In addition to being the start of pumpkin-everything season, October is when art explores its darker side, seducing viewers into a world of magic, horror, and things that go bump in the night,
This month, Miami is filled with music, comedy, and films that range from good-natured scares to real-life horror. Whether you want to do the time warp again at two different “Rocky Horror Picture Show” events, see the South Florida premiere of a magical musical, or bear witness to music created in a concentration camp, there’s something for every kind of dark exploration,
Here are seven highlights of this eerie October.
Tim Murray in “Witches”
Arsht Center
Oct. 4
Comedian Tim Murray pays homage to his favorite sorceresses in “Witches,” coming to the Arsht Center Oct. 4. Murray honors witches from “The Craft,” “Wicked,” the Sanderson sisters from “Hocus Pocus,” “Sabrina the Teenage Witch,” and Anjelica Huston’s portrayal of the Grand High Witch in the 1990 film, “The Witches,” tying their journeys to his own, growing up as a closeted, feminine boy who tried hard to pass for straight. Using a mix of personal stories, comedy, and original songs, Murray celebrates famous sorceresses throughout history and uses their stories as a parallel to the queer witch hunt.
(Courtesy O Cinema)
Poster for the Silents Synced mash-up of the 1922 vampire film “Nosferatu” and the music of Radiohead, which will run Oct. 4-6 at O Cinema
“Nosferatu” Synced with Radiohead
O Cinema
Oct. 4 – 6
Old and new meld together in Silents Synced, a series of classic silent films synced with a soundtrack of alt-rock music. The first in the series is the 1922 German expressionist film, “Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror,” synced with two Radiohead discs that were released nearly a century later, “Kid A” from 2001 and “Amnesiac” from 2023.
“Nosferatu” borrows heavily from Bram Stoker’s “Dracula” – a little too heavily for Stoker’s widow, who sued the filmmakers and won a court case, resolved by a judge ordering all prints burned. One print was already in global distribution, and duplicates were made from that print, which is why the film exists today. “Nosferatu” has since gained fame as a masterpiece of German expressionism and has become a cult classic. Check out the O Cinema website for the official trailer and get a taste of how Radiohead’s music works with the film.
“Rocky Horror Picture Show” with Patricia Quinn
(Courtesy Artist Management)
Patricia Quinn, who played Magenta in “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” will appear at the Arsht Center for the 49th anniversary of the cult classic.
Arsht Center
Oct. 6
Can it really be nearly 50 years since we first danced the time warp? Now beloved by legions of fans, “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” was considered a flop when it was released in 1975, but it quickly became a cult smash through midnight screenings that feature a costumed shadow cast, who act out the film in real time. The audience gets into the act by dressing up as characters, using props such as newspapers and rice, and shouting responses at the film characters in unison.
In celebration of the film’s 49th anniversary, two tours are crisscrossing the country, with one coming to the Arsht Center. This one-night-only event features Patricia Quinn, who played Magenta in “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” as well as a costume contest, and a display of movie memorabilia. A limited number of VIP tickets are available, and include a pre-show meet and greet with Quinn, photo op, and autograph.
(Courtesy New World Symphony)
Kurt Weill’s “The Seven Deadly Sins” will be presented by New World Symphony on Oct. 19-20.
“The Seven Deadly Sins”
New World Symphony
Oct. 19-20
When the Nazis seized power in 1933, Jewish composer Kurt Weill and his writing partner, librettist Bertolt Brecht, knew that Berlin could no longer be their artistic home. Weill left Germany and sought refuge in seven different cities before settling in the Paris countryside. Brecht joined him there to work on a commission from a British patron who wanted an original ballet for his wife. Weill and Brecht delivered a sung ballet that explores the dual nature of a young woman named Anna, as she journeys through America to help her family. “The Seven Deadly Sins” consists of seven scenes, each based on one of the seven deadly sins, `plus a prologue and epilogue. Each scene takes place in a different American city, mirroring Weill’s escape from the Nazi regime.
New World Symphony will pair the Weill-Brecht work with “The Kaiser of Atlantis” by composer Viktor Ullmann and librettist Petr Kein. The pair wrote the opera while imprisoned in a concentration camp, and “The Kaiser of Atlantis” reflects the consequences of a world at war and the role death plays in life. Ullman and Kein were murdered at Auschwitz in 1944, but entrusted the opera to friends in the camp, who helped it survive.
The program is part of New World Symphony’s Resonance of Remembrance, a year-long series commemorating the end of World War II and the Holocaust.
(Courtesy Broward Center)
Lindsey Corey, Gail Bennett, and Leah Sessa in Slow Burn Theatre Company’s production of the musical, “The Witches of Eastwick,” opens Oct. 19 at Broward Center.
“The Witches of Eastwick”
Slow Burn at Broward Center
Oct. 19 through Nov. 3
Slow Burn Theatre Company opens their season with the South Florida premiere of “The Witches of Eastwick,” a musical based on the 1987 film starring Cher, Michelle Pfeiffer, Susan Sarandon, and Jack Nicholson. The plot centers on three bored women in a sleepy New England hamlet, whose world is turned upside down by a rakish, charismatic new man in town.
“We chose to produce “The Witches of Eastwick” this Halloween season because it perfectly blends magic, humor, and a touch of darkness, making it an ideal fit for the festive atmosphere,” said Patrick Fitzwater, company co-founder and the show’s director.
Slow Burn has a proven track record of taking on lesser known musicals and turning them into hits, and “The Witches of Eastwick” is the latest show in that group.
“It was a huge West End hit that never made it to Broadway, but we think our audiences will love it,” said Fitzwater. “It has an amazing score, stunning choreography, and a spellbinding story. It's a unique and thrilling theater experience that is not to be missed.”
(Chris Headshots)
Seth Trucks and Ryan Didato play imprisoned brothers living in a totalitarian state in “The Pillowman,” which opens Zoetic Stage’s 15th season
“The Pillowman”
Zoetic Stage at the Arsht Center
Oct. 24 – Nov. 10
After the success of their productions “Dracula” in October 2018 and “Frankenstein” in October 2021, Zoetic Stage opens season 15 with “The Pillowman,” a gripping, often harrowing play by Martin McDonough, about a writer and his mentally challenged brother living in a totalitarian state. The two men have been imprisoned because of a series of child murders that seem to mirror the plots of several of the writer’s stories. The play follows their interrogation by two detectives as flashbacks give insight into this twisted, thrilling story. To read more about Zoetic Stage, read the accompanying story in this issue.
Another “Rocky Horror Picture Show”
O Cinema at the Miami Beach Bandshell
Oct. 27
Vivian Marthell has vivid memories of seeing “The Rocky Horror Picture” at Fendelman Brothers’ Coconut Grove Cinema and, when she co-founded O Cinema, she wanted her theater to carry on that tradition. This year, O Cinema will present the film, complete with a shadow cast, at the Miami Beach Bandshell.
“We Miamians need a safe and sexy place, where talking back or acting out is celebrated, where the most outrageous comebacks are cheered,” said Marthell. “Now in our 13th year, we host over 500 Transylvanians. All dressed up, with prop bags in hand, they sashay into an evening of delightful madness.”