THURSDAY 9.9
Not Quite Ms. Parton Dolly Levi is a turn-of-the-century matchmaker who has decided that she herself is the best match for her latest client, the affluent Horace Vandergelder. Insert wild goose chase, sub-plot involving Vandergelder's employees, and tons of singing and dancing and you have the absurd but delightful Hello Dolly!, which opens this evening at the Tarpon Springs Performing Arts Center. Jerry Herman and Michael Stewart's musical was presented for the first time in 1964 and went on to win 10 Tony Awards. By the end of its run in 1971, Hello Dolly! had been performed 2,844 times. This particular production is directed by Dick Poole and choreographed by Jane Russell Geddings. Tickets are $18 for general admission, $16 for center members and students. Show times are 8 p.m. Thu.-Sat. and 2 p.m. Sun., Sept. 9-19. Tarpon Springs Performing Arts Center, 324 Pine St., Tarpon Springs (727-942-5605).
FRIDAY 9.10
Black Comedy Lewis Black is all over the comedy scene, posing as a neurotic commentator on Jon Stewart's The Daily Show each week while also appearing regularly on Late Night with Conan O'Brian. In May, he performed in his first solo, stand-up special on HBO, Back in Black, an hour-long showcase of his take-no-prisoners brand of comedy in which he makes a mockery of political issues (anything from homeland security to tax-cut benefits) just as easily as he complains about international travel and cold weather. To top it all off, he continues to tour, spreading his message of comedic outrage all over the country. This weekend, we are lucky enough to be graced with his presence at the Tampa Improv. Tickets are $25 and you can catch a show at 8 or 10:30 p.m. on Fri. and Sat. or 7 p.m. on Sun., Sept. 10-12. The Improv Comedy Theater & Restaurant, 1600 E. Eighth Ave., Tampa (813-864-4000).
Bursting with Artists Four exhibits open at The Arts Center this weekend, offering a diverse collection of works by a variety of area artists and wannabes. The Pinellas County Center for the Arts at Gibbs High School has been lauded all over town for its magnet arts programs, and much of its success can be directly attributed to the dedication of its instructors. PCCA Visual Arts Instructors: From the Classroom to the Studio showcases their talents, with works that range from ceramics to self-portraits. Eckerd College Visual Arts Alumni: 40 Years and Counting, 1964 to 2004 features media by more than 35 visual arts graduates, including paintings, photography and performance art pieces. The Kid's Summer Camp exhibit, Let's Play, presents the creativity of students who participated in the center's nine-week art course. Finally, there's My Neighborhood and I: An Expression of Pride, an exhibit of photographs designed to decrease the stereotypes normally associated with low-income neighborhoods and created as part of the Pinellas Opportunity Council's Summer Youth Project. An opening reception for all shows takes place from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. this evening. Regular gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mon.-Sat. and noon to 5 p.m. on Sun. Continues through Oct. 29. The Arts Center, 719 Central Ave., St. Petersburg. 727-822-7872 or www.theartscenter.org.
Rich in Love, Poor in Everything Else The Carrollwood Players begin their 2004-05 season with a production of the Neil Simon comedy Barefoot in the Park. The play follows newlyweds Paul and Corie Bratter (Jakob Aaron and Rosemary Bardi) as they adjust to married life in a tiny, Greenwich Village apartment. Paul is a conservative lawyer trying to make a career for himself; Corie is a free spirit eager to be romantic and spontaneous while cheerfully making a home for herself and her husband. (Ever seen Dharma and Greg? Same idea.) In typical Neil Simon fashion, comic chaos arises as the Bratter's marriage begins to collapse under the pressure of a five-flight walk-up, a skylight that leaks snow, an oddball neighbor who must climb through their apartment to get to his, and Corie's misguided efforts to marry off her mother. Directed by Dee Ford. Tickets: $12 adults/$10 students and seniors. Show times are 8 p.m. on Fri. and Sat., and 3 p.m. on Sun., Sept. 10-Oct. 2. Carrollwood Playhouse, Plantation Plaza, 4333 Gunn Highway, Tampa. 813- 265-4000.
TUESDAY 9.14
A Jazzy Dedication The Palladium Theater was recently given a Steinway piano in honor of founding executive director and board member Paul Stavros. The not-for-profit theater dedicates the Steinway with American jazz master Dick Hyman this evening, at which Hyman performs a solo piano concert of American songs and jazz improvisation. You may not know about Hyman but he's been quite the busy bee all throughout his life — his musical career began in the early '50s and he hasn't taken a break since. He's performed as a pianist, organist, arranger, conductor and composer, and his versatility in all of these areas has led him to record over 100 albums under his own name and many others in support of other artists. He's written concert compositions for orchestras, worked as music director for various television programs, orchestrated the musical Sugar Babies and served as the composer/arranger/conductor/pianist for tons of Woody Allen films, including Stardust Memories, Hannah and Her Sisters, Bullets Over Broadway and Everyone Says "I Love You". He also scored Moonstruck and Scott Joplin—King of Ragtime. I don't have room to laud him anymore, though there's plenty I could say — he's a freakin' musical maniac and way too prolific for his own good. Tickets for the 7:30 p.m. concert are $30 and this includes a post-concert dessert and coffee reception with Mr. Hyman. For $150, you can also attend the pre-concert Gala in honor of Paul Stavros, which begins at 6 p.m. Want to "invest" in one of the Steinway's keys ($1,000 per key, which includes tickets to the show)? Go to www.palladiumtheater.com for more information. Palladium Theater, 253 Fifth Ave. N., St. Petersburg. 727-822-3590.
This article appears in Sep 8-14, 2004.