Top Picks
Tina Turner on Tour
November 5 Diva. Icon. Inspiration. Legend. Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll. Tina Turner has had so many titles and labels during her half-century (so far) career, that perhaps it’s only fitting that her current tour—her first since 2000—is called simply “Tina: Live in Concert.” Presented in conjunction with a new CD, the tour was born of fan demand in the wake of Turner’s performance with Beyonce at the 50th Grammy Awards in February. 7:30 p.m. $58.50-$150. Amway Arena. 407-839-3900.
Hallelujah!
November 30 The Thanksgiving-weekend tradition continues as the Messiah Choral Society presents its 36th annual performance of Handel’s Messiah. Local choral singers are joined by a professional orchestra and soloists for this concert. 3 p.m. Free (first come, first seated; no tickets are required). Bob Carr Performing Arts Centre. messiahchoralsociety.org.
Prairie Tales
November 24 It may be just another quiet week in Lake Wobegon, Garrison Keillor’s mythical hometown, but it’s an exciting week in Orlando because Keillor is appearing here, thanks to public radio’s WMFE-FM. He’ll be telling stories, singing songs
(a cappella) and generally attempting to overcome his well-known natural shyness. His topics include growing up in the Midwest, the aging process and late-life fatherhood. Here’s your chance to see as well as hear the host of A Prairie Home Companion, and to experience in person his dry wit, warm sentiments and cool-headed wisdom. 7:30 p.m. $80-$175. Bob Carr Performing Arts Centre. 800-785-2020. wmferadio.org
Musical Monks
November 7-8 Their recordings have been in the Top 10 on New Age charts, they have played at Carnegie Hall, and they’ve performed with Paul Simon, Edie Brickell, Natalie Merchant and the Beastie Boys. They are the Tibetan Monks from the Drepung Loseling Monastery, and their Mystical Arts of Tibet tour is part of this year’s Bach Festival Visiting Artist Series. The performance features multiphonic singing, in which the monks simultaneously intone three notes of a chord, accompanied by such instruments as 10-foot-long horns, drums, bells and cymbals. Visiting Artists Series, Friday 8 p.m. $30-$40. Fred Rogers Family Series, an informal, interactive performance, Saturday 11 a.m. $10-$15. Tiedtke Concert Hall in Keene Hall, Rollins College, 1000 Holt Avenue, Winter Park. 407-646-2182. bachfestivalflorida.org
Soft & Heavy
November 7 Indie rock band Coldplay has been around for a decade, but it really made a splash in 2000 with “Yellow.” The British band’s YouTube profile describes its music as “very heavy soft rock”—a contradictory style that’s earned many fans but also very vocal critics. The band is touring in support of its fourth album, Viva la Vida, released this summer. 7:30 p.m. $49.50-$97.50. Amway Arena. 407-839-3900.
Puppets: The Next Generation
November 7-9 Now entering its fourth year, the Orlando Puppet Festival features top puppeteers from around the country and the best of our local practitioners. This year’s guests include Nana Projects, a Baltimore group that blends puppets with lanterns; Leslie Cararra-Rudolph, best known as the force behind Sesame Street’s Abby Cadabby and Johnny and the Sprites’ Ginger; and Tampa’s Katie Adams, whose performances are accompanied by hammer dulcimer folk music. They’re all brought to us by Heather Henson (left), a local puppeteer and a daughter of Muppeteer Jim Henson. Venues include the Mad Cow Theatre at 105 South Magnolia Avenue; Gallery at Avalon Island, 37 South Magnolia Avenue; and Heritage Park at the Orlando Regional History Center, 65 East Central Boulevard. Tickets are $5-$25 and can be purchased at madcowtheatre.org. For more information, visit orlandopuppetfestival.com.
Really Big Show
November 12-16 Fifteen roaring, snarling dinosaurs star in Walking With Dinosaurs, The Live Experience, a theatrical arena show that originated in Australia and is based on the Emmy-winning BBC-TV series of the same name. Fifty artists and technicians spent a year building the show, including “muscle bags” of mesh fabric filled with polystyrene balls, stretched across moving parts of the dinosaur “bodies.” Puppeteers use “voodoo rigs” to make the largest dinosaurs move by manipulating miniature versions; the actions are then interpreted by computer and transmitted by radio waves to hydraulic cylinders in the larger creature. Smaller dinosaurs are operated by puppeteers inside the creatures. Wednesday-Friday 7 p.m.; Saturday 11 a.m., 3 and 7 p.m.; Sunday 1 and 5 p.m. $2.50-$64. Amway Arena. 407-839-3900. www.dinosaurlive.com
Greatest Portraits
November 20-January 18 More than 50 archival photographs from around the world are on display in In Focus: National Geographic Greatest Portraits, the Smithsonian Institution traveling exhibition at the Orange County Regional History Center. Also opening is Trailer City: Portrait of a Community by Peter Schreyer, internationally exhibited photographer and Crealdé School of Art executive director. Schreyer explores disappearing Florida through photographs of a 70-year-old community of trailer homes on public land in Winter Garden. Grand opening November 20, 6:30 p.m. includes international food and music, and guest speaker Said T. Jawad, Afghanistan’s ambassador to the United States. $25, free admission to members. RSVP required. Monday-Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Sunday 12-5 p.m. $6-$9. East Central Boulevard. 407-836-8580. thehistorycenter.org
