Josh Garrick: Culture for Your Calendar

Now to May 31 – Cole Porter’s ‘Anything Goes’ at the Dr. Phillips Center

One of the greatest musicals in theater history, Cole Porter’s musical comedy “Anything Goes” will sail into the Dr. Phillips Center in Orlando in a production USA Today calls “glorious and exuberant!” When the S.S. American heads out to sea, etiquette is tossed overboard as two sets of lovers prove that sometimes destiny needs a little help from a crew of singing sailors. Filled with musical theatre’s greatest hits, including “I Get A Kick Out Of You,” “You’re the Top,” and “Anything Goes,” this winner of three 2011 Tony Awards comes with our highest recommendation. Call 844-513-2014 or visit drphillipscenter.org

May 29 to June 1 – Breakthrough Theatre presents ‘The Great God Pan’

‘Tis the Central Florida premiere of Amy Herzog's play, “The Great God Pan,” for one weekend only from May 29 to June 1 with Thomas Rivera as Jamie. Jamie's life in Brooklyn seems fine until a childhood trauma comes to light. Unsettling and deeply compassionate, the play tells of what can happen when a hidden truth is released into the world. The Breakthrough Theatre is at 419 W. Fairbanks Ave. in Winter Park. Call 407-920-4034 for more information.

May 29 and June 19 – The Abbey presents a double ‘Grease’ sing-a-long

Back by popular demand, (yay!) The Abbey presents the Newton-John/Travolta fan craze “Grease” Sing-a-Long on May 29 and June 19 at 7:30 p.m. Enhance your Pink Lady or T-Bird wardrobe with prizes for best costume while you and your plus-one sing along to the most successful movie musical of all time. Tickets $15 and $20 are at TicketWeb.com.

Visit AbbeyOrlando.com

May 30 – Functionally Literate authors are free

Functionally Literate’s Free Reading Series connects and entertains Orlando's writers and the intellectually curious by pairing Florida writers with visiting writers from around the world. The May 30 event at 7 p.m. at the warehouse at 1300 Brookhaven Drive will include readings and book signings by Shane Hinton, author of “Pinkies,” Florida realism colliding with surreal fears of fatherhood; Jeff Parker, “Where Bears Roam the Streets”; and Erica Dawson, author of “The Small Blades Hurt.” There will be an after party at Lil Indies; both events are free.

May 30 – Annual Hurricane Party in Sanford

Sanford’s annual Hurricane Party & Music Festival comes to downtown Sanford on May 30 with 50 bands on five stages. Food trucks and local restaurants support the event along with artists and vendors and featured drink specials to help audiences enjoy the music as everyone pays homage to Mother Nature for a tranquil hurricane season! Presale tickets at $20 can be purchased online at drinkatwestend.com. Day-of-show tickets are $30. Call 407-322-7475 or visit drinkatwestend.com

June 4 – 1st Thursday at OMArt goes dreamy

The original Orlando themed art party — 1st Thursdays at OMArt — offers an opportunity to discover local artists, listen to live music and mingle with an eclectic mix of people. There is food and drink for purchase, and June 4’s theme — The Illustrated Dream — gives the artists a literally surreal opportunity to interpret their dreams on canvas. The $10 admission includes the museum and gift shop – where you can purchase art by that guy named Josh Garrick among others.

June 5 – The Rico Monaco Band in a free performance at Dr. Phillips Center

The Florida Blue Concert Series, free and open to the public, will present the red hot Rico Monaco Band at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, June 5, on the Seneff Plaza in front of the Dr. Phillips Center. Based in Florida, while performing around the world, RMB performs original songs and stylized Latin remakes. Monaco performs on guitar and vocals, and is the songwriter for the band. The concert is free with no ticket required.

June 5 to July 5 – ‘Ain’t Misbehavin’’ at Mad Cow Theater

“Ain’t Misbehavin’” at Mad Cow Theater is a musical tribute to the black musicians of the 1920s and ’30s who were part of Harlem’s great era of creativity and ethnic pride. The title is from the 1929 Fats Waller song “Ain't Misbehavin,'” and this five-person musical revue won the 1978 Tony Award and Drama Desk Award for Best Musical. It’s an evening of rowdy, raunchy, and humorous songs that reflect Waller's view of life as a journey meant for pleasure and play. Call 407-297-8788 or visit madcowtheatre.com

June 6 – Live from Orlando, It’s Science Night Live!

Please wear your best pocket protector for this nerdy-fun take on Saturday Night Live in an evening reserved for adults, (so we can drink) and enjoy everything we love about the Orlando Science Center with grown-up programming. View stars through a giant refractor telescope, watch 3D films, blow things up in Dr. Dare's Laboratory, and play Science Trivia while delighting in food and adult beverages (for purchase) on June 6 from 8 to 11 p.m. Admission is $15; must be 21 and older. Visit osc.org or call 407-514-2000.

June 7 – The Dr. Phillips Center Applause Awards

Modeled after Broadway’s Tony Awards, the Dr. Phillips’ Applause Awards celebrate outstanding achievements by Florida high school teachers and students in musical theater. Through the year, school theater productions are reviewed leading to the Dr. Phillips Center’s Awards Showcase featuring excerpts from select high school performances. You can add to the encouragement provided by the nomination and awards by being a part of the audience cheering on these young performers on June 7 beginning at 6 p.m. Call 844-513-2014 or visit drphillipscenter.org

Current – The Russian Academy of Ballet Alafaya’s ‘Swan Lake’

On May 23, The Russian Academy of Ballet and related Company presented a year-end performance that took on the greatest full-length ballet of all time – “Swan Lake” – choreographed by Vadim Fedotov and Irina Depler, dancer/teachers who had come to the U.S. from the Kiev Ballet Academy. The performance, at the Dr. Phillips Center was performed with charm, grace, extraordinary vision, and amazing talent. Nine white swans danced on pointe, and a group of younger black swans danced on pointe (a little) and demi-pointe. It worked beautifully. The most thrilling part of the performance, however, came when I found out – after the performance – that the Swan Queen, the consummate lead role for any ballerina, was performed not by a visiting artist as we had assumed, but by the brilliant Mallory Morra, a young lady who had just turned 15. And I got the wonderful news from Mallory’s mother Shauna. How thrilling to find that a young lady we thought was a mature guest artist was, in actuality, a young lady from Central Florida who performed the role as professionally as a visiting artist. And before we leave Mallory Morra with well-deserved wishes for a great career, I wish to note that twice during the performance I had whispered to my guest, “Look at her port de bras (arm movements) – only the Russians and the Russian trained ever learn that technique.” The more I visit her performance in my mind, the more remarkable it is. Once you’ve shown the world that you can take a group of well-trained students and do a praise-worthy version of the world’s greatest ballet, we encourage those toe-shoes to come out again soon to impress us in their next adventure.