leaderboard lets you toggle between Overall, Producers, and Forecasters, so a sharp predictor can top the Forecasters board even during a rough season for their roster, and a roster powerhouse can lead the Producers board without answering a single question.

Managing Your Roster

Your lineup stays at six shows all season, and you have plenty of room to maneuver. You get one free drop every week, three additional season drops to use anytime before the trade deadline, and free replacements whenever a show on your roster closes. New productions open throughout the season and become available the moment they start reporting grosses, so it pays to keep a transaction in your pocket for that buzzy new opening.

Join the Game

The Producer Fantasy Game is free for all BroadwayWorld users, and you can join any time the draft window is open. Draft within the first two weeks of the season and your roster is scored from opening week, so the earlier you get in, the more weeks you bank. Build your roster, make your predictions, and start climbing the leaderboard today.

LADY DISDAIN & More Lead Florida's June 2026 Top Theatre Shows

Wed, 03 Jun 2026 13:45:44 PST

Florida is never lacking outstanding theatre, whether epic Broadway shows, engrossing dramas or bold fringe offerings. BroadwayWorld is rounding up our top recommended theatre every month.

We understand the importance of choosing the perfect show, especially for new theatregoers. That's why our experienced editorial team meticulously reviews a wide range of productions each month. We consider various factors including a producer's track record, audience reviews, and overall production value, to bring you the very best recommendations for the following month.

See what the experts recommend! Check out our editorial team's top picks for the best shows to see in Florida for June 2026.

Lady Disdain

Asolo Repertory Theatre - June 06, 2026 through June 27, 2026

Written by Lauren Gunderson and directed by Sean Daniels, there's much ado about something in this whip-smart, laugh-out-loud new romantic comedy. Lady Disdain is a fast-paced, razor-sharp riff on the deliciously dramatic world of Fantasy Romance novels (yes, those ones--you know them, you love them). Beatrice and Ben, rival audiobook narrators with voices made for swooning and tempers made for sparring, are locked in a battle of wits, words, and wildly inconvenient attraction. Whether you find yourself on team Ben or team Beatrice, there's nothing like snuggling up with a good play. Asolo Rep proudly presents this rolling world premiere from one of America's funniest and most produced playwright. Lauren Gunderson says "Shakespeare always reminds me to raise the stakes in my plays--bigger risks, bolder actions, grander scenarios, characters at the edge." Runs June 6 - 27.

For tickets: click here.

One Hit Wonders

Florida Studio Theatre - Now through June 21, 2026

Step into the spotlight with One Hit Wonders, a toe-tapping celebration of those unforgettable songs that lit up the charts and became part of our lives. From the epic storytelling of “American Pie” to the carefree whistle of “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” this show celebrates the artists who gave us a single great hit. Quirky, charming, and packed with guilty pleasures, One Hit Wonders proves that sometimes one hit is all you need.

For tickets: click here.

Ride The Cyclone

Theatre South Playhouse - Now through August 30, 2026

In this hilarious and outlandish story, the lives of a Canadian chamber choir are cut short in a freak accident aboard a roller coaster. When they awake in limbo, a mechanical fortune teller invites each to tell a story to win a prize like no other — the chance to return to life. This popular musical is a funny, moving look at what makes a life well-lived!

For tickets: click here.

SIX

Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts - Now through June 07, 2026

From Tudor queens to pop icons, the SIX wives of Henry VIII take the microphone to remix five hundred years of historical heartbreak into a euphoric celebration of 21st century girl power! This new original musical is the global sensation that everyone is losing their head over. The New York Times says SIX “TOTALLY RULES!” (Critic's Pick) and The Washington Post hails SIX as “Exactly the kind of energizing, inspirational illumination this town aches for!" The SIX: LIVE ON OPENING NIGHT Broadway album debuted at Number 1 on the Billboard cast album charts and surpassed one billion streams worldwide.

For tickets: click here.

Beetlejuice

Kravis Center for the Performing Arts - Now through June 07, 2026

It’s showtime! Based on Tim Burton’s dearly beloved film, this hilarious musical tells the story of Lydia Deetz, a strange and unusual teenager whose whole life changes when she meets a recently deceased couple and a demon with a thing for stripes. With an irreverent book, an astonishing set and a score that’s out of this Netherworld, BEETLEJUICE is “SCREAMINGLY GOOD FUN!” (Variety). And under its uproarious surface (six feet under, to be exact), it’s a remarkably touching show about family, love, and making the most of every Day-O!

For tickets: click here.

THE HOT WING KING

American Stage Theatre Company - Now through June 28, 2026

It’s time for the annual “Hot Wang Festival” in Memphis, Tennessee, and Cordell Crutchfield is spicing up the competition with wings worthy of a crown! With his partner Dwayne and their crew, The New Wing Order, Cordell is marinating magic and firing up his frying pan for the win. When Dwayne takes in his troubled nephew, things start to simmer over. Suddenly, there's more at stake than just the trophy. Will Cordell keep it all together? 2021 PULITZER PRIZE WINNER.

For tickets: click here.

Looking to include your shows? Submit them to our listings here.

TAPESGIVING to Bring Two-Night Electronic Music Event to BayCare Sound

Tue, 02 Jun 2026 22:23:02 PST

Tape B has announced the inaugural edition of Tapesgiving, a two-night destination event taking over The BayCare Sound in Clearwater, Florida on Friday, November 27 and Saturday, November 28.

Both nights start at 6pm. Curated by the Florida-based bass phenomenon himself, the event marks Tape B's largest hometown headline undertaking to date and arrives amid one of the most significant breakout runs in electronic music. Single tickets and Two-Night Passes go on sale Friday, June 5 at 10 am. For a complete list of tour dates and more information, please visit: https://tapebbeats.com/

Across two nights, Tape B will headline alongside a carefully curated lineup representing the forefront of modern bass music. Tapesgiving will showcase a cross-section of bass music's most influential and forward-thinking artists. Night one features fellow Florida success story Eazybaked, the Orlando-bred duo whose genre-defying sound has propelled them from regional favorites to national headliners, joining forces with internationally respected Canadian producer Distinct Motive for a special back-to-back performance. The evening also includes rising bass heavyweights Space Wizard and Claybrook. Night two shifts toward the cutting edge of electronic music with G Jones serving as direct support — the globally revered producer widely recognized for pushing the boundaries of bass music and audiovisual performance. The bill is rounded out by dubstep pioneer Moody Good and rapidly ascending producer Dr. Ushuu, creating a weekend that reflects both the roots and future of the genre.

The announcement follows a landmark year for Tape B, highlighted by a sold-out headline debut at Red Rocks Amphitheatre, a 100,000+ ticket national touring run, and collaborations with GRiZ, Zeds Dead, Subtronics, John Summit, Juicy J, and Ganja White Night.

Known for blending nostalgic dubstep influences with modern production, hip-hop sensibilities, and a deep respect for the genre's roots, Tape B has cultivated one of the most passionate fan communities in electronic music. Through sold-out headline performances, viral mix series including CarTunes and Vibe Check, and a rapidly expanding catalog of originals and collaborations, he has become one of the defining artists of bass music's new generation.

Born and raised in Boca Raton after immigrating to the United States from Istanbul, Turkey as a young child, Tape B's rise has become one of bass music's most compelling success stories. Long before sold-out amphitheaters and festival headlining slots, he was a South Florida fan attending events like Ultra Music Festival, Sunset Music Festival, and Life In Color, dreaming of one day being onstage himself.

After discovering music production while attending the University of Central Florida, Alkanat spent years teaching himself production, developing his sound, and uploading remixes to SoundCloud while balancing the expectations that often come with being the child of immigrant parents. A pivotal trip to Lost Lands in 2019 convinced him to pursue music full-time, and when the pandemic paused the world just months later, he dedicated himself entirely to building Tape B from the ground up.

What followed has become one of electronic music's fastest-rising success stories. By blending the nostalgic dubstep records that inspired him growing up with modern bass music production, Tape B developed a sound that resonated across generations of fans. His remixes and originals quickly gained support from artists he once idolized, including Zeds Dead, eventually leading to collaborations with GRiZ, Subtronics, John Summit, Juicy J, and Ganja White Night, alongside sold-out headline shows across North America.

For Alkanat, Tapesgiving represents more than another headline event. It is a full-circle homecoming – a chance to return to the state that shaped him, surrounded by the community, culture, and fans who supported his journey from local festival attendee to one of the most in-demand artists in bass music.

Friday, November 27

Tape B
Eazybaked B2B Distinct Motive
Space Wizard
Claybrook

Saturday, November 28

Tape B
G Jones
Moody Good
Dr. Ushuu

MORE ON TAPE B:

Kemal Alkanat, known artistically as Tape B, has rapidly ascended in the electronic music world, blending the essence of nostalgic dubstep with forward-thinking bass production. His acclaimed EP A Dose of Nostalgia and Deadbeats release Over Saturated cemented his position as a defining voice in the genre's new wave.

Over the past year, Tape B has reached new heights, including a sold-out headline debut at Red Rocks Amphitheatre and a 33-date fall bus tour with standout sellouts at premier venues such as The Salt Shed, The Armory, Echostage, and The Shrine. His high-profile B3B performance alongside Zeds Dead and Subtronics to close out the year further solidified his place at the forefront of modern bass music, alongside a growing catalog of collaborations including work with GriZ.

Single tickets starting at $35 and Two-Night Passes which include a ticket for both nights starting at $70 are available at The Raymond James Central Ticket Office at Ruth Eckerd Hall, by calling 727-791-7400 or visiting www.RuthEckerdHall.com. A limited amount of Elevated Sound PIT Packages are also available for purchase.

The Raymond James Central Ticket Office at Ruth Eckerd Hall is located at 1111 N. McMullen Booth Road in Clearwater and is open Tuesday through Thursday, from noon to 6 pm, Friday, from 10 am to 6 pm, and Saturday, from noon to 6 pm. The BayCare Sound Ticket Window will open two hours prior to show time.

A DRAG QUEEN CHRISTMAS to Return for 12th Year With 39-City National Tour

Tue, 02 Jun 2026 19:57:07 PST

“A Drag Queen Christmas” will return for its 12th year, launching a 39-city national tour this November - December. The 2026 edition is hosted by returning fan favorite and theatre star Nina West, and features an all-new merry lineup of drag superstars from the Emmy-winning RuPaul's Drag Race franchise.

Artist pre-sale begins Wednesday, June 3 at 10 a.m. (local time) with the code “TWELVE,” and general on sale begins Friday, June 5 at 10 a.m. (local time) at dragfans.com.

This year's cast includes:

Myki Meeks, Winner of RuPaul's Drag Race Season 18 (2026)
Nini Coco, Runner-up, Drag Race Season 18 (2026)
Darlene Mitchell, Drag Race Season 18 (2026)
Juicy Love Dion, Drag Race Season 18 (2026)
Discord Addams, Drag Race Season 18 (2026)
Crystal Methyd, Drag Race All Stars Season 11 (2026) & Drag Race Season 12 (2020)
Silky Ganache, Drag Race All Stars Season 11 (2026), Drag Race All Stars Season 6 (2021), Drag Race Season 11 (2019)

“A Drag Queen Christmas” is the world's premiere holiday drag showcase and a sensational theatrical experience that delivers high camp, over-the-top lip-sync performances, side-splitting comedy, elaborate costumes, Broadway-style staging, and a whole lot of heart—something we all seek during the chaos of the holiday season. With plenty of spectacular surprises in store, the show offers audiences a chance to see drag queens at the top of their game perform showstopping numbers of epic holiday proportions on revered theater stages across America. Each year, “A Drag Queen Christmas” provides an annual tradition for folks from all walks of life to come together and connect, find community, and celebrate the season with joy and laughter.

This dazzling, 18+ holiday extravaganza runs two hours and offers fans the chance to add-on a VIP Meet & Greet Experience—including early access to the venue, photos with the queens on stage, autographs, and exclusive tour merchandise.

A Drag Queen Christmas 2026 Tour Dates:

November 11 - Detroit, MI (Fisher Theatre)

November 12 - Rochester, NY (Kodak Center)

November 13 - Rutland, VT (Paramount Theatre)

November 14 - Portland, ME (Merrill Auditorium)

November 15 - Boston, MA (Emerson Colonial Theatre)

November 17 - Red Bank, NJ (Count Basie Center for the Arts)

November 18 - Morristown, NJ (Mayo Performing Arts Center)

November 19 - Washington, DC (Warner Theatre)

November 20 - Durham, NC (Durham Performing Arts Center)

November 21 - Wilmington, NC (Wilson Center - Cape Fear Community College)

November 22 - Philadelphia, PA (Fillmore)

November 24 - Pittsburgh, PA (Byham Theater)

November 25 - Columbus, OH (Palace Theatre)

November 27 - Chicago, IL (Riviera Theatre)

November 28 - Appleton, WI (Fox Cities Performing Arts Center)

November 29 - Omaha, NE (Orpheum Theater)

November 30 - Oklahoma City, OK (The Criterion)

December 1 - Des Moines, IA (Hoyt Sherman Place)

December 2 - Kansas City, MO (Uptown Theater)

December 4 - Denver, CO (Paramount Theatre)

December 5 - Salt Lake City, UT (Kingsbury Hall)

December 7 - Seattle, WA (Moore Theatre)

December 9 - Sacramento, CA (Channel 24)

December 10 - San Francisco, CA (Golden Gate Theatre)

December 11 - Stockton, CA (Bob Hope Theatre)

December 12 - Los Angeles, CA (The Wiltern)

December 13 - Santa Rosa, CA (Luther Burbank Center)

December 15 - Mesa, AZ (Mesa Arts Center)

December 16 - Tucson, AZ (Fox Tucson Theatre)

December 17 - El Paso, TX (Plaza Theatre)

December 19 - Austin, TX (ACL Live at The Moody Theater)

December 20 - Dallas, TX (Winspear Opera House)

December 21 - Wichita, KS (Orpheum Theatre)

December 22 - St.Louis, MO (The Factory)

December 23 - Knoxville, TN (Tennessee Theatre)

December 26 - Tampa Bay, FL (Straz Center for the Performing Arts)

December 27 - Fort Myers, FL (Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall)

December 28 - West Palm Beach, FL (Kravis Center for the Performing Arts)

December 29 - Jacksonville, FL (Florida Theatre)

ROALD DAHL'S CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY to Play Ruth Eckerd Hall

Mon, 01 Jun 2026 20:31:01 PST

The Marcia P. Hoffman School of the Arts at Ruth Eckerd Hall will present the award-winning musical Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory on Friday, July 31 at 7pm and Saturday, August 1 at 2pm & 7pm on Ruth Eckerd Hall's main stage. Tickets go on sale Friday, June 5 at 10 am.

“What better way to celebrate the ‘pure imagination' of Willy Wonka's world than to create a gathering of talent – acting, dancing, and singing side-by-side? Building on the strong tradition of community theater in our area, we are excited to bring together local performers and production artists on the Ruth Eckerd Hall main stage for one unforgettable experience. Whether you join us behind the curtain, in the spotlight, or seated in the audience, don't miss this very special production,” said Marcia P. Hoffman School of the Arts Vice President & Chief Education and Community Engagement Officer Sharon Reid-Kane, Ed.D.

Based on the famous novel by Roald Dahl, Charlie And The Chocolate Factory features an original score composed by Marc Shaiman with lyrics by Shaiman and Scott Wittman and a book by David Greig. The score also pays homage to the Leslie Bricusse/Anthony Newley score from the 1971 film with songs from the motion picture including The Candy Man, I've Got a Golden Ticket, Oompa Loompa Song and Pure Imagination.

The world-famous Willy Wonka is opening the gates to his mysterious factory…but only to a lucky few. Young Charlie Bucket and four other golden ticket winners will embark on a life-changing journey through Wonka's world of pure imagination including chocolate waterfalls, nutty squirrels and the great glass elevator, all to be revealed by Wonka's army of curious Oompa-Loompas.

Tickets for reserved seating priced at $15 and $10 for students and military with photo ID are available at The Raymond James Central Ticket Office at Ruth Eckerd Hall, by calling 727-791-7400 or visiting www.RuthEckerdHall.com.

The Ticket Office at Ruth Eckerd Hall is located at 1111 N. McMullen Booth Road in Clearwater and is open Tuesday through Thursday, from noon to 6 pm, Friday, from 10 am to 6 pm, and Saturday, from noon to 6 pm. The Raymond James Central Ticket Office will open two hours prior to show time.

AIR SUPPLY to Bring 'A Matter of Time' Tour to Ruth Eckerd Hall

Mon, 01 Jun 2026 20:28:45 PST

Continuing to make musical history with every sold out performance around the world, legendary pop duo Air Supply is riding the wave of an eventful banner year in 2026, with concerts across North America, Australia, South America, Europe and Asia, a biopic in the works, an impending Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and – brace yourselves, devoted Airheads - A Matter of Time, their first studio album in 15 years. Air Supply's A Matter of Time Tour will include a stop at Ruth Eckerd Hall on Saturday, November 21 at 8 pm. Tickets go on sale Friday, June 5 at 10 am.

Graham Russell's heartfelt and soul-piercing songwriting talents, along with his and Russell Hitchcock's dynamic trademark vocals, are on emphatic display throughout the multi-faceted 11-track collection, due to drop digitally December 3, with the same release date for an exclusive special edition 80's style vinyl version.

Released to coincide with Air Supply's incredible 50th anniversary as a duo, A Matter of Time caps an historic career that compares to the Beatlesque feat of five consecutive Top Five Singles (Lost in Love, All Out of Love, Every Woman in the World, The One That You Love, Here I Am). During their early 80's run, they sold a collective total of 20 million copies of their first three albums (Lost in Love, The One That You Love, Now & Forever) and the 1983 Greatest Hits collection and achieved multi-million radio plays for five of their hits, including Sweet Dreams and the Jim Steinman-penned Making Love Out of Nothing At All. In 2010, the year Air Supply released their last studio album Mumbo Jumbo, Graham was honored with a BMI Million-Air Certificate recognizing three million performances of All Out of Love.

“When it comes to our longevity, it's sometimes hard to think about it, but Russell and I do often, usually while we're traveling between cities,” says Graham. “You can never imagine being in a band or being an artist for that long, so it's not easy to wrap your thoughts around it. When we started having some success, we thought we'd be around for a few years. Then as the years roll by, all of a sudden we're at a half century since we met and people still enjoy hearing our songs and seeing us perform them.

“If I could pinpoint the reason,” he adds, “it's because our music has never really been in style but it also never goes out of style. We've never followed any trends or been fashionable, but heartfelt love songs always seem to endure. And beyond simply making great records, we love hearing from fans around the world, particularly after our shows, saying things like, ‘God you have no idea what this song means to me or how it saved me from this or that.' Having been a songwriter for over 64 years now, it's particularly gratifying to hear that those songs I've written still resonate like that.”

Air Supply audiences have already been smiling widely as the band performs the album's symphonic, high spirited lead single Wrap My Arms Around You amidst their cavalcade of hits. Graham wrote the song during the pandemic, reflecting on the importance of physical human connection and a time when people would once again be able to hug their friends and loved ones without fear. Another of the duo's favorites on the album is the soulful, haunting power ballad If Only, which features a mellotron element that pays subtle homage to the Fab Four's Strawberry Fields Forever.

Other standouts include the raunchy, freewheeling Stones-influenced rocker I Want Your Love, the anthemic, hard-driving Son of the Father (from A Wall Apart, Graham's stage musical about the Berlin Wall) and the passionate ballad I Say A Prayer, featuring Kennadi Dodds, a 22 year old, Utah-based singer/songwriter, who also contributed lyrics to the song.

Tickets start at $63.74 and are available at The Raymond James Central Ticket Office at Ruth Eckerd Hall, by calling 727-791-7400 or visiting www.RuthEckerdHall.com. The Ticket Office at Ruth Eckerd Hall is located at 1111 N. McMullen Booth Road in Clearwater and is open Tuesday through Thursday, from noon to 6 pm, Friday, from 10 am to 6 pm, and Saturday, from noon to 6 pm. The Raymond James Central Ticket Office will open two hours prior to show time.

AIR SUPPLY to Bring 'A Matter of Time' Tour to Ruth Eckerd Hall

Mon, 01 Jun 2026 20:28:45 PST

Pavlo & Band to Perform at Bilheimer Capitol Theatre

Mon, 01 Jun 2026 20:26:03 PST

Award-winning artist Pavlo has announced a 50+ city tour which includes a stop at the Nancy and David Bilheimer Capitol Theatre on Thursday, February 4 at 8 pm. Tickets go on sale Friday, June 5 at 10 am.

For being all instrumental, Pavlo's Mediterranean music speaks for itself. Over the span of his 20-year career, Pavlo, the internationally renowned, award-winning recording artist, performer and songwriter, has released 15 albums to include 4 PBS TV concert Specials.

Born in Toronto to Greek parents, Pavlo has made a name for himself by offering a musical amalgam he simply calls “Mediterranean music” – a blend of Greek, flamenco, Latin, and even Balkan flavours, wrapped in contemporary pop. His music has taken him all around the world. Along the way he's performed for royalty in the likes of King Charles and worked and toured with artists such as José Feliciano, Jon Secada, Olivia Newton-John and The Tenors.

It has never been more convincing, Pavlo is a TRUE WORLD artist, and has become famous for bringing every audience to their feet.

Pavlo is still driven by his father's famous words:

“Have the courage to do what you love, and the drive to do it well.”

Tickets starting at $30 and a limited number of VIP Packages are available at The Raymond James Central Ticket Office at Ruth Eckerd Hall, by calling 727-791-7400 or visiting www.RuthEckerdHall.com.

The Ticket Office at Ruth Eckerd Hall is located at 1111 N. McMullen Booth Road in Clearwater and is open Tuesday through Thursday, from noon to 6 pm, Friday, from 10 am to 6 pm, and Saturday, from noon to 6 pm. The Bilheimer Capitol Theatre Box Office will open two hours prior to show time.

Review: THE NOTEBOOK MUSICAL at Straz Center

Thu, 28 May 2026 16:29:04 PST

On stage now through May 31 at the Straz Center, The Notebook musical moves with such quiet force that two hours feel like they pass in a breath. Directed by Michael Greif and Schele Williams, with music by Ingrid Michaelson, book by Bekah Brunstetter, and choreography by Katie Spelman, from the first moment, the production draws you into Allie and Noah’s world. You stay with them through every memory, every fracture, every heartbeat. Three pairs of actors share the roles across time, often standing in the same space, as if memory itself is walking beside them. The effect is haunting and beautiful, a reminder that love and loss often live in the same room.

Watching Allie in the throes of Alzheimer’s, wringing her hands as she searches for the pieces of herself slipping away, is almost too honest to bear. While her younger self falls in love with Noah before our eyes, her older self fight to hold onto the story that shaped her life. Anyone who has lived through this disease, or is living through it now, felt those moments like a bruise. You could hear people steadying their breath, trying not to cry, recognizing their own loved ones in her confusion, her fear, her brief flashes of clarity.

The score is beautifully sung throughout, but Leave the Light On is the moment that stops the room. When the lyric lands - “I didn’t know that the last time I’d leave the house was the last time I’d leave the house” - the entire theatre goes still. That single line cracked something open in anyone who has watched someone fade or is bracing for that inevitable loss.

The production’s new framing choices feel sincere and grounded. Making Allie and Noah a biracial couple adds depth without ever feeling decorative, and shifting Noah’s trauma to surviving the Vietnam War with shrapnel in his knee roots the story in a different generation’s wounds. These choices deepen the narrative rather than distract from it, giving the love story new texture and truth.

What emerges is moving, powerful, and heartbreaking. For anyone who has stood at the edge of memory with someone they love, The Notebook becomes a mirror and a reminder of how fiercely we fight to remember who we are and who we love, even as time tries to take those pieces away.

Interview: Samantha Martí-Parisi of THE SAINT OF SCANDAL

Thu, 28 May 2026 16:29:30 PST

Tampa Fringe is about to welcome a queer ancestor who has been waiting three centuries to walk back into the room. In The Saint of Scandal written and performed by Samantha Parisi, she steps into the firelit, glitter stained life of Julie d’Aubigny, a woman who loved who she loved, fought who she needed to fight, and refused to apologize for any of it. The piece is part reclamation, part resurrection, and part love letter to a queer lineage that has always existed even when history tried to tidy it away.

What drewParisi in was not the scandal but the contradictions. Julie was adored and condemned, mythologized and misunderstood, and still somehow impossible to pin down. Parisi leaned into that complexity. “The contradictions are the story. She has been rewritten so many times. Sometimes she is a villain. Sometimes she is a folk hero. I did not want to solve her. I wanted to let her be all of it.” The gaps in the record became part of the point, a reminder of how queer lives are often reshaped by people who never lived them.

In shaping the script, Parisi followed what she calls the emotional truth. “The facts gave me the structure. The theatre lived in the spaces between them.” That approach guided her through moments like the convent fire, a story that has been sensationalized for centuries. Parisi refused to treat it as spectacle. “I wanted it to be a choice. A risky, impulsive, deeply human choice made in the name of love. That is more interesting than asking if it literally happened.”

Julie’s duels are handled with the same clarity. Parisi was not interested in turning her into a superhero. “What mattered to me was where she was. These were spaces she was not supposed to be in. The duels are not about counting victories. They are about what it meant for her to stand her ground.” The result is a portrait of a woman who fought not for glory but for the right to exist on her own terms.

Her relationships are portrayed with grounded tenderness. Parisi refuses to sensationalize them. “Julie’s relationships were not shocking to her. They were simply part of how she moved through the world.” Treating them as ordinary makes them feel more intimate and more recognizably queer. It also allows the audience to see Julie not as a legend but as a person who loved boldly and without apology.

The Paris Opera becomes a world of beauty and danger, glamour and politics, and Parisi travels through it with the quick shifts of a solo performer who understands both the seduction of the stage and the tension behind it. “One moment you are in spectacle. The next you are in strategy. That is the Opera. That is Julie.” Throughout the process she found herself returning to questions that resonate deeply within queer communities. Who gets to define a life? Who gets to tell the story? Who gets remembered?

After living inside Julie’s world for so long, Parisi hopes audiences leave with a sense of connection to a queer ancestor who refused to dim herself. “History is more complicated and far more interesting than we are often taught. And Julie reminds me that so much of our identity is performance. Not in a false way. In a choosing way.”

History called Julie d’Aubigny scandalous. Parisi’s play suggests she was simply living her truth in a century that had no language for her.

Performances:

June 12th at 7PM
June 13th at 10:15PM
June 14th at 7:30PM
June 15th at 7:15PM
June 21st at 3:30PM

Learn more and purchase tickets at https://tinyurl.com/StOfScandal

GOLDEN GIRLS: THE LAUGHS CONTINUE to Play Ruth Eckerd Hall This Fall

Wed, 27 May 2026 22:20:27 PST

Golden Girls: The Laughs Continue is returning on a U.S. Fall Tour in 2026 and includes a stop at Ruth Eckerd Hall on Saturday, October 24 at 7 pm.

Picture it. Golden Girls: The Laughs Continue brings the sassiest seniors to stages around the country for one more hurrah. We find Sophia out on bail after being busted by the DEA for running a drug ring for retirees. Blanche and Rose have founded CreakN, a thriving sex app for seniors. And Dorothy is trying to hold it all together with help from a new (much) younger sex-crazed lover. Golden Girls: The Laughs Continue allows audiences to relive the heartfelt hilarity of the four ladies who never stopped being best friends.

Golden Girls: The Laughs Continue is a professional stage show unlike any other Golden Girls tribute that you might have experienced. The cast includes Chris Davis as Dorothy, Vince Kelley as Blanche, Adam Graber as Rose, Christopher Kamm as Sophia, and Tommy Favorite as Stan. The production is produced by Murray & Peter Present and Outback Presents.

Tickets starting at $43.50 and a limited number of VIP Packages are available at The Raymond James Central Ticket Office at Ruth Eckerd Hall, by calling 727-791-7400 or visiting www.RuthEckerdHall.com.

Tickets go on sale Friday, May 29 at 10 am. This show is for ages 18+.

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Around The BroadwayWorld: Top News, Reviews, Interviews & More from May 2026

Editor's Picks: Top News Stories

Diane Paulus Will Direct Immersive David Bowie Inspired LIFE ON MARS at American Repertory Theater

Interviews

Interview: Adam Fields of BEETLEJUICE National Tour

Interview: Richard Kind Talks Finally Taking on Edna in The Muny's HAIRSPRAY

Reviews

Videos

Photos

The Carbonell Awards is Seeking Nominations for Eight Special Awards to be Presented this November

The Carbonell Special Awards include:

How to Submit Nominations for Carbonell Special Awards 2026

About The Carbonell Awards:

Previews: PREDICTOR at Powerstories @Stageworks Theatre

SALUTE TO VIENNA New Year's Concert to Return to Ruth Eckerd Hall

SALUTE TO VIENNA New Year's Concert to Return to Ruth Eckerd Hall

CIRQUE ALICE to Bring North American Tour to Ruth Eckerd Hall

CIRQUE ALICE to Bring North American Tour to Ruth Eckerd Hall

Interview: Constantine Maroulis of THE FLORIDA ROCK SYMPHONY SERIES at Ruth Eckerd Hall

Review: RENT at Carrollwood Players Theatre

Review: Jonathan Larson's RENT at the Carrollwood Players

Previews: BASH OF THE TITANS at FreeFall Theatre

Previews: END OF THE RAINBOW at Gulfport Community Players

BroadwayWorld Launches Producer Fantasy Game

How It Works

Weekly Scoring

The Fantasy Forecast

Managing Your Roster

Join the Game

LADY DISDAIN & More Lead Florida's June 2026 Top Theatre Shows

Lady Disdain

One Hit Wonders

Ride The Cyclone

SIX

Beetlejuice

THE HOT WING KING

TAPESGIVING to Bring Two-Night Electronic Music Event to BayCare Sound

Friday, November 27

Saturday, November 28

MORE ON TAPE B:

A DRAG QUEEN CHRISTMAS to Return for 12th Year With 39-City National Tour

This year's cast includes:

A Drag Queen Christmas 2026 Tour Dates:

ROALD DAHL'S CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY to Play Ruth Eckerd Hall

AIR SUPPLY to Bring 'A Matter of Time' Tour to Ruth Eckerd Hall

AIR SUPPLY to Bring 'A Matter of Time' Tour to Ruth Eckerd Hall

Pavlo & Band to Perform at Bilheimer Capitol Theatre

Review: THE NOTEBOOK MUSICAL at Straz Center

Interview: Samantha Martí-Parisi of THE SAINT OF SCANDAL

GOLDEN GIRLS: THE LAUGHS CONTINUE to Play Ruth Eckerd Hall This Fall