This is your final weekend to see “A Shot in the Dark,” one of the most popular comedies the Vero Beach Theatre Guild has produced – pandemic or no pandemic. In fact, the show is close to being sold out. Of course, that’s after reducing the audience size by about half. Nevertheless, audiences are flocking to it and laughing themselves silly according to director Jon Putzke. “They’re having a ball,” he said. “There are lots of laughs in this show; and a lot of guessing games around all the red herrings.” The stage show is by Harry Kurnitz and based on “L’Idiote,” a French farce written by Marcel Archard. It revolves around a parlor maid discovered one morning in the all-together, holding a revolver and lying next to a dead chauffeur. Ooh la la. It ramps up from there. Putzke has directed this show twice before for different theater companies and has been begging the Theatre Guild to produce it for “at least eight years,” he said. But he’s glad they waited until now. He’s found a “solid cast” who’s delivering the physical and verbal comedy, he said. “They’re really the cream of the crop,” he said. “It’s very entertaining.” And another plus to waiting until now is that audiences are thirsty to come together and laugh. As of press time there are still a few seats left for each remaining performance. The Theatre Guild has reduced audience capacity by keeping occupied seats socially distanced and requiring audience members to wear masks. So far, so good, Putzke said. No one has gotten sick either on stage, backstage or in the audience. “Not that we know of,” Putzke said. Of course, the theater is a very superstitious world, so he quickly added, “Knock knock.” The remaining performances of “A Shot in the Dark” run 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday, March 18-19; and 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, March 20-21. Tickets are $15 to $30. The Vero Beach Theatre Guild is at 2020 San Juan Ave. Call 772-562-8300 or visit VeroBeachTheatreGuild.com.
Classic Albums Live gets back into the swing of it at the Emerson Center when “The Beatles’ Abbey Road” performs 7 p.m. Thursday, March 18. Presented by LIVE! From Vero Beach, the concert features professional musicians performing the Beatles’ 11th and last studio album. It includes some of the Fab Four’s most memorable works, such as: “Here Comes the Sun,” “Something,” Come Together” and “Because.” Classic Albums Live is a Canadian-based company that has been producing spectacular concerts by a wide range of great artists for years. The music is performed with devotion, note for note, beat for beat. CAL performances of it are so winning, even the hardest of hearts will melt. Moreover, despite the waning of the pandemic, the utmost of caution is being taken to keep audiences as safe and worry free as humanly possible. Audience capacity has been limited. Hand sanitizer stations will be available. Seating will be socially distanced. When you arrive, your temperature will be taken and then you’ll be shown to your seats right away in order to avoid mingling in the lobby. The shows are intermission-free. Masks or face coverings are required at all times. But once the music starts, you should be transported into another dimension, away from all this “sturm und drang.” Tickets to Classic Albums Live performance of “The Beatles’ Abbey Road Album” cost $30 to $80. The Emerson Center is at 1590 27th Ave., Vero Beach. Doors open at 6 p.m., the concert begins 7 p.m. Call 800-595-4849 or 772-234-4412 or visit MusicWorksConcerts.com.
The ShrimpFest & Craft Brew Hullabaloo runs this weekend at Riverview Park in Sebastian. The three-day event features plenty of seafood and craft beer, music galore, food trucks, oh, some more food, and yes, some beer tastings, and a car show. There will also be some non-seafood and kid-friendly food options. It’s free admission and parking. Craft Brew tastings begin at $35. The tastings serve up samples of beer from more than 20 breweries and run 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. The event is sponsored by the Rotary Club of Sebastian and the Exchange Club of Fellsmere. Funds raised will help youth sports and organizations throughout North Indian River County. Concerts will feature: SoulJam, Golden Ukes, Ladies of Soul, the String Assassins, Lost in Da Mail and Professor Pennygoode’s Mighty Flea Circus. To see the schedule, visit ShrimpFestFl.com. The festival runs 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday, March 19; 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday, March 20; and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, March 21 at Riverview Park, U.S. 1 and County Road 512, Sebastian.
