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Miami Herald
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
Musical ‘Chicago' in its 50th anniversary at the Arsht has Miami stories
Michael Vita remembers when the musical 'Chicago' opened on Broadway. He remembers because he was there as part of the dance ensemble. The former Miami Beach resident was there to see Gwen Verdon as Roxie Hart and Chita Rivera as Velma Kelly. He was there when it premiered at the 42nd Street Theater. He was there when they cut a number from the production, one that would have given him a speaking part. 'I was to play the prosecutor and it was a nice scene with Gwen. It introduced a song that was cut called 'Ten Percent.' It was superfluous so they cut that and they cut my lines going into it.' Needless to say, he was disappointed. Vita was also there in August of 1975 when leading lady Verdon left the show for five weeks for throat surgery and Liza Minnelli became her understudy. 'They announced at the beginning of the show that Gwen Verdon would not be in the performance and the audience did a disappointing 'ooooh.' And then it was announced that the role of Roxy would be played by Liza Minnelli and and when the audience heard that they went wild,' he said. There are 50 years of history in the Broadway musical 'Chicago' and with the Broadway national touring production coming to Miami's Arsht Center, the musical's history, past and present, has Miami connections. Vita, now 84 and a South Floridian who lives at the Court of Palm Aire in Pompano Beach, is proud to have been a part of Broadway history. 'The theater never leaves you,' he said. But 'Chicago' wasn't his first Broadway show. Growing up in the Bronx, he began performing while attending the High School of Performing Arts in New York. 'I was 17 years old, and a friend called to tell me they were auditioning for a new show 'Bye Bye Birdie.' ' 'Birdie' opened on Broadway in 1960 and starred Dick Van Dyke and Rivera, who he would work with again in 'Chicago.' And almost a decade before he'd dance with Verdon in 'Chicago,' he'd be cast in the ensemble of 'Sweet Charity' in 1966, where she was the lead. Vita says in all of his time as a Broadway performer he was a feature player. 'I never wanted to be a star; that was too much pressure.' He left Broadway and the theater at age 50 to 'try something else,' moving to San Francisco to work with AIDS organizations. While in New York, he helped in the creation of the Equity Fights Aids Committee to 'assist and support [Actors' Equity Association] members afflicted with AIDS.' This then became Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. He's never given up the urge or the love to entertain. 'I do two performances a year in the Fall and in the Spring here at the Court of Palm Aire. I don't sing Broadway showtunes, though, I sing songs that have meaning to me. There are about 125 people that come and it's amazing.' The Miami connection for the original 'Chicago' starts with Vita and comes full circle with Christopher Cline as the final performances of the current national Broadway touring production for the 50th anniversary year concludes at the Adrienne Arsht Center The show opens on Tuesday, June 17 and runs through Sunday, June 22. Cline, a University of Miami graduate, has been with the production for its 2024-25 season of the 50th anniversary tour of the show. Originally from New Jersey, he graduated from University of Miami 'exactly two years ago' with a BFA in musical theater. 'I'm in the ensemble and I also play Sergeant Fogarty and this is my national tour debut.' Just after graduation from UM, he joined the cast of 'Mamma Mia!' on the Royal Caribbean Cruise Line. 'I was on the ship about seven or eight months but worked for Royal Caribbean for a year on land,' he says, adding that Royal Caribbean's studios for rehearsals are on the campus of Florida International University. 'I was happy to be in Miami. There are people from all over the world in those studios. I have friends I've made from just about every country,' says Cline. Being a part of the 50th anniversary tour of 'Chicago' has been an experience for the performer, he says, on many levels. 'There's maybe an additional responsibility and a bit of pressure to really honor the show, but I also remember that I am just a small piece in this large puzzle that was created much before I was even here.' Cline believes that the show is still playing on Broadway because it's 'timeless.' 'There's one moment I hear every night in the show that always kind of makes me chuckle to myself and it's when Roxy and Velma sing, 'In 50 years or so, it's going to change, you know.' And the irony of it is that it's been 50 years and 'Chicago' hasn't' changed. And I think that it will be around for another 50 years; it will resonate with a whole different generation.' If you go: WHAT: 'Chicago' WHEN: 8 p.m., Tuesday, June 17 through Saturday, June 21. 2 p.m. Saturday, June 21 and 1 and 7 p.m. Sunday, June 22. WHERE: Ziff Ballet Opera House at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, 1300 Biscayne Blvd., Miami COST: $41 to $182 (includes fees) INFORMATION: (305) 949-6722 and is a nonprofit media source for the arts featuring fresh and original stories by writers dedicated to theater, dance, visual arts, film, music and more. Don't miss a story at
Epoch Times
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Epoch Times
It's ‘Mission: Possible' for ‘Mission: Impossible' Star Esai Morales
Playing the arch-nemesis to one of the most beloved action heroes in film franchise history can be a thankless job, especially when the champion soaks up all the glory. But don't tell that to veteran actor Esai Morales, who returns as Gabriel, the antagonist to Tom Cruise's Ethan Hunt in this summer's upcoming 'Mission: Impossible—The Final Reckoning,' opening May 23. The truth is, Morales appreciates the challenge presented to him by his villainous character. For without Gabriel, there would be no Ethan Hunt to root for. 'The better you play the bad guy, the better you make the good guy look,' said Morales in a recent interview with The Epoch Times. And Morales should know, having first appeared as Gabriel in 2023's spy action film 'Mission: Impossible—Dead Reckoning Part One.' 'We all have a role,' Morales said mischievously. 'You don't want a bad guy who's a pushover, then what have you done as a hero? You see how that works?' Related Stories 5/16/2025 4/11/2025 Over a 40-year career, the Brooklyn born actor of Puerto Rican ancestry has stayed a chameleon, leaping from the villains into lighter parts and projects, crafting characters in big screen hits, including 'La Bamba' and 'Bad Boys' and small screen powerhouses, such as 'NYPD Blue' and 'Ozark.' There's no secret to an actor's longevity in show business, Morales emphasized. He draws a comparison of a working actor's life to a shop owner friend's reality. The store would be 'empty for hours, and then one person would come in, and for 15 minutes it was packed beyond belief,' he said. 'And then it was empty again.' Acting work, like the store's customers, 'comes in waves,' Morales said, and 'it's all about frequency.' It takes riding those 'waves' to sustain as successfully as he has since graduating from New York's High School of Performing Arts. It goes back to a dream he had as a kid. 'At about 12 or 13, I saw this film, 'Dog Day Afternoon' with Al Pacino in it. He was so mesmerizing,' Morales recalled. 'I elbowed my friend and I said: 'That's what I'm gonna do. This is what I want to do.'' To make that vision come true, Morales said it has not just been about talent. 'It's opportunity meets preparation meets luck,' he said. It's luck that brought Morales the 'Mission: Impossible' role. He said that while in Puerto Rico, 'shooting a very small labor of love indie'—which he had agreed to do in part because it allowed him to spend time with his mother, who had retreated there during an illness before she died in 2019—he got the fortuitous phone call. He recalled one of his favorite quotes to explain the situation: 'Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans.' When another 'brilliant actor' had a contractual conflict and had to give up the role due to delays in the 'Mission' production, he said, 'that opened an opportunity' for him to jump in. 'I think my work in 'Ozark' may have had something to do with it,' Morales said, reflecting on the 'talent' part of it. 'I think they wanted to get somebody who was kind of antithetical to our hero. And who could bring the gravitas, who can bring a sense of danger,' he said. 'It was also destiny to some degree that I was able to be at the right place at the right time, and the filmmakers thought of me.' Esai Morales Courtesy of Filip Shobot In an actor's world, however, security is never guaranteed, regardless of your last great gig. In one day, out the next; hot, then cold. Morales is always thinking about his 'Plan B.' 'The great thing about being an actor is that in preparing for your roles, you get the chance to dabble in other things, you get a chance to see what it's like, you do your research, and you try other things,' he said. He's learned that he's 'a great connector of people,' which has him thinking about taking up acting coaching. 'I coach my friends for free. And a lot of them say, 'Dude, I paid $500 for what you just gave me an hour,'' Morales said. 'I'm good at what I know, which is creating characters and bringing veracity and responding truthfully under imaginary circumstances.' Outside of show business, Morales also sees a place for himself in the information world. He wants to create an online space for people to come to, and to be a resource of knowledge and truth. 'I'm talking to people about promoting my own line of products or other people's products that I live by,' Morales said. 'I'm a certain age—62—that is not supposed to be running around and playing tennis as long and as hard as I play. I wear out people half my age, and that's valuable,' he said. 'I want to help create a store of sorts. 'This is what works for me, what works for you, a clearinghouse of information I can share.' No matter what lies ahead for Morales, whether on the big screen, small screen, or out in the coaching, business, and information world, he's certain of his future. 'My plan is to grow, to love, to achieve, to be surprised, to leave myself a little open for the unexpected, to have a bit of a plan—which is to do as much as I humanly can, to bring as much love and joy to the people around me, and to make a living while I do that.'
