By PAM HARBAUGH

There has been plenty of buzz surrounding area theater. So really, you need to hop to and get your tickets now for productions that our very own Georgette Spelvin has been swooning over (TPI, CVP, Henegar). And a new one opens tonight (MCT) ! Moreover, there are new exhibits (Ruth Funk) and great nightlife (Heidi’s and Riverside) to keep you plenty busy.

And be sure to click onto the sponsors’ ads to show your appreciation of their support of BREVARD CULTURE.

Area Theater:

THE GLASS MENAGERIE opens tonight and runs through June 25 at Melbourne Civic Theatre. Okay, just because this is not a comedy is no reason to avoid going. This is great drama, folks. Expand your cultural horizons and take it in. Read about MCT mounting the production by clicking here.

HANDS ON A HARDBODY runs through Sunday at the Henegar Center. Now it’s not quite what you think it might be: The musical is about 10 contestants keeping their hand on a truck, each of then hoping to win that truck. Director Hank Rion and choreographer Kim Cole both say the “powerhouse cast” rise to the challenge and deliver the grit underlying this unusual Broadway musical. Read a story about the show by clicking here. Read the review by clicking here. Adult language. Tickets are $16 to $26. The Henegar is at 625 E. New Haven Ave., Melbourne. Call 321 723 8698, visit Henegar.org or click on their ad.

MARY POPPINS the Musical runs through Sunday at Cocoa Village Playhouse. Although this has been CVP’s fastest turnaround for producing a play — five weeks, considerably short for the more than 70 on stage — word is it’s a musical wonder with all of CVP’s usual beautiful trappings. It stars Ashley Willsey as Mary Poppins and Kyle McDonald as Bert. Read the Brevard Culture story by clicking here. Read a review by clicking here. Tickets cost $16 to $24. Cocoa Village Playhouse is at 300 Brevard Ave., Cocoa. Call 321-636-5050, visit CocoaVillagePlayhouse.com or click on their ad.

NEXT TO NORMAL runs through June 4 at Titusville Playhouse. This is a contemporary musical revolving around a woman with bipolar disorder and the effects on her family. Yes, it sounds like a most curious subject matter, but this is one of the best musicals created. It grabs you and doesn’t let go, just like theater is supposed to do. Tickets are $20 to $28. TPI is at 301 Julia St., Titusville. Call 321-268-1125, visit TitusvillePlayhouse.com or click on their ad.

Nightlife:

HEIDI’S JAZZ CLUB presents the incomparable Miss Jacqueline Jones 8:30 p.m. to midnight tonight. Although an Orlando resident, Miss Jones has appeared in major venues from Las Vegas to Atlantic City and sang the National Anthem for the televised World Cup. She is known for her “spirited blend of jazz, rhythm and blues and contempoary.” Cover charge is $10 plus a couple drinks. Heidi’s Jazz Club is at 7 N Orlando Ave, Cocoa Beach, FL. Call 321-783-4559, visit HeidisJazzClub.com or click on their ad.

COMEDY ZONE features stand up comics Mark Klein and Cam Bertrand Friday and Saturday evenings at Riverside Theatre in Vero Beach. Shows begin at 7:30 and 9:30 tonight and Saturday. Patrons to the Comedy Zone can also enjoy free music before the shows and casino games in the lobby. Riverside Theatre is at 3250 Riverside Drive, Vero Beach. Get there early and buy a burger and a beer if you like. Tickets begin at $16. Call 772-231-6990, visit RiversideTheatre.com or click onto their ad.

NOT QUITE RIGHT PLAYERS perform its longform show, “Long Story Short,” 8 p.m. Saturday. Read a story about NQR Players by clicking here. Tickets $12. Handling fees apply for all tickets. All performances are held at the Derek Gores Gallery, 587 W. Eau Gallie Blvd., Melbourne. Visit NQRComedy.com.

Music:

ORLANDO CABARET FESTIVAL runs through Sunday at Mad Cow Theatre. If you want to know more about the Cabaret Festival, click here. Mad Cow Theatre is at 54 West Church St. (second floor), downtown Orlando. Call 407.297.8788 or click the link above.

Exhibits:

FLORA & FIBER opens Saturday and runs runs through Aug. 26 at the Ruth Funk Center for the Arts. The exhibit, culled from the Textile Center’s permanent collection, is designed to show how plants inspire hand-weaving and dyeing and how they also inspire both the design and adornment in textile art especially in Asia and later in Europe and America. Look for a story about this exhibit later in BREVARD CULTURE. Regular hours are 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, 150 W. University Blvd. in Melbourne. Admission is free. More information click here or click on their ad.

A FAMILY AFFAIR art exhibit with works by Marlis and James Newman, runs through the month at the Fifth Avenue Art Gallery. Marlis is a beloved member of Brevard’s art community. A longtime member of the Fifth Avenue Art Gallery, she has created some of the most beautiful works around. The exhibit pairs her with her son, James, who studied with Eliot McMurrough and worked as a graphic artist at the University of Florida. The Fifth Avenue Art Gallery is at 1470 Highland Avenue, Melbourne. Regular hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays and 1 to 4 p.m. Sundays. Call 321-259-8261, visit FifthAvenueArtGallery.com or just click on their ad.

FROM NEW ENGLAND TO FLORIDA, a solo art show with watercolors and acrylic paintings by Susan Carden-Flicker, is on view throughout May at the Eau Gallie Public Library, 1521 Pineapple Avenue, Melbourne, FL. As the press release states, Susan’s love for art has been accelerated in part by a hearing disorder: “Hearing impaired since birth, Susan is visually more attuned to her surroundings and she paints her impressions of what she sees and feels into her landscapes and seascapes.” She is a member of the Strawbridge Art League and the Connecticut River Artisans Gallery in Essex, Connecticut.

PAN AMERICAN MODERNISM runs through July 29 at the Foosaner Art Museum. Organized by the University of Miami’s wonderful Lowe Museum, the exhibition comprises work by artists from 13 countries in North, South and Central American plus those living in the Caribbean between 1919 and 1979. Look for a story about this later in BREVARD CULTURE. 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. Call 321-674-8916, visit FoosanerArtMuseum.org or click on their ad.

Plan Ahead:

ALICE IN WONDERLAND with an adult cast opens June 2 and runs through June 11 at Surfside Playhouse. Call 321-783-3127 or click on their ad.

CLASSIC ALBUMS LIVE PRESENTS – THE BEATLES: 50TH ANNIVERSARY SGT PEPPER WITH THE BREVARD SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA performance takes place 7:30 p.m. June 1 at the King Center. The concert will be conducted by BSO Maestro Christopher Confessore. Call the King Center box off at 321-242-2219 or visit KingCenter.com.

ANIMAL CRACKERS runs June 2–July 2, 2017 in the Harriett Theatre at Mad Cow Theatre, 54 W. Church Street (second floor) in downtown Orlando. Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays and at 2:30 p.m. Sundays, with additional performances Saturday, June 2 at 2:30 p.m. and Mondays, June 12 and 19 at 7:30 p.m. Visit MadCowTheatre.com.