36 June 22-28, 2023 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com New Times b e s T o f m i a m i ® 2 0 2 3 But wait — there’s more! As Juan Julian in Mi- ami New Drama’s production of Nilo Cruz’s Anna in the Tropics, he commanded the stage alongside veteran actors in a play that won the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Let’s just hope Salgado doesn’t flee the subtropical nest too soon — South Florida theater needs him. B E S T AC TO R I N A F E M A L E R O L E Jeni Hacker Next to Normal Zoetic Stage zoeticstage.org Jeni Hacker’s mantra must be: “Bring it on.” One of her most memorable roles was in Zoetic Stage’s 2019 production of Sweeney Todd, in which she put her own zany spin on the serial killer’s accomplice and Cockney cook, Mrs. Lovett. There’ve been other comedy roles, and serious ones, too. This season, as the lead in Zo- etic Stage’s Next to Normal, Hacker showed the entire spectrum of her skills, from her knack for comic timing to a vocal range that wrapped around the rock musical’s score (during her post-college days in Miami, she led an R&B band). Hacker mesmerized the audience with her layered portrayal of Diana, a woman with bipolar disorder, trying to keep her family intact and her own head above water. Ronnie Larsen, who cast her in his play Grindr Mom in 2019, commented that since working with the actress he has become “the president of the Jeni Hacker fan club” — of which, in South Florida theater circles, there’s no shortage of members. B E S T DA N C E CO M PA N Y Pioneer Winter Collective 9806 NE Second Avenue Miami Shores, 33138 786-925-8292 pioneerwinter.com Founded by dancer and choreographer Pioneer Winter, the Pioneer Winter Collective is a wholly inclusive dance company. Its mission: to celebrate queerness, humanity, and vulnerabil- ity. Winter welcomes everyone, and believes that every body is a dance body. The company’s latest work, Birds of Paradise, marked the col- lective’s return to performing after the CO- VID-19 shutdown. Since its 2021 debut, the 75-minute performance has constantly evolved, undergoing at least iterations, all of which ex- plore the theme of rebirth. B E S T CO M E D I A N George Harris elgeorgeharris.com @elgeorgeharris (Instagram) Miami comedian and commentator George Harris grinds out material that slays week in and week out. Harboring a seemingly endless reserve of energy for the stage, the Venezuelan transplant has struck a chord with observa- tional bits about immigrants’ experience assim- ilating into American culture. Since getting his start playing comedy shows in Miami to a handful of attendees, Harris has climbed up the comedy rungs to the point where he’s a house- hold name in Spanish-language comedy, with millions of followers on social media. He head- lines a long-running weekly show aptly titled “El Show de George Harris” on Thursdays at La Scala de Miami on Brickell Bay Drive. His Hijo Unico tour dates stretch around the globe from Mexico City to Madrid. B E S T D R AG P E R F O R M E R Juicy Love Dion @thejuicylove (Instagram) Juicy Love Dion’s not just the ol’ cartwheel diva. The former FIU cheerleader calls herself “Mi- ami’s Afro-Cuban dancing doll” and has a a mug that leaves no crumbs. Her high-energy lip-sync routines regularly fill venues wall-to-wall. Not only can she flip midair and land into a split with the ease of an Olympic gymnast, but she does it all while serving impeccable looks with nary an eyelash out of place. At 22 years old, Juicy’s roots in the Haus of Love have taken her perfor- mances from South Florida hubs, like R House and Queer Parties, across the world to the luxu- rious JackieO’ Town Bar in Mykonos, Greece. Arts & Entertainment
