By PAM HARBAUGH

A smart new production opens tonight at Melbourne Civic Theatre, and two eye-popping big musicals continue their successful runs at Titusville Playhouse and the Historic Cocoa Village Playhouse. And Playwrights Workshop presents three original one-acts at Surfside Playhouse. Add to that some great art and exciting music and you can use Monday to rest.

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Theater

MAURITIUS opens tonight at Melbourne Civic Theatre. This is a smart production of a wily play filled with intrigue and angst. It concerns a woman wanting to sell a stamp she believes to be priceless, her greedy sister and a cunning philatelist. In addition to intelligence, there’s plenty of adult language in this show (which is really very funny). The show runs through Nov. 6. at MCT, 817 E. Strawbridge Ave., Melbourne. Tickets are $26 to $28. Call 321-723-6935, visit MyMCT.org or click onto their ad.

PLAYWRIGHTS WORKSHOP presents “Decaf, Decisions and the Dearly Departed” — a collection of three original one-acts. Those are: “Treasures” by Betty Prisendorf, “St. Arbucks” by Kate Schwartz and “Remains to be Seen” by Bill Moseley. Curtain is 8 p.m. tonight and Saturday and 2:30 p.m. Sunday at Surfside Playhouse, 301 Ramp Road, Cocoa Beach. $10 general admission. Call 321-720-1227 or click onto the ad for Surfside Playhouse.

JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT runs through Oct. 9 at the Historic Cocoa Village Playhouse. Stars Jason Crase as Joseph and Rick Roach as the Elvis-inspired Pharoah return to CVP for this revival. To read the review, click here. Tickets are $19 to $30. The Cocoa Village Playhouse is at 300 Brevard Ave., Cocoa. Call 321-636-5050, visit CocoaVillagePlayhouse.com or click onto their ad.

LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS runs through Oct. 16 at Titusville Playhouse. It stars Steven Heron as hapless Seymour, the nurturer of blood-thirsty plants, and Leyla Corbett as Audrey. Tickets are $22 to $28. TPI is at 301 Julia St., Titusville. Call 321-268-1125, visit TitusvillePlayhouse.com or click onto their ad.

Nightlife

AN EVENING WITH JONNY LANG begins 7 p.m. Sunday at the King Center for the Performing Arts. Lang has performed with The Rolling Stones, B.B. King, Aerosmith, and Sting. He continues to tour with the legendary Buddy Guy. Tickets are $54. The King Center is at 3865 N. Wickham Rd., Melbourne. Call 321-242-2219 or visit KingCenter.com.

COMEDIAN RON WHITE appears 8 p.m. tonight at the King Center. Tickets are $54. The King Center is at 3865 N. Wickham Rd., Melbourne. Call 321-242-2219 or visit KingCenter.com.

HOWL AT THE MOON features Ken Gustafson and Scott MacGilvry on dueling pianos. This fun-packed music-filled evening has shows at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. tonight and Saturday. Tickets start at $16. Shows sell out quickly, so purchase in advance. Riverside Theatre is at 3250 Riverside Park Drive, Vero Beach, FL. Call 772-231-6990, visit RiversideTheatre.com or click on their ad.

NOT QUITE RIGHT PLAYERS do their improv thang 8 p.m. Saturday at Derek Gores Gallery, 587 W. Eau Gallie Blvd., Melbourne. Tickets are $12 to $15. Best to buy them in advance; to do so, click here.

Exhibits

FIFTH AVENUE ART GALLERY will be busy this weekend. It wraps up its annual “100% Pure Florida” exhibit (curated this year by Ms. Dana Hargrove, a Professor of Art at Rollins College in Winter Park.” Then the arts elves get busy to open a new exhibit on Monday — “Visions of Italy” with work by gallery member Phyllis Shipley. Raised in Johnson City, Tenn., Ms. Shipley taught organ and piano, raised her children, worked in business and finally pursued her own dream of being an artist and shows at the Fifth Avenue Art Gallery, at the Art Avenue Gallery in Sarasota, FL and at the Liz-Beth Gallery in Knoxville, Tenn. Her one-woman show, “Visions of Italy,” runs through Oct. 30. The gallery will hold an opening reception 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. next Friday, Oct. 7. The Fifth Avenue Art Gallery is at 1470 Highland Avenue, Melbourne, FL. Call 321-259-8261, visit FifthAvenueArtGallery.com or click onto their ad.

TRANSFORMERS: RE-CONTEXTUALIZING OUR MATERIAL CULTURE runs through Dec. 17 at the Ruth Funk Center for Textile Arts is on the campus of Florida Institute of Technology, 150 W. University Blvd., Melbourne. This looks very artsy and exciting. To read more about it, click here. Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays and noon to 4 p.m. Saturdays. Admission is free. Call 321-674-8313, click here or click onto their ad.

GRACE LEAL has an exhibition in the Frits Van Eeden Gallery in the Florida Institute of Technology’s Renee Foosaner Education Center, 1520 Highland Ave. in the Eau Gallie Arts District of Melbourne. Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, as well as from 5:30-7:30 p.m. the first Friday of each month. Admission is free. The artist’s reception is scheduled for 5:30-7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 7. A Gallery Talk will be held starting at 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 18. Both events are free and open to the public. Call 321-674-8923, visit FoosanerArtMuseum.org or click onto their ad.

HARAK RUBIO: Symbols and Guardians runs through Oct. 15 at Florida Institute of Technology’s Foosaner Art Museum. It comprises 32 large scale abstract paintings and 14 sculptures. Mr. Rubio, a Puerto Rican native and Melbourne resident who has won numerous awards and honors. His work is seen widely throughout Latin America. He has worked in advertising and video serving as designer, art director, prop master and more at numerous big name companies such as Universal Pictures, Miramax Films, Trivisión Spain, Animal Planet, USA Network, ABC and CBS networks, Quentin Tarantino Productions and MTV. The Foosaner is at 1463 Highland Ave., Melbourne. Call 321-674-8916 or visit FoosanerArtMuseum.org or click onto their ad.

TEN WOMEN IN ART exhibit runs through beginning of October at the Derek Gores Gallery, 587 W. Eau Gallie Blvd., Melbourne. This is a long standing, highly respected alliance of excellent artists who have exhibited all over the state and the southeast. You will be moved and intrigued. Visit DerekGores.com.