By PAM HARBAUGH
The art and culture scene is smokin’ right now. Shows opening. Shows closing. New art exhibits opened. Concerts at the King Center. Playreading Saturday afternoon and improv in the evening. Read on, then click those links!
Area Theater:
LADY DAY AT EMERSON’S BAR & GRILL opens tonight in the Henegar Center’s second floor Studio Theater. It stars a remarkable Kristen Warren and features the superb jazz artist Jarred Armstrong on piano. To read more about it, click here. Tickets are $20 general, $18 for military and seniors and $15 for students. Be advised, this show has language galore and adult subject matter. The Henegar is at 625 E. New Haven Ave., Melbourne. Call the Henegar at 321-723-8698, visit Henegar.org or click onto their ad.
Kristen Warren is Billie Holiday in the Henegar Center’s production of LADY DAY AT EMERSON’S BAR AND GRILL. Photo by Dana Niemeier
CALENDAR GIRLS continues its close to sold-out run at Melbourne Civic Theatre. Read Kraz’ review by clicking here. MCT keeps trying to make its patrons happy by adding more shows (most recently Thursday Feb 23 @ 8pm), so keep an eye out on their Facebook page. “Calendar Girls” runs through Feb. 26. Tickets are $31 general $29 seniors. Call 321-723-6935, visit MyMCT.org or click onto their ad.
ON THE TOWN at the Historic Cocoa Village Playhouse. Photo by Goforth Photography.
ROCK OF AGES runs through Sunday at Titusville Playhouse. The musical packed ’em in for more than five years on Broadway. It tells the rock ‘n roll fairy tale of a 1980s hard rock singer who tries to be “the next big thing” at a time of change. The musical features songs by hit bands Styx, Journey, Bon Jovi, Whitesnake and more. The show is sold out, but just in case you can score one, tickets are $22 to $28. TPI is at 301 Julia St., Titusville. Call 321-268-1125, visit TitusvillePlayhouse.com or click onto their ad.
PLAYWRIGHTS WORKSHOP presents three original one-act by area playwrights this weekend at Surfside Playhouse. Those plays are: “Can You Believe It?” by Mario Busacca and directed by Arlan Ropp; “The Power of Imagination” by Jan Salmon and directed by DeeDee Wilcheck; and “Dad’s Driving School” by Mario Busacca and directed by Robert Matson. Curtain is 8 p.m. tonight and Saturay and 2 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $10 at the door. Surfside Playhouse is at 301 Ramp Road (5th Street South), Cocoa Beach. Call 321-720-1227 or visit PlaywrightsWorkshopBrevard.org.
Professional Theater:
PRIVATE LIVES runs through Feb. 19 at Riverside Theatre. The witty Noel Coward play is the soul of sophistication. Keep an eye out for the upcoming review in Brevard Culture. Tickets are $35 to $80. Riveride Theatre is at 3250 Riverside Drive, Vero Beach. Call 772-231-6990, visit RiversideTheatre.com or click onto their ad.
PRIVATE LIVES at Riverside Theatre
AN EMPTY PLATE IN THE CAFE DU GRAND BOEUF is nearly sold out at Riverside Theatre where it is running Sunday on its Waxlax Stage. This is heady, witty stuff. Read the review by clicking here. It performs in about one hour 45 minutes without intermission. Tickets are $45. Riverside Theatre is at 3250 Riverside Drive, Vero Beach. Call 772-231-6990, visit RiversideTheatre.com or click onto their ad.
BLACKBERRY WINTER is a stunning new work on stage now at Orlando Shakes. It is a must-see for actors at the very least. With what is basically a one-woman show, Suzanne O’Donnell shows how it’s done. Read the review by clicking here. The play runs through Sunday at the Lowndes Shakespeare Center, 812 E Rollins St, Orlando, FL. Tickets are $40 to $50. It performs at various times and is a professional production. Call 407-447-1700 or visit OrlandoShakes.org.
PICASSO AT THE LAPIN AGILE runs through Feb. 19 at Mad Cow Theatre in Orlando. Talkbacks take place after each Thursday and Sunday performance. Talkbacks are free to audience members, and the public may attend at no extra cost. Written by Steve Martin, this quirky play concerns the heady comic notion that “Einstein and Picasso walk into a bar…” Tickets begin at $26. Discounts available. Mad Cow Theatre is one the second floor at 54 West Church Street, Orlando, FL. Call 407-297-8788 ext. 1 or visit MadCowTheatre.com.
National Touring Company. The cast with John Rapson as Lord Adalbert D’Ysquith (red
) in a scene from “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder.”Photo credit: Joan Marcus.
Playreading & More:
RIPCORD by David Lindsay-Abaire starts 2 p.m. Saturday at Melbourne Civic Theatre. The cast includes Nellie Brannon, Walter Chase Clapp, Erin Frank, David Hill, Rob Landers and Joan Taddie. It will be moderated by Terrence Girard. Here’s the story line as provided by MCT: “Sunny room on an upper floor is prime real estate in the Bristol Place Senior Living Facility, so when the cantankerous Abby is forced to share her quarters with new-arrival Marilyn, she has no choice but to get rid of the infuriatingly chipper woman by any means necessary. A seemingly harmless bet between the old women quickly escalates into a dangerous game of one-upmanship that reveals not just the tenacity of these worthy opponents, but also deeper truths that each would rather remain hidden.” Melbourne Civic Theatre is at 817 E. Strawbridge Ave., Melbourne. Admission free, but please do chip in at least $5 for royalty costs. Seating is open. Arrive early. Concessions will be open. Call 321-723-6935 or visit MyMCT.org.
NOT QUITE RIGHT PLAYERS perform improv 8 to 10 p.m. Saturday at Derek Gores Gallery, 587 W. Eau Gallie Blvd., Melbourne. This is a non-scripted improv show which takes suggestions from the audience. Ticket are $15 general and $12 students. The shows usually sell out. To buy a ticket ahead of time, click here.
Concerts & Nightlife:
Lorrie Morgan
JOHN LODGE AND THE 10,000 LIGHT YEARS BAND performs 8:30 p.m. tonight in the King Center’s Studio Theater. This is a first ever solo tour for Lodge, who is the bass player for The Moody Blues. This should be a nice, intimate concert. Ticket begin at $68. The King Center is at 3865 N. Wickham Rd., Melbourne. Call 321-242-2219 or visit KingCenter.com.
IN THE MOOD
Exhibits:
THE RED THAT COLORED THE WORLD is on view now at Florida Tech’s Foosaner Art Museum. Read about it by clicking here. The Foosaner Art Museum is at 1463 Highland Ave. in the Eau Gallie Arts District of Melbourne. Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. Free admission. Visit FoosanerMuseum.org, call 321-674-8916 or click on their ad.
‘FAIRY’ is an oil painting by Lisa Mistiuk, on view during February at Fifth Avenue Art Gallery.
The Fifth Avenue Art Gallery is at 1470 Highland Avenue, Melbourne. Call 321-259-8261 or visit FifthAvenueArtGallery.com.
TRADITIONAL ART OF THE BEDOUIN opens Saturday at Florida Tech’s Ruth Funk Center for Textile Arts. Read about it by clicking here. The Ruth Funk Center is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and noon to 4 p.m. Saturday. The Center is located next to Evans Library on the Florida Tech campus in Melbourne, Florida, 150 W. University Blvd. Admission is free. For more information, visit http://textiles.fit.edu or call 321-674-8313.
