Wednesday
Daniel Ellsberg lecture at the Carole and Barry Kaye Auditorium at FAU, 777 Glades Road, Boca Raton; 3 p.m.; $12; 561/297-2595 or www.fauevents.com
Polarizing political activist Ellsberg famously leaked the Pentagon Papers in 1971 while employed as a military analyst at a think tank. At 79, he remains a powerful advocate for blowing whistles and exposing corruption. Just two months ago he was arrested, along with dozens of others, on the White House lawn for protesting the wars in the Middle East.
“Zero Hour” at Aventura Arts & Cultural Center, 3385 NE 188th St., Aventura; 8 p.m.; $36; 954/462-0222 or www.browardcenter.org
Writer and performer Jim Brochu returns with his durable one-man show, a fictional interview between an unseen New York Times reporter and famously blacklisted actor Zero Mostel (played by Brochu). The play is seen as a kind of vindication for the underrated comic actor Mostel, who is as notorious for testifying in front of HUAC as he is popular for his work in “Fiddler on the Roof” and “The Producers.” The show runs through Feb. 27.
Thursday
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater at Arsht Center, 1300 Biscayne Blvd., Miami; 8 p.m.; $25 to $90; 305/949-6722 or www.arshtcenter.org
The New York Philharmonic of modern dance, Alvin Ailey Dance Theater is the country’s most renowned company of its type. The 53-year-old dance troupe will bring South Florida premieres, all-new productions and a revival of Alvin Ailey’s “Revelations,” in celebration of its 50th anniversary.
“The Flying Ace” at the Cosford Cinema at the University of Miami, Coral Gables; free; 305/284-4861 or www.cosfordcinema.com
The Cosford Cinema is offering a real treat for one night only: a special screening of “The Flying Ace,” a 1926 silent war film from director Richard E. Norman. The director’s production company was based in Jacksonville, and the movie showcases Florida’s rich film history. The theater will screen a recently restored 35mm print of the film, which will include an introduction and discussion with film historian Rita Reagan.
Friday
“A Bearded Lover” at Black Box Theatre at Nova Southeastern University, 3301 College Ave., Davie; 8 p.m.; $20 to $25; 866/811-4111 orwww.theprometheantheatre.com
Davie’s Promethean Theatre produces this world premiere by local playwright and New Theatre employee Juan C. Sanchez. Directed by Margaret Ledford, the play is being called both dark and heartwarming, and it’s about three sisters whose relationships are pushed to the brink as they prepare for a voyage to the sea. Sanchez’s previous work, “Red Tide,” which had its world premiere at the Promethean in 2009, was a well-received neo-noir. The play runs through March 6.
Andrew Dice Clay at Palm Beach Improv, 550 S. Rosemary Ave., West Palm Beach; 8 and 10:30 p.m.; $35; 561-833-1812 or www.palmbeachimprov.com
The Dice Man established his outrageous, no-holds-barred comedy brand of hardcore comedy at a time when small stand-up stages were just about the only place to hear it. Now that dirty jokes have become the stuff of mainstream cable television, does Clay still have what it takes to shock and confront? Find out for yourself. Clay performs through Sunday.
“Phil Ochs: There But for Fortune” at Coral Gables Art Cinema, 260 Aragon Ave., Coral Gables; 7:30 and
10 p.m.; $5 to $9; 786/385-9689 or www.gablescinema.com
If you don’t know the music of Phil Ochs, you’re missing out on folk music’s most agitated ’60s radical. If Bob Dylan was the “voice of a generation,” Ochs was that generation’s less accessible id, famous for such antiestablishment classics as “I Ain’t Marching Anymore” and “Draft Dodger Rag.” This enlightening new documentary about Ochs’ life and untimely death features interviews with Sean Penn, Jello Biafra, Christopher Hitchens and others. Director Kenneth Bowser, who will “attend” the opening night screenings in a live video link Q&A, understands that the story of Ochs is the story of the entire protest-song movement. The film runs through Feb. 24.
Saturday
Trey McIntyre Project at the Duncan Theatre at Palm Beach State College, 4200 South Congress Ave., Lake Worth; 8 p.m.; $37; 561/868-3350 orwww.palmbeachstate.edu/duncan
Recently profiled on “PBS NewsHour,” Boise-based choreographer McIntyre has become a powerful force in contemporary ballet. His company’s 2011 tour will revisit his 2008 piece “Ma Maison,” in all its skeleton-costumed, carnivalesque glory, assisted by the Preservation Hall Jazz Band.
Royal Bangs at Respectable Street, 518 Clematis St., West Palm Beach; 9 p.m.; cover charge TBA; 561/832-9999 or www.respectablestreet.com
This Tennessee indie trio has released a couple of energetic, angular, garage-rock opuses on the City Slang and Audio Eagle imprints. Hipster cred came quickly for the band, which scored gigs at last year’s star-studded Bonnaroo and Lollapalooza festivals. Local acts Band in Heaven and Alexander will open the show.
Sunday
Ozzy Osbourne at BankAtlantic Center, 1 Panther Parkway, Sunrise; 7:30 p.m.; $28.75 to $58.75; 954/835-8000 or www.ticketmaster.com.
Ozzy has got to be around 120 years old at this point, but when he still rocks this hard, who’s counting? The heavy metal madman is supporting his 10thstudio album, “Scream.” An arena of die-hard Black Sabbath fans will be doing just that, for the length of his epic set list.
