Editor’s Note: This “Week Ahead” covers two weeks of material to accommodate for holiday time off.
A Delray Beach hangout opens just in time for New Year’s, yogis gather for “Something Big” at Mizner Park, and Mariah Carey’s vocal double tours Tin Roof. Plus, Molly Hatchet, “The Nutcracker” and more in the weeks ahead.
WEDNESDAY, DEC. 22
What: A Mariah Carey Christmas Tribute Show
Where: Tin Roof, 8 E. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach
When: 8 p.m.
Cost: $15
Contact: 561/265-5310, tinroofdelraybeach.com
If you’re going to choose a program of Christmas music by any contemporary performer, Mariah Carey would always be near the top of that list in both quality and quantity. Her 1994 classic Merry Christmas is the best-selling holiday album of all time by a woman; love it or hate it, “All I Want for Christmas Is You” is now as firmly entrenched in the annual department-store earworm playlist as “Jingle Bells,” and she’s released an additional album of Christmas material in addition to four Christmas-themed movies. Carey won’t be at the Tin Roof, of course, but the Delray hangout has booked the next big thing, tribute artist Jass Meagher, who captures the singer’s striking look as well as, if the glowing reviews are true, her five-octave vocal range.
WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY, DEC. 22-23
What: Molly Hatchet
Where: Funky Biscuit, 303 S.E. Mizner Blvd., Boca Raton
When: 7 p.m.
Cost: $45-$55
Contact: 561/395-2929, funkybiscuit.com
No original members of Jacksonville southern rockers Molly Hatchet remain in the lineup, though longtime keyboardist John Galvin and guitarist Bobby Ingram still carry the group’s anthemic, hard-driving, Skynyrd-influenced sound to multiple generations. As lauded for its instantly recognizable, fantasy-driven cover art and morbid name—“hatchet molly” was a real-life prostitute who murdered her johns—as its rich and swampy music, Molly Hatchet’s hits include “The Rambler,” “Satisfied Man” and the occasional classic-rock radio nugget “Flirtin’ With Disaster.” Their sound isn’t one I typically associate with yuletide fare, though this two-night stint at Funky Biscuit is labeled a “Christmas Tour,” so perhaps some sounds of the season will find their way into the set list.
WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY, DEC. 29-30
What: Miami City Ballet’s “The Nutcracker”
Where: Kravis Center, 701 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach
When: 2 and 7 p.m.
Cost: $34-$109
Contact: 561/832-7469, kravis.org
There are plenty of “Nutcrackers” performed during the holiday season, but there’s only one George Balanchine-choreographed “Nutcracker”—and there’s only one company in our region that can match its exacting standards. Miami City Ballet will once again present Balanchine’s iconic take on Tchaikovsky’s timeless ballet, with its dancing snowflakes, sugar plum fairies and heroic toy soldiers, casting a wintry spell over our lukewarm period between Christmas and New Year’s. More than 100 dancers will take the stage, Tchaikovsky’s music will be performed live, and the elaborate costumes and majestic set design, from Cuban-American designers Isabel and Ruben Toledo, will be second to none. Bring the kids—or just bring yourself, and imagine you are one.
THURSDAY AND FRIDAY, DEC. 30 AND 31
What: New Year’s Eve with Sarge
Where: Boca Black Box, 8221 Glades Road, Suite 10, Boca Raton
When: 7 p.m. Thursday, 7:30 and 10:30 p.m. Friday
Cost: $61.80-$128.75
Contact: 561/483-9036, bocablackbox.com
The omicron variant may have put another damper on our tenuous return to normal, but this annual Boca tradition—a two-day New Year’s residency from one of South Florida’s most idiosyncratic comedians—still appears to be on. In his peripatetic career as a piano-playing musician and comic, Sarge has performed everywhere from stadiums to festivals, intimate nightclubs to bustling cruise ships, while touring with the likes of Donna Summer, the Beach Boys, the Four Tops and Burt Bacharach. A politically incorrect, equal-opportunity offender, Sarge is Black and Jewish, two areas of his identity that will make for fertile comedic material.
FRIDAY, DEC. 31
What: New Year’s Eve at THRōW Social
Where: 29 S.E. Second Ave., Delray Beach
When: 8 p.m. to 2 a.m.
Cost: $130-$200; special VIP and group rates available
Contact: 800/561-0755, throwsocial.com/delray
The highly anticipated Delray Beach social club is having its soft opening Dec. 28, so this New Year’s Eve extravaganza will mark its first large-scale event. Join the beta test at this cheeky, Hawaiian-themed gathering complete with luau, conga line and live music from the Smokin’ Aces. Attendees can enjoy what is being billed as the largest covered patio in Delray Beach, three bars and a variety of games, from TapGlo ping-pong to “Warp Hole,” darts, axe throwing and board game lounges.
SATURDAY, JAN. 1
What: Something Big Yoga
Where: Mizner Park Amphitheater, 590 Plaza Real, Boca Raton
When: 10 a.m.
Cost: Free
Contact: 561/479-7819, somethingbigyoga.com
Forget an IV infusion or hair of the dog: There may be no better New Year’s Eve hangover cure than a collective “Namaste” with 2,500 fellow humans. Like many 2021 events, Something Big Yoga canceled its annual gathering of conscious vibes last year but is poised to return bigger than ever on Jan. 1, starting 2022 off the right way: with warrior poses, cat lifts and sun salutations. Local founder Leslie Glickman and her Yoga Journey team will once again lead the flow alongside assistants from studios throughout South Florida; DJ Drez will provide a soundtrack of live music. Food trucks offering health-conscious gourmet fare will keep yogis fed after the workout, while specialty vendors will offer their wares at the on-site marketplace.
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