Opening this Tuesday in Vero Beach is the next in Riverside Theatre’s glittering string of musicals, “Mame.” Based a novel by Patrick Dennis and a Broadway play starring Rosalind Russell, the musical opened on Broadway in 1966 and ran a total of 1,508 performances. “Mame,” set in New York City during the Great Depression and WW II, is the story of madcap bohemian and Roaring ’20s socialite Mame Dennis, whose motto is: “Life is a banquet and most poor sons of bitches are starving to death.” When the young son of her late brother comes to live with her, she determines to teach him about free living and free thinking. Together, they share hilarious adventures. Angela Lansbury was the original Mame in the Broadway musical. “Bosom Buddies,” “We Need a Little Christmas,” “Open a New Window” and the showstopper “Mame” are among the memorable songs from Jerry Herman’s score. “Mame” runs through March.
This month you can get a double dose of hit Broadway musicals without even leaving town. The Vero Beach Theatre Guild opens its run of “The Pajama Game,” a Tony Award-winner for Best Musical and Best Revival, on March 9 at 7 p.m. The Jerry Ross-Richard Adler score includes such memorable Broadway classics as “Hernando’s Hideaway,” “Hey There” and “Steam Heat,” the hot number that made Broadway musical history by introducing the signature style of choreographer Bob Fosse. Sleep-Tite Pajama Factory workers demand a 7 1/2 cent raise, to no avail. During the turmoil, a romance blooms between grievance committee leader Babe, played by Shannon Maloney (Genie winner for her role in last season’s “The King and I”), and Sid, the new factory superintendent, played by Ryan Kasten, music director for the Guild’s November show “Evita.” “The Pajama Game” runs through March 26.
Discover your wild side (G-rated, of course) this Sunday at the Environmental Learning Center’s 21st Annual EcoFest: That’s the 2017 theme of an event that’s become a must-do for kids and adults. Admission is free at the family-friendly festival, which features: Dunk-the-Polluter; fairy house building; fort construction; bubble blowing; crafts and chalk art; canoeing (for ages 6 or older); and dip-netting in the pond. Adults can learn about nature photography, birding, nature journaling and container gardening. The River Rats will provide the tunes, and you’ll get to enjoy EcoFest first-timers, the Vero Beach Pipes and Drums. No need to bring lunch: There’ll be plenty of food and beverages, at what are promised to be “family-friendly prices.” The EcoFest runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., rain or shine. A complimentary shuttle runs continuously between the several parking areas along 510 between 10:45 a.m. and 4:15 p.m. Look for the “free parking” signs.
The Atlantic Classical Orchestra will present Rappaport Prize-winning pianist/composer Conrad Tao at St. Edward’s School’s Waxlax Performing Arts Center, March 9, in the orchestra’s concert “Masterworks III: Postcards.” A gifted prodigy who gave his first recital at age 4, Tao will play the world premiere of his own piano concerto. In 2012, a New York Times review said, “At 17, Conrad Tao is already impressively accomplished. He was the only classical artist named in Forbes magazine’s ‘30 Under 30 in Music.’” The Rappaport Prize recognizes emerging, most promising composers. Also on the program is Rossini’s overture to “Semiramide,” and Dvorak’s Symphony No. 9 in E minor. A 6:40 p.m. lecture by conductor David Amado provides insight into the music, prior to the 7:30 p.m. concert.
During this week’s First Friday Gallery Stroll, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. in downtown Vero Beach’s art district, Gallery 14 will launch its March exhibit, Soulful Statements: Mixed Media by Carol Staub and Acrylic paintings by Cheri Cruden, with an artists’ reception. Staub is internationally recognized for her work, and Cruden is known for her bold abstract and representational work in acrylic and mixed media.
On March 10, the Long Run, an Eagles tribute group, comes to the Emerson Center in Vero Beach. The Long Run is made up of six South Florida musicians who’ve toured extensively in the U.S., Canada and Chile, and headlined on Royal Caribbean cruises. Along the way, they’ve generated a lot of positive fan buzz as they bring back the music of one of the greatest bands in rock ’n’ roll history. The Long Run will perform Eagles hits and solos originally sung by Joe Walsh, Don Henley and Glenn Frey.
