Say “cheers” to tequila in Mizner Park, salute the Lake Worth Lagoon at a daylong festival, and bring your skeleton crew to Day of the Dead. Plus, “Carmen” in ballet form and more in your week ahead.
FRIDAY
What: Opening night of “Lost in Yonkers”
When: 7:30 p.m.
Where: Palm Beach Dramaworks, 201 Clematis St., West Palm Beach
Cost: $107 (includes reception with open bar, hors d’oeuvres and live piano music; other show times $92)
Contact: 561/514-4042, palmbeachdramaworks.org
Neil Simon was one of the theatre’s indisputable maestros of comedy both high and farcical. His oeuvre, completed over 60 productive years, is not going to lapse into obscurity anytime soon, with those comedies receiving the most frequent revivals: “Plaza Suite,” “The Odd Couple,” “Rumors.” But in a move that is certainly on-brand for Palm Beach Dramaworks, the company has chosen one of the playwright’s more sobering dramas—far from an evening of light escapism—as its season opener. In “Lost in Yonkers,” two teenage brothers from Brooklyn are forced to live with their ornery grandmother and mentally challenged aunt in Yonkers. Complicating an already inconvenient situation, the boys’ flamboyant Uncle Louie, who works as a “bag man” for the mafia, arrives at the crowded house while on the run from gangsters. One of Simon’s most critically celebrated works for its depiction of a fractured family, “Yonkers” won the 1991 Pulitzer Prize for Drama alongside five Tony Awards, including Best Play. It runs through Nov. 17.
FRIDAY TO SUNDAY
What: Ballet Palm Beach: “Carmen”
When: 7 p.m. Friday, 2 and 7 p.m. Saturday, 1 and 5 p.m. Sunday
Cost: $49
Contact: 561/832-7459, kravis.org
Performers from Rita Hayworth to Beyoncé have responded to the siren call of “Carmen”’s title role across various formats and generations, an ongoing testament to the sensual, tragic power of this cultural staple. Set in southern Spain, “Carmen” charts the fallout after a soldier falls under the seductive spell of a wily gypsy woman, only to take murderous action when he discovers that she is in love with a glamorous bullfighter. Experience the story anew—and wordlessly—at this reimagined production from Ballet Palm Beach, which conveys the spirit of the novella-turned-opera through edgy, contemporary choreography. The performance concludes with an original Ballet Palm Beach work, “Mozart Intermezzo.”
SATURDAY
What: LagoonFest
When: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Where: Flagler Drive in Downtown West Palm Beach
Cost: Free
Contact: lagoonfest.com
The Lake Worth Lagoon is an essential recreation resource in the Palm Beaches, spanning 20 miles and touching 13 cities in the county, and serving needs from boating, fishing and kayaking to relaxing in the waterfront restaurants that line its path. Each year, Discover The Palm Beaches hosts this daylong celebration of the urban estuary and its environmental importance. Attendees can enjoy scientist-guided tours of the lagoon aboard the Hakuna Matata catamaran, participate in kayak cleanup tours of the lagoon, or listen to wildlife presentations from local experts. Exhibitor booths, demonstrations, a Kids Zone and other activities continue the fun; extend your stay in the county seat with a visit to the West Palm Beach Green Market, happening adjacent to LagoonFest.
What: Sunset Tequila Fest
When: 4 to 10 p.m.
Where: Mizner Park Amphitheater, 590 Plaza Real, Boca Raton
Cost: $75 GA, $175 VIP
Contact: sunsettequilafest.com
Tequila’s ascendance as the liquor of choice for multitudes continues to show its strength at this annual gathering for devotees of the distilled Mexican beverage. Sip from a wide variety of tequilas and mezcals, and enjoy eats from a selection of by-the-bite samples from local restaurants, with an emphasis on tacos and Mexican street food. Local artisans and other vendors will showcase their unique offerings, and live music with a reggae focus will entertain all evening and night from the amphitheater stage. Feel-good South Florida reggae act Artikal Sound System, fronted by jazzy lead singer Logan Rex, headlines the festival, preceded by energetic Miami quartet Los Wizards, Paul Anthony & the Reggae Souljahs and DJ GQ.
What: Day of the Dead Florida
When: 3 to 11 p.m.
Where: Esplanade Park, 400 S.W. Second St., Fort Lauderdale, and surrounding locations
Cost: Free
Contact: dayofthedeadflorida.com
Honoring the dead makes one feel alive at a Día de los Muertos festival, a jubilant, colorful, costume-filled celebration that is—with all due respect to Cinco de Mayo—the best Mexican holiday we’ve adapted here in el norte. Fort Lauderdale’s version is reportedly the biggest in the state and among the most authentic in the nation (according to Travel Channel and Lonely Planet), a massive three-pronged event that includes a festival, stroll and block party. At the Folklorico Stage, from 3 to 7 p.m. at Esplanade Park, musicians and folk dancers bring indigenous Mexican traditions and entertainment alive, complete with food trucks, craft booths and kids’ activities; starting at 6 p.m. from the same venue, dress up and join the Skeleton Processional, a must-see parade that includes giant puppets designed by professionals just for this event; and from 4 to 11 p.m. at America’s Backyard, the fun continues with live music, Latin American food trucks, craft booths and more.
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