September 26, 200620 yr The stage is set for center's debutAfter five years of construction, the Carnival Center prepared for its first paid performance. BY DANIEL CHANG dchang@MiamiHerald.com A touch of spackle here. A patch of carpet there. Plenty of floor wax and furniture polish. Five years after construction crews broke ground on the mammoth Carnival Center for the Performing Arts in Miami, workers labored into the night Monday preparing the Sanford & Dolores Ziff Ballet Opera House for its first paid performance -- today's opening of the Broadway musical, The Light in the Piazza. Like an anxious host anticipating the arrival of elegant company, Jesus Vazquez, the man presiding over construction of the Carnival Center, ticked off a list of chores to be tackled. ''We're doing a lot of final clean up, trying to make the building as ready as possible,'' Vazquez said, ``buffing and waxing floors, vacuuming carpets, cleaning all the curtains, wiping down the millwork, making sure all the stage equipment is running correctly for the performance.'' Vazquez said finishing touches on the $446.3 million center will continue through November as contractors complete a list of tasks, such as sanding down scratches, repairing wallpaper and patching up holes. ''The majority of the work has already been accomplished,'' Vazquez said. ``We're just fine tuning.'' FINISHING TOUCHES While workers put the finishing touches on the Carnival Center, production crews unloaded four 18-wheelers containing elaborate sets of mid-20th century Florence, Italy -- the setting for the Tony Award-winning musical about an American woman who finds love in bella Italia. Susie Krajsa, executive vice president of Broadway Across America, which is presenting The Light in the Piazza, said the Carnival Center compares favorably with other performance venues in the country. ''It's state-of-the-art, top notch,'' said Krajsa, who is also a member of the Carnival Center Trust, the volunteer board that oversees the center's operations. Krajsa said subscription sales have ''gone very well and we have more than doubled what our subscription base was prior to moving into the new Carnival Center,'' though she declined to say precisely how many subscriptions have been sold. The first of five productions in the Broadway Across America-Miami subscription season, The Light in the Piazza runs through Sunday; tickets range from $20 to $69. The Broadway show is a pre-opening to the Carnival Center and its three venues -- the 2,200-seat John S. and James L. Knight Concert Hall, the 2,400-seat Ziff Ballet Opera House, and the 200-seat Studio Theater. The official grand opening takes place Oct. 5-8 and features a free public party, concerts, theatrical, ballet and opera performances, a black-tie gala and other events. Carnival Center staff have been stretched thin preparing for the opening and the season thereafter, Gail Eaton, chief marketing officer, said. ''We're exhausted, but we're excited,'' Eaton said. LOTS OF CALLS She spent much of her day fielding phone calls from anxious patrons who wanted tickets, arranging marketing campaigns for future shows, and signing off on content about upcoming shows for the 21 plasma screens in the lobbies of the center's two halls. Eaton said the box office's 27 phone lines, all of them manned, were busy for much of the day selling tickets to The Light in the Piazza but mostly answering patron questions such as where to park, how to get there and what to wear. As many anticipate their first experience at the Carnival Center, though, others will look back fondly. WAXING NOSTALGIC Vazquez, the construction chief, waxed nostalgic about the project he has overseen since December 2000 for the partnership of builders contracted to erect the center: Odebrecht Construction, The Haskell Co., and Ellis-Don Corp. ''It's very sentimental,'' he said. ``There's a history behind every crack and crevice in the building, and you start to reminisce about that.'' http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/15608354.htm More Pics Say what you will about how much this cost and how long it took, but 20 years from now no one will remember that. This place is a masterpiece of architecture and is another piece in the puzzle in transforming Miami and the surrounding area from one of the poorest and roughest cities in the country into one of the great cities in the US and the capital of Latin America. If you are a resident of Miami-Dade County you should be especially proud tonight. AmericanAirlines Arena Carnival CPA Terminal at MIA Intermodal Center Revitalized Downtown Renovated Orange Bowl Marlins Ballpark Expanded MetroRail :thumbup
September 27, 200620 yr I think you might want to move the Marlins Ballpark above the renevating of the sh*tty ass worthless Orange Bowl...
September 27, 200620 yr Do you really think Downtown Miami is revitalized? unless things have taken a serious turn since i left a month ago, downtown still sucks I hope youre right about the PAC, but i think youre overestimating the effect it will have on The Tragic City
September 27, 200620 yr Author Do you really think Downtown Miami is revitalized? unless things have taken a serious turn since i left a month ago, downtown still sucks I hope youre right about the PAC, but i think youre overestimating the effect it will have on The Tragic City Considering where downtown Miami was 20 and even 10 years ago, yes it has undergone a major revitalization that continues today. No, all the slums won't be cleaned up and no all the hobos won't be shooed away, but that's because those are things that come with all downtown areas. The PAC is the key to redeveloping the Omni District and that mission will be accomplished when all the condos and high rises planned for the immediate area are completed in the next few years. I don't think some people realize where Miami is headed. I think you might want to move the Marlins Ballpark above the renevating of the sh*tty ass worthless Orange Bowl... They are not in any particular order, and the OB is one of the most historic buildings in the city and the state. History shouldn't be imploded because of years of neglect, it should be renovated and displayed to the community. The city of Miami already made that mistake with historic Miami Stadium and Miami lost a major piece of it's history.
September 27, 200620 yr Mitch Fatel's gonna be there on the 27th of October. can't wait, guy's hilarious.
September 27, 200620 yr That place looks phenomenal, thanks for posting. I've been getting into classical music really hard the last 3-4 years and in the future when I get older and have more of a budget for it, I'd love to get to see the symphony regularly. That's a great asset some of you guys will be able to take advantage of, definitely use it. On a semi-related note I was able to visit the Copenhagen Opera House last year which opened in 2005. It's one of the most modern houses in the world. It's absolutely gorgeous and the architecture is stunning. My desire to see the famous Sydney Opera House is one of the reasons I really want to go to Australia for my honey moon next year. I've been wanting to see it firsthand for a long time.
September 27, 200620 yr Very cool. I live next to Broward Performing Arts Center, but I will be making my way there for a musical sooner or later. Mama Mia anyone?
September 27, 200620 yr I wish we could have had the baseball stadium instead. I also have to agree that a higher priority should be placed on a Marlins stadium than renovating the Orange Bowl for those lousy Hurricanes. oh, and 13-10 'Canes fans. GO NOLES!
September 27, 200620 yr Oh my god its incredible. I played there today and the acoustics are absolutely fantastic!
September 27, 200620 yr I wish we could have had the baseball stadium instead. I also have to agree that a higher priority should be placed on a Marlins stadium than renovating the Orange Bowl for those lousy Hurricanes. oh, and 13-10 'Canes fans. GO NOLES! 5-2 Noles fans
September 27, 200620 yr It looks awesome. I've really wanted to see the musical Dirty Rotten Scoundrels because a friend of mine was really into it and I see that it's going to be playing here. Can't wait to see this place in person. I saw it about 3 months ago. Great Play, highly recommend. :thumbup
September 28, 200620 yr Author Oh my god its incredible. I played there today and the acoustics are absolutely fantastic! The sound system alone took 10 years to develop.
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