Mizner Park becomes a winter wonderland, a Harry Truman play marks an historic occasion, and Theatre Lab kicks off its season. Plus, Bonnie Raitt, Chelsea Handler and more in your week ahead.
TUESDAY
What: Opening night of “On Your Feet!”
When: 8 p.m.
Where: Kravis Center, 701 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach
Cost: $31-$78
Contact: 561/832-7469, kravis.org
Gloria and Emilio Estefan may be the closest people Miami has to royalty. Cuban-born and Miami-bred, they personify the American dream: fleeing Communist oppression, forging a legacy in the city’s burgeoning Latin pop scene, and winning 26 Grammys between them. So it’s wholly appropriate that just a couple of counties north, “On Your Feet!,” the zesty and heartfelt musical based on their vertiginous life, has been slated for a return engagement at the Kravis Center as a highlight of its new Kravis On Broadway season. The tunes the Estefans immortalized, including “Conga,” “The Rhythm is Gonna Get You” and “Get on Your Feet,” complement a narrative that addresses the their uphill battle in an Anglo-centric music industry as well as the car accident that nearly ended Gloria’s career. With the creators of “Kinky Boots” and “Jersey Boys” behind the scenes, this power couple’s story is in good hands … er, feet. The production runs through Sunday.
WEDNESDAY
What: Bonnie Raitt
When: 7:30 p.m.
Where: Broward Center, 201 S.W. Fifth Ave., Fort Lauderdale
Cost: $44.50-$115
Contact: 954/462-0222, browardcenter.org
An institution in American roots music, Raitt is celebrating 50 years in the music business, during which time she has treated genre like putty. Mastering blues, country, folk and rock idioms, Raitt is a style unto herself, one that has secured 10 Grammy Awards, including this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award. Such accolades are often awarded to musicians in their creative twilight, but Raitt remains active and relevant, touring behind her latest and 18th album, Just Like That. Marc Cohn, singer-songwriter behind the 1992 Grammy-nominated “Walkin’ in Memphis,” will open the show.
SATURDAY
What: Light the Lights: Holiday Tree Lighting
When: 6 to 9 p.m.
Where: Mizner Park, 590 Plaza Real, Boca Raton
Cost: Free
Contact: 561/393-7700, mizneramp.com
It crept up on us this year, didn’t it? 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. But the fun begins more than an hour prior with a kids’ “disco” dance party, games and snow flurries. Other activities running for the full three hours include costumed revelers, photo ops with Old Saint Nick and a giant snow globe, themed vendors, craft activities, special food and beverage offerings, and a holiday stage show with song, dance and a live band.
What: Opening night of “Dorothy’s Dictionary”
When: 7:30 p.m.
Where: Theatre Lab at FAU, 777 Glades Road, Boca Raton
Cost: $35-$45
Contact: 561/297-6124, fauevents.com
Theatre Lab’s first adult production of its 2022-2023 season continues its mission of introducing world-premiere plays that cut across boundaries and shape ideas. “Dorothy’s Dictionary,” the latest from award-winning playwright E.M. Lewis, certainly qualifies on both accounts. The title character is a 45-year-old librarian and avid bookworm who is losing her eyesight and sequestered in a hospital bed. Circumstances lead her to Zan, an embittered 15-year-old high school student forced into community service, in this case reading to the bedbound Dorothy. They seem to have little in common, least of all literature, until even these imperfect strangers break through their surfaces and capture a shared experience. Lauded in early readings/workshop productions for its poignancy and keen literary references, “Dorothy’s Dictionary” will be directed by Matt Stabile, and star Karen Stephens and Elijah Moseley. It runs through Dec. 11.
SATURDAY AND SUNDAY
What: “Give ‘em Hell, Harry!”
When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday
Where: Delray Beach Playhouse, 950 N.W. Ninth St., Delray Beach
Cost: $45
Contact: 561/272-1281, delraybeachplayhouse.com
You could safely say that the actor playing Harry Truman in this touring solo play had fairly unprecedented access to his subject’s history. He is, after all, related to Harry Truman. Clifton Truman Daniel, eldest grandson of Harry, began portraying the 33rd president in 2017, and by now he is a polished, uncanny representation of his grandfather. In fact, the show reportedly marks the first time a president has been played by a direct descendent. In “Give ‘em Hell, Harry!”, Playwright Samuel Gallu scripted a fact-based, humorous and, befitting its protagonist, fiery portrait of Truman’s life and times, charting his childhood, his important judgeship in Missouri, his time in the senate and his monumental two terms as president.
SUNDAY
What: Chelsea Handler: “Vaccinated and Horny Tour”
When: 7 p.m.
Where: Hard Rock Live, 1 Seminole Way, Hollywood
Cost: $75-$125
Contact: 954/797-5531, seminolehardrockhollywood.com
The late-night talk show format has been a virtually estrogen-free zone since its inception, a glass ceiling Chelsea Handler helped puncture with the success of her seven-year run on E!’s “Chelsea Lately.” She’s also enjoyed more success in more diverse media than her male counterparts in late night, including penning six books, five of which have topped the New York Times best-seller list. The title of Handler’s 2022 HBO Special Candid Chelsea speaks to her observational, autobiographical style of joke-telling, in which relatable narratives emerge from vividly delivered life experiences.
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