A pro wrestling icon waxes on his career at The Studio at Mizner Park, a literary classic gets musical at Florida Atlantic, and Palm Beach Shakespeare mounts a world-premiere tribute to one of the Bard’s recurring characters. Plus, Tori Amos and more in your week ahead.
TUESDAY
What: Mick Foley: 40 Years of Foley
When: 7:30 p.m.
Where: The Studio at Mizner Park, 201 Plaza Real, Boca Raton
Cost: $50.60-$184.55
Contact: 954/910-5826, thestudioatmiznerpark.com
Whether performing as Mankind (a deranged, masked psycho from a mental ward), Cactus Jack (a brutal, cowboy boots-wearing brawler from New Mexico), or Dude Love (a tie dye-sporting, jive-talking hippie), Mick Foley left an indelible mark on professional wrestling, particularly on the former WWF’s peak era in the 1990s. A heavily physical, rather than technical, performer, Foley distinguished himself from some of his peers by sustaining real injuries in his work, including at the legendary “Hell in a Cell” match in 1998, in which he was thrown from the top of a cage, suffered a concussion, dislocated his shoulder and jaw, and lost a handful of teeth. After 27 years in the business, Foley retired from the ring in 2012. He has continued to write the memoirs he began with 1999’s New York Times best-seller, Have a Nice Day: A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks. Foley has now published five memoirs, along with two works of fiction and four children’s books. At this appearance, in conjunction with Boca Raton Championship Wrestling, Foley will share colorful stories from his career and take 45 minutes of questions from the audience.
What: Tori Amos
When: 7:30 p.m.
Where: Kravis Center, 701 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach
Cost: $46.01-$212.19
Contact: 561/832-7469, kravis.org
A child piano prodigy at the age of 5, Tori Amos was the youngest person to ever be admitted to the esteemed Peabody Institute conservatory in Maryland, only to be forced out at age 11 due to “musical insubordination”—effectively establishing her punk cred even as a preteen. Amos emerged as one of the leading women in rock with her instant-classic 1992 debut LP Little Earthquakes. Seventeen diverse and musically sophisticated releases have followed, wedding the rigor of classical training with a liberated alt-rock pulse and lyrics that confront abysses both personal and political. This tour, Amos’s first in three years, accompanies the release of her latest LP In Times of Dragons, described by its composer as a “metaphorical story about the fight for Democracy over Tyranny, reflecting the current abhorrent non-accidental burning down of democracy in real time by the ‘Dictator believing Lizard Demons’ in their usurpation of America.” As is always the case with Amos’ live shows, expect a set list of deep cuts and chart hits that varies every night, and that usually includes surprising covers from Amos’ deep reservoir of influences.
THURSDAY
What: An Evening with The Somethings
When: 8 p.m.
Where: The Funky Biscuit, 303 S.E. Mizner Blvd., Boca Raton
Cost: $33.55-$39.23
Contact: 561/395-2929, funkybiscuit.com
The name of this South Florida-born band seems almost deliberately obscure—a vague placeholder for a definitive moniker to come. But the open-ended possibilities of “The Somethings” speak to the players’ restless and playful approach to genre, combining soul, jazz, and funk from a wide range of performers both popular and cult-y. The individual band members’ pedigrees precede them: Vocalist and saxophonist Josh Schwartz has played in Zac Brown Band and the Talking Heads tribute Remain in Light; the drummer, bassist and keyboardist all come from local institution The Heavy Pets; and guitarist Danny Mayer has played with Eric Krasno and Alan Evans Trio. This motley crew combined its talents for its debut performance last year at The Funky Biscuit, and they return for another unpredictable, improvisatory set through the music that has influenced them, possibly from the likes of James Brown, Dr. John, The J.B.s, and more. Seating is limited due to the opening of the venue’s dance floor, all the better for grooving to the band’s boundless energy.
What: Opening night of Falstaff—Shakespeare’s Greatest Invention
When: 8 p.m.
Where: Seabreeze Amphitheater at Carlin Park, 750 S. Jimmy Buffett Memorial Highway, Jupiter
Cost: Free with suggested $5 donation
Contact: 561/543-8276, pbshakespeare.org
For a Shakespearian character who never received his own titular play in the Bard’s canon, John Falstaff has enjoyed a cultural importance as outsized as his extended belly. Introduced as the companion to the eventual Henry V in Henry IV, Part 1, Falstaff has emerged as a memorable comic rapscallion—a haunter of taverns with a lust for a life and propensity to beg, borrow, and steal to further his debauched ambitions. Henry IV, Part 2 charts the fallout between Falstaff and the future king, while the more whimsical The Merry Wives of Windsor finds the buffoonish Falstaff courting two wealthy betrothed women. In this production, scenes from these three plays—along with a recital of Falstaff’s eulogy, which appeared in Henry V—will combine to paint a complete picture of this complicated glutton. “He is truly a character who loves life, pleasure, drinking, carousing. … And then he ends up becoming a tragic figure,” says Trent Stephens, artistic director of Palm Beach Shakespeare. “We’re going to come up with a true celebration of all things Falstaff.” Falstaff runs through July 19.
FRIDAY
What: Opening night of Little Women: The Musical
When: 7 p.m.
Where: Studio One Theatre at Florida Atlantic University, 777 Glades Road, Boca Raton
Cost: $30
Contact: 561/297-6124, fauevents.com
Debuting on Broadway in 2005, this musical rendition of Lousia May Alcott’s infinitely adapted novel naturally condenses its source material with the nips and tucks necessary for the stage, but it should delight longtime Alcott devotees nonetheless. Charting the triumphs and tribulations of the four March sisters—Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy—as they are raised by their mother Marmee while their father is serving in the Union Army during the Civil War, this Little Women is enlivened by original music by Jason Howland (who also penned the music for Shucked and The Great Gatsby) that adds a contemporary sheen to the waltzes, polkas, and other styles popular in the Civil War era. This student production, directed by Alyssa Fantel as part of FAU’s Summer Repertory program, runs through July 26.
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