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Top 5 The New Year is alive with innovative plays, bold concerts and arts festivals
Michael Feinberg Trio “The Science of Leaving Omaha” Martha Redbone
Michael Feinberg Trio
WHEN: Jan. 8, 7 p.m. WHERE: Arts Garage, 94 N.E. Second Ave., Delray Beach COST: $35-$40 CONTACT: 561/450-6357, artsgarage.org A contemporary jazz bassist of the highest order, Michael Feinberg is a graduate of the University of Miami’s esteemed music school, where it didn’t take him long to make his mark: By the end of his sophomore year, at age 19, he had recorded his debut album, Harajuku, named after an eclectic and progressive region of Japan. He has continued to absorb worldly and diverse musical influences into his omnivorous oeuvre, with its equal footing in the pop world and the avant-garde, and its integration of rock ‘n’ roll and hip-hop grooves into the language of jazz. Feinberg is a diligent student of the pioneering jazz drummer Elvin Jones, forming the Elvin Jones Project in 2012 to re-interpret the master’s work. Keen ears will also pick up influences like McCoy Tyner and John Coltrane in Feinberg’s rich and sonorous playing. With his trio, he follows the lead of piano virtuoso Keith Jarrett in revisiting American Songbook classics with invigorating new arrangements.
WHEN: Feb. 1-19 WHERE: Palm Beach Dramaworks, 201 Clematis St., West Palm Beach COST: $64-$84 CONTACT: 561/514-4042, palmbeachdramaworks.org As its title suggests, this latest work by prolific playwright Carter W. Lewis centers on two people who would love nothing more than to leave behind the drudgery of their lives in Omaha, Nebraska. The character that connects them has already left, in a way: The play is set in a crematorium, where Ruth-Ellen lies on a slab. She was fatally shot the night before in a bungled bar robbery. Now, her 22-going-on-17-year-old husband Baker, who escaped the eventful evening alive, has broken into the funeral home to “say goodbye.” It’s all a bit much for Iris, the 18-year-old high-school dropout working the night shift at the mortuary, who was expecting a quiet night, surrounded by the sort of people who never speak, so she could work on her school readmission exam. Instead, these strangers find shared solace in their working-class struggles and unfriendly hometown. Leaving plenty of space for humor and compassion, “The Science of Leaving Omaha” concludes with what one writer called “an ending of almost operatic majesty.”
Martha Redbone: “Bone Hill”
WHEN: Feb. 25-26, 8 p.m. Saturday, 1:30 p.m. Sunday WHERE: Kravis Center, 701 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach COST: $35 and up CONTACT: 561/833-8300, kravis.org A singular force of nature, soul singer Martha Redbone is the product of both her indigenous heritage and her mentorship in the trenches of ‘70s funk. Born in New York City and raised in large part by her Native American grandparents in Black Mountain, Kentucky, Redbone trained under the tutelage of Junie Morrison of the Ohio Players and Parliament-Funkadelic. Since her 2001 debut Home of the Brave, she has specialized in a gumbo of influences, performing songs espousing her First Nations heritage with the sort of ecstatic, percussive grooves of 20th century Black American music. Redbone is continually full of cultural surprises; her landmark 2012 release The Garden of Love, for instance, set poems of William Blake to new arrangements inspired by her Appalachian upbringing. In “Bone Hill: The Concert,” she explores the myriad musical avenues that have affected her life and work, from Cherokee chants to bluegrass, R&B, gospel, jazz and rock ‘n’ roll.
January/February 2023
South Florida Garlic Fest
WHEN: Feb. 4-5, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sat., 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday WHERE: Village Park Athletics Complex, 11700 Pierson Road, Wellington COST: $15-$50 CONTACT: 561/279-0907, garlicfestfl.com This year’s annual Garlic Fest has a country-fied flavor, at least in its choice of national headliner. Drake White, born and raised in the Appalachian foothill city of Hokes Bluff, Alabama—population 4,446—has forged his young career blending the popular conventions of country music with the iconic Muscle Shoals sound of his native state. The result is a soulful roots-music hybrid that appeals in equal measure to fans of Keith Urban, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Levon Helm and maybe even Bob Marley, whose impact can be heard in the tropical sounds occasionally complementing the twang. He takes the stage the first night of Garlic Fest, preceded by Florida country singer Cliff Dorsey, who takes inspiration from pioneers like Merle Haggard; and South Florida-based world/fusion guitarist Eric Hansen. Sunday’s entertainment features the Valerie Tyson Band, an eclectic variety band, along with openers Friday at Five and the Melina Soochan Trio. As always, the Gourmet Alley features more than 100 delicacies laced with the titular aromatic herb.
WHEN: Feb. 15-19, various show times WHERE: Delray Beach Playhouse, 950 N.W. Ninth St., Delray Beach COST: $49 CONTACT: 561/272-1281, delraybeachplayhouse.com Everyone has an opinion, but few voiced theirs with the authority, intelligence and moral exactitude of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Appointed to the high court by President Clinton in 1993, Ginsburg’s legacy would transcend judicial circles—where her blistering dissents were absorbed with the depth and attention of literature—to leave its imprint on pop culture writ large. The years leading to her 2020 death yielded new insights into her biography and worldview, thanks to a much-heralded documentary film and a Hollywood biopic. Adding to this body of research is Tony-winning playwright Rupert Holmes’ posthumous one-woman show “All Things Equal,” in with Ginsburg, holding court in her chambers, shares a life of challenges overcome and glass ceilings broken. The play captures its subject’s trademark wit, compassion and directness, though we know how it ends; hence the show’s suggestion to “bring a hankie.”
“All Things Equal: The Life and Trials of Ruth Bader Ginsburg”
Miami City Ballet Kevin Bozeman Boyz II Men “Tapestry: The Carole King Songbook” John Primer
January/February 2023
NOW-JAN. 22: “HARD BODIES: CONTEMPORARY JAPANESE LACQUER SCULPTURE” at Society of the Four Arts, 100 Four Arts Plaza, Palm Beach; $10; 561/655-7226, fourarts. org. This sculpture exhibition showcases 33 works, mostly from this century, by 16 Japanese artists who explore lacquer in novel ways. A single tree produces only a half-cup of this lustrous coating per year, so each piece is a resplendent labor of love—a testament to the discipline and the rigor of countless hours of shaping raw material into forms both familiar and imaginative.
NOW-APRIL 2: “WASHI TRANSFORMED: NEW EXPRESSIONS IN JAPANESE PAPER” at Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, 4000 Morikami Park Road, Delray Beach; $9$15 museum admission; 561/495-0233, morikami.org. Japan has been a leading nation in paper art for centuries, and “Washi Transformed” connects the past to the present. The exhibition highlights nine contemporary paper artists whose usage of the humble medium includes sculptures and installations as well as two-dimensional works.
JAN. 3-8: “HADESTOWN” at Kravis Center, 701 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach; various show times; $40-$100; 561/832-7469, kravis.org. “Hadestown” is the brainchild of Vermont folksinger Anaïs Mitchell, whose source material is as ancient as 29 BCE: the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, and the former’s harrowing journey into a hedonistic underground to rescue the latter. Hermes, Persephone and, of course, Hades figure into the plot as well. The Broadway debut won eight Tony Awards, including Best Musical. JAN. 5-8: “TAPESTRY: THE CAROLE KING SONGBOOK” at Delray Beach Playhouse, 950 N.W. Ninth St., Delray Beach; 8 p.m. Thurs.-Fri., 2 p.m. Sat.-Sun.; $45; 561/272-1281, delraybeachplayhouse.com. Tribute artist Suzanne O. Davis re-creates the music and atmosphere of a 1970s Carole King concert, performing King’s landmark album Tapestry along with selections from the prolific Goffin & King Songbook, which included hits for the Beatles, James Taylor, Aretha Franklin and more.
JAN. 6: KEVIN BOZEMAN at Arts Garage, 94 N.E. Second Ave., Delray Beach; 8 p.m.; $30; 561/450-6457, artsgarage.org. Arts Garage kicks off its 2023 “Art of Comedy” series with a headlining set from Madison, Wis., comic Bozeman, whose accessible and relatable style of observational humor has won over audiences on Comedy Central, NBC and CBS. Self-described “slacker-chic” comedian John Charles opens the show.
JAN. 12-15: “ANN LANDERS: THE LADY WITH ALL THE ANSWERS” at Delray Beach Playhouse, 950 N.W. Ninth St., Delray Beach; various show times; $33-$39; 561/272-1281, delraybeachplayhouse.com. This solo play by David Rambo is set in 1975, as Eppie Lederer—better known as the pioneering advice columnist and proto-influencer Ann Landers—sets out to produce one of her most challenging columns. The play explores Lederer’s personality and legacy with warmth and humor.
JAN. 14: “FELA! THE CONCERT” at Kravis Center, 701 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach; 8 p.m.; $15-$95; 561/832-7469, kravis.org. Fela Kuti, composer, activist and Afrobeat pioneer, is reborn in this celebration of his music and legacy, honoring both his joyous, danceable songwriting and the confrontational politics that undergirded it. It is performed with a live Afrobeat band, singers and dancers whose rhythms replicate Kuti’s own, and vivid projected images complementing every note.
JAN. 14-15: DOWNTOWN DELRAY BEACH FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS ON EAST ATLANTIC AVENUE IN DOWNTOWN DELRAY BEACH; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; free; 561/746-6615, artfestival. com. Hundreds of artists will line the Avenue at this 34th-annual winter tradition, in which painting, photography, glass art, mixed media, jewelry and fiber art will be exhibited and sold in an outdoor gallery spanning from U.S. 1 to A1A.
JAN. 15: JUDITH HILL at Kravis Center, 701 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach; 6 and 8:30 p.m.; $39 and up; 561/832-7469, kravis.org. With a voice as soulful and room-filling as that of Aretha Franklin or Mavis Staples, Hill launched her career on the shoulders of giants, from dueting with Michael Jackson on his planned final concert residency to working with co-producer Prince on her 2015 debut. Collaborations with Spike Lee and Josh Groban followed. She’s touring in support of her fourth album, Baby, I’m Hollywood!
JAN. 20-21: “TEA FOR THREE: LADY BIRD, PAT AND BETTY” at Delray Beach Playhouse, 950 N.W. Ninth St., Delray Beach; 7:30 p.m. Fri., 2 p.m. Sat.; $45; 561/272-1281, delraybeachplayhouse.com. Emmy-winning actor Elaine Bromka, who starred as no fewer than eight first ladies in PBS’ “The Presidents,” takes it easy in this solo performance, embodying just three of them—Lady Bird Johnson, Pat Nixon and Betty Ford—in playwright Eric H. Weinberger’s insightful portrait of domestic life in the West Wing.
JAN. 20-22: “MADAMA BUTTERFLY” at Kravis Center, 701 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach; 7:30 p.m. Fri.Sat., 2 p.m. Sun.; $25-$180; 561/8327469, kravis.org. In one of Puccini’s many masterworks, an opportunistic American naval officer in 1890s Japan courts a 15-year-old girl from Nagasaki, takes her as his wife, and forces her to abandon her family and her religion, only to callously dump her. This production marks the opening of Palm Beach Opera’s lavish season at the Kravis.
JAN. 24: CROCE PLAYS CROCE at Duncan Theatre at Palm Beach State College, 4200 S. Congress Ave., Lake Worth Beach; 8 p.m.; $99; 561/868-3309, duncantheatre.org. Singer-songwriter AJ Croce, who lost his famous balladeer father, Jim, at age 2, and then went blind at 4, has transformed setbacks into creative gold as a vocalist, guitarist and pianist. At this performance, he plays iconic songs by his father (“Operator,” “Time in a Bottle”), a few of his original compositions, and tunes that have inspired both Croces.
JAN. 25: MERZ TRIO at Duncan Theatre at Palm Beach State College, 4200 S. Congress Ave., Lake Worth Beach; 2 p.m.; $35; 561/868-3309, duncantheatre. org. This string trio has shared its space with puppeteers and chefs, film directors and dancers and, most prominently, poets: The award-winning group’s 2021 debut album, Ink, deconstructs Ravel’s Piano Trio in A minor of 1914, breaking it up into four movements interspersed with poetic spoken word from Jean Cocteau and others.
Sculpture from “Washi Transformed” Thornetta Davis “Fela!” “Spirit of Harriet Tubman”
JAN. 25: CHRIS BOTTI at Kravis Center, 701 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach; 8 p.m.; $29 and up; 561/832-7469, kravis.org. This trumpeter, whose smooth and deft sound is more than comfortable in jazz, pop and rock modalities, takes the stage with a full band. Recent collaborations with artists as diverse as Vince Gill, Barbra Streisand and John Mayer attest to Botti’s versatility.
JAN. 26: “THE GREATEST LOVE OF ALL: A TRIBUTE TO WHITNEY HOUSTON” at Kravis Center, 701 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach; 8 p.m.; $25 and up; 561/832-7469, kravis. org. This tribute concert celebrates the music and memory of the late R&B icon. Supplemented by a live band, backing vocalists and choreographed dancers, “The Greatest Love of All” replicates a Houston concert from the vocalist’s prime, a recreation fronted by South African singer and look-alike Belinda Davids.
JAN. 27: THORNETTA DAVIS at Arts Garage, 94 N.E. Second Ave., Delray Beach; 8 p.m.; $45-$50; 561/450-6457, artsgarage.org. Crowned “Detroit’s Queen of the Blues” in 2015, this acclaimed practitioner of traditional blues has opened for Ray Charles, Etta James and BB King, and has won more than 30 Detroit Music Awards. This concert marks her only tour appearance in Florida.
JAN. 27-FEB. 12: “SOMETHING’S AFOOT” at Delray Beach Playhouse, 950 N.W. Ninth St., Delray Beach; various show times; $42; 561/272-1281, delraybeachplayhouse. com. Did the butler do it? Find out for yourself in this musical comedy, a parody of Agatha Christie’s gothic mysteries in which an amateur sleuth (Miss Tweed) must solve a string of murders in a storm-weathered country estate.
JAN. 28-29: BLUE MAN GROUP at Kravis Center, 701 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach; 8 p.m. Sat., 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sun.; $29 and up; 561/8327469, kravis.org. Part percussionists, part clowns, part acrobatic showmen and part mimes, the Blue Man Group have been entertaining audiences with their performance art for the past 35 years. This tour features all-new music, choreography, stunts and audience interaction but adheres to BMG’s signature strengths: pounding drums and explosions of multicolored paint.
JAN. 29: STEVE FORBERT DUO at Arts Garage, 94 N.E. Second Ave., Delray Beach; 7 p.m.; $40-$45; 561/450-6457, artsgarage.org. Instrumental in the popularity of Americana music, Forbert brings 45 years of combining folk, roots-rock and country into a soulful and stirring musical blend. On guitar and harmonica, the energetic singer-songwriter is joined by electric guitarist George Naha to support his 2022 album Moving Through America.
FEB. 4: BOYZ II MEN at Kravis Center, 701 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach; 8 p.m.; $39-$139; 561/8327469, kravis.org. Enormously influential in the velvety sound of 1990s R&B, Boyz II Men’s intricate vocal harmonies, wedded to hip-hop beats, galvanized audiences and critics to the tune of four Grammy Awards and more than 64 million albums sold worldwide. Founding member Nathan Morris still carries the torch with Shawn Stockman and Wanya Morris. FEB. 6-14: “BROADWAY CELEBRATES THE BIG APPLE—A MUSICAL MEMORIES CONCERT” at Delray Beach Playhouse, 950 N.W. Ninth St., Delray Beach; various show times; $42; 561/272-1281, delraybeachplayhouse. com. It’s been said that more songs have been written for New York than were written for Frank Sinatra. This locally written and produced musical revue celebrates many of them, including Big Apple-centric hits from “Annie,” “West Side Story,” “The Producers” and more.
FEB. 7-12: “TOOTSIE” at Kravis Center, 701 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach; various show times; TBA; 561/832-7469, kravis.org. Sydney Pollack’s 1982 film “Tootsie” was a watershed moment in American comedy—a modern narrative of gender-bending that lent mainstream credibility to a culture then relegated to the shadows. In this touring, Tony-winning Broadway adaptation, the protagonist auditions for a musical, allowing the story to double as a satirical critique of its own genre’s conventional tropes.
FEB. 10: “THE SPIRIT OF HARRIET TUBMAN” at Arts Garage, 94 N.E. Second Ave., Delray Beach; 8 p.m.; $30; 561/450-6457, artsgarage.org. Now celebrating its 25th year, this solo show by award-winning actor-playwright Leslie McCurdy channels the spirit of Underground Railroad conductor Harriet Tubman, from childhood to old age, and with nothing but a trunk of costumes on a bare stage to supplement her vision.
FEB. 17-19: MIAMI CITY BALLET: “MODERN MASTERS” at Kravis Center, 701 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach; various show times; $30-$115; 561/832-7469, kravis.org. Focusing solely on contemporary and modern choreographers, this program features the company’s first-ever ballet by Martha Graham (“Diversion of Angels,” her triptych of love in three of life’s phases); José Limón’s “The Moor’s Pavane,” inspired by Shakespeare’s “Othello”; and two commissioned premieres.
FEB. 18: STANLEY JORDAN PLAYS JIMI at Arts Garage, 94 N.E. Second Ave., Delray Beach; 6 and 8:30 p.m.; $50-$55; 561/450-6457, artsgarage. org. Guitarist Jordan, most famous as a jazz artist—his 1985 breakthrough Magic Touch spent 51 weeks as No. 1 on the Billboard charts—returns to his roots as a rock artist with this searing and inventive tribute to hero Jimi Hendrix, featuring reimagined orchestrations and evocative costumes.
FEB. 18-19: DOWNTOWN DELRAY BEACH CRAFT FESTIVAL at Fourth and Atlantic avenues; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; free; 561/243-1077, artfestival.com. More than 100 of the nation’s most talented artisans will offer a variety of jewelry, pottery, ceramics, photography, painting, clothing and more, all handmade in America, at this third-annual downtown gathering.
FEB. 25: JOHN PRIMER at Arts Garage, 94 N.E. Second Ave., Delray Beach; 8 p.m.; $45-$50; 561/450-6457, artsgarage.org. Having trained under mentor Muddy Waters, Primer was a fixture in the legendary Chicago blues scene of the 1950s and ‘60s, and has recorded on 87 albums, including 17 under his own name. He continues to perform the ragged classics of Chicago blues with grit and authenticity.
