A Balanchine ballet dazzles at the Kravis, the spirits are willing at Mizner Amphitheater, and a favorite bar hosts a rockin’ fundraiser. Plus, Béla Fleck & Abigail Washburn, a Boca Stage drama and more in your week ahead.
THURSDAY
What: Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn
When: 7 p.m.
Where: ArtsPark at Young Circle, 1 Young Circle, Hollywood
Cost: Free
Contact: 305/672-5202, rhythmfoundation.com
With 15 Grammy Awards to his credit—most recently 2022’s My Bluegrass Heart—from 33 nominations, not to mention a 2020 induction into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame, Béla Fleck is one of the virtuoso ambassadors of the rustic genre. He’s been elevating bluegrass, along with his chosen instrument, the banjo, since 1976. His wife Abigail Washburn, a master of the clawhammer banjo, specializes in an old-timey form of bluegrass strumming, and together they enjoy a beautiful harmony in more ways than one.
FRIDAY
What: Opening night of “The Sound Inside”
When: 8 p.m.
Where: Boca Stage, 3333 N. Federal Highway, Boca Raton
Cost: $45-$50
Contact: 561/447-8829, bocastage.net
It took 28 plays for Adam Rapp, a prolific denizen of off-Broadway drama, to finally land a show on the Great White Way, but the wait was worth it: The playwright’s intense “The Sound Inside” would go on to receive six Tony nominations in 2020, and would be listed among the best shows of the year by Time. The plot is a spoiler minefield, but suffice to say that “The Sound Inside” is about a cripplingly lonely bibliophile and creative-writing professor at Yale who finds a kindred spirit in a talented but mysterious student. As one of them asks the other for an unusual favor, their relationship grows increasingly personal and discomfiting. The intimate confines of Boca Stage make for an ideal setting for the show’s regional-theatre debut, starring Kim Ostrenko. The production runs through May 22.
FRIDAY TO SUNDAY
What: Miami City Ballet: “Prodigal Son”
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, 1 p.m. Sunday
Where: Kravis Center, 701 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach
Cost: $30-$110
Contact: 561/832-7469, kravis.org
George Balanchine adapted all of the sturm und drang of his ballet “Prodigal Son” from the parable of the same name in the Gospel of Luke. So coveted is the role of the Prodigal Son that it has been performed by Jerome Robbins and Mikhail Baryshnikov, with each generation of dancers striving to tackle Balanchine’s soaring circus- and gymnastics-inspired choreography. In this final program of Miami City Ballet’s season, “Prodigal Son” is one of four ballets gracing the Kravis stage. William Forsythe’s lighthearted “Herman Schmerman Pas de Deux” uses humor to belie its two dancers’ nimble technique; each sports a miniskirt designed by Gianni Versace. Christopher Wheeldon’s “After the Rain Pas de Deux” is beloved for its slow, hypnotic pacing, which one critic likened to a “long, sweet exhalation.” A world premiere from choreographer Claudia Schreier rounds out the two-and-a-half-hour, two-intermission production.
SATURDAY
What: Boca Beer, Wine and Spirits Fest
When: 1 to 4:30 p.m. or 6 to 9:30 p.m.
Where: Mizner Park Amphitheater, 590 Plaza Real, Boca Raton
Cost: $42; $15 for designated drivers
Contact: floridafests.com/boca-fest
Connoisseurs of hard beverages will discover upwards of 25 varieties of beer, wine and spirits at stations throughout the capacious grounds of Mizner Park Amphitheater Saturday. With brands such as Hell ‘n Blazes Brewing Company, Iron Smoke Distillery, Splash Beverage, Odd Breed, Coast Karma, Krafted Keg and Whistle Pig offering samples of their libations, the options are plentiful—and all are covered for the flat rate of $42. Tickets include participation in free interactive lawn games and live music; food and merchandise vendors will be on site as well for purchase.
What: Copeland Davis: “Jazz to Classics”
When: 8 p.m.
Where: Arts Garage, 94 N.E. Second Ave., Delray Beach
Cost: $40-$45
Contact: 561/450-6357, artsgarage.org
Like many great piano players, Copeland Davis started tinkling the ivories at the prodigious age of 7, inspired by a single moment watching a pianist perform on television. Learning from the best, he became a student of Beethoven’s canon, while also mastering jazz and gospel; he performed at his church for 13 years. A native of Winter Park, Florida, Davis would go on to graduate from Florida Atlantic University, class of 1972, with a degree in composition and arranging, and it didn’t take long for him to go national: a “Tonight Show” appearance, an hour-long PBS special, gigs on the Las Vegas Strip and in Chicago jazz clubs. He has performed with Aretha Franklin, and turned down an offer to tour with James Brown. As comfortable at outdoor music festivals as he is in posh cabarets, Davis continues to chart his own path irrespective of genre; his “Jazz to Classics” program includes everything from jazz standards to Broadway hits and pop favorites.
SUNDAY
What: “Knockin’ Out Parkinson’s” benefit
Where: Crazy Uncle Mike’s, 6450 N. Federal Highway, Boca Raton
When: 5 to 9 p.m.
Cost: $25 in advance, $30 at door
Contact: crazyunclemikes.com
Parkinson’s disease affects more than 10 million people worldwide. On a local level, charities like Wayne Belfer’s “Knockin’ Out Parkinson’s” are doing their part to fund research into cures—while providing evenings of first-rate entertainment in the process. Four South Florida bands will take the stage of Crazy Uncle Mike’s on Sunday for hour-long sets—Big Rock Band, Southern Blood, the Livesays and the Shakey T Band—with raffles and silent auctions complementing the experience. One hundred percent of proceeds from tickets sales and the raffles/auctions will go directly to the charity.
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