Fill out this form to email this article to a friend

Your name		Your email
Recipient email	You may enter up to 20 multiple email addresses, separated by commas.
Your message
Validation Code	Hear validation code
	Enter validation code

We were unable to send your email.

Click here to try again.

Movie theaters to show Cirque's 'Delirium' and Broadway's 'Rent'

By John Fleming, Times Performing Arts Critic
In print: Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Story Tools E-mail this story Contact the editor Print this story Comment on this story Social Bookmarking Digg Facebook Stumbleupon Reddit Del.icio.us Newsvine

ADVERTISEMENT [Rick Diamond] Cirque du Soleil’s Delirium, which includes music from several of the company’s productions, moves from its arena setting to the big screen later this month in Pinellas and Hillsborough counties.

Cirque du Soleil's arena show Delirium is coming to a movie theater near you this month. It's part of a new venture by Sony Pictures to bring cultural and entertainment events to the silver screen in high-definition digital projection. The final performance of Rent on Broadway will be shown in September.

Delirium, which focuses on music from several Cirque productions, has showings Aug. 20, 21, 23 and 24 at Baywalk 20 in St. Petersburg, Regal Park Place Stadium 16 in Pinellas Park, and Muvico Starlight 20 and Regal Citrus Park 20 in Tampa. $20. Check with the individual theaters for times.

Delirium played the St. Pete Times Forum in 2006 with a performance that Times critic Marty Clear found "stunningly beautiful, a nonstop swirl of gorgeous costumes and startling visual effects."

Cirque has staged three of its tent shows in the parking lot of Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, most recently Varekai in 2005. The tour of Corteo had been listed to play St. Petersburg on the Cirque Web site until it was removed several months ago. It plays Miami Nov. 13 through 30.

Theater company wants an edge

American Stage thinks there is an after-hours audience for theater, and it's going to try to cultivate it with The Vagina Monologues and other edgier works. This fall, there will be late-night performances of Eve Ensler's play at the downtown St. Petersburg theater after its main-stage productions have finished.

The idea comes after An Evening Wasted with Tom Lehrer, a satirical revue, drew sellout crowds for two of its five late-night performances at the 142-seat theater in July.

"We think this will be a way for us to get some new audiences," said marketing director Andy Orrell.

The Vagina Monologues is a series of readings on female sexuality that "has moved beyond hit play into the realm of cultural phenomenon," wrote the late columnist Molly Ivins.

"This is not your mother's feminism"

It often is done with celebrities, and American Stage is seeking notable Tampa Bay area women to read a role in each performance. Those interested may e-mail producing artistic director Todd Olson at candtolson@aol.com.

Ensler's play, celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, will open Sept. 23 and run through Oct. 12. Shows are 10:30 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, and 7 p.m. Tuesday and Sunday.

Admission will be "pay what you can" with part of the proceeds going to the YWCA's program for teenage mothers. (727) 823-7529; www.americanstage.org.

Keillor coming to town

Garrison Keillor is coming to St. Petersburg. The host of National Public Radio's A Prairie Home Companion has a solo show at 7 p.m. Nov. 23 at Mahaffey Theater.

Tickets to the general public go on sale Sept. 13 and are $47 to $77. (727) 892-5767; www.ticketmaster.com. Keillor appeared at Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center in 2006.