WEDNESDAY
What: Carla Norton
Where: Murder on the Beach, 273 Pineapple Grove Way, Delray Beach
When: 7 p.m.
Cost: Free
Contact: 561/279-7790, murderonthebeach.com
This suspense author is drawn to humanity’s darker corners. Her first nonfiction book, the true-crime best-seller Perfect Victim, recounted the seven-year captivity and sexual slavery of a young woman referred to as “the girl in the box.” Norton then brought her experience documenting real kidnapping cases to her first novel, 2014’s The Edge of Normal, which introduced Reeve LeClaire, a fierce heroine who had suffered a similar ordeal as the “girl in the box” and is forced to revisit the trauma. In Norton’s newly released sequel, What Doesn’t Kill Her, the college-age Reeve must fend off her captor anew, as he has busted out of a psychiatric hospital with revenge on his mind. Norton will speak about and sign copies of What Doesn’t Kill Her, the second in a series that has earned comparisons to no less than Alfred Hitchcock.
FRIDAY
What: Opening night of “The Overnight”
Where: Carmike Parisian 20, 545 Hibiscus St., West Palm Beach
When: Show times pending
Cost: $8.25-$11.25
Contact: 561/833-2310
This ensemble dramedy is executive-produced (though not directed) by the Duplass Brothers, and it will appeal to the millenials and Gen-Xers who frequent their movies: It echoes their signature skill of dissecting modern relationships through an immersive scrutiny of fears and anxieties. Alex and Emily (Adam Scott and Taylor Schilling), parents of a young child and new to Los Angeles, meet a mysterious, overdressed, borderline creep in a public park (Jason Schwartzman) who immediately takes the friendless couple under his wing. It turns out he has a child too, along with a liberated French wife (Judith Godreche), and they enjoy a lifestyle that is, to put it mildly, alternative to Alex and Emily’s. “The Overnight” takes place entirely over one eventful evening, as a playdate/dinner party between these clashing couples gradually becomes a bacchanal. As something of an anti-date movie, “The Overnight” scales uncomfortable heights of realism and exposes unexpected vulnerabilities in its characters. See it if you dare, and expect it to spur plenty of discussion. If you can’t wait until Friday, the movie is already playing at AMC Aventura 24.
What: Opening night of “A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence”
Where: Lake Worth Playhouse’s Stonzek Theatre, 713 Lake Ave., Lake Worth
When: 2 and 6 p.m.
Cost: $6-$9
Contact: 561/296-9382, lakeworthplayhouse.org
Though a prolific director of commercials in his native Sweden, Roy Andersson has made just five feature films in his four-decade movie career. But his features, especially the international hits “Songs From the Second Floor” and “You, The Living” have cemented his trademark style, which involves long takes, an unmoving camera, visually shocking images, and some of the most hilarious deadpan humor in world cinema. His latest film, the award-winning “A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence,” is no exception. Its cryptic trailer intrigues us with its seeming plotlessness, but it actually follows a pair of salesman on an absurdist journey through the human condition—one that traverses time and space, including a 1940s beer hall and a sojourn with Sweden’s King Charles XII. It’s hard to describe in words, but the film boasts a 90 percent “fresh” ranking from rottentomatoes.com, so believe the experts.
SATURDAY
What: Opening night of “George M! In Concert”
Where: The Wick, 7901 N. Federal Highway, Boca Raton
When: 5 p.m.
Cost: $100 ($55 thereafter)
Contact: 561/995-2333, thewick.org
There is little George M. Cohan didn’t accomplish in his more than half a century in show business. Appropriately dubbed “the man who owned Broadway,” Cohan evolved, as a child, from one member of the Four Cohans vaudeville act, into the premier stage entertainer of his day: As a producer, composer, playwright, lyricist, actor, singer and dancer, he published more than 300 songs in his lifetime, including “Yankee Doodle Dandy” and “Give My Regards to Broadway,” and he’s generally credited with pioneering the concept of the “book musical” and with cofounding ASCAP. The Wick Theatre will revisit his patriotic legacy with this concert production, which shares Cohan’s life story through the conduit of his timeless music. Susan Powell (pictured), aka Miss America 1981, narrates the musical journey and will be joined by a cast of 20, clad in the Wick’s customarily dazzling costumes. Saturday’s opening night ticket includes a 5 p.m. dinner, followed by the 8 p.m. show, but the musical alone continues through July 19.
What: July Fourth Celebration
Where: A1A and Atlantic Avenue, Downtown Delray Beach
When: 4 to 9:30 p.m.
Cost: Free
Contact: downtowndelraybeach.com
The City of Delray Beach’s July Fourth celebration promises to be one of the most eclectic in South Florida, and given its track record, we’re certain it will up to expectations. The live music, which runs from 4 to 9 p.m., is a well-curated, nonstop mix of original songwriters and tribute acts, including the award-winning virtuoso Mike Mineo, modern rockers The Kinected, and the Tom Petty tribute act The Petty Hearts. Kids can cool off at the Re-max Splash Zone, with its water slides and aquatic games, as well as at the Putt ‘n Around mini golf course and the Kid’s Corner, which features face painting and arts and crafts. Adults can relax over a cold one at BurgerFi’s Beer Garden; the restaurant is also hosting a burger-eating contest. End the night with the city’s fireworks display, preceded by a countdown with Mayor Cary Glickstein and accompanied by a performance by the No Bodies Crew.
What: Vans Warped Tour
Where: Coral Sky Amphitheatre, 601-7 Sansburys Way, West Palm Beach
When: 11 a.m.
Cost: $38.50
Contact: 561/795-8883, vanswarpedtour.com
I know I’m getting older when I recognize fewer and fewer of the bands headlining this annual festival of all things punk, emo, hardcore and alternative. But at 20 years young, the Warped Tour has outlived many of its ‘90s touring-festival peers, changing along with the times. The Warped Tour acts I remember from my teenage years—Reel Big Fish, NOFX, Jimmy Eat World—have parted the waters for today’s top acts, like indie folk-rockers Never Shout Never (pictured), the synthesized pop-punkers Motion City Soundtrack, and the revered post-hardcore acts Silverstein and Pierce the Veil. Proof that the Warped Tour is actually maturing a bit? Among the 10 (!) stages, there is even an “Acoustic Basement” featuring less eardrum-splitting music and a “Reverse Daycare” tent for parents. More than 100 acts in total will take the stage.
What: July 4th Concert and Fireworks
Where: BB&T Center, 1 Panther Parkway, Sunrise
When: 5 to 10 p.m.
Cost: Free
Contact: 954/747-4600, sunrisefl.gov
This is the Fourth of July event for ‘80s music nostalgists. Co-headliners A Flock of Seagulls, they of the elaborate coifs and cheese-crusted music videos, still exist—or at least its flock leader, Mike Score, still tours under the name with three newer bandmates. The group’s complicated legacy goes deeper than its regrettable image, however. Listen to the music on the group’s pioneering 1982 concept album about an alien invasion; considering today’s everything-old-is-new again synth fetish, still sounds pretty fresh. The other headliner taking the stage on Saturday, The Fixx, is even better. The “Red Skies” and “One Thing Leads to Another” hitmakers have resisted the temptation to tour as a nostalgia act, with their sets containing a variety of tunes from their seminal 1982 debut “Shuttered Room” through 2012’s “Beautiful Friction.” Enjoy the food and beverage vendors in between sets, and stick around for the city of Sunrise’s official fireworks display at 9 p.m.
