By George Fontana
It’s no wonder Key West is known as the Island of the Arts. This tiny, end-of-the-road coral outpost hosts a vibrant theater, music, visual arts, dance and literary scene.
Recently Vicki Roush and Laurie Breakwell — Conch Republic expats now residing up north in America — returned to entertain the troops in a Tennessee Williams cabaret showcase. Their show, slyly named “Before I Forget,” featured the duo’s powerhouse vocals accompanied by fellow Key West alum Jim Rice on keyboard and back-up vocals.
The dual divas — brassy, sassy and classy — served up a pitch-perfect blend of solos and duets, some comic, some bawdy (I’m looking at you, Vic), some take-no-prisoners showstoppers that left the audience begging for more. “Before I Forget” (Acts 1 & 2) is available on YouTube.
Fast forward into full holiday mode. The island’s Christmas season kicks off Saturday Dec. 6 with the annual Key West Hometown Holiday Parade, which starts at Bayview Park at 7 p.m. and makes its way down Truman Avenue and Duval Street.
On Sunday, Dec. 7, the much-anticipated Eaton Street Stroll will launch from Key West United Methodist Church (Old Stone), 600 Eaton St. at 3:45 p.m. The decked halls of Key West Theater, Tropic Cinema, Williams Hall, The Oldest House & Gardens and Poco Pelo Chic will be on display and open to the public. Music will be front and center during the stroll.
The Keys Choral Arts group will perform two free concerts at The Studios of Key West, at 5 and 6:45 p.m. under the direction of Tim Peterson. The 50-plus members have been rehearsing since September. Peterson — part benevolent drill sergeant, part motivational guru — coaxes and shapes the notes and the performance into existence. Come see the results of his and the group’s dedicated efforts.
Around the corner, the Key West Woman’s Club, 319 Duval St., will host a holiday open house from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. featuring music by the Key West Community Orchestra and the Bahama Village Children’s Choir. It doesn’t get more local than this. As always there will be refreshments — think eggnog — and the seasonal appearance of Santa and Ms. Claus. The community- minded hosts at the Woman’s Club request that guests bring unwrapped, new clothing for children ages 5-16 or a cash donation, all in the spirit of the season.
“Some Enchanted Evening” opens Thursday, Dec. 4 at the Waterfront Playhouse and runs through Dec. 20. Five vocalists offer the best from the Rogers and Hammerstein songbook. Waterfront artistic director Patrick New has stepped into the hard-to-fill shoes of his predecessors Danny Weathers and Tom Thayer.
The Red Barn Theater was founded by Mimi and Gary McDonald in partnership with friends Joy Hawkins and the late John Wells (RIP, good man). Opening on Tuesday, Dec. 9 is “Scrooge MacBeth” — “a hilarious mashup” in which Dickens meets Shakespeare. The show is directed by Mimi McDonald and runs through Jan. 20.
Running Dec. 9-13 at the White Street Armory is the Fringe Theater’s production of “Personal Effects.” Written by newly minted playwright Chris Moore and directed by Rebecca Tomlinson, the provocative piece details adult children reckoning with their long absent father’s death and legacy.
The Key West Theater hosts Anthony Rodia’s “Laugh Till It Hurts” tour on Thursday, Dec. 11. Rodia shares his humorous take on the world through an Italian-American slant, often through the persona of “Uncle Vinnie.”
Native Glaswegian Mairi Dorman-Phaneuf will appear on the Tennessee Williams Theater stage Friday, Dec. 5 in “Cello Stories: Life Under Broadway.” Dorman-Phaneuf and her cello have held chairs in many of Broadway’s most iconic shows including “A Little Night Music” and “Sundays in the Park with George.” She explores what it is to be a Broadway musician through her music and stories.
“Shadow & Light: Island Contrasts” is on display through Feb. 15 at Key West Art And History Museum. Local artists present work in oil, acrylic, watercolor, pencil, sculpture, pottery and mixed media, as interpreted through the “lens of the Florida Keys’ unique natural environment.”
