Thursday, March 24
Few living creatives have a resumé rivaling that of Michele Oka Doner. With four decades' worth of solo and group exhibitions, public commissions, awards and grants, lectures, and publications, the Miami-born artist has a long history of celebrating the beauty of different cities. From Radiant Site at New York's Herald Square subway station to Flight at Reagan International Airport in Washington, D.C., and A Walk on the Beach at Miami International Airport, Oka Doner's public works capture the romance and diversity of each destination's plant and animal life. Miami art fans will get to hear from the artist herself at Pérez Art Museum Miami during its latest series installment, Art Talk: Michele Oka Doner in Conversation With Rebekah Rutkoff. At the opening of her PAMM exhibition, "How I Caught a Swallow in Midair," Oka Doner will discuss her work with Brooklyn-based writer, artist, and teacher Rutkoff. The exhibition features examples of the artist's works from the 1960s to the present, including functional designs, works on paper, and ceramics inspired by nature.
Art Talk: Michele Oka Doner in Conversation With Rebekah Rutkoff will take place at 7 p.m. Thursday at PAMM (1103 Biscayne Blvd., Miami). The talk is free with museum admission ($16 for adults and $12 for seniors, students, and youth aged 7 to 18). Call 305-375-3000 or visit pamm.org. See page 24 for more about Oka Doner.
J. Wakefield Brewery recently celebrated its first anniversary as one of the most creative and innovative breweries in Miami. The Wynwood pub has partnered with Habitat for Humanity Young Professionals for a tour of the brewery. In addition, the Young Professionals Happy Hour, with special drink pricing, will immediately follow the tour. Unique JWB beers include Amber Waves amber ale, 24th Street brown ale, Stush Berliner weisse, Hop for Teacher IPA, and UJ porter. The Lone Wolfe Mexican Fusion Cuisine food truck will be onsite.
The Habitat Brewery Tour for Humanity begins at 6 p.m. Thursday at J. Wakefield Brewery (120 NW 24th St., Miami). Tickets cost $15 to $25. Call 786-254-7779 or visit eventbrite.com.
Who's in the mood to sea a movie? You read that right. Everything's better down where it's wetter, and Pérez Art Museum Miami takes you below sea level for its outdoor film series, Sea Movies at PAMM. Thursday night will have the crowd flipping for the 1984 cult classic Splash — you know, the one directed by Ron Howard where Tom Hanks falls in love with mermaid-turned-human Daryl Hannah. She can't speak, which is a standard mermaid protocol for anyone familiar with Disney's The Little Mermaid, but that's OK. It only leaves more room for a young Hanks to be hilarious. Will Hannah ever speak again? Will she have her legs forever? Will the two be able to keep their love above water? How many more ocean puns can we make?
Bring a blanket and cuddle with friends or sit on the steps and look at the stars. The screening begins at 7 p.m. at PAMM (1103 Biscayne Blvd., Miami) and is free with regular museum admission ($16 for adults and $12 for seniors, students, and kids aged 7 to 18). Dogs are welcome in the outdoor areas. Concession snacks and cocktails will be available on site for additional charge. Call 305-375-3000 or visit pamm.org.
Friday, March 25
Miami Seaquarium's BunnyPalooza is the Magic City's biggest Easter celebration, featuring the largest Easter parade in South Florida. But this Friday at the theme park, PenguinPalooza will take over with three days of kid-friendly fun perfect for photo ops. A PenguinPalooza pass grants admission to all animal shows, including a Flipper performance that will evoke some serious nostalgia for the original TV show. Attendees can also see Salty the sea lion and Lolita the killer whale and learn more about their lifestyles and environments. The exhibits will be open, so guests can check out penguins, sharks, tropical reefs, manatees, seals, sea lions, sea turtles, crocodiles, stingrays, and a variety of tropical birds and fish. Kids and kids at heart won't want to miss visits from the Easter Bunny, egg hunts, and five acres of bounce houses, slides, and rides, including Salty's Pirate Playground and Sharky's Sky Trail, a multilevel aerial obstacle course.
Celebrate PenguinPalooza at Miami Seaquarium (4400 Rickenbacker Cswy., Key Biscayne) Friday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tickets cost $44.99 for adults and $34.99 for children. Call 305-361-5705 or visit miamiseaquarium.com.
Saturday, March 26
It ain't easy being a wife. Now imagine being a minister's wife. The musical A Minister's Wife, opening at GableStage this Saturday, delves deep into the complex sacrament that is marriage. Based on Candida by George Bernard Shaw, with music by Joshua Schmidt and lyrics by Jan Levy Tranen, the musical takes audiences inside the intimate nature of Rev. James Morrell's love for his wife, Candida. The Reverend is an "energetic socialist," according to the play's description, "a man after Shaw's own closely guarded heart. He and his wife are happily married... until a romantic young poet enters the scene." Prepare to laugh, feel all the feels, and maybe even look at your partner and wink.
A Minister's Wife begins at 8 p.m. at GableStage at the Biltmore (1200 Anastasia Ave., Coral Gables). Tickets cost $60. The show's run will continue through April 24, with varying times and performances Thursday through Sunday. Call 305-445-1119 or visit gablestage.org.
A picture can be worth a thousand words, especially if you spend an entire afternoon drawing it. For those creative types who wish to push the limits of their art (let's face it, Instagramming your lunch doesn't make you a photographer), there's SketchMIA: An Urban Sketch Tour. Part guided tour and part art class, SketchMIA is presented by the Miami Center for Architecture & Design. Billed as a way to see historic downtown Miami's "landmark buildings through an architect's eyes," the two-hour tour takes guests to locations such as the Miami-Dade County Courthouse and the Church of Gesù. The instructors are Joachim Perez, an architect and adjunct at the University of Miami; and David Rifkind, a professor of architectural history, theory, and design at the College of Architecture and the Arts at Florida International University. The tour is limited to 12 participants, so it will be nice and intimate.
SketchMIA departs from the Miami Center for Architecture & Design (100 NE 1st Ave., Miami) at 9 a.m. Saturday. Tickets cost $20 for members, $25 for seniors and students, and $30 for everyone else. Visit miamicad.org/sketchmia.
Tuesday, March 29
The final film in the lineup of the Aventura Arts & Cultural Center's Foreign Film Series is Spain's 2013 Living Is Easy With Eyes Closed. In true coming-of-age fashion, the story focuses on Antonio, a middle-aged English teacher living in southeastern Spain who's obsessed with the Beatles. In hopes of meeting John Lennon as he films the 1967 action comedy How I Won the War, Antonio embarks on a 200-mile road trip. Along the way, he picks up two hitchhikers, and the three form a bond on their quest for answers about life. The film is based on a true story.
The screening begins at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Aventura Arts & Cultural Center (3385 NE 188th St., Aventura). Tickets cost $11. Seating is general admission, and the auditorium opens 30 minutes before showtime. The film will be presented in Spanish with English subtitles. Call 305-466-8002 or visit aventuracenter.org.
Wednesday, March 30
Miami is one of the most multicultural cities in the nation. Where else would a Russian-born Dominican singer who started her career in Australia decide to plant roots? Fantine is a powerful soul singer who pays tribute through her songs to every culture that has touched her. She moved to Miami around 2013 and began working on her debut LP, I Am Fantine, with help from Miami's first lady of music, Gloria Estefan. Fantine has performed alongside Haitian-born Grammy winner Wyclef Jean and landed in the top five of Billboard's Dance Song chart.
Wednesday night, she will kill you softly with her song as she takes the rooftop stage of the Filling Station Lofts (1657 N. Miami Ave., Miami) for the second installment of the Arts & Entertainment District's Rooftop Unplugged Sessions. The intimate acoustic set under the night sky is the perfect setting for Fantine to take your breath away. Handmade cocktails will be available as you take in the views of downtown Miami. The show begins at 6:30 p.m. Admission is free, but RSVP is required. Call 305-901-5900 or visit fillingstationlofts.com or eventbrite.com.
Yo Miami is one of the few outfits in South Florida curating and supporting local comedy. This week, it will present yet another monthly opportunity to ruin the Botox with laugh lines. Last Call Comedy Show, held the last Wednesday of every month at Wynwood Brewing Company, affords young Miami comics the chance to lighten up the moods of even the grumpiest old Cubans. Formerly known as Moustache Ride Comedy Show, Last Call is hosted by Paul Julmeus, a son of Haitian immigrants and a substitute teacher — neither of which is relevant to his hosting duties, but both inform his self-deprecating style of humor. And if you don't think any of the jokes are funny, at least there's the prospect of craft beer in the brewery's taproom, which offers 25 percent off all drafts from 7 p.m. till close to all local businesses and residents.
Catch the best of Miami's up-and-coming comedic talent Wednesday at Wynwood Brewing Company (565 NW 24th St., Miami). The show starts at 8 p.m. and is free. Visit facebook.com/yomiami.
Unless you're Amish and reading this from a cornfield in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, it's likely you know all the words to "Let It Go." Disney's Frozen has dominated television and iPad screens since it hit theaters in 2013. And let's be honest — little kids aren't the only ones obsessed with Anna and Elsa. If you're one such adult, you'll be stoked to know that the Academy Award-winning story is coming to the American Airlines Arena, Disney on Ice-style.
Forget the summer heat and lose yourself in the icy dream world of Arendelle. Everyone, from the royal sisters and Olaf to Sven and hottie Kristoff, will be a part of the show. Mickey and Minnie will host the chilly affair, and the Disney princesses — plus characters from classic flicks like The Lion King and Toy Story — will also make appearances. It's modern-day Disney meets old-school favorites.
The show runs Wednesday through Sunday, with performances at varying times. Tickets cost $15 to $187. Call 786-777-1000 or visit aaarena.com.
