Music
With the exception of movies, most arts and culture institutions tend to slow down in the lull between Thanksgiving and the first of December, what with everybody traveling, eating or vacationing. But there remain a choice few events to hit over the next few days, if you’re so inclined. This weekend is a particularly busy one at Respectable Street. On Friday, the West Palm Beach nightclub will host a charity concert for Port Saint Lucie-based Love Doctors Charities. Be prepared to stay up late: The eclectic, chock-full lineup includesInstalling Chaos, Fall of Olympus, Alison Fowler, Raz-Ma-Taz, Delorean 88, The Wrong, Dharmata, S23 and my favorite local novelty act of gangsta pirates,Captain Dan & the Scurvy Crew. The fun starts at 6
p.m., and admission is a $5 donation or one new, unwrapped toy.
And on Saturday, Respectable Street will welcome Nashville quartet The Ettes, whose crunchy garage rock aesthetic sounds like a cross between a dirtied-up Donnas and a polished Vivian Girls, with a splash of Southern-rock strut. The band has opened for everyone from the Go-Gos to the New York Dolls to the Black Keys, an appropriate range that encompasses its audience-spanning, timelessly familiar sound. Gloriously sloppy garage act Hans Condor will open the show. Doors open ay 9 p.m., and the cover charge is $10.
Theater
The two-character drama “Collected Stories,” which runs for two more weekends at Mosaic Theatre in Plantation, is one of the sharpest plays and best productions of this calendar
year. The always brilliant Barbara Bradshaw plays a legendary poet named Ruth Steiner, now in her twilight years and teaching literature to postgraduates. She forms a bond with her top student, Lisa Morrigon (Kim Morgan Dean), a precocious twentysomething who nudges her way into a position as Ruth’s personal assistant. As the play progresses, it becomes evident that Lisa may have ulterior motives for orbiting Ruth’s talented stratosphere – motives that lend multiple meanings to the play’s title. A marvelously ornate set design and superb performances anchor this caustic lit-world critique. Tickets are $37 adults, $31 seniors and $15 students. Call 954/577-8243.
Art
The Daniels Center for the Arts at CityPlace in West Palm Beach will conclude its short run of artwork by self-described “pop surrealist” Bobby Franano this Sunday. The colorful, large-scale paintings by this sometime musician have a manic busyness to them. It’s nice, geometric fine art full of references to other surrealists, but I’m not sure there’s anything more to it. Decide for yourself at 700 S. Rosemary Ave., Suite 102. For information, call 561/904-6549.
