Culture, culture everywhere

There’s plenty to do around town in the coming weeks, and we have got you covered. Gainesville is chock-full of culture, and there is no shortage of ways to experience it.

The Hippodrome will be featuring “The Elephant Man” now through May 1 in celebration of the Hipp’s 35th Anniversary first MainStage show. This was the same show it produced 35 years ago in the same location. The play is based on the real-life story of a man who, in the late 1880s, suffered severe disfigurement and a bone disorder and worked in a traveling freak-show circus. He was later rescued by a doctor and ended up becoming a darling of Victorian high society. There will be showtimes Tuesday through Sundays and you can purchase tickets and find more info at thehipp.org.

Also celebrating an anniversary and in honor of their 25th, The Harn Museum of Art is hosting “Framing Nature: The Living World in Art,” which is an exhibition of more than 100 works that examine the natural world through the eyes of artists across time, cultures and settings. The collection includes drawings, paintings, prints, photographs and sculptures, and the exhibit will be accompanied by a series of special events, as well. The museum is open Tuesdays through Sundays and the show will run through May 1. Check out harn.ufl.edu for more details.

Furthermore, the Gainesville Community Playhouse is running a special one-week production April 28 through May 1 of “Springtime with the Bard,” which is a collection of memorable scenes from Shakespeare’s works that include laughter, love and a performance of “The 15-Minute Hamlet,” which is a comedic abridgment of the famous “Hamlet.” The production’s other scenes are taken from “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” “Much Ado About Nothing,” “Macbeth,” “The Taming of the Shrew,” and more. For more information on showtimes and tickets, check out gcplayhouse.org.