Fantastic Ekphrastic Most visual artists I know create their works either listening to music, but podcasts are becoming even more popular. In a little role reversal, this exhibition invites 16 visual artists to make works that are then interpreted by both writers and performing artists during this annual two-night event. Feb. 24 and 25, 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. $25, Soft Water Studios, St. Pete, keepstpetelit.org. —CA
February Road Trip: EPCOT International Festival of the Arts & La Nouba No, really, you can have art at Disney. For the inaugural year yes, the festival goes heavy on the Mickey-esque art, but other types of art makes up the mini-galleries circling World Showcase. Two of our favorites? Rachelle Eason’s Boiled Books and Fabio Napoleoni’s paintings. I’m bummed I couldn’t afford Unbounded Affection, which may explain why the first year of the fest is so Disney-heavy on the art — does the average tourist from Toledo come to the Happiest Place on Earth expecting to spend big bucks on art that doesn’t have a hidden Mickey in it? I hope so, because Disney has the power to give these other artists the exposure the truly talented deserve. It’s a challenge they’ll have to face as they try and balance non-Disney art with the whims of the average tourist. Speaking of all things Orlando, I don’t historically have the patience for sorting through the storylines in Cirque du Soleil, but the newest iteration of La Nouba left me dizzy. Literally — speaking as someone who can’t go more than two steps up a ladder without a panic attack, the thought of doing any of the things the performers do here gives me hives. But as for watching it? Loved it. This show has truly talented physical performers and may be the only Cirque show I’d want to see more than once. EPCOT International Festival of the Arts: Through Feb. 20. disney.com. Cirque du Soleil: ongoing. cirquedusoleil.com. —CS
Itzhak Perlman w/The Florida Orchestra Yes, there are superstars in the classical music world, and Itzhak Perlman is one of them. The 71 year old multiple Grammy award winner has received the Presidential Medal of Freedom and played the 2009 inauguration of former president Barack Obama, but he joins TFO’s Michael Francis at this fundraising concert to perform his favorite music from films like like Casablanca and Schindler’s List. Feb. 4, Mahaffey Theater, St. Petersburg. 727-892-5767 floridaorchestra.org — RR
La Cenerentola. Rossini’s take on the Cinderella story is one of the staples of the operatic repertoire. And with so much beautiful music, who really needs a glass slipper, fairy godmother and pumpkin coach? Feb. 10-12, Straz Center, Tampa. 813-229-STAR. strazcenterorg.—ML
Lend Me A Tenor. When storied opera singer Il Stupendo apparently dies in a Cleveland hotel room, the plot to replace him leads to a farce the Marx Brothers would have understood. Feb. 2-12, Hat Trick Theatre, Clearwater.—ML
Linda Connor: Gravity Keeping our fingers on the pulse of nature in 2017, Linda Connor captures spiritual and exotic locations of places like India, Mexico, Thailand, Ireland, Peru, and Nepal in black and white photography. It’s about time we get back in touch with the sacredness of our lands. Jan.- Mar., Florida Museum of Photographic Arts, Tampa. fmopa.org. —CA
Parker Millsap This young man from Oklahoma has already stopped in the area once since his September 2016 show at Skipper’s, but we’d be lying if we said we weren’t chomping at the bit to see the 23-year-old with the otherworldly voice do his damage at the relatively new Safety Harbor Art and Music Center. His March 2016 release, The Very Last Day, grows spicier with every spin, and it’ll be interesting to see how his band has fleshed it out after playing it on the road for almost a year. February 18, Safety Harbor Art and Music Center, Safety Harbor. 727-725-4018. safetyharborartandmusiccenter.com.
Port Side: Paintings by Laura Waller Laura Waller (previously featured in a 2016 Femme Visuale) will be showcasing her dynamic paintings of Tampa Bay’s port with her close-up “portraits” of freighters, cranes, docks, and forklifts that blur the line between representation and abstraction. Jan. 27-March 11, opening reception on Friday, Jan. 27, 7-9 p.m., Clayton Galleries, 4105 S. MacDill Ave., Tampa, claytongalleries.net.
Steve Martin & Martin Short w/Steep Canyon Rangers To be clear, Chevy Chase is not slated to join Martin Short and Steve Martin at any point in the duo’s tour that’ll feature a lot of banjo pluckin’, some stand up plus conversation about the boys’ lives in show biz. At press time, there were still tickets available for this show with bluegrass band Steep Canyon Rangers (who are longtime Steve Martin collaborators), but don’t expect that to be the case come showtime. February 11, Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater. 727-791-7400. rutheckerdhall.com. — RR
The Aliens. Set in the messy area behind a small-town Vermont coffee house, Annie Baker’s Obie award-winning play brings us KJ and Jasper, thirtysomething slackers who once tried to have a rock band together (tentatively named The Aliens). Into their world comes 17-year-old Evan, who at first just wants them to clear out, but eventually become their protégé — sort of. Baker uses silence more often than Pinter, and knows quite a lot about anomie. Stageworks, Tampa. Feb. 9-26. $30- $40. 813-374-2416. stageworkstheatre.org. —ML
The Open Road: Photography and the American Road Trip You can’t talk about spring without speaking of Spring Break plans, and since Florida is the unspoken capitol of this holiday, it seems perfect to have an exhibition all about good ole’ road trippin’. Whether you grab the keys to a full-sized RV or your mom’s minivan, traveling the countryside is about as American as apple pie. In the end, it really is about the journey and not the destination, am I right Museum of Fine Arts, St. Pete. Feb. 9-June 4. 727-896-2667. mfastpete.org. —CA
You Drain Me Some people just seem to suck all of the life out of you. In this group exhibition, the artists focus on gloomy themes often paired with compassion or even humor. Instead of resorting to pure satire, the artworks aim to elicit a genuine sense of pathos to show how we trudge through melancholy. Artists featured are Ryan Slauson, Jamie Steele, Maria Britton, Aliza Morell, Becky Flanders, April Childers, Wendy Babcox, Langdon Graves and Leslie Vigeant. Jan. 21-Feb. 28 Opening reception Jan. 21, 7-9 p.m. Tempus Projects, 4636 N. Florida Ave., Tampa. tempus-projects.com.
This article appears in Jan 19-26, 2017.
