Happening this weekend on the Space Coast: 'An Officer and a Gentleman' at the King Center
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Next up onstage for the “Broadway at the King Center Series” is a true gentleman of “An Officer and a Gentleman: The Musical,” in Brevard for two 7:30 p.m. performances on Monday and Tuesday, April 4 and 5.
Based on the Oscar-winning film, the new musical is currently on tour to more than 50 cities.
“A great movie can imbed itself into the cultural memory of a generation. Our goal was to build on that memory, finding new ways into the story through the lens of musical theater,” says producer Stephen Gabriel of Work Light Productions.
The score is iconic '80s, and includes the Grammy and Oscar-winner “Up Where We Belong" (Joe Cocker/Jennifer Warnes) and other hits of the padded shoulders/big hair era, including “Higher Love” (Steve Winwood), “Owner of a Lonely Heart” (Yes), “Love is a Battlefield” and “Invincible” (Pat Benatar) and “Lost In Your Eyes” (Debbie Gibson).
The musical retells the story of Zack Mayo, who has the raw talent and strength for the elite U.S. Navy’s Officer Training School. Graduating will secure Zack’s future, but that is easier said than done, since his drill sergeant is determined to weed out all those unable to pass the strenuous tests of knowledge, coordination, and strength.
On his journey of self-discovery, Zack finds comfort in the arms of a strong-willed local factory worker, but it isn’t until tragedy befalls a fellow candidate that Zack learns the importance of friendship, commitment and honor and finds the courage to be his best self and win the heart of the woman he loves.
“An Officer and a Gentleman” is written and directed by multiple Tony Award nominee Dick Scanlan. The stage production is based on an original book by Douglas Day Stewart and Sharleen Cooper Cohen.
Tickets begin at $38.25. Purchase at kingcenter.com or 321-242-2219.
Dreamland Miniature Golf
This interactive art experience at the former Foosaner Museum, 1463 Highland Ave., Eau Gallie will host a fundraiser to benefit Habitat for Humanity of Brevard on Thursday, April 7 from 6 to 9 p.m. It will feature two 18-hole artist-designed mini-golf courses, a selfie museum, refreshments and more. Admission is $50. Visit derekgores.com/dreamland-mini-golf or facebook.com/events/5329893233689394.
Alfie Silva: Impressions Unplugged
Celebrity impressionist Alfie Silva, known for impressions of Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Elvis Presley, Tom Jones, Johnny Cash and others, will perform at The Tangiers, 4500 Dixie Highway, Unit 1A, Palm Bay. Performances at the Vegas-style entertainment venue will be at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and 2 p.m. Sundays through April 3. Tickets range from $36-$46. Call 321-327-8759 or visit thetangiersflorida.com.
Grant BBQ Festival
The three-day event at 4580 1st Street, Grant, will feature live entertainment, an arts and crafts marketplace, a classic car show and a BBQ championship competition. It takes place April 1-3, from 3 to 8 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Admission and parking are free. Visit grantbbqfestival.com.
Ranger-led tours
Free tours of Turkey Creek Sanctuary, 1518 Port Malabar Blvd. NE, Palm Bay, will be offered at 10 a.m. the first and third Sundays of each month. Participants should meet at the Nature Center, and bring sunscreen, insect repellant, water and snacks, binoculars and a hat. Tours will take place on the boardwalk and various trails located throughout the sanctuary and should take about an hour to complete. Each tour will be led by a park ranger, focusing on common plants and animals found in the sanctuary. Admission is free. To sign up, call the Nature Center at 321-676-6690.
Wine and dine at Cafe Margaux and Green Turtle
Two wine dinners expected to sell out are just around the corner, so best get the phone out to reserve a spot.
Café Margaux’s monthly wine dinner series returns after a two-month hiatus with a six-course California wine event.
Dinner, which commences at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, April 7 and 8, pairs wines from Napa’s Neyers Vineyards with a menu that includes cream of celery soup with Kurobuta bacon, a salad course of Amanita Caesarea and Lion’s Mane mushrooms with almonds and Shiso sprouts, plus two main courses of shrimp and scallop-stuffed cabbage and duck breast, a cheese course of rich, semi-soft Morbier and dessert of angel food cake with layers of white chocolate coffee ganache.
Cost is $135 per guest. Reserve at margaux.com or call 321-639-8343. Café Margaux is at 220 Brevard Ave., Cocoa Village.
Green Turtle Market’s Grapevine Café takes a “Tour de France” at 7 p.m. Thursday and Friday April 14 and 15. The six-course menu features squash blossoms stuffed with goat cheese, oysters with cucumber mignonette, pistou pasta with fresh morel mushrooms, lamb tournedos, duck confit with flageolets and French vanilla pink peppercorn ice cream. Each course is paired with outstanding French wines explained by guest speaker Dustin Jenkins.
Cost is $175 per guest, which includes a $20 credit toward the purchase of wines showcased that evening. Call 321-773-2001 to reserve. Green Turtle Market is at 855 E. Eau Gallie Blvd., Indian Harbour Beach.
Banded together
The U.S. Coast Guard Band, which has played at venues such as the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Lincoln Center, and Carnegie Hall, visits the King Center for a performance at 7 p.m., Wednesday, April 6.
What is even better than hearing this top-notch group is the fact that tickets cost absolutely nothing. Although admission is free, tickets are required and will go on a first-come basis at kingcenter.com.
The event is part of the band’s “Southern Connections Tour” with additional stops around the southeast, including Charleston, South Carolina; Jacksonville, Miami and St. Petersburg.
Rockin’ at Cocoa Village Playhouse
Historic Cocoa Village Playhouse, 300 Brevard Ave., will be rocking thanks to Melbourne Municipal Band’s Rock & Roll Revue ensemble and its concert planned for 7:30 p.m., Friday, April 1.
Conducted by Art Martin, the Rock & Roll Revue is a 12-piece group that plays popular music from the 1950s and 1960s. It includes an eight-piece combo, singer Len Fallen, and the Swingtimers Vocal Trio, consisting of Connie Maltby, Diana Sageser and Dave Hutson.
Tickets, which cost $20, can be purchased at cocoavillageplayhouse.com or by calling 321-636-5050.
Art is everywhere, from Malabar to Titusville
Spring has sprung with plenty of art events.
Turkey Creek Sanctuary will host a spring art show from 8:30 a.m.t o 2:30 p.m., Saturday, April 2, inside the neighboring Tony Rosa Community Center, 1501 Port Malabar Blvd. N.E., Palm Bay. Call 321- 676-6690.
At the other end of the county, North Brevard Art League will host its 57th annual Art Show and Competition April 1 to 3 at the Titusville Holiday Inn, 4715 Helen Hauser Blvd. from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday. Call 321-383-7441.
In the middle of the county, there is the opening reception for “Shades of Photography” exhibition from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., Friday, April 1, at Eau Gallery, 1429 Highland Ave. in the Eau Gallie Arts District. The show runs through the end of the month. Call 321-253-5553.
Also on Highland Ave. is Fifth Avenue Art Gallery, where the opening reception for photographer/artist John Buck opens 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. April 1. Call 321-259-8261.
String quartet performs in Indialantic
Praised for their warm sound and powerful stage presence, the Esme String Quartet took first prize and four special prizes at the prestigious 2018 Wigmore Hall International String Quartet Competition in London.
The group has performed at St. Martin-in-the-Fields in London, the Lotte Concert Hall, Seoul, the Lucerne Festival in Switzerland, the Festival d’ Aix-en-Provence, and the Brahms Festival in Lubeck, Germany. They will be performing in Brevard under the auspices of the Melbourne Chamber Music Society at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, April 1, at St. Mark’s United Methodist Church, Indialantic.
Tickets are $35 for adults and $10 for students. Purchase at melbournechambermusicsociety.org.
United Ballet Theatre to dance at King Center
Space Coast Ballet is hosting the United Ballet Theatre, which recently performed at the grand opening of the new Dr. Phillips Performing Arts Center’s Steinmetz Hall, to dance main stage at the King Center at 7:30 p.m., Friday, April 1.
The troupe will be joined by some of the best dancers in the county in a program that includes a variety of classical and contemporary dance pieces.
Tickets begin at $22.25. Purchase at kingcenter.com.
Stepping it up
Speaking of dance, the high-stepping dancers known as the Golden Steppers will be back at Historic Cocoa Village Playhouse for their 33rd. annual tap dance and variety show.
The performance begins at 3 p.m., Sunday, April 3. Joining the Golden Steppers onstage will be the Indian River Cloggers and the Cocoa Village Players.
Tickets are $20 at cocoavillageplayhouse.com or at 321-636-5050.
Still playing
'Cash on Delivery': Melbourne Civic Theatre, 817 E. Strawbridge Ave., presents the comedy through April 24. This fast-paced British farce concerns a con artist who has duped the welfare authorities for years by claiming every type of benefit for the innumerable people he claims live at his address. When investigators show up, he is forced to prove all his boarders are real. Tickets are $30. Call 321-723-6935 or visit mymct.org.
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This article originally appeared on Florida Today: This weekend brings musical theater to the King Center
