The Boss makes his triumphant live return, a Marsalis brother jazzes up Broward, and Florida Grand Opera presents a rare double bill. Plus, Laura Bush, Boca Stage and more in your week ahead.
TUESDAY
What: Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band
Where: Hard Rock Live,1 Seminole Way, Hollywood
When: 7:30 p.m.
Cost: $700 and up (yes, really)
Contact: 954/797-5531, seminolehardrockhollywood.com
Just an Emmy short of an EGOT, Bruce Springsteen has nonetheless accrued enough accolades—including 20 Grammy Awards—for a dozen lifetimes, and he has sold upwards of 135 million albums. As what we would call a high-net-worth individual, the Boss doesn’t need to tour, and in fact, he hasn’t played a proper concert in North America since 2016. We welcome him back with open arms because he’s a national treasure—one of a minority of Americans who unequivocally fit that description—and because he always shakes the roofs off of whatever arenas he plays. We have no idea what hits and obscurities will populate the set lists, but if history is our guide, expect a different one every concert.
WEDNESDAY
What: Delfeayo Marsalis
Where: Broward Center for the Performing Arts,201 S.W. Fifth Ave., Fort Lauderdale
When: 7:45 p.m.
Cost: $65
Contact: 954/462-0222, browardcenter.org
Delfeayo is sometimes considered the most fun member of the eminently talented Marsalis family: His older brothers are trumpeter Wynton and saxophonist Branford, and his younger sibling is drummer Jason. Certainly, this esteemed trombonist has cultivated a jovial personality that often extends to his wardrobe choices; he’s often in high spirits while playing the lower notes. Marsalis has collaborated with such jazz giants as Ray Charles, Art Blakey and Elvin Jones, and has released nine albums under his own name, including his brand-new Uptown on Mardi Gras Day, which captures the spirit and verve of the titular New Orleans celebration through a combination of originals and interpretations of material from Al Jolson (“Carnival Time”), Earl King Johnson (“Big Chief”), the Meters (“They All Asked For You”) and others.
THURSDAY AND SATURDAY
What: “Gianni Schicchi” and “Buoso’s Ghost”
Where: Broward Center for the Performing Arts,201 S.W. Fifth Ave., Fort Lauderdale
When: 7:30 p.m.
Cost: $23.94-$228
Contact: 954/462-0222, browardcenter.org
The operatic canon can feel awfully limited: How often, really, do we need to see another “Barber of Seville” or “Carmen”? So my Spidey Sense perks up when I notice an unfamiliar name on the docket for the esteemed Florida Grand Opera (FGO), and in February the company will produce two such rarely performed operas in one evening of mischievous mirth. Puccini’s “Gianni Schicchi,” last produced by FGO in 1953, is a one-act comedy, inspired by an incident in Dante’s Divine Comedy, about a family’s ravenous attempts to plunder the estate of their dearly departed (and filthy rich) uncle. Michael Ching’s “Buoso Ghost,” first produced in 1996 and enjoying its FGO premiere, is the composer’s entertaining sequel to “Gianni.”
FRIDAY
What: Opening night of “Grand Horizons”
Where: Boca Stage, 3333 N. Federal Highway, Boca Raton
When: 8 p.m.
Cost: $45
Contact: 561/447-8829, bocastage.net
Set in the fictitious senior living community of the title, celebrated playwright Bess Wohl’s “Grand Horizons” tracks the familial fallout after a nearly 80-year-old matriarch spontaneously announces to her spouse of 50 years that she wants a divorce. Laughs, and some surprisingly dark plot turns, ensue. In the 2019-2020 Broadway season, “Grand Horizons” earned two Tony nominations, including for Best Play. Director Genie Croft will bring the show to life at Boca Stage with a luminous cast of seven: Lourelene Snedeker, Michael Gioia, Jacqueline Laggy, Angie Radosh, Wayne LeGette, Jordon Armstrong and Kevin Cruz. The production runs through Feb. 26.
SATURDAY
What: A Conversation with Laura W. Bush and Barbara Pierce Bush
Where: Kaye Auditorium at FAU, 777 Glades Road, Boca Raton
When: 4 p.m.
Cost: $35-$125
Contact: 561/297-6124, fauevents.com
Admiration for former First Lady Laura Bush rarely waned during her husband’s turbulent administration. She departed the White House in January 2008 with a resounding 82-percent approval, according to Gallup. Most notably a champion for literacy and education during her eight-year tenure, Bush established the annual National Book Festival in 2001, and also advanced causes for women, including Susan G. Komen for the Cure. In this live discussion, she’ll speak on a range of civic issues and personal priorities with her daughter Barbara Pierce Bush, whose own foundation supports racial justice and global health through entrepreneurism.
SUNDAY
What: Opening night of “Good People”
Where: Maltz Jupiter Theatre, 1001 E. Indiantown Road, Jupiter
When: 7:30 p.m.
Cost: $68-$95
Contact: 561/575-2223, jupitertheatre.org
This drama by David Lindsay-Abaire is set in the playwright’s native blue-collar South Boston, where protagonist Margie has just lost her job cashiering at a dollar store—unwelcome news as she tries to raise a special-needs daughter as a single mother. Desperate for financial security, she contacts her old high school boyfriend, now a successful doctor, seemingly with a scheme to blackmail him into believing he’s the father of her child. Class and, it turns out, race figure heavily into Lindsay-Abaire’s absorbing drama, a play that feels freshly relevant amid economically uncertain times. Maltz’s production, starring Anne Bates and Joe Cassidy and directed by Jerry Dixon, runs through Feb. 26.
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