Coastal Companion

Your ultimate guide to the coast

A Chorus Line comes to Jacksonville, Florida

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Can you dance? If you do, auditioning for a part might be something you’re used to, but for most of us, this is unfamiliar territory. To perform on stage and to become a star is a dream for many dancers. An audition is a chance of a lifetime, all your training, hard work, sweat and tears, might finally pay off when you get a chance to perform in the spotlight. This is your chance to dance – and to shine. This is the focus of the Chorus Line.

Chorus Line is the winner of nine Tony Awards, including “Best Musical”, and Chorus Line also received a Pulitzer Prize for dramal. It is the longest-running American Broadway musical ever. And now a Chorus Line returns and comes to Jacksonville Jan 19 – 23, 2010 at the Times-Union Center for the Performing Arts, Jacksonville.

Click here for more information

Charleston Comedy Festival 2010

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You can get all your comedy in one city during this festival in Charleston on January 20 – 23, 2010, where you have the opportunity to watch some of the country’s hottest improv, sketch, and stand-up artists perform with 38 shows in nine different venues in just four nights.

This festival is produced by Theatre 99 and the Charleston City Paper.
Several artists are slated to perform in this year’s festival, including Cook County Social Club, an improv and sketch comedy group from Chicago that played to packed houses in 2009. Cook County will team up with The Dangerous Strangers of Cabaret Kiki, the band behind Charleston’s favorite burlesque show who will reunite for a one-night only performance.

Another Comedy festival favorite is Elephant Larry, an NYC sketch comedy troupe who debuted at the Comedy Fest in 2006 and returned for that year’s Piccolo Fringe Festival in May. The Uprights Citizen Brigade Touring Company makes its semi-annual performance with Pangea 3000, a four-man sketch comedy group comprised of writers and contributors to The Onion, and Sidecar, a group that will perform a compilation of their greatest sketches.

Many stand-up comedians will be taking the stage during the festival. Kenny Zimlinghaus, a former 96Wave deejay who is now on Cosmo Radio on XM and Sirius, will return to perform and emcee the annual Charleston Stand-Up Competition.

Venues for the festival this year include Theatre 99 (280 Meeting St. above the Bicycle Shoppe), The American Theater and Stars Bar (446 King St.), Charleston Ballet Theatre (477 King St.), Trio Club
(139 Calhoun St.), the Music Farm (32 Ann St.), and Eye Level Art 103 Gallery (103 Spring St.). The festival has expanded to the suburbs with two new venues: the Charleston Pour House on James Island (1977 Maybank Hwy.) and Centre Pointe Bar & Grill in North Charleston (4950 Centre Pointe Dr.)

Ticket prices range from $5 – $20 and are available at www.charlestoncomedyfestival.com or by calling Etix at 1-800-514-ETIX. Tickets will be sold at Theatre 99 (280 Meeting St.) the week of the festival.

From Monroe to Ocean, Architecture and Jazz. Explore in Jacksonville, Fl

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The Beaches Museum & History Center present the work of award-winning architect, William Morgan, Jan. 16 through Feb. 13, 2010. Maintaining that there is no such thing as primitive architecture but only primitive means, Morgan relates buildings and human activity to the ecological context, thus revealing the universality of phenomena while also advocating creative freedom. An Evening at the Museum with William Morgan will be held Feb. 11, 2010, from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.

The Beaches Museum and History Center
413 Beach Boulevard, Jacksonville Bch, FL 32250
(904) 241-5657

Jazz it Up

Beginning Jan. 20, the Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens will unveil a new must-see exhibit for jazz fans of all ages. Jazz ABZ: An A to Z Collection of Jazz Portraits by Paul Rogers highlights jazz greats through poetry, from A (Louis Armstrong) to Z (Dizzy Gillespie). Each portrait and poem is evocative of the particular musician’s sound, and each work of art alludes to song titles, artifacts, and other markers of the time, including artistic references to well-known artists who were particularly inspired by jazz music.

The Cummer Museum of Arts & Gardens
829 Riverside Avenue, Jacksonville, Florida 32204
904.356.6857


Life as a Legend: Marily Monroe
Marilyn Monroe is once again in the limelight at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) Jacksonville this season. The feature exhibition, Life as a Legend: Marilyn Monroe, will debut on Jan. 22 and run through April 4, 2010. Forever Blonde, a captivating one-woman live performance celebrating the life and glamour of Marilyn Monroe will take the stage Thursdays through Sundays Feb. 11 to March 7, 2010. On March 13, MOCA will host the Mad About Marilyn Soirée, a Hollywood-style party featuring diamond-laced cocktails, live music, dancing and late-night tours of the Marilyn exhibition.

MOCA Museum of Contemporary Art
333 North Laura Street,Jacksonville, FL, 32202 USA
(904) 366-6911

Virtual Ocean Trip
A fully immersive maze-based exhibit starts on January 30 at The Museum of Science and History (MOSH) in Jacksonville. A-Mazing Sea is a virtual trip into the ocean with surprises around every corner – from role play games and puzzles to problem-solving and deep-sea sleuthing.

A-Mazing Sea compels visitors to climb into sea turtle shells, crawl through a whale’s mouth and reach into an octopus cave while discovering simple solutions for challenges that face inhabitants of the deep blue and beyond.

MOSH Museum of Science and History
1025 Museum Circle, Jacksonville, Florida 32207
904-396-6674

Restaurant Week returns to Amelia Island, Florida

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With an irresistible mix of eclectic dining experiences, Northeast Florida’s Amelia Island is pleased to announce its second annual Restaurant Week. The new program which runs January 24 through 31, 2010, will offer area residents and visitors a fixed menu, including three courses and a beverage, for only $19 or $29. Additionally, diners may enter to win a “Year of Dining,” with 12, $50 gift certificates to be used once a month for an entire year.

“We had such an overwhelming, positive response from the 2009 Restaurant Week,” said Gil Langley, President & CEO of the Amelia Island Convention & Visitors Bureau. “This year, we have several additional participating restaurants, allowing guests the opportunity to experience even more of Amelia Island’s incredible dining options.”

For more details about restaurant week in Fernandina Beach and Amelia Island, please visit www.ameliaisland.com/yummy.

New Year’s Eve for the family – Charleston, SC

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Celebrate New Year’s Eve at Marion Square in Charleston, South Carolina with lots of fun and activities for the whole family. This is perfect if you have family visiting town, or if you have younger children celebrating New Year’s with you. Head to downtown Charleston and Marion Square for an evening out on the town. The festivities begin at 4:00 pm and end with fireworks at 10:15 pm. On the main stage – entertainment from drumming to sing-a-longs and at 8:00 pm the headliner “Total Package” takes the stage. Fireworks at 10:15 pm!!Kidsfest Under the Tent
There’s a special tent at Marion Square for kids with everything from face painting, arts and crafts, balloon art and sing-a-longs. At 4:50 pm a bagpiper will lead the way to the Second Presbyterian church for free concerts. At 5:00 pm there’s a special concert for kids called “The Velveteen Rabbit”. this page

  • 6:30 pm Baroque Splendor: music of Bach, Handel, Vivaldi
  • 8:00 pm Chamber Music of Charleston
  • 9:00 pm, Brass Concert performed by Charles Towne Brass with Julia Harlow

This event is presented by the City of Charleston. The concerts take place at Second Presbyterian Church, 342 Meeting Street. For more information call (843) 724-7305