South Florida Insider

Disney's The Lion King

Thu, 17 May 2012 19:14:52 +0000

Disney's The Lion King, one of the greatest animated movies is now one of the world's greatest musicals.
-review of opening night at the Adrienne Arsht Center for Performing Arts (Miami).

The larger-than-life Ziff Ballet Opera House was wonderfully transformed into the African Pride Lands of Disney's The Lion King. In mere seconds the entire audience was whisked away as the entire theater became a safari. It was difficult to keep your bearings as every row was a circus line of animals coming alive and for awhile you forgot were you were sitting.

The African drums pulsated through the Arsht Center like a pied-piper calling together elephants, gazelles and cheetahs alike. This led to an on-stage crescendo of the classic Elton John song Circle of Life, with a magnificent centerpiece of Pride Rock.

The Lion King musical was creative genius at its best. Director Julie Taymor was absolutely stellar at this theatrical adaptation and really stamped Africa on your heart with all its sights and sounds.

The costumes weren't some stuffed furry suits, but rather showcased the perfect balance between the character and the performer. From the hilarity of Mark David Kaplan playing Zazu and the infamous Timon and Pumbaa played by Nick Cordileone and Ben Lipitz to the brash and edgy Scar played by J. Anthony Crane; you were mesmerized at how well these legendary characters were brought to life. Adding to the visual masterpiece was the unbelievable set designs. The elephant graveyard was so well constructed and flawlessly detailed, it just absolutely brilliant.

In the second act, the reprise of "He Lives In You" was like a peak that showcased the best visuals, effects, costumes, singing and put me in complete awe as tears of amazement ran down my face. This song featured Jelani Remy who played Simba and the actor that stole every scene she was in, Buyi Zama playing the wise Rafiki. Her rooted vocals and emotionally charged dialect was some of the single best singing with expression that I've ever heard.

You already come to the show full of excitement and whatever age you might be, you still love the songs and the characters, but what they do with them is really taken to a whole another level.

The Lion King is the best musical I've ever seen and you have only until June 10th to see it at the epic Adrienne Arsht Center in Miami. With tickets to this priceless show starting at just $36.50, you and your loved ones can not miss out on this once and a life time opportunity.

-Ian Charles.

Le Misérables

Wed, 16 May 2012 18:57:09 +0000

The award winning musical Le Misérables is even better today then it's ever been.
-review of the show at the Kravis Center (West Palm Beach).

It's very rare that an untouchable classic is made even better, but that's exactly what happened. The 25th anniversary rendition of Le Misérables opening night was fine tuned and improved without losing any of the plays original integrity. Directors Laurence Connor and James Powell took the vision of Victor Hugo's novel and resurrected the pages with new musical life.

The second the prologue started you were transcended to another era led by a magical array of lights, smoke and sounds. Your entire conscience and emotions were fully invested from start to finish leaving you little room to even catch your breathe. The show was like a tug of war at your soul as the rich story of injustice, idealism, revenge and redemption pulled you in to every number and performance.

The musical rendition of I Dreamed A Dream brought attention to the song when Susan Boyle performed it on YouTube. Betsy Morgan's delivery of Fantine's singing the same song will bring you goosebumps. The songs Who Am I, Drink With Me and One More Time will keep you breathless with the superb singers

However, the set design and costume design were equally impressive. A high point was the amazingly crafted scenic design of the barricade. The costume design was definitely authentic for the era and makes you think you're standing right in the middle of the The French Revolution

The only disappointment in the production of Les Misérables was the show ended....it's a must see!!

Seen by nearly 60 million people worldwide in 42 countries and in 21 languages, Les Misérables is undisputedly one of the world’s most popular musicals ever written, with new productions continually opening around the globe, with seven more currently scheduled. There have been 36 cast recordings of Les Misérables, including the multi-platinum London cast recording, the Grammy Award-winning Broadway cast and complete symphonic albums and the soon to be released live recording of the New 25^th Anniversary Production. The video of the 10^th Anniversary Royal Albert Hall Gala Concert has sold millions of copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling musical videos ever in the UK. There are over 2,500 productions of the Les Misérables School’s Edition scheduled or being performed by over 125,000 school children in the UK, US and Australia, making it the most successful musical ever produced in schools. Cameron Mackintosh is currently developing the film of Les Misérables with Working Title and Universal.

Jane's Addiction, The Duke Spirit

Thu, 17 May 2012 04:25:40 +0000

Reunited...again Jane's Addiction's (w/ The Duke Spirit) played an inspired show to a packed house.
-review of the show at the Florida Theatre (Jacksonville).

Legends of the "Alternative Nation" Jane's Addiction brought their Theatre of the Escapists Tour to Jacksonville Wednesday night. The once again reunited band featured frontman Perry Ferrell, guitar god Dave Navarro, versatile drummer Stephen Perkins and bassist Chris Chaney. From the second the lights dimmed the audience was on their feet and stayed standing the entire show. The band powered it's way through classics like Mountain Song, Been Caught Stealing, Stop and Ocean Size. Jane Says turned into a full crowd sing-a-long. The band sounded tight and fresh as ever.

Opening was England's The Duke Spirit. The London-based band's music has been described as alternative rock meets Motown. Wednesday night the band really brought it and played an exciting set of all rocking, upbeat cuts. The Duke Spirit will support Jane's Addiction through May until they embark on their own headlining tour. Their third full-length album Bruiser is due out on November 22^nd. The band are also due to perform new material from Bruiser live on the prestigious BBC show Later with Jools Holland this month, and recently performed Everybody's Under Your Spell live on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Fans should also listen out for tracks from Bruiser featured on Gossip Girl's season finale, as well CSI NY and ESPN's FIFA Women's World Cup.

The James Royal Palm

Wed, 16 May 2012 04:03:23 +0000

The James is accepting reservations for its newest property, The James Royal Palm in Miami.

The online booking engine can be found on the brand’s website at http://www.jameshotels.com/Miami

Opening fall 2012, this exciting addition to the South Beach hotel scene is the reincarnation of the historic and much-beloved Royal Palm Hotel. It joins the existing James portfolio that includes The James Chicago, located steps away from the Miracle Mile; and The James New York, in Manhattan’s trendy Soho neighborhood.

The James Royal Palm will be the brand’s first hotel in Florida, with 179 guest rooms and 211 studios and suites, the majority of which have ocean views. Located just steps away from the beach and world-famous Ocean Drive and Collins Avenue, the hotel will also boast two swimming pools, a chef-driven, signature restaurant, a poolside bar, a lobby lounge, coffee bar, a full-service spa with salt-infused treatments, Lil’ James offerings for children, retail shop and over 10,000 square feet of meeting and event space. One of the restaurants will be CATCH, EMM Group’s flagship dining phenomenon which is coming to Miami for the first time.

Poised to be a top luxury hotel in South Beach, The James Royal Palm will offer personalized comfort, generous complimentary amenities, custom-designed, modern furniture and impeccable service to create an environment that is ideal for both business and leisure travelers. Indicative of The James brand persona, every detail of The James Royal Palm will be meticulously chosen and artistically-inspired, with interiors designed by internationally-recognized interior designer, Lauren Rottet, of Rottet Studio. The overall renovation will be respectful of the original Royal Palm’s history, with several design elements paying homage to the art deco roots of the original hotel as well as the local area. Specifically, the property’s majestic royal palm trees will remain, continuing to play a key role in welcoming hotel guests to the front entry drive, with additional palm trees being added to exterior areas near the pool.

Exposé, Lisa Lisa, Tiffany and Nelson

Sun, 13 May 2012 03:44:06 +0000

80's chart-toppers unite!
-review of the show at the Magic City Casino (Miami).

The show began with multi-platinum selling artist Nelson. Playing as a four-piece band: 3 bass guitars and a drummer, the twin-led band fired off crisp vocals all night. However, after the night kicked off with Only Time Will Tell, then More Than Ever, legendary guitarist Neil Zaza showed off his own melodic skills. Ripping through a long solo, Zaza blended his own anthem into the beginning of the national anthem. Other notable tracks during their show included Just Once More, After the Rain and the show's closer and biggest hit, (Can’t Live Without Your) Love and Affection. Twins Matthew and Gunnar didn't seem to make any effort to distinguish themselves from each other as each of them was dressed in all black and showed off the same hair style. After the show ended, the brothers came out to meet fans and take pictures...and the crowd went crazy.

Next, the barefoot singer Tiffany came out to I Saw Him Standing There before diving into a new country song called Feel the Music from her new album Rose Tattoo. The country track probably has something to do with the fact she's now living in Nashville, Tennessee. But, while many songs were 80's mainstays, she also sang an acoustic song that she wrote when she was just 14. There was a collection of everything, an acoustic medley of All This Time and Could’ve Been, then the full band together for All I Want. The back-up singer, Jennifer, sang the next song By Myself. Yet, Tiffany also rocked a few covers including Joan Jett’s I Love Rock and Roll (with a great guitar solo) and Poison’s Talk Dirty to Me. The set closed with her break-out hit I Think We’re Alone Now. And like Nelson, Tiffany also came out to take pictures with fans, but also danced at the side of the stage and took pictures of her bandmates during Expose.

Freestyle music was next with Lisa Lisa and Expose. Lisa Lisa came out first with two dancers (one man, one women). The first song Let the Beat Hit ‘Em got the whole crowd screaming and the band seemed to feed off that energy into Head to Toe and a medley of Lost In Emotion. While Lisa Lisa didn't dance as much as she used to, and even sat or stood still during parts of the show, she still commanded the stage and kept up that initial energy all throughout the show. Without the dancers, she later performed All Cried Out alone and after a water break during the song, she sang acapella briefly, followed by the audience all participating. Other songs included: Little Jackie Wants To Be A Star, followed by a song in Spanish, then closing with hits I Wonder If I Take You Home and Can You Feel The Beat.

Performing last, the Miami-born female group Exposé kicked things off with Come Go with Me, then continued with an avalanche of hits. Each of the three band members led some of those songs such as: What You Don’t Know, I’ll Never Get Over You, Angel, I Know You Know, December, Let Me Be The One, Shine and Point of No Return. The show ended with their #1 hit Season’s Change. After the show, they signed autographs on the second floor of the casino.

Joshua Harvey

Thu, 17 May 2012 03:11:22 +0000

Remix of Diplo-Usher's Climax

Listen to Diplo Usher - Climax (Herve Remix) on @hypem http://awe.sm/5pEIN @hervespace @diplo

remix is currently sitting at # 1 on the Hype Machine Social Chart & at # 22 on the overall popular chart.

Joshua Harvey (Herve')

https://www.facebook.com/hervespace

http://www.twitter.com/hervespace

http://www.twitter.com/cheapthrillsrec

http://soundcloud.com/hervespace

Slash with Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators, Hillbilly Herald

Wed, 09 May 2012 19:23:56 +0000

Slash with Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators blended a perfect mix of Guns N' Roses, Velvet Revolver and his solo material.
-review of the show at Florida Theatre (Jacksonville).

Playing to a sizable crowd, the band rocked through versions of Guns N' Roses cuts like Night Train,Rocket Queen and Sweet Child O' Mine. The set also included Velvet Revolver's Fall To Pieces and some of Slash's solo work including the ballad Starlight, Standing in the Sun, Ghost and Doctor Alibi. Midway through the show, the band showed some respect to the city of Jacksonville and the audience by playing Simple Man in tribute to the late members of Lynyrd Skynyrd that were tragically killed in a plane crash back in 1977.The band closed out the show with an awesome version of Paradise City in which the audience sung along. During the song's outro guitar solo, machines salted to audience in confetti marking the end to an excellent night of hard rock.

Flagship

Tue, 08 May 2012 12:57:04 +0000

FLAGSHIP BREAKS OUT WITH RELEASE OF DEBUT EP blackbush

North Carolina's Flagship is poised to break out with the release of their debut EP blackbush. The 5-song EP is out today via Bright Antenna/ILG, and can be heard at Baeble Music, who declare the band "matches the emotional and nearly spiritual alternative rock of U2 circa Achtung Baby, with the deep-throated baritone delivery of lead singer Drake Margolnick ala Ian Curtis from Joy Division and some of the seething anger and rawness of We Are Augustines." The release comes in advance of an anticipated full-length debut expected this fall.

For a full EP stream and a look inside the making of blackbush, check out the behind-the-scenes video at Earmilk.com. Earlier this year, American Songwriter premiered the video for blackbush single "Backseat" - watch it here: http://www.americansongwriter.com/2012/03/video-premiere-flagship-backseat/.

Helmed by the talented singer/song writer/guitarist Drake Margolnick, Flagship just wrapped a cross-country tour supporting label mates The Wombats, where they performed in front of sold out crowds in New York, Washington, D.C., Boston, Chicago, Salt Lake City and more. With Drake on lead vocals, his lyrics come to life with the help of lead guitarist Matt Padgett, keyboardist Grant Harding, drummer Michael Finster, and bassist Preston Hayden. The 5-piece band is the newest addition to Bright Antenna, home to such artists as OMD, The Wombats, Magic Wands, Middle Class Rut, Beware of Darkness and more. They will help ring in Bright Antenna's 5^th birthday on May 10, with a special concert at The Uptown in Oakland, CA in what will be their first ever Bay Area appearance.

Flagship's new material finds the band comfortably traversing varying territories ranging from the alternative folk tendencies of Grizzly Bear to the beautifully atmospheric swells of Sleeping At Last and Arcade Fire, and even to the frenzied passion of fellow southerners Colour Revolt.

Flagship chronicles their daily life in a collaborative blog, Flagship Journal. The blog contains post from the band members including art, photographs taken by drummer Michael, poems, and drawings.

Facebook * Flagship Journal * iTunes

Maltz Jupiter Theatre

Wed, 09 May 2012 12:50:40 +0000

MALTZ JUPITER THEATRE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS BEGIN ‘SUMMER INTENSIVE’ MENTORSHIP PROGRAM

Students will produce The Laramie Project, an award-winning drama about the aftermath of the murder of Matthew Shepard

A cast and creative team made up of local high school students has begun the process of producing a significant, compelling drama on stage about the aftermath of a well-known hate crime.

Under the guidance of industry professionals at Florida’s largest award-winning professional regional theatre, area students are taking part in a free summer mentorship program to produce the drama The Laramie Project on the Theatre’s professional stage. The show will take place at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 8.

“This project is a unique opportunity for students to receive graduate school-level training ground as teenagers, and also an opportunity for the theatre professionals to pass on their knowledge in a meaningful way,” said Julie Rowe, the Theatre’s director of education. “This enables our Theatre not only to be educational, but to secure the arts for future generations.”

After passing through an extensive interview and selection process, the student creative team consists of: Chloe Rojas, 17, producer; Corinne Thomas, 17, director; Jessica Woodard, 17, costume designer; Jennifer Vasbinder, 13, props and scenic designer; Charly Hamann, 15, sound designer; Rozee Rossi, 14, production stage manager; Lauren O’ Keefe, 15, assistant stage manager; and Victoria Pavlock, 14, director of marketing.

The show’s director and producer also cast the show’s young performers. They are: Rachel Greenfeld, 15, Frances Weissler, 14, Caiti Marlowe, 15, Michelle Shannon, 13, Antonio Chico, 16, Thomas Spencer, 15, Matthew Paszkiet, 14, and Calvin Bankert, 18.

The Laramie Project is about the brutal murder of gay college student Matthew Shepard in Laramie, Wyoming, in 1998. As interviews with local citizens and officials unveil the hate crime and its aftermath, the play explores the depths to which humanity can sink and the heights of compassion in which we are capable.

Known as the Youth Artists’ Chair and part of the Theatre’s Emerging Artist Series, the project aligns high school students with individual Theatre staff members for one-on-one mentoring and guidance during the creation process of the show. Through the project, students produced the drama The Good Times are Killing Me on the Theatre’s stage in 2011.

Rowe, who will be mentoring the show’s young director, Corrine Thomas, said the life skills learned through this project will be invaluable.

“We will be spending time in dramaturgical research, in-depth study of the script and what makes a balanced stage picture. We are also learning to communicate with many different personalities of designers and actors, in a way that will help them reach their personal best,” Rowe said. “The director has to be able to see the entire process and enable everyone to achieve their goals in a positive manner.”

Corrine, a junior at Suncoast Community High School who is dual enrolled at Palm Beach State College, said she aims to direct a compelling production that urges the audience to learn from the show’s lessons.

“This production offers a powerful, poignant demonstration of reality and the human condition,” she said. “The material is brilliant, insightful and thoughtful. I’m very pleased with our cast and can’t wait to start rehearsals.”

Tickets are on sale now for The Laramie Project, which will take place at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 8. Tickets are $20 for adults and $15 for children.

For information about the show and to purchase tickets, visit www.jupitertheatre.org or call (561) 575-2223.

Sunfest

Sun, 06 May 2012 20:01:04 +0000

New, old, loud, soft and just simply a good base of music.
-review of Sunfest (Downtown West Palm Beach).

Pitbull

While always looking for the positives in a performance, Pitbull's show kind of rubbed me the wrong way. Not taking anything away from his skills behind the mic, but it was really awkward hearing his constant collaborations with artists that never actually shared the stage. He performed tracks like I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho), Hey Baby (Drop it to the Floor) featuring T-Pain, I Like How it Feels featuring Enrique Iglesias, Shut It Down featuring Akon and Rain Over Me featuring Marc Anthony just not with their actual appearance.

Foreigner

There isn’t much to say that isn’t already widely known about this band. With a number of changes over the years that consequently led to guitarist Mick Jones being the lone original member, the band continues to rock. In fact at Sunfest’s show, the band even had to do it without Mick, but this was definitely not a “cover” band. All of the members have been together for a number of years and with frontman Kelly Hansen leading the charge in a almost Steven Tyler persona, the audience was just as enamored with his antics as they were with his vocals. But, his showmanship was not alone as each member (outside of the drummer) got to take their turn jamming out at the front of the stage. Notable songs included Cold As Ice, Hot Blooded, Jukebox Hero and Want To Know What Love is.

Matisyahu

If the initial shock of the performer shedding his trademark beard and full head of hair not too long ago weren’t jaw-dropping enough, then his newer look at Sunfest definitely caught fans off guard. Showcasing a boy-band look with bleached hair and a black jacket and jeans, I initially thought I was going to see a synchronized dance to an NSYNC track, but thankfully the charismatic voice wasn’t changed. Thundering off older tracks like Close My Eyes and Youth, the crowd quickly responded with almost a gasp of relief as they danced and sang along with every song. However, the reggae-rapper also let loose his uncanny beat-box skills before playing crowd favorites King Without A Crown and One Day.

Physically changed, but spiritually intact, Matisyahu has dropped the Chassiddic nature of himself and will continue to show the new look on a co-headlining tour with The Dirty Heads.

The Fray

Whether behind the mic, piano or even running out to the crowd, frontman Isaac Slade energized the crowd even though his music is often felt as comfortably composed. Led by the hit singles You Found Me, How to Save a Life, Cable Car (Over My Head) and the newer singles Heartbeat, the very diverse crowd backed him with an incredibly loud chorus.