Harrison School for the Arts Musical Theatre department is excited to present Curtains on Friday, February 28 and Saturday, March 1 at 7:00 p.m. as well as Sunday, March 2 at 2:00 p.m. in the main theatre.

Curtains is a hilarious, backstage, whodunit musical set in Boston, Massachusetts in 1959.    When the talentless leading lady of a floundering theatre troupe mysteriously dies on stage, the cast and crew become suspects.  Police Lieutenant Cioffi, an avid musical theatre fan, must solve the case and restore the show in time for its Broadway debut.  As secrets are revealed and production numbers are rehearsed and rewritten, the body count rises.

Opening on Broadway in 2007, Curtains received 8 Tony nominations, with a win for David Hyde Pierce in the leading role. The Wall Street Journal hailed it as “a charming and witty homage to musical theatre”.  Indeed, though written recently, the musical has all the hallmarks of a classic: glamorous dance numbers reminiscent of Fred and Ginger, larger-than-life characters, and a toe-tapping score that the audience will leave humming.   Among all the mystery and intrigue, relationships are reconciled, love is found, and the resilience of the troupe shines through.

Tickets are $18 adults, $16 students/seniors and are available at www.harrisonarts.com/tickets.  Harrison School for the Arts is located at 750 Hollingsworth Rd., Lakeland, FL 33801.

Special thanks to our sponsor Cassidy Psychiatry.

The Lakeland Police Department will hold a a press conference announcing progress related to the investigation into a December 2020 shooting that left at least three Lakeland residents wounded and one deceased. On Wednesday, February 12, 2025, at the Lakeland Police Department, senior officials from the Lakeland Police Department, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco Firearms & Explosives and U.S. Attorney’s Office will update the public on the ongoing investigation.

According to the press release a suspect has been arrested in connection to the shooting, but it’s unclear if Taqiy Lewis (27, Lakeland) was the actual shooter. Lewis is currently in state prison after pleading guilty to trafficking drugs.

The press conference will take place at 10am tomorrow.

Here are the shooting details initially released by Lakeland Police:

“On Thursday, December 24, 2020, at approximately 5:40 p.m., officers responded to a residence in the 1500 block of Amos Avenue in reference to a reported shooting. Upon arrival at the scene, officers found four victims, all with gunshot wounds. The victims, a 70-year-old female, 43-year-old male, 39-year-old female, and a 13-year-old female, were transported to area hospitals for treatment of their injuries. Shortly after arrival at Lakeland Regional Health, the 70-year-old victim succumbed to her injuries and was declared deceased by medical professionals. The other victims, who are all related, had varying levels of conditions upon arrival but are expected to survive their injuries.  

Officers were also notified that a 19-year-old male had arrived at the hospital with a gunshot wound. His injuries were sustained during the shooting incident and are not believed to be life-threatening.

Prior to the shooting, a 15-year-old male, who is also related to the victims, was involved in an altercation with other individuals at a separate location, which carried over to the residence at Amos Avenue. At some point, shots were fired by both a resident of the home and by the individuals who arrived at the residence related to the earlier conflict. Detectives, working in partnership with the State Attorney’s Office, are continuing to conduct interviews and follow-up on leads related to all parties involved.”