Munster artist Cara Schmitt gets to the point with her unique exhibits. Her latest artistic offering uses the ages-favored thread and needle tools of needlepoint for her display titled “Embellished,” opening with a free artist reception from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 21, at Bean Me Roastery, 9610 N. Centennial Drive in Munster, filling the exhibit wall in Suite A. The coffee shop is locally owned, with Georgia Geis curating the featured exhibit wall each month with local artists. Some of the content among the nine spotlight pieces Schmitt is highlighting from her collection of works includes imaginative threaded recreations of Crayola crayons, orbs, cross-strings and spirals. FYI: www.beanmeuproastery.com or 708-669-3417.
Umbrella drink concert
Chicagoland-based Gone 2 Paradise returns to Northwest Indiana to transport their audience to the sun-kissed beaches of the tropics. This tribute band heralds the late Jimmy Buffett’s greatest hits, delighting audiences across the United States and performing one concert at Theatre at the Center at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 19, marking their first return to the TATC stage since their April 2024 sold-out concert. Whether a long-time Parrothead or simply looking for a musical escape, audiences of all ages love Gone 2 Paradise and applaud the seven band members for capturing the spirit of Buffett and his laid-back Margaritaville state of mind. Tickets are $40 at www.theatreatthecenter.com or 219-836-3255.
A good mystery
Billed as “a funny farce,” the stage clues add up to “Ms. Holmes and Ms. Watson Apt. 2B,” written by Kate Hamil and directed by Jim LaPietra, the latter who describes the two-hour tale as “cheerfully desecrating the stories of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.” This irreverent, darkly comic, modern take on the famous sleuth and sidekick unfolds into a fast-paced romp at Towle Theater, 5205 Hohman Ave. in Hammond, with a final weekend of performances closing Sept. 21. The stage tale re-examines the world’s most famous detective story “with a bold new feminist lens,” according to writer Hamil. It follows oddball female roommates Sherlock Holmes and Joan Watson as they join forces to emerge from pandemic fog as a deeply codependent, quasi-dysfunctional pair who share identities as an adventure duo solving mysteries, that is, until they come face to face with a villain who seems to have all the answers. Tickets are $24 in advance and $28 at the door and available online at www.towletheater.org.
Musical murder mystery
“The Bluff,” a comical and musical twist on the murder mystery genre, is at Footlight Players, 1705 Franklin St., Michigan City, for two more weekends through Sept. 28. Track the investigation headed by detective Dexter Dull Jr. as he seeks to unravel the puzzle surrounding the murder of a wealthy elite in 1920s New York. Set to a contemporary Broadway score with a cast of 10, the locally produced show plays 2 p.m. matinees and 7:30 p.m. evening performances. Tickets are $12 for children and $17 for adults at footlightplayers.org, or call 219-874-4035.
Philip Potempa is a journalist, published author and weekly radio show host on WJOB 1230 AM. He can be reached at PhilPotempa@gmail.com.