The Brévo Theatre Company welcomed the world premiere of “Me and My Miami: The Musical,” a colorful celebration of Miami, its people and its culture.
The production, which ran from Oct. 2 to Oct. 12 at the Westchester Cultural Arts Center, is part of Brévo’s “Freshly Rooted” series, a showcase of original productions that have yet to be professionally produced.
“Me and My Miami” was produced in collaboration with the Roxy Theatre Group and the Warten Foundation. The production is additionally supported in part by Miami Dade County Cultural Affairs and Cultural Affairs Council.
“Me and My Miami” follows three local teenagers as they perform in the Dade County Farmers Market Arts Festival. Their performances become less reliant on their chosen art forms and more focused on what matters to them, leading the musical to trace less of a story and more of a social commentary.
The main characters explore local issues on a larger scale such as homelessness, familial standards and missing children.
“When [the teenagers] get to the arts festival, they start to speak and say things their family thought they should only say privately,” said writer and director Patdro Harris, whose artistry has been applauded as “praiseworthy” by the New York Times.
In conjunction with the main cast, “Me and My Miami” plays to its art festival setting by featuring special guest artists that differ depending on which night you attend.
A prominent theme in the musical’s storyline is the power of using your voice. While in Harris’s past works, most voices have been older, he decided to explore a younger perspective.
“I realized that my generation didn’t do all the things that I thought they should do, but hopefully this generation can,” said Harris. “So [this story is meant to] motivate them and inspire them in that way.”
Zaylin Yates, the Founding Managing Director and CEO of Brévo Theatre, described the production as “an easy story that can be shared with a multitude of cultures, families [and] walks of life.”
Brévo Theatre prides itself on its larger mission to amplify underrepresented voices. The cast is most prominently composed of actors of color.
“At the heart of what we do, we always try to uplift the entire community, because we celebrate all walks of life,” said Yates. “The storylines are always going to tell a story that I think everybody can see themselves in.”
Patdro Harris and Zaylin Yates both see a bright future ahead for “Me and My Miami” — possible avenues include a music video, cast recording and a slew of nation-wide productions.
“At the end of the day, the story itself resonates nationally,” said Yates. “I just want the audience to be able to take away a feeling of self-reflection.”