TUESDAY
What: Opening day of “With a Wink and a Nod: Cartoonists of the Gilded Age”
Where: Flagler Museum, 1 Whitehall Way, Palm Beach
When: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Cost: $10-$18
Contact: 561/655-2833, flaglermuseum.us
If you’re unfamiliar with the humor magazine Puck, you’re probably not alone. Its existence was relatively short-lived in magazine years, publishing only from 1871 to 1918. But its influence is vast, spawning the careers of the some of the 20th century’s most important cartoonists and establishing standards later adopted by publications both high- and lowbrow, from The New Yorker toCharlie Hebdo. The Flagler’s fall exhibition, “With a Wink and a Nod,” celebrates the Puck legacy with more than 70 original drawings and more than 20 vintage issues of the magazine on display. Cartoons skewered politics, religion and everyday life with equal inspiration, targeting corrupt police officers, reactionary politicians, automobile controversies, family life and theater etiquette. Looking at a few of the samples, it’s amazing how prescient the cartoonists were—and how often history repeats itself. The show runs through Jan. 3, 2016.
THURSDAY
What: “This Place: Israel Through Photography’s Lens”
Where: Norton Museum of Art, 1451 S. Olive Ave., West Palm Beach
When: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Cost: $12 adults, $5 students
Contact: 561/832-5196, norton.org
Is there a region on Earth more polarizing than Israel? The nation is many things all at once: the cradle of Christianity, the Jewish holy land, the contested homeland of the Palestinians. It’s a place where three religions mingle in a melting pot that doesn’t melt, where global advances in science and technology share tenuous cultural space with ancient Biblical prophecy. Even the word “Israel” is a political lightning rod, a debate-stirrer, a campaign position. French photographer Frederic Brenner knows that for a region this complicated, his camera alone couldn’t represent its myriad complexities. So he invited 11 fellow photographers from around the world—from the U.S., France and England but also places like Slovakia, the Czech Republic and South Korea—to spend six months in Israel and document what they saw. The resulting exhibition, “This Place,” is perhaps the world’s most comprehensive and heterogeneous portrait of this divisive nation, one that dives deeper than the knee-jerk headlines. And in another coup for the Norton, the exhibit will make its American debut here in Palm Beach County. It runs through Jan. 17.
FRIDAY
What: Korn
Where: Fillmore Miami Beach
When: 8 p.m.
Cost: $49.50-$69.50
Contact: 305/673-7300, fillmoremb.com
In the age of the iTunes/Spotify music jumble, the idea of listening to a single album straight through is starting to feel awfully ‘90s. Perhaps that’s why so many artists who released their masterpieces before the omnipresence of the “Shuffle” option are retaining their albums’ integrity by playing them in their entireties at their concerts. In the past couple of weeks, Helmet and The Jesus & Mary Chain have done just that, and now it’s Korn’s turn. Frontman Jonathan Davis’ nu-metal, parent-scaring quintet released its self-titled debut in 1994, and its unhinged rawness has made it arguably the most beloved album for Korn die-hards, responsible for the hits “Blind,” “Clown” and “Shoots and Ladders.” The band will play the entire album and finish the show with later-career hits, in a concert whose minimal staging will conjure the atmosphere of a band just discovering its tortured groove, bagpipes ablaze.
FRIDAY AND SATURDAY
What: Jerry Seinfeld
Where: Kravis Center, 701 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach
When: 7 p.m. Friday, 7 and 9:30 p.m. Saturday
Cost: $60-$175
Contact: 561/832-7469, kravis.org
Jerry Seinfeld, the man who revolutionized the American sitcom in the 1990s—and one of the least-controversial stand-ups of our time—found himself in an unusual position earlier this year: on the front lines of the battle over political correctness in comedy. He joined Chris Rock and Larry and the Cable Guy in decrying the P.C. oversensitivity of college students, proving that yesterday’s benign observations are today’s micro-aggressions. Though he won’t play colleges anymore, Seinfeld has taken the controversy in stride, by continuing what he does best. Through the 100 million clicks of his Web series “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee,” he congregates with everyone from today’s hippest young comedians as to stand-up legends. And if anything, his material has only grown stronger, more thoughtful, more existential and more original since he turned 60. His Kravis shows are pricey, but expect more laughs from him than from any comedian touring this year.
SATURDAY
What: Halloween in the Hammock
Where: Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, 1801 N. Ocean Blvd., Boca Raton
When: 6:30 to 9 p.m.
Cost: $10-$20
Contact: 561/544-8615, gumbolimbo.org
The spirit(s) of the season arrive early at Boca’s cherished environmental complex, which is hosting 40-minute beachside strolls, leaving every 30 minutes, this Saturday evening. Adults and children alike are welcome to arrive in costumes and enjoy the atmospheric walk hosted by “ghostly guides and ghouls” who lead attendees through a tour of the region’s animal kingdom, from snakes, owls and spiders to sharks and turtles. It’s just the first program of several Halloween-themed family outings presented under the city’s Boca Boo Days initiative, which continues with a bevy of events from Oct. 23-31; visit bocaboodays.com for the complete schedule.
SATURDAY
What: “The Fly”
Where: Coral Gables Art Cinema, 260 Aragon Ave., Coral Gables
When: 11:30 p.m.
Cost: $7
Contact: 786/385-9689, gablescinema.com
My runaway choice for Best Remake of All-Time, David Cronenberg’s horrifying 1986 update of the 1958 creature feature “The Fly” is a cautionary tale about the perils of scientific recklessness, a parable about degenerative disease in a time of the AIDS crisis, a tragic love story and a nightmare-inducing breakthrough in movie makeup. Jeff Goldblum, in his most memorable performance to date, plays the ambitious scientist who invents a teleportation device and experiments the machine on himself, unaware that a common housefly has entered the “Telepod” with him. Soon enough, his DNA and the fly’s merge, with harrowing results. You’ve probably seen this most buzz-worthy (entry) entry in the ‘80s sci-fi canon, but it’s worth revisiting this weekend, since the Coral Gables Art Cinema will be screening it in its original 35mm format.
SATURDAY AND SUNDAY
What: “The Naked Magic Show”
Where: Parker Playhouse, 707 N.E. Eighth St., Fort Lauderdale
When: 7 p.m.
Cost: $33-$53
Contact: 954/462-0222, parkerplayhouse.org
If you’re of the opinion that the only thing movies like “The Full Monty” and “Magic Mike XXL” are missing is wands, card tricks and grand illusions, then the R-rated “Naked Magic Show” is your steaming-hot cup of tea. At this raunchy crossover hit, buff Australian magicians Christopher Wayne and Mike Taylor ensure that their clothes vanish along with their bunny rabbits. With more than 200 shows a year under their (loosened) belts, these 30-year-old entertainers are experts in sleight of hand, mentalism and comedy hypnosis as well as large-scale illusions. And needless to say, their Chippendale’s-style wardrobes (or lack thereof) will offer audiences plenty of opportunities for a magician’s favorite tool: distraction. The duo’s tagline says it best: “Sleeves up, pants down.”
MONDAY, OCT. 19
What: Elizabeth Gilbert
Where: Arsht Center, 1300 Biscayne Blvd., Miami
When: 8 p.m.
Cost: $30
Contact: 305/949-6722, arshtcenter.org
Speaking of magic, The Arsht Center is promising “an evening of big magic with Elizabeth Gilbert,” but it’s not the David Copperfield type. Gilbert’s focus is the magic of creativity, the everyday phenomena that is available to any of us at the tip of a pen, the end of a brush or the stroke of a keyboard. Gilbert, whose 2006 memoir Eat, Pray, Love has sold more than 10 million copies and been translated into more than 30 languages, is touring to support her new self-development tome Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear, in which she delves into the source of her own creativity and courage in search of universal truths. Gilbert will speak about her work with characteristic humor, vulnerability, open-heartedness and seasoned wisdom, and she has a special treat for attendees: Ticket-buyers will receive a complimentary signed copy of Big Magic, which will be distributed in the lobby of the Arsht Center’s Knight Concert Hall upon entry.
