A Night on the Island: A Wave of Young Talent
By Britin Haller
In 1624, the poet John Donne, in a work of prose entitled Devotions Upon Emergent Occasions, gave us the line that is still quoted, and may be even more relevant today. “No man is an island, entire of itself.”
Ask anyone what this phrase means to them, and the responses will likely be similar. For Andrew Kato, the Producing Artistic Director/Chief Executive of the Maltz Jupiter Theatre, it all comes down to family and community, a theme he’s very familiar with. As Kato tells us, “It speaks to the collaborative nature of our business. How interdependent we all are. As a producer, I’m nothing without talented entertainers who know how to put on a show. I think it’s also the nature of live performance because you’re connecting live one-on-one.”
And with that idea in mind, he’s created a musical series called A Night on the Island with six musicians of different genres who will be appearing for one night only in the Maltz’s intimate black-box venue, The Island Theatre. Hand-selected by Kato, along with Virginia Sinicki of WRMF FM’s The KVJ Show, the artists were chosen based on a number of factors, including a strong desire to utilize talent with a background in South Florida.
All of them in one way or another have a tie to our area. “We cast locally,” Kato says, “because to be a good community member, it’s vital to do so.”
In speaking with three of the six artists selected for this honor, one thing was clear. None of these three would be where they are today if not for the support of their family and friends.
Folk/Pop artist Brit Drozda grew up writing songs with her brother, Virgil Price. Sadly, Virgil has left this earth, but his presence remains in Brit’s work today. She has no doubt he will be with her in spirit during her special evening. “Especially with my musical journey, I wouldn’t be who I am as an artist without the people who have lent their time and talent to me. I feel like there’s so many people with me whenever I’m on stage, whether it was the person who first taught me to play the piano, or a singer I saw in a Broadway show, or even an audience member from a past concert who told me how much a song meant to them. It’s the combination of all these things. I’m definitely not an artist existing on a singular plane.”
Joshua Lubben, one of the triplets who make up the folk group, The Lubben Brothers, tells us “The statement “No man is an island” is such a profound idea and resonates so strongly with me. There was a point where my brothers and I had a full song cycle based around that quote, where even the opening and closing numbers used it directly in our lyrics.
“We’ve always seen our calling as storyteller musicians to find common threads that unite us all, no matter our backgrounds or beliefs. We all live like islands most of the time, so we want to use our talents to connect us. Music is such a beautiful bridge because it gets directly to the heart, to our emotions, to what makes us human. When folk music is done properly, it’s not showing off, it’s not pretending to be something it isn’t. It’s authentic, and raw, and it’s our shared humanity. Folk music is literally the music of the people.”
And as for Sandi Russell, the matriarch of Russell Avenue, a Motown-inspired trio made up of herself and her daughters, Amisha and Emma, and whose name was inspired by a street sign, says “Whenever you’re on Russell Avenue, you’re home.” Sandi is happy and proud to represent the Palm Beach area because it’s given so much to her. Sandi and her husband Matthew run a theater camp, and this summer, she wrote a short play for her kids called No One Sits Alone to let them know they’re all there for each other. “When we’re together, we’re better, we’re stronger. We shouldn’t have to do things alone.”
With her in spirit will be Sandi’s sister, who was also Sandi‘s first voice and theater teacher. Her older sibling passed away in a tragic accident when Sandi was just twelve, and now she and her daughters often sing her sister’s favorite songs as a way to honor her and keep her close.
Sandi’s daughter Amisha also has thoughts on the subject of community. “We all need connection, and one of the most important ways we can build that is through music and the arts. When we talk about A Night on the Island, it’s all of these people from different walks of life coming together to celebrate the power of music, and the power of fellowship.”
And while we didn’t interview the other three A Night on the Island artists, their responses would likely also mention the impact of relationships on their art. After all, the blues artist Jake Walden has a debut album called “Carry Me Home,” with the title song an original about the importance of returning to one’s roots when times get tough. Songstress Riley Burke, whose roots are engrained in the Palm Beach area, and who, on her website, lists the Maltz as one of her favorite places to perform, has a haunting and magical original instrumental number called “Lonely Island.” And despite the sadness of Pearl Jam’s classic hit song “Daughter,” there is truth in its lyrics, as not all families are the happy kind. We can imagine Given to Fly’s frontman Bob Donahue speaking to the optimism this song holds for us that things will get better in time.
As a critic for Florida Theater on Stage who has been to the Maltz Jupiter Theatre many times, it’s always exciting to see what their maestro Andrew Kato will come up with next. When the idea of this music series first started building, Kato may not have realized how the artists he chose would all be connected in such a big way. But then again, likely, he did.
The Island Theatre is no mirage, in fact, it’s billed as a “unique oasis of entertainment,” and what better place to find calm, and take refuge, than in our family and friends. So come to the Maltz in October to enjoy some great music, yes, but also to indulge in so much more than that, because Kato’s A Night on the Island series is a celebration of life, and of what makes our lives worth living.
Our South Florida community is lucky to have Andrew Kato in our midst. John Donne would be proud.
A Night on the Island series includes the following performances: Russell Avenue – Sisters: A Celebration of Motown and Soul on Friday, Oct 3 at 7:30 pm; The Lubben Brothers: Roadtrip Tour on Saturday, Oct 4 at 8:00 pm; Brit Drozda: A Night of Folk Pop on Sunday, Oct 5 at 7:30 pm; Blues is Back! with the Jake Walden Band on Thursday, Oct 9 at 7:30 pm, Given to Fly – The Pearl Jam Experience on Friday, Oct 10 at 7:30 pm, and Riley Burke: Dare to Be Present on Sunday, Oct 12 at 7:30 pm. To purchase tickets visit www.jupitertheatre.org, call: (561) 575-2223, or stop by the Box office located at 1001 Indiantown Rd., Jupiter, FL (immediately east of A1A), between the hours of 10am-6pm Mon-Fri, and Saturdays from 10am-2pm. Tickets start at $35.
