Calendar Where to Go & What to Do
MUSICAL REVIVAL
Through Aug. 11 Annie, Fort Myers The classic musical, Annie, was based on the comic strip Little Orphan Annie, which ran from 1924 to 2010. The show opened on Broadway in 1977, and various productions of the hit have been produced to the delight of audiences worldwide ever since. Even now, after Sanibel Island, Fort Myers and Naples celebrate the Fourth of July with elaborate fireworks. all those years, Annie can still pack a theater. This summer the orphan girl and her dog Sandy take over the stage at the Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre. Get ready to travel the streets of New York with Annie and her newfound billionaire friend Oliver Warbucks and hear the popular songs “Tomorrow,” “It’s the Hard Knock Life” and others. Enjoy it with dinner or come just for the show with the whole family. broadwaypalm.com
LIGHT UP THE SKY! July 4 Fireworks, Sanibel
Dazzling fireworks ignite the heavens during Sanibel Island’s celebration of Independence Day. View the majestic spectacle from the shore or the water. Adventures in Paradise offers a special holiday cruise in San Carlos Bay to watch both the sunset and the explosive nighttime pyrotechnic show over the island’s surrounding waters. adventureinparadiseinc.com
FAMILY HOLIDAY
July 4 WINK Freedom Fest, Fort Myers Downtown Fort Myers’ Fourth of July kicks off this year with a patriotic car, truck and motorcycle show. Families find plenty of live entertainment, arts and crafts vendors, and kids activities, including photo ops with Captain America. A chili-dog-eating competition, sponsored by City Tavern, adds to the day’s fun, and a blockbuster fireworks show wraps up the evening. fortmyersriverdistrictalliance.com
RED, WHITE & BLUE July 4 Fourth of July Parade and Fireworks, Naples
A good old-fashioned display of patriotism marches down Fifth Avenue South in the heart of Naples on Independence Day. The 10 a.m. parade features floats decked out in red, white and blue. Later the celebration continues with fireworks after dark at the Naples
Pier, with ample viewing along the sandy shores of Naples Beach. naplesgov.com
CIRCUS ON ICE July 12-15 Cirque du Soleil’s Crystal, Estero
Daring acrobatics and fluid figure skating come together in Cirque du Soleil’s newest show, Crystal. Taking to the ice rink at Germain Arena, the troupe defies the laws of gravity performing for the first time an entire show of spectacular moves on ice. New territory for the company’s athletes and artists, the frozen fusion of ice skating with circus arts promises extreme skaters performing high-octane flips and jumps at neck-breaking speed, as well as a poetic pas de deux on aerial ribbons. The show’s surreal story revolves around the lead character, Crystal, and her imagination on the path of self-discovery. germainarena.com
SEXIEST TICKET IN TOWN July 7 Show Me the Honeys, Fort Myers
Back upon popular demand, the Glam! Bam! Burlesque! stars strut their stuff at the Sidney & Berne Davis Arts Center in Fort Myers. The
Show Me the Honeys stage production gets a Latin kick with the appearance of Miami’s Sophia Luna, reigning queen of the Latina and Hispanic Burlesque Festival. From glittering costumes to sexy dance routines and vocal stripteases, the ladies deliver a fabulous burlesque show—theatrical entertainment worthy of applause. sbdac.com
TUTTI FRUTTI July 14-15 MangoMania Tropical Fruit Fair, Cape Coral
Sink your teeth into a juicy mango at the tasting table during the annual MangoMania festival that celebrates this tropical fruit. Freshly picked Haydens, Irwins, Kents, Keitts and other varieties that grow on neighboring Pine Island are available. And while here sample lychee, carambola, longan, papaya and black sapote, an unusual fruit resembling a persimmon and tasting like chocolate pudding. Held at the German-American Social Club in Cape Coral, the event also features mango juggling and pie-eating contests. A parade of mango-inspired hats and musical performances add to the event, along with the crowning of the MangoMania queen. mangomaniafl.net
JAZZ IT UP July 14, Aug. 18 Summer Jazz on the Gulf, Naples
A Naples tradition, Summer Jazz on the Gulf has been going strong for 32 years. The Saturday night concert series that pairs live music with watery sunset views is a summertime must at the Naples Beach Hotel & Golf Club. Jazz lovers bring lawn chairs and blankets to stake out a spot on the Watkins Lawn. On July 14, Late Night Brass, with its dynamic vocalists and powerful horn and rhythm sections, treats the audience to songs by Chicago; Earth, Wind & Fire; and other horn bands. On Aug. 18, TBone Hamilton’s Big Easy Revue entertains the crowd. A combination of jazz, funk
and Texas blues, the New Orleans-style horn band gets the crowd jumping. naplesbeachhotel.com
SOULFUL DIVA July 15 The Greatest Love of All: The Whitney Houston Show, Fort Myers
Singer Whitney Houston began her career with her church’s gospel choir and soared to the top of pop music, where she claimed a spot as one of the best-selling music artists of all time before her tragic death in 2012. But legends like Whitney rarely fade away. Today South African songstress Belinda Davids, who competed against thousands of hopefuls for the tribute show spot, is singing the diva’s songs in the around-the-world tour of The Whitney Houston Show. The production comes to the Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall, complete with staged choreography, a six-piece band and the promise of performances of revered hits such as “I Will Always Love You,” “I’m Every Woman,” “I Wanna Dance with Somebody” and other chartbusters. bbmannpah.com
LAST COWBOY STANDING July 27-28 PBR Pro Tour, Estero Gaining in popularity, the Professional
Bull Riders (PBR) organization has seen its events televised on CBS and other sports networks to an eager audience in the past few years. When the PBR Touring Pro Division comes to Germain Arena, spectators can watch riders grab the rope and hold on as they compete and entertain with their courage and riding techniques. The cowboy athletes who participate in the sport hail from the United States, Brazil, Mexico, Australia and other countries. germainarena.com
WHO LET THE DOGS OUT? July 31-Aug. 1 PAW Patrol Live! The Great Pirate Adventure, Fort Myers
This might just be the best summer show for youngsters. PAW Patrol, an animated television program that has scored high points with preschoolers and their parents, comes to the stage at the Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall. Expect innovative costumes that bring the pups to life and lots of interactive efforts, from dancing the pirate boogie to solving picture
puzzles and following treasure maps. Marshall, a Dalmatian, and Rubble, an English bulldog, are just some of the characters to draw giggles from tots in the audience. bbmannpah.com
TEENAGERS ON STAGE Aug. 10-12 High School Musical Jr., Bonita Springs
Get ready for a rousing local production of the Disney Channel’s 2006 smash hit High School Musical. Members of the Youth Theater at the Center for the Performing Arts Bonita Springs have been rehearsing all summer to bring you their very own production of the musical comedy. The original show boasts a best-selling soundtrack that reached No. 1 on the American charts in 2006 and was the inspiration for two films, High School Musical 2 and 3. Jocks, Brainiacs, Thespians and Skater Dudes all have roles in this story of high-school students auditioning for parts in the school musical, and both rivalry and love typical of the modern-day teen add to the drama. artcenterbonita.org
PROVOCATIVE PLAY Aug. 16-19, 23-26 Repossessed, Fort Myers
The Alliance for the Arts in Fort Myers presents Repossessed, the winner of the Janet and Bruce Bunch New Play Contest. In this work, playwright Greg Lam delves into what would happen to relationships and probably your whole life if biotech companies could control your brain through technology. Those propelled to discuss the idea further are invited to join a Q and A with Lam and producing artistic director Bill Taylor after the Aug. 18 performance. artinlee.org