Weekend Top 6 Picks for April 13 and 14, 2019

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Saturday April 13, 2019

6pm to 9pm Free. Imaginarium: Natura Art Reception. Chapman Leonard Studios And Production Center Orlando, Florida 9460 Delegates Dr, Orlando, Florida 32837.

This Art Reception is a family friendly event that is free and open to
the public, and there will be light refreshments. The artists on display
are Bridget Hanley Cohen, Heidi Vance, Tatjana Andre, Richard Bond,
Stephanie Muse, Kerry Harripersad, Eileen A Art, Mark Hadley, Charlie
Charen, Leyna McGrath, Leona Gold, Maryse Jupillat, Dan Meneely, Violeta
Militaru, Richard Guerriero, Teresa Touhey, and Bethany Piotrowski.

In
honor of Earth Day the Arts Hub Organization and Chapman/Leonard
Studios brings you the next installment of Imaginarium, “Natura”. With
beautiful works of art depicting the majesty that is nature, it is a
show not to miss. “Without nature we would not exist, nothing we have or
place value on would exist. It should be respected.” states Jason Lee,
the curator of the space. The artists in this show are a mixture of
established and emerging individuals that are a vital part of the
eclectically talented Central Florida arts community.

The art will be on display February 2nd through May 4th, 2019.

The
local artists’ works may also be viewed during normal business hours,
9am-5pm, by appointment with an Arts Hub Org. representative.

Chapman/Leonard
Studios is an award winning manufacturer of camera support equipment
for motion picture and television productions worldwide. The equipment
manufacturer is based out of their state of the art sound stages and
production facilities.

7pm to 11pm Free. All Things Music Art Show. Kaleidoscope Venue For The Arts 1991 Corporate Square #181, Longwood, Florida 32750. An art show featuring Music related and inspired art. Beer, wine, sodas, and water available at the show for donation. Contributing artists’ drinks are complimentary.

10:30pm to 11:30pm Free but get food and drink. Son Flamenco. Ceviche Tapas Orlando, 125 W Church St, Orlando, FL. Hot blooded Flamenco dancing to acoustic guitar.



Sunday April 14, 2019

11:00am to 1:30pm Free. Conway Community Market and Urban Sketching Demo. Barber Park 3701 Gatlin Avenue, Orlando, Florida 32812. Urban Sketchers Orlando is hosting a FREE sketching demo at the Conway
Community Market! If you are new to urban sketching, this is for you!
Experienced sketchers will share advice on how to focus on small stories
from observation and demonstrate the art of making an urban sketch on
location. Clipboards, paper, pencils, and coloring supplies will be
provided for those who would like to sketch along with us and the
session will include a QandA.

We also invite our fellow
sketchers of Central Florida to join us on a sketch walk of the market
and Palm Sunday/Early Easter celebration. The Conway Community Market
brings people together for a fun afternoon outside with the
opportunities to offer new experiences. The event will include the
Easter Bunny, a photographer and an Easter Egg Hunt! There will be
plenty of festive stories and moments to capture into our sketchbooks.

Meet Up Point: At the covered pavilion near the pond and the market. where the Urban Sketching Demo begins at 11:00 am.

1pm to 4:30pm Free. Family Day. The Mennello Museum of American Art, 900 East Princeton Street, Orlando, FL 32803. The make-and-take craft table is open from noon-2:30 p.m., and docents
are available to give mini-tours of the museum. Then it’s open house in
the galleries until 4:30 p.m.

2pm to 4pm  UCF Opera presents The Tender Land An opera by Aaron Copland. Alexis and Jim Pugh Theater Dr Phillips Center for the Performing Arts 445 S Magnolia Ave, Orlando, FL 32801. Generously supported by Ronald Thow and Carolyn V. Thow

In the
American heartland during the Great Depression, the provincial existence
of a rural farming family hinges upon the high school graduation of the
eldest daughter, Laurie Moss. However, on the eve of her graduation,
Laurie finds herself questioning her place in the world and wondering
what kind of life she could lead if she were to leave the farm. Her
restlessness is fueled by two drifters, Top and Martin, who are hired to
help with the harvest.

While Ma and Grandpa Moss are suspicious
of the strangers, Laurie is captivated by their vivid tales of travel,
and she and Martin quickly fall in love, culminating in a tender kiss at
Laurie’s graduation party. Grandpa Moss, furious, banishes the two men,
leading Martin and Laurie to make plans to elope, but Martin quickly
realizes that this would cause trouble for all involved, and reluctantly
sneaks away before daybreak. Heartbroken, Laurie realizes that, though
now alone, it is still time for her to go. She bids farewell to the farm
and sets off into the unknown, leaving her weeping family to completely
reassess their hopes, dreams, and plans for the future.

A vivid
portrait of the rural mid-west, The Tender Land is painted richly with
Copland’s quintessentially American harmonies and tells a beautiful and
simple story of a young woman’s coming of age.

Sung in English with super titles.

Game Night

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Driving home from my mural unveiling at Ivanhoe Park Brewery, Pam and I noticed a young woman biking across Mills Avenue in the light rain. She looked familiar, in fact, she was a friend of Pam’s named Gabby. Pam pulled her truck over on the next block and shouted out her window to Gabby, “Do you need a lift?” Of course Gabby probably considered this an offer from a creep, but when she recognized Pam she was pleased. Gabby and Brent had just purchased a bungalow and she advised us to follow her to check it out.

The blue bungalow was indeed adorable in a nice quiet neighborhood. The front lawn was filled with native plants rather than a lawn. The home had a a front porch and a sizable back yard for their dog Zoe. We got a quick tour of the place and then Gabby and Pam decided to set up a date for a game night.

Gabby and Brent take care of Pam’s dog Sprout any time we are traveling and we do the same for their dog Zoe. Pam and I picked up a foster puppy named Darcy and she is an unpredictable kraken of a beast. When Pam and I took care of Zoe, fights tended to break out between the three dogs. Zoe and Darcy would play rough having a ball, and then Sprout would break in snarling because he was protective of his girl Darcy.

Game night the dogs ran around the back yard with Darcy and Zoe playing rough while Sprout relaxed. They burned off plenty of excess energy. I sketched the first game which involved making up stories about horrible turn of  events. Gabby’s brother showed up as the rules were being explained and he joined in reluctantly. Game play was constantly interrupted by bouts of over zealous dog play. Gabby’s brother had to leave once the first game was over.

I wanted to play Settlers of Catan, so the sketch was done when that game came out. Settlers involves gathering resources to  build roads and settlements. The player who builds the largest settlement wins. It was a fun game involving plenty of bartering for needed resources. The game stretched late into the night with four large settlements spreading across the board.

War broke out. The war wasn’t on the game board but among the beasts. Zoe enjoyed playing but grew tired of Darcy’s incessant nudging and barking. “Darcy NO!” was shouted so often that you would think her name was Darcino. Several snarling brawls had to be broken up. Brent did a good job of separating the beasts by shuffling them apart with his legs. Pam did the same on a second occasion. Darcy the puppy was clearly to blame. She doesn’t know when to slow down. Gabby and Brent had considered getting a puppy but that foster didn’t work out. Zoe loves playing with people more than other dogs. She kept bringing me a toy while I was trying to sketch. When Zoe was put in the back  room, Darcy began nipping at Sprout, who just wanted to rest on the couch. I finally decided to leash Darcy to my chair limiting her movements. With other dogs to bite and bark at she soon stretched out on the floor and there was peace. She needed the rest. The next day she was going to be “fixed” at the vet.

Titanic the Musical

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Titanic the Musical based on the story and book by Peter Stone, and music a lyrics by Maury Yeston, was staged at the Walt Disney Theater in the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts as part of UCF Celebrates the Arts. I entered the theater under the impression  that i would be seeing a quaint college production with excited parents in the audience shooting shaky iPhone footage of their child on stage. The stage itself quickly dismissed that false notion. The set was huge consisting of three tiers with stairways and gang planks. An orchestra was under the second tier providing live musical accompaniment. Silky banners were suspended from the rafters, and at the overture, photos were projected of the people who would  play a part in the tragedy to follow. As the projection glowed bright a spotlight wold illuminate the tiny actor on stage playing the part.

This wasn’t based on the James Cameron movie in which Kate Winslet let her artist lover, Jack, slip off the floating door which she needed to survive, and watched him sink into the cold ocean depths. The play introduced a whole new cast of characters, many immigrants hoping for a better life in America and others rich and famous. Three women from Ireland discovered they all had the same first name of Kate as they entered the floating palace destined for a new life. Below deck third class passengers ate at humble wooden tables excited for what might come while the rich smoked cigars and drank brandy as they played cards up in the Grand Salon. The excited songs below deck were tinged with an underlying sadness since we all knew their true destiny to come.

Captain Smith was on his final voyage before he retired and he allowed himself to be pressured into accelerating the speeds ship beyond his usual safety precautions. Titanic after all was unsinkable. At the end of the first act a spotlight illuminated Fleet, who was high above the audience on a an upper balcony in the theater. He was the look out and he sang a song lamenting no moon and no wind as he shivered on his post. Then he spotted an iceberg. The sound of ice ripping through metal was followed by the blackness of the curtain falling.

Another particularly powerful scene came when perhaps 20 of the cast appeared above the audience on the lower balcony. Watery reflections shimmered around them as they sang. Perhaps they were ghosts. As the first and second class passengers gathered in the grand salon they were told to put on their life jackets. Vanity kept the rich from covering their expensive robes. As they argued a coffee cart began rolling across the stage. All the bickering stopped and suddenly everyone was in a rush to get the jackets on.

I had never heard the music before but by the second act I would myself predicting what word would follow on the next line to rhyme. With so many intertwining human stories, some stronger lyrics might have added a finer polish to the show.

The Titanic carried 20 lifeboats, enough for 1178 people. That was only a third of the passengers and crew. Women and children entered boats leaving the men behind to die. As one surviving woman described it, “It was as if a while football stadium entered the sea and the screaming was overwhelming. A half hour later, all the screaming stopped.”

This was a stellar production, far exceeding my expectations. The theater was packed. It is a shame there were only two chances to catch this amazing show. There were over 50 performers in the cast and all of them were UCF students with a few guest artists and faculty in the mix.

Fictional First Dates

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Written by Mallory Vance and Megan Markham, Fictional First Dates is a musical Parody presented by Phoenix Tears Productions, at Dragonfly Studio 129 (133 W Mckey St., Ocoee, Florida 34761) about dating using a digital app called Sparkle. Songs were used from other shows with the lyrics changed to advance the story. Carson (Chan Sterling) was a writer who had an assignment to write an article about Sparkle the new digital dating app. He was friends with Piper (Megan Markham) who worked in a coffee shop. The coffee bar in the corner of the set was fully functioning and Pam ordered us drinks for the show. I needed a hot drink to battle my chronic cough. I had sketched this show before, and wanted to see how it had evolved over time.

Tyrion Lannister (Skylar Keck) found out about Carson’s new mission to  go on dates, and he introduced him to the appeal of one night stands. Skylar’s singing prowess stood out in this show. He did an amazing job staying true to his character. Each date Carson went on was with a female hero from pop culture. He dated Jean (Bella Swan) from Xmen, Daphne (Leanna Bailey) from Scooby Doo Faith (Olivia Roman) from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and more.

The funniest date came when Carson’s date spoke at a rapid fire pace never giving him a chance to get a word in. The date was over before he knew what hit him. The blind hopes and dreams of each meeting made for some fun encounters. Not all the singers hit the notes just right but the fun playful aspect of the show allowed for some off key registers. I had a blast.

I unwrapped about 10 cough drops before the show started and sipped some hot coffee to keep my cough at bay. Laughing unfortunately triggers my cough sometimes and that happened in the middle of the show. I started coughing so uncontrollably I had to run out into the street so I didn’t interrupt the show. Once I regained my composure I slipped back inside. I managed to stifle my cough through the end of the show.

Ralph Richardson famously said, “The art of acting consists in keeping people from coughing.”

Fictional First Dates runs through April 14, 2019. 

Tickets are $12 online and $15 at the door. 

Wild Party

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Wild Party written by Andrew Lippa is running at Theater West End (115 W 1st St, Sanford, FL 32771) through April 14, 2019. The play was based on a poem by Joseph Moncure March. The poem was widely banned when it was published back in 1928, first in Boston, because people felt the content was lewd. This musical was equally lewd and lascivious which is it’s strength.

Queenie (Kristen Sheola), was a hard working burlesque dancer whose lover, Burrs (Preston Ellis), a vaudeville show clown, became abusive. At first that violent side of him excited her but  soon it scared her. After Burrs essentially rapes her, Queenie decides to throw a lavish party with the hopes of putting her lover in his place by letting him make a fool of himself.

The party flared up with an amazing cast of friends, Madelaine the lesbian (Wendy Starkland), Eddie the thug (Casey Sweeney), Mae the dimwit (Bernadette Siudock), Jackie the
dancer (Cody McNeeley), Dolores the hooker (Elizabeth Christie), and Nadine the
minor (Sarah Huff). Kate (Michelle Knight) arrived with a flourish and quickly devoured the attention of everyone in the party. She arrived with a friend, Mr. Black (Terrance J. Jamison).

Queenie placed her trust in Mr. Black and fell for him hard while Kate fell for the abusive Burrs although he had no interest in her. He became enraged when Queenie and Mr. Black danced. To diffuse the situation Kate pulled Queenie from Mr. Blacks arms and danced with Queenie herself. As the party raged on the drama of this love triangle grew to a boil.

Michelle Knight belted out her songs with confidence but sadly the acoustics in the theater were harsh making it impossible to hear any of the lyrics. It might have been that the band was loud and overpowered the words but I followed the show not knowing what was being sing relying on the gestures and staging to follow the show like a silent movie.

It was definitely a powerful production. If seated up front in the cabaret tables you would be right on top of the action. Pam and I were seated in the last row so that the glow of my screen would not be seen by anyone else in the audience. The walls of the theater are brick with a metal ceiling. Perhaps the sound just bounced around like in a noisy bar, which could be good if I was able to pick out lyrics. Despite this, I loved sketching the show. Colors changed constantly like in a dance hall. The creative challenges kept me engaged as the wild party turned violent.

Tickets are $22 for an individual or $50 for the dinner package.

C’ d’Zan Mansion

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Ca’ d’Zan, was a Venetian Gothic residence in Sarasota, Florida, which was the winter home of the American circus owner, developer and art collector John Ringling and his wife Mable. They had been traveling throughout Europe for nearly 25 years,
acquiring circus acts and art. They both greatly admired the
architectural style of Venice’s Ducal Palace, Ca’ d’Oro and the Grunwald Hotel. When they decided to build a home in Sarasota, Florida, where
they had been winter residents for a number of years, The Ringlings took
these palazzi as their inspiration, and Sarasota Bay as their Grand
Canal. Ca’ d’Zan, means “House of John”, in the dialect of their beloved Venice.

One of America’s wealthiest couples, the Ringlings started building Ca’
d’Zan in 1924 and completed it shortly before Christmas in 1926 at the
then princely sum of $1.5 million. Mable, who had kept an oilskin portfolio filled with postcards, sketches
and photos she had collected during her travels, oversaw every aspect
of the construction. The home was built from terra cotta “T” blocks, concrete and brick, it is
covered with stucco and embellished with glazed tile.
Decorative tile medallions, balustrades and ornamental cresting in soft
red, yellow, green, blue and ivory highlight the pink patina of the
stucco and exterior.

Sadly, only three years after
its completion, Mable died from Addison’s disease and the complications
of diabetes. When John Ringling died in December of 1936 he bequeathed his estate to
the people of Florida, but legal wrangling with his creditors went on
for a decade until the property finally passed unencumbered to the
state. During this time Ca’ d’Zan remained closed. Finally, in 1946 it
was reopened to the public, but still in a state of disrepair. It was so run down it was used as Miss Haversham’s Mansion in the 1998 production of Great Expectations.

Restoration of the home was finally completed in 2002, at a cost of $15 million, ten times that of
the original house, Ca’ d’Zan was returned to its former glory
and reopened as the grandest mansion on Florida’s sun coast. Today it
stands as one of America’s architectural treasures.

The Goat or Who is Sylvia?

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Edward Albee‘s The Goat or, Who is Sylvia? is an absurdest play with subtle references to ancient Greek tragedy. It poked fun at modern liberal ideals, and taboos. It is not an easy play to digest. In the first scene Martin (Allan Whitehead) has turned 50. He seems to have it all a very successful career as an architect and a loving wife, Stevie (Merritt Anne Cooke-Greene). They joke with each other clearly loving each others company. Martin’s friend, Ross (Mark Anthony Kelly) is a reporter and he sets up his video camera to record an interview with his longtime friend. Though Martin is at the pinnacle of his career it became clear that he was not happy about turning 50.

I had sketched a reading of Edward Albee’s play back in 2010, so I knew what was to come in the second scene. Thought Martin had been faithful for his whole marriage, he had recently met Sylvia and fell  deeply in love. Perhaps it was the country air but he was different around her. He confessed this affair to Ross who immediately wrote a letter to Martin’s wife to warn her. What followed was a long confession my Martin to his wife while she broke just about every delicate item in the living room. I have to confess that there was so much yelling that I began to tone it out. The entire scene seemed hell bent on a single note of frantic yelling and emotional destruction. Martin’s Son, Billy (Adam Minossora) was home through the confession and he didn’t take the news well. Though Martin was out doing unimaginable things in the name of love he was not accepting of his son’s homosexuality. This was strange double standard for this father son relationship.

I will say it again, this is a hard show to watch. It is unnerving. It was a daring choice for Director Marco DeGeorge to bring it to Theater on the Edge (5542 Hansel Avenue Orlando FL). The first evening’s performance was sold out. Perhaps Orlando is ready for some really unsettling and cutting edge theater.

CREATIVE TEAM:
(Producer / Set Designer)
Elaitheia Quinn (Asst. Director / Creative Asst.)
Riley Walden (Directing Asst.)
Chris Ivers (Builder)
Megan Raitano (Associate Producer / Stage Manager)
Derek Alan Rowe (Graphic Designer)
DeeDee Strauss (Box Office).

The Goat, or, Who is Sylvia? is running April 2, 2019 to May 5, 2019. Tickets are $23 to $35.

Weekend Top 6 Picks for April 6 and 7, 2019

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Saturday April 6, 2019

1pm to 3pm Free. Creative City Project’s Immersive Projection Installation. Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, 445 S Magnolia Ave, Orlando, FL 32801.

6pm to 8pm Free. FL ANTIFEST IV Music festival. Grumpy’s Underground Lounge, 1018 N. Mills Ave Orlando FL. Celebrating Florida’s experimental music scene.

7:30pm to 9:30pm Free. Titanic: The Musical UCF. Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, 445 S Magnolia Ave, Orlando, FL 32801.

Sunday April 7, 2019 

10am to Noon Free. Heartfulness Relaxation and Meditation Class. University, 5200 Vineland Rd, Orlando, FL 32811. The Method of Heartfulness A simple and practical way to experience the heart’s unlimited resources.

Noon to 1pm Free. Yoga. Lake Eola Park on lawn by Red Gazebo.

2pm to 4pm Free but get food and drink. Hollerbach’s Springfest. Hollerbach’s Willow Tree Cafe, 205 E. First St., Sanford FL. A spring version of Oktoberfest complete with sausages, pretzels, beer
and people dancing to polka music in lederhosen and dirndls.

Sugar Art Fashion Show

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The Sugar  Art Fashion Show took place during The Americas Cake Fair 2017 at the Orange County Convention Center, West Concourse Hall. Organizers didn’t know how to handle the crowd gathered, resulting in an endless wait to be seated. So I could get busy sketching, I slipped into the back row while the chaos to be seated played out. Everyone was desperate for front row seats. Perhaps people hoped some icing might fall and they could taste the fashion first hand.

A portion of the proceeds from the fashion show went to benefit Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida. The New York-style fashion show displayed mouth-watering haute couture. Gorgeous edible ensembles were masterfully designed by more than one dozen celebrated sugar, cake and chocolate artisans. The fashion designers were asked to base there edible creations on famous movies and the results were quite fun. The models strutted there sweet stuff down the catwalk during this one-of-a-kind event hosted by Food Network Star, Chef Emily Ellyn and Fashion Stylist/On-Air Style Expert Melanie Pace.

When I walked back to my car, I discovered that I had left my umbrella under the seat in the convention center.  I didn’t decide to walk all the way back. I tend to leave a little piece of myself everywhere I go.

The Little Merman from the Black Lagoon

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Written and directed by Christian Kelty, The Little Merman from the Black Lagoon is a mash up of the 1950’s horror film and a classic cartoon fairy tale. A group of scientists travel the Amazon in search of the legendary “Gill-Man,” and come face to face with Ethyl the Merman and his friends from “under the lagoon”. Christain himself took on the role of the Merman who is curious about life with legs.

Julie (Jenn Gannon) and Richard (Scottie Campbell) were the scientist couple who discovered a merman’s hand and wanted to find the evolutionary missing link. Salty was  the captain who steered their course with a tiny ship wheel that conveniently thrust out from his groin. The fourth member on the expedition (Timmy Walczak) was the chauvinistic financial backer of the trip. He was always  putting Richard down and jockeying for dominance. He was most comfortable when holding a weapon. He wasn’t interested in research but in manly trophies.

A second story line developed under the lagoon, with the Little Merman, Ethyl, collecting human art and trinkets and arguing with his father. Butch a jerk of a shrimp acted as his conscience, siding with is father’s wishes while Angie the angler fish encouraged the merman’s more refined and creative wishes with his counsel. The Merman sang much of Part of your World with lyrics reflecting the idea that though life above water has its problems it has to be better than life in the lagoon. Certainly up there they don’t reprimand their sons.

I didn’t get to see the entirety of the show in this rehearsal but I have to believe that the Merman will one day walk on two legs and I suspect he will meet the researchers. The chauvinist, using a harpoon forced Salty to turn the boat around. I liked the staging of this scene because the actors rotated around Salty as the boat turned making it seem like we all were turning with them. I don’t know what path followed. I’ll have to see the show to find out.

Later that day I was taking to Pam Schwartz about the names of the characters of the show. ‘When I am lost in sketching, I don’t always catch such details. She explained that the Merman was named Ethyl. What a strange name for a merman we both thought and then the light bulb went off for us both. Oooooo. Ethyl Merman was a huge Broadway star. There is no business like show business!

Original Art and Set Design by Alexa Busnot and Sam Hazell

Original Puppets Designed and created by David Jordan

Original Score by Atif Shariff

PERFORMANCES DATES-

Fri     4/5/2019     6:30pm doors – 7pm Show

Sun   4/7/2019     12:30pm doors- 1pm Show

Thu   4/11/2019   7:30pm doors- 8pm Show

Sun   4/14/2019   12pm doors- 1pm Show

Thu   4/18/2019   7:30pm doors- 8pm Show

Fri     4/19/2019   6:30pm doors- 7pm Show

Mon  4/22/2019   8:30pm doors- 9pm Show (Industry Night)

Thu   4/25/2019   8:30pm doors- 9pm Show

Tickets are:

$20 in advance

$25 at the door

$10 for Monday APRIL 22nd

Doors open 30 minutes prior to showtime.

Seating is extremely limited for each show.

The performances will take place in the upstairs bar Stonewall Bar Orlando (741 W Church St, Orlando, Florida 32805.)