Lit-up boats bring holiday cheer to the Intracoastal, West Palm Beach introduces an epic pub crawl, and VegFest sings its plant-based gospel. Plus, Broadway and solo theatre at the Kravis, lively classical music at Old School Square, and more in your week ahead.
TUESDAY
What: “New Directions—Lights, Camera, Action” with the Symphonia
Where: Crest Theatre at Old School Square, 51 N. Swinton Ave., Delray Beach
When: 7:30 p.m.
Cost: $59-$69
Contact: 561/243-7922, oldschoolsquare.org
Botticelli to music? See how a few Old Masters are interpreted when “New Directions” debuts at the Crest Theatre. This new Delray Beach-based series from The Symphonia, under the direction of Alastair Willis, is designed to be more entertaining, engaging and much more casual than traditional classical concerts. Think of it as a lively mix of music, storytelling and visuals. The December program, which will be the first of three this season, features music for movies from Aaron Copland, and Ottorino Respighi’s musical musings on three paintings by Renaissance master Sandro Botticelli, among others.
What: Opening night of “The Play That Goes Wrong”
Where: Kravis Center, 701 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach
When: 8 p.m.
Cost: $36-$77
Contact: 561/832-7469, kravis.org
Stitched from a similar theatrical cloth as “Noises Off!,” this award-winning farce made its Broadway debut in 2017, and it kicks off the Kravis Center’s 2019/2020 season of Broadway tours with a bang, and a slam, and a collapsing floor. Presented as a show within a show, “The Play That Goes Wrong” follows the fictional Cornley Polytecnic Drama Society through an epically disastrous run of “The Murder at Haversham Manor,” a mothballed murder mystery in the vein of “The Mousetrap.” Doors won’t open when they should, props fall off their perches and the floorboards cave in, while the actors keep mayhem aloft by forgetting their lines, missing their cues, stepping on each other’s digits and trapping themselves in the scenery. Inevitably, somebody is knocked unconscious, and by the end, the lavish manor is a shambles. The play runs through Sunday, Dec. 15; look for a review later this week on bocamag.com.
FRIDAY
What: Holiday Boat Parade
Where: Boynton Harbor Marina, 735 Casa Loma Blvd., Boynton Beach
When: 6 p.m.
Cost: Free
Contact: 561/243-7250, catchboynton.com
It’s time once again for South Palm Beachers’ favorite example of intercity collaboration, as the Boynton Beach CRA and the City of Delray Beach pool their efforts to light up the Intracoastal Waterway in holiday cheer. The fun begins at 6 p.m. at the Boynton Harbor Marina, which will feature music, children’s activities and a visit from Santa; and continues at 7 p.m. at Veterans Park in Delray Beach, where dance teams and local schoolchildren will perform, and where guests can enjoy free hot chocolate and cookies. Both locations are prime viewing spots for the boat parade, which launches at 6:30 p.m. and features an Instagram-worthy flotilla of boats festooned with Christmas lights and eye-popping decorations. Visitors are welcome to bring food and drink, and are encouraged to donate a new, unwrapped toy for Toys for Tots, which is collecting merchandise at both watch party stations.
FRIDAY AND SATURDAY
What: “17 Border Crossings”
Where: Kravis Center, 701 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach
When: 7:30 p.m.
Cost: $35
Contact: 561/832-7469, kravis.org
This solo theatre piece from peripatetic writer and performer Thaddeus Phillips is a journey through his own journeys, undertaken over the past 28 years. Referring to himself simply as “The Passenger,” Phillips relates has travails traversing borders around the world by means of bus, cab, ferry, train and plane. His narratives span from the tight quarters of the wheel well of a transatlantic jet to an ayahuasca session in the Amazon, all conveyed on a largely bare stage brought to life through evocative light and shadow.
SATURDAY
What: Palm Beach VegFest
Where: Mizner Park Amphitheater, 590 Plaza Real, Boca Raton
When: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Cost: Free
Contact: pbvegfest.com
According to statistics released this past July, more than 6 percent of U.S. consumers identify as vegan—a 600-percent spike since 2014. Interest in plant-based diets may be spiking, but you needn’t be a full adherent to veganism to appreciate, and shop at, Palm Beach VegFest. The thrice-yearly event aims to not only fill the pantries of local vegans but to convince carnivores that plant-based cuisines are not all about raw falafel and gelatinous tofu. Dozens of vendors specialize in the best, and most flavorful, advancements in vegan cuisine, and all can explain the benefits of adopting at vegan diet part- or full-time. You can also stock up on yoga apparel, teas, essential oils, jewelry, skin care, crystals and more, just in time for Christmas.
What: 12 Bars of Christmas Pub Crawl
Where: Downtown West Palm Beach
When: 6 p.m. to close
Cost: $35
Contact: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/12-bars-of-christmas-charity-pub-crawl-tickets-77243030985
Snuggle into your ugliest Christmas sweater and test your liquor-holding mettle at this inaugural charity pub crawl in downtown West Palm. As the title indicates, a dozen local bars are getting in on the action, each one providing one complimentary drink of their choosing: Copper Blues, Brother Jimmy’s, Blue Martini, Kapow!, Respectable Street, Voltaire, Camelot, Sassafras, Banko Cantina, E.R. Bradley’s, American Craft Aleworks and Lynora’s. (Respectable Street and Voltaire don’t open ‘til 9, so if you’re an early imbiber, save these venues for the end.) The $35 wristband can be purchased between 5 and 7 p.m. Saturday at American Craft Aleworks or Brother Jimmy’s, and includes food discounts at the participating restaurants, a raffle ticket for fun prizes, and clues for a downtown Scavenger Hunt. To experience just half the bars—but an equal amount of holiday frivolity, to be sure—you can spend $25 for entry to six locations.
SUNDAY
What: Indie Craft Bazaar
Where: Revolution Live, 100 S.W. Third Ave., Fort Lauderdale
When: Noon to 5 p.m.
Cost: $5
Contact: indiecraftbazaar.com
Sunday marks the final time in 2019 that upwards of 75 artists, crafters, designers, makers and vendors of vintage goods gather under three roofs—inside Revolution Live and its adjoining Stache lounge and America’s Backyard—to offer their one-of-a-kind inventories to an eager contingent of shoppers. So if you’re looking for a gift that will truly surprise any recipient on your list, you won’t be shy of options. Just as importantly, in these time-crunched times, you can get all of your gift-wrapping done on site: Along with free DIY craft activities, the Bazaar is providing a free Gift Wrapping Station complete with packaging, tape and ribbon. It all goes down better with a mimosa, which are just $5 at the bar. The first 100 customers receive swag bags with free goodies and discounts.
