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Ah, spring. In most of the country it means the flowers are beginning to emerge, and the birds are singing. While Miami's spring doesn't bring anything new weather-wise, the changing of seasons is marked by new performances courtesy of the Maximum Dance Company. The Rite of Spring is choreographed to Igor Stravinsky's popular score, and this version of the ballet stays true to Stravinsky's messages of man's interaction with nature, tribal survival, and sacrifice. Celebrate the season tonight at 8:00 at the Gusman Center for the Performing Arts, 174 E. Flagler St., Miami. Tickets range from $25 to $50. Call 305-259-9775, or visit www.maximumdancecompany.com. -- Patrice Elizabeth Grell Yursik
Curious Play
Inquisitive monkey finds trouble
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Long before Ross was hanging out with Marcel on Friends, there was another single man living in the city with his monkey pal. H.A. and Margret Rey fled Paris in 1940 and made their way to New York City with little more than their Curious George manuscript. The adventure begins when the Man with the Yellow Hat captures a little monkey while in the African jungle. Houghton Mifflin published the first book in 1941, and the Reys' tales of the mischievous monkey have been delighting children ever since. You can get a dose of George's silly adventures this morning at 11:00 when the Fantasy Theatre Factory presents a free performance of Curious George at the Miami Beach Botanical Garden, 2000 Convention Center Dr., Miami Beach. Call 305-673-7256 ext. 206 for reservations, or visit www.mbgarden.org. -- Lyssa Oberkreser
Woman Perfected
The Edge of Plath
FRI 1/28
Known as much for her suicide as her poetry, Sylvia Plath's short, tragic life has been used by some to underscore anything except her talent. However, to separate the words from the woman would be a greater crime: Hot on the heels of the controversial publication of Ariel: The Restored Edition, the Coconut Grove Playhouse (3500 Main Hwy., Miami) presents Edge, a one-woman play starring award-winning stage and screen actress Angelica Torn. Written and directed by Plath's noted biographer Paul Alexander, the play strives to re-create an imagined version of her life, perceptions, and contentious relationship with her, perhaps justly, villainized husband, poet Ted Hughes. The play runs through March 27. Showtimes vary and are subject to change. Friday and Saturday evening tickets cost $35; other performances are $30. Call 305-442-4000, or visit www.cgplayhouse.org. -- Margaret Griffis
