Life, Arts & Society ED 21st

Imagine: The life and songs of John Lennon

Comic story of dysfunctional family comes to Boca starting March 24

Marty’s Back in Town, playwright Norman Shabel’s comedic drama about the ups and downs of a dysfunctional family and their relationships with each other and with the “black sheep” who is returning home after 10 years, will be performed at The Studio at Mizner Park in Boca Raton March 24-April 2.

John Lennon, a troubled working-class Liverpudlian, rode the ascension of the Beatles to international stardom and became one of the most celebrated singer-songwriters of the 20th century.

Along the way, Lennon experienced a transformation from a bullying boyfriend (qualities related to his difficult childhood) to a mature adult, changes visible in his lyrics.

He evolved into a peace activist and constant voice of antipathy toward U.S. involvement in Vietnam which in those days led to his being pursued by the

FBI and U.S. Immigration Services.

This program at FAU recounts Lennon’s journey in narration, and his most popular Lennon-McCartney and later Lennon songs are performed live in beautiful harmony with lyrics projected for the audience to sing along.

All are invited to this stimulating and memorable examination of the story of this 20th-century music icon. This event is also available virtually.

Tickets:

Member $30

Non-member $35

One-time guest pass, member or non-member at the door, $35

Sun ower Creative Arts Spring Garden Party to bene t the nonpro t

An intimate dinner party will be held Saturday, March 25, to benefit Sunflower Creative Arts, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to empowering children and families to be confident, creative and compassionate through play, nature and the arts. The event runs from 5:30 to 9 p.m. at a private location in the heart of downtown Delray Beach.

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Shabel, whose well-received courtroom drama A Class Act, had a successful run in Boca Raton in 2022, admits to drawing on his own “true life” experiences to fashion this story.

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Wednesday, March 29, 2023 at 4 p.m. Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton

Star of the Show, James A. Skiba

Sun ower Creative Arts child at easel

John Lennon

Sunflower Creative Arts children at play

Comic story of dysfunctional family comes to Boca starting March 24

By Dale King

Marty’s Back in Town, playwright Norman Shabel’s comedic drama about the ups and downs of a dysfunctional family and their relationships with each other and with the “black sheep” who is returning home after 10 years, will be performed at The Studio at Mizner Park in Boca Raton March 24-April 2.

Shabel, whose well-received courtroom drama A Class Act, had a successful run in Boca Raton in 2022, admits to drawing on his own “true life” experiences to fashion this story.

“Marty’s really done things the family didn’t like over the years,” Shabel explained. And now he thinks he’s dying so he arrives ‘home’ with his wife… and it’s how the family reacts. That’s the fire under this play – his return.”

“Those things could have happened over many, many years, or many, many months, or many, many days,” Shabel continued. “And what I’ve done is, I’ve compressed these characters – their actions and their issues, their attributes, their good things, their bad things, their hatreds, their fears – into an hour and a half or two hours, so the playgoer will know, this is the character, this is what he’s all about, this is his life. And the difficult part, of course, is putting a lifetime into an hour and a half or two hours. And I think that’s what I’ve done in Marty’s Back in Town!”

Shabel has tasked actor/director Seth Trucks with directing the production, and Trucks has convened a stellar cast to bring Marty and his family to life:

James A. Skiba will play Marty, Ben Prayz will play his brother Ronald, Francine Silvers will play his sister,

Susan, and Christine Chavers will play the family matriarch. Also cast also includes Leslie Kandel, Blaine DeBerry, Emma Mcavoy and Peter Galman, who will play the family patriarch, Sam. Galman will also take on the role of assistant director for the production, along with Chris Cooper. Harold Petion is the production’s stage manager.

Brooklyn-born, successful New Jersey class-action attorney turned author Norman Shabel has been driven to write ever since he can remember. By the time he was in his 20’s, he had authored several novels that ended up stuffed in drawers as he launched his legal career, married and had a family.

To date, Shabel has written seven plays and eight novels, some written in long-hand, hunched over his desk while waiting for a jury verdict to come in, and all dealing with either crime, relatable family dynamics or both. Three of his plays have been produced Off-Broadway in New York, Philadelphia and in several theaters in South Florida.

The Studio at Mizner Park is located at 201 Plaza Real, in Boca Raton.

For more information about the show or to arrange to see the production, contact Carol Kassie at carol@ carolkassie.com / 561-445-9244. Ticket prices range from $25 to $45. For tickets: https://tinyurl.com/28as53yp

Performances March 24 – April 2

Friday & Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Sunday at 3 p.m.

Star of the Show, James A. Skiba

Director of the show, Seth Trucks

Photos courtesy of Carol Kassie

Sun ower Creative Arts Spring Garden Party to bene t the nonpro t

By Dale King

An intimate dinner party will be held Saturday, March 25, to benefit Sunflower Creative Arts, a nonprofi t 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to empowering children and families to be confident, creative and compassionate through play, nature and the arts. The event runs from 5:30 to 9 p.m. at a private location in the heart of downtown Delray Beach.

To secure tickets, visit: https://sunflowercreativearts.app.neoncrm. com/np/clients/sunflowercreativearts/event. jsp?event=1418.

The event will take place in a garden setting and will feature food and live music by Jill and Rich Switzer – considered the “First Couple of the Great American Songbook.”

All proceeds from the event will go directly to supporting Sunflower’s mission of providing children with

the experiences they need to grow and thrive. Single tickets start at $250, with two VIP tickets (including performance) costing $750.

Sunflower Creative Arts has been serving the community for 30 years. During this time, the organization has provided thousands of children with opportunities to engage in creative play, explore the natural world and express themselves through the arts.

“We are thrilled to celebrate 30 years of making a difference in the lives of children,” said Susan Caruso, Sunflower’s founder and executive director. “This fundraiser is a chance for the community to come together to support our mission and help us continue to provide children with the tools they need for healthy cognitive, social and physical development as well as a strong connection to nature and the arts.”

Sunflower is a learning center, resource hub and

preschool in Delray Beach. Its mission is to empower children and families to be confident, creative and compassionate through play, nature, and the arts.

The center focuses on hands-on learning, fueling children’s curiosity and innate desire to learn, while simultaneously supporting parents and caregivers. Many programs are offered to meet the varying needs of the community, almost all of which fall into three categories: early childhood, parenting, and bringing the power of play, nature, and the arts to under-resourced students.

It incorporated as a 501(c)(3) in 2003 and operated in a rented space in Boca Raton for many years. With the goals of serving more families and creating a model learning environment, the organization purchased and renovated a new home in Delray Beach in 2015.

For more information about Sunflower, visit: sunflowercreativearts.org.

Jill and Rich Switzer

Sunflower Creative Arts children at play

Sunflower Creative Arts child at easel