By PAM HARBAUGH

A word to all you First Friday strollers: CANCELLED. Due to weather worries, the Eau Gallie Arts District has cancelled tonight’s planned festivities. HOWEVER…you can still head to the Fifth Avenue Art Gallery for a reception of its new exhibition (read below for more on that). And of course, there’s always the theater…new show opens tonight at Surfside Playhouse, by the way.

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

Theater:

ALICE IN WONDERLAND opens tonight and runs through June 11 at Surfside Playhouse in Cocoa Beach. Some big community theater names are strutting their dramatic/comic stuff in this production, which is directed by Bryan Bergeron. Perfect timing for an absurd story given all the curiouser and curiouser stuff going on in Washington. Read a story about it by clicking here. Surfside Playhouse is at 301 Ramp Road (5th Street South), Cocoa Beach. The show performs at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays. Tickets start at $25 with discounts for students, seniors and military. Call 321- 783-3127, visit SurfsidePlayers.com or click on their ad.

THE GLASS MENAGERIE 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. Melbourne Civic Theatre is at 817 Strawbridge Ave., Melbourne. The show performs 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays. Tickets are $29 and $31. Handling charges may apply. Call 321-723-6935, visit MyMCT.org or click on their ad.

ANIMAL CRACKERS opens tonight and runs through July 2 at Mad Cow Theatre in Orlando. What makes this especially appealing for Brevard audiences is that our very own Margaret Cross is in the cast. This Marx Brothers “wacky romp” turns a dignified weekend party into lunacy filled with visual gags, puns and more Marx Bros. mayhem. Mad Cow Theatre is at 54 W. Church Street (second floor) in downtown Orlando. Tickets start at $33. 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.

NEXT TO NORMAL runs through Sunday 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.

THE BOOK OF LIZ will have a public reading at the MCT Playread Series, 2 p.m. Saturday. The play is by siblings David and Amy Sedaris. Admission is free, but a donation of at least $5 is encouraged. Melbourne Civic Theatre is at 817 Strawbridge Ave., Melbourne. Call 321-723-6935, visit MyMCT.org or click on their ad.

FINDING NEVERLAND opens Tuesday and runs through June 11 at Dr. Phillips Center in Orlando. This is a stunning show, with inventive use of props and a story that weaves into a sweet surprise that settles into the new theatrical genre, if you will, of “backstory.” This time, it’s about Peter Pan. Tickets start at $33.75. Dr. Phillips Center is at 445 S. Magnolia Avenue, Orlando. Call 844-513-2014 or visit DrPhillipsCenter.org.

Für die Kinder:

DISNEY’S ALLADIN JUNIOR runs through Sunday at the Cocoa Village Playhouse. It is being performed by students in CVP’s Stars of Tomorrow children’s program. Curtain is 7:30 p.m. today and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $11 to $13. The Cocoa Village Playhouse is at 300 Brevard Ave., Cocoa. Call 321-636-5050, visit CocoaVillagePlayhouse.com or click on their ad.

Dance:

BETWEEN THE LINES, the 35th recital for the Dance Arts Center, performs 7 p.m. Saturday at the Henegar Center. The program features students from ages 3 to 18 performing various styles of technical dance. Tickets are $15 plus a $3 handling fee. The Henegar is at 625 E. New Haven Ave., Melbourne. Call 321-723-8698, visit Henegar.org or click on their ad.

Saturday, June 3 at 7:00 PM

Nightlife & Concerts:

HEIDI’S JAZZ CLUB is busy this weekend with some great entertainment, a wonderful bar and a super bar menu. On stage tonight are Steve Kirsner & Friends 5 to 8 p.m. followed by the Ron Teixeira Trio. Saturday Hella joins the Ron Teixeira Trio from 8 p.m. to midnight. And Sunday is the always fun Jam Session from 7 to 11 p.m. Heidi’s 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 Philly Plowden and Juanita Lolita 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 Improv Show begins 8 p.m. Saturday at the Derek Gores Gallery, 587 W. Eau Gallie Blvd., Melbourne. Tickets are 16.82 each with discounts for students. Visit NQRcomedy.com.

Exhibits:

FABRICATIONS, an exhibition of art by Gabriele DiTota, opens tonight and runs through June at the Fifth Avenue Art Gallery. DiTota is the winner of the gallery’s annual 100% Pure Florida juried exhibition. She will be there 5 to 8:30 p.m. this evening for a meet and greet and to talk about her unique organic fabric art. DiTota was born in Germany where he mother was a seamstress, so fabrics had an early influence on her. Her art quilts have been exhibited throughout America, England, Ireland and Australia and have been represented in publications as well. As the press releases states: “Matching seams and meticulous piecing were her first efforts in textile art fabrication, but they quickly gave way to a more organic, raw edge approach to quilting. Surface design techniques including monoprinting, mark making, dyeing, discharging and screen-printing help Gabriele create the unique fabrics she uses in her art works.” 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.

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. 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.

FLORA & FIBER 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. 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.

CAPTURED: A PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBIT opens tonight and runs through June 16 at the Studios of Cocoa Beach, 165 Minutemen Causeway. The exhibit features work of area photographers Ray Baldino, Rebecca Gomme, Rene Griffith, Jim Kalupa, Don Martin, Mark Mittleman and Nancy Williamson. This evening’s opening includes wine and chocolates and a meet and greet. The Studios of Cocoa Beach is a cooperative gallery featuring 25 plus local artists presenting painting, graphics, watercolor, photography, jewelry, pottery, fibers, basketry, sculpture and more. Call 321-613-3480 or visit StudiosOfCocoaBeach.org.

Call for Art:

12th ANNUAL 100% PURE FLORIDA Juried Show at The Fifth Avenue Art Gallery, 1470 Highland Avenue, Melbourne, FL. Call for art is open to all Florida artists. Entries must be postmarked by July 8. The show runs Aug. 29 to Sept. 30, 2017. Entry form available online at FifthAvenueArtGallery.com.

CHILDRENS’ SEA TURTLE ART CONTEST invites children in grades K – 8 to submit artwork with the theme “Protecting Sea Turtle Habitat.” Deadline is Monday. Take the entry to the Downtown Art Gallery, 335 W. Washington Ave., Titusville. The art will be on display from June 9-17 in conjunction with 7th Annual Titusville Sea Turtle Festival.
Call 321-268-0122 or visit titusvilleseaturtlefestival.com.

Plan Ahead:

SUPERIOR DONUTS opens next Friday, June 9, at Theater on the Edge in Orlando. It features three Brevard actors — Allan Whitehead, Nelia Lake and Zack Roundy — and Vero Beach actor Cecilia Gazzara. Directed by moi. Learn more about it by clicking here.

NUNSENSE the SECOND COMING runs June 23 to July 2 at Cocoa Village Playhouse. Click here.

THE EARTH ALIVE exhibit at the Art Gallery of Viera will benefit the Brevard Zoo Teen Summit runs June 8th through July 2.