An Annual Musical Treat

The Culture Edit, March 9th-22nd

Author

Susan Bannon
March 08, 2026

If you had to see only one theater performance in Miami each season, Zoetic Stage’s annual musical wouldn’t be a bad choice. That’s because Artistic Director Stuart Meltzer reliably pulls together a sparkling cast to present fresh, powerful takes on Broadway classics in the intimate Carnival Studio Theater. This year, they’re putting on Merrily We Roll Along, a cult-favorite Sondheim about three friends in the Broadway business that moves backwards in time from their jaded, estranged present to their heartbreakingly optimistic past.

Also coming up this weekend, the annual Calle Ocho Music Festival is on Sunday, taking over 15 blocks in the heart of Little Havana for music & dancing (claro), plus croqueta eating contests, Cuban sandwich taste-off’s, and all the festival food you could possibly eat. It’s Miami’s largest street festival, and you never know what artists will pop in for a surprise performance (past performers include Maluma, Pit Bull, and Queen of Miami Gloria Estefan).

Let’s get planning…

Jump to: Music, Theater, Indie Cinema, Dance, Art Events, Opera, or Planning Ahead

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Theater

Zoetic Stage: Merrily We Roll Along

If you aren't on the Musical Theater Nerd Alert System (MTNAS), you may not know that Stephen Sondheim’s Tony Award-winning musical Merrily We Roll Along is getting a production by Zoetic Stage at the Arsht Center this month. If you are, I don’t have to tell you how this complicated, bittersweet work flopped in its Broadway debut only to become a cult classic, with iconic Sondheim songs like the achingly romantic Not a Day Goes By. You’ve only got three weeks to see it, so get those tickets!

March 12th-April 5th, Carnival Studios Theatre at the Arsht Center, $78

Neighborhood: Downtown Arts & Entertainment District

Gablestage: Prayer for the French Republic

From celebrated playwright Joshua Harmon (Bad Jews, Admissions), Gablestage presents a regional premiere of Prayer for the French Republic, a darkly funny exploration of history, identity and survival. The story follows the Benhamou family, who are forced to question the safety of their home in Paris, and wrestle with 1,000 years of Jewish history, in the wake of an antisemitic attack.

March 20th-April 19th, 7pm evenings, 2pm matinees, Gablestage at the Biltmore, $40-$60

Neighborhood: Coral Gables

More Upcoming Theater:

  • March 17th-22nd: As part of its Broadway in Miami series of touring shows, the Arsht Center presents Moulin Rouge! The Musical, bringing Baz Luhrmann’s visual masterpiece to life with Tony Award-winning songs.

Indie Cinema

Filmgate Interactive 12: RESONANCE

FilmGate Interactive is Miami’s biggest immersive media and creative technology festival, bringing together filmmakers, artists, and technologists to explore the future of storytelling, artificial intelligence, and human connection. The big kick off is an immersive screening on the huge Frost Planetarium dome of two Miami-Taiwan co-produced films that promise to be a full body experience, with a Taiwanese-inspired cocktail reception.

Wednesday, March 18th, 6:30pm Opening Reception and Screening, Frost Science Planetarium, $50-$100 ($25 for subsequent screenings through March 24th)

Neighborhood: Downtown Arts & Entertainment District

Nearby Eats: Verde at PAMM, Vice Versa, Maple & Ash | Drinks: Verde, Yamashiro

Miami Climate Week Screening of Yanuni

Film Still: Yanuni, directed by Richard Ladkani, executive produced by Leonardo DiCaprio

Miami Film Festival presents a special screening of Yanuni, the 2026 Oscar shortlisted documentary about an Indigenous couple on the frontlines of the fight to save the Amazon rainforest from illegal gold miners, land-grabbers, and multinational corporations, putting their lives at risk every day. This film was selected to close last year’s Tribeca Festival, but still doesn’t have US distribution (mysterious!), so this may be your only chance to see it.

Thursday, March 19th, 7pm, Silverspot Cinemas, $14.50

Neighborhood: Downtown

More Upcoming Cinema:

Dance

Dance NOW! Miami: Program II

Choreographer Tandy Beal’s “Forest Dreams.” Photo Credit: Jenny Abreu

Dance NOW! Miami presents a stacked program of original contemporary work, headlined by Bridges NOT Walls, their acclaimed meditation on our divided political climate, which has evolved through international and national performances since its premiere in 2017. The evening also includes the world premiere of Artistic Director Hannah Baumgarten’s 1933, a cabaret-inspired work addressing the rise of Hitler, and West Coast choreographer Tandy Beal’s Forest Dreams.

Sunday, March 15th, 7pm, Aventura Arts & Cultural Center, $20-$50

Neighborhood: Aventura

Nearby Eats: Xino Chinese (inside Reunion Ktchn), Abbalé Televivian Kitchen, Pubbelly Sushi | Drinks: Reunion Ktchn Bar

Rubberband Dance Company at Moss

Back in 2002, Victor Quijada founded RUBBERBAND Dance Company in Quebec to bring together his dance origins in LA b-boying with his later ballet career, and has since toured and taught the athletic RUBBERBAND method around the world. The company’s latest work, Ever So Slightly Redux, is coming to the Moss Center this month for a one-night-only performance.

Saturday, March 21st, 7:30 evenings, 3pm Sunday, The Moss Center, $25-$45

Neighborhood: Cutler Bay

Nearby Eats: Not much! Grab dinner at Platea or Golden Rule Seafood on your way down there and have some rooftop cocktails at Ivy Rooftop or martinis at Fox’s on your way back.

Music

St. Martin in the Fields with Joshua Bell

The Arsht Center welcomes back superstar violinist Joshua Bell and the world-famous Academy of St. Martin in the Fields chamber orchestra for a one-night-only performance. Bell will take center stage as conductor and soloist for Saint-Saëns’ Violin Concerto No. 3, a beloved repertoire piece for the orchestra that he’s played to appreciative audiences worldwide.

Saturday, March 14th, Knight Concert Hall at the Arsht Center, 7:30pm, $48-$206

Neighborhood: Downtown Arts & Entertainment District

Nearby Eats: Brasserie Laurel, Casadonna, Klaw | Drinks: Klaw rooftop, ViceVersa

Jazz at Faena: Stella Cole

As part of its 8th annual Jazz Series, Faena Theater presents an evening with up-and-coming vocalist Stella Cole. Known for her refreshing interpretations and clear tone, Cole brings modern sparkle to the Great American Songbook. Seating at the Faena is mostly two-by-two, and tables can be upgraded with fancy bottle service, so this is definitely a date-night booking.

Wednesday, March 18th, 8pm, Faena Theater, $70-$225

Neighborhood: Mid Beach

Nearby Eats & Drinks: Make it an all-Faena night, with dinner at Pao or Los Fuegos and drinks at Living Room or The Saxony Bar.

More Upcoming Music Events:

Art Events

PAMM Opening: Get in the Game

Get in the Game (installation view, SFMOMA); photo: Matthew Millman, courtesy SFMOMA

This month, PAMM opens Get in the Game: Sports, Art, Culture, a huge new exhibit featuring over 100 works of art exploring the dynamic interplay between athletic performance and artistic expression. To celebrate, the museum will host two full days of talks with artists and sports personalities, screenings, poetry readings, and parties.

March 19th-20th, Pérez Art Museum Miami, Free with Museum Admission ($18)

Neighborhood: Downtown Arts & Entertainment District

Nearby Eats: Verde at PAMM, Eight Bar, Yamashiro | Drinks: Verde, Vice Versa

More Upcoming Art Events:

  • Thursday, March 12th: Fountainhead, which has hosted national and international artists for monthlong residencies here in Miami since 2008, hosts its Session 2 Open House, where you can meet the current resident artists and get a look into their practice, 7-8:30pm.

  • Friday, March 13th: Spinello Projects opens Still, Moving, a group show of five painters, including Nicolás Beltrán and Nicole Burko, with a reception from 6-9pm.

  • Friday, March 20th: Bakehouse Art Complex hosts an open studios reception to celebrate the opening of Shared Printmaking Facilities at the complex, with some zine-making activities and printmaking demonstrations, from 6-9pm.

Book Talks

Lauren Groff at Books & Books

Books & Books welcomes three-time National Book Award Finalist and New York Times bestselling author Lauren Groff to discuss Brawler, her just-released collection of short stories. One of PEOPLE Magazine’s most anticipated books of 2026, Brawler’s stories follow protagonists wrestling with their darker angels and “trying to do the right thing for as long as they can.” Groff will be in conversation with author and UM Creative Writing professor Patricia Engel, whose collection of short stories, The Faraway World, won numerous awards in 2023.

Monday, March 9th, 7pm, Books & Books Coral Gables, $34 for two, incl. one book copy

Neighborhood: Coral Gables

More Literary Events:

Opera

Florida Grand Opera: Turandot

Florida Grand Opera saves the best for last this season, welcoming renowned French-Italian tenor Roberto Alagna for Puccini’s final showstopper, Turandot. Best known as the vehicle for possibly the most transporting aria in all of opera (Nessun dorma - yes, that one), Turandot has it all: high-stakes drama, breathtaking spectacle, and a legendary score.

Tuesday, March 10th, 8pm, Ziff Ballet Opera House at the Arsht Center, $32-$357

Neighborhood: Downtown Arts & Entertainment District

Nearby Eats: Brasserie Laurel, Casadonna, Klaw | Drinks: Klaw rooftop, ViceVersa

Planning Ahead

Miami's most anticipated events sell out and those restaurants you want to try book up. Here are a couple of upcoming events to get on your calendar now…

Wednesday, April 15th

Miami Film Fest: Whiplash in Concert

A special presentation of the upcoming Miami Film Festival, Whiplash in Concert is a pretty unique opportunity to see this remarkable film come to life. If you haven’t seen Whiplash (or repressed it), it’s about an ambitious young drummer and the ruthless bandleader, played to terrifying perfection by JK Simmons, that pushes him to the brink. For this screening, a live 18-piece band led by none other than Oscar-winning composer Justin Hurwitz, who scored the film, will play the music live, with world-class drummer Greyson Nekrutman delivering the film’s iconic drum scenes.

7:30pm, Knight Concert Hall at the Arsht Center, $80-$150

Neighborhood: Downtown Arts & Entertainment District

April 17th-19th

NWS+MCB: American Dance Odyssey

New World Symphony and Miami City Ballet are getting together to give us American Dance Odyssey, a celebration of American dance and music that features a tribute to Jerome Robbins (West Side Story, Fancy Free) and the world premiere of a new “choreographic concerto,” a collaborative work by ten visionary 21st-century choreographers and composers. I’m excited for this one!

8pm evenings, 2pm matinee, New World Center, $55-$290

Neighborhood: Lincoln Road

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