“Josh Recommends” for the Week of May 19, 2018 By Josh Garrick 

‘Music to the Rescue!’ Presented by the CFCArts Young Artists Orchestra
May 20 at 6 pm 
With great music comes great responsibility. CFCArts’ young musicians will perform some of the most recognizable movie themes from everyone’s favorite action/adventure films including Batman, Spiderman, The Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, Wonder Woman, Dr. Strange, and more!!! Do not miss this larger-than-life performance by the CFCArts Young Artists Orchestra at Apopka High School at 555 Martin Street in Apopka. For tickets, call the CFCArts Box Office at 407-937-1800 x 710 

Fine Art Photography Exhibit -- “Margaret Bourke-White's Different World” 
May 24 to August 26 
As a young photographer, the trail-blazing Margaret Bourke-White pursued a (then-unique) documentary vision. Her photographs of Russia were the first images produced by a foreign artist in that country under Stalin. Later, following her pioneering role as a woman photo-journalist in World War II, she produced startling and emotional images of the liberation of the Buchenwald concentration camp, resulting in some of the most powerful photographic works of the 20th century. This exhibit focuses exclusively on her work abroad as she documented pivotal moments of change in politics, cultural shifts, and class transformations.
At the Cornell Art Museum at Rollins College, call 407.646.2526 or visit rollins.edu/cornell-fine-arts-museum/exhibitions/2018/margaret-bourke-white.html

Margaret Bourke-White, (American, 1904–1971), Bolshevik Babies in the Nursery: AMO Automobile Factory, 1931, Photogravure print, 16 in. x 20 in

Orlando Science Center Presents the “Hall of Heroes” 
May 26 to September 3
Join the world of superheroes, crime-fighters and spies in the Hall of Heroes! Find yourself in the middle of the action through several themed adventures with surprises around every corner. Combine science and science fiction and discover your own super powers as you push boundaries to become a true HERO! Can you defuse a bomb? Can you ‘stay cool’ – in the Laser Lab. You’ll see the Batmobile – WITH an interactive Batcave and other movie props with something for the whole family at the Science Center in Loch Haven Park, visit osc.org or call 407.514.2000 
 
Second Harvest Food Bank presents: Disney Boardwalk Resort Chefs
May 31 from 6 pm to 9 pm 
Chef's Night is an evening at the impressive Second Harvest Food Bank featuring Florida's best chefs and cuisine to benefit the Community Kitchen's Culinary Training Program, which provides economically disadvantaged adults with the skills and training needed to pursue a career in the food industry. Support of Chef's Night helps those in need out of poverty. The Disney Chefs will be led by Andrew Larkin, Executive Chef of Disney's Boardwalk Resort. The $75 ticket includes 5-course dinner, drinks, wine and beer at 411 Mercy Drive in Orlando. Call 407.295.1066 or visit feedhopenow.org 

Star Trek meets Mozart in “The Abduction from the Seraglio”
May 31 and June 2 at 7:30 pm at The Plaza Live 
Going “where no opera has gone before,” our adventurous Opera Orlando will present the Pacific Opera Project’s ‘unique’ production of Mozart’s 1782 comic opera. “The Abduction from the Seraglio’s” mix of comedy with Mozart’s music made it a major hit, (shocking audiences with references to the exotic harems of the Ottoman Empire). Up-dated to ‘the future,’ Opera Orlando finds the dastardly Klingons have abducted Lt. Uhura. But take heart. Our stalwart opera company will join the Starship Enterprise to rescue the beloved Uhura. Josh Shaw, who conceived, scripted, and directed the adaptation, will direct the Orlando performances, (sung in English), with the Orlando Philharmonic performing. Visit OperaOrlando.org or call 407.512.1900. 

CFCArts 4th Annual (Theatre) Fundraiser
June 1 at 6 pm 
If you want to help out the ‘Theatre’ part of the CFCArts phenomenon, sign up for the fundraiser for CFCArts scheduled for June 1. The evening will include light hors d’oeuvres, cocktails (for purchase), Live Performances (and I’m really hoping that will include Trevor Southworth singing “Being Alive” from their recent production of Company!!!); Awards for Season 3, and the announcement of their 4th Season. Held at The Mezz in downtown Orlando valet parking is available, with plenty of parking garages nearby. Call the CFCArts Box Office at 407-937-1800 x 710 

Tony Award Winning Musical – “Fun Home” at the Mad Cow Theatre 
June 1 to July 1
Winner of five Tony Awards including Best Musical, Fun Home is a tragi-comedy about family and sexual identity. Adapted from Alison Bechdel ‘s graphic memoir, Fun Home adds music to a heart-wrenching and hilarious script. Following Alison’s journey into her sexual identity and her relationship with her closeted father, the story is told through the theatrical device of three Alisons – small, medium, and large – who take the audience through a compelling memoir of first experiences, coming of age and loss. Visit madcowtheatre.com or call 407.297.8788

The Dr. Phillips Center Applause Awards 
June 2 at 7 pm 
Modeled after Broadway’s Tony Awards, this event celebrates outstanding performances that showcase the talent and dedication of high school musical theater programs, and the teachers and students who create those performances. To participate, schools have their productions reviewed by a team of adjudicators who provide valuable feedback. Each spring, the Dr. Phillips Center hosts an awards showcase to recognize the achievements of Central Florida’s musical theater productions. Visit drphillipscenter.org or call 844.513.2014

‘RENT’: 20th Anniversary Tour at Dr. Phillips Center 
June 5 to 10 
In 1996 a rock musical by a little-known composer opened on Broadway and went on to win a Pulitzer Prize and several Tony Awards. More than two decades later, Jonathan Larson’s RENT continues to speak to audiences across generations and around the world. Now that award-winning musical returns to the stage in a not-to-be-missed 20th anniversary production. A contemporary take on Puccini's “La Bohème,” RENT follows the lives of seven struggling artists whose message of hope reminds us of the one thing that truly matters – love. Visit drphillipscenter.org or call 844.513.2014 

The Little Mermaid Surfaces at Orlando Shakes
June 14 - July 29
Adapted by the always clever Brandon Roberts, and based on Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale, The Little Mermaid is the familiar story of a precocious young mermaid who dreams of turning in her fins for legs and walking on land. Against the advice of her friends, she makes a deal with an evil Sea-Witch for the chance to earn the love of a human (who happens to be a Prince). Ignoring the danger, the little mermaid can NOT ignore her heart. Told with a combination of real actors with giant puppets, Orlando Shakes offers its own on-dry-land version of this timeless tale. Call 407.447.1700 or visit orlandoshakes.org 

On-going … 

FINAL WEEK -- 
The Hunchback of Notre Dame at the Garden Theatre 
NOW to May 27 
Based on the Victor Hugo novel, with magnificent music from the Disney film by Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz, this epic musical finds the deformed bell-ringer of Notre Dame Cathedral longing to escape his captivity by the religious hypocrite Archdeacon Frollo. During his one night of ‘freedom,’ he is treated cruelly by the people of Paris until a beautiful gypsy comes to his rescue. Her beauty and spirit captivate the bell-ringer, the lecherous Archdeacon and the Captain of the Guard. In the end all three must deal with the complex emotions she evokes. At the Garden Theatre in Winter Garden, call 407.877.4736 or visit gardentheatre.org. 

Giant Bierstadt Painting at the Morse Museum
NOW to July 8
“The Domes of the Yosemite,” the largest existing painting by 19th Century ‘Art-Star’ Albert Bierstadt (1830–1902), is on exhibit at the Morse Museum in Winter Park. The monumental 1867 oil-on-canvas recently received significant conservation treatment; stands 10 feet tall by 15 feet wide; and has not been shown outside the St. Johnsbury Athenaeum since 1873. Bierstadt, a German-American artist, was known for grandiose landscape paintings that captured the American West, and “The Domes” is recognized as his crowning achievement. The giant painting was showcased in New York, Philadelphia, and Boston before its 1873 installation, meaning this “national treasure” fits perfectly in the time period for which the Morse Museum is known. Call 407.645.5311 or visit morsemuseum.org 

Josh Garrick is the Florida Arts Editor for Wandering Educators