WEDNESDAY
What: Rick Springfield, Loverboy and the Romantics
Where: Hard Rock Live, 5747 Seminole Way, Hollywood
When: 8 p.m.
Cost: $44-$64
Contact: 800/745-3000, ticketmaster.com
It was just last year that Australian classic rocker Rick Springfield was making headlines for all the wrong reasons, when a lawsuit, filed by a concertgoer, alleged that the performer of “Jessie’s Girl” landed on her butt-first during a live appearance in 2004. Now that the case has been settled in Springfield’s favor, he’s no longer the butt of jokes; in fact, he’s more relevant than he has been, arguably, in decades, from an unforgettable recurring role as a creepy plastic surgeon on HBO’s “True Detective” to his supporting performance as an actor/singer in the feel-good summer rock movie “Ricki and the Flash.” Springfield will headline this retro triple-bill alongside Canadian rockers Loverboy (“Working for the Weekend”) and the timeless Detroit power-popsters the Romantics (“What I Like About You”).
THURSDAY
What: Deanna Raybourn
Where: Murder on the Beach, 273 Pineapple Grove Way, Delray Beach
When: 7 p.m.
Cost: Free
Contact: 561/279-7790, murderonthebeach.com
Plenty of mystery series feature unexpected protagonists solving murders alongside seasoned private eyes. But few of them rise to the challenge of translating this formula amid the debauched splendor of Victorian England. Combining history and mystery with globetrotting geographical detail, Deanna Raybourn’s books have done just that, beginning with 2007’s Silent of the Grave, which introduced her ongoing heroine, aristocratic crime-solver Lady Julia Grey. Later books, both in and out of that series, have taken Raybourn’s creations to Transylvania, Africa and the foothills of the Himalayas. This week, she turns a new page in her literary career with the release of A Curious Beginning. The book marks the introduction of Veronica Speedwell, a newly orphaned butterfly hunter in Raybourn’s favored Victorian London, who encounters murder and secrets on the eve of the queen’s Golden Jubilee. She will discuss the book and take questions at this local appearance.
FRIDAY
What: First Friday Art Walk
Where: Starts at Delray Center for the Arts, 51 N. Swinton Ave., Delray Beach
When: 6 to 9 p.m.
Cost: Free
Contact: 561/243-7922, delraycenterforthearts.org
The Delray Center for the Arts’ Cornell Museum is a great place to kick off your Friday night. If you haven’t seen its spectacular and inventive “Reimagined” exhibition yet, it alone is worth the trip. But a visit to the museum will also provide visitors the opportunity to sip some wine, nosh on some cheese, and meet West Palm Beach artists Ronald Shaw and Jeni Licata, who sell handmade, one-of-a-kind serving pieces and home décor items through their new business, The Claw and the Sea. After that, continue strolling the Avenue and nearby Pineapple Grove Art District and Artist Alley for the city’s monthly First Friday Art Walk. There will be special artist showings, jewelry sales, entertainment and receptions at more than 14 Delray galleries, including DeBilzan Gallery, Addison Gallery and The House of Perna.
What: Opening night of “The Fantasticks”
Where: Broward Stage Door, 8036 W. Sample Road, Margate
When: 8 p.m.
Cost: $38-$42
Contact: 954/344-7765, stagedoortheatre.com
The world’s longest-running musical is not “The Phantom of the Opera” or “Les Miz” or anything so grandiose or operatic. Instead, that esteemed title goes to this quirky sleeper penned by composer Harvey Schmidt and lyricist Tom Jones in 1960. It closed 42 years and 17,162 off-Broadway performances later. Part of the reason for the unexpected endurance of this musical—and its continued revivals on regional stages large and small—is its cheapness to produce. Sets are minimal, and a cardboard moon is part of its design appeal. But a stronger argument for its success is simply the combination of universality and strangeness in its story, which follows two scheming, neighboring fathers as they launch an elaborate plot to romantically connect their lonely children. Throw in a dastardly bandit, a mute character and a doddering old actor, and the play brims with offbeat color. Alexander Zenoz, Steve Goldstein, Pedro Kaawaloa, Molly Anne Ross, Larry Bramble and more will star under Dan Kelley’s direction in this production, which runs through Oct. 11.
What: Opening night of “Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine”
Where: O Cinema, 500 71st St., Miami Beach
When: 8:30 p.m.
Cost: $7.50-$11
Contact: 786/207-1919, o-cinema.org
Steve Jobs once famously said, “Be a yardstick of quality. Some people aren’t used to an environment where excellence is expected.” Jobs created that environment, but at what cost? The prolific and politically charged documentary maestro Alex Gibney, whose previous subjects have included Julian Assange, Eliot Spitzer, Lance Armstrong and the Scientology movement, attempts to answer that question and more in this film-length inquiry about the most significant tech innovator of the past 30 years. Significantly, Gibney received no cooperation from the current Apple brass, which means that “The Man in the Machine” will be a truly uncensored, unauthorized account of Jobs’ maliciousness and his brilliance—a balanced survey of a mercurial genius on par with Walter Isaacson’s 2011 biography. Gibney also explores our collective addiction to Jobs’ products; since the movie also opens OnDemand on Friday, you might as well be subversive and watch it on your phone.
What: RAW: “Bold”
Where: Grand Central, 697 N. Miami Ave., Miami
When: 7 p.m. to midnight
Cost: $15-$20
Contact: rawartists.org
RAW: Miami, an award-winning local collective with an international cachet, launched as a platform to provide tools, resources and exposure to artists in fields as varied as visual art, film, fashion, music, photography, modeling and performance art. Multifaceted events like this weekend’s fall showcase make little distinction between these forms, which has made them so wildly popular among so many disparate audiences. Friday’s program features three live bands and a performance by Atlanta musician Remey Williams; four fashion shows including apparel from Posh Kimono and Nino; and the work of 30 visual artists/photographers, including Giovanna Ramirez, Juan Sebastian and James Brown. Go where the hip people will be, and dress for occasion: All Raw events require cocktail attire.
FRIDAY TO SUNDAY
What: Churchill’s Pub 36th Birthday Bash
Where: Churchill’s, 5501 N.E. Second Ave., Miami
When: 9 p.m.
Cost: Free
Contact: 305/757-1807, churchillspub.com
Churchill’s Pub knows how to throw a party. A roiling, clangorous underground rock hotspot sprouting from one of Miami’s less-desirable neighborhoods, Churchill’s Pub has still been packing in audiences from the tri-county era for 36 years thanks to its imaginative live music programs, which often start late and run into the wee hours, if not the following morning. Expect much the same from this eclectic three-day showcase of established and burgeoning Florida bands—more than 50 in total, spread across three stages, and running each night until 3 a.m. with no cover charge. Friday’s lineup includes Everymen, Night Gaunts, Days N Daze and Menudo Death Squad; Saturday continues to bring the noise with Gruesome, Solstice, Orbweaver and Nutcheck; and Sunday winds down the rager with bands that have still not been confirmed. We’re pretty sure you won’t be disappointed.
