Tampa City Ballet’s “If I Cry” Is A Triumph!

Paula Nuñez, the artistic director of the Tampa City Ballet, which is based at her Tampa City Dance Center in Tampa Palms, says she was “thrilled” with the two performances (May 4-5) of her contemporary ballet “If I Cry” at the Jaeb Theater at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Tampa. 

Nuñez originally co-created (with Elsa Valbuena) and had her then-new professional Tampa City Ballet dance troupe perform “If I Cry” back in 2019, but she says the performances at the 312-seat Jaeb Theater the weekend of Cinco de Mayo added many new elements to her original “floor work” dance piece about the life of renowned Mexican artist Frida Kahlo.

“The show keeps evolving,” Nuñez says. “For example, Frida was of course a famous painter, so we added scenes where the dancer playing adult Frida is actually painting and I think the audiences really enjoyed seeing that. Plus, all of the dancers are professionals who each brought their own ideas about how to make the show better. It all came together and I’m so happy with the results!”

I will say that Jannah and I thoroughly enjoyed everything about “If I Cry,” which began with a recorded video introduction by Visit Tampa Bay president and CEO (and New Tampa resident) Santiago Corrada congratulating Paula and everyone involved with “If I Cry,” which he called “spectacular.” 

That video was followed by Tampa City Ballet chief curator Sharmila Seth reading information about Kahlo’s tragic life, from her contracting polio at the age of six, to the bus crash twelve years later that left her with more than a dozen fractures and her abdomen and uterus being impaled on a large rail, to her on-again, off-again marriage to Mexican muralist Diego Rivera (which ended in divorce the first time because she had an affair with fellow female artist Georgia O’Keeffe), to her three miscarriages to her affair with Russian communist leader Leon Trotsky to her tragic passing in 1954, at the age of 47.

All of these events and more are depicted in “If I Cry,” with four different outstanding dancers portraying Kahlo at different ages, including one portraying Frida’s soul. All of the music — hand-curated by Nuñez, included everything from heavy classical pieces (some with violinist Nick Ewing on stage) to jazz pieces by Benny Goodman and Jelly Roll Morton — fit perfectly with what the audience experienced in the intimate Jaeb Theater. Also part of the musical experience was a live mariachi performance by Mariachi Guadalupe, which performed basically in the audience, along with the Wattaka Choir. 

“Frida is such an important figure,” Nuñez, who is originally from Venezuela. “So we wanted to re-tell the tragic story of her life from beginning to end in a unique way.” Mission accomplished, Paula!

The cast was made up not only of amazing dancers, they also were incredible actors who actually made you feel Frida’s pain with their facial expressions and perfectly executed floor work. I intentionally didn’t name any of the dancers who “stood out,” because it honestly wouldn’t be fair of me to leave any of them out, so below is the full cast list (in alphabetical order) of the Tampa City Ballet’s “If I Cry.” 

If you missed it, you truly missed a special event that should not be missed the next time Nuñez decides to share this masterwork with the Tampa Bay community. Bravo!

Nicole Assad (Young Frida)

Humberto Rivera Blanco (guest artist, Leon Trotsky)

Jayron Perez Cabrera (artist in residence, The Death)

John Delgado

Nicholas Garlo

Bailey Lord (Salvador Dali)

Maria Fernanda Papa (Adult Frida)

Aynsleigh Morehouse (Frida Dressed as a Man)

Shelby Russ (Frida’s Soul)

Amber Rose (Georgia O’Keeffe)

Wilson de los Santos (Diego Rivera)

Carissa Smith

Vashti Walters (Natalia Sedova)

Theatre Beat — “Dreamgirls,” “Spelling Bee,” “Ember” & “Broadway!” 

Christan McLaurine stole the New Tampa Players’ production of “Dreamgirls” as James “Thunder” Early. (Dreamgirls Photos by Charmaine George)

When I grew up and later lived in New York in and near Manhattan, I was fortunate to be able to see dozens of Broadway and Off-Broadway shows and although musicals may not necessarily be everyone’s cup of tea, I came to appreciate musical theatre, as well as stage comedies and dramas, and the incredibly talented people who performed in all of those shows. 

What I will admit that I never expected is that there also could possibly be so many talented people performing in local community theatre. I also have no problem admitting that I probably should have attended at least a few more local theatre performances in the years leading up to the opening last year of the New Tampa Performing Arts Center (NTPAC) on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. 

So, Jannah and I have kind of gone on to sit in the audience of several shows since I was a bit player in the New Tampa Players (NTP)’s opening performance at NTPAC of “Grease.” We were in the audience for the fun and adorable “Shrek the Musical,” but we didn’t stop there. Here is a rundown of the other shows that we either recently saw or plan to see in the coming weeks…and I think you should, too. 

“Dreamgirls” 
The “Dreamgirls” were (l.-r.) Patty Smithey as Lorrell Robinson, NaTasha McKenzie as Effie White & Caron Davis as Deena Jones.

The first stop on our post-”Shrek” theatre journey was the New Tampa Players’ production of “Dreamgirls” at the NTPAC. Like “Grease” and “Shrek,” this award-winning Broadway hit that also spawned a successful movie, also ran for two weekends and six performances and the entire second weekend of the show’s run was fully sold out, while the first weekend had probably fewer than 20 total unsold tickets. 

And, for good reason. While NTP’s “Dreamgirls” couldn’t possibly match the Broadway talent or the voices in the film starring “American Idol” winner Jennifer Hudson, the cast and show were nonetheless super-impressive and talented, especially for community theatre. 

And, although the women who portrayed the Dreams singing group — NaTasha McKenzie as Effie White, 

Caron Davis as Deena Jones and especially, Patty Smithey as Lorrell Robinson — were all excellent singers, dancers and actors, for our money, the dynamically talented Christan McLaurine as James “Thunder” Early stole the show. 

Up next for the Players are auditions for “Singin’ in the Rain,” the song-&-dance musical based on the classic 1952 film starring Gene Kelly and Debbie Reynolds. The show runs July 19-28 at NTPAC. 

The show combines the talents of director Nora Paine, musical director G. Frank Meekins and choreographer Sarah Walston, the trio who also led the production of “Grease.” 

If you know any talented male or female singers and tap dancers, auditions for “Singin’ in the Rain” will be held in April. Look to these pages for additional information or visit NewTampaPlayers.org

“The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” 
(L.-r.) Richard Brown (William Barfee), Gabrielle Ray (Olive Ostrovsky), Chris Cordero (Chip Tolentino), Jillian Koehn (Marcy Park), Taylor Skolnick (Logainne Schwartzandgrubenierre) & Dylan Fidler (Leaf Coneybear) made MAD Theatre of Tampa’s “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” a blast from beginning to end. (Photo provided by Mad Theatre)

If you were looking for a fun, hysterically funny and light-hearted musical theatre experience, I hope you got to check out MAD Theatre of Tampa’s “Spelling Bee” at the Shimberg Playhouse at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Tampa. This tiny playhouse was the perfect setting for this Spelling Bee, which was chock full of amazing, talented characters, including Chris Cordero and Dylan Fidler, who played the title roles in NTP’s “Shrek” and “Grease” (Danny Zuko), respectively. 

But, it wasn’t just the six young actors portraying the pubescent spellers who gave amazing performances. The entire cast, led by director Casey Vaughn, music director Megan Zeitler and choreographer Evan Lomba (who played Donkey in NTP’s “Shrek”) all deserve big kudos for a show that truly was a laugh riot. 

Up next for MAD Theatre, which is celebrating 25 years as a performance troupe, are performances of “Urinetown The Musical,” with performances June 14-30, also at the Shimberg Playhouse at the Straz Center. 

For tickets and more information, visit MadTheatre.com.

“Ember: A New Musical” 

One show that I have no idea what my expectations are or should be is the World Premiere of “Ember: A New Musical,” written by Kyle Griffin Fisher, the young man who gave local audiences memorable performances as Kenickie in NTP’s “Grease” and the hysterical Lord Farquaad in NTP’s “Shrek The Musical.” 

According to Kyle’s Facebook page: 

“Discover the dark allure of desires in ‘Ember,’ a spellbinding musical that explores the boundaries between dreams and damnation. In a world where the mundane meets the magical, farm boy ‘Guy’ yearns for adventure. When the enigmatic demon ‘Sequins’ offers to fulfill his deepest desires in exchange for his soul, Guy plunges headfirst into a Faustian bargain. 

“‘Ember’ is a captivating journey of redemption and unexpected alliances. Can a demon, driven by ambition, rediscover forgotten compassion and love? Will Guy, armed with newfound powers and a heart full of hope, conquer the challenges laid before him? In ‘Ember,’ the stakes are high, the magic is potent, and the battle for the soul takes center stage.” 

In addition to Fisher, the “Ember” cast features fellow NTP performers Dylan Fidler, Makayla Raines, Heather Rich, Kristin Nelson, Zachary Smith, Tripp Peavyhouse and Zane Sarsour. 

Although “Ember” is not an NTP production, all performances will be at NTP’s Uptown Stage in University Mall. This production is recommend for audience members ages 14 and up due to adult language and situations. 

Performance Dates: Saturday, March 2, 6:30 p.m., and Sunday, March 3, 1 p.m. For tickets & more info, visit NewTampaPlayers.thundertix.com. 

“Broadway Through The Decades: Contemporary Era” 

The Wesley Chapel Theater Group (WCTG) presents Part 2 of its Broadway musical revue series. The show will feature songs from popular musicals of the 1970s, ‘80s and ‘90s performed in a cabaret-style show. WCTG has teamed up with the Zephyrhills Lions Club to bring new entertainment to the Zephyrhills and Wesley Chapel areas. 

Proceeds from the show will go to help WCTG continue to produce performing arts for our community and to the Zephyrhills Lions Club’s sight program. 

“Broadway Through The Decades” will be performed Sat., Mar. 9, 7 p.m., and Sun., Mar. 10, 2 p.m. The Sat. show includes dinner at 5:30 p.m. and the Sun. matinee includes coffee and dessert at intermission. Tickets are $35 and can be purchased at the Zephyrhills Lions Club (5827 Dean Dairy Rd.) or at WesleyChapelTheaterGroup.org.

Get Your Tickets Now To The Last Weekend of “The Putnam County Spelling Bee!”

If you like your musical comedies to be fun, with great songs and maybe a little bit of vulgar language, you should get your tickets now to “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” the laugh riot being presented tomorrow — Thursday, February 9 — through Saturday, February 10, by Mad Theatre of Tampa at the Shimberg Playhouse at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Tampa.

The show — the first of MAD Theatre’s 25th anniversary season — which promises some audience participation in the craziest Spelling Bee (with six mid-pubescent spellers, all played by young adults) ever, features a super-talented ensemble cast that includes two lead characters from recent New Tampa Players (NTP) productions — Chris Cordero (who played Shrek in “Shrek The Musical”) and Dylan Fidler (who played Danny Zuko in “Grease”), as well as choreography by Evan Lomba (who played Donkey in NTP’s “Shrek”). The MAD Theatre show’s director is Casey Vaughn, with music direction by Megan Zeitler and artistic direction by Tony Gilkinson.

And, after checking out one of the show’s rehearsals — which included at least two spelling words I’m ashamed to say I couldn’t spell — I can assure you that “Spelling Bee” is not only fun and funny (the dialogue won both the Tony and Drama Desk awards in 2005 for Best Book of a Musical by Rachel Sheinkin), but also chock full of great, catchy songs, with the fresh and vibrant score by William Finn. 

But, tickets (starting at just $20) are going fast, so to get yours, visit StrazCenter.org or MadTheatre.com.