Tropicana Nights: The Life and Times of the Legendary Cuban Nightclub - Softcover

Lowinger, Rosa; Fox, Ofelia

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0989808521 ISBN 13: 9780989808521

Publisher: Coralstone, 2016

Synopsis

Tropicana is to Cuba what the Bolshoi is to Russia, the Moulin Rouge to Paris, or the Blue Note to New York--an enduring cultural mecca. This definitive biography of the place that was known as Paradise Under the Stars, vividly describes the 1950s nightclub that was part casino, part cabaret and was the only club owned and run by Cubans rather than the American mob. Nat "King" Cole, Liberace, and Carmen Miranda performed there before audiences that included Joan Crawford, Marlon Brando, and Ernest Hemingway. The book portrays the cultural richness and roiling social problems of pre-Revolutionary Cuba and takes the reader on a tour of one of the world's most glamorous venues at its most brilliant moment.

About this title

From the Back Cover:

"From following the island's economic and political roller coaster ride to identifying the major players in Cuba's hyperactive, glamorous and influential showbiz . . .  [Lowinger] places the fabulous show palace in a meticulously researched context."--The Miami Herald

Tropicana is to Cuba what the Bolshoi is to Russia or the Moulin Rouge to Paris or the Blue Note to New York: an enduring cultural mecca. Part casino and part cabaret, it was all Cuban--the only nightclub owned and run by Cubans rather than by the American mob. Nat "King" Cole, Liberace, Josephine Baker, and Carmen Miranda performed there before audiences that included Ernest Hemingway, Marlon Brando, and Joan Crawford. Tropicana Nights not only brings back the days and nights of the club's greatest glory, when it was the brightest jewel in 1950s Havana nightlife, but also vividly portrays the cultural richness and roiling social problems of pre-Revolutionary Cuba. 

 
"Rich with history and anecdotes ripe with a genuine love of the Tropicana, you can almost hear the rumba and see the sequins shine once again."?Playgirl

"Looks at a part of Cuban history through the most intoxicating of perspectives . . . The work paints a vivid picture of Havana’s heyday and transition into a communist economy."?Cigar Aficionado


Rosa Lowinger was born in Havana and grew up in Miami. A writer and art conservator, she first visited Tropicana in 1998 and, as she put it, was "struck dumb" by its beauty. She lives with her family in Los Angeles.

Ofelia Fox (1924-2006) married Tropicana owner Martin Fox in 1952. They moved to Miami in 1962. After her husband’s death, she became a teacher and playwright and was twice awarded the Carlos Felipe Award.

About the Author:

Rosa Lowinger is a Cuba travel specialist and art conservator known for her knowledge of mid-century modernism, contemporary art, and Cuban culture. She is the curator for the Concrete Paradise exhibit at the Coral Gables Museum and the cocurator for the Promising Paradise exhibit at the Wolfsonian. She has written for ArtNews and Preservation on Cuban art and architecture. Ofelia Fox is teacher and playwright who has been twice awarded the Carlos Felipe Award. They both live in Los Angeles, California.

About this edition

• Publisher: Coralstone
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 0989808521
• ISBN 13: 9780989808521
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 438