The king of pop gets his Broadway debut, Palm Beach Dramaworks goes camping, and the Norton exhibits artists’ jewelry. Plus, Iron & Wine and more in your week ahead.
TUESDAY
What: Opening night of “MJ”
When: 8 p.m.
Where: Broward Center, 201 S.W. Fifth Ave., Fort Lauderdale
Cost: $49-$229
Contact: 954/462-0222, browardcenter.org
The most anticipated Broadway tour of the 2024/2025 season, this jukebox musical chronicling the life of Michael Jackson has grossed more than $200 million, making it one of the highest-grossing musical theatre productions of all time—and it’s only three years old. The show is set during rehearsals for the King of Pop’s monumental 1992 Dangerous World Tour. When a journalist sits down to interview Jackson, the singer recollects on his extraordinary life in show business, complete with flashbacks to his tenure with the Jackson 5, his impactful collaborations with Quincy Jones, and his ascent to the world’s most beloved celebrity. Just don’t expect Jackson’s controversies to garner stage time; this is a piece for the fans, and a winning one: “MJ” earned four Tony victories from 10 nominations for its Broadway debut. It runs through April 20.
FRIDAY
What: Opening night of “Camping With Henry and Tom”
When: 7:30 p.m.
Where: Palm Beach Dramaworks, 201 Clematis St., West Palm Beach
Cost: $107 (includes reception); other performances $92
Contact: 561/514-4042, palmbeachdramaworks.org
The “Henry” in the title of this unusual period piece from playwright Mark St. German is Henry Ford; the “Tom” is Thomas Edison. And the third wheel who happens to be camping with these titans of industry is President Warren G. Harding. Set in 1921 and inspired by an actual such trip the three men took together in the Blue Ridge Mountains, St. Germain’s fictionalized account finds the jingoistic Ford mulling a presidential run, Harding longing to be with his mistress, and a cynical Edison functioning as the trio’s conscience. St. Germain is deft at putting words in the mouths of real people—his other plays have focused on Sigmund Freud, Dr. Ruth Westheimer and Ernest Hemingway—so this flight of woodland fantasy seems right up his alley. Dramaworks’ production runs through April 27.
SATURDAY
What: Opening day of “Artists Jewelry: From Cubism to Pop”
When: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Where: Norton Museum of Art, 1450 S. Dixie Highway, West Palm Beach
Cost: $15-$18
Contact: 561/832-5196, norton.org
From a gold-painted rose necklace by Frank Stella to a pyramidal ring by Yoko Ono to a surreal brooch by Salvador Dali, many blue-chip artists have turned their focuses to the underrated art of jewelry, crafting works that are aesthetically rigorous yet wearable. Diane Venet is one of the world’s foremost authorities on jewelry by major artists, and she’s collected some 220 pieces over a more than 30-year passion project. Venet will guest-curate this Norton exhibition culled from her collection, with its miniature masterpieces from the likes of Picasso, Koons, Calder, Man Ray and many more, which the Norton will pair with works in its collection from the same artists. The exhibition runs through Oct. 26.
SATURDAY AND SUNDAY
What: Miami City Ballet: Spring Mix
When: 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, 1 p.m. Sunday
Where: Kravis Center, 701 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach
Cost: $40-$225
Contact: 561/832-7469, kravis.org
To borrow the name of a jazz standard, “up jumped spring!” The season comes to vivid life in Miami City Ballet’s final program of the season, which melds thrilling choreography with groundbreaking modernist composers. The centerpiece is the 35-minute “Pictures at an Exhibition,” a company premiere from one of the dance world’s most eminent contemporary choreographers, Alexei Ratmansky, who reimagines Modest Mussorgsky’s art-inspired piano suite, complete with stunning projections of Wassily Kandinsky’s abstract artwork. Also in the Spring Mix: “Glass Pieces,” Jerome Robbins’ homage to the bustle of city life, set to music by Philip Glass; and José Limón’s “Chaconne,” a tribute to a robust Mexican dance form with music by Bach.
MONDAY, APRIL 14
What: Iron & Wine
When: 7 p.m.
Where: Kravis Center, 701 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach
Cost: $39.50-$99.50
Contact: 561/832-7469, kravis.org
Sam Beam, the singer-songwriter who records under the name Iron & Wine, has a connection to our tropics; before striking out as a musician, he taught cinematography at the University of Miami. But his lumberjack beard betrays his upbringing in the small lake town of Chapin, South Carolina, whose verdant environment and rural trappings best inform his compositions. His first two albums, released on hip indie label Sub Pop in the early 2000s, have the rustic authenticity of a guy performing for himself in a cabin in the woods, a big dog by his side, a creek rippling in the near distance. He’s since added a bevy of session musicians into his entourage for a more robust sound—complete with upright bass, piano and violin— without losing the pastoral poetry that’s been enriching his music for nearly 25 years. In a recent radio interview, the host aptly called his latest arrangements “a cacophony of delight.”
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