Finally, Tyler Perry returns to South Florida with the stage play Madea's Big Happy Family. Tyler Perry’s stage productions are a mixture of family drama, gospel music, comedy and elaborate costumes—most of which are worn by Perry when he dons wig, floral moo-moos and glasses to play Mabel Simmons, better known as Madea.

Madea is the fast-talking, gun-toating, non-nonsense character created by Perry. Madea is a mother, a grandmother and matriarch to all in Perry’s plays and movies, and she is a riot.

When: October 1 & 2, 2010

Time: Friday, October 1 at 8 pm
Saturday, October 2 at 3 pm and 8 pm

Where: American Airlines Arena
601 Biscayne Blvd.
Miami, FL 33132
(786) 777-1000
For tickets and information visit: aarena.com

Tyler Perry is a writer, actor, director, executive producer and business owner. He is the brainchild behind stage plays, movies and TV shows and a best-selling book. He has managed to become successful outside of Hollywood—his offices are based in Atlanta, Georgia—a feat his critics said he would never achieve. He writes, produces, directs and stars in his plays and movies. Sometimes he plays multiple characters.

Many times his plays are turned into movies, which Perry casts and directs himself. His play/movie titles are as follows:
• Tyler Perry’s: Diary of A Mad Black Woman
• Tyler Perry’s: Madea’s Family Reunion
• Tyler Perry’s: Meet the Browns,
• Tyler Perry’s: Madea’s Class Reunion
• Tyler Perry’s: I Can Do Bad All By Myself
• Tyler Perry's: Daddy's Little Girl
• Tyler Perry’s: Madea Goes To Jail 
• Tyler Perry’s: The Family That Preys
• Tyler Perry’s: Why Did I Get Married 
• Tyler Perry’s: Why Did I Get Married, Too

He chooses to trademark all of his work with his name, so everything he creates is preceded by his first and last name. His movies have featured stars such as Kimberly Elise, Shamar Moore, Angela Bassett, Alfrie Woodard, Kathy Bates, Janet Jackson, Lynn Whitfield, Gabrielle Union, Jill Scott, Taraji P. Henson, Idris Elba, Malik Yoba, Richard T. Jones and Adam Rodriguez.

His television show Tyler Perry’s House of Pain on TNT was originally signed to 100 episodes—a first in network television history. He also has a show on TNT called Tyler Perry’s Meet the Browns. In addition, he has written a book entitled Don't Make a Black Woman Take Off Her Earrings: Madea's Uninhibited Commentaries on Love and Life. For those who aren’t familiar with the expression, when a Black woman takes off her earrings, she is preparing to fight. In the book, his most popular character, Madea, dispenses life-lessons and wisdom with her own unique wit and shares intimate details of her life and youth.

Many find Perry an inspiration. He was born on September 13, 1969 in New Orleans, Louisiana as Emmett Perry Jr. His father was abusive, and recently Perry admitted to being abused by family members as well. To cope, Perry took refuge in his mother, in church and in writing. When he was 16, he officially changed his name. He has said he did so because he wanted nothing to do with his father. In 1990, he moved to Atlanta. Two years later, his very first play I Know I’ve Been Changed was performed at a community theater. He used his life savings, $12,000, to produce the play; he was only 22 years old. The play ran for a weekend and only 30 people came to watch.

To listen to Tyler Perry talk about his past, his demons, his 18-hour-a-day work-a-holic nature, his concern about being a better father than a husband and his amazing success, watch this YouTube video.

Perry persevered. He spent time revamping the play; then, he moved on to other projects. His popularity began to peak when he created Madea in 2000 for his play I Can Do Bad All By Myself. He spent the years following that writing and producing plays and touring; there were times he lived in his car because he didn’t have enough money for an apartment. 'Can you imagine a six-foot-five man sleeping in a Geo Metro?' he told Essence magazine. At one point, Perry claimed to be performing more than 265 days out of the year.

Today, although he doesn’t tour nearly as often, he still keeps himself busy. He lives a very focused, disciplined lifestyle and keeps himself on a schedule. All of which are part of why he is able to be so prolific.

Perry’s live shows are spontaneous and funny. He often goes off script while remaining in ‘Madea’ character. These moments are said to be some of the funniest parts of his shows. The magic of live theater is that each performance can have its own unique quirks and every audience brings its own unique energy. This makes each live experience new. These are the things that draw Madea fans out to see Perry’s plays time and time again.

Don’t miss the opportunity to get tickets to one of the three shows Oct 1 and 2. Log onto the American Airlines Arena web page for tickets today.

Learn more about Tyler Perry on his personal web page--TylerPerry.com

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