Miami's Favorite Playwright

The Culture Edit, May 5th-18th

Author

Susan Bannon
May 04, 2025

Photo Credit: John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation

Branden Jacobs-Jenkins is officially hot in Miami. After a critically-acclaimed run of his Broadway hit Appropriate at Gablestage this winter, the Tony Award-winning playwright will see his off-Broadway hit, The Comeuppance, get its Florida premiere at Zoetic Stage this weekend. (With a new play currently on Broadway, I guess you could say Jacobs-Jenkins is hot everywhere.) Directed by Stuart Meltzer with an all-local cast, this highly anticipated production only runs for two and a half weeks, so get those tickets!

In drinking news, Cafe La Trova was once again named one of the 50 Best Bars in North America - with ViceVersa, The Champagne Bar at The Surf Club, Bar Kaiju, and Swizzle Rum Bar all making the inaugural Top 100 list. Looking good, Miami!

Last thing: this newsletter writer needs a quick vacation, so I’m taking next Sunday off. I’ll be back with another edition May 18th!

Let’s get planning...

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Thursday, May 8th

Gilsons at the Bandshell

Francisco, João, and José Gil, aka the “Gilsons,” are respectively the sons and grandson of Gilberto Gil, the legendary Brazilian singer-songwriter and political activist. The trio blends pop rock, samba, rap and Bahiano rhythms, but draws particular inspiration from the classic “música popular brasileira” sound that is their - and Brazil's - musical heritage. Their debut US tour last year was a hit, and the Bandshell date sold out, so get those tickets!

8pm, Miami Beach Bandshell, $37

Neighborhood: North Beach

Also on May 8th:

  • The Comeuppance, an award-winning play by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, opens for previews in the Carnival Studio Theater at Arsht, at 7:30pm (see Saturday feature).

Friday, May 9th

Alejandro Ospina: The Kingdom in the Middle

La Cometa Gallery celebrates the opening of The Kingdom in the Middle, a new solo show by London-based Colombian artist Alejandro Ospina. Ospina’s large-scale works underlay images of masterpieces of draftsmanship by figures like Gorky and Miró under layers of Ospina’s paintings, creating something abstract from multiple representative works. You can check out his work and technique here.

5-8pm, Galeria La Cometa, Free

Neighborhood: Allapattah

Also on May 9th:

  • HistoryMiami celebrates the opening of Waves of Style: Swimwear Through the Decades, with live music, light bites, and cocktails, from 7-10pm.

  • Zoetic Stage’s new production of The Comeuppance celebrates its opening night performance in the Carnival Studio Theater at Arsht, at 7:30pm.

  • MDC Live Arts Miami presents GULF, an innovative new dance work by choreographer Brigid Baker that blends dance, video, and sound, at the Lehman Theater at 8pm.

  • Pianists Thito Camargo and Phil DeGreg of Dranoff 2 Piano Fusion take on the music Brazil in From Rio 2 Miami, at Sanctuary of the Arts at 8pm.

Saturday, May 10th

Zoetic Stage: The Comeuppance

Playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins is having quite a Miami year, with Zoetic Stage’s production of his award-winning play, The Comeuppance, following a great run of his Broadway hit Appropriate at Gablestage earlier this season. The Comeuppance follows a self-proclaimed "Multi-Ethnic Reject Group" that reconvenes for their 20th high school reunion. Over alcohol and other substances, they try to reconnect who they once were with whom they've become. Performances through May 25th.

7:30pm, Carnival Studio Theater at Arsht, $56-$61

Neighborhood: Downtown Arts & Entertainment District

Also on May 10th:

  • Legendary Miami satirist Dave Barry visits Books & Books to discuss his new book, Class Clown: The Memoirs of a Professional Wiseass, at 7pm.

  • MDC Live Arts Miami presents GULF, an innovative new dance work by choreographer Brigid Baker that blends dance, video, and sound, at the Lehman Theater at 8pm.

Sunday, May 11th 

MISO Season Finale: Mother’s Day Celebration

Miami Symphony Orchestra closes out its 2024-25 season with a special Mother’s Day musical celebration at Knight Concert Hall. Maestro Eduardo Marturet will lead the orchestra through a selection of beloved works, including Ravel’s Mother Goose Suite, Beethoven’s Romance No. 2, Mozart’s Andante, and the iconic music from Carmen by George Bizet (Miami and Carmen have certainly had a date with destiny this spring). One very nice touch: all the mothers in attendance with receive a rose of appreciation.

6pm, Knight Concert Hall at Arsht, $40-$140

Neighborhood: Downtown Arts & Entertainment District

Also on May 11th:

  • The Betsy Hotel presents a special Mother’s Day brunch as part of their Jazz at the Betsy series, featuring the Julie Davis and Kelly Dow Jazz Duo, who have been touring the American Songbook together for thirty years, 11am-4pm.

  • Zoetic Stage’s new production of The Comeuppance gets a matinee performance in the Carnival Studio Theater at Arsht, at 2:30pm.

  • The Miami Short Film Festival presents a selection of five short films from Europe, with a reception at 7pm before the screening at 7:30pm, at Deering Estate.

Happening NEXT Week:

Because maybe your friends are busy this week. Or you're busy this week. Or this week just seems too soon to pull your act together and make a plan.

Thursday, May 15th

Actors’ Playhouse: The Girl on the Train

Actors‘ Playhouse presents The Girl on the Train, a new play based on Paula Hawkins’ internationally bestselling novel that will keep audiences guessing until the final moment (unless, of course, they’ve already read the book or seen the movie). The story revolves around Rachel Watson, a troubled woman entangled in a web of intrigue and deceit as she becomes intertwined with the lives of strangers she observes during her daily train commute. Performances through June 8th.

8pm, Actors’ Playhouse, $50

Neighborhood: Coral Gables

Also on May 15th:

  • ICA Miami presents a public lecture by Brazilian art historian Roberto Conduru on how Afro-Brazilian artists reflect the persistence of slavery-related oppression in Brazilian cities from the late nineteenth century to the present, at 6pm.

  • Sanctuary of the Arts presents Four by Four (4×4), a rare look inside the creative process with the Sanctuary Choreographic Ensemble performing works-in-progress by four notable choreographers: Alice Arja, Randolph Ward, Emily Bromberg, and Stéphano Candreva, at 7:30pm.

Friday, May 16th

Wanda Sykes: Please and Thank You

Emmy-winning stand-up comic Wanda Sykes has been named one of Entertainment Weekly’s “25 Funniest People in America” and her decades-long career has included six Netflix comedy specials, ABC’s Black-ish, and the new incarnation of Mel Brooks’ History of the World Pt. 2 - along with more projects than I could ever list here. On May 16th, she’s bringing her latest stand-up hour, Please and Thank You, to Miami for one night only. Get those tickets! Thank you.

7:30pm, The Fillmore Miami Beach, $64

Neighborhood: Lincoln Road

Also on May 16th:

  • Mindy Solomon Gallery celebrates the opening of three new solo shows for Osamu Kobayashi, Ricardo Alcaide, and Eduardo Cardozo (who represented Uruguay at last year’s Venice Biennale), with a reception from 6-8:30pm.

  • Nu Deco Ensemble presents Four Seasons for the Five Senses, a totally immersive concert with visuals and even scents, at the Miami Beach Bandshell at 7pm and 9:30pm.

  • The Miami dance scene shows off in Miami Dances, our annual showcase of local dance companies, including Miami City Ballet, Dimensions Dance Theatre of Miami, and Dance NOW! Miami, at the Sandrell Rivers Theater at 7pm.

Saturday, May 17th

Gablestage: Fat Ham

Gablestage presents the South Florida premiere of Fat Ham, a Pulitzer Prize-winning play that relocates the story of Hamlet from a windswept Danish castle to a fly-swatting North Carolina BBQ pit. The familiar storyline follows Juicy, a queer Black kid with a lot on his plate already before his father’s ghost shows up, demanding vengeance. Called “hilarious yet profound” by The New York Times, James Ijames’ play was a hit on Broadway after winning the Pulitzer in 2022. Performances through June 15th.

7:30pm, Gablestage, $40-$50

Neighborhood: Coral Gables

Also on May 17th:

  • Fountainhead joins forces with Bakehouse Art Complex for an open studios event at Bakehouse, from 12-2pm.

  • For a second night, Nu Deco Ensemble presents Four Seasons for the Five Senses, a totally immersive concert with visuals and even scents, at the Miami Beach Bandshell at 7pm and 9:30pm.

Sunday, May 18th

Peter London Global Dance Company

Peter London Global Dance Company presents Miami Night Stars, an evening of contemporary dance by one of Miami’s most dynamic young companies. Featured works include London’s choreographic vision for Carmen, blending flamenco influences with American contemporary dance, and Awakening, an athletic, jazz-infused piece by Justin Rapaport with a score by Grammy-nominee Martin Bejerano.

7pm, Miami Beach Bandshell, $27-$43

Neighborhood: North Beach

Also on May 18th:

Planning Ahead:

The cultural calendar is getting a bit thin as summer approaches, but here’s at least one event to have on your radar now…

Monday, May 26th (Memorial Day)

Jaws Screening + BBQ

Coral Gables Art Cinema invites you to kick off your summer with the classics: hotdogs, beer, and total carnage in the waters of the fictional Amity, NY. Instilling terror in children and adults alike since 1975, Jaws combines a simple man vs. beast story and Spielberg’s impeccable filmmaking, with top notch acting and the most iconic horror score of all time. Crowd-favorite local brewery Tripping Animals will provide a complimentary craft beer tasting.

BBQ on the Plaza 1pm, Screening 2pm, Coral Gables Art Cinema, $15

Neighborhood: Coral Gables

Nearby Drinks (since you just had hotdogs and popcorn): Bay 13 Brewery, Cebada Rooftop, Maíz y Agave

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