Now playing at Vero Beach’s Riverside Theatre, on the heels of the high-octane blockbuster musical “Chicago,” is the perfect change of pace: Noel Coward’s 1930 comedy of manners “Private Lives,” considered one of the most sophisticated, witty and entertaining plays ever written. Among the playwright’s most successful works, it remains to this day a masterpiece of high comedy, as Coward gleefully drops his characters into the most improbable of circumstances armed with sass, witty repartee and great clothes. Formerly married couple Elyot and Amanda are honeymooning with new spouses when they discover they are staying in adjacent rooms at the same hotel. In spite of the perpetually stormy relationship that caused their split, they unwisely but predictably relive the past, their passion reignites and they run away together, leaving their brand-new spouses behind and in shock. Soon, however, the reunited pair find their passion short-circuiting between love and anger. Will Elyot and Amanda remain together? Or will they return to their new spouses? “Private Lives” runs through Feb. 19.
Next Thursday, Feb. 9, at Vero’s First Presbyterian Church, the Mike Block String Camp Scholarship Fund spring fundraiser welcomes the Hanneke Cassel Trio, bringing together married musicians Block (cello, vocals) and Cassel (fiddle) with their guitarist pal, Bostonian Christopher Lewis. The full Hanneke Cassel Trio showcases Cassel’s exuberant, contemporary Celtic fiddle music, which the Boston Globe called “exuberant and rhythmic, wild and innocent, delivered with captivating melodic clarity and irresistible playfulness.” Winner of the 1997 U.S. National Scottish Fiddle Championship, she’s performed and taught across North America, Europe, New Zealand, Australia, India and China. A fusion of influences from the Isle of Skye, Cape Breton Island and the Boston bluegrass/Americana scene result in her uniquely American approach to Scottish music. The 7:30 p.m. concert is free; donations to the String Camp will be happily accepted. Now in its eighth year, the summer string camp, which also takes place at First Pres, empowers musicians of all ages, levels and stylistic backgrounds to learn new ways to play music. World-class teachers lead small group classes, divided by ability level, allowing everyone to learn in an environment of peers. Concerts by faculty and students during the camp are always worth attending.
Upstairs at the Henegar Center in Melbourne is the Billie Holiday revue “Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grille,” an award-winning musical fresh from its Broadway revival. The time: 1959. The place: a seedy bar in Philadelphia. The audience is unaware they are about to witness one of last performances of Billie Holiday’s extraordinary life, given four months before her tragic death; alcoholism and heroin addiction finally silencing Lady Day. The dozen-plus musical numbers are interlaced with salty, often humorous reminiscences, painting a riveting portrait of the lady and her music. In such show-stoppers as “God Bless the Child,” “Strange Fruit” and “What a Little Moonlight Can Do,” Lady Day shares her loves and losses in an intimate evening that’s up close and personal, with one of the greatest jazz/blues vocalists of all time. “Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grille” runs through Feb.19.
The First Friday Gallery Stroll in downtown Vero includes the opening reception for “Jumping off Walls,” featuring artist Gus Miller’s recent sculpture and paintings at the Center for Spiritual Care. Miller’s whimsical, geometrical figures colorfully reflect both his artistic excellence and his refined sense of humor and have been exhibited in New England, New York and Florida. The stroll runs from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
If you’re ready to take a little break from the news of the day and hark back to a another era, the Lyric Theatre in Stuart has just the ticket: “Pump Boys and Dinettes.” Four gas station attendants and two waitresses sing and play all manner of instruments (including kitchen utensils), producing a quirky blend of country, rock-a-billy, swing, rock-and-roll and jazz in a down-home celebration of friendship and the simple things in life. Catch it Wednesday, Feb. 8, at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m.
Two of the world’s greatest big bands, the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra and The Glenn Miller Orchestra, will face off at the King Center next Sunday, Feb. 12, at 3:30 p.m. with a musical tribute to the 1940s. The Tommy Dorsey Orchestra is recognized as one of the best all-around dance bands, and no band came close to Tommy’s when it came to playing ballads. The legendary Glenn Miller was one of the most successful of the Swing Era bandleaders. The two legendary bands will duke it out with weapons of brass, and then the audience gets to vote for their favorite. The winner will return in a new show featuring another Big Band from the 1940s.
