Tragedy on 18th Street

The Culture Edit, April 6th-19th

Author

Susan Bannon
April 05, 2026

Last weekend, Miami foodies received the stunning news that Mignonette, the cozy, New Orleans-inspired seafood spot, was closing for good, and a collective wail went up online. Seemingly everyone got engaged there, or celebrated their beloved abuela’s birthday there, and sure, I can see how they’re upset.

But let’s talk about me! This news is a disaster! Why? Because I have to recommend somewhere to eat near the Arsht Center multiple times every week, and Mignonette, along with Bunbury, was one of two truly walkable options in the area (three, if you include Miami Slice, but no-res and no seating make it tricky). Sigh. For the time being, I’m replacing all my Mignonette rec’s with Aoko, a solid sushi joint that’s just a wee bit too far north. Sorry!

On the bright side, Miami’s cultural scene is on fire this week, headlined by the 43rd annual Miami Film Festival, which kicks off this Thursday. With over 195 first-look new films, plus conversations with directors and actors, you could spend the whole week going to the movies. It was painful to pick out just a few events for this newsletter, so please check out the full festival calendar here so you don’t miss something you’d love.

Also coming up this week, Nu Deco Ensemble’s season finale with Wyclef Jean, Say Nothing author Patrick Radden Keefe, and another world premiere play from Miami New Drama. There’s so much going on, I had to cut out the Plan Ahead section!

Last but not least, the annual Deering Seafood Festival returns this coming Sunday, celebrating its 20th year. So we can drown our Mignonette sorrows in big plates of oysters, at least for one day.

Let’s get planning…

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Indie Cinema

MFF26 Opening Night: Tuner

Still from “Tuner,” directed by Daniel Roher (Black Bear Pictures, 2026)

The 26th edition of the Miami Film Festival kicks off with a screening of Tuner, the new film by Academy Award-winning director Daniel Roher, at the historic Olympia Theater. The film stars White Lotus hottie Leo Woodhall as a piano tuner tapped by organized crime for safe cracking, and Dustin Hoffman as his musical mentor. The screening is followed by an opening night party (tickets sold separately!) at the also-historic (and reportedly haunted) Alfred I. duPont Building across the street.

Thursday, April 9th, 7:30pm, Olympia Theater, $37

Neighborhood: Downtown

MFF26: Live Podcast with Matt Bomer

This year’s Miami Film Festival welcomes actor Matt Bomer (White Collar, Magic Mike) for a live recording of Josh Horowitz’s popular interview podcast, Happy Sad Confused. Bomer, winner of the Golden Globe and Critics’ Choice Awards for his role in The Normal Heart, will be talking about his new project, the upcoming Apple Original Film Outcome, and will be receiving the MFF Vanguard Award.

Friday, April 10th, 7:30pm, MDC Wolfson Chapman Center, $28

Neighborhood: Downtown

MFF26: Normal Screening with Bob Odenkirk

Still from “Normal,” directed by Ben Wheatley (Magnolia Pictures, 2026)

This year’s Miami Film Festival welcomes actor, producer, screenwriter and comedian Bob Odenkirk (Better Call Saul, Nobody) for a screening of his new film, Normal, followed by a wide-ranging career conversation and award presentation. The film should be a fun one, reuniting Odenkirk with John Wick creator Derek Kolstad and Nobody producer Marc Provissiero for another story of a nice guy in a bad situation.

Saturday, April 11th, 5:30pm, Olympia Theater, $45

Neighborhood: Downtown

MFF26: Whiplash in Concert

TICKETS SELLING FAST! A special presentation of the 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.

Wednesday, April 15th, 7:30pm, Knight Concert Hall at the Arsht Center, $80-$150

Neighborhood: Downtown Arts & Entertainment District

More Indie Cinema:

Music

Neon Nights at New World

Experience imagined with AI by NWS Media

For two nights only, the Frank Gehry-designed New World Center transforms into a neon wonderland for an immersive chamber concert by the New World Fellows, featuring a hit list of chamber favorites across 300 years, from Bach to Bernstein. The concert will rove across multiple platforms for three 20-minute sets, surrounding the audience with music and light.

April 10th-11th, Performances at 7:30pm & 9:30pm, New World Center, $100

Neighborhood: Lincoln Road

Nu Deco with Wyclef Jean

Nu Deco Ensemble presents a packed season finale at the Arsht Center, featuring collaborations with rapper, songwriter, and former member of The Fugees, Wyclef Jean and supremely smooth jazz vocalist Ledisi, plus a new orchestral suite of Bee Gee’s songs co-written with Steve Gibb, guitarist and Barry Gibb’s son.

Friday, April 10th, 8pm, Knight Concert Hall at the Arsht Center, $35-$152

Neighborhood: Downtown Arts & Entertainment District

Sheila E. in Concert at Arsht

Photo of Sheila E. by Rob Shanahan, courtesy of the Arsht Center.

Queen of Percussion Sheila E. brings the Glamorous Life to the Arsht Center for one night only. Showing off her still jaw-dropping mastery of the drum set, Ms. E will bang through a program of her legendary hits, alongside her latest, Grammy-winning salsa album, Bailar.

Friday, April 17th, 8pm, Knight Concert Hall at the Arsht Center, $53-$152

Neighborhood: Downtown Arts & Entertainment District

Nearby Eats: Aoko, Miami Slice, Bunbury | Drinks: Kaona Room, ViceVersa

More Upcoming Music Events:

  • April 10th & 12th: Seraphic Fire closes out its season with Surround Sound, a polychoral experience that puts the audience at the center of the action, with SF’s phenomenal artists singing from every corner of the sanctuary, at Church of the Little Flower and Miami Beach Community Church.

  • Friday, April 10th: Kicking off the Arsht Center’s annual springtime Live on The Plaza series, Alexa & The Old Fashioned’s play under the stars on the Thompson Plaza, at 7:30pm. Come early to enjoy the outdoor bar.

  • Sunday, April 12th: Live on The Plaza continues with Coconut Radio and their cool, confident take on the Yacht Rock sound at Thompson Plaza at the Arsht Center, at 7:30pm.

  • Wednesday, April 15th: The 8th annual Faena Jazz Series continues, with high-energy trumpeter and vocalist Benny Benack III taking over the intimate Faena Theater, at 8pm.

  • Wednesday, April 15th: The closing concert of the XXIX New Music Miami ISCM festival presents seven-time Grammy-nominated violinist and composer Curtis Stewart, at the Betsy Hotel at 7pm.

  • Friday, April 17th: Three-time Grammy-nominated jazz saxophonist Melton Mustafa Jr. and his Quartet bring their signature blend of jazz, blues, and pop to the Moss Center, at 8:30pm.

Literary Events

Say Nothing Author Patrick Radden Keefe

Books & Books welcomes The New Yorker staff writer and bestselling author Patrick Radden Keefe, whose 2019 true crime sensation Say Nothing was named one of the Twenty Best Books of the 21st Century by The New York Times Book Review. He’ll be discussing his latest nonfiction work, London Falling, about the mysterious death of a beloved son in London’s most gilded corners (spoiler alert: the Russians are involved).

Friday, April 10th, 7pm, Coral Gables Congregational Church, $48 (for two, includes one book copy)

Neighborhood: Coral Gables

Dark Sky to Dawn Poetry Workshop

Photo Credit: Chantal Lawrie for O, Miami

O, Miami and the Deering Estate celebrate National Dark Sky Week with Dark Sky to Dawn: A Walk into Writing, a New Day, a poetry workshop led by Brazilian poet Lúcia Leão. Participants will gather for a predawn, silent walk under the stars to the waterfront, where the sunrise will inspire a quiet poetry writing session on themes of darkness, light, nature, and nocturnal animals.

Sunday, April 19th, 5-7am, Deering Estate, $23

Neighborhood: Palmetto Bay

Nearby Eats: Get your coffee at Starbucks next to the entrance or breakfast at Old Cutler Inn

More Literary Events:

Theater

Miami New Drama: The Zionists

Miami New Drama presents The Zionists, a highly anticipated new play by acclaimed playwright, choreographer, and director S. Asher Gelman, whose play Afterglow, had an extended run Off-Broadway and a sold-out run in London. The Zionists follows a prominent Jewish family having a fragile reunion on a Caribbean island after the politics around October 7th had driven them apart. The fragile peace is shattered by a “sudden hurricane,” which pales in force to the storm that erupts inside as the power goes out.

April 9th-May 3rd, Colony Theatre, $40-$90

Neighborhood: Lincoln Road

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.

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

Neighborhood: Coral Gables

More Upcoming Theater:

  • April 11th-12th: FUNDarte presents Apocalipsync, a one-man-show by the highly entertaining Luciano Rosso, as part of the Out in the Tropics performance series, at the Aventura Arts & Cultural Center.

Dance

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!

April 17th-19th, 8pm evenings, 2pm matinee, New World Center, $55-$290

Neighborhood: Lincoln Road

Dimensions Dance: Noche Latina

Photo credit: Y.E. Pikeris, courtesy of Dimensions Dance Theatre of Miami

Dimensions Dance Theatre of Miami, the contemporary ballet troupe started by former MCB principals Carlos Guerra and Jennifer Kronenberg, presents Noche Latina, an evening of ballets inspired by Latin rhythms and culture. Headlining the program is the main stage premiere of Melissa Verdecia’s Hasta que la muerte nos separé, which was previewed as a work in progress at their Salon Series performance last summer.

Saturday, April 18th, 7:30pm, Sanctuary of the Arts, $33

Neighborhood: Coral Gables

Art Events

Signal Path: Luis Gispert at Fred Snitzer

Fred Snitzer Gallery celebrates the opening of Signal Path, an exhibit of new paintings by multimedia artist Luis Gispert. Gispert’s work is held in more than 25 museum collections, including the Whitney, the Guggenheim, and our own PAMM. In this series of work on paper, Gispert continues his love affair with audio and HiFi culture, using visual depictions of vibration and intense, radiating color to convey sound without sound.

Saturday, April 11th, Opening Reception 2-5pm, Fred Snitzer Gallery, Free

Neighborhood: Downtown Arts & Entertainment District

Nearby Eats: Aoko, Miami Slice, Bunbury | Drinks: Kaona Room, ViceVersa

Far Lands: László von Dohnányi at Andrew Reed

Andrew Reed celebrates the opening of Far Lands, a solo show of new large-scale oil paintings by German-born, London-based artist László von Dohnányi. For the uninitiated, “far lands” refers to the areas in Minecraft you encounter when you’ve wandered too far and the landscape begins to collapse, creating strange topographies and exposing the algorithm underneath. Drawing from exclusively online imagery, these paintings explore how our world is increasingly created and experienced through technological systems.

Saturday, April 11th, 6-8pm, Andrew Reed Gallery, Free

Neighborhood: Allapattah

Nearby Eats: Hometown BBQ, Morgan's, Jon & Vinny's (at the Rubell), Asado & Wine Experience (3 hours of meat!) | Drinks: Las Rosas, Morgan’s

More Art Events:

  • Wednesday, April 8th: Locust Projects kicks off their new Artist Talks series with mixed media artist Trenton Doyle Hancock, discussing his career since his solo exhibition with Locust in 2019, at 7pm.

  • Thursday, April 9th: Bakehouse Art Complex presents In Conversation: Kinship & Care, a panel discussion with resident artists Nicole Combeau, and Shawna Moulton on their exhibited work at BAC, 6:30-8:30pm.

  • Saturday, April 18th: David Castillo Gallery will open a new group show TBA, with a reception from 6-8pm.

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