By PAM HARBAUGH
Sink into the rapture this weekend courtesy of exquisite Mozart concert at the King Center (read below). Delight in an unusual musical opening on the Henegar’s mainstage. Visit with beloved and accomplished artists tonight during Eau Gallie Arts District First Friday. And enjoy handful of goodies for young audiences as well. It all awaits.
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Area Theater:
HANDS ON A HARDBODY opens tonight and runs through May 21 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. Watch for a story about this soon in Brevard Culture. 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.
From the Henegar’s HANDS ON A HARDBODY. Photo by Dana Niemeier.
THE GLASS MENAGERIE runs through May 7 at Titusville Playhouse 2nd Stage. This is one of Tennessee Williams classic dramas. Tickets are $15. TPI is at 301 Julia St., Titusville. Call 321-268-1125, visit TitusvillePlayhouse.com or click on their ad.
MARY POPPINS the Musical runs through May 21 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. 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.
MARY POPPINS the Musical at Cocoa Village Playhouse Photo by Goforth Photography.
SHAKESPEARE FOR KIDS performs 7 p.m. tonight and 2 p.m. Saturday at Surfside Playhouse, 301 Ramp Road (5th Street South), Cocoa Beach. Tickets are $10 at the door. Call 321-783-3127, visit SurfsidePlayers.com or click on their ad.
Professional Theater:
MATILDA runs opens Wednesday and runs to May 14 at Dr. Phillips Center in Orlando. This is the first national tour of the award winning Broadway blockbuster musical based on a novel by Roald Dahl and about a precocious, imaginative girl finding individuality in a world of adults who call children “maggots.” Tickets start at $33.75. Dr. Phillips Center is at 445 S. Magnolia Avenue, Orlando. Call 844.513.2014, or visit DrPhillipsCenter.org.
From MATILDA. Photo by Joan Marcus.
PINKALICIOUS the Musical runs through Saturday at Orlando Shakes. Based on the popular children’s book, Pinkalicious is about a little girl with such a big craving for pink cupcakes, she turns pink. Tickets are $14 to $18. The show performs 2 and 4:30 p.m. Saturday at the Lowndes Shakespeare Center, 812 E. Rollins Ave., Orlando. Call 407-447-1700 or visit OrlandoShakes.org.
Concerts:
REQUIEM MASS IN D MINOR will be performed by the 100-plus voices of the Brevard Community Chorus and select players from the Brevard Symphony Orchestra 7:30 p.m. Saturay at the King Center. The concert will be conducted by Dr. Robert E. Lamb. Mozart’s famed Requiem Mass in D minor will probably be familiar to even those not steeped in classical music — it was in the soundtrack to the film “Amadeus.” You can listen to a recorded performance here:
Nightlife:
COMEDY ZONE features stand up comics Spanky Brown and Rico Sita 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.
CARL PALMER, the drummer from Emerson Lake & Palmer, will perform in CARL PALMER’S ELP LEGACY TOUR 7:30 p.m. Monday in the King Center’s Studio Theatre. Tickets begin at $56. The King Center is at 3865 N. Wickham Rd., Melbourne. Call 321-242-2219 or visit KingCenter.com or click on their ad.
HELLA performs Saturday evening at Heid’s Jazz Lounge in Cocoa Beach. She will be accompanied by the terrific Ron Teixeira Trio. The music runs 8:30 to midnight today and Saturday. 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.
Exhibits:
A FAMILY AFFAIR art exhibit with works by Marlis and James Newman, opens tonight and 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. Meet both artists at tonight’s FIRST FRIDAY, 5:30 pm until 8:30 p.m. 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.
“Sunset with Sailboat” by James Newman
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.
LAZY RIVER AFTERNOON, an acrylic by Susan Carden-Flicker
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.
A detail from the untitled 1945 oil-on-wood painting by the Cuban-born artist José Mijares. Collection of Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami.
Etc:
SURFSIDE PLAYHOUSE PLAYWRITING COMPETITION has a deadline of this Sunday with performances scheduled for June 30 to July 2. Needed are full length straight plays with a running time of at least 90 minutes. For a complete set of rules, click visit SurfsidePlayers.com or click on their ad.
Plan Ahead:
NEXT TO NORMAL opens May 12 at Titusville Playhouse. This is Brevard theater’s debut of this extraordinary contemporary musical. Visit TitusvillePlayhouse.com or click on their ad.
The 15th annual Orlando Cabaret Festival will run May 13-21 at Mad Cow Theatre, 54 West Church St. (second floor), downtown Orlando. Tickets can be purchased through the Mad Cow box office at 407.297.8788 or at orlandocabaret.com.
THE GLASS MENAGERIE opens May 19 at Melbourne Civic Theatre. Visit MyMCT.org or click on their ad.
