Adrienne Arsht Center reopening with Deborah Cox Christmas concert

The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts is reopening its theater stages just in time for the holidays with multi-platinum singer and actress Deborah Cox’s “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” concert.

Created for the Arsht Center, the intimate holiday performance by the Grammy-nominated singer will be the first in-person live concert at Ziff Ballet Opera House since the pandemic struck and completely shut down Miami-Dade’s cultural arts community back in March. 

“We have been working hard to make all the necessary preparations to welcome audiences back to the Arsht Center and to make this and all our events as safe and fun as possible,” said Johann Zietsman, the performing arts center’s president and CEO.

For Deborah Cox’s holiday concert, guests will be seated directly on the cabaret-style stage at tables under the soaring 120-foot ceiling, with a limited capacity of 250 guests, which is about 14% of the theater’s 18,000-square-foot capacity, Mr. Zietsman said.

“All guests will remain at assigned tables with their group at all times and tables will be at least six feet apart. It’s quite the unique experience,” he added.

Performing in front of a live audience for the first time since Covid-19 stalled the entertainment industry, Ms. Cox said the concert is going to be a very special and intimate performance, with song selections that will keep the audience connected with her.

“We are still figuring it out on how to move forward in the midst of all of this,” she said. “We are in a really bad place emotionally and we are hoping to bring some joy possibly and hope into people’s lives.”

Ms. Cox will be accompanied by a band led by Broadway conductor Joseph Joubert and directed by Broadway veteran, Richard Jay-Alexander. The event will feature holiday classics, original hits, which include her new single “I Really Don’t Want Much for Christmas,” and songs from Broadway theater’s Aida, Waitress, Jekyll & Hyde, The Wiz and The Bodyguard. 

“This concert will showcase a broader spectrum of who I am as an artist,” she said of her first-ever holiday concert. “There has been a lot of anticipation for something very intimate and a lot of my fans have been waiting for a type of show like this, so I’m very excited about this one.”

Deborah’s Cox’s “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” holiday concert will hit the stage at 8 p.m. Dec. 19 at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, 1300 Biscayne Blvd. 

Details: https://www.arshtcenter.org/.