Debra Walton in ‘Swinging on a Star’ at Riverside Theatre.
By PAM HARBAUGH
The cultural landscape in Brevard County and throughout the region continues to evolve with top notch offerings. In particular, theater has gained incredible footing and momentum.
Many shows this year have been sold out which is great news for those banging the drum for arts and culture. I thought you’d like to see a list (with links) of Brevard Culture’s most highly read reviews for each of the theaters and most highly read items of an Extreme Culture nature.
Our Theaters Most Popular Stories
Cocoa Village Playhouse: IN THE HEIGHTS which was a dazzling production with a heart and soul that kept the beat of Lin Manuel-Miranda’s musical. Terrific talent in this and what a blow-mind orchestra led by J. Thomas Black, Jr.
‘In the Heights” at Cocoa Village Playhouse. Photo by Jonathan Goforth
Henegar Center: SMOKEY JOE’S was a snazzy piece of entertainment showcasing the amazing talent in this area. (BTW, it edged out by only two votes the Henegar’s NICE WORK IF YOU CAN GET IT which was a great vehicle for artistic director Hank Rion.)
Melbourne Civic Theatre: THE PRICE proved that not only does Brevard have first rate actors, but that it also has audiences who crave drama, especially since it is done as well as it was at MCT with Alan Selby’s scenic design and Peg Girard’s direction.
Riverside Theatre: HELLO DOLLY ended up being an outrageously popular show. This professional production also turned me into a believer…well, a believer of just about anything directed and choreographed by James Brennan.
Titusville Playhouse: HAIRSPRAY was one heck of a show. You could not get tickets. This fun musical kept the beat going with some terrific talent, including director Steven Heron who took on the role of Edna Turnblad.
From left: Alvin Jenkins and Sarah Biggs in Titusville Playhouse production of “Hairspray”
Just because these were past doesn’t mean you’ve missed out. The entire SEASON BILL has some incredible goodies, including these on the horizon: ON THE TOWN (at CVP), IT SHOULDA BEEN YOU and LADY DAY AT EMERSON’S BAR & GRILL (at the Henegar), CALENDAR GIRLS (at MCT), THE RAINMAKER (at Surfside), ROCK OF AGES (at TPI) and CHICAGO (at Riverside). Be sure to click onto their ads!
Other Cultural News of Note
Foosaner Art Museum had its biggest story ever when it announced it was changing its policy to FREE ADMISSION and a change to its hours.
Brevard Symphony Orchestra had quite a season debut with its AMERICAN LANDSAPES concert.
“National Parks Suite” by Nicholas Bardonnay of Westwater Arts.
Merritt Island High School theater department won multiple awards from the Dr. Phillips 2016 APPLAUSE AWARDS.
Zack Roundy strutted his actors stuff in the PBS series MERCY STREET. Alas, it doesn’t look like it’s coming back, but it was fun to watch Mr. Roundy in the series.
Marty Mercado and Derek Gores teamed up to present MUSCLE MEMORY, a dance happening that caught the zeitgeist and turned into the go-to place.
Muscle Memory, photo by Marty Mercado
Space Coast Ballet brought back its alum EMILY SLAWSKI, who is now a professional dancer touring the world.
Eau Gallie Arts District delivers wildly popular fundraiser DRAG QUEEN BINGO.
Heidi’s Jazz Club becomes a nationally recognized venue for TERRIFIC JAZZ.
Tony Macaulay reflected on the loss of DAVID BOWIE, with whom he had worked. And on that melancholy note, here’s Brevard Culture’s goodbye to PRINCE.
By nicolas genin – originally posted to Flickr as Prince, People au Défilé Channel, Printemps-Eté 2010, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=8014491
