Florida Culture for the Week of October 2, 2016 by Josh Garrick
Submitted by Josh Garrick on Sun, 10/02/2016 - 22:48
Florida Culture for the Week of October 2, 2016 by Josh Garrick
October 4 to 9 – The Illusionists - Live From Broadway – at Dr. Phillips Center
This mind-blowing spectacular showcases the talents of nine incredible Illusionists. ‘The Illusionists – Live From Broadway’ has shattered box office records around the globe while dazzling audiences with some of the most outrageous acts ever seen. Packed with sophisticated magic, this show truly must be seen to be believed. Call 844.513.2014 or visit drphillipscenter.org
NOW to Oct 9 – ‘West Side Story’ at Orlando Shakespeare
This contemporary Romeo and Juliet story finds idealistic young lovers Maria and Tony caught between rival street gangs with their struggle to love and survive as moving as Shakespeare’s original. It is also brilliantly sung and brilliantly staged. With music by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, remaining performances are close to being SOLD OUT. Please do NOT miss this. Orlando Shakespeare keeps giving us – performance after performance – more reasons to be proud. Visit orlandoshakes.org
NOW to Oct 9 – ‘All Hands on Deck’ Brings (Bob) Hope to the Winter Park Playhouse
Bob Hope’s World War II USO tours for the troops made the man a legend in his own time. Now Mr. Hope is the inspiration for a new all singing, all dancing musical written, directed and choreographed by Jody Madaras at the Winter Park Playhouse. Join the happy audiences with timeless hits, vaudevillian antics and comedy for audiences of all ages. Call 407.645.0145 or visit winterparkplayhouse.org
NOW to Oct 9 – Christopher Durang Takes Us “Beyond Therapy”
What does director Wade Hair, of Breakthrough Theater, have up his sleeve with Christopher Durang’s 1981 Off-Broadway comedy “Beyond Therapy?” While Durang’s smart-mouth humor is always fun, the Therapy in the title is based on a gay man (with lover) wanting to date a woman. In 2016, the big therapy question would be “WHY” as we celebrate Orlando’s ‘Come Out With Pride.’ Call 407.920.4034 or visit breakthroughtheatre.com/tickets
Picture Credit: (front row) Dina Najjar, Jonathin Vazquez, Barry Wright
(top row) Craig Raymo, Christian Santiago, Kristin Pringle-Marksbury
NOW to Oct 9 -- TheatreWorks Florida presents ‘Rock of Ages!’
It’s the end of the 1980s in Hollywood, and the party goes on at the Sunset Strips' last venue where Stacee Jaxx rules the stage. Aspiring rock star (and janitor) Drew longs to take that stage, but the rock and roll fairy-tale will end if developers turn the fabled ‘Strip’ into a strip mall. Can Drew and the gang save the Strip before its too late? Duh – well – only the music of Styx, Journey, and Whitesnake holds the answer… Call 844.513.2014 or visit drphillipscenter.org
NOW to Oct. 23 – 1776 – the Founding ‘Mothers’ ! at Mad Cow Theatre
Move over Founding Fathers. The MOTHERS have arrived. Join John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and others as they hatch the ‘American Dream.’ Mad Cow presents 1776, a beloved Tony Award-winning musical celebrating the American Revolution… this time with a revolutionary new voice: ALL FEMALE. Call 407.297.8788 or visit madcowtheatre.com
NOW to December 16 – La NOUBA Discount for Florida’s First Responders
More timely than ever, our ‘resident’ Cirque du Soleil – La Nouba – is thanking those who keep Florida safe by offering First Responders (Florida police, firefighters and emergency medical personnel) tickets at 39% savings for themselves and up to five (5) guests per show. Florida First Responders may book at cirquedusoleil.com/la-nouba (Personnel ID is required) for shows running through December 16.
October 6, 7, 8 and 9 -- GARTH BROOKS’ World Tour at Orlando’s Amway Center
The Big Guy is back on a “World Tour.” Y’all KNOW Garth Brooks, and you each have your own reasons for wanting to be there, so here is the basic info on HOW to get the tickets that are left. (The first six hours of ticket sales for these four days was un-real). And he’s with Trisha Yearwood! At ticketmaster.com or ticketmaster.com/garthbrooks or call Ticketmaster Express 1-866-448-7849 or 1-800-745-3000
October 8 – The ‘Pulse Community’ Honored as ‘Marshals’ at 2016 Pride Parade
The 2016 ‘Come Out With Pride Festival,’ presented by Orlando City Soccer Club, will be Orlando’s largest in history as a symbol of unity after the June 12 tragedy at Pulse. The ‘Pulse Community’ will be honored as Pride Marshals in this year’s parade along with Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, and Commissioner Patty Sheehan. “This is a great opportunity for our entire community to come together to celebrate Orlando as a welcoming and inclusive city that embraces diversity,” says Mayor Dyer. Post-parade, Mayor Dyer and Commissioner Sheehan will participate in a rally at the Disney amphitheater along with celebrity guests Michelle Clunie, Peter Paige, Tony Award winner Michael Cerveris, Matteo Lane, Sabrina Jalees, and Eli Lieb. Visit comeoutwithpride.com
October 8 from 11 am to 7 pm – The Festival of BACON at the Dr. Phillips Center
On October 8 thousands of people will descend on Orlando to celebrate all things covered, wrapped, and smothered in bacon. The Dr. Phillips Center’s Great Lawn will be transformed into an 8-hour ‘BACON Bonanza’ featuring top restaurants and food vendors creating bacon-inspired dishes as they compete to win the coveted "Best of Bacon" award. Festival leaders anticipate 5,000 pounds of bacon being cooked for more than 8,000 bacon lovers who travel far and wide to find a new bacon treat. Visit festivalofbacon.com
October 8 at 7:30 pm – Bennett Harmon and the Orlando Big Band
A staged tribute to the big band greats of the '30s, 40s, and 50s, ‘Swingin’ with the Big Band’ celebrates the generation that boogied to big band rhythms. Hear the music of Glenn Miller, Gene Krupa, Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw and Cab Calloway performed by a full 20 piece orchestra that perfectly recreates the 40's sound with the ‘Andrews Sisters,’ and Swing Dancers on-stage. This show is at the Bob Carr Theater so please allow extra time as there is road construction around the Theater. Call 844.513.2014 or visit drphillipscenter.org
Oct 8 & 9 – Winter Park Autumn Art Festival – ‘Celebrating Florida Artists’
The Winter Park Chamber of Commerce is proud to host the Winter Park Autumn Art Festival each year on the second weekend in October. This family-oriented sidewalk show presents the only juried fine art festival to feature Florida artists exclusively along with live entertainment for the whole family. Artists from across the state apply to showcase their works, and from those talented applicants, 180 artists are selected to exhibit. Held in Winter Park’s beautiful Central Park, the 43rd Annual Festival will be held on October 8 and 9 from 9 am to 5 pm on both days. Admission is FREE. Visit autumnartfestival.org
Oct 10 to Nov 13 – ‘Rock the Presidents’ at Orlando Rep
Orlando Rep’s new show is a rock, hip-hop, blues, pop, jazz, reggae, and country musical spanning the history of the American Presidency – from George Washington to Barack Obama. The Presidents are brought to life through original songs including a way for audiences of all ages to learn something about our nation’s history. Parental Age-Appropriate Note: Lincoln’s legacy and Kennedy’s assassination are included with songs that contain the words ‘pistol’ and ‘bullets.’ Call 407.896.7365 or visit orlandorep.com
October 12 at 10 am and at 1 pm – TWO Presentations at the Winter Park Garden Club
October 12 is a busy day at the Winter Park Garden Club with Lisa Robinette, of the Bromeliad Society of Central Florida, presenting a talk about bromeliads at 10 am. (She will also bring some to sell). Then at 1 pm, Cathy Bowers and Emily Bader will demonstrate how to create autumn arrangements using lanterns as vases. That talk is $25. Both presentations take Winter Park Garden Club at 1300 S. Denning Drive in Winter Park. Reserve for either or both at 407.644.5770
Oct 12 to Nov 13 -- Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde at Orlando Shakes
It’s more than co-incidental that Orlando Shakes will present the Jekyll/Hyde story by Robert Louis Stevenson near All Hollow’s Eve. Frustrated by dull respectability in Victorian London, Dr. Jekyll creates a potion to unleash his inner bestial nature. The potion transforms Dr. Jekyll into the brutish Edward Hyde who lives the ‘high life’ until Hyde's passions lead to murder. Fascinating and deviant, the play captivates audiences who experience the play’s moral lesson while watching the lead actor transform before them. For tickets, call 407.447.1700 or visit orlandoshakes.org
Oct 13, 14 & 16 – Leonard Bernstein’s CANDIDE with the Orlando Philharmonic
In our mini-Bernstein Festival (see Orlando Shakes’ West Side Story), Voltaire’s satire of innocence and optimism is joined with Leonard Bernstein’s Tony Award-winning score to create Candide, in which a young man sets off with friends to find the ‘meaning of life.’ BUT – their journey includes war, kidnapping, murder and shipwreck. Fully costumed and staged, and sung in English, the October 13 Opening Night performance will be followed by a Q & A with Maestro Eric Jacobsen. Call 407.770.0071 or visit orlandophil.org
October 13 to 31 – Phantasmagoria VII: The Cards They Are Dealt
Be VERY afraid. Phantasmagoria’s troupe of ‘Steampunk Survivors’ are more dangerous than gypsy fortune-tellers, and they are joined by dancers, soldiers, puppeteers, and fire-breathers as they embark on new journeys through the dark tales of Poe, Lovecraft, Wilde, and M.R. James. For your Halloween season, trick or treat yourself to the all new PHANTASMAGORIA VII "The Cards They Are Dealt" at the Shakespeare Center. OMG – the October 31 performance is the Troupe’s 100th Main-stage show; not sure my heart could handle that one! … and don’t say I didn’t warn you. For tickets – visit orlandoatplay.com
October 14 & 15 at 8 pm – Chicago’s ‘Second City’ Hits Orlando
Sponsored by Kathie and Bill Hohns, Chicago’s legendary Improv Comedy Theater comes to the Dr. Phillips Center to celebrate 55 years of satire with a new show of comedy sketches, songs and improvs about Orlando, along with material from the Second City archives. This ‘must-see night’ features Chicago’s brightest comedy stars finding laughs in everything from Orlando’s history to classic sketches created by Second City’s amazing alumni, including Tina Fey, Stephen Colbert, Steve Carell, Gilda Radner and more. Call 844.513.2014 or visit drphillipscenter.org
(top row) Craig Raymo, Christian Santiago, Kristin Pringle-Marksbury
NOW to Oct 9 -- TheatreWorks Florida presents ‘Rock of Ages!’
It’s the end of the 1980s in Hollywood, and the party goes on at the Sunset Strips' last venue where Stacee Jaxx rules the stage. Aspiring rock star (and janitor) Drew longs to take that stage, but the rock and roll fairy-tale will end if developers turn the fabled ‘Strip’ into a strip mall. Can Drew and the gang save the Strip before its too late? Duh – well – only the music of Styx, Journey, and Whitesnake holds the answer… Call 844.513.2014 or visit drphillipscenter.org
NOW to Oct. 23 – 1776 – the Founding ‘Mothers’ ! at Mad Cow Theatre
Move over Founding Fathers. The MOTHERS have arrived. Join John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and others as they hatch the ‘American Dream.’ Mad Cow presents 1776, a beloved Tony Award-winning musical celebrating the American Revolution… this time with a revolutionary new voice: ALL FEMALE. Call 407.297.8788 or visit madcowtheatre.com
NOW to December 16 – La NOUBA Discount for Florida’s First Responders
More timely than ever, our ‘resident’ Cirque du Soleil – La Nouba – is thanking those who keep Florida safe by offering First Responders (Florida police, firefighters and emergency medical personnel) tickets at 39% savings for themselves and up to five (5) guests per show. Florida First Responders may book at cirquedusoleil.com/la-nouba (Personnel ID is required) for shows running through December 16.
October 6, 7, 8 and 9 -- GARTH BROOKS’ World Tour at Orlando’s Amway Center
The Big Guy is back on a “World Tour.” Y’all KNOW Garth Brooks, and you each have your own reasons for wanting to be there, so here is the basic info on HOW to get the tickets that are left. (The first six hours of ticket sales for these four days was un-real). And he’s with Trisha Yearwood! At ticketmaster.com or ticketmaster.com/garthbrooks or call Ticketmaster Express 1-866-448-7849 or 1-800-745-3000
October 8 – The ‘Pulse Community’ Honored as ‘Marshals’ at 2016 Pride Parade
The 2016 ‘Come Out With Pride Festival,’ presented by Orlando City Soccer Club, will be Orlando’s largest in history as a symbol of unity after the June 12 tragedy at Pulse. The ‘Pulse Community’ will be honored as Pride Marshals in this year’s parade along with Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, and Commissioner Patty Sheehan. “This is a great opportunity for our entire community to come together to celebrate Orlando as a welcoming and inclusive city that embraces diversity,” says Mayor Dyer. Post-parade, Mayor Dyer and Commissioner Sheehan will participate in a rally at the Disney amphitheater along with celebrity guests Michelle Clunie, Peter Paige, Tony Award winner Michael Cerveris, Matteo Lane, Sabrina Jalees, and Eli Lieb. Visit comeoutwithpride.com
October 8 from 11 am to 7 pm – The Festival of BACON at the Dr. Phillips Center
On October 8 thousands of people will descend on Orlando to celebrate all things covered, wrapped, and smothered in bacon. The Dr. Phillips Center’s Great Lawn will be transformed into an 8-hour ‘BACON Bonanza’ featuring top restaurants and food vendors creating bacon-inspired dishes as they compete to win the coveted "Best of Bacon" award. Festival leaders anticipate 5,000 pounds of bacon being cooked for more than 8,000 bacon lovers who travel far and wide to find a new bacon treat. Visit festivalofbacon.com
October 8 at 7:30 pm – Bennett Harmon and the Orlando Big Band
A staged tribute to the big band greats of the '30s, 40s, and 50s, ‘Swingin’ with the Big Band’ celebrates the generation that boogied to big band rhythms. Hear the music of Glenn Miller, Gene Krupa, Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw and Cab Calloway performed by a full 20 piece orchestra that perfectly recreates the 40's sound with the ‘Andrews Sisters,’ and Swing Dancers on-stage. This show is at the Bob Carr Theater so please allow extra time as there is road construction around the Theater. Call 844.513.2014 or visit drphillipscenter.org
Oct 8 & 9 – Winter Park Autumn Art Festival – ‘Celebrating Florida Artists’
The Winter Park Chamber of Commerce is proud to host the Winter Park Autumn Art Festival each year on the second weekend in October. This family-oriented sidewalk show presents the only juried fine art festival to feature Florida artists exclusively along with live entertainment for the whole family. Artists from across the state apply to showcase their works, and from those talented applicants, 180 artists are selected to exhibit. Held in Winter Park’s beautiful Central Park, the 43rd Annual Festival will be held on October 8 and 9 from 9 am to 5 pm on both days. Admission is FREE. Visit autumnartfestival.org
Oct 10 to Nov 13 – ‘Rock the Presidents’ at Orlando Rep
Orlando Rep’s new show is a rock, hip-hop, blues, pop, jazz, reggae, and country musical spanning the history of the American Presidency – from George Washington to Barack Obama. The Presidents are brought to life through original songs including a way for audiences of all ages to learn something about our nation’s history. Parental Age-Appropriate Note: Lincoln’s legacy and Kennedy’s assassination are included with songs that contain the words ‘pistol’ and ‘bullets.’ Call 407.896.7365 or visit orlandorep.com
October 12 at 10 am and at 1 pm – TWO Presentations at the Winter Park Garden Club
October 12 is a busy day at the Winter Park Garden Club with Lisa Robinette, of the Bromeliad Society of Central Florida, presenting a talk about bromeliads at 10 am. (She will also bring some to sell). Then at 1 pm, Cathy Bowers and Emily Bader will demonstrate how to create autumn arrangements using lanterns as vases. That talk is $25. Both presentations take Winter Park Garden Club at 1300 S. Denning Drive in Winter Park. Reserve for either or both at 407.644.5770
Oct 12 to Nov 13 -- Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde at Orlando Shakes
It’s more than co-incidental that Orlando Shakes will present the Jekyll/Hyde story by Robert Louis Stevenson near All Hollow’s Eve. Frustrated by dull respectability in Victorian London, Dr. Jekyll creates a potion to unleash his inner bestial nature. The potion transforms Dr. Jekyll into the brutish Edward Hyde who lives the ‘high life’ until Hyde's passions lead to murder. Fascinating and deviant, the play captivates audiences who experience the play’s moral lesson while watching the lead actor transform before them. For tickets, call 407.447.1700 or visit orlandoshakes.org
Oct 13, 14 & 16 – Leonard Bernstein’s CANDIDE with the Orlando Philharmonic
In our mini-Bernstein Festival (see Orlando Shakes’ West Side Story), Voltaire’s satire of innocence and optimism is joined with Leonard Bernstein’s Tony Award-winning score to create Candide, in which a young man sets off with friends to find the ‘meaning of life.’ BUT – their journey includes war, kidnapping, murder and shipwreck. Fully costumed and staged, and sung in English, the October 13 Opening Night performance will be followed by a Q & A with Maestro Eric Jacobsen. Call 407.770.0071 or visit orlandophil.org
October 13 to 31 – Phantasmagoria VII: The Cards They Are Dealt
Be VERY afraid. Phantasmagoria’s troupe of ‘Steampunk Survivors’ are more dangerous than gypsy fortune-tellers, and they are joined by dancers, soldiers, puppeteers, and fire-breathers as they embark on new journeys through the dark tales of Poe, Lovecraft, Wilde, and M.R. James. For your Halloween season, trick or treat yourself to the all new PHANTASMAGORIA VII "The Cards They Are Dealt" at the Shakespeare Center. OMG – the October 31 performance is the Troupe’s 100th Main-stage show; not sure my heart could handle that one! … and don’t say I didn’t warn you. For tickets – visit orlandoatplay.com
October 14 & 15 at 8 pm – Chicago’s ‘Second City’ Hits Orlando
Sponsored by Kathie and Bill Hohns, Chicago’s legendary Improv Comedy Theater comes to the Dr. Phillips Center to celebrate 55 years of satire with a new show of comedy sketches, songs and improvs about Orlando, along with material from the Second City archives. This ‘must-see night’ features Chicago’s brightest comedy stars finding laughs in everything from Orlando’s history to classic sketches created by Second City’s amazing alumni, including Tina Fey, Stephen Colbert, Steve Carell, Gilda Radner and more. Call 844.513.2014 or visit drphillipscenter.org
Josh Garrick is the Florida Arts Editor for Wandering Educators
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