Dramaworks brings Emily Dickinson back to life, a tribute concert supports Ukraine, and one of 2021’s most acclaimed movies finally opens locally. Plus, Sting, “Murder on the Orient Express” and more in your week ahead.
FRIDAY
What: Opening night of “Memoria”
Where: Coral Gables Art Cinema, 260 Aragon Ave., Coral Gables
When: 4 and 7:10 p.m.
Cost: $11-$12.75
Contact: 786/472-2249, gablescinema.com
Cinephiles rejoice! This week finally marks the opening of “Memoria,” the latest masterpiece from Thai auteur Apichatpong Weerasethakul, and Film Comment magazine’s No. 1 film of 2021. In the director’s English-language debut, Tilda Swinton plays a Scottish expat in Colombia who awakens one night to a mysterious booming sound—an unexplained event that leads her down an investigative rabbit hole, including encounters with a friendly sound engineer who may or may not actually exist, and a reclusive farmer who shares the engineer’s name. Archaeology, flowers and a jazz combo figure into Weerasethakul’s patient storytelling; he’s a master of slow cinema, and letting his audience experience the sensorial interruptions of Swinton’s world and the revelations that follow. It’s a film that’s made to be seen on the big screen; at 8:15 p.m. Saturday and 7:10 p.m. May 26, it will be screened on the vanishing 35mm format.
What: Opening night of “The Belle of Amherst”
Where: Palm Beach Dramaworks, 201 Clematis St., West Palm Beach
When: 8 p.m.
Cost: $94 with reception ($79 for remainder of run)
Contact: 561/514-4042, palmbeachdramaworks.org
In retrospect, Margery Lowe’s performance as Emily Dickinson in Palm Beach Dramaworks’ 2018 world-premiere comedy “Edgar & Emily” feels like something of a test run for William Luce’s solo play “The Belle of Amherst,” a more substantial and theatrically demanding exploration of the complicated poet. Premiering in 1976, Luce’s play spans nearly 60 years of Dickinson’s life in her Amherst home, as we engage with both the title character and 14 other characters—family, friends and acquaintances. All are played by one actor, in this case Lowe, in a titanic feat of historical fact and theatrical imagination, memorization and multiple personalities. It runs through June 5.
What: “Murder on the Orient Express”
Where: Actors Playhouse, 280 Miracle Mile, Coral Gables
When: 8 p.m.
Cost: $85
Contact: 305/444-4181, actorsplayhouse.org
Whether starring Albert Finney in the 1974 film adaptation, or the moustache of Kenneth Branagh in the 2017 rendition, “Murder on the Orient Express” is a delectable and sturdy whodunit conceived by the genre’s signature voice. “Murder” was the first of the prolific Agatha Christie’s three novels in 1934 alone, and it has had the longest multimedia legs: It has also spawned a radio play, a computer game, three TV series and now this stage play, which captures all of the eccentric murder suspects, each with a rickety alibi, while simulating the action of a moving train. If you’ve read the novel or seen the movies, the climax will be no surprise; the fun lies in the memorable characterizations, which will be brought to life by comic playwright Ken Ludwig. Actors Playhouse’s production runs through June 5.
SATURDAY
What: Data-driven Science and AI Conference
Where: Student Union at FAU, 777 Glades Road, Boca Raton
When: 8 a.m.
Cost: $40 general, $20 student
Contact: fau.edu/data
For tech nerds, this weekend’s confab at FAU is close to nirvana. Running until 5 p.m., the annual Data-driven Science and AI Conference promises to be an illuminating exchange of ideas about the impact and promise of artificial intelligence today, tomorrow and well into the uncertain future. It’s divided into nearly hour-long lectures and 30-minute “minisymposia,” with speakers from Florida universities as well as research institutes in New York, Delaware, North Carolina, Switzerland and beyond. Topics include “Using Data and AI to Discover New Solar Energy Materials in the Laboratory” and “BioNFTs: Enabling Decentralized Consented Genomics in the Metaverse.”
What: Songfest for Vets: Building Bridges to Ukraine
Where: Mizner Park Amphitheater, 590 Plaza Real, Boca Raton
When: 2 to 11 p.m.
Cost: Free, but donations suggested
Contact: 561/393-7890, mizneramp.com
In its third-annual event, SongFest for Vets will celebrate Armed Forces Day with a concert lineup in support of Ukraine’s battle for sovereignty. Three respected tribute bands—KISS Alive, Erasmith and Shoot to Thrill, performing the music of Kiss, Aerosmith and AC/DC, respectively—will bring the hard rock of the 1980s to the amphitheater stage, alongside classic rockers Shovelhed. The event also features Ukrainian food, beer, art and music, with funds raised supporting Ukrainian farmers, rescue operations, shelters and civilian freedom fighters on the front lines. Miss Ukraine International will be present, and Palm Beach County Mayor Robert Weinroth will speak about this important event from the stage at 5:30 p.m.
SUNDAY
What: Sting
Where: Hard Rock Live, 1 Seminole Way, Hollywood
When: 8 p.m.
Cost: $615 and up (re-sale tickets only)
Contact: seminolehardrockhollywood.com
More than 40 years after his stirringly original debut with the Police, Sting continues to defy expectations, exploring worldbeat, jazz, new age and even reggae music with the same dexterity and commitment that made him a new-wave icon in the 1980s. Though he still releases new music, this appearance at the Hard Rock is part of his “My Songs” tour, a nostalgic trip through four and a half decades of re-arranged classics. As Sting himself put it, “this is my life in songs, some of them reconstructed, some of them refitted, some of them reframed, and all of them with a contemporary focus.” Expect to hear Police megahits like “Every Breath You Take,” “Roxanne” and “So Lonely,” alongside cherished solo cuts such as “Fields of Gold,” “Desert Rose” and “Fragile.” Sting’s son, Fiction Plane singer-songwriter Joe Sumner, will open the show.
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