Wednesday
Florence and the Machine at BB&T Center, 1 Panther Parkway, Sunrise; 8 p.m.; $31.75 to $45.75; 954/835-8000 or www.ticketmaster.com
Florence and the Machine is further proof that pop music is way better in Britain than in the United States (as if we needed it). “Lungs” and “Ceremonials,” the two albums from British contemporary rock act Florence and the Machine, have topped charts in London, but stateside is another story. Despite hosannas from critics and other musicians, the band’s music has been played mostly on specialty stations, never penetrating the Top 40 bubble, despite its polished, radio-friendly accessibility. But the band is finally beginning to make noise here: The Grammy Awards, perpetually behind the curve, finally bestowed Florence and the Machine with a Best New Artist nomination in 2011, four years after the group formed. Thanks to hits like “Shake it Out,” word of mouth, Internet buzz and the occasional TV appearance, Florence and the Machine has leapt from the indie fringes to the commercial fringe, and we couldn’t be happier about it.
Thursday
Opening night of “The All-American Genderf**k Cabaret” at Empire Stage, 1140 N. Flagler Drive, Fort Lauderdale; 8 p.m.; $25; 954/678-1496 orwww.empirestage.com
Neil Simon this ain’t, and we’re thankful for it. Empire Stage continues to be an incubator for off-kilter, left-of-center productions, and, as its provocative title suggests, “The All-American Genderf**k Cabaret” is no exception in this regard. Comedy, drama and cabaret merge as a nine-member ensemble tackles the perennial issue of gender stereotyping, breaking down such shallow archetypes as the Man-hating Lesbian, the Tomboy, the Fairy, the Slut, the Player, the Sensitive Guy, the Girly Girl and the Manly Man. The play skewers a myriad of issues, from sexting and infidelity to homophobia, rape and feminism, and by the end, hopefully, the stereotypes will have matured into actual human beings. The show runs through Oct. 13, courtesy of Thinking Cap Theatre.
Friday
Opening night of “Therese Raquin” at FAU’s Studio One Theater, 777 Glades Road, Boca Raton; 7 p.m.; $20; 800/564-9539 or www.fauevents.com
The novel – and then play – “Therese Raquin” has become one of the most immortal works of the great French writer Emile Zola. It has enjoyed four printings, four major stage productions and nearly 20 adaptations for film and television, from a German silent treatment to a Korean horror variation. Hollywood audiences are already anticipating a 2013 English-language version with Glenn Close and Elizabeth Olsen. Why the long shelf life? Probably because of the story’s forward-thinking realism – it was considered an example of Naturalism, with its unemotional, scientific approach to the material – and its universal, proto-feminist plot, about a repressed heroine who escapes the shackles of her sickly husband and overbearing aunt to carry on a surreptitious affair with another man. The production runs through Oct. 7.
Adam Ant at Seminole Casino, 5550 N.W. 40th St., Coconut Creek; 8 p.m.; starting at $15; 954/977-6700 or www.seminolecasinococonutcreek.com
English New Waver Adam Ant is the rock world’s irascible dandy, a bipolar impresario of fashion and fornication who thrived during the MTV ‘80s. In his videos, which are still classics and can be easily exhumed via YouTube, Ant pantomimed a swashbuckler, cavorted with mechanical mice, skewered Victorian sexual mores and danced in front of moving furniture. Not for nothing did MTV viewers award him the title of the Sexiest Man in America. History hasn’t been as kind to Adam, though, thanks to some much-publicized bouts with mental illness, but he seems to be back in full form – and full theatrical regalia – on his current American tour. Those indelible hits like “Stand and Deliver,” “Strip” and “Ant Music” still sound great. Look for a review of this show on Saturday at bocamag.com.
Wyclef Jean at Miami-Dade College’s Chapman Conference Center, 300 N.E. Second Ave., Miami; 7:30 p.m.; $10; 305/442-4408 or www.booksandbooks.com
Haitian-American music superstar Wyclef Jean will be unplugged in more ways than one at tonight’s special appearance in Miami. He will speak with candor about his new autobiography “Purpose: An Immigrant’s Story,” in which he reflects on his childhood in Haiti through his innovative tenure with the Fugees and his eclectic solo career, as well as the political activism that continues to inspire him. But this is no ordinary book signing; Wyclef will also perform an acoustic solo set, providing fans the opportunity to hear “We Trying to Stay Alive” and “911” in an usually intimate setting. Tickets for this event can be purchased at Books and Books locations in Coral Gables, Miami Beach and Bal Harbour, and the $10 can then be used to purchase Wyclef’s book or any other title at Books and Books.
Friday to Sunday
L-Dub Film Festival at Lake Worth Playhouse, 713 Lake Ave., Lake Worth; various show times; $9 per program; 561/586-6410 orwww.lakeworthplayhouse.org
Local filmmakers and enthusiasts of homegrown cinema have three days to rejoice during the Lake Worth Playhouse’s Annual L-Dub Film Festival. The celebration of mostly short features and documentaries also features a Saturday afternoon seminar with veteran Hollywood actor and director Alex Hyde-White, who will lead a workshop on guerilla filmmaking. At 8 p.m. the night before, Hyde-White’s excellent documentary “Three Days (Of Hamlet)” will screen; it follows his struggles to stage an intimate, plainclothes version of “Hamlet,” and the toll it takes on himself, the rest of the cast and crew, and his own theatrical legacy. Short films grouped by genre and style will be presented throughout the rest of the weekend.
Saturday
Chinese Moon Festival at Norton Museum of Art, 1451 S. Olive Ave., West Palm Beach; noon to 5 p.m.; free; 561/832-5196 or www.norton.org
Just a year after its last redesign, the Norton Museum of Art reopened this week after another two-week redesign. Visitors can enjoy the new look by attending one of its signature annual events: the celebration of China’s Mid-Autumn Festival, which the Norton calls the Moon Festival. The fun is targeted at the whole family, with children’s art projects, a Chinese character-writing workshop, pottery demonstrations, a docent-led tour of the Chinese art galleries and a tea-and-mooncakes reception. But the day’s most anticipated event is the 3 p.m. performance of “Monkey King: Journey to the West,” by renowned storyteller Diane Wolkstein. The poignant but humorous 16thcentury Chinese epic will be performed by a woman who raised the stature of storytelling nationwide, creating the first graduate program for the craft and even receiving her very own “Day” (June 22, 2007) by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
Museum Day Live! At participating museums; various event times; free; various phone numbers and websites
Say it with me now: Free. F-R-E-E. It really is the best four-letter F-word in the English language, isn’t it? Culture usually isn’t free, but for one day only, you can experience some of the best museums South Florida has to offer at no cost, courtesy of Smithsonian magazine’s Museum Day Live! For the annual event, museumgoers will receive complementary admission for two at dozens of museums in Florida and across the country. Participating museums include the aforementioned Norton Museum of Art, the Boca Raton Museum of Art, the Cason Cottage Historic House Museum in Delray Beach, the Coral Springs Museum of Art, the Museum of Art | Fort Lauderdale, the Art and Culture Center of Hollywood, Miami’s Bass Museum of Art, the Miami Art Museum and others. For the complete list, visit smithsonianmag.com
