THE BROWARD CENTER AND THE PARKER CELEBRATE BLACK ARTISTS THIS FEBRUARY
Published: Jan 31, 2024
Comedian Eddie B, singers and musicians Keb' Mo' and Johnny Mathis along with the sounds of Motown, disco and soul in a musical comedy made famous by Whoopi Goldberg celebrate Black culture and artists this February at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts and The Parker.
School’s in for laughs as the TRUIST Comedy Series brings Eddie B “Teachers Only Comedy Tour” to the Au-Rene on Saturday, February 3 at 8 p.m. An actual teacher, the comic established himself as the official voice of teachers through his comical social media videos "What Teachers Really Want to Say." Educators from here and abroad get a lesson in the funniest ways to express their worst frustrations in Eddie B.'s uncensored and hysterically realistic portrayal of a teacher's hectic life.
Brace yourself Sister for a divine feel-good musical comedy smash hit which is joyous and uplifting in equal measures as the Slow Burn Theatre Company 2023/2024 Season presented by American National Bank brings Sister Act to the Amaturo Theater from Saturday, February 3 through Sunday, February 18 including an open captioned performance generously underwritten by the Amaturo Family Foundation, on Sunday, February 11 at 2 p.m. Based on the hit 1992 film and featuring original music by Tony®- and eight-time Oscar® winner Alan Menken (Newsies, Beauty and the Beast, Little Shop of Horrors), this heavenly hit is filled with the sounds of Motown, soul and disco, and was nominated for five Tony Awards, including Best Musical. When disco diva, Deloris Van Cartier, witnesses a murder, she is put in protective custody in the one place the cops are sure she won't be found: a convent! Sister Act has lyrics by Glenn Slater and is based on the book by Cheri Steinkellner and Bill Steinkellner with additional book material by Douglas Carter Beane. Based on the Touchstone Pictures motion picture, Sister Act, written by Joseph Howard, this production is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International. The 2023/2024 Slow Burn Theatre Company Season is presented by American National Bank. Performance times vary.
A once-in-a-generation talent, Keb' Mo' performs at The Parker Monday, February 19 at 8 p.m. With five Grammy® Awards and 14 Blues Foundation Awards, the guitarist-songwriter-arranger has a unique gift for linking the past and present with his evocative modern, genre-bending take on old school sounds. His latest album draws on country, folk, blues, and soul to weave a joyful, heartwarming, and relentlessly optimistic tapestry encompassing his nearly 50-year groundbreaking career.
Music icon Johnny Mathis returns to the Au-Rene Theater on Saturday, February 24 at 8 p.m.
Given the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, he popularized songs now considered standards such as "Chances Are," "It's Not for Me to Say," and "Misty" as well as becoming the unofficial voice of Christmas with six holiday albums. Mathis has topped the charts so many times with his more than 80 albums that his 1958 release, Johnny's Greatest Hits, started the music industry tradition of Greatest Hits albums and was noted in the Guinness Book of World Records for a nearly 10-year run on the Billboard Top Albums Chart.
Ticketmaster is the only official ticketing service of The Broward Center and The Parker. Buy tickets online at ParkerPlayhouse.com and Ticketmaster.com; by phone at 954.462.0222; and in person at the Broward Center’s AutoNation Box Office.
The Broward Center for the Performing Arts is located at 201 SW Fifth Ave. in Fort Lauderdale. Lillian S. Wells Hall at The Parker is located in Holiday Park at 707 N.E. Eighth St. in Fort Lauderdale. The Parker is an affiliated venue of the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, which provides programming and management of the facility.
The Broward Center 2023/2024 season is supported by the Broward Performing Arts Foundation. AutoNation, Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau, Spirit and UHealth University of Miami Health System. Programs are also sponsored in part by the State of Florida through the Division of Arts and Culture and the National Endowment for the Arts.
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About The Broward Center for the Performing Arts
One of America’s premier performing arts venues, the Broward Center for the Performing Arts presents more than 700 performances each year to more than 700,000 patrons, showcasing a wide range of exciting cultural programming and events. Guest experiences at the Broward Center include the all-inclusive Spirit Club Level and UHealth-University of Miami Health System Intermezzo Lounge, special events in the Huizenga Pavilion, waterfront dining at Marti’s New River Bistro and innovative classes and workshops for all ages at the Rose Miniaci Arts Education Center. With one of the largest arts-in-education programs in the United States, the Broward Center serves more than 100,000 students annually. The Broward Center for the Performing Arts is located at 201 SW Fifth Ave. in Fort Lauderdale. For more information, visit BrowardCenter.org.
About The Parker
The Parker is Fort Lauderdale’s iconic, heritage theater presenting concerts, comedy, dance, family fare and more. Beautifully renovated in 2021, The Parker offers audiences enhanced entertainment and hospitality experiences. The neo-classical Lillian S. Wells Hall features outstanding acoustics, unobstructed sightlines, wide rows and continental seating. The grand S. Donald Sussman Lobby, Bernie Peck’s Bar, the intimate Haller Club, and the private members’ lounge, The Place To Be, provide ample opportunities for audiences to enjoy culture, cocktails and conversation with every visit to the theater. For more information, visit ParkerPlayhouse.com
Photo: Mani Jo John in Slow Burn Theatre Co. Sister Act