What's Happening: 'Boeing, Boeing,' Dr. Ken Sulak, Ariel Quartet, more

FEB. 23 THROUGH FEB. 25

“BOEING, BOEING”: “Boeing, Boeing,” the 1960s French farce adapted for the English-speaking stage, features self-styled Parisian Lothario Bernard, who has Italian, German and American fiancées, each a beautiful airline hostess with frequent “layovers.” He keeps “one up, one down and one pending” until unexpected schedule changes bring all three to Paris, and Bernard’s apartment, at the same time. See how it all unfolds at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays plus 2 p.m. Sundays through Feb. 25 at the High Springs Playhouse, 23416 NW 186 Ave. in High Springs. Tickets are $15 for general admission, and $10 for students and ages 65 and older. For more information, or to purchase tickets online, visit highspringsplayhouse.com.

FEB. 23 THROUGH APRIL 21

“ANTARCTIC DINOSAURS”: Step back in time and discover life beneath the ice in “Antarctic Dinosaurs.” Today, Antarctica is a forbidding land of snow and ice, but 200 million years ago it was a lush, wooded habitat where dinosaurs thrived. Uncover the history of the world’s southernmost continent and the unique species that have called it home in this interactive, family friendly experience at the Florida Museum of Natural History. Rare fossils, touchable casts and interactive models bring the past to life while showcasing Antarctica’s distinctive dinosaur species. Examine a reconstructed forest, and encounter the early plants and animals that flourished in the once-green environment. Experience the extraordinary work that goes into digging for fossils with real equipment and a recreated quarry. Learn about the important research taking place in this frigid landscape and how it informs future changes to the world’s climate. This is a bilingual exhibit available in English and Spanish. Tickets are $10 for adults; $9 for Florida residents, seniors and non-UF college students; $7 for ages 3-17; and free for ages 2 and younger, UF students and museum members. Museum hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday. It is located at 3215 Hull Road. For more information, visit floridamuseum.ufl.edu or call 846-2000.

FEB. 24

DR. KEN SULAK: “FINDING FLORIDA: CROSSING THE SUWANNEE RIVER IN THE EARLY 1800S — EARLY FERRIES, BRIDGES, AND TRESTLES”: Settlers traveling in to Florida in the early to mid-1800s encountered a nearly trackless longleaf pine wilderness, and the necessity of crossing the Suwannee River or its tributaries — the Withlacoochee or Alapaha rivers. The history of settlers, pioneer families and river crossings is intertwined with the history of Florida. Join historian and fish biologist Dr. Ken Sulak as he shares about this fascinating piece of Florida’s past beginning at 4 p.m. Feb. 24 at the Matheson History Museum, 513 E. University Ave. Sulak is a research fish biologist retired in 2016 from the U.S. Geological Survey. He has a master’s and doctoral degree from the University of Miami School of Marine Science, and a bachelor's degree from Harvard University. He was director and senior fish biologist at the Atlantic Reference Center, Huntsman Marine Science Centre, New Brunswick, Canada, from 1985 to 1994. He has conducted international research as a NATO fellow in England, a U.S. National Academy exchange scientist to Russia, and chief scientist aboard a large number of oceanographic research cruises. Sulak has published extensively on marine fish community ecology and sturgeon life history and conservation. He has 50 years of experience researching fish ecology in coastal rivers, estuaries, and the deep-sea in the Atlantic, Arctic, East Pacific and Indian oceans. He spent the last 25 years as a fish ecologist for the USGS. His gulf sturgeon research filled critical gaps in knowledge of life history, population biology and habitat requirements in coastal rivers and the Gulf of Mexico, facilitating conservation of this species. Offshore research focused on deep-reef fish communities off the U.S. east coast and in the Gulf of Mexico, and on yellowfin tuna attracted to oil rigs. Sulak led four years of intensive USGS research on the impacts of the BP oil spill upon the Gulf of Mexico shelf-edge reef fish communities. He is a founding member of the North American Sturgeon and Paddlefish Society. For the past two decades, he also has paddled into the past, researching the history of North Florida early settlers, their river crossings and their impact on the Suwannee River ecosystem. A series of historical articles are being published, and public lectures continue to be presented on topics from ecological and early settler research. The event is free to the public, but registration is required at tinyurl.com/sulakinpersonreg for in-person participation or tinyurl.com/sulakzoomreg for online participation.

FEB. 25

THE ARIEL QUARTET: Distinguished by its virtuosity, probing musical insight, and impassioned, fiery performances, the Ariel Quartet has garnered critical praise worldwide for more than 20 years. Recent highlights include the Ariel Quartet’s Carnegie Hall debut, a series of performances at Lincoln Center together with pianist Inon Barnatan and the Mark Morris Dance Group, as well as the release of a Brahms and Bartók album for Avie Records. The Ariel Quartet regularly collaborates with today’s eminent and rising young musicians and ensembles, including pianist Orion Weiss; cellist Paul Katz; and the American, Pacifica and Jerusalem String Quartets. The Quartet has toured with cellist Alisa Weilerstein, and performed frequently with pianists Jeremy Denk and Menahem Pressler. The Ariel Quartet has won numerous international prizes and is described by the Washington Post as “a gripping and often very subtle reading, setting ear-melting tenderness against seething passion with a deft and precise touch.” See their performance at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Squitieri Studio Theatre, located inside of the Phillips Center, 3201 Hull Road. Tickets are $35 for the general public and $12 for UF students. For more information about this or other upcoming performances, or to purchase tickets online, visit performingarts.ufl.edu.

FEB. 29 THROUGH MARCH 9

“THE THREE MUSKETEERS”: A swashbuckling romp abounds with comedy, danger and romance. Featuring lavish sword fights and sweeping romance, this adaptation of Alexandre Dumas’ classic novel “The Three Musketeers” evokes a time where honor and love ruled all. To fulfill his dream of becoming a musketeer, young D'Artagnan heads for Paris and into a world of romance, intrigue and action. On the way, he meets Milady, the alluring agent of Cardinal Richelieu, and confronts a mysterious swordsman known as the formidable Count de Rochefort. Once in Paris, D'Artagnan unwittingly challenges all three of the Inseparables — Athos, Porthos and Aramis — to a duel, but when the cardinal's guards arrive, D'Artagnan joins with the musketeers, turning the sword fight into a musketeer victory. Soon he is called to action again to rescue the intriguing Constance Bonacieux, the queen's seamstress, with whom he falls immediately in love. Through Constance, D'Artagnan learns of the cardinal's plot to destroy the queen and embraces the chance to prove himself worthy of Constance and of the uniform of a musketeer. Athos, Porthos, Aramis and D’Artagnan declare war on the cardinal and stand: "All for one and one for all." Catch a show at 7 p.m. Feb. 29 through March 2 plus March 6-9, or at 2 p.m. March 3 at the Buchholz High School Auditorium, located at 5510 NW 27th Ave. Tickets are $10 for general admission online, $8 for students and seniors online, $12 for general admission at the door, $10 for students and seniors at the door, $10 each for purchases of 10 or more tickets, and free for BHS faculty. For more information, or to purchase tickets online, visit buchholzdrama.com.

MARCH 1 THROUGH MARCH 17

“MISERY”: “Misery” follows successful romance novelist Paul Sheldon, who is rescued from a car crash by his “No. 1 fan,” Annie Wilkes, and wakes up captive in her secluded home. While Sheldon is convalescing, Wilkes reads his latest book and becomes enraged when she discovers the author has killed off her favorite character, Misery Chastain. Wilkes forces Sheldon to write a new “Misery” novel, and he quickly realizes Wilkes has no intention of letting him go anywhere. The irate Wilkes has Sheldon writing as if his life depends on it — and it does. Catch a performance at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays plus 2 p.m. Sundays, March 1-17, at the Acrosstown Repertory Theatre, located at 3501 SW Second Ave., Suite O. Tickets are $25 for general admission; and $20 for students, seniors, military and teachers. For more information, or to purchase tickets online, visit acrosstown.org.

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: What's Happening: 'Three Musketeers,' 'Misery,' 'Antarctic Dinosaurs'