TUESDAY
What: The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Abridged
Where: Lynn University’s Wold Center, 3601 N. Military Trail, Boca Raton
When: 7:30 p.m.
Cost: $10
Contact: 561/237-9000, events.lynn.edu
In the theater world, it might be very close to blasphemy to suggest that some of William Shakespeare’s most beloved plays are … how shall we put this … butt-numbing. They’re quite long, would be a more charitable criticism, one that can never be leveled at the trio of writers behind “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Abridged,” a touring and regional theater staple since its 1987 inception. The self-reflexive, fourth-wall-breaking collection of Shakespearean gags, in-jokes, and pop-culture bon mots includes Tweet-sized encapsulations of “Macbeth,” “Othello,” “Romeo and Juliet” and the Bard’s other iconic plays, and it usually culminates with a staging of “Hamlet” that lasts 42 seconds and is performed backwards. Let the purists harrumph all the want; this is funny stuff.
What: Last Comic Standing Live Tour
Where: Kravis Center, 701 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach
When: 8 p.m.
Cost: $15-$89
Contact: 561/832-7469, kravis.org
NBC may have sadly truncated its ninth season of “Last Comic Standing” this past summer, but even with fewer episodes and zero challenges beyond performing standup, the competition remained as fierce as ever, with only five finalists remaining from 100 bright-eyed, bushy-tailed entrants. This quintet of diverse humorists will take the stage in South Florida this week for sets of (hopefully) all-new, untelevised material. The lineup includes winner Clayton English (pictured), known for his animalistic pacing and masterful set construction; Ian Bagg, a whip-smart Canadian deft at crowd work; Dominique, a down-to-earth observational comic with a wry style; Andy Erikson, a goofy eccentric who is as lovable as plush toy; and Michael Palascak. If you can’t make Tuesday night’s performance at Kravis, the comics will also perform Wednesday night at Coral Springs Center for the Arts.
WEDNESDAY
What: “Tribute to Veterans”
Where: Mizner Park Amphitheater, 590 Plaza Real, Boca Raton
When: 7 p.m.
Cost: Free
Contact: 561/393-7073
The Florida Wind Symphony, a local treasure in residence at Florida Atlantic University, will perform this special Veteran’s Day salute honoring our brave men and women in uniform. Dr. Kyle Prescott will conduct the 40 professional musicians in this acclaimed regional wind ensemble through a set of patriotic classics. In addition, four quilts handmade by members of Quilt Guild by the Sea will be displayed and awarded to area veterans. This initiative, part of the Quilts of Valor Foundation, is designed to cover service members and veterans with “comforting and healing Quilts of Valor.” Blankets and chairs are recommended for this event, though chairs can also be rented for $2.
THURSDAY
What: Kate Davis
Where: Broward Center, 201 S.W. Fifth Ave., Fort Lauderdale
When: 8 p.m.
Cost: $25
Contact: 954/462-0222, browardcenter.org
An artist as comfortable performing at TEDx events as she is cabarets, universities and wineries, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Kate Davis picked up the violin at an early age and the double bass during middle school, honing her chops in the Portland Youth Philharmonic. At 24, these are still her instruments of choice, particularly the bass, a classical instrument she has adapted for pop. Her cheeky, jazzy 2014 cover of Meghan Trainor’s “All About That Bass”—reimagined as “All About That (Upright) Bass” earned 8 million hits over a three-month stint on YouTube and propelled her to stardom. She’s since appeared on “PBS NewsHour” and NPR, and has performed with Renee Fleming. At this appearance, she’ll play her original music as well as inventive covers—she interprets everybody from Nina Simone to Violent Femmes—at this appearance at the Broward Center’s intimate Mary N. Porter Riverview Ballroom.
FRIDAY
What: Nina Romano and D.J. Niko
Where: Murder on the Beach, 273 Pineapple Grove Way, Delray Beach
When: 7 p.m.
Cost: Free
Contact: 561/279-7790, murderonthebeach.com
This weekend, Delray Beach’s beloved mystery bookstore is offering two guest authors for the price of one—that price being, as always, nothing. Nina Romano, a literature professor and award-winning writer of poetry and short-story collections, will discuss her debut novel The Secret Language of Film, a tale of sweeping romance and intrigue set in China during the Boxer Rebellion; it’s the first in a planned trilogy. Florida author D.J. Niko also will be on hand to speak about The Oracle, the third book in her series of historical thrillers led by her gritty archaeologist protagonist Sarah Weston. Refreshments will be served, and books will be signed.
What: Opening night of “Angry Fags”
Where: Island City Stage, 2304 N. Dixie Highway, Wilton Manors
When: 8 p.m.
Cost: $35
Contact: 954/519-2533, islandcitystage.org
Island City Stage, with its focus on universally engaging LGBT-themed work, is fresh off arguably the strongest 2014-2015 theater season enjoyed by any South Florida company, and this weekend it kicks off what appears to be another string of potential hits. Topher Payne’s “Angry Fags” is an outrageous, anarchic slice of social commentary that imagines a world in which the gay-bashed among us strike back with rage of their own. American politics, bomb-building and pistachios figure into the story, but the play already had us at its punchy tagline: “An Oscar Wilde-meets-Fight Club fever dream.” To sweeten the deal even more, this will be the first play in Island City Stage’s expansive new home, the 70-seat Abyss Theatre in Wilton Manors. The show runs through Dec. 13.
What: Opening day of “Spotlight”
Where: AMC Aventura 24, 19501 Biscayne Blvd., Aventura
When: Show times pending
Cost: $10-$13
Contact: 305/466-9880, spotlightthefilm.com
This deeply engrossing, fact-based feature follows the efforts of a quartet of Boston Globe investigative reporters—the newspaper’s heralded Spotlight team—to uncover a child abuse scandal among Massachusetts priests at the behest of a soft-spoken, big-stick-carrying new editor (Liev Schreiber). Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo, Rachel McAdams and Brian d’Arcy James inhabit the intrepid journos with such conviction you can practically feel the newsprint on their hands and shoe leather on the feet. In an era of digital media, director Thomas McCarthy revels in the Cloudless nuts-and-bolts of the six-month 2001 investigation—the microfiche, the filing cabinets of old clippings, the revelations spilling from log books in dusty basements—and he seems to discover the movie’s wider meaning along with his protagonists. The story’s tentacles extend to so many aspects of once trusted and now suspect corners of American life, from the corrupt Catholic Church to a venal legal system to a supine media (McCarthy doesn’t let the Globe off the hook for waiting so long to expose the scandal). It’s ultimately a vital statement about the purpose of the fourth estate, and if it lacks the high-wire drama and shadowy intrigue of All the President’s Men, it certainly earns a place on the upper tier of journalism dramas. It opens in Miami-Dade only this weekend, and will open Nov. 20 across Palm Beach County.
SUNDAY
What: Opening day/night of Miami Book Fair International
Where: Chapman Conference Center at Miami-Dade College, 300 N.E. Second Ave., Miami
When: Varies
Cost: Free or various per author event
Contact: 305/237-3258, miamibookfair.com
As always, the Miami Book Fair International promises nothing short of nirvana for local lit lovers, with more than 450 authors scheduled to appear and a street fair Nov. 20-22—which remains an essential shopping spot for antiquarian collectors. Star authors begin reading and introducing their books this Sunday, kicking off at 7 p.m. with punk legend and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Patti Smith ($30, includes a copy of her book). She will discuss her latest tome The M Train, a combination of memoir and photography book that she describes as “a roadmap of my life.” On Monday, Nov. 16, at 8 p.m., don’t miss Robert Reich ($15), the former Clinton Administration Labor Secretary whose latest book taps into Bernie Sanders’ core demo: Saving Capitalism: For the Many, Not the Few. We’ll spotlight other guest authors next week.
