What: Opening day of “Question Bridge: Black Males”
Where: Norton Museum of Art, 1451 S. Olive Ave., West Palm Beach
When: Noon to 5 p.m.
Cost: Free
Contact: 561/832-5196, norton.org
With concerns about race relations and racial justice resounding from suburban streets and presidential debates alike, there’s no better time than the present to explore what it really means to be a black man in an America. That’s the overriding theme of “Question Bridge: Black Males,” a multimedia project that began with an artist’s simple video montage of black men on the streets of San Diego, circa 1996. Visual artist Hank Willis Thomas eventually expanded the video into a full-blown art installation, and, with the help of new interviewers/artists Kamal Sinclair and Bayete Ross Smith, “Question Bridge” is now a five-panel video exhibition integrating the frank responses of more than 160 men in nine American cities. Through the subjects’ eclectic responses, a diversity of thought, character and identity is revealed, offering a corrective to the mass media’s sweeping generalizations of this embattled minority. The exhibition runs though Dec. 18.
WEDNESDAY
What: Opening day of “The Art of Hungary”
Where: Boca Raton Museum of Art, 501 Plaza Real, Boca Raton
When: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Cost: $10-$12)
Contact: 561/392-2500, bocamuseum.org
When the Boca Raton Museum of Art promises a showcase of the art of Hungary, it means all the art of Hungary. A more exhaustive survey of more than a century of art from the resplendent Central European country cannot be imagined. The show is divided into four sub-exhibitions, each with a central focus. The most sweeping of them, “Hungarian Art: A Century of Rebellion,” features more than 100 works from Budapest, whose artists captured the tumult of two World Wars, the collapse of the Soviet Union and the hatching of late 20th century avant-garde. The sister exhibitions offer more-specialized mirrors into Hungarian art and culture: “Hungarian Photography” features 30 photographers from the 20th century, including Andre Kertesz and Robert Capa; “Sylvia Plachy: The Hungarian Connection” offers impactful selections from this internationally published photo essayist, who fled Budapest during its 1956 revolution; and “Szilard Cseke: Gone Too Far” is a brand-new, gallery-sized kinetic installation from this modern-day artist, whose materials include found objects, neon lighting and industrial parts. The shows run through Jan. 8.
THURSDAY
What: Lagunitas Zombie Prom
Where: Fieldhouse at Old School Square, 51 N. Swinton Ave., Delray Beach
When: 9 p.m.
Cost: $20
Contact: 561/243-7922, oldschoolsquare.org
The wittiest wags at Old School Square have dusted off their favorite tried-and-true zombie puns when promoting this so-called “Night to Dismember,” promising the “deadest party on the Ave” for those “dying to party,” which includes a lounge area for those feeling “less lively.” We get the picture, and we like it! Honestly, just the two words “zombie prom” in successive order has me at hello. But the details of this inaugural Halloween bash make it even more enticing. Since it’s presented as an undead prom for the class of ’85, a DJ will be spinning killer ‘80s tunes (“Dead’s Man Party,” anyone?), and the nearby Silverball Museum will provide vintage pinball machines. Zombies dressed to the tattered nines will receive a professional photo of themselves free with admission—and they might even have the chance to be crowned Zombie Prom King and Queen. A kid can dream, right?
What: “Concerto for Violin, Rock Band and String Orchestra”
Where: Arsht Center, 1300 Biscayne Blvd., Miami
When: 8 p.m.
Cost: $35-$100
Contact: 305/949-6722, arshtcenter.org
It’s been five years since R.E.M. announced its dissolution, but bassist Mike Mills, for one, hasn’t spent his retirement on golf courses and bingo halls. His new project, this classical-rock hybrid composed for virtuoso violinist Robert McDuffie and the chamber orchestra Fifth House Ensemble, constitutes some of the richest work of his storied career. The “Concerto for Violin, Rock Band and String Orchestra,” which released this past Friday, is classically oriented while pulsating with driving rock ‘n’ roll vibrancy—a six-part concerto that even includes an achingly beautiful instrumental rendition of R.E.M.’s “Nightswimming.” Mills, McDuffie and their orchestra will perform it all, along with two masterpieces from modernist composers: John Adams’ “Road Movies” and Philip Glass’ “Symphony No. 3.”
FRIDAY TO SUNDAY
What: Miami City Ballet’s Program I
Where: Arsht Center, 1300 Biscayne Blvd., Miami
When: 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday
Cost: $20-$99
Contact: 305/949-6722, miamicityballet.org
Many of us enjoy dancing, but we’d prefer not to hoof ourselves straight to the grave. Yet that’s the punishment for adulterous men in “Giselle,” Jean Corelli and Jules Perrot’s perennially popular full-evening ballet. It’s all thanks to the Wilis, a group of spectral sisters-in-arms who torment their ex-lovers with fatal choreography from the other side. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves: “Giselle” is a love story as much as a ghost story. In Act 1, before her untimely death, Giselle is an effervescent peasant girl smitten with Albrecht, her aristocratic lover. When he strays, she dies from madness and heartbreak and spends Act II in the afterlife, where her imperative for revenge clashes with her transcendent feelings of love. Perhaps more than anything, “Giselle” is a romantic tribute to dance—the activity deployed in life, death and beyond—with one of the classical repertory’s most complex and challenging roles for a lead ballerina. It promises a captivating start to Miami City Ballet’s 2016-2017 season.
SUNDAY
What: Boca Ballet Theatre’s “A Princely Affair”
Where: Boca Raton Resort & Club, 501 E. Camino Real, Boca Raton
When: Noon
Cost: $95 adults, $60 children 13 and younger
Contact: 561/447-3000, bocaballet.org
It’s not often the so-called “Billy Elliot of St. Petersburg” graces a local stage for us humble Boca Ratonians. And while this designation for the nimble New York City Ballet principal dancer Daniel Ulbricht refers to Florida’s St. Petersburg and not Russia’s famed dance capital of the same name, it’s still an impressive compliment for a business card. Ulbricht will be appearing alongside fellow NYC Ballet soloist Erica Pereira at this landmark 25th annual fundraiser for our beloved Boca Ballet Theatre. They’ll dance George Balanchine’s six-minute masterpiece “Tarantella” in an exclusive program that also includes the “Odaliques” variations from “Le Corsaire” and the perennially popular “Waltz of the Snowflakes,” from “The Nutcracker,” performed by BBT’s extraordinary dancers. Arrive early for mimosas, a silent auction and a luncheon.
What: Opening night of “The Audience”
Where: Maltz Jupiter Theatre, 1001 E. Indiantown Road, Jupiter
When: 7:30 p.m.
Cost: $56 and up
Contact: 561/575-2223, jupitertheatre.org
When this spangled drama premiered on Broadway in 2015, its appeal was built into its casting: “Helen Mirren as Queen Elizabeth II” was all audiences of “The Audience” needed to fill the Gerald Schoenfeld Theater. Though casting for the Maltz’s Florida premiere of “The Audience” has not been announced as of this writing, we’re fairly certain Mirren will not be reprising her Tony-winning performance in Jupiter. With or without her, the play remains a dynamic example of loose-limbed but intellectually stimulating infotainment about the complex relationship between the monarch and her prime ministers. It’s set during select weekly meetings between Queen Elizabeth and her nation’s elected leaders from 1951 to present day. In two and a half stage hours, we hear from Winston Churchill, Margaret Thatcher, Tony Blair, Gordon Brown and more, as the actor playing the queen ages up to 60 years in front of our eyes. The minutes from these real-life rendezvous with the Queen were never released to the public, so expect plenty of speculative humor and dramatic sparks from playwright Peter Morgan. The production runs through Nov. 6.
