FORT LAUDERDALE – The Broward Center for the Performing Arts presents a show-stopping finale to 2009 as it rings in the New Year on December 31 with blockbuster events on three of its stages and celebratory pre-show dinners.
The evening begins at 5:15 p.m. with an intimate pre-show dinner in the Abdo New River Room prepared by Executive Chef John Eustace. The menu includes tantalizing appetizers such as escargot, Asian BBQ beef satay and shrimp cocktail followed by entrées including Tenderloin of Beef, herb-crusted sea bass with pineapple and red-pepper salsa jumbo shrimp stuffed with crabmeat and vegetarian ravioli. Dessert favorites range from Butterfinger cup sundaes and cream puffs in hot fudge to a legendary key lime pie. The pre-show dinner is priced at $45 which includes house salad, choice of entrée, warm sourdough bread, gratuity and tax while appetizers, desserts and beverages are available for purchase.
Broadway Across America-Fort Lauderdale and Florida Theatrical Association presents Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Broadway’s hit musical The Phantom of the Opera at 7 p.m. in the Au-Rene Theater. Offering as much spectacle as any New Year’s gala, the longest running show in Broadway history features some
of the most lavish sets, costumes and special effects ever to have been created for the stage. Those seeking a romantic New Year’s Eve will fall under the spell of the love story of the beautiful opera singer who is passionately admired by a young composer shamed by his physical appearance into a shadowy existence beneath the majestic Paris Opera House. Tickets range in price from $23 to $67.
The battle of the sexes rages hilariously into the New Year with a performance of Defending the Caveman in the Amaturo Theater at 8:30 p.m. Affectionately pointing out differences between men and women dating back to prehistoric times, the show uses equal measures of humor, wit and wisdom to explore all the ways men and women argue, reconcile, laugh and love. Tickets are $25 and $35.
Laffing Matterz at the Broward Center offers a special New Year’s Eve performance which begins at 8:45 p.m. in the Abdo New River Room. Revelers will enjoy a delectable dinner prepared by Executive Chef John Eustace and then ring in the New Year with laughter as a cast of 13 multi-talented performers take on the absurdities of modern living and the South Florida lifestyle. Admission is $125 and includes the show and dinner with house salad, choice of entrée, warm sourdough bread, chef’s choice dessert, champagne toast, gratuity and tax while appetizers and beverages are available for purchase.
The Broward Center for the Performing Arts is located in the Riverwalk Arts & Entertainment District at 201 SW Fifth Avenue in Fort Lauderdale.
Mangos Restaurant & Lounge, Marriott Harbor Beach Resort & Spa, Mercedes-Benz of Fort Lauderdale, Hob Nob, Sun-Sentinel and Comcast are proud sponsors of the Broward Center. All dates, programs and artists are subject to change.
Contact: Maria Pierson/Savannah Whaley
Pierson Grant Public Relations
954/776-1999 ext. 225 or
Jan Goodheart, Broward Center
954/765-5814
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Presentations at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts are sponsored in part by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs, the Florida Arts Council, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Support is also contributed by the Broward Performing Arts Foundation, Inc.
The Riverwalk Arts & Entertainment Consortium is a cultural partnership between the Performing Arts Center Authority, Museum of Art | Fort Lauderdale, Florida Grand Opera, Fort Lauderdale Historical Society and the Historic Stranahan House Museum. It is supported by the Broward County Board of County Commissioners as recommended by the Broward Cultural Council and the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention Visitors and Bureau.