“Players by the Sea” opened its 53rd
continual season of programming with the inspirational and uplifting musical, “The Color Purple”. The show will be
on the main stage for four consecutive weekends. The first two shows (September 21 & 22)
have been “sold out”. “Around Town With Ms.
“V” would like to welcome Players
to her venue of things happening in Jacksonville, Florida and the surrounding
area.
About
the Show:
If you think that you’ve already seen adaptations of this play/musical,
or you’ve seen it in the movies, then you haven’t seen this presentation. Some of the lines are the same and so is the
music, nonetheless, the choreography and singing cannot be compared. Talk about harmonizing, all of these
individuals can S-I-N-G! Pay special
attention to the “Church Ladies” and the “Ensemble”. The cast is comprised of more than 20 diverse
local volunteer actors, singers and dancers and reading their bios in the
program is a real treat.
The Set is moved around with ease and precision. Lighting is ‘spot-on’, and the costumes are
colorful and well made. Kudos go out to
the six-member Band, who played behind stage during the entire performance and
sometimes without the assistance of a track.
Even if you’ve never seen the show before, you will be thoroughly entertained
with this production. There are a few
colorful-metaphors, yet there are not a lot and it’s not vulgar. It is a show that the entire family can watch
together. Besides a little hiccup in
timing a couple times, the entire show rates five stars. Bravo and Brava to all!
The Color Purple is
directed by Jereme Raickett (also seen on stage in other presentations around
town), with music direction by Meachum Clarke and choreography by Sherrod
Brown.
More about Players By
The Sea: The theater is quaint, comfortable and seats 150
people. The restrooms are very clean and
modern. Entrance to the theatre is well-lite
and parking is sufficient and close to the building. The reception area has tall tables and is
decorated with local art work. On Gala
night (the opening night for each show) Players offers their patrons some
finger foods (927 Catering
& Events) and a complimentary taste of champagne. For your pleasure there is a bar that offers
beer, wine, soda and water for purchase.
All the volunteer staff members are very friendly and courteous.
Stay tuned for more events from Players
By The Sea and get your tickets early, so you are not standing out in the
heat.
“The Color Purple”
DATES: TIMES:
Fri., Sept. 21, 2018 8 p.m.
Sat., Sept. 22 8 p.m.
Fri., Sept. 28 8 p.m.
Sat., Sept. 29 8 p.m.
Sun., Sept. 30 2 p.m.
Thurs., Oct. 4 8 p.m.
Fri., Oct. 5 8 p.m.
Sat., Oct. 6 8 p.m.
Sun., Oct. 7 2 p.m.
Thurs., Oct.11 8 p.m.
Fri., Oct. 12 8 p.m.
Sat., Oct 13 8 p.m.
Sun., Oct. 14 2 p.m.
TICKETS: Regular tickets are $28, with a
discounted price of $25 for Senior/Student/Military. The theatre offers half price tickets to
students on Thursday nights. Showtimes
are 8 p.m. from Thursday - Saturday and at 2 p.m. on Sundays. Advance ticket purchases are strongly
encouraged. Tickets are available at
playersbythesea.org or by calling the Box Office at (904) 249-0289.
LOCATION: Players
By The Sea Theatre
106 6th Street North
Jacksonville Beach, FL 32250
(904) 249-0289
In August of 2009, the then-named Alhambra Dinner Theatre was all but shuttered
and on the edge of extinction. In came
Jacksonville native Craig Smith and his business partners to purchase the
nation’s longest-running dinner theater and return the community’s cultural gem
to glory. Now called the Alhambra Theatre & Dining, with an
equal nod to its critically acclaimed culinary experience, Smith and his
Theatre Partners LLC are celebrating their 10th season at the helm. Smith and
partners are proud to introduce the Alhambra’s slate of shows for the 2019
theatrical season:
Godspell January 9 February
10
Mid-Life! Crisis The Musical February
20 March 24
Big The Musical March 27 May
5
Ain’t Misbehavin’ May 8 June
9
Disney’s The Little Mermaid June 12 July
28
Mamma Mia! August 7 September
15
Brighton Beach Memoirs September
18 October 13
Jekyll & Hyde October 23 November
24
It’s a Wonderful Life November 27 December
24
Said Smith, “We’ve got something for
everyone in 2019 and everything for many. It’s really a fun mix of classic shows like Ain’t
Misbehavin’ and some titles that we haven’t done before like Big The Musical.” Smith
noted that the theme of this season was picked to really tie in the Alhambra’s
culinary success. Six years ago, he changed the food service from a buffet to
table service, creating a more fluid and relaxed experience. “People
come here for a mini vacation. They
don’t want to get their own food at a buffet. Our job is to make memories, and that speaks
to the dining portion of the Alhambra as well as the shows. We committed 10 years ago to an enhanced guest
experience from the moment one arrives until they depart, and now food and show
are equal stars.”
Sales numbers would indicate Smith and his partners – Bill Barnett, Karl Frisch
and Fraser Burns – have delivered on their promise. In 2009 the theater seated less than 50,000
guests and had fewer than 1200 subscribers. In 2017, the iconic theater welcomed more than
110,000 guests and now has nearly 5,000 subscribers, now referred to as Season Partners. The Alhambra celebrated its 50th anniversary
in 2017, complete with a Mayoral Proclamation on its official birthday,
December 15. The Alhambra employees more
than 70 people. In addition to its
Broadway-quality shows, under Smith’s watch, the Alhambra has added a sub-brand
called Alhambra After Dark, which
features a live music series as well as comedy and magic shows. The Alhambra is often rented during the day
for business meetings and conferences and has hosted weddings and birthday
parties. The Alhambra is reputed in the
industry as one of the best small theaters to play for actors, having recently
hosted the likes of Mike Farrell, Morgan Fairchild, Michael Learned, Barry
Williams and Loretta Swit.
“Time really does fly when you’re having
fun. This was the fastest decade of my
life,” added Smith. “I have met so many wonderful people. It is amazing how this theater has touched the
hearts of its guests and been a memorable part of their lives for three
generations. The future is bright for
this old girl, and we are all as enthusiastic today as we were 10 years ago.”
The Alhambra Theatre & Dining is located at
12000 Beach Blvd, Jacksonville, FL. Alhambra tickets start at just $38 and
include a three-course meal that changes for each show, a Broadway-style
performance and complimentary parking. Tickets can be purchases on line or by calling (904) 641-1212.
The Fall/Winter leg of the “LIT AF
Tour” has kicked off and hits 19 cities across the continent including an
engagement at the Jacksonville Veterans Memoria Arena on Friday, October 5,
2018. JAX tickets are available online
at ticketmaster.com, or at the Tom Bush Family of Dealerships Box Office at
Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena.
Back by popular demand, comedian, actor,
director and producer Martin Lawrence* has added 19 more dates to the LIT
AF Tour. Lawrence stars as the high-powered host of 2018's hottest comedy
event, presenting a fire lineup of comedians including: DeRay
Davis, Rickey Smiley*, Michael Blackson*, Jay Pharoah,
Deon Cole, Bruce Bruce, Adele Givens*, Clayton Thomas*
and Benji Brown. Coming off the 20th anniversary of Def Comedy Jam,
where he is known for his legendary hosting, Lawrence has made a triumphant
return to the stand-up stage wowing audiences with his signature style
of hilarious stories, social commentary, and more.
The 18 date Spring leg of the LIT AF
Tour played to sold out crowds in major cities across the country including Los
Angeles, New York, Atlanta, Washington, DC, Chicago, Miami and Las Vegas. (Comedians slated to come to Jacksonville,
FL *)
“Being on the road with this group of
funny AF comedians is a blast,” says Lawrence. “No two shows are the same and
we all bring something different to the party.”
Martin Lawrence started in stand-up comedy at the legendary The Improv,
where he honed his talents until he was asked by Russell Simmons to host his
groundbreaking comedy series Def Comedy Jam on HBO. From there, Lawrence became a household name
after his hugely popular self-titled TV show, Martin, was an instant hit
with TV viewers. He starred for five
years as not only the title character, but other support characters like the
sassy Sheneneh and Mama Payne, who became comedy classics. Lawrence would later go on to star in comedy
blockbusters like Bad Boys 1&2, A Thin Line Between Love and Hate,
which he also directed, and Big Momma’s House 1, 2 & 3 where he once
again proved his talent for creating and acting as multiple characters in one
storyline.
Martin Lawrence Lit Af Tour
TICKETS: The full tour itinerary is listed on the tour’s
website. For ticket information and
lineup by city, please visit HERE.
LOCATION: JAX Veterans Memorial Arena
300 A Philip Randolph Blvd., Downtown
Jacksonville,
FL 32202
(904)
630-3900
 |
| Frankie Valli |
A true music icon – Frankie Valli and The Four
Seasons will perform at the historic, nonprofit Florida Theatre on January 13,
2019 at 7 p.m. Tickets for this once-
in- a- lifetime concert event go on sale Friday, September 21 at 10 a.m. Tickets can be purchased at the Florida
Theatre Box Office, located inside the Theatre at 128 E. Forsyth Street; or
ordered over the phone by calling the box office at (904) 355-ARTS; or
purchased online
Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons have sold more than 175 million records
worldwide and defined the sound of an era with classic hits like: “Walk Like A Man,” “Sherry,” “Can’t Take My
Eyes Off You,” “Rag Doll,” “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” and many more.
Thanks to the volcanic success of the Tony-winning musical Jersey Boys,
which chronicles the life and times of Frankie and his legendary group, Valli,
who came to fame in 1962 as the lead singer of The Four Seasons, is hotter than
ever.
Valli’s latest album, Romancing The ‘60s, was produced by Bob
Gaudio, an original member of The Four Seasons and Frankie’s long-time partner.
The album includes new versions of such gems as “Spanish Harlem,” “Call Me” and
“Take Good Care of My Baby.
Here is a great reminder about fraudulent
tickets are being sold through scalper sites.
As you might already know, recently a customer lost money on fraudulent JAGS
tickets. With the fall arts and
entertainment season beginning, the historic, nonprofit Florida Theatre reminds
its customers and the general public to be on the alert for fake and fraudulent
concert and show tickets.
“In addition to protecting consumer wallets from the resale of tickets at
ludicrously inflated prices, we are also concerned with protecting consumers
from outright fraudulent tickets,” said Florida Theatre President Numa
Saisselin. “Almost every night we see customers who have
spent good money on completely fake tickets.”
The historic, nonprofit Florida Theatre’s official web site is floridatheatre.com, this
web site is the only official web site and online ticket seller for the
theatre. Tickets can be purchased in
person at the theatre’s box office, located inside the theatre. The theatre's official phone number is
904-355-ARTS (2787), this is the only official number for telephone sales.
Kathleen Petrillo-Bair, Box Office Manager of the Florida Theatre, says, “All customers have to remember is two
things: our phone number, 904-355-ARTS, and our website, floridatheatre.com. If
you transact your business directly with the theatre, you can’t go wrong.”
If you purchase tickets from anyone other than floridatheatre.com or
355-ARTS, you are buying from a ticket broker, and are paying more than you
need to. Ticket brokers make it appear
that they have “special access” to the best seats, but all they’re doing is
purchasing tickets from the theatre and reselling them to you at inflated
prices.
Even when a ticket broker is operating within the law, you still pay more than
you need to, and not one cent of the markup goes to the artist or the theatre,
who invested the time and money to make the show possible.
If you purchase from a ticket broker and there is anything wrong with your
order, the theatre cannot help you, because you did not purchase your tickets
from the theatre. If a show is cancelled or rescheduled, the theatre will
always stand behind the tickets it sold, but you may have trouble collecting a
refund from a ticket scalper or broker.
Sadly, there are also unscrupulous vendors who will sell you outright
fraudulent tickets, and when this happens, the theatre cannot help you.
“Protect yourself from scams and
scalpers, do not be fooled by imitators, and do not pay more than you have to,”
said Saisselin. “Ticket scalpers will use commercially
available software to digitally copy a ticket, and sell the same seat two or
three times. The first ticket holder to
arrive is going to be scanned in the door, and the subsequent arrivals will be
rejected. Or, con artists will
electronically create a brand new and outright fraudulent ticket, which will be
rejected by the scanners at our front door. In either case, the theatre is unable to issue
the customer a refund, because the theatre did not receive the customer’s
money.”
Even when you think a show is sold out, it’s always worth a phone call to the
Florida Theatre ticket office at 904-355-ARTS (2787) to see if tickets are
available. The historic, nonprofit
Florida Theatre is sponsored by Community First Credit Union.
I'm A Star Foundation’s teen servant leaders will host
their annual Jacksonville HELPS
(Homeless Students Empowered through Leadership, Partnership & Service)
Celebrity Basketball Game this Saturday, September 22, 2018.
 |
| Local celebrity players |
High school all stars will play celebrities in this match-up, to raise money
for homeless students. Celebrity players include City Councilman Bill
Gulliford, City Councilman Sam Newby, City Councilman Garrett Dennis, City
Councilman Reggie Gaffney, WJXT's Vic Micolucci, WJXT's Brian Jackson, 100
Black Men of Jacksonville's Charles Griggs, JSO's Lakesha Burton, Power 106.1's
DJ Byrd Sanchez, New Town Pharmacy's Albert Chester, Paxon School for Advanced
Studies Royce Turner, Florida Blue's Pat Gareghty, and more.
Since 2012, the Foundation has raised a total of $96,500 via live telethons, a
5K and three celebrity basketball games — donating ALL FUNDS to the Duval County Homeless Education Program. Out of the total amount raised, I’m A Star Foundation
has awarded 20+ scholarships to homeless students entering college. Get your tickets below, and I’ll see you
there.
“I'm A Star
Foundation”
HELPS Celebrity Basketball Game
DATE: Sat., Sept. 22, 2018 TIME: 6 p.m.
LOCATION:
Paxon School for Advanced Studies
3239 Norman E. Thagard Blvd.
Jacksonville,
FL 32254
TICKETS: ONLY $5 and can be
purchased HERE
 |
| Photos: Alhambra FB page |
You may not have attended twelve years of Catholic School like my husband and I
did, nonetheless, if you are a Baby Boomer or older (children today don’t know
of such a thing as discipline in some schools), you might remember some of the funny
and not-so-funny antics seen in the Alhambra’s stage presentation of “Do Black Patent Leather Shoes Really Reflect Up?”
Even if you don’t know of what went on in a parochial school, you will soon find out the
structured relationships that children has with the peers and the respect that
was commanded by their teachers. As a
fellow student, I could identify and laugh with the actors (situations might
not have been funny then, but looking back today - they are hilarious). We could name those people who went to school
with us and did some of the same things.
The storyline might go over the heads of little ones, but they will not be bored. Set design and props are interesting,
especially how the desks grow with the children through adolescence. Uniforms change with the times and so have
the gym apparel. There is wonderful singing
and dancing that is accompanied by a live pianist. Sister
Mary Upright (Anthony Felton) gives continued musical score to different
tracks throughout the show.
You will go through Elementary School in the first act, and evolve with the
students and staff (nuns and priests) in the High School years for the second
act.
Review
about the Menu: This writer thoroughly enjoyed her meal and a tiny sample
of her hubby’s. First Course: Acorn Squash Bisque; OR Spinach Salad with red onion,
cherry tomato, warm bacon dressing. The
soup reminded me of another favorite by Executive Chef DeJuan Roy - ‘pumpkin
soup’, a little sweet, warm and very flavorful. He tops it off with sunflower seeds and a dollop
of sour cream. Excellent choice even if
fall has not shown its face yet in Florida.
The salad has a delectable vinaigrette dressing that may make you want
to sop-it-up with a tasty house-made dinner roll.
Second Course: Fried Pork Chops with
yellow rice pilaf, black eyed peas. Husband did not want to share, but told me
that everything was vary tasty. My
Cracker Meal-Crusted Mahi with pineapple relish, coconut jasmine rice,
asparagus, was thick, yet very flaky and moist. The relish was a great topping;
asparagus was small and tender and the rice went well with the meal. You may want to request more of the pineapple
relish to go along with the big portion of fish.
Third Course: Peach Cobbler with vanilla
bean ice cream. I don’t usually eat a
lot of sweets, yet this dessert was gone before the show started. As always, the coffee or hot tea are
wonderful compliments.
“Do Patent Leather Shoes Really Reflect Up?”
DATES: September 12 — October 7,
2018
LOCATION: Alhambra
Theater & Dining
12000 Beach Blvd.
Jacksonville, Florida 32246
(904) 641-1212
