Last week everyone stayed out of the rain, but this weekend the sidewalks have dried off and it’s time to get out. Wolverines set an appropriately leisurely pace in Kennedy Park, and the rest of the week follows that cue with music, conversations, and a few reasons to leave the house without overthinking it. So don’t. Just go. Your friends will meet you there.
The week’s big theme is get back outside, see and be seen. Concerts, community meetings, theaters and workshops dominate the calendar. Some of it is quiet, some of it isn’t, but none of it asks for much more than showing up and seeing where it leads. And don’t mind the Wolverines, they’re harmless.
Candlelight and the choral voices of Seraphic Fire combine in its annual Candlelight concert. The program moves from Renaissance masterworks to contemporary works, with a pre-concert talk by mezzo-soprano Amanda Crider at 6:30 p.m.. St. Philip’s Episcopal Church, 1121 Andalusia Avenue. Friday 3/20 at 7:30 p.m. To get a Golden Ticket; reserve at seraphicfire.org/goldenticket using code GOLD236. Other details and tickets.
A Dinner Table. A Yarmulke. A Bruise. Prayer for the French Republic at GableStage folds a century of one family’s life (and a 1,000 years of history) into 3.5 hours that are sharp, funny, and quietly devastating. Joshua Harmon writings have teeth, and the questions linger long after the second intermission. GableStage, 1200 Anastasia Avenue, Coral Gables. Performances 3/20–4/19. Showtimes and tickets.
Wolverines in the Park. The young men of Belen Jesuit High School escort Coconut Grove elders through Kennedy Park each Saturday morning, offering a steady arm and good company for a leisurely stroll. The group meets near the restrooms at the southwest corner of the park, Walking Together for about 45 minutes with time to rest, chat and share stories along the way. Kennedy Park, 2400 South Bayshore Drive. Saturdays beginning at 9:00 a.m. Free. Just show up and ask for Nathan Samuels, the founder and organizer. Well done, Nathan!
A Good Morning to be a Dog. (Actually in the Grove, most mornings are pretty good.) Chewy Bark Park opens with a tennis ball drop—thousands of balls to chase, keep and carry home, with extras going out to shelters across Miami. Chewy Bark Park, on the Underline at 4500 Ponce de Leon Boulevard. Saturday 3/21 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Free to RSVP.
The Gardens are Calm. The Bay isn’t. Just above the waterline, Vizcaya’s Village hosts a coastal resilience panel with REEFLINE, Miami Climate 365 and District 2 Commissioner Damien Pardo, followed by an open conversation about what it takes to keep things in balance. Vizcaya Village, 3250 South Miami Avenue. Saturday 3/21 from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., free.
A Grove Name Worth Applauding. Dorothy M. Wallace, longtime Coconut Grove resident and quiet force behind many community efforts, will be honored at the 80th Annual Finer Womanhood Community Fellowship Awards Luncheon hosted by Zeta Phi Beta Sorority’s Beta Tau Zeta Chapter. The event celebrates women shaping the future while raising scholarship support for young women pursuing higher education and leadership. Fire Tower Miami, 8000 Northwest 21st Street. Saturday 3/21 at 11:00 a.m. Tickets and information.
War has a Way of Following People Home. New World School of the Arts presents ‘Til Death, a bracing drama about a war correspondent who returns from a brutal conflict determined to wrest back control of her life and confront the hold that war still has on her. Koubek Center, 2705 Southwest 3rd Street. Through Saturday 3/21 at 7:30 p.m. A limited number of Golden Tickets are available. Info and bargain tickets.
Four Composers Who Never Shared a Stage. But now Ives, Monk, Cage and Eastman share an afternoon program that moves as only these four titans of their art could. New World Center, 500 17th Street, Miami Beach. Sunday 3/22 at 2:00 p.m. Some very affordable tickets were still available as the Spotlight went to press. Level up and catch brunch beforehand on Lincoln Road.
The Wire Jays close out the McBride Plaza series, a lineup drawn from top Frost School musicians, with a Newgrass set that takes risks with bluegrass and its traditional instruments to create something new. McBride Plaza, 150 Miracle Mile, Coral Gables. Thursday 3/26 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Free. Then stroll to dinner.
Park and Pool — You Can Have Both. Or at least learn what’s happening at Armbrister and Virrick Parks. A City of Miami community meeting walks through plans for the new center, construction impacts and Virrick pool updates, with time to weigh in while details are still taking shape. Armbrister Park (Community Room), 4000 Grand Avenue. Thursday 3/26 at 6:00 p.m. Free.
If You’re Not in the Room, Is it Art? Residency artist April Bey opens up her process for an interactive A.I. workshop as part of the Little Bahamas Underline Project. This artist workshop explores A.I. as a tool for research and idea development, with a clear look at ethics, authorship and how to keep control of your work in a shifting digital landscape. MDC Gibson Center, 3629 Grand Avenue. Friday 3/27 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Free with RSVP.
No Strings Attached. New World Symphony showcase Americans Got Rhythm moves the percussion section front and center stage. The program’s rhythm swings from pulse-driven minimalism to ragtime without losing a beat. New World Center, 500 17th Street, Miami Beach. Sunday 3/29 at 2:00 p.m. Modestly priced tickets. Pro tip: take the lobby elevator to the 6th floor promenade for the view.
Save Me a Seat
Classroom chaos meets theatrical payback in Miss Nelson Is Missing, a kid-smart favorite where the worst-behaved class in school suddenly learns what rules feel like. When sweet Miss Nelson disappears and is replaced by the terrifyingly efficient Viola Swamp, attitudes shift fast and appreciation kicks in just a beat too late. Actors’ Playhouse keeps this one brisk, funny, and very family-friendly. Most Saturdays at 2:00 p.m. Scheduled from 3/31-4/24, at the Miracle Theatre, 280 Miracle Mile, Coral Gables. Tickets.
The Hippest Ticket in town was in a coffeeshop hanging with J.S. Bach. Today the hipsters of the New World Symphony recreate Bach’s Leipzig joint with “If it ain’t Baroque…” and show us just how cool J.S. and his bros were. Bonus: You can strut like a big spender because this is a pay-what-you-want performance. New World Center, 500 17th Street, Miami Beach. Tuesday 3/31 at 7:00 p.m. Name your price and get your ticket here.
If There’s a Basket, This is Probably Where it’s Headed. Fairchild’s Bunny Hoppening mixes egg hunts, garden wandering and a quick ride on the Cottontail Express, with plenty to keep small hands busy for a while. Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, 10901 Old Cutler Road. Saturday 4/5 from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Tickets required and they will sell out quickly.
What Audiotech is Still Trying to Catch Up to. Seraphic Fire brings its signature immersive style, drawn from Venice’s Basilica of San Marco, with voices coming from every corner of the room and the audience at the center of it. Church of the Little Flower, 2711 Indian Mound Trail, Coral Gables. Friday 4/10 from 8:00 to 9:30 p.m. Tickets required.
Some Yards Just Know What They’re Doing. Native Plant Network’s starter kit pickup offers five native plants for eligible members—invite required, with details sent ahead. Not a member yet? Email [email protected]. Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden (nursery details shared by email). Friday 4/10 from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. Free.
Flamenco under the Banyans. Siempre Flamenco finds passion in guitars, voices, and dancers. You find the passion in blankets, bay breeze and the bottle of bubbly you bring. The Barnacle Historic State Park, 3485 Main Highway. Friday 4/10 from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m., doors open at 6:00 p.m. Tickets.
The Grove’s own Theatre Fest has announced its dates. Save them now. Thursday-Sunday 4/16-19.
He has an Alibi. He has a Key. He has a Plan. What he doesn’t have is control. Dial M for Murder turns into a battle of wits where the smallest detail becomes the loudest weapon. Could anything improve on Hitchcock’s masterwork? The ultimate plot twist. Actors’ Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre, 280 Miracle Mile, Coral Gables. 5/13–6/7. Showtimes and tickets.
Eureka Day drops you into a Berkeley school board meeting where militant inclusivity rules — until a mumps outbreak forces the one thing nobody wants to do: decide. What starts as satire infects the room with something uncomfortably familiar, and the laughter comes fast and as sharp as a needle. Fresh from Broadway and already selling out. GableStage, 1200 Anastasia Avenue, Coral Gables. 5/15-6/14. Showtimes and tickets.
