Go Bolts! The Tampa Bay Lightning are skating closer to the Stanley Cup, ahead 3-2 in the series against Detroit. See if they can beat the Red Wings in game five at 6 p.m. and advance this Saturday at the Amalie Arena. If you can't get tickets, sports bars throughout the bay area will be showing the game. Also, fans tomorrow night can watch on Ford Thunder Alley outside of Amalie Arena. The game will be broadcast on NBCSN Wherever you are, so don't forget to watch and cheer on the home team!
Happy 30th Co-Motion! The St. Petersburg College CoMotion Spring Dance Concert commemorates a three-decade milestone. In the show choreographers Nancy Smith and Cindy Hennessy, will perform several modern dance pieces in a variety of styles. Should be a night of professional-caliber, first-rate performances with humor, passion and imagination. Thurs., April 23, 7:30 p.m., Fri., April 24, 7:30 p.m. and Sat., April 25, 7:30 p.m. at SPC-Clearwater campus, 2465 Drew St. $5 general admission; free for SPC students and staff with ID only. spcollege.edu/comotion.
The Museum of Fine Arts’ kicky beach-inspired exhibition, Life’s a Beach: Photographs by Martin Parr, is in its final days, ending Sun., April 26 (photos like one above). 255 Beach Drive N.E., St. Petersburg. fine-arts.org.
Four years of studying, four months of digital planning and two weeks of physically building the gallery from the ground up come to fruition this Friday at 6 p.m. Nonrefundable, the University of South Florida’s graduating Bachelors of Fine Arts thesis exhibit, launches downtown at The Lockbox and is free to attend. The show reopens Sunday, April 26, at 633 N. Franklin St., Tampa. Click here for event page; read a Adam Hardy's feature about some of the artists here.
Two garden parties celebrate esteemed art confabs inspired by the season in north and south Pinellas this weekend. Bluelucy’s Garden Art Party will blossom with 50-plus artists’ pieces using flowers, plants, insects and other natural elements as inspiration. Participants include Sue Woodall, Zulu Painter, Jennifer Kosharek, Derek Donnelly, and many more. Music will be provided by DJs Sugar Bear and RePETE. The following day, around 30 miles north, the Dunedin Fine Art Center's 35th annual Garden Party will offer food, live music and a live art auction. In the spirit of spring, this year’s party theme is “flower power.” Tickets are $150-$175 for the DFAC Garden Party on Sun., April 26, 5 p.m. at 1143 Michigan Blvd., Dunedin. dfac.org. Bluelucy’s Garden Art Party is Sat., April 25, 7-11 p.m. Green Bench Brewing Co., 1133 Baum Ave. N., St. Petersburg. facebook.com/GreenBenchBrewing.
Force score: Charlie Ross has performed his One Man Star Wars Trilogy more than 1,200 times in more than 180 cities across four continents. In his condensed version of the sci-fi epic, Ross goes from commandeering the Millennium Falcon to kvetching like a cowardly robot to busting out the most uvula-challenging wookie wail of all time. On Saturday night, enjoy the Star Wars Art Show at Fodder & Shine (yes, two F&S-related events this week — pure coincidence, folks), featuring themed work from 14 artists, which will be on display through May 4th, aka May the Fourth Be With You, when a closing show celebrates the holy day of geeky obligation. Performance runs Fri., April 24, 7:30 p.m.; Sat., April 25, 2 and 7:30 p.m.; Sun., April 26, 1 and 7 p.m. at the Straz Center, Tampa. $35. Art show runs April 25-May 4, 7 p.m.-3 a.m. at 5910 N. Florida Ave., Tampa. strazcenter.org, fodderandshine.com.
Tampa art shows: Opening with a reception Friday night 7-10 p.m. at CASS, Pound and a Bear Hug brings to the South Tampa gallery renowned urban contemporary artists Bask and Tess One, who will be in attendance at the commemorative show reception (a full decade after their first joint show by the same name). Read the full story here. Runs through June 6. QUAID artist Sam K. Newton explores the parallels between pop culture and personal needs in his show Pet at QUAID/Tempus Projects, 7-10 p.m., 4636 N. Florida Ave., Tampa. quaidgallery.com.
Painting in The Park: Local Buds Artisan Collective teams up with MFA for painting and kite-making for kids while the grown-ups enjoy local food and beer. Free. Sun., April 26, 1-4 p.m. fine-arts.org.
Mambo Mouth strikes again! Back in the 1990s, actor-comedian John Leguizamo emerged as a one-man-show machine. Hollywood took note of the versatile performer, who’s appeared in several films, including Romeo + Juliet, Moulin Rouge and as a memorable drag queen in the American Priscilla redux To Wong Foo! Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar. This year he will be appearing with Tina Fey and Amy Poehler in American Ultra, and for his current live tour, John Leguizamo Presents Latin History for Dummies, the Colombian-Puerto Rican star breaks down the misconceptions around his South American and Caribbean ancestry. Saturday night's show is sold out. Tickets still available for Sun., April 26, 7 p.m. at the Tampa Improv, 1600 E. Eighth Ave., in Centro Ybor, $25, improvtampa.com.
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Also, don't forget ...
Chicken Shop by the new Urbanite Theatre fetched four stars from critic Mark E. Leib. It's an hour drive for many of our readers but worth the tred. The theater is at 1487 Second St., Sarasota. Showtime is 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday night and 2 p.m .Sunday. Tickets are $20. Call 941-321-1397 for more info.
Hot Hot Hot! The 9th Annual Pinellas Pepper Fest offers salsas, barbecue and hot sauces, rubs, pickled finds, pepper plants, live entertainment and more at the England Brothers, Bandshell Park Saturday and Sunday. pinellaspepperfest.com.
