Phil Collins makes a rare performance in Miami, Old School Square goes “beyond Art Basel,” and Jane Goodall is ready for her close-up. Plus, “Peter and the Starcatcher,” the return Winter Shorts, journalist Jake Bernstein and more in your week ahead.
THURSDAY TO SUNDAY
What: “Peter and the Starcatcher”
Where: Crest Theatre at Old School Square, 51 N. Swinton Ave., Delray Beach
When: 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 2 and 7 p.m. Sunday
Cost: $20-$30
Contact: 561/243-7922, oldschoolsquare.org
Based on a best-selling young-adult novel co-written by Miami’s own Dave Barry, “Peter and the Starcatcher” is the swashbuckling origin story about Peter Pan and Captain Hook, before they were Peter Pan and Captain Hook. Set on storm-ravaged ships, beaches, jungles and grottoes, this adventure meta-play is heavy on plot, humor and theatrical ingenuity. The future Peter Pan is a dispirited orphan, adrift on the H.MS. Neverland, who evades a cavalcade of threats with fellow abandoned children in tow. The proto-Hook is known here as Black Stache—a comic, moustache-twirling role rife with deliberate scenery chewing. “Peter and the Starcatcher” won five Tony Awards when it premiered on Broadway, mostly for the technical wizardry it takes to immerse it audience in a world of exotic fantasy. Hopefully Slow Burn Theatre, which will produce this regional production with South Florida talent, will be up to the challenge.
FRIDAY
What: Opening night of “Jane”
Where: Living Room Theaters at FAU, 777 Glades Road, Boca Raton
When: Show times pending
Cost: $6.50 to $9.50
Contact: 561/249-2600, fau.livingroomtheaters.com
Director Brett Morgan is an accomplished sifter: In 2015, he combed through the entirety of Kurt Cobain’s personal and family archives to construct the remarkable documentary “Montage of Heck.” Now he’s back with another triumph of reconstruction, “Jane,” a portrait of Jane Goodall culled from more than 100 hours of video kept hidden in the National Geographic archives for more than 50 years. Focusing primarily on Goodall’s chimpanzee research expeditions to what is now Tanzania, and interspersed with modern-day interviews, the result is a riveting, immaculately preserved and marvelously edited study of passion, love and conservation—with a mesmerizing Philip Glass score to boot. It runs at least through Dec. 14.
What: Opening night of “Billy and Me”
Where: Palm Beach Dramaworks, 201 Clematis St., West Palm Beach
When: 8 p.m.
Cost: $90 ($75 for the remainder of the run)
Contact: 561/514-4042, palmbeachdramaworks.org
Palm Beach Dramaworks is no stranger to the works of Tennessee Williams and William Inge—thanks most recently to the vivid, immersive productions of Williams’ “Night of the Iguana” and Inge’s “Picnic” in its past two seasons. This week, the flamboyant Williams and the introverted Inge will appear in front of the stage, in a sense. “Billy and Me,” penned by theatre critic Terry Teachout, dramatizes the tumultuous relationship between these two great writers over a nearly 15-year period. It chronicles jealousies, resentments and reversals of fortunes, from a tryout performance of “The Glass Menagerie” to the fallout of Inge’s Broadway flop “A Loss of Roses.” A work of fiction built from a foundation of fact, “Billy and Me” is a rare world premiere for Palm Beach Dramaworks, starring Carbonell winners Nicholas Richberg and Tom Wahl. It runs through Dec. 31.
What: Opening night of “Winter Shorts”
Where: Arsht Center, 1300 Biscayne Blvd., Miami
When: 7:30 p.m.
Cost: $49
Contact: 305/949-6722, arshtcenter.org
City Theatre, the Miami company long responsible for the beloved Summer Shorts, is reviving the same short-play concept to winter this year for the first time in more than a decade. Tailored, as its creators say, “for those nights when South Florida temperatures plunge below 70,” Winter Shorts will feature a yuletide selection of 10-minute works including the darkly comic “Becky’s Christmas Wish,” the satirical “Oy Vey Maria,” and the anti-Valentine’s-themed “Occupy Hallmark.” Many of the shorts are likely to be more naughty than nice, so spike some eggnog and leave the kids at home. It runs through Dec. 23.
SATURDAY
What: A Well-Strung Christmas
Where: Broward Center for the Performing Arts, 201 S.W. Fifth Ave., Fort Lauderdale
When: 8 p.m.
Cost: $35-$75
Contact: 954/462-0222, browardcenter.org
Don’t objectify them based on their bods: The four buff hunks in the cheekily named Well-Strung could easily be Abercrombie models, but there’s musical virtuosity behind the pecs. They comprise an accomplished string quartet which, in its efforts to merge the high and low arts, combines classical music standards with today’s pop songs. Their tunes ran the gamut from Bach to Adele, with some of the men taking vocal duties. The men of Well-Strung happen to be gay, a fact that they often discuss during their shows, giving their concerts a cabaret-vaudeville vibe. At this Christmas special, expect the group’s sense of humor to shine through “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus,” George Michael’s “This Christmas,” “Silent Night” and much more.
What: Dreaming on the Beach concert fundraiser
Where: Fillmore, 1700 Washington Ave., Miami Beach
When: 8 p.m.
Cost: $129-$254
Contact: 305/951-2757, livenation.com
If you live in the U.S. and you want to see Phil Collins perform, you have to come to Miami. It’s just that simple. The legendary drummer, songwriter and memoirist’s last U.S. gig was a short set in March 2016, also at the Fillmore—and also to raise cash for his charity, the Little Dreams Foundation, which helps underprivileged youths pursue their passions in the arts and sports. For this weekend’s fundraiser, though, expect a fuller set of material from his solo career and Genesis, given that he’s fresh off his first legit tour since 2010 (in Europe, not here). He’s amassed a generous lineup of performers to help justify the pricy admission cost: KT Tunstall, Laura Pausini, Nacho, Pitingo and Fifty Eight Hundred will keep the Fillmore audience dancing throughout the night.
MONDAY (DEC. 11)
What: Beyond Art Basel
Where: Cornell Museum at Old School Square, 51 N. Swinton Ave., Delray Beach
When: 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Cost: $15
Contact: 561/243-7922, oldschoolsquare.org
This weekend, Art Basel Miami Beach will be attracting private jets full of celebrity glitterati from South Beach to points north, as art galleries, museums and pop-up fairs across the tri-county area save their most blockbuster exhibitions for this early-winter whirlwind. The Cornell Museum is getting in on the action too, wisely scheduling its “Beyond Art Basel” event the first day after Basel. Jeremy Penn, a contemporary artist whose work is featured in the Cornell’s “Shine” exhibit of reflective art, will mount a presentation about his work, which has earned comparisons to Andy Warhol. Penn’s paintings explore feminine strength, sexuality, divinity and immortality in a colorful style that combines Pop Art, text art and street art. Discover his muse while enjoying music, a screening of Penn’s short film “The Road to Basel,” a live painting demonstration, light bites and a cash bar.
What: Jake Bernstein
Where: Books & Books, 265 Aragon Ave., Coral Gables
When: 8 p.m.
Cost: Free
Contact: 305/442-4408, booksandbooks.com
Investigative journalist Jake Bernstein is a troublemaker whose reporting is so damaging to the rich and powerful that he might want to sleep with one eye open. His latest expose’s title says it all—Secrecy World: Inside the Panama Papers Investigation of Illicit Money Networks and the Global Elite. Bernstein was one of the journalists who broke the news of the Panama Papers, a trove of 11.5 million documents, leaked in 2016, that reveal how the 1 percent evade taxes, reroute fortunes through shell companies and other shady exploitations of loopholes. Sounds like an infuriating, pitchfork-wielding read.
