By PAM HARBAUGH
Although those damn hippies are back, the big kid on the block this weekend will be the annual Cultural Arts Showcase. Find some wiggle room in your Sunday schedule to attend.
Be sure to click on ads for the organizations supporting Brevard Culture. Thank you.
Theater:
HAIR opens tonight and runs through Oct. 14 at Titusville Playhouse. This iconic ’60s “Age of Aquarius” musical is about the leader of a hippie tribe getting drafted. Although that little plot line is barely visible through all the sunshine that the tribe lets in. It’s always a fun show with devotees both on stage and in the audience. It’s rated “R” because of adult content including ephemeral nudity. Tickets are $21 to $29. Titusville Playhouse is at 301 Julia St., Titusville, FL. Call 321-268-1125 or visit TitusvillePlayhouse.com.
HAIR the musical on stage at Titusville Playhouse. Photo by Niko Stamos.
THE LITTLE MERMAID opens tonight and runs to Oct. 7 at Cocoa Village Playhouse. That’s right, after playing at every other theater it seems in the area, this Disney musical spawned by the Hans Christian Anderson tail..er, tale…has found its way to CVP. Tickets range from $18 to $26. CVP is at 300 Brevard Ave., Cocoa. Call 321-636-5050, visit CocoaVillagePlayhouse.com or click on their ad.
BLITHE SPIRIT runs through Sept. 23 at Surfside Playhouse. The Noel Coward comedy is directed by Bryan Bergeron and concerns a famous novelist turning to a psychic after being haunted by his late first wife. It performs 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays. Tickets are $25 general, $22 military, students and seniors. Surfside Playhouse is at 301 Ramp Road (5th Street South), Cocoa Beach, FL. Call 321-783-3127, visit SurfsidePlayers.com or click on their ad.
IN THE HEIGHTS runs through Oct. 7 at Orlando Shakes. This uplifting musical was a break-out musical for Lin Manuel Miranda. It performs generally at 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays. Tickets begin at $20 for matinees and $34 evening performances. Orlando Shakes is at 812 E Rollins St, Orlando, FL. Call 407-447-1700 or visit OrlandoShakes.org.
Events:
6th ANNUAL CULTURAL ARTS SHOWCASE runs noon to 5 p.m. Sunday at the King Center. You’ll find artists, performers, musicians, actors and more involved in the upcoming cultural season. There are short performances and meet and greets and, of course, the main attraction — the Brevard Symphony Orchestra’s Free Family Concert which begins 2 p.m. Sunday. The BSO’s “Instrument Petting Zoo” allows children of all ages to try their hand at musical instruments. It’s really a fun event and I hope you go. For more information about the lineup, click here. The Cultural Arts Showcase is held in the rotunda, on the stage, in the studio theater, on the lawn…all over the King Center, 3865 N. Wickham Rd., Melbourne.
Family Fun at the Cultural Arts Showcase
Nightlife, Music and More:
THE KING CENTER presents BLAKE AARON, BRIAN SIMPSON, PAUL TAYLOR 7:30 p.m. Saturday in its Studio Theatre. Tickets start at $64. King Center is at 3865 N. Wickham Rd., Melbourne. Call 321-242-2219, visit KingCenter.com or click on their ad.
COMEDY ZONE features stand up comics Dean Napolitano and Vinny Santino 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 start at $12. Call 772-231-6990, visit RiversideTheatre.com or click onto their ad.
Exhibits:
WANDERING SPIRIT: AFRICAN WAX PRINTS runs through Dec. 15 at Florida Institute of Technology’s Ruth Funk Center for Textile Arts. It is a tribute to the century-old handmade designs and patterns on textiles that originated in Indonesia and were copied and industrialized by Europeans and exported to West Africa. THE TALKING GOURD: A SURVEY OF AFRICAN’S INNOVATIONS IN PRINTS & PLACES illustrated lecture given by Janine Yvette Bell, will begin 6 p.m. Tuesday in the Hartley Room at Florida Tech’s Denius Student Center. The talk kicks off the fall Friends of Textiles Lecture Series. Bell, the award winning founder and artistic director of the Elegba Folklore Society in Richmond, Virginia, will also play the “sekere,” a traditional Yoruba musical instrument made from a beaded gourd. The Ruth Funk Center is on the campus of Florida Tech, 150 W. University Ave., Melbourne. Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays and noon to 4 p.m. Saturdays. Admission to the exhibit is free. Admission to the lecture is $10 general and free to Friends of Textiles members, full time Florida Tech students, faculty and staff with I.D. Call 321-674-8313 or click here.
Janine Yvette Bell, founder and artistic director of Elegba Folklore Society
A LOOK BACK: FORTY YEARS OF THE FOOSANER COLLECTION exhibit runs through Nov. 3 at the Foosaner Art Museum. Selections come from the Foosaner’s wonderful 5,000-piece collection, which includes works by big name Pop artists Jim Dine, Robert Rauschenberg and John Chamberlain, celebrated photography of Clive Butcher, fabulous women artists Jennifer Bartlett and Viola Frey and award winning artists with a Brevard connection Larry Leach, Frits van Eeden and George Snyder. Also selected will be pieces from the Foosaner’s ancient American pottery and art deco objects collection. The Foosaner is at 1463 Highland Ave, Melbourne, FL. Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Admission is free. Call 321-674-8916 or visit FoosanerArtMuseum.org.
TEACHER’S PET runs through the month at the Fifth Avenue Art Gallery. The exhibit features several of Brevard County’s private art instructors’ work displayed with a few of their students’ works in Teacher’s Pet. The Fifth Avenue Art Gallery is at 1470 Highland Avenue, Melbourne, FL. Call 321-259-8261 or visit FifthAvenueArtGallery.com.
“Summer Song” from Teacher’s Pet exhibit at the Fifth Avenue Art Gallery
Auditions:
For more complete info on upcoming auditions, click here.
Plan Ahead:
HEIDI’S JAZZ LOUNGE is on vacation until Sept. 26 when it returns with Steve Kirsner (Wednesday and Friday), Sybil Gage (Thursday), Hella (Saturday) and the Ron Teixeira Trio (Friday and Saturday).
