Events
In Bloom
Photo Credit: Jennifer Baum
As much as we hate to admit it, March is still winter here in Maine. That’s why the Portland Flower Show, full of bright and colorful blooms, is such a necessary respite from the mud outdoors. The theme for this year is “The Mountains to the Sea.” March 11 from 6 to 9 p.m. and March 12-15, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Plant auction March 15 at 5:30 p.m. $15. Portland Company Complex, 58 Fore St. 207-775-4403. www.portlandcompany.com

Music

Crew cuts
Photo Credit: Tenth Street Entertainment
Maine might not be the most likely home for this crew, but Mötley Crüe, poster boys of eighties hair and heavy metal, bring their whip-lashing, hard-rock songs to Portland for a head-banging good time. March 18 at 6:30 p.m. $29.50-$75. Cumberland County Civic Center, 45 Spring St., Portland. 207-775-3458. www.theciviccenter.com

Art

A Factory in Focus
Photo Credit: Courtesy CMCA/Jannetta Jennings
Maine photographer Jannetta Jennings spent a year capturing images for Jannetta Jennings: Liberty Canning Factory, a new exhibition at the Center for Maine Contemporary Art in Rockport. The fourteen digital prints show the slow disintegration of the cannery and its surroundings. Through March 14. $5. 162 Russell Ave., Rockport. 207-236-2875. www.artsmaine.org

Before making plans to attend any of these events, call ahead to confirm, since dates and times may be subject to change. For even more listings or to submit an event listing to Down East, send an e-mail to editorial@downeast.com or visit www.DownEast.com

MUSIC AND DANCE

ANCIENT MARINERS
Built around the wood fife and the rope tension drum, the Ancient Mariners’ music blends haunting sea chanties, popular jigs, and sailors’ work songs. March 28 at 7 p.m. $8-$40. Rockport Opera House, 6 Central St. 207-236-2823. www.baychamberconcerts.org

BATTLEFIELD BAND
Battlefield Band has been performing on the international scene for more than three decades. The band, who pioneered the integration of bagpipes with fiddle, keyboards, guitar, and voice, mixes old favorites with new material. March 21 at 7:30 p.m. $21-$28. The Chocolate Church Arts Center, 798 Washington St., Bath. 207-442-8455. www.chocolatechurch.com

CANTUS
Cantus is one of America’s finest professional male vocal ensembles. The Washington Post calls the singers “beaming and elastic” and refers to their music-making as “spontaneous grace.” March 6 at 8 p.m. $32. Minsky Recital Hall, University of Maine, Orono. 207-581-1755. www2.umaine.edu/mca. Catch Cantus again on March 8 at 2:30 p.m. $8-$40. Camden Opera House, 29 Elm St. 207-236-2823. www.baychamberconcerts.org

DRUMLINE
Performers from America’s top African-American colleges and universities present the rousing sounds of the past, such as Earth, Wind, and Fire and Tower of Power, plus the hottest contemporary hip hop and R&B. March 3 at 7 p.m. $37. Hutchins Concert Hall, University of Maine, Orono. 207-581-1755. www2.umaine.edu/mca

FROM THE NEW WORLD
The Bangor Symphony tackles Sæverud’s Lucretia Suite, Schumann’s Cello Concerto in A Minor, op. 129, and Dvorak’s Symphony no. 9 in E Minor, op. 95. March 15. $18-$42. Maine Center for the Arts, University of Maine, Orono. 800-639-3221. www.bangorsymphony.com

GRAHAM PARKER
For more than thirty years, British rocker Graham Parker has been slinging a signature sound that has earned him a spot in the pantheon of truly original and influential rock and roll figures. March 28 at 8 p.m. $22-$25. One Longfellow Square, 181 State St., Portland. 207-761-1757. www.onelongfellowsquare.com

LOS LOBOS
La Bamba! The Wolves are three-time Grammy Award winners whose music is influenced by rock and roll, Tex-Mex, country, folk, R&B, blues, and traditional Spanish and Mexican melodies. March 15 at 8 p.m. $95. Stone Mountain Arts Center, 695 Dug Way Rd., Brownfield. 866-227-6523. www.stonemountainartscenter.com

MARTIN HAYES AND DENNIS CAHILL
Irish fiddle virtuoso Martin Hayes and American guitarist Dennis Cahill are ranked among the most memorable musical partnerships of our time. March 6 at 8 p.m. $22-$25. One Longfellow Square, 181 State St., Portland. 207-761-1757. www.onelongfellowsquare.com

NATALIE MACMASTER
The fiddling superstar from Nova Scotia stirs up a rollicking Saint Patrick’s Day celebration with high-energy Celtic music and step-dancing. March 17 at 7:30 p.m. $25-$42. Merrill Auditorium, 20 Myrtle St., Portland. 207-842-0800. www.pcagreatperformances.org

THE NATIONAL ACROBATS OF CHINA
For more than fifty years, this dazzling company of thirty-five performers has mesmerized audiences with stunning displays of martial arts, illusion, and acrobatics, all set to traditional music. March 20. $32. Hutchins Concert Hall, University of Maine, Orono. 207-581-1755. www2.umaine.edu/mca. They
continue spinning and leaping on March 27 at 7 p.m. $20-$44. Merrill Auditorium, 20 Myrtle St., Portland. 207-842-0800. www.pcagreatperformances.org.

RICHIE HAVENS
Haven’s fiery, poignant, soulful singing style first emerged from the Greenwich Village folk scene in the early 1960s and is now recognized the world over. March 27 at 8 p.m. $50. One Longfellow Square, 181 State St., Portland. 207-761-1757. www.onelongfellowsquare.com

RUSSIAN SOJOURN
The Midcoast Symphony Orchestra brings the romance of Russia to the mud season of Maine with Kabalevsky’s Overture to “Colas Breugnon,” Tchaikovsky’s “Romeo and Juliet” Fantasy, Konyus’ Violin Concerto in E Minor, and Borodin’s Symphony no. 2 in B Minor. March 14 at 7:30 p.m. $14. Franco-American Heritage Center, 46 Cedar St., Lewiston. March 15 at 2:30 p.m. $14. Orion Performing Arts Center, 66 Republic Ave., Topsham. 207-371-2028. www.midcoastsymphony.org

THEATER

BRIGHTON BEACH MEMOIRS
Neil Simon’s semi-autobiographical, coming-of-age comedy about a fourteen-year-old boy in 1930s Brooklyn who is preoccupied by the Yankees and his lust for his beautiful cousin. March 20 – April 5. $15-$20. The Portland Players, 420 Cottage Rd., South Portland. 207-799-7337. www.portlandplayers.org

HAIRSPRAY
Broadway’s musical comedy has inspired a major motion picture and won eight Tony Awards, including Best Musical. As the New York Times puts it: “If life were everything it should be, it would be more like Hairspray.” March 30 at 7 p.m. $35-$50. Hutchins Concert Hall, University of Maine, Orono. 207-581-1755. www2.umaine.edu/mca

HERE ON THE FLIGHT PATH
In a big-city apartment building that happens to be located beneath the flight path of an airport, a newspaper columnist, John Cummings, forges unusual — but always entertaining — relationships with three female neighbors. March 13 – 22. $10-$12. Waterville Opera House Studio Theater, 93 Main St. 207-873-7000. www.operahouse.com

HISTORY OF THE WORD
History of the Word is a live theater experience that follows six high school students over a single day at Future High where they navigate a world filled with hope, fear, and the constant need to be accepted. March 9 at 7 p.m. $14. Reach Performing Arts Center, 249 North Deer Isle Road, Deer Isle. 207-581-1755. www2.umaine.edu/mca

OUT OF STERNO
Wide-eyed innocence and perfect pedicures collide in this zany comedy about life, self-image, and the pursuit of a hunky man to call one’s own. March 3 – 22. $13-$36. The Portland Stage Company, 25A Forest Ave., Portland. 207-774-0465. www.portlandstage.com

THE THIRTEENTH OF PARIS
The whimsical story of a young man who takes a suitcase filled with love letters written by his late grandparents and impulsively travels to Paris in search of the true meaning of love. March 13 – 22. $10-$18. The Public Theater, 31 Maple St., Lewiston. 207-782-3200. www.thepublictheatre.org

TRYING
Judge Francis Biddle has little patience for his fresh-faced young secretary. But through battles over grammar and beliefs, their strained relationship grows into mutual respect, and eventually, friendship. March 31 – April 19. $13-$36. The Portland Stage Company, 25A Forest Ave., Portland. 207-774-0465. www.portlandstage.com

THE TWENTY-FIFTH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE
This Tony-winning musical comedy shows how gullible children really are. Six kids learn that winning isn’t everything and that losing doesn’t make you a loser. March 27 at 8 p.m. & March 28 at 3 and 8 p.m. $40-$60. Merrill Auditorium, 20 Myrtle St., Portland. 207-842-0800. www.pcagreatperformances.org

ART MUSEUMS

BATES MUSEUM OF ART
Stories of the Somali Diaspora. This exhibition presents fifty-five black and white images that document the transition of Somali communities from Africa to the United States. Through May 29. Free. 75 Russell St., Lewiston. 207-786-6158. www.bates.edu/museum.xml

BOWDOIN MUSEUM OF ART
The Image Wrought: Historical Photographic Approaches in the Digital Age. This exhibition, on loan from the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas-Austin, examines how contemporary photographers are revisiting nineteenth-century photographic techniques in the current age of digital innovations. Through April 5. u Highlights of the American Collection. Bowdoin’s collection of American art ranges from portraits of military and political leaders of the Colonial and Federal periods to gritty twentieth-century urban scenes and everything in between. Through May 3. u James Bowdoin III: Pursuing Style in the Age of Independence. This exhibition re-imagines the interior of Bowdoin III’s study and includes objects as diverse as an eighteenth-century air pump, a suit worn by Bowdoin, an impressive selection of books from his noted library, and a number of paintings. Through June 7. Free. 9400 College Station, Brunswick. 207-725-3275. www.bowdoin.edu/art-museum

CENTER FOR MAINE CONTEMPORARY ART
Melinda Barnes: Fictitious Rambling. Barnes’ small graphite drawings of ordinary subjects evoke snapshots in their composition and are suggestive of a personal narrative. Through March 14. u Anna Hepler: Gyre. This sculptural installation by the Maine artist Hepler is a multi-layered lattice constructed from sewn sheet plastic and tarps. Through March 21. $5. 162 Russell Ave., Rockport. 207-236-2875. www.artsmaine.org

COLBY COLLEGE MUSEUM OF ART
Bevin Engman: New Work. Paintings, collages, and photographs drawn from Colby’s associate professor of art’s recent explorations of the land, sea, and sky. Through March 8. u What would it be like to curate a museum art show? Students at Colby and Bowdoin are finding out with Ink Tales, an exhibition of Chinese paintings drawn from the collections of both colleges. Through March 8. u Whistler & the Figure: Prints from the Lunder Collection. This selection, from the more than two hundred Whistler etchings and lithographs in the Lunder collection, focuses on the artist’s preoccupation with portraying the human figure. Through May 31. Free. 5600 Mayflower Hill Dr., Waterville. 207-872-3228. www.colby.edu/museum

FARNSWORTH ART MUSEUM & WYETH CENTER
Visions of America: Nineteenth-Century Painting from the Farnsworth. This exhibition of approximately fifty paintings features works by some of the nineteenth century’s foremost American landscape painters. Through March 29. u Confronting Abstraction: Painting in Maine, 1945-1955. Twenty paintings reveal how artists working in Maine responded to the abstract expressionist movement that emerged after World War II in New York. The show includes works by John Marin, Andrew Wyeth, Stephen Etnier, James Fitzgerald, Reuben Tam, and more. Through May 17. $10-$12, and free for Rockland residents and on Sundays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. 16 Museum St., Rockland. 207-596-6457. www.farnsworthmuseum.org

MAINE COLLEGE OF ART
Twilight. Eerie landscapes, images of death, and curious terrors are all common motifs in the Gothic-Romantic tradition. The artists in this show take on Romanticism from a twenty-first century vantage point using the diverse media of painting, photography, installation, and video to express issues of humanity, identity, and spirituality. Through March 8. Free. 97 Spring St., Portland. 207-775-3052. www.meca.edu

PORTLAND MUSEUM OF ART
Backstage Pass: Rock & Roll Photography. Go backstage with 230 photographs of rock legends like the Beatles, Elvis Presley, and Jimi Hendrix, and divas like Madonna and Courtney Love, plus others. Through March 22. u Art of the Cranberry Islands. This exhibition features twenty-five works drawn primarily from the collection of the Portland Museum of Art. For generations, Maine’s Cranberry Islands have served as inspiration for artists, among them Marvin Bileck, George Bunker, Walker Evans, William Kienbusch, Emily Nelligan, and Carl Nelson. Through June 28. u The Coldest Crucible: Arctic Exploration in American Culture. This exhibition features maps, letters, photographs, books, and other printed materials covering Arctic exploration during the heyday of its popularity, from 1850 to 1910, in the United States. During this period more than two-dozen expeditions entered the Arctic on voyages of discovery and rescue. March 14 through June 21. $4-$10, and free Fridays from 5 to 9 p.m. 7 Congress Square, Portland. 207-775-6148. www.portlandmuseum.org

THE UNIVERSITY OF MAINE MUSEUM OF ART
Gyotaku Prints by Boshu Nagase. Nagase is the living master of the printmaking technique known as “gyotaku.” The term comes from the Japanese nouns for fish and print or rubbing. These fish prints have been selected from more than seventy from UMMA’s collection. Through March 20. u A Bit of Colored Ribbon: Works by John Bailly. Bailly’s mixed media compositions examine the relationship of place and time and also the artist’s growing suspicion about the legitimacy of information in current society. A Bit of Colored Ribbon refers to a statement made by Napoleon that people will go to extreme measures, even conflict and war, to preserve their sense of cultural identity. Through April 1. u Metaphysics of Landscape: Paintings by Timothy McDowell. McDowell incorporates varied pictorial elements in his compositions that are meticulously rendered botanical images, such as chrysanthemums, cacti, and conifer branches. Many of McDowell’s works are created in encaustic, a medium in which ground earth pigments are suspended in heated beeswax, producing surfaces with heightened luminosity and texture. April 1. Free. Norumbega Hall, 40 Harlow St., Bangor. 207-561-3350. www.umma.umaine.edu

UNIVERSITY OF NEW ENGLAND ART MUSEUM
The Freedom Place. This exhibit consists of fifty-two works by five contemporary African American fine artists: Romare Bearden, Benny Andrews, Alma Woodsey Thomas, Richard Yarde, and Robert Freeman. The subjects, mediums, and messages of the artwork differ widely from abstract to figurative, rural to urban. Through March 15. Free. 716 Stevens Ave., Portland. 207-221-4499. www.une.edu/artgallery

SPECIAL EVENTS

HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS
Eighty-three years of entertaining popes, presidents, and the populace at large with dunking, spinning, and bouncing. March 22 at 7 p.m. $25-$73. Cumberland County Civic Center, Spring St., Portland. 207-775-3458. www.theciviccenter.com

NATURALISTS’ CRUISE ON CASCO BAY
Enjoy the beauty of Casco Bay in winter and search the waters from Portland Harbor out to Cliff Island for white-winged gulls, as well as other wintering residents such as great cormorants, common eiders, all three scoter species, red-breasted mergansers, buffleheads, and possibly bald eagles. March 7 from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. $20-$25. Maine Audubon. 207-781-2330, ext 215. www.maineaudubon.org

MAINE BOATBUILDERS SHOW
This is a gathering of the finest fiberglass and wooden custom boatbuilders on the East Coast, as well as numerous manufacturers of boating equipment, sailboats, powerboats, canoes, kayaks, and rowboats. March 20 – 22. $15. Portland Company Complex, 58 Fore St. 207-774-1067. www.portlandcompany.com

MAINE HOME AND GARDEN SHOW
Are you a homebuyer? Gardener? Weekend repair warrior? Interior designer? Here’s you chance to get your fix when more than a hundred exhibitors pack the recreation complex in Gorham with the latest in home and garden products. March 27 – 29. $7. YourSpace Sports and Recreation Complex, 215 Narragansett St. (Rte. 202), Gorham. 207-882-9777. www.mainehomeandgardenshow.com

MAINE JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL
Since its debut in 1998, the festival has presented more than 145 films to 17,000 people. This year’s theme is “Diaspora Experience: What it Means to be from Away.” March 21 – 28. $6-$8. Venues include Nickelodeon, One Longfellow Square, Maine Historical Society, and the Thornton Academy in Saco. 207-831-7495. www.mjff.org