Festival of the Arts Boca opens with wizardry and music, the Okeechobee Music Festival is as eclectic as ever, and the Wick Theatre takes to the diamond. Plus, Plácido Domingo, Jill Switzer and more in your week ahead.
TUESDAY
What: Plácido Domingo: “A Life in Music and Song”
Where: Society of the Four Arts, 100 Four Arts Plaza, Palm Beach
When: 3 p.m.
Cost: $50
Contact: 561/655-7226, fourarts.org
A giant in the world of opera, Plácido Domingo has cultivated a career that is virtually without peer. The Spanish-born, Mexican-raised opera singer, who turned 82 in January, has performed in more than 151 different operas, in six languages, as a tenor and then exclusively as a baritone. No matter the language, the depth of feeling he infuses into each syllable has stirred the souls of four generations. Also active as a conductor and arts administrator, Domingo has won 14 Grammy and Latin Grammy Awards for his albums as a crossover artist, solidifying his popularity beyond the confines of opera-house footlights. In this hybrid program, a surefire highlight of the Four Arts’ 2023 O’Keeffe Speaker Series, he will perform as well as share stories from his illustrious career and express his devotion to music and song.
THURSDAY
What: Jill Switzer
Where: Arts Garage, 94 N.E. Second Ave., Delray Beach
When: 5 p.m.
Cost: $15
Contact: 561/450-6357, artsgarage.org
Studies have shown that fewer than 5 percent of working musicians actually make a living in their field. Spurred to action by such discouraging—if not entirely surprising—statistics, professional multihyphenate musician Jill Switzer has written The Contemporary Singer’s Blueprint: From Amateur to Professional and Beyond, drawing from her 30 years in the business to offer aspiring songsmiths a guidebook to succeed in this challenging arena, from tips to developing nuanced performances to offering practical financial insights. Well-known in the Palm Beaches for her frequent performances as a jazz vocalist and a host for eight years on Legends Radio, Switzer will discuss and sign her book. The evening will begin with a performance from Jill and her equally talented husband, Rich, on piano.
What: Opening night of “Damn Yankees”
Where: The Wick Theatre, 7901 N. Federal Highway, Boca Raton
When: 7:30 p.m.
Cost: $99
Contact: 561/995-2333, thewick.org
One of Broadway’s most beloved musical comedies, “Damn Yankees” premiered in 1955 as something of an instant classic: It won the Tony for Best Musical, was released as a film three years later, and is frequently revived everywhere from community theaters to Broadway and the West End. With music by Richard Adler and lyrics by longtime collaborator Jerry Ross, the story borrows from the Faustian legend, as Joe Hardy, devoted superfan of the anemic Washington Senators, sells his girlfriend out to a smooth-talking, pinstripe-suited Beelzebub in exchange for his transformation into the slugger the Senators need to finally topple “those damn Yankees.” The songs, which include the standard “Whatever Lola Wants,” are delightful, but much of the magnetism of “Damn Yankees” depends on the inventive, baseball-inspired choreography. In the Wick’s long-awaited production, Carbonell Award winner Jerel T. Brown choreographs, and Jeffrey B. Moss directs, a cast including Wayne LeGette, Lauren Weinberg, Jeffrey Keller and Aaron Bower. The production runs through March 26.
THURSDAY TO SUNDAY
What: Okeechobee Music Festival
Where: Sunshine Grove, 12517 N.E. 91st St., Okeechobee
When: Start times vary by day
Cost: $369 and up for four-day passes, $20 and up for single-day passes
Contact: okeechobeefest.com
Eclecticism is baked into the cake of this beloved music festival, which enjoys its sixth iteration this weekend in the otherwise quiet Okeechobee County, a just-under two-hour drive from Boca. Boasting its best lineup in years, the Okeechobee Music Festival features A-list acts from genres as diverse as EDM (Odesza), self-described “future-funk” (Griz), O.G. funk (Earth, Wind & Fire), hip-hop (Baby Keem, Big Boi), hardcore punk (Turnstile), and progressive jam (Goose). Performances run until 2 a.m. each day, and like Woodstock and our late, great, Langerado Festival, camping is part of the fun. The festival’s positive vibe extends beyond its seven cutting-edge performance stages, and into its non-music-related attractions: the immersive art installations and light shows; the swimming pond at “Aquachobee Beach;” and the yoga classes, wellness workshops, guest speakers and vendor market that constitute Chobeewobee Village. Look for a more in-depth preview of the Okeechobee Music Festival later this week here on bocamag.com.
FRIDAY
What: Opening night of Festival of the Arts Boca
Where: Mizner Park Amphitheater, 590 Plaza Real, Boca Raton
When: 7:30 p.m.
Cost: $15-$25
Contact: 561/757-4762, festivalboca.org
Festival of the Arts Boca opens its 10-day celebration of arts, culture, literature and ideas with a film unlike any other before or since: Disney’s “Fantasia,” the studio’s third animated feature film, a landmark of technical ingenuity, visual beauty and sonic bliss. The largely wordless experience is presented as a suite of eight stories, each of them scored to a masterful piece of music: among them Tchaikovsky’s “Nutcracker Suite,” Stravinsky’s “Rite of Spring” and Beethoven’s “Pastoral Symphony.” In this special presentation, Festival Orchestra Boca, conducted by Constantine Kitsopoulos, will perform the lavish score live, as a remastered version of the movie screens behind it. Continue your Festival experience Saturday with “Voices Rise—Young People’s Chorus of New York City,” Sunday with “A Night at the Ballet: From Tchaikovsky to the Rolling Stones” and on into next week.
SATURDAY AND SUNDAY
What: Affair of the Arts
Where: Boynton Beach Mall, 801 N. Congress Ave., Boynton Beach
When: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Cost: Free
Contact: affairoftheartsfl.com
Necessity, as it often has through the ages, proved to be the mother of invention: With the COVID-related cancelation of the 2021 Delray Affair, the event producers at Festival Management Group created an alternative just up the road in Boynton Beach, dubbing it Affair of the Arts. And voila: What began as a quick fix for artists and audiences hungry for an event has evolved into its own unique festival that lives alongside its now-sister festival, April’s Delray Affair. The third-annual Affair of the Arts will feature more than 200 vendors offering art, crafts, jewelry and more at the north end of the Boynton Beach Mall, which is happy to provide copious free parking. Food, beer and wine will be available on-site.
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