Miami City Ballet makes waves with its Spring Mix, the Morikami celebrates World Bonsai Day, and NYC indie-pop legends Ivy play Florida for the first time. Plus, Herbie Hancock and more in your week ahead.
FRIDAY
What: Herbie Hancock
When: 8 p.m.
Where: Glazer Hall, 70 Royal Poinciana Way, Palm Beach
Cost: $275-$325
Contact: 561/576-7860, glazerhall.org
In a career that has spanned more than 60 years, few artists have impacted as many genres as Herbie Hancock, one of the all-time titans of jazz piano who, like one of his classic cuts “Chameleon,” can easily change musical colors to fit his needs. As an integral part of Miles Davis’ seminal “Second Great Quintet” from 1964 to 1969, Hancock’s mellifluous piano runs and hard-bop precision helped develop the foundations for modern jazz, and as a bandleader in the 1970s, he helped pioneer funk through his fusion group the Headhunters. His 1981 electronic single “Rockit” is considered a touchstone for generations of hip-hop artists, and his Grammy-winning 1997 release River: The Joni Letters celebrated folk goddess Joni Mitchell. At 86, Hancock is still a warhorse on the keys, playing piano, synthesizer and even the Keytar, in his eclectic and invigorating concerts. For rock lovers looking for a gateway into jazz, this is it.
What: Opening night of “Side by Side by Sondheim”
When: 7 p.m.
Where: Pompano Beach Cultural Center, 50 W. Atlantic Blvd., Pompano Beach
Cost: $55-$65
Contact: 844/672-2849, pompanobeacharts.org
Stephen Sondheim was well on his way to becoming the GOAT of musical theater by the time of the 1976 premiere of Side by Side by Sondheim, a marvelously curated revue of his most memorable songs up to that point. Some of his most enduring masterpieces would emerge later—Sweeney Todd, Into the Woods, and Assassins among them. But by ’76, Sondheim was clearly a singular figure, with a wit, poignancy, and urbanity that remains unmatched in the medium, as this spangled greatest-hits collection reveals. Enjoy songs from his first 20 years in show business, including from A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Gypsy, A Little Night Music, Company, and West Side Story, clustered around various themes, and anchored by a narrator that provides context for the numbers. The production, courtesy of the Pompano Players, runs two weekends only, through May 17.
SATURDAY
What: World Bonsai Day
When: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Where: Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, 4000 Morikami Park Road, Delray Beach
Cost: Included with museum admission ($14-$18)
Contact: 561/495-0233, morikami.org
A second-Saturday celebration each May since 2010, World Bonsai Day is dedicated to all things bonsai, the ancient Japanese art of growing and shaping miniature trees in containers. At the Morikami, which houses the largest outdoor bonsai collection in the U.S., activities span the entire day, including bonsai clinics, where masters of the form can—gulp—judge your work as a budding bonsai artist; a lecture and demonstration from one such expert, Boon Manakitivipart, at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.; and in between them, a noon lecture from the Morikami’s garden curator, Heather Gryzbek. Visitors can also shop from six bonsai vendors and purchase food and drinks from Kona Ice and Akiko-ya. But World Bonsai Day isn’t the only attraction on this busy Morikami weekend. Bring Mom for Mother’s Day specials, spanning from the on-site Cornell Café to gift-shop discounts, all weekend; and don’t miss the opening of “Courage and Compassion: Our Shared Story of the Japanese World War II Experience,” which opens Saturday in the museum’s indoor gallery space.
SATURDAY AND SUNDAY
What: Miami City Ballet: Spring Mix 2
When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday, 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sunday
Where: Broward Center, 201 S.W. Fifth Ave., Fort Lauderdale
Cost: $47.20-$177
Contact: 954/462-0222, browardcenter.org
The season in its name notwithstanding, summer arrives early in the form of this pop-oriented program from Miami City Ballet (MCB). Described by the company as “the ultimate beach day, bottled up and brought to life,” Spring Mix 2 features Paul Taylor’s Company B, a swinging favorite set to The Andrews Sisters’ rich harmonies; Deuce Coupe, Twyla Tharp’s vibrant tribute to The Beach Boys and the beckoning waves of the western United States; and a world premiere by choreographer Durante Verzola set to the music of George Gershwin. Of this program, MCB Artistic Director Gonzalo Garcia told Boca magazine, “These are very famous pieces of music, very famous bands, very famous artists that speak to a broader audience, which I think is really important. And they’re just fun music that you sometimes don’t expect are going to be attached to a ballet company.”
SUNDAY
What: Ivy
When: 8 p.m.
Where: Respectable Street, 518 Clematis St., West Palm Beach
Cost: $34.66
Contact: ticketweb.com/event/ivy-exclusive-florida-show-in-respectable-street
Multi-instrumentalists Andy Chase and Adam Schlesinger began conceiving of the New York City trio Ivy as early as 1991 but solidified their sound with the recruitment of French singer Dominique Durand in 1994. Following in the pedal-driven footsteps of shoegaze pioneers such as Slowdive and Ride—along with the incandescent melodies of contemporaries like Broadcast and Luna—Ivy would go on to record six albums of dreamy, critically adored indie-pop from 1995 to 2011 before disbanding. A reunion seemed unlikely following the death of Schlesinger, also of Fountains of Wayne, from COVID-19 complications, in 2020. But Ivy has returned with a new album pieced together with old Schlesinger demos—it’s appropriately called Pieces of You—and a renewed spirit. Join Chase, Durand, and new member Bruce Driscoll for this historic show. Not only is it Ivy’s first-ever only Florida appearance, but it’s the group’s first concert since Schlesinger’s passing.
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