A beloved ‘80s film time-travels to the stage, Orchid Weekend blooms in Delray, and Theatre Lab opens a powerful world-premiere drama. Plus, Built to Spill and more in your week ahead.
TUESDAY
What: Opening night of “Back to the Future”
When: 7:30 p.m.
Where: Broward Center, 201 S.W. Fifth Ave., Fort Lauderdale
Cost: $60.48-$160.78
Contact: 954/462-0222, browardcenter.org
As Marty McFly knows all too well, traveling back in time unleashes a minefield of existential uncertainty, from the unintended consequences of the Grandfather Paradox to the immediate problem of avoiding the erotic advances of the teenage version of your mom (Yikes!). Such scenarios play out as expected in this recent Broadway adaptation of the seminal ‘80s movie, a two-time Tony nominee that hews closely to the original story—complete with bullying Biff, wild-haired Doc Brown and the magical DeLorean, whose special effects-laden temporal journeys were cited by critics as a highlight of the production. The movie’s original co-writer, Bob Gale, penned the script for the musical, which includes new songs by Alan Silvestri (Grammy winner for “The Polar Express”) and favorites from the original movie soundtrack, including “The Power of Love” and “Johnny B. Goode.” It runs through Feb. 15.
FRIDAY
What: Art Throwdown fundraiser
When: 6 to 9:30 p.m.
Where: Armory Art Center, 811 Park Place, West Palm Beach
Cost: $250-$500
Contact: 561/832-1776, armoryart.org
For some artists, the muse strikes slowly. Leonardo Da Vinci, for instance, spent 16 years perfecting the “Mona Lisa.” But the five artists selected for this Armory Art Center fundraiser have all of 90 minutes to conceive a work from scratch, in an event modeled after such high-stakes competition series as “Iron Chef” and “Project Runway.” The chosen artists—Ryan Toth, Boca Raton’s Kelle Capewell, Stephen Futej, Autumn Kioti Horne and Amy Kutell—will have at their disposal a shared supply table and a “mystery box” of unusual materials with which to create the work. Attendees will determine the winner, and the results will be auctioned off at the end of the event, with proceeds supporting Armory Art Center and auction sales shared with the artists. Music, drinks and light bites will be included.
What: The Reverend Horton Heat
When: 7 p.m.
Where: Resectable Street, 518 Clematis St., West Palm Beach
Cost: $10
Contact: 561/832-9999, sub-culture.org/respectable-street
Dallas-born barnburners the Reverend Horton Heat—the name given to gravelly vocalist-guitarist Jim Heath as well as his two-man band—is one of the country’s preeminent psychobilly acts, the niche genre that fuses vintage rockabilly melodies with punk and garage-rock thrash. Cheeky, nostalgic and whimsically attired, these road warriors are recognized for their offbeat sense of humor and infectious live shows, which pull generously from their 13 albums. The latest release, recorded as a duo, is Roots of the Rev, an album of covers that inspired Heath—from artists such as Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley and Carl Perkins—recorded in a lo-fi, ramshackle style that evokes their original platters. This jaunt, labeled the “$10 Ticket Tour,” offers a rare opportunity to see the band for a fraction of its usual cover charge. Arrive early Fort Lauderdale punk favorites the Sewerside Bombers.
SATURDAY
What: Opening night of “CONVERSA”
When: 7:30 p.m.
Where: Theatre Lab at FAU, 777 Glades Road, Boca Raton
Cost: $60
Contact: 561/297-4784, fauevents.com
Theatre Lab opens 2026 with a powerful new work from playwright Joanna Castle Miller. The narrative ripples of “CONVERSA” stretch back to the Inquisition, as the play’s title refers to Jews who converted to Christianity to avoid being exiled from their homeland. Its echoes are felt in this autobiographically grounded one-woman show. “CONVERSA” follows Joanna, whose mother, despite her rabbinical aspirations, converted to evangelicalism through Jews for Jesus. Joanna followed her mother into the Christian faith, even serving as a missionary. We witness the upending of her worldview when she visits a tiny Jewish village where her great-grandfather once confronted a similar dilemma regarding his faith.
SATURDAY AND SUNDAY
What: Orchid Weekend
When: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Where: Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, 4000 Morikami Park Road, Delray Beach
Cost: Included with $10-$16 museum admission
Contact: 561/495-0233, morikami.org
Orchid fever spread through the ranks of horticulturists and plant lovers long before Susan Orlean published her landmark 1998 book “The Orchid Thief.” Historians place the flower’s obsessive appeal back to Victorian England, when an ornithologist from London brought a batch home from a trip to Rio de Janeiro. In 1939, one Norman McDonald, in his book “The Orchid Hunters,” compared the passion for orchids to “taking cocaine. … It’s a sort of madness.” Lucky for us, some of the world’s most desirous and exotic orchids don’t require desperate lengths to acquire, as a dozen or so vendors from throughout the state will offer locals their finest orchids during the height of blooming season. The Morikami’s Orchid Weekend also features bonsai, art and jewelry vendors and lectures on orchid cultivation, and is geared to orchid experts and novices alike.
SUNDAY
What: Opening day of “I Hate Hamlet”
When: 2 p.m.
Where: Levis JCC Sandler Center, 21050 95th Ave. S., Boca Raton
Cost: $40-$45
Contact: 561/558-2520, levisjcc.org
The iconic part of Shakespeare’s troubled prince of Denmark has attracted everyone from Constantin Stanislavski and Laurence Olivier to Mel Gibson and Kevin Kline. But as humorist and playwright Paul Rudnick reminds us, not everybody is cut out to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune. His 1991 comedy “I Hate Hamlet” follows one such actor, a Shakespeare-phobic TV star named Andrew Rally, who, in a lull between screen projects, is offered a role as Hamlet in a stage production. At least he has some supernatural help in his corner: Thanks his new loft—a gothic-style brownstone once home to a seminal Hamlet, John Barrymore—Andrew is able to summon the late actor in a séance. Barrymore’s spirit turns out to be as demanding and abrasive as his flesh-and-blood form, debating the young actor about women, art, success, duty and television, and even engaging in a swashbuckling swordfight. By the end, it will answer a fundamental question: To be or not to be Hamlet? The show runs through Feb. 25.
MONDAY, FEB. 9
What: Built to Spill
When: 7:30 p.m.
Where: Culture Room, 3045 N. Federal Highway, Fort Lauderdale
Cost: $47.30
Contact: 954/564-1064, cultureroom.net
An institution in the Pacific Northwest indie rock scene, Boise-born Built to Spill have managed to thread the needle between elaborate psych-rock jams and concise, punky jangle pop in a way few artists have before or since. From their 1993 debut “Ultimate Alternative Wavers” through their 10th and latest LP, 2022’s “When the Wind Forgets Your Name,” the band has released nary a dud, honing and tweaking its bedrock sound with electronics and fresh voices in the rhythm section—currently bassist Melanie Radford and drummer Teresa Esguerra, respectively, who have held their posts since 2019. The anchor, through several lineup changes, is founding guitarist and singer-songwriter Doug Martsch, whose instantly recognizable vocals feel like a warm balm on a cold night. This performance is the band’s first South Florida show since 2022.
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