The Coconut Grove Playhouse, 40 Years of Books and Books, Miami Father of the Bride

On this Tuesday, June 14, edition of Cadran Solaire:

The Coconut Grove Theater

The story of the majestic old building of the Coconut Grove Playhouse began in 1927 as a movie theater and then about 30 years later opened as a live theater.

As the pandemic continues, you can count on WLRN to keep you up to date with local news and information. Your support is what keeps WLRN strong. Please become a member today. Make a donation now. Thanks.

Since the late 1950s, it has hosted performances such as Neil Simon’s “The Sunshine Boys” and “Fame,” the musical.

It has been closed since 2006. Since then, the building has been at the center of a legal fight between the city of Miami and Miami-Dade County.

The city has just lowered its efforts in this fight. This means the county’s plans have been given the green light.

County Commissioner Raquel Regalado joined Sundial to talk about the future of the Playhouse, located in her district.

The Coconut Grove Theater

40 years of Books&Books

If you can believe it – Books & Books in Miami is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year.

It’s a great place for author events, and Sundial even hosted a discussion there for the Sundial Book Club. with author Craig Pittman.

It’s become one of those places in South Florida where the community really comes together. Creatives can go write in the courtyard – or people go there to see live bands or eat at the cafe on a first date.

So how did founder Mitchell Kaplan create a place like this, which has lasted so long in a city with a reputation for change? He joined Sundial on Tuesday to share his thoughts on four decades.

“The very first Books & Books opened in 1982… Over the past 40 years, watching Miami go through its growing pains and then become more mature and make some of the same mistakes… It’s been so fascinating and so interesting,” he said. . “Miami wasn’t really seen as a very serious reading city…the sophistication of the Miami community was still there. We just didn’t have very good public relations.”

Kaplan said a special moment for him was the return of one of his former high school students as an author:

“One of my students came into 10th grade with a fully formed novel. Her name was Tananarive Due. And Tananarive, after leaving high school and college, continued to write for the Miami Herald. But then she had this incredible career in books, so I was able to showcase it a couple of times at the bookstore. It was really rewarding.”

Books!

Miami’s father of the bride

Miami is the setting for a new movie starring Andy Garcia and Gloria Estefan.

It’s Father of the Bride, a remake of two other films – 1991’s Father of the Bride starring Steve Martin and Diane Keaton and the 1950 original starring Spencer Tracy and Elizabeth Taylor.

This new version comes with a Latin touch. The main family is Cuban. The groom’s family is Mexican.

But the story is almost the same. A young woman comes home from college and surprises her family with her engagement. Now the father must come to terms with the reality that his daughter has grown up and is moving on.

The film’s director, Gary “Gaz” Alazraki, joined Sundial to talk about the stories behind the making of this film. It will start streaming on HBO Max June 16.

Miami’s father of the bride

rev-1-FOTB-05334r_High_Res_JPEG.jpeg

About Karren Campbell

Check Also

‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ has been turned into an ‘imburnable’ book

Written by Megan C. Hills Margaret Atwood’s “The Handmaid’s Tale” has often sparked controversy, facing …