Josh Recommends: Florida Culture for the Week of March 24, 2018 By Josh Garrick 

Experience a Divine Culture … Shen Yun 2018
March 27 at 7:30 pm & March 28 at 2 pm and 7:30 pm 
In ancient times China was heralded as the ‘Land of the Divine’ with a culture rich in beauty and creativity. We may visit this lost civilization as Shen Yun melds classical Chinese dance and athleticism with cutting-edge innovation. Through hundreds of hand-made costumes, backdrops raised to a high-art form, and a live orchestra, this theater experience brings 5,000 years of folktales and legends to life in a magical world of heroes and miracles. In performance at the Dr. Phillips Center, call 844-513-2014 or visit drphillipscenter.com 

Tim Totten on Frank Lloyd Wright at Casa Feliz in Winter Park 
March 27 at 6:30 pm 
Timothy Totten is a master storyteller, who has studied the life and work of Frank Lloyd Wright for more than 25 years, visiting more than 250 Wright-designed buildings across the United States. With insightful architectural analysis, Totten weaves a tale of love, adultery, and the Emperor of Japan to illustrate the genius and the foibles of the man the American Institute of Architects has called “The Greatest American Architect.” This FREE talk will be held at Casa Feliz at 656 N. Park Ave in Winter Park. Please RSVP by calling 407.628.8200. 

“Steampunk Sculpture” at Orlando Museum of Art 
March 28 at 7:30 pm 
‘Art Night Out’ is a monthly program at OMART where guests are invited to become “Artists for a night” while experiencing the creative process. Each evening has a theme, and you work with an ‘art teacher’ to create your own work of art. With the March 28 evening based on the current fascination with “Steampunk,” a variety of materials to be used in your sculpture will be available with guests encouraged to bring “art” materials with them. The class will be led by Sheryl Odza. Pre-registration is required; the price of $27 to $30 includes materials and an adult beverage. Call 407.896.4231 or email: dmatteson[at]omart.org

“The Luckiest People” at the Orlando Shakespeare Theater
March 28 to April 29
In this new play by Meridith Friedman, the question of WHAT is our responsibility to our spouses, our children, and our parents – as we navigate Middle Age – is laid out before us.
Following his mother’s funeral, Richard’s elderly Father asks to move in. Happily settled with his partner, Richard is less than thrilled at the idea of living with his Father, and soon accusations fly and competing priorities lead to unintended consequences. This sometimes humorous, always thought-provoking work serves as one more mirror reflecting how we live in the 21st Century. Call 407.447.1700 or visit orlandoshakes.org 

Dr. Phillips Center presents Maks, Val & Peta on Tour: “Confidential”
March 30 at 8 pm 
“Confidential” is the all-new dance tour from the stars of ABC’s Dancing with the Stars, Maksim and Valentin Chmerkovskiy and Peta Murgatroyd. Great performances come from artists with emotional connections to their work, and no connection could be deeper than this cast as they draw upon their family’s lives and love stories. Revealing hopes and dreams through dance and family stories, we learn a little more about Maks, Val and Peta and a little bit about ourselves as the ‘family’ celebrates life, love and DANCE! ‘Meet & Greet’ packages are available for this performance. Call 844-513-2014 or visit drphillipscenter.com 

The Morse Museum’s EASTER Weekend FREE Open House 
Good Friday, March 30 from 9:30 am to 8 pm
Saturday, March 31 from 9:30 am to 4 pm
Easter Sunday, April 1 from 1 pm to 4 pm
We should all be grateful to the Morse Museum as the Museum honors our special Holiday weekends with the Museum’s welcoming comfort, beauty, and FREE admission. A Morse tradition, admission to the Morse Museum's magnificent galleries, featuring the world’s largest collection of works by American Artist/Designer Louis Comfort Tiffany, is FREE throughout Easter weekend. Special Note: The FREE weekend includes the opportunity to see Albert Bierstadt’s monumental 1867 painting “The Domes of the Yosemite,” a huge oil-on-canvas panoramic view of Yosemite Valley. Classical guitarist Joshua Englert will perform from 5 to 8 pm on Friday, March 30. No tickets required, call 407.645.5311 x100 or visit morsemuseum.org 

Stephen Sondheim’s “Company” Presented by CFCArts Theatre
April 6 to 22 at the CFC Black Box Theatre 
In 1970, this was the musical that made “Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim” into a magical phrase for success on Broadway. Sondheim’s “Company” won seven Tony Awards and features several of the composer/lyricist’s best-loved songs. Set on the night of Robert’s 35th birthday, Bobbie-baby ‘contemplates’ his life as a bachelor as the musical introduces us to Robert’s “crazy, married friends,” who ‘teach him’ about marriage. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED, this is one of my favorite musicals of all time. It’s fun, slap-stick, and introspective – all at the same time. At the Black Box Theatre at 250 SW Ivanhoe Boulevard, call 407.937.1800 or visit cfcarts.com

UCF Celebrates the Arts – An Eight-Day Arts Festival
April 6 to 14
Orlando’s University of Central Florida shines a spotlight on its arts departments in a Festival celebrating eight days of performance and art. Highlights include performances of Leonard Bernstein’s Mass; a bossa nova concert with the Flying Horse Big Band, choral and chamber concerts, and art exhibits. Visit arts.cah.ucf.edu for the full schedule and instructions on reserving tickets. In years past, the trick has been to get a ticket to any of the lead events as general admission tickets are listed as FREE; reserved tickets are $5, and ‘Premium’ seats run $20 to $50 at the UCF Box Office. Call 407.823.1500 or email boxoffice[at]ucf.edu.

“Transition,” Original Docudrama Explores Gender Transition
April 6 to 15 at Valencia College East 
Written and directed by Valencia College’s Theater Department Chair, John DiDonna, “Transition” explores the lives, obstacles, hopes and un-ending journeys facing individuals (and families) going through “gender transition.” Featuring an ensemble cast from both the transgender and cisgender communities, the play is drawn from interviews DiDonna conducted within the transgender community. The play, with adult language and situations NOT appropriate for children, will be held in the Black Box Theater in Building 3 on the College campus. There is NO late seating, and each performance will be followed by a Q&A with the audience. Tickets at $10 or $12 at 407.582.2900 or by visiting valenciacollege.edu/arts

Orlando Philharmonic Presents Brahms Symphony No. 1
April 7 at 8 pm at the Bob Carr Theater
Few great works of Art have taken so long to be ‘finished’ as Brahms Symphony No. 1. It took the composer 21 years from original sketches to finishing touches, but the result was worth the effort. Brahms First Symphony is a monumental achievement. The first masterpiece by composer Manuel De Falla is unique in that it is a puppet-opera in one act, adapted from “Don Quixote.” A musical first is a World Premiere by Charles Griffin along with a visual first as Artist Kevork Mourad shares the stage with the Philharmonic in a demonstration of live, real-time painting. Eric Jacobsen conducts. Call 407.770.0071 or visit orlandophil.org 

 
Dr. Phillips Center presents “Pod Tours America”
April 8 at the Bob Carr Theater
Jon Favreau, Jon Lovett, Tom Vietor, and Dan Pfeiffer are bringing the ‘Pod’ to Orlando for a LIVE conversation about politics, fake news, and the ‘challenges’ posed by the current ‘potus.’ Those challenges are, to some extent, based on resumes that show Favreau served as Barack Obama’s head speechwriter; Lovett served as a speechwriter for Hillary Clinton; Vietor spent a decade as Obama’s National Security Spokesman; and Pfeiffer served Obama for eight years as Communications Director. Each believes he held the most impressive job during the Obama Presidency. And thus it begins … Call 844.513.2014 or visit drphillipscenter.org 

On-going … 

U.S. Premiere “A Tennessee Walk” at Garden Theatre 
NOW to march 31
It’s 1916 in Tennessee, and a circus elephant is about to die after killing a man during a parade. The execution, demanded by the hysterical public, becomes a media event. At the same time, a girl of twelve experiences her own horrors as tragedy besets her closest friend. Eighty years later, a journalist attempts to find the ‘truth’ of that fateful time. True-life and fiction are woven together by award-winning Central Florida playwright Rob Winn Anderson in this ‘adult language’ drama. Call 407.877.4736 or visit gardentheatre.org 

Madagascar – A Musical Adventure for Young People
NOW to April 8
It’s time to “Move it! Move it!” to Loch Haven Park where the Orlando Rep is developing into one of our nation’s finest theaters for “young people of all ages.” Join Alex the Lion, Marty the Zebra, Melman the Giraffe, and Gloria the Hippo, four ‘pampered’ animals who “run away” from New York’s Central Park Zoo. As they find themselves in the jungles of Madagascar, ‘Feeding time’ rolls round to help them remember “one of the good things they ran away from.” This all-singing, all-dancing, all-ANIMAL musical-adventure is based on the block-buster film. At the Orlando Rep, call 407.896.7365 or visit orlandorep.com 

Mad Cow Theatre presents the American Classic “A View from the Bridge”
NOW to April 22 
Mad Cow Theatre returns to its roots with the classic Arthur Miller American Theater drama – “A View from the Bridge.” An American tragedy, “A View from the Bridge” is Italian in heritage and classically Greek in scale. A working-class couple watches over their niece’s coming of age, while immigrant cousins bring about a clash of cultures with the resulting friction turning violent. First staged after Arthur Millers’ public defiance of McCarthyism, the play explores differing views of the ‘American Dream,’ while serving as a time capsule for the socio-cultural climate of America today. Visit madcowtheatre.com or call 407-297-8788 x1. 

Planning ahead … 

Art for ALL Spaces’ Annual Themed Art Exhibit 
“The Monument as Art: Commemoration and Controversy”
Opening Reception – April 19 at 6 pm at City Arts Factory 
Opening II – May 3 at 6 pm 
Art for ALL Spaces’ Annual Exhibit is always of interest including the creative responses by Central Florida Artists to Brad Biggs’ thematic challenges. Public Monuments have historically served to commemorate, preserve, and/or politicize our beliefs. Some monuments are well known and universally loved – like the Lincoln Memorial, while others are unknown, including preserved public spaces. This art exhibit explores the monument in all its variations – from Stonehenge to monuments yet to be proposed, to controversies about monuments that should (or should not) remain in place. The aim is to create a dialogue about the role of the monument in contemporary society. FREE to the Public at City Arts Factory in Downtown Orlando, call 407.648.7060 or visit Art-For-All-Spaces-LLC on Facebook. 

“Una Serenata Italiana” – Opera Orlando’s Annual Gala Celebration 
April 20 beginning at 6:30 pm at the Alfond Inn 
High on our list of “over-achieving,” HIGHLY RECOMMENDED Arts organizations in Central Florida is Opera Orlando. Having just concluded its second full season, no critic in the world would believe the imaginative and beautifully sung performances presented by Opera Orlando are on-stage thanks to an organization so brilliantly run even they have yet to realize how special they are. On April 20 we have the opportunity to help this ‘wunderkind’ company grow by attending their 3rd Annual Gala Dinner, this year called Una Serenata Italiana! in honor of company founders Kathy and Steve Miller. Including performances from a quintet of renowned soloists, pianist Robin Stamper, tributes to the Millers, a silent auction and formal dinner, the evening’s host is the witty and charming Scott Maxwell. All proceeds support Opera Orlando. Call 407.512.1900 or visit operaorlando.org/gala 

Josh Garrick is the Florida Arts Editor for Wandering Educators