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Artists take inspiration from nature and immigration stories, and Spider-Man gets a live orchestral treatment. Plus, inventive jazz bassist Dion Kerr and more in your week ahead.

THURSDAY

What: “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” in Concert

Where: Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, 701 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach

When: 7 p.m.

Cost: $35 and up

Contact: 561/832-7469, kravis.org

Sensory overload has seldom felt as exhilarating as in the hands of the “Spider-Verse” franchise, in which its intrepid title character navigates a kaleidoscopic, reality-bending multiverse. Every frame is so loaded with audiovisual information that it surely takes more than one viewing to process even half of it. And there’s no better opportunity to revisit this epic 2023 sequel than on this tour. With the movie projected on an enormous HD screen, a full orchestra—plus a talented ensemble of percussionists, scratch DJs, turntablists and electronic wizards—will perform Daniel Pemberton’s extraordinary soundscapes live. Pemberton’s score earned the English composer multiple award nominations, including a Golden Globe, and this immersive treatment will plant Kravis Center attendees as close as possible to the Spider-Verse of the title, no radioactive spider bites needed.

What: Opening night of “The Play That Goes Wrong”

Where: Colony Theatre, 1040 Lincoln Road, Miami Beach

When: 8 p.m.

Cost: $46.50-$81.50

Contact: loxen.org

Slapstick and inside-theatre humor share the (collapsing) real estate in this meta comedy about a disastrous play within a play. “The Play That Goes Wrong” is set during a run-through of “The Murder at Haversham Manor,” a creaky drawing-room whodunit in the mold of “The Mousetrap”—the sort of stuffy, cliché-riddled mystery that opens with the discovery of a cadaver and concludes with the murderer’s tidy revelation. The theatre company producing it, though, is a ramshackle outfit, and the pleasures of “The Play That Goes Wrong” derive not from the mystery’s resolution but from the domino effect of production calamities that turn a rehearsal of a play into a veritable combat zone. The second act in particular is a nearly nonstop ratcheting of technical snafus that leaves the stage, and the cast, in shambles. Loxen Entertainment’s production runs through Sept. 22.

FRIDAY

“Mandala” by Nicole Galluccio

What: Opening night of “Nature’s Palette”

Where: Cornell Art Museum, 51 N. Swinton Ave., Delray Beach

When: 6 to 9 p.m.

Cost: Free

Contact: 561/654-2220, delrayoldschoolsquare.com/natures-palette-exhibition

From a plein air painter endeavoring to capture a sunset in all its accurate glory, to a photographer enraptured by a bewitching butterfly, nature and art have long enjoyed a symbiotic relationship. “Nature’s Palette: Art Inspired by the Earth” showcases the work of 45 regional artists who draw influence from the natural elements. The mediums, including painting, sculpture and glass work, are as varied as the subject matter, with its rich variety of flora and fauna. The exhibition’s opening coincides with Delray’s First Friday Art Walk. Extend your visit to the 11 other galleries with extended hours; Friday’s special events include a live painting and custom gift workshop at Delray Beach Kollective.

SATURDAY

What: Opening night of “Michele Del Campo: Immigration Stories From Florida Artists”

Where: Art and Culture Center of Hollywood, 1650 Harrison St., Hollywood

When: 5 to 8 p.m.

Cost: $10

Contact: 954/921-3274, artandculturecenter.org

Michele Del Campo’s latest series of drawings is a love letter—or many letters—from one immigrant to his fellow displaced artists. Born in the Italian countryside and now residing in South Florida (where he won an Artist Innovation Grant from the Cultural Division of Broward County last year), Del Campo recently embarked on a project that is as literary as it is visual: He interviewed immigrant artists in Florida, collected their stories, and selected just one extraordinary tale to represent each native country. He also sketched each artist, hoping to convey their personalities and zests for life through his tender use of shading and graphite. “Immigration Stories” opens Saturday; visitors can also check out Art and Culture Center’s other ongoing exhibitions: the group show “Animals,” about the beasts who share our world; and the mystical maximalism of Artem Mirolevich’s “The Bridge to Higher Self.” All three exhibitions run through Sept. 27.

What: Dialogues with Dion Kerr

Where: Arts Garage, 94 N.E. Second St., Delray Beach

When: 8 p.m.

Cost: $35-$40

Contact: 561/450-6357, artsgarage.org

Though often seen as a jazz sideman playing traditional standup bass, the eclectic Delray Beach-based musician and composer Dion Kerr is well accustomed to pushing the boundaries of what constitutes jazz. Kerr’s original music envelops the listener in cosmic cocoons of sound, sometimes integrating samples from the natural world, and other times suggesting alien environments. He readily embraces electronic effects, even when playing acoustic instruments, which adds to the music’s ethereal ambiance. Kerr’s latest project, “eko vision meusik,” is an audiovisual journey with an unusual instrumental lineup: two guitarists and a drummer, anchored by Kerr’s electric bass. All of whom will perform at this Arts Garage concert, the first show to present this latest arrangement in Kerr’s musical evolution.


For more of Boca magazine’s arts and entertainment coverage, click here.

John Thomason

Author John Thomason

As the A&E editor of bocamag.com, I offer reviews, previews, interviews, news reports and musings on all things arty and entertainment-y in Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties.

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