Thursday
Opening night of Greg Behrendt at Palm Beach Improv, 550 S. Rosemary Ave., Suite 250, West Palm Beach; 8 p.m.; $20 with a two-drink minimum; 561/833-1812 or www.palmbeachimprov.com
Most comedians — at least the ones who riff on relationships — make a living reflecting on the inequities of the gender gap from their own viewpoint. Greg Behrendt, however, is not most comedians. As a former consultant for “Sex and the City†and the author of the amusing self-help book “He’s Not That Into You,†Behrendt sees life through the female lens so often, and so well, he may just have an extra X chromosome he’s not telling us about. His excellent stand-up comedy, however, is tailor-made for everybody. He performs through Sunday.
Opening night of Carrabba’s Italian Film Fiesta at Cinema Paradiso, 503 S.E. Sixth St., Fort Lauderdale; time and prices vary per screening; 954/525-3456 orwww.fliff.com
The Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival will present its second annual Italian Film Festival, this year courtesy of Carrabba’s Italian Grill. Beginning at 6 p.m. Thursday, the restaurant will provide a dinner before a screening of the screwball comedy “Happy Family.†The festival continues with the 2007 character study “Night Bus†(6 p.m. Friday), the Holocaust drama “The Man Who Will Come†(8 p.m. Friday), Federico Fellini’s 1954 art-house staple “La Strada†(3:30 p.m. Saturday) and many more. Check the website for full details.
Opening night of Teo Castellanos’ “Fat Boy†at the Light Box at Goldman Warehouse, 404 N.W. 26th St., Miami; 8 p.m.; $15;www.ovationtix.com/trs/pr/822645
A few years ago, Castellanos, a dance choreographer and FAU theater graduate, stunned Miami with his piece “Scratch and Burn,†a ritualistic antiwar screed starring four undisciplined b-boys he trained and nurtured. His latest project, the anticipated “Fat Boy,†is also loaded with social commentary. It’s a dance work that juxtaposes excessive American consumerism with world hunger and poverty. It’s influenced by everything from Asian rice rituals to Zen movements to 1980s popular culture, so expect a lively goulash of styles. The show runs through Saturday.
Friday
Larry Flynt at Books and Books, 265 Aragon Ave., Coral Gables; 8 p.m.; free; 305/442-4408 or www.booksandbooks.com
Larry Flynt
Hustler magazine has always had a pronounced and thoughtful political stance to go along with its, um, baser attributes. Larry Flynt, the 68-year-old bad-boy publisher and the “No. 1 Most Powerful Person in Porn,†according toArena magazine, continues his dual fascinations of sex and politics and his new book “One Nation Under Sex.†The gossipy nonfiction tome delves into the secret sex lives that shaped politicians — including Abraham Lincoln, Benjamin Franklin and Woodrow Wilson — to make some of their most important decisions. He will speak and sign copies.
Opening night of “Ages of the Moon†at Mosaic Theatre at American Heritage Center for the Arts, 12200 W. Broward Blvd., Plantation; 8 p.m.; 954/577-8243 or www.mosaictheatre.com
“Ages of the Moon†is the latest piece from legendary playwright Sam Shepard: a dark, two-piece comedy about old friends, reunited by “mutual desperation,†according to the playwright’s website, who reflect on the past 50 years of their lives over one blustery night. Ultimately, it will end at the barrel of a gun. Dennis Creaghan and Gordon McConnell, two of our acting community’s veteran workhorses, will star, and if past performances are any indication, this should be a rare, exquisite treat.
Friday and Saturday
“RAIN: A Tribute to the Beatles†at Kravis Center, 701 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach; 8 p.m. Friday and 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday; $20 to $95; 561/832-7469 or www.kravis.org
Few Beatles tribute bands have taken their show to Broadway, which is partly why RAIN can back up its claim as the “world’s most famous Beatles tribute band.†With a cast of rotating musicians playing the roles of the Fab Four, RAIN features music from the Ed Sullivan era through the Beatles’ last days, taking on challenging numbers that John, Paul, Ringo and George never had the chance to play live.
Saturday
Opening day of “Out of This World: Extraordinary Costumes From Film and Television†at Norton Museum of Art, 1451 S. Olive Ave., West Palm Beach; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; $12 adults, $5 for ages 13 to 21, free for children 12 and younger; 561/832-5196 or www.norton.org
What would Darth Vader be without his helmet? Indian Jones without his fedora? If the dress makes the man, the costume defines the pop-culture icon. “Out of This World,†an exhibition curated by the Science Fiction Museum in Seattle, includes, among its 43 priceless movie and television artifacts, Margaret Hamilton’s witch hat from “The Wizard of Oz,†Arnold Schwarzenegger’s leather jacket from “The Terminator†and George Clooney’s anatomically aware bat suit from “Batman and Robin.†The show runs through Sept. 4.
Sunday
Matt & Kim with The Thermals at Culture Room, 3045 N. Federal Highway, Fort Lauderdale; 7:30 p.m.; $20; 954/564-1074 or www.cultureroom.net
The adorable Brooklyn dance-punk duo has graduated from the college-rock ghetto into the alternative-rock mainstream over the course of two
well-produced, well-received, irrepressibly catchy albums for the Fader label, 2009’s “Grand†and 2010’s “Sidewalks.†But I’m more excited about the opening act, The Thermals, who deserve a headlining tour of their own. The group’s wonderful 2003 debut, the lo-fi punk anthem “More Parts Per Million,†was a noisy revelation for the Sub Pop, recorded on a four-track cassette player in frontman Hutch Harris’ kitchen. None of their following four records are quite as masterful, but each contains a handful of memorable, bouncy rockers.
Monday
The Monkees at Pompano Beach Amphitheater, 1801 N.E. Sixth St., Pompano Beach; 8 p.m.; $35 to $120; www.ticketmaster.com
For a band that started essentially as a marketing gimmick and only lasted four years in its original incarnation, the Monkees left an indelible imprint on the early rock ‘n’ roll movement – not to mention giving us one of the most inventive films of the Sixties, “Head.†They have remained popular to this day – thanks in no small part to Smash Mouth’s insipid cover of “I’m a Believer†for the Shrek soundtrack. Their surprising 2011 tour will celebrate the 45th anniversary of the Monkees’ formation and will feature three of the original members of the quartet (Michael Nesmith won’t be there).
