Captain Kirk and the Incredible Hulk cameo at Florida Supercon, a Whitney Houston sound-a-like belts her heart out at Broward Center, and the Norton offers a weekend of closing festivities. Plus, chamber music in Delray, “The Book of Moron,” a scrumptious Israeli drama and more in your week ahead.
THURSDAY TO SUNDAY
What: Norton Museum closing events
Where: Norton Museum of Art, 1451 S. Olive Ave., West Palm Beach
When: Various event times
Cost: Free
Contact: 561/832-5196, norton.org
It had to close eventually. The Norton Museum has managed to stay open, in truncated form, for most of its multiyear, gazillion-dollar transformation. But the time has come for the cranes and wrecking balls to reconstruct the current gallery space as well, which means the museum is going dark from July 16 all the way through Feb. 8. Toast the Norton’s final week of 2018 by enjoying its annual Bastille Day celebration from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday, complete with French movies, live music, language lessons and art talks; and its final Art After Dark on Thursday, which promises to be especially festive. Sunday marks your final day to stroll the Norton’s last exhibition of the year, “William Henry Fox Talbot and the Birth of Photography,” focusing on the British scientist’s pioneering development of photographic negatives.
What: Florida Supercon
Where: Broward County Convention Center
When: Various event times
Cost: $20-$40 single-day tickets; $275 for four-day VIP pass
Contact: 954/399-1330, floridasupercon.com
TV’s original Incredible Hulk, the very first captain of the Starship Enterprise, and one of the WWE’s famed luchador grapplers are just a handful of the celebrity guests who will appear, and sign memorabilia, at this statewide confab for all things comic book-, video game- and fantasy-related. In addition to the aforementioned Lou Ferrigno, William Shatner and Rey Mysterio Jr., this year’s eccentric lineup of talent also includes “Final Fantasy” star Rachel Leigh Cook, sci-fi puppeteer and performer Hugh Spight, Bex Taylor-Klaus of “The Killing” and “Arrow” and many more—not to mention the dozens of comic book artists and cosplay celebrities who will appear, many of them dressed to the nines. All-night tabletop games, celeb Q&As, a Super Geek Film Festival, trivia contests, dance parties, “speed friending,” comedy shows, karaoke, burlesque and more will ensure that, for nerds of all ages, there will never be a dull moment.
FRIDAY
What: Opening day of “The Cakemaker”
Where: Living Room Theaters at FAU, 777 Glades Road, Boca Raton
When: Show times pending
Cost: $6.50-$9.50
Contact: 561/549-2600, fau.livingroomtheaters.com
You’ll have a foodgasm within minutes of “The Cakemaker,” a German-Jewish drama that’s as rich as a flourless chocolate cake and just as satisfying—especially for art-house viewers who don’t mind a little mystery, ambiguity and dare I say food for thought. Thomas (Tim Kalkhof), a baker in Berlin, strikes up an intimate relationship with Oren (Roy Miller), a young businessman who has a wife and child back in Israel. After a year of traveling between his twin lives (and loves), tragedy strikes Oren, and Thomas, whose motivations are never crystal clear, soon finds himself in a Jerusalem café run by Oren’s widow Anat (Sarah Adler), applying to become a dishwasher. First-time director Ofir Raul Graizer’s character-driven narrative leaves ample opportunity for secrets and lies, tears and forgiveness, as well as the most irresistible food imagery this side of Bon Appetit. It brings out the sensuality, and sexuality, of cooking, leading to a seduction scene you won’t soon forget.
What: Opening night of “Woody Guthrie’s American Song”
Where: Palm Beach Dramaworks, 201 Clematis St., West Palm Beach
When: 8 p.m.
Cost: $90 for opening night, with pre-show party; $75 for remainder of run
Contact: 561/514-4042, palmbeachdramaworks.org
If your knowledge of folksinger Woody Guthrie doesn’t extend beyond his most-recorded anthem, “This Land is Your Land,” you owe it to yourself to explore his life and legacy through this stage musical. Guthrie all but invented protest folk, projecting populist messages using simple chords and country soul. Through storytelling and music, “Woody Guthrie’s American Song” follows the rambling Oklahoma balladeer from his hillbilly roots through the Dust Bowl to the promise of California, then back to the Bowery of New York, all the while honoring the travails of the workingman. An octet of singer-musicians will perform more than two dozen Guthrie classics, layering rich new harmonies atop the songwriter’s austere arrangements. The show runs through Aug. 5.
What: “The Greatest Love of All: The Whitney Houston Show”
Where: Broward Center, 201 S.W. Fifth Ave., Fort Lauderdale
When: 8 p.m.
Cost: $20-$105.55
Contact: 954/462-0222, browardcenter.org
Whitney Houston’s posthumous resurgence, currently manifest in the theatrical documentary film “Whitney” and its similarly themed Showtime documentary “Can I Be Me,” continues with this tribute concert, which celebrates the music and memory of the legendary R&B star. Supplemented by a six-piece live band and dancers, “The Greatest Love of All” replicates a Houston concert from the vocalist’s prime, a re-creation fronted by South African singer Belinda Davids, who beat out nearly 15,000 other hopefuls for this production. How accurate and soaring is Davids’ range? Once, following a recital in Hong Kong, she was asked to repeat “I Will Always Love You” a cappella, because the audience couldn’t believe she wasn’t lip-synching to a Houston track. See her belt “I Wanna Dance With Somebody,” “How Will I Know,” “One Moment in Time” and plenty more.
FRIDAY TO SUNDAY
What: Robert Dubac’s “The Book of Moron”
Where: Kravis Center, 701 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach
When: Various show times
Cost: $55
Contact: 561/832-7469, kravis.org
A monologist whose craft has been compared to Mark Twain and Lily Tomlin, Robert Dubac looks askance at American culture and politics, with an eye that is both jaundiced and probing. Prone to asking big-picture questions about a society awash in distracting minutia, Dubac acts as philosopher and social critic in his latest stage comedy “The Book of Moron,” which showcases his deft combination of standup and live theatre. In this touring production, which recently ran off-Broadway, Dubac inhabits multiple guises in his deconstruction of our so-called idiocracy, shooting at easy targets like the Kardashians and selfies but often reaching profound conclusions that encapsulate our damaged state of things. It’s no wonder that “the Book of Moron” has been described as “a head trip on a banana peel.”
SATURDAY
What: Red Eye Beyond
Where: ArtServe, 1350 E. Sunrise Blvd., Fort Lauderdale
When: 6 to 10 p.m.
Cost: $15-$20, $25 for two people with early-bird pricing through Friday
Contact: 954/462-8190, artserve.org
This annual multimedia extravaganza continues to enliven the dog days of summer with a program designed to engage and inspire culture vultures of all stripes. There will live art-making to supplement the great visual art lining ArtServe’s gallery walls, along with three stages of nonstop live entertainment—from bands and musical artists including Chaos Theory, Tariq Creque and Joey Sexton to comedians like Wayne Felber, Debbie Anne and Chris Flanagan, to spoken-word artists speaking their minds in an intimate lounge setting. More than 20 entertainers will take to the various stages throughout the night, but if you like your art pre-recorded, there are three programs of diverse short films screening throughout the event, some of them starring actors such as Bob Odenkirk and Simon Helberg.
SUNDAY
What: Palm Beach Chamber Music Festival
Where: Crest Theatre at Old School Square, 51 N. Swinton Ave., Delray Beach
When: 2 p.m.
Cost: $25
Contact: 561/547-1070, pbcmf.org
Considering the first-rate talent and musical dynamism of this longtime chamber orchestra, the Palm Beach Chamber Music Festival remains one of the top bargains of the summer. This year’s nine-member ensemble includes players from the state’s top orchestras, including Delray String Quartet violinist Mei Mei Luo, Naples Philharmonic cellist Susan Bergeron and Palm Beach Opera bassoonist Michael Ellert. For this Sunday’s program, the second of the group’s 27th-annual season, they’ll tackle Julio Medaglia’s “Le Belle Epoque en Sud America,” Juan Crisostomo de Arriaga’s “String Quartet #1 in d minor,” Astor Piazzolla’s “Libertango,” Pablo de Sarasate’s “Carmen Fantasy” and Manuel de Falla’s “3 Dances from 3 Cornered Hat.”
