“Josh Recommends” for February 8, 2020 by Josh Garrick 

CINDERELLA by the Orlando Ballet 
Feb 14 to 16 
The whole Orlando Ballet Company is feeling like Cinderella these days having opened their “dream facility” just two weeks ago. How fitting to celebrate the idea that “DREAMS really do come true” than with CINDERELLA, presented by the Orlando Ballet. You’ll have a Ball (wink) with the notorious Stepsisters and the charming Fairy Godmother, (as a pumpkin turns into a carriage right before your eyes!) With choreography by Victoria Morgan, Prokofiev’s haunting score, and LIVE music provided by the Orlando Philharmonic, call 844.513.2014 or visit drphillipscenter.org 

Dancer: Kate-Lynn Robichaux; Photography by Michael Cairns

“Weekend of the Arts Open House” at the Morse Museum 
Feb 14 from 9:30 am to 8 pm
Feb 15 from 9:30 am to 4 pm 
Feb 16 from 1 pm to 4 pm 
That beautiful jewel of a museum – the Morse Museum of American Art will provide FREE admission during the City of Winter Park's Weekend of the Arts with LIVE music by the “Beautiful Music Paint It Black Quartet” (cello, flute, and violins) beginning at 5 pm on Friday. The Weekend of the Arts is an invitation to discover and re-discover the arts and culture to be found in Winter Park while being inspired with performances, exhibits, and activities at more than 20 arts organizations. The Museum is at 445 N Park Ave in Winter Park. Visit cityofwinterpark.org/arts-culture

Rick Singh’s Property TAX SAVINGS Expo
Feb 15 from 10:30 am to 2:30 pm at the Orlando Public Library 
Tax SAVINGS! What a concept!! Did you know the Homestead Exemption can reduce the taxable value of your primary residence by as much as $50,000? Join our friendly Orange County Property Appraiser Rick Singh at the “2020 Property Tax Savings Expo” to file before the deadline. Download the OCPA App to stay on top of updates and learn about other tax-saving benefits. You may also plan to attend a Web Demo. The Expo is FREE and open to the Public. Pre-register at attendify.co/2020-property-tax-savings

“Spring Bloom” at the Pinewood Estate at Bok Tower 
NOW to March 31 -- 10 am to 4 pm 
Truly “gilding the lily” of Central Florida’s most beautiful historical mansion, experience Pinewood Estate in full bloom with fresh floral displays throughout each of the 20 magnificent rooms of the home created for the Charles Austin Buck family. Tour the home and learn about the estate’s history including its Mediterranean-Revival architecture, furnishings, gardens and the cultural impact of the 1930s, 40s and 50s told through the stories of the first owner and family. Tickets: $5 members/ $7 non-members. Visit boktowergardens.org

“GIRL of the GOLDEN WEST” with Opera/Orlando 
FINAL PERFORMANCE -- Feb 9 at 2 pm 
Now that the Director of Opera/Orlando has WON his first Grammy (!!!!!), we are to be treated to an example of his brilliance as the opera “Girl of the Golden West” is sung in English and presented in the Wild West atmosphere of the Cheyenne Saloon in Down-town Orlando. I LOVE the way our “new” Opera Company re-invents itself AND the way in which they present Opera. Just think – an original “Golden West” atmosphere – with great singers and a shiny GRAMMY award on that bar-room shelf blessing the whole proceedings. Call 844.513.2014 or visit drphillipscenter.org 

“Men on Boats” at Mad Cow Theatre 
FINAL PERFORMANCE -- Feb 9
Ten explorers. Four boats. One GRAND Canyon. 150 years ago. “Men on Boats” is a semi-historical re-telling of the 1869 Powell expedition when one-armed Captain John Wesley Powell and a crew of amazingly loyal volunteers charted the course of the Colorado River. Jaclyn Backhaus's celebrated play questions the multi-layered myths of manifest destiny through gender-swapped colonial adventuring. Call 407-297-8788 ext 1 or visit madcowtheatre.com 

“Violet” at the Theater in Winter Garden 
FINAL PERFORMANCE -- Feb 9 
This curious folk-musical, with the very unlikely premise (for a musical) about a young lady who once had a hatchet scar on her face, “Violet” spends a decade trying to find a doctor to heal her disfigurement traveling cross-country with the hope of being healed. Along the way Violet’s real journey is to discover the meaning of true beauty. At the Garden Theatre in Winter Garden, call 407.877.4736 or visit gardentheatre.org 

“Pop Art Pop Up” Exhibit at City Arts Factory
Feb 20 to March 15 with “3rd Thursday Opening” Feb 20 from 6 pm to 9 pm
With what may be the most “fun” exhibit of the year, City Arts is celebrating “Pop Art” and the Pop Artists who celebrate commonplace objects (like a Campbell’s soup can) and seek to elevate ‘pop culture’ to the level of ‘fine art.’ The Pop art movement blurred the boundaries between "high" art and "pop" culture with the concept that Art may borrow from any source -- one of the most influential characteristics of Pop art. CityArts is at 39 S. Magnolia Ave in Downtown Orlando. 

“If the Bees go, We Go” hosted by Mills Gallery 
Feb 21 beginning at 6:30 pm to Feb 28 
The harsh reality is if the bees disappear from the earth, mankind would be in BIG Trouble. We would lose all the plants that bees pollinate, all the animals that eat those plants, and so on up the food chain. Artist Kristy Lee Green brings awareness to our fragile eco-system through her encaustic art. Encaustic is a mixed media technique that uses heated beeswax to which colored pigments have been added. The ‘Florida Wax Group’ is a union of Artists who work together using wax to create Art, and their organizational goal is to bring awareness to the plight of the bees while creating ‘Encaustic art.’ At 1650 Mills Ave in Orlando, visit thegalleryatmillspark.com

BEEHIVE -- The 60's Musical at the Winter Park Playhouse 
NOW to Feb 22 
Created by Larry Gallagher and told from the perspective of six women who came of age in the 1960s, this Off-Broadway musical recalls the days of miniskirts, transistor radios and flower power! In a semi-concert format, with comments about the period between songs, the show celebrates iconic female singers like Aretha Franklin, Diana Ross, Connie Francis and Lulu, and over 30 of the most memorable songs of the era including “My Boyfriend’s Back,” “Where the Boys Are,” “One Fine Day, and so many more! Call 407.645.0145 or visit winterparkplayhouse.org 

Anne of Green Gables at Orlando Repertory 
NOW to Feb 23 
This beautiful story, based on the beloved novel of an orphaned girl who finds not only a home, but a family, is a faithful dramatization of the beloved classic. Marilla and her brother request an orphan boy to help work their farm, but they are mistakenly sent the high-spirited red-head named Anne Shirley. Trials and tribulations come and pass, but Marilla and Matthew come to admit that Anne is the best thing that ever happened to them … AND Anne comes to understand she is a loved and a worthwhile person. Visit orlandrep.com or call 407.896.7365x1 

The Three MUSKETEERS, from the novel by Alexandre Dumas
NOW to March 22 at Orlando Shakespeare
Get ready to “swash your buckles” as Orlando Shakes presents “The Three Musketeers,” adapted from the classic novel by Alexandre Dumas. This often-comic, action-packed, ‘swashbuckler’ follows young d’Artagnan and his band of Musketeers as they fight to protect the ones they love from evil. This story of double crossings, kidnappings, and secrets comes with lavish sword fights and the “romance” of a time when love and honor (supposedly) ruled the world. Visit orlandoshakes.org or call 407.447.1700 x1 

 

Josh Garrick is the Florida Arts Editor for Wandering Educators