What's Happening: 'Romeo and Juliet,' 'Chad Deity,' 'Can't Take it With You'

FEB. 10 THROUGH FEB. 12

“ROMEO AND JULIET”: See the classic tale of love and woe in Gainesville Community Playhouse’s newest production, “Romeo and Juliet.” An age-old vendetta between two powerful families erupts into bloodshed and a group of masked Montagues risk further conflict by gatecrashing a Capulet party. A young, lovesick Romeo Montague falls instantly in love with Juliet Capulet, who is due to marry her father’s choice, the County Paris. This show will be performed at 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays plus 2 p.m. Sundays through Feb. 12 at the Gainesville Community Playhouse, 4039 NW 16th Blvd. Tickets are $23 for general admission, $19 for seniors and $12 for students. For more information, visit gcplayhouse.org.

FEB. 10 THROUGH FEB. 12

“THE ELABORATE ENTRANCE OF CHAD DEITY”: Mace is a professional wrestler. When he teams up with a young Indian man from Brooklyn, he sees his shot at the big time. But will he be allowed to take it? This smart, comic look at pro-wrestling and geopolitics is a theatrical smackdown of dazzling hip-hop language presented with a fresh, funny, high-octane flair raising pertinent questions about racial identity and pop culture in society. Catch a show at 8 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays, 2 p.m. Saturdays-Sundays and 7 p.m. Wednesdays-Thursdays at the Hippodrome Theatre, 25 SE Second Place. Tickets are $20 to $50. For more information, or to purchase tickets online, visit thehipp.org.

FEB. 10 THROUGH FEB. 26

“YOU CAN’T TAKE IT WITH YOU”: The High Springs Playhouse is featuring its newest production, “You Can’t Take It With You,” from Feb. 3 through Feb. 26. At first the Sycamores seem mad, but it is not long before we realize that if they are mad, the rest of the world is madder. In contrast to these delightful people are the unhappy Kirbys. The plot shows how Tony, attractive young son of the Kirbys, falls in love with Alice Sycamore and brings his parents to dine at the Sycamore home on the wrong evening. The shock sustained by the Kirbys, who are invited to eat cheap food, shows Alice that marriage with Tony is out of the question. The Sycamores, however, though sympathetic to Alice, find it hard to realize her point of view. Meantime, Tony, who knows the Sycamores are right and his own people wrong, will not give her up, and in the end Mr. Kirby is converted to the happy madness of the Sycamores, particularly since he happens in during a visit by an ex-Grand Duchess earning her living as a waitress. No mention has as yet been made of the strange activities of certain members of the household engaged in the manufacture of fireworks; nor of the printing press set up in the parlor; nor of Rheba the maid and her friend Donald; nor of Grandpa’s interview with the tax collector when he tells him he doesn’t believe in the income tax. Catch a show at

8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays plus 2 p.m. Sundays at the High Springs Playhouse, 130 NE First Ave., in High Springs. Tickets are $15 for general admission, and $10 for students and ages 65 and older. For more information, or to purchase tickets online, visit highspringsplayhouse.com.

FEB. 11

MILES FOR MERIDIAN: Meridian will host its sixth annual Miles for Meridian walk, run and family fun 5K event at the Tioga Town Center at 8:30 a.m. Feb. 11. This year’s theme is “Chocolate.” Organizers say that it was such a crowd pleaser in the past that they wanted to continue the sweet theme for this event. The race will take place at Tioga Town Center with participant estimations around 300. Meridian’s mission is to promote the health, recovery and well-being of those affected by mental illnesses and substance use disorders through prevention, coordinated treatment and supportive services. Learn more about Meridian at mbhci.org. Tioga Town Center is located at 13006 SW First Road in Newberry. The cost to participate is $35 for ages 13 and older in advance, $40 for ages 13 and older day of event, $30 for ages 12 and younger in advance, and $35 for ages 12 and younger day of event. To register, visit bit.ly/milesfm23.

FEB. 11

SUWANNEE OPRY PRESENTS YESTERDAY ONCE MORE: Something new is coming to The Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park and Campground! The very first edition of the Suwannee Opry Presents Yesterday Once More concert is set for 7 p.m. Feb. 11 in the Music Hall. This new event features the songs of Anne Murray, Karen Carpenter, Linda Ronstadt, Conway Twitty and more with tribute artists including Keith Thrift and Ted Vigil. According to event coordinators, not only does Vigil look almost 100% like the world-wide famed John Denver, who passed away in 1997, but he sounds like him too. Tickets are on sale now from the promoter for $15 per person. To purchase tickets, call Juanita at 904-303-9611. The Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park is located at 3076 95th Drive in Live Oak.

FEB. 11

FINN MAGILL AND ALAN MURRAY: The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Gainesville is hosting two Irish-music musicians beginning at 7 p.m. Feb. 11. Andrew “Finn the Fiddler” Magill has straddled the line of “fiddler” and “violinist” for the better part of his 30 years. Raised in an Irish musical household in Asheville, North Carolina, he grew up studying with many of the best traditional American and Irish fiddlers at The Swannanoa Gathering music workshops. At age 18, his debut record, “Drive & Lift,” was featured on NPR and, 10 years later, Magill released his 2016 double-disc concept album “Roots and Branches,” debuting at Np. 46 on the Folk DJ charts. In 2009, Magill received a Fulbright-MtvU Fellowship to co-write and co-produce an album with Peter Mawanga that musically captures 10 experiences of HIV/AIDS through song in Malawi, Southern Africa. The result, “Mau a Malawi: Stories of AIDS,” was released on Oct. 14, 2011. Sales from the studio album are invested in programs to keep vulnerable Malawian children in school and empowered through the arts. In 2014, Magill moved to Rio de Janeiro and plunged into Brazilian choro music, studying with the most accomplished in the genre. “Canta, Violino!” ("Sing it, violin!") is the product of years of study and performance with Rio’s diverse musicians. Guitarist, bouzouki player and singer Alan Murray lives in Boston, Massachusetts, where he has established himself as an in-demand performer and teacher on the Irish music scene. He currently plays and tours with many of the finest traditional musicians today, and has taught classes at such prestigious music programs as Warren Wilson college’s Swannanoa Gathering, Catskills Irish Arts Week, Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival, The O’Flaherty Retreat, and the University of Louisiana and Connecticut’s Sacred Heart University. Tickets to the concert are $20 in advance or $25 at door (cash only). Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Gainesville is located at 4225 NW 34th St. For more information, or to purchase tickets online, visit bit.ly/concertjan23.

FEB. 13

“OVERKOME: PERSEVERING WITH COLLECTIVE, COMMUNITY-LED DEVELOPMENT”: A panel of four distinguished community leaders will discuss the issues the University of Florida has caused within Gainesville’s Black community at 6 p.m. Feb. 13 at the Cotton Club Museum and Cultural Center. During the free event, they will discuss issues of violence, housing and property ownership, income and labor, health care and educational disparities, among others. Staff and students from the Proctor Program also will provide background on some of the important historical figures whose activism and work has shaped and supported Alachua County residents during the harmful expansion of the university. Following the presentation, guests will have the chance to discuss solutions and initiate collaboration. Dinner and refreshments will be served. As part of the event, members of the Alachua County Community Remembrance Project also will showcase special artifacts including homemade quilts created by community members. The Cotton Club Museum and Cultural Center is located at 837 SE Seventh Ave. It also is available online via Zoom. For more information, visit bit.ly/overkome23 and bit.ly/3HDa6TM.

FEB. 18

“HORSE OF A DIFFERENT COLOR”: Riding off into a different realm, Dance Alive will perform contemporary themes and contemporary dance during its presentation of “Horse of a Different Color.” The overarching theme is effortless diversity — of dance styles, choreographers, dancers and cultures, both ancestral and present. See the palette of diversity and achievement through art at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 18 at the Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, 3201 Hull Road. Tickets are $27 to $49 and can be purchased online at performingarts.ufl.edu. For more information, visit info@dancealive.org or call 371-2986.

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: What's Happening: Miles for Meridian, Yesterday Once more, concert