Enjoy “It’s a Wonderful Life” radio-style, see Richard Thomas embody Mark Twain, and revisit one of the all-time greatest holiday soundtracks. Plus, Itzhak Perlman and more in your week ahead.
WEDNESDAY
What: Patrick Lamb’s “A Charlie Brown Christmas Tour”
Where: Old School Square, 51 N. Swinton Ave., Delray Beach
When: 6 p.m.
Cost: $27.37-$63.89
Contact: downtowndelraybeach.com/events
For some discerning listeners, Vince Guaraldi’s tuneful compositions for “A Charlie Brown Christmas” constitute the definitive holiday music, sophisticated yet accessible, evocative of the season but eschewing schmaltz. Interpreting their melodies for his main instrument, the saxophone, smooth jazz pro Patrick Lamb will endeavor to capture their yuletide cheer under a backdrop that’s second to none: Delray’s 100-foot Christmas Tree. Lamb is well-chosen for the task; a former Oregonian now living in Palm Beach, he recently released some original Christmas music and has performed in the past with legends such as Smokey Robinson and Bobby Caldwell before striking out on his own and recording three Top 5 Billboard hits. In this unique performance, he’ll be joined by a children’s choir composed of students from the Achievement Centers, Plumosa School of the Arts and Banyan Creek Elementary.
WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY
What: “Mark Twain Tonight!”
Where: Kravis Center, 701 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach
When: 7:30 p.m. Wed., 2 p.m. Thurs.
Cost: $57.50-$126.50
Contact: 561/832-7469, kravis.org
Hal Holbrook had a storied career on stage and screen, but it kicked off, in 1954, with “Mark Twain Tonight!,” a monologue he conceived and performed that imagined the legendary wordsmith visiting American cities on a lecture circuit. Holbrook won a Tony for the performance in 1966 and continued to play Twain into his eighties. Having died in 2021, Holbrook has effectively passed the Twain torch to Richard Thomas, the ageless Emmy winner for “The Waltons” who is no stranger to South Florida stages, having appeared in a touring production of “To Kill a Mockingbird” at the Kravis in recent years. The show leans heavily into Twain’s most humorous writings, and Thomas has said that the secret to playing Twain is that his subject delivered everything he said with utmost seriousness.
THURSDAY TO SUNDAY
What: “It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play”
Where: General Provision, 300 S.W. First Ave., Fort Lauderdale
When: 8 p.m. Thurs.-Fri., 3 and 8 p.m. Sat., 3 p.m. Sun.
Cost: $30
Contact: 954/376-6114, newcityplayers.org
A year after its 1946 premiere on the Silver Screen, Frank Capra’s “It’s a Wonderful Life” enjoyed its second life, if you will, as a radio drama by the leading purveyor of that fading art form, Luxe Radio Theater. Given the podcast boom of the 21st century, such a move was both of its time and ahead of it: Listeners today are well accustomed to “theater of the mind” storytelling, and are thus primed to appreciate this latest stylized take on the holiday classic. As part of its 10th anniversary season, New City Players will mount “It’s a Wonderful Life” in homage to those old-timey radio origins, complete with 1940s-style microphones and other props, and sound effects created the old-fashioned way: by hand, with tools, in front of a live audience.
SATURDAY
What: Randy Bernsen with the Curious Minds Orchestra
Where: Savor Cinema, 503 S.E. Sixth St., Fort Lauderdale
When: 7 p.m.
Cost: $20
Contact: 954/525-3456, fliff.com
Guitarist Randy Bernsen has been an eminent name in jazz fusion since his high school and college days here in South Florida. Beginning with his debut album in 1984, Bernsen has played with many greats of straight-ahead and crossover jazz, among them Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Marcus Miller and Joe Zawinul. For this performance, Bernsen and his talented Curious Minds Orchestra are preparing an evening of festive favorites for the season. They’re calling the program “Christmas Jam,” with its humorous poster depicting Santa Claus and Jesus baking a nice jam to go with a scrumptious loaf of bread. Owing to the unusual cinema setting for this concert, full movie-theater concessions will be available.
SUNDAY
What: An Afternoon With Itzhak Perlman
Where: Kravis Center, 701 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach
When: 2 p.m.
Cost: $92.01-$172.51
Contact: 561/832-7469, kravis.org
Renowned classical violinist and 16-time Grammy recipient Perlman is celebrating his 80th rotation around the sun with a tour celebrating his extraordinary life in music. “An Afternoon With Itzhak Perlman” is not simply a recital, though he’ll be performing highlights from throughout his career, accompanied by pianist Rohan de Silva. It’s also a multimedia storytelling spectacle, in which rare footage from the musician’s private archive will project behind the stage, accompanying tales he’ll spin between compositions, addressing topics such as his introduction to music, childhood stories, and working on—after nearly turning down—“Schindler’s List.” Arrive at 1 p.m. for a pre-concert talk with Phillip Bergman, the Kravis Center’s classical artistic advisor.
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