Kevin Smith’s “Silent Bob” speaks in West Palm, Nikola Tesla’s life is immortalized in a new opera, and Boca’s Enigma Haunt scares up a zombie apocalypse. Plus, Hurricane Irma stories, “Brad’s Status,” “The Underpants” and more in your week ahead.
WEDNESDAY
What: Screenings of “Brad’s Status”
Where: iPic Mizner Park, 301 Plaza Real, Boca Raton
When: 1:15, 4:45, 7:45 and 11 p.m.
Cost: $16-$28
Contact: 561/299-3000, ipictheaters.com
Screenwriter Mike White, whose forte is clenched discomfort, has already delivered a stellar example of his craft this year with “Beatriz at Dinner,” a disquieting ensemble dramedy that crystallized a divided America. “Brad’s Status,” which White also directed, is similarly uncomfortable, anchored by a bravura dramatic turn by Ben Stiller. He plays the title character, a husband, father and cauterized operator of a nonprofit who is staring down a midlife crisis. Envious of his stratospherically success college friends and their calculated disconnection from his life, his anxieties reach their breaking point during a college tour with his musically prodigious son (Austin Abrams, in a breakthrough performance). “Brad’s Status” can feel ponderous at times, but it’s also a withering critique of white-male malaise whose generous insights transcend its rudderless protagonist. The film is also currently showing at Movies of Delray, Regal Shadowood, Cinemark Boynton Beach and Movies of Lake Worth.
THURSDAY
What: Benefit Concert for the Florida Keys
Where: Tim Finnegans Irish Pub, 2855 S. Federal Highway, Delray Beach
When: 6 to 10 p.m.
Cost: $20 donation
Contact: 561/330-3153, timfinnegansirishpub.com
As Floridians, we help our own. That’s the message Lisa Walsh, owner of Tim Finnegans, hopes to send with this unique benefit concert for the ravaged Florida Keys. Giving financial aid is its own reward, but it doesn’t hurt that Walsh has assembled an all-star entertainment lineup for this fundraiser. Paul Castronovo, local talk-media personality and the anchor of BIG 105.9’s morning show, will emcee an evening that includes local comedians and a headlining performance from the Joe Cotton Band, Delray real-estate agent Steve Martel’s rock ‘n’ roll throwback band, which has been plying its trade for 30 years. Your $20 donation also gets you a free well drink or domestic beer or wine, discounted food and a dessert bar curated by top South Florida restaurants and caterers.
What: “Jay and Silent Bob Get Old” live podcast
Where: Where: Palm Beach Improv, 550 S. Rosemary Ave., West Palm Beach
When: 7: 30 p.m.
Cost: $40
Contact: 561/833-1812, palmbeachimprov.com
For a filmmaker responsible for creating the tight-lipped character of Silent Bob in ‘90s touchstones like “Clerks” and “Chasing Amy,” Kevin Smith sure likes to talk. As his movie career has foundered in the Aughts, the garrulous director has enjoyed second, third and fourth careers as monologist, comic-book maven and podcast host. It’s in this last capacity that he’ll swing by the Palm Beach Improv with his longtime partner-in-crime, Jason Mewes, aka “Jay” from his durable movie career. Smith and Mewes will record the newest edition of their top-ranked “Jay and Silent Bob Get Old” podcast, an extemporaneous series of Hollywood stories that evolves organically in front of live audiences.
What: “City Speaks”
Where: Switchbox Coffee Roasters, 3446 N.E. 12th Ave., Oakland Park
When: 7 to 9 p.m.
Cost: Free
Contact: 888/849-7269, newcityplayers.org/cityspeaks
What did the whole Hurricane Irma nightmare of this month teach you? To speak to your neighbors more often? To change your perspective on climate change? To buy a damn generator next time? Whatever the lesson you gleaned from our shared hurricane experience, New City Players would like to hear it. “Irma Taught Me …” is the subject of the theatre company’s September edition of its monthly storytelling night, “City Speaks.” Anyone is invited to come onstage and share their perspectives, or just listen to the insights of others and enjoy a hot (or cold) cup of java. Those interested in speaking should visit the website listed above and submit a 100-word summary of their story.
THURSDAY TO SUNDAY
What: “Tesla”
Where: Colony Theatre, 1040 Lincoln Road, Miami Beach
When: 8 p.m. Thursday to Saturday, 3 p.m. Sunday
Cost: $45-$60
Contact: 800/211-1414, colonymb.org
Nikola Tesla, the Serbian-born science pioneer, is the definition of a posthumous success. The inventor of alternating current and the Tesla coil, whose creativity is responsible for the X-ray, the radio and countless other byproducts, nonetheless died a pauper, and only recently has begun to achieve credit equal to his contemporary rival, Thomas Edison. Tesla’s brilliance, his prescience and his lifelong career struggles are the subject of this biographical opera, with music by Miami’s own Carson Kievman, who also co-wrote the libretto. A world premiere, “Tesla” is described as a multidisciplinary opera, where digital animation, poetry and a scenic design inspired by Tesla’s own creations share the stage with beautiful music and evocative Golden Age costumes. Characters include George Westinghouse, Mark Twain, J.P. Morgan—even Juniper the dog!
FRIDAY
What: Opening night of “The Underpants”
Where: Main Street Playhouse, 6766 Main Street, Miami Lakes
When: 8 p.m.
Cost: $25 seniors and students, $30 adults
Contact: mainstreetplayers.com
At the risk of burying the lede, the play “The Underpants” was written by Steve Martin, which is reason enough to fork over 30 bucks. Its provenance, however, dates back to 1910, when Germany’s Carl Sternheim penned a ribald comedy called “The Trousers,” which was adapted into a silent film in 1927. Martin’s adaptation, which ran to critical acclaim off-Broadway in 2002, is the latest version of a slapstick sex comedy that transcends language, telling the scandalous tale of a government clerk who fears his career is kaput after his wife inadvertently drops her underwear in public. This leads to a rush on a spare room in the couple’s house, as both a foppish poet and a whiny hypochondriac compete for an opportunity to witness the lady of house’s next wardrobe malfunction. Main Street Players’ production of this fall farce runs through Oct. 22.
SATURDAY
What: Opening night of Enigma Haunt
Where: 1751 N. Military Trail, Boca Raton
When: 7 p.m. to midnight
Cost: $25-$40
Contact: 855/99-HAUNT, enigmahaunt.com
If you’ve stepped foot in a supermarket lately, you know from the added candy aisles that Halloween is upon us. That means, in addition to the spooky home décor and pop-up costume shops, Palm Beach County’s haunted house industry is back in full bloody force, including Boca Raton’s own Enigma Haunt. Voted the No. 1 haunt in Florida in 2016 by The Scare Factor, this indoor attraction sprawls across 20,000 square feet and two floors. More than 80 trained scare-actors and an intricate sensorial assault will bring three haunts to vivid life: “Pandemic,” “Into Oblivion” and “Realms of Terror,” which collectively explore a zombified, post-apocalyptic Everglades. Enigma Haunt runs through Oct. 31, with pricing that varies based on the night and amount of attractions included.