If it weren’t for children’s programming and comedy, Riverside Theatre would have been dark all through the pandemic. The Riverside Theatre for Kids has stayed busy, rehearsing online, building sets, making costumes and entertaining families. Its second show of the season, “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” will perform this weekend on Riverside’s mainstage, the Stark Stage. “Dreamcoat” will feature a cast of 19 talented performs from age 7 to 18 years. They were cast about a year ago. “We’re very excited to finally get to present it,” said director Kevin Quillinan. “It’s a really great show. Really fun. It looks amazing. All the theater professionals at Riverside are working on the design. It’s a fun show.” Quillinan held most of the rehearsals, even voice and dance, online. Because of the cautious delay in getting vaccines to children, the cast didn’t get together until mid-May to rehearse the singing. Audiences can expect a full Riverside production of the Anthony Lloyd Webber/Tim Rice musical, which reimagines the Biblical story of Joseph, his father Jacob, and 11 brothers. It’s entertaining and has wonderful, fun tunes that will fill your day. Tickets are only $10 … c’mon, when else can you see a Riverside production for only $10? It performs 6:30 p.m. this Thursday and Friday, June 3-4; and 2 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Saturday. Riverside’s Comedy Zone returns this weekend with standup comics Derrick Tennant and Scott Orbany. The headliner, Tennant, turned life’s lemons into lemonade, which he gleefully shares with his audience. A promising athlete, a sudden illness left him paralyzed. After years of surgery and physical rehab, he discovered a talent in comedy, magic and inspirational speaking. The Comedy Zone shows are 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday, June 4-5. Tickets are $20. Riverside Theatre is at 3250 Riverside Dr. Call 772-231-6990 or visit RiversideTheatre.com.
Meet local authors and visit an unusual niche museum when Vero Beach-based La Maison Publishing presents a book signing 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. Friday, June 4 at the Heritage Center and Indian River Citrus Museum. The booksigning features 16 Treasure Coast authors of wide-ranging genres. They include: Jerry Farquar, a retired Delta Airlines pilot whose memoir “In the Sky” is one of La Maison’s best-selling books; Karen Hiltz, who writes about the educational system and whose recent book “The Apple Report” (not about the tech company) has been getting some good traction; and La Maison publisher Janet Sierzant, whose newest book is “Brooklyn Love Story,” a historical fiction. In addition to being able to meet the 16 authors, getting signed copies of their many books and hearing some of them speak, the event’s special guest speaker is Indian River Genealogical Society president Mike Godown, who speaks on literacy services. Sierzant, who coordinates a writers’ group on Friday mornings at Vero Beach’s main library on 16th Avenue, expects the booksigning to draw quite a big crowd since it’s just a couple blocks away from all the action of the monthly Friday Gallery Stroll in the Vero Beach arts district. “It’s free admission, complimentary wine and cheese,” she said. “I’m Italian, so I tend to do things overboard, cheesecake, sandwiches. It should be a lot of fun.” While you’re there, be sure to save some time to explore the “micro and mighty” Indian River Citrus Museum. The institution is an interpretive museum where visitors will be able to explore artifacts such as the heavy, turn-of-the-century field test kit designed to measure many aspects of Indian River citrus, including the “brix” (sweetness). Executive director Heather Stapleton said the museum celebrates the arrival of citrus into Florida. A visit to the one-room museum surprises most guests, she said. “I think citrus is way more fascinating than someone might imagine,” Stapleton said. “We’ve had people come here as a complete joke, then leave entertained and educated.” One of its most popular exhibits is its collection of old citrus labels, which once adorned the ends of wooden crates no longer in use. “They are quite nostalgic for people,” Stapleton said. “Recently, we were approved for a Tourist Development Council grant. Part of those funds will go to revamping the citrus label collection; getting them into better archival shape.” The Heritage Center and Indian River Citrus Museum is in a 1935 National Historical Register building, at 2140 14th Ave., Vero Beach. Visit VeroHeritage.org or call 772-770-2263.
