Fandoms, take note: Whether it’s for throwback movies, TV shows or video games, these concerts are for you.
Starting in October, Fort Lauderdale’s Broward Center for the Performing Arts and The Parker will be staging performances where rock bands and symphony orchestras perform live alongside iconic film, show and game footage. The shows are planned not so much as a series, but as a curated collection to give fans a chance to … fan out together.
“They’ve done studies with people where when we’re all sitting and watching the same experience, our breathing starts to sync up,” said Jill Kratish, associate vice president of programming and producing for the Broward Center. “And that’s the feeling when you’re in the room experiencing one of these shows with other fans and having that nostalgia and having that experience — the coming together …
“I think in a world where we’re becoming increasingly separate and people are sitting at home and scrolling their phones, this is a world where you, like, walk in the door, you’re a member of the club.”
If you’re ready to immerse yourself into beloved movie, TV show or game worlds IRL, here’s what’s on deck:
• Sonic Live in Concert
• Undertale: The Determination Symphony
• John Cameron Mitchell: Hedwig 25th Anniversary Movie Tour
• Jim Henson’s Labyrinth: In Concert 40th Anniversary
• Blade Runner Live
• Outlander in Concert: Echoes Through The Highlands
• Twilight in Concert
• Terminator 2: Judgement Day in Concert
“What we’re trying to constantly figure out is: Where’s the fan base? In South Florida, in Fort Lauderdale, which fan base is coming to our venue to experience these things?” Kratish said. “We did a show, ‘Attack on Titan’ — it started as manga and then it became anime, so they transferred it onto film. We did that with a symphony last spring. The fan base that showed up was in costume. They were young. They were so excited to be experiencing this all in one room with other fans of ‘Attack on Titan.’ It was astronomically new patrons to the Broward Center …
“This is why we leaned into ‘Sonic’ coming up at the end of October and ‘Undertale, The Determination Symphony’ coming up right after that in November, because clearly the gamer anime/manga crowd is very, very fan loyal. … It’s kind of like the Comic Con effect, right? You go and you dress up and you’re just there with other fans.”
Fans also will have the benefit of mind-blowing music, of course.
“A new sound system is being installed in the Au-Rene [Theater] right now,” Kratish said. “So when we do ‘Sonic’ and ‘Undertale’ coming up in the fall, people are going to really be even more blown away … You’re going to feel the music even more than you did before.”
• The Broward Center is at 201 SW Fifth Ave., Fort Lauderdale; call 954-462-0222 or go to browardcenter.org.
• The Parker is at 707 NE 8th St., Fort Lauderdale; call 954-462-0222 or go to parkerplayhouse.com.
Below is a breakdown of the concerts, with comments from Kratish.
Sonic Live in Concert
WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct 31
WHERE: Broward Center’s Au-Rene Theater
COST: Tickets start at $46.41
COMMENT: “Older people played it, and now their kids are playing it. Their grandkids are probably playing it. I’m looking forward to this one because I think we’re going to see parents bringing kids, grandparents bringing kids. I think this is going to be really fun, bringing families together through this piece of art.”
SEGA Corporation
Sonic the Hedgehog will be featured in “Sonic Live in Concert” at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts in Fort Lauderdale on Saturday, Oct 31. (SEGA Corp./Courtesy)
Undertale: The Determination Symphony
WHEN: 8 p.m. Thursday, Nov 5
WHERE: Broward Center’s Au-Rene Theater
COST: Tickets start at $47.20
COMMENT: “AEG, they’re partnering with us on that one. They’re like, ‘It’s a really popular video game.’ The music is part of their experience. So we said yes to partnering with them on this.”
Broward Center
“Undertale: The Determination Symphony” will play the Broward Center for the Performing Arts in Fort Lauderdale on Thursday, Nov. 5. (Broward Center/Courtesy)
John Cameron Mitchell: Hedwig 25th Anniversary Movie Tour
WHEN: 7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 9
WHERE: The Parker’s Wells Hall
COST: Tickets start at $46.61
COMMENT: “So I would say the big story there is that John Cameron Mitchell is going to be here with us and talk about his experience. He does not do this a lot. It’s a real opportunity. This is a very cult-classic kind of a movie — not not for everyone. But I think it’s going to be a very cool experience.”
Jim Henson’s Labyrinth: In Concert 40th Anniversary
WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 12
WHERE: The Parker’s Wells Hall
COST: Tickets start at $46.61
COMMENT: “I mean, what can I say? David Bowie, right? I feel like this one, maybe more than any other, is pure nostalgia. Again, feeling that music, feeling the story through the live music.”
Blade Runner Live
WHEN: 7 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 22
WHERE: The Parker’s Wells Hall
COST: Tickets start at $41.30
COMMENT: “[The film] was originally put out in 1982. They put out a new final cut in 2007. So this is that newer one. I’m again just really excited to see, like, will people come in costume? Will people come dressed up for that experience? Because I’m betting that they will.”
Outlander in Concert: Echoes Through The Highlands
WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 10
WHERE: Broward Center’s Au-Rene Theater
COST: Tickets start at $41.30
COMMENT: “Sexy. I expect we’re going to have a lot of women in the audience. It’s going to be the highlights from the show, the iconic scenes. And that music is going to lend itself to the live orchestra setting so well, I think. We’re going to hear the bagpipes and the other Scottish instruments that you don’t really don’t hear a lot of very often — in South Florida anyway. I think that one’s going to be a really unique musical experience given that the music is different.”
Sony Pictures Television
Outlander in Concert: Echoes Through The Highlands will be at the Broward Center for the Performing in Fort Lauderdale on Thursday, Dec 10. (Sony Pictures Television/Courtesy)
Twilight in Concert
WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2027
WHERE: Broward Center’s Au-Rene Theater
COST: Tickets start at $46.02
COMMENT: “I think we’re going to have a whole group of 30- to 40-year-olds reliving that experience. Everybody fell in love. You were either Team Jacob or Team Edward. The fandom going back to those teenagers, who are now our audience members, I think it’s going to be really fun for them to revisit in a theater filled with other fans.”
Terminator 2: Judgment Day in Concert
WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 22, 2027
WHERE: The Parker
COST: Ticket announcement set for Oct. 5
COMMENT: “We’re looking back at that nostalgic fandom. I remember those movies being so loud. I think it’s going to be a very blow-you-back-in-your-seat kind of experience.”