Mizner Park lights the lights on its extravagant holiday display, the Wick gets Biblical, and the Norton opens an exhibit on a maritime master. Plus, Ben Folds and more in your week ahead.
THURSDAY
What: Opening night of “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat”
When: 7:30 p.m.
Where: The Wick Theatre, 7901 N. Federal Highway, Boca Raton
Cost: $119
Contact: 561/995-2333, thewick.org
Before there were “Jesus Christ Superstar” and “Evita,” there was “Joseph,” the first of the wondrous collaborations between composer Andrew Lloyd Weber and lyricist Tim Rice to be performed publicly, and one that has certainly stood the test of time. Debuting on the West End in 1973, the sung-through musical has become a staple at theaters both grand and intimate, from Broadway to grade schools, and is as beloved for its popular lay reading of the Biblical story of Joseph as it is for its extravagant costumes and infectious songcraft, which spans early rock ‘n’ roll to calypso to Americana. Stephen Christopher Anthony and Leah Sessa lead an enormous cast at The Wick, in a production that runs through Dec. 22.
FRIDAY
What: Opening night of “The Producers”
When: 7:30 p.m.
Where: Delray Beach Playhouse, 950 N.W. Ninth St., Delray Beach
Cost: $45
Contact: 561/272-1281, delraybeachplayhouse.com
Bialystock and Bloom: It sounds like an injury law firm. In fact, it’s the devilish duo at the center of this indelible Mel Brooks musical, whose shelf life has spanned decades and multiple mediums. “The Producers” hatched in 1967 as a film comedy, for which Brooks won an Academy Award. In 2001, it finally migrated to the stage, with a boatload of new songs, in an adaptation that would win 12 Tony Awards on Broadway. The musical is perhaps more layered than the original movie, owing to its winking meta-humor about show business. But the wicked core of the story remains: A broke theatre impresario and his accountant attempt to launder money by deliberately financing the worst musical imaginable, only for the result—a Nazi propaganda show called “Springtime for Hitler”—to enjoy unexpected success as a satire. Strap in for this one, and leave the P.C. detector at home. Delray Beach Playhouse’s production runs through Dec. 15.
SATURDAY
What: Opening day of “Sorolla and the Sea”
When: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Where: Norton Museum of Art, 1450 S. Dixie Highway, West Palm Beach
Cost: $10-$18 museum admission
Contact: 561/832-5196, norton.org
Our seas, roiling and placid alike, have enraptured artists since the Middle Ages. The subject became something of a lifelong inspiration for such strivers of maritime realism as Joseph Mallord William Turner and Winslow Homer. To this elite group of “sea-worthy” painters, we might also add Joaquín Sorolla, an artist born in Valencia, Spain, who found his muse in the Mediterranean Sea and the people, vessels and natural phenomena that swayed and danced upon it. Signature works include “Walk on the Beach,” in which a pair of women in billowing white clothing frame a calm seascape behind them, and “Children on the Beach,” in which the tiny bodies enjoy the waters with an amphibian gusto. Even animals join the beach party, as in “The Horse’s Bath,” where a glorious white steed emerges from the shore. Featuring approximately 40 works, “Sorolla and the Sea” is a rare survey of this master’s relationship to his central focus, divided into five subsections. It runs through March 16.
What: Holiday Tree Lighting
When: 6 to 10 p.m.
Where: Mizner Park Amphitheater, 590 Plaza Real, Boca Raton
Cost: Free
Contact: 561/393-7890, mizneramp.com
It’s hard to believe it’s already time to deck the halls, but this weekend marks the City of Boca Raton’s annual holiday party punctuated by the 7:15 p.m. ceremonial tree lighting in Mizner Park, with Mayor Scott Singer doing the honors on the 50,000-LED-lit winter wonderland encompassing some 75 adorned palm trees. But the fun begins more than an hour prior with live music and snow flurries. Other activities running for the full four hours include costumed revelers, photo ops with Old Saint Nick, themed vendors, craft activities, and special food and beverage offerings. It’s all part of a vibrant weekend at Mizner Park that continues Sunday with FAU’s Band-O-Rama, in which the university’s Wind Ensemble, Marching Owls, Jazz Orchestra and Chamber Winds will take the stage for a festive concert.
SUNDAY
What: Ben Folds
When: 8 p.m.
Where: The Parker, 707 N.E. Eighth St., Fort Lauderdale
Cost: $45.50-$70.50
Contact: 954/462-0222, browardcenter.org
Fans of Ben Folds are still crossing their fingers for this one: The piano-pop subversive canceled his two previous South Florida scheduled engagements (one of them on the day of showtime), and hasn’t played a full concert in the tri-county area since 2009. If the stars align, and his bus finally crosses the Broward County line, attendees are in for quite a treat. Folds’ career extends to the early ‘90s, when his catchy indie-rock trio Ben Folds Five perfected a patented blend of touching pathos and spunky humor—part Elvis Costello, part Harry Nilsson—that has carried through much of his career, including his four celebrated albums as a solo artist. This appearance continues his Paper Airplane Request Tour, in which fans write, and then toss, their desired songs onto the stage via paper airplanes. Folds randomly picks his set list each night from these requests; if you leave the airplane blank, expect to hear an exclusive piano improvisation.
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