Live Theatre Review - Zorro the Musical

For one more weekend only, Sociedad Actoral Hispanoamericana in association with Zorro London Limited puts on a feast for the senses in the thrilling Zorro The Musical, directed by Miguel Sahid, at Miami Theater Center.

The show features music from the famed flamenco pop band The Gipsy Kings. The cast belts out number after fabulous number and the effect is infectious. The Gypsy troupe executes huge dance numbers in bright, exotic costumes. They dance with spirited passion and combine to beautiful effect. I was particularly impressed with outstanding dancers Serena Concepcion and Any Dalay; Dalay, as the youngest of the Gypsies, exhibits a poise and confidence to rival any of her co-stars.

The amount of work that went into these performances is evident as the dance moves were crisp and tight where they needed to be and alternately flowing and sensual. (Credit is due to choreographer Manny Castro, Jr.) The freedom in the spirit of the Gypsies really shines through.

Rebecca Diaz is perfect as Inez, the voluptuous Gypsy Queen. She is overflowing with confidence and sexuality and owns the stage whenever she is on it.

Macia McGeorge portrays Ramon with controlled and calculated malevolence. Ramon operates under a sense of righteousness in his evildoings, and McGeorge infuses a quality of grace into an otherwise detestable character. McGeorge’s portrayal is such that you can sympathize with him even at his worst.

Seth Trucks as Don Alejandro maximizes his minimal stage time with a very heartfelt and moving performance. In a dual role, he is also half of one of the most exciting live sword duels I have witnessed. All of the fight scenes were well-choreographed (Michael Engelmann) and well-executed.

The charismatic youth actors Martin Farjado (Young Diego), Mia Alessandra (Young Luisa), and Miguelangel Cubillos (Young Ramon) look so natural on stage. Their professionalism is remarkable and their joy in the finale was contagious.

I was pleasantly surprised with the amount of comedic elements contained in this show. Tommy Paduano as Sergeant Garcia was hilarious, and many little humorous bits and witty quips are peppered throughout the show, bringing a bit of levity to the seriousness of the struggle of the peasants looking to Zorro to liberate them.

Lito Becerra does simply phenomenal job as “the man behind the mask,” the famous trickster, El Zorro. Performing backflips and one-handed cartwheels, Becerra is every bit as nimble and indeed fox-like as his nickname, “El Zorro” suggests. His aerial acrobatics are thrilling and graceful. The beautiful stunts that he performs on the Cirque-de-Soleil-like silks were choreographed by Sebastian Gil, who along with Javier Valle fills out the trio of synchronized aerialists.

Luisa, played by Shalia Sakona, goes through an evolution onstage as her character undergoes a number of trials. Sakona really displays her skills in the song and dance duets with Becerra.

Overall, I love the way all of the different relationships are portrayed. This musical is ultimately about love: between friends, between family members, between couples, and between communities, and I walked out of the play feeling that love.

Zorro the Musical has four performances left: Friday, April 13 at 8pm; Saturday, April 14 at 2pm and 8pm, and the final show on Sunday, April 15, at 2pm. Tickets for the shows can be purchased online through zorro.brownpapertickets.com or through goldstar.com, or by phone at 800-838-3006.

Miami Theater Center, 9806 NE 2nd Ave, Miami Shores, FL 33138

Live Theatre Review - Shakespeare Miami's The Merchant of Venice

**CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR THE MERCHANT OF VENICE**
Shakespeare Miami’s The Merchant of Venice, directed by Colleen Stovall and staged as the 2017 free Shakespeare in the Park production, opened on January 6, 2017, in Mizner Park.

The set is rather simple: twin stairs leading to a balcony, but it is all that is necessary to carry the audience to Venice. The more important element of the staging comes in the beautiful costumes, elaborate and artfully designed by Stovall. The “tiring scene” where Portia (Thiana Berrick) is dressed by her maids is a fantastic tool to educate on the intricacies of women’s fashion and the challenges faced by dressing in that time. Nerissa’s (Alexandra Grunberg) dress is lovely, and the way she navigates the stairs in it is both delicate and fierce.

The suitors for Portia’s hand are all finely arrayed, and the costumes for Shylock (Seth Trucks) and Tubal (Christopher Lam) are vibrant and adhere to the custom of Jews being required to wear red to identify themselves at all times.

Although this play is one of Shakespeare’s comedies, the atmosphere of this production is more serious than comedic. As it addresses the very heavy subject matter of prejudice, race relations, and religious persecution, this production seems to downplay all but the most comedic of elements. David Tetteh-Quarshie is remarkable as the Moroccan prince who vies for Portia’s hand. He and Jair Bula as Aragon, the second suitor, provide two of the true comedic performances. The other two are the Gobbos: Launcelot Gobbo (Christian Cooper) and his father Old Gobbo (Seth Trucks), whose farcical performances elicited laughs as well.

The cross-dressing device, which at one time must have been a source of great amusement, is less humorous in our time as women commonly dress “as men” – in trousers instead of dresses. Kudos to this production for not camping it up with false facial hair and the like when Portia, Nerissa, and Jessica (Devin Tupler) all pose as men in order to get away with something.

Due to the timing within the play, the first half seems a bit long, but the second half speeds through following the brief intermission.

The trial is well-staged, a clear division between loyalties. You love to hate Gratiano (Arturo Sierra) at his treatment of Shylock after the Jew gets his “justice.”

The character of Shylock is well portrayed though this staging – Shylock is not a good person, but that has nothing to do with his faith. The treatment he is dealt from the opening scene to the closing gives fair explanation of why a person could become like him. And when Trucks deals Shylock’s famous speech – “Hath not a Jew eyes?...” sympathy grows for Shylock such that you are disappointed by the “justice” he receives.

Shakespeare Miami wraps up in Mizner tonight at 6:00 then takes the show on the road for the next three weekends:


COCONUT GROVE - The Barnacle Historic State Park JANUARY 13, 14, 15- 2017

PINECREST - Pinecrest Gardens Shakespeare Stage JANUARY 20, 21 & 22- 2017

HOLLYWOOD - The ArtsPark Amphitheater JANUARY 27 & 28- 2017


Come out, enjoy a night of culture with your entire family (but leave the pets at home, please!), and don’t forget to tip your actors. Shakespeare Miami operates off of the donations of its patrons.

From the website: Shakespeare Miami is a regional non-profit theater company dedicated to live performance of the works of William Shakespeare. The mission of Shakespeare Miami is to promote literacy, culture and a passion for the arts through free performances of the works of William Shakespeare.

The Cost of a family attending a cultural event together has become prohibitively expensive for the average family in America. Schools have cut arts programming and field trips to see live performances. Often, the first live theatrical production a family in South Florida attends is a free Shakespeare in the Park Event.