The Maltz unveils its sparkling new facility, contemporary dancers groove to Lenny Kravitz, and an Israeli filmmaker plumbs his tumultuous life story. Plus, the Zombies, “Rigoletto” and more in your week ahead.
TUESDAY
What: Opening night of “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels”
Where: Maltz Jupiter Theatre, 1001 E. Indiantown Road, Jupiter
When: 7:30 p.m.
Cost: $77-$91
Contact: 561/719-4323, jupitertheatre.org
Tuesday isn’t just any opening night for Maltz Jupiter Theatre: “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels” marks the grand re-opening of the theatre after the Phase I completion of its $36 million renovation and expansion. The building will glitter as never before, and so will much of the action onstage. Adapted from Frank Oz’s hit 1988 comedy film, “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels” follows the rivalry between two con artists operating in the fertile and moneyed ground of the French Riviera. The arrival of a wealthy hygiene heiress inspires a friendly competition between the swindlers: The first to bilk the unassuming woman out of $50,000 can claim the territory. High jinks and surprises ensue, along with memorable tunes from composer/lyricist David Yazbek. Look for coverage of this production, and the reopened Maltz, later this week here on bocamag.com. It runs through April 10.
THURSDAY AND SATURDAY
What: “Rigoletto”
Where: Broward Center, 201 S.W. Fifth Ave., Fort Lauderdale
When: 7:30 p.m.
Cost: $23.94-$228
Contact: 954/462-0222, browardcenter.org
Giuseppe Verdi’s masterpiece of passion and vengeance features a dozen singers in a classic tale of a hunchbacked jester, a lecherous duke, a woman abducted and a curse fulfilled. Four performers make their Florida Grand Opera debuts, under the baton of Pacien Mazzagatti.
FRIDAY
What: Opening night of “Ahed’s Knee”
Where: Living Room Theaters at FAU, 777 Glades Road, Boca Raton
When: Show times pending
Cost: $7-$10.50
Contact: 561/549-2600, fau.livingroomtheaters.com
The sixth feature from Israeli renegade Nadav Lapid is flush with examples of art imitating life. It centers on a filmmaker, not unlike Lapid himself, whose visit to a remote desert village to present one of his films at a local library arrives at an inhospitable time. His mother has just been diagnosed with a terminal illness, and when he’s informed about nationally mandated restrictions on his freedom of speech, this combination of personal and political setbacks pushes him to what might be his breaking point. Lapid, whose previous work includes the acclaimed “The Kindergarten Teacher” and “Synonyms,” wrote the movie not long after the death of his mother, who was also his editor on many pictures. “Ahed’s Knee,” with its critique of the hypocrisy of so many repressive governments, runs at least through April 7.
What: Opening night of “Intimate Apparel”
Where: Palm Beach Dramaworks, 201 Clematis St., West Palm Beach
When: 8 p.m.
Cost: $94 for opening night, including reception; $79 for future performances
Contact: 561/514-4042, palmbeachdramaworks.org
Lynn Nottage, playwright behind such titanic works as “Ruined” and “Sweat” and one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in 2019, scripted this 2003 masterpiece that went on to win numerous awards. In “Intimate Apparrel,” which is based on the life of Nottage’s great-grandmother, an illiterate Black seamstress named Esther plies her trade in 1905 New York, sewing intimate garments for a broad swath of the city’s melting pot. She’s keen on the Hasidic shopkeeper from whom she buys fabric, but their ethnic and cultural differences prohibit the relationship to evolve. Instead, she navigates an epistolary correspondence with a lonesome and unseen Caribbean suitor who convinces her to marry him. The results that follow are shattering. The last local company to stage “Intimate Apparel” was GableStage in Coral Gables, circa 2006; it’s been far too long a wait to experience it again. The production runs through April 17.
SATURDAY
What: Complexions Contemporary Ballet: “Love Rocks”
Where: Kravis Center, 701 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach
When: 8 p.m.
Cost: $15-$95
Contact: 561/832-7469, kravis.org
With a fierce commitment to diversity in its corps and programming, this contemporary ballet company seeks to break barriers through dance. “Love Rocks,” part of Kravis Center’s P.E.A.K. series of provocative entertainment, is Complexions’ distinctive foray into “rock meets ballet,” with a soundtrack by Lenny Kravitz.
SUNDAY
What: The Zombies
Where: The Parker, 707 N.E. Eighth St., Fort Lauderdale
When: 8 p.m.
Cost: $42.50-$72.50
Contact: 954/462-0222, browardcenter.org
While never quite achieving the sort of universal renown of the Beatles or the Rolling Stones, the 1960s British Invaders the Zombies made music that is just as enduring and influential, from gritty, blues-inflected rock ‘n’ roll to psychedelic sunshine pop and baroque balladry. Still led by founding members Rod Argent and Colin Blunstone, the Zombies’ string of hits includes “Tell Her No,” “This Will Be Our Year,” “She’s Not There” and “Time of the Season,” the latter reaching a new audience in 2021 when it was remixed by tastemakers Chelsea FC and Harvey Gunn, who expanded on the song’s sensuous rhythms. This tour, which starts here in Florida and is dubbed “Life is a Merry-Go-Round,” marks the quintet’s first live shows since last September. Opening for the Zombies will be Bruce Sudano, the legendary singer/songwriter who co-wrote hits alongside Michael Jackson, Dolly Parton and his late wife, Donna Summer. His October 2021 solo album, Ode to a Nightingale offers an intimate expression of his thoughts on romance and social consciousness.
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