Expect no stings in this beehive, just heaps of hair and a lot of great tunes. What Broadwayrose.org calls “the ultimate celebration of 1960s female empowerment,” the exuberant ’60s jukebox musical revue “Beehive” opens this coming Tuesday, Oct. 29, on Riverside Theatre’s Stark Stage. The era that brought us the iconic sky-high hairdo that kept the bobby pin and hairspray industries in the black, as well as miniskirts, transistor radios and Flower Power, also produced such timeless pop classics as “My Boyfriend’s Back,” “Be My Baby,” “Son of a Preacher Man” and “Me and Bobby McGee,” among many, many others, by such stellar vocalists as Leslie Gore, Janis Joplin, the Shirelles, the Supremes, Aretha Franklin and Tina Turner. Don’t miss this musical nostalgia trip back to those crazy, fabulous days, as the talented divas of “Beehive” showcase, says the show promo, “more than 40 classic chart-toppers that will have (you) dancing in the aisles, reliving one of music’s greatest decades.” Showtimes: Tuesdays, Oct. 29 and Nov. 12, 7:30 p.m.; Wednesdays, 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.; Thursdays, 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. (Nov. 14, 7:30 p.m. only); Fridays, 8 p.m.; Saturdays, 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.; Sundays, 2 p.m. Tickets: start at $35. 772-231-6990.
You never know what whimsical, magical surprises await you along the paths, ponds and rills of McKee Botanical Garden. Opening this coming Friday, Nov. 1, is an especially enchanting exhibition called “Ocean Sole.” (Yes, it’s spelled properly.) Because “Ocean Sole,” explains McKee’s promo, features “40 colorful and whimsical, hand-crafted marine species sculptures” made from (this is the cool part) “recycled flip-flops created by Kenyan artisans.” The project’s motto is “Protecting Our Planet One Flip-flop at a Time.” Focusing on “conservation entrepreneurship,” Ocean Sole positively impacts more than 1,000 Kenyans through “the collection of flip-flops and direct employment.” Each of the bright creations – turtles, dolphins, crabs, a great white shark, seahorses, an octopus, reef fish, starfish, stingrays, a manatee and a dragonfly – began their new life as humble flip-flops on someone’s feet. After being worn out they are thrown away and “ultimately end up in our earth’s waterways, landfills and oceans.” Though the project, however, these throwaways are gathered, cleaned, compressed and, ultimately, transformed into wonderful art pieces. Some of the larger pieces, explains the promo, also contain Styrofoam and wire, both also recycled. Money raised from selling the art helps clean Kenya’s beaches and supports the country’s conservation efforts. Non-trivial trivia: more than 80 percent of land waste ends up in the oceans, negatively impacting human and marine life. Do make time to visit McKee for this delightful, impactful exhibition, and bring your children. Hours: Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. Garden admission: adults, $12; seniors, $11; 3-12, $8; members and under 3, free; school group, $5/child. 772-794-0601.
Can’t get enough opera? Here’s a grand thought. In addition to Vero Beach Opera’s 2020 season (which starts in January), and the occasional trip up to the Met if you’re lucky, you can enjoy Met operas at “a movie theater near you,” via the Live at the Met season series, which screens at the Majestic II Theatre in Vero. Coming up this very weekend, Saturday, Oct. 26, it’s a quintessentially French work, “Manon.” As described by metopera.org, Jules Massenet’s “Manon,” which premiered at the Opera Comique in Paris in 1884, is set in and around the City of Light, and tells the tale of a beautiful young woman completely incapable of forsaking either love or luxury. Manon, says the Met, is “one of the truly unforgettable, irresistible and archetypal female characters in opera.” Says metopera.org, soprano Lisette Oropesa plays “the irresistible title character, the tragic beauty who yearns for the finer things in life.” Tenor Michael Fabiano is the besotted Chevalier des Grieux, “whose desperate love for Manon proves their undoing.” Times: 12:55 p.m. and 4 p.m. Tickets: $26.75. 772-770-0773.
