Neighborhoods

The Alhambra Theatre and Dining welcomed spring by opening their second show of 2010 with the dance-happy Tony Award winning musical 42nd Street. This musical about musicals, based on a 1933 film of the same name, will grace the Alhambra stage at 12000 Beach Blvd in Jacksonville until April 25th. The plot is about the desire of Broadway Director Julian Marsh (Dan Schiff) for one more hit show so he can recoup his stock market losses and retire. Abner Dillon (Earyle Rhodes) is his wealthy financial backer, Dorothy Brock (Patti Eyler) his temperamental diva, Peggy Sawyer (Erin Dowling) a hopeful …

by erin thursby Farmers market fever has hit Jacksonville. With the success of the Riverside Arts Market, farmers markets have popped up all over the place. It’s hard to know if a market is worth driving to when you live across town. Some markets are tiny and cater to their particular neighborhood (Hemming, San Marco) and some pander to the First Coast at large (Riverside Arts Market). Others are conveniently located near shopping, so if you don’t find what you’re looking for at the market, you can either pop into a nearby supermarket (see the Mandarin entry) or go mall …

The Jacksonville Symphony under the baton of Michael Butterman and the Alhambra Theatre directed by Tod Booth combined their talents for the third time in as many years with four inspired performances of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma September the l8th to the 20th. Previous joint productions of The Music Man and Westside Story were well received by enthusiastic audiences and Oklahoma was equally as popular with the audiences in Jacoby Hall at the Times Union Center for the Arts in downtown Jacksonville. You may have read that the Alhambra Dinner Theatre has closed, at least temporarily, but it appears that a …

Thursday, May 21 at 7 pm The Jacksonville Jazz Piano Competition The Jacksonville Jazz Piano Competition has been a Jacksonville tradition for more than 20 years. Five finalists, chosen by a selection committee through “blind” judging, will compete for the honor of this award. The first-place winner will receive a prize of $3,500 and will perform at the 2009 Jacksonville Jazz Festival on Saturday, May 23, at the Landing stage. General admission ticket prices for the competition are $10 plus applicable service charges. Tickets may be purchased at The Florida Theatre Box Office in person or by calling (904) 355-2787 …

by rick grant This year, the Jax Jazz Festival is taking a giant step by moving from Metropolitan Park and throwing a free street festival in Downtown Jacksonville. It’s an exciting concept for different reasons, but first and foremost, it brings people together in the middle of Downtown to stroll around and enjoy the many different sounds, rhythms, and pungent aromas of cooking food. The festival includes burgeoning art and music in the Downtown quadrant. Throughout the event there will be wine tastings, the Generation Next Talent Competition, jazz brunches, exhibits, educational displays. And, it’s all free except the Jazz …

Many of Jacksonville’s most recognizable landmarks, including venues for all types of entertainment, are located in downtown Jacksonville. Prime F. Osborn III Convention Center (1000 Water St., 630-4000) When it was built in 1919, Jacksonville Terminal was the railroad gateway to Florida. Now it is completely restored and renovated and where the trains once ran on time, boat shows, conventions, trade shows, banquets, and meetings now run like clockwork. With 265,000 square feet of space, the Prime Osborn Convention Center is large enough and versatile enough to accommodate gatherings of virtually any size, small or large. The center was the …

May 1: Taylor Swift Also performing, Kellie Pickle and newcomers Gloriana. Veterans Memorial Arena, 300 A. Philip Randolph Blvd., 7:30 pm, 630-3900 MAY 1-3: World of Nations Celebration Take a trip around the globe at the 17th Annual World of Nations Celebration. Celebrate the rich cultural traditions and unique heritage of people from around the world and experience the cuisine, artistry and customs from lands near and far. Metropolitan Park, 630-3690 MAY 1-10: Wicked: The Untold Story of the Witches of Oz Long before that girl from Kansas arrived in Munchkinland, two girls met in the Land of Oz. See …