Top Picks

June's best bets in the arts and entertainment.

She Jokes, He Jokes.

Wanda Sykes

Comedians Wanda Sykes and Jim Gaffigan are bringing their very different shows to town.

Wanda Sykes and Jim Gaffigan are both comedians, but that’s pretty much where the resemblance ends.
She’s sassy and brassy while he’s wry and dry. She’s female; he’s male. She’s African-American; he’s—well, they don’t come much whiter than Gaffigan. In fact, his Comedy Central special was titled Beyond the Pale; that’s “pale” as in, “Gee, Jim, you look a little pale.”
Sykes can be seen on CBS’s The New Adventures of Old Christine and HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm. In the fall, the elfin, tart-tongued comic is slated to host a series on Fox that will feature panel discussions of current events.
Gaffigan, meanwhile, stars on TBS’s My Boys. And he’s been seen in all his whimsical, doughy glory on CBS’s Welcome to New York and NBC’s Ed.
In what may seem at first like some sort of mix-up, Sykes and Gaffigan will be performing this month on consecutive nights at Hard Rock Live. She’ll be there on June 5 at 7:30 p.m. ($45-$50). His June 6 show starts at 7 p.m. ($35-$42.75).
Sykes and Gaffigan prove that funny comes in all different flavors.
Sykes can get into some hilarious, if often uncomfortable, territory, as she recently did at the White House Correspondents’

Association dinner.
Addressing President Obama, who was also at the dinner, she said, “I think Rush Limbaugh was the 20th hijacker, but he was so strung out on OxyContin he missed his flight.”
Gaffigan leans toward ironic riffs on pop-culture topics, as in his much-loved routine on Hot Pockets: "Never really see that on a menu when you go out to dinner. Let’s see: I’ll have the Caesar salad and the Hot Pocket.”
Hard Rock Live, Universal CityWalk. 407-839-3900. www.ticketmaster.com

Garden-Variety Romance

June 5 Grab your date, a couple of lawn chairs and a picnic dinner and head over to Leu Gardens for an old-fashioned romantic-comedy movie under the stars. Roman Holiday is the feature for this month’s Date Night. Starring Audrey Hepburn as a runaway princess who is rescued by Gregory Peck, an enterprising American journalist, the film also features the city of Rome in a stunning supporting role. 6 p.m., movie begins at dusk. $7 (plus tax) adult, $2 (plus tax) child; free to Leu Gardens members. 1920 N. Forest Ave. 407-246-2620. leugardens.org

Bulls and Broncos

Thrills and spills are part of the fun at the Silver Spurs Rodeo

June 5-7 We’re not talking football teams. If you have a hankering for bronco riding, barrel racing, bull riding, steer wrestling and roping, the Silver Spurs Rodeo is the place for you. The largest event of its kind east of the Mississippi celebrates its 123rd outing this month. Ranked among the top 50 events sanctioned by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, Silver Spurs started as a small gathering of Osceola County ranchers in 1941 and is now a rootin’-tootin’ institution that celebrates the cowboy way of life as it has always been lived in Florida. $15; children 10 and younger free. Silver Spurs Arena, Osceola Heritage Park, 1875 Silver Spur Lane, Kissimmee. 321-697-3495. silverspursrodeo.com

No One Is Safe

Through July 5 Forbidden Broadway, the Off-Broadway cabaret review that makes a mockery of popular musicals, is coming to Mad Cow Theatre. Four versatile performers and a gifted pianist skewer such Broadway shows as The Phantom of the Opera, Wicked, Les Misérables, Hairspray, The Lion King, The Music Man, Rent and more. Nothing and no one is safe from the sharp wit and satire, including celebrated actors, writers, composers, directors and choreographers.Thursday-Saturday 7:30 p.m., Sunday 2:30 p.m., Monday (June 8, June 22) 7:30 p.m. $26-28, $15 on Mondays. 105 S. Magnolia St. 407-297-8788. madcowtheatre.org

Roadwork

An untitled work by Highwayman James Gibson

Through June 27 The original Highwaymen painters, a group of African-American men and women, sold their works on the roadsides near Fort Pierce in the harsh days of segregation after World War II. Despite the conditions, the artists found beauty in the natural landscape of Florida, and achieved some success. Today their art hangs in collections around the world. A selection of works from 19 of the artists is on display at the Crealdé School of Art’s Hannibal Square Heritage Center, in the show Against All Odds: The Original Highwaymen Painters, curated by noted Highwaymen collector Geoff Cook. Tuesday–Thursday noon–4 p.m., Friday noon-5 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m.–2 p.m. Hannibal Square Heritage Center, 642 W. New England Ave., Winter Park. 407-539-2680. crealde.org