By PAM HARBAUGH

Let’s all enjoy the best of humanity this weekend. Head to uplifting offerings by the arts and culture community. And what a beautiful gift Broadway is giving Orlando. Oh my…

Special Events

FUN HOME Benefit Concert is scheduled for 7 p.m. July 24 at Dr. Phillips Center in Orlando. This is an extraordinary musical and the opportunity to see these Broadway stars perform a benefit concert is just as extraordinary. Tickets are already on sale. Money raised will go to Equality Florida and Orlando’s LGBTQ community. The show will feature all nine of the show’s onstage company members, including Tony® Award winner Michael Cerveris, four-time Tony® Award nominee Judy Kuhn, 2015 Tony® Award nominees Beth Malone and Emily Skeggs, and Gabriella Pizzolo, Roberta Colindrez, Cole Grey, Zell Steele Morrow, and Joel Perez, along with the show’s Tony® Award-winning creators Lisa Kron (Book & Lyrics), Jeanine Tesori (Music) and Sam Gold (Direction) will be in attendance. Tickets start at $30. Call 844-513-2014 or visit DrPhillipsCenter.org.

FROM BROADWAY WITH LOVE: A BENEFIT CONCERT FOR ORLANDO is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. July 25 at the Dr. Phillips Center in Orlando. Tickets go on sale today. The event is a fundraiser for Orlando’s LBGT community as it continues to heal from the massacre at the Pulse nightclub. On stage will be a huge assortment of big names, many of them Tony Award winners. They include: Chita Rivera, Norbert Leo Butz, Kelli O’Hara, Jessie Mueller, Brian Stokes Mitchell , Carmen Cusack, Andrea McArdle, Lillias White, Andréa Burns, Liz Callaway, Josh Henry, Keala Settle, Anika Larsen, Justin Sargent, Carrie Manolakos, as well as hosts Seth Rudetsky and Christine Pedi. Michael J. Moritz, Jr. will serve as Music Director. Additional performers will be announced in the coming weeks. Tickets are $20 to $40. Call 844-513-2014 or visit DrPhillipsCenter.org.

Music

THE THREE SOPRANOS perform 8 p.m. Saturday at Surfside Playhouse. The concert features Beth Green, Sherry MacLean and Tee Rockwell performing Broadway tunes, ballads, and light arias. $20. Surfside is at 301 Ramp Road, Cocoa Beach. Call 321-783-3127 or click here or click onto their ad.

SUMMER JAZZ begins 6 p.m. this evening at La Vela Italian Restaurant in downtown Melbourne (close to the Henegar Center). It features the Billy Davis Trio. is presented in part by the Space Coast Jazz Society, La Vela Italian Restaurant in downtown Melbourne is offering a free Summer Jazz Series. It runs until midnight and features saxophonist Carl Lewis, who begins his performance at 10 p.m. La Vela is at 712 E. New Haven Ave., Melbourne. And, BTW, it’s got great pizza. Call the restaurant at 321-499-1570 or click here.

JUANITA DIXON performs at Heidi’s Jazz Club tonight and Saturday, July 8 and 9. She will be accompanied by the terrific Ron Teixeira Trio. This is bound to be sensational and a must for jazz lovers and those who want a romantic evening with a bit of dancing with their sweetie. You can even order a complete gourmet meal from the Heidelberg Restaurant menu. Cover charge is $15. Heidi’s Jazz Club is at 7 N. Orlando Ave, Cocoa Beach, Fl. Call 321-783-4559 or visit HeidisJazzclub.com.

HOWL AT THE MOON EXPERIENCE is a new program at Riverside Theatre featuring a dueling pianos show with audience interaction. It begins 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. today and Saturday. Get there early and enjoy dinner, full cash bar and local bands. Tickets begin at $16. Riverside Theatre is at 3250 Riverside Drive, Vero Beach. Call 772-231-6990, visit RiversideTheatre.com or click onto their ad.

Theater (and all that implies)

NOT QUITE RIGHT PLAYERS improv troupe will perform Saturday evening at Derek Gores Gallery, 587 W. Eau Gallie Blvd., Melbourne (EGAD area). Recommended for ages 13 and up. Seating is limited. Tickets are $15 general and $12 for students. Patrons are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance, since shows often sell out. Doors open at 7 p.m., with an opening act at 7:30 p.m. Main show begins at 8 p.m. Visit www.nqrcomedy.com.

Exhibits

EXPOSURE photographic exhibit has its opening reception 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. tomorrow, Saturday July 9, at the Art Gallery of Viera. The annual show runs through Aug. 8. Saturday’s reception includes a live demo by Tricia Eisen, a giveaway of work by Jeanette Drake and light refreshments. The featured artist is Maria Laughlin. The gallery is in The Avenue Viera, at 2261 Towne Center Avenue, Suite 111. Call 321-504-4343 or visit ArtGalleryOfViera.com.

MONOTYPES IN RED exhibit at the Fifth Avenue Art Gallery will have an artists’ talk 2 p.m. Saturday, July 9. Artists Grace Leal, Peter Crumpacker and Barbara Burkhardt all have work in the show, which runs through July. The Fifth Avenue Art Gallery is at 1470 Highland Avenue, Melbourne. Call 321-259-8261 or visit FifthAvenueArtGallery.com.

RADICAL ELEMENTS and A VIEW WITHIN: The Collaboration of Two Fiber Artists runs through Aug. 27 at the Ruth Funk Center for Textile Arts. “Radical Elements” comes from the Studio Art Quilt Associates and is sponsored in the memory of Judy Roach. “A View Within” is a collaborative project by Paula Chung and Karen Rips, two artists fascinated by the human body. The Ruth Funk Center, is on the campus of Florida Tech, 150 W. University Blvd., Melbourne. Admission is free. Call 321-674-8313 or click here.

RAY TURNER: POPULATION exhibition is also sponsored in the memory of Judy Roach. It runs through Aug. 6 at the Foosaner Art Museum. Read more about it by clicking here. The Foosaner Art Museum is at 1463 Highland Ave., Melbourne. Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays. Admission is free. Call 321-674-8916, visit FoosanerArtMuseum.org or click onto their ad.
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