Jason Edelstein and Rick Pena in Blood Brothers.Theater: In only two seasons, Boca Raton’s Slow Burn Theatre Company has forged a reputation for producing edgy musicals outside the mainstream. The show that got its co-founders, Matthew Korinko and Patrick Fitzwater, interested in creating and running their own troupe is Blood Brothers, the cult hit that opened in London in 1988 and is still running there. OK, so maybe “cult” doesn’t really describe it correctly. The show, based loosely on Alexandre Dumas’s The Corsican Brothers, concerns the twin sons of an impoverished Liverpool woman who reluctantly gives away one of her babies to the affluent lady she works for, setting in motion a melodrama about the effects of privilege and environment. Slow Burn chose to wait to present Blood Brothers until it felt it had amassed sufficient talent and audience and that time is now. The production opens next Friday, April 29, and runs through May 8. For tickets, call (866) 811-4111. – H. Erstein
Bill Cunningham at work.Film: Like most first-rate documentaries, Bill Cunningham New York puts the spotlight on a fascinating subject and gets us wondering why we knew so little about him previously. In this case, it is the 82-year-old New York Times photographer whose column, On the Street, in the Sunday Styles section, focuses on ordinary people who dress with flair. Cunningham also covers the society party beat, but as he notes he has no interest in celebrity, only clothes. He lives a solitary life in a closet-sided studio apartment at Carnegie Hall, where he faces imminent eviction – the film’s only nod to suspense. Cunningham is a genuine throwback to the old journalism, and watching this portrait will probably have you yearning for those bygone days. Opening today at Emerging Cinemas and Living Room Theaters. – H. Erstein
Bob Crawford, Scott Avett and Seth Avett, of The Avett Brothers.Music: To compare the lineups from last year’s SunFest and the one that opens on West Palm Beach’s waterfront Wednesday is to be astounded at the enormous improvement in depth, breadth and relevance in this year’s roster of more than 50 bands. In addition to risings stars such as Cee Lo Green, the Avett Brothers, MGMT and Brooke Fraser, the lineup also includes titans of an earlier day such as Jeff Beck, Styx and Gregg Allman. Also appearing are ‘90s darlings Toad the Wet Sprocket, who have contributed durable songs to the catalog, and there’s even an appearance that harks back to the beginnings of 20th-century American popular music with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band of New Orleans. It’s a remarkable collection of artists, and one likely to draw everyone from true fans to casual listeners, one temporary nation under a groove. SunFest runs through May 1. Hours are from 5-10 p.m. Wednesday, 5-11 p.m. Thursday and Friday, noon to 11 p.m., Saturday, and noon to 9 p.m. Sunday. Call 800-786-3378, visit www.sunfest.com or your local Publix supermarket, or visit the SunFest store at 525 Clematis St. Tickets range from $30-$60.
Assaff Weisman.Pianist Assaff Weisman is busy these days not just with his teaching in the Evening Division of The Juilliard School, but co-directing the Israeli Chamber Project, a group of young Israeli musicians who perform throughout the Jewish state and across this country. Weisman has appeared several times in Abram Kreeger’s Piano Lovers series, and tonight he returns for a program of music by Haydn (the Sonata No. 49), Debussy (Estampes), Brahms (Variations on a Theme by Handel) and Liszt (the three Petrarch Sonnets). He’s a fine player, with an elegant, polished touch, and this end-of-season recital will be a good way to reconnect with a program of core repertory and observe the Liszt bicentenary. Tickets for Weisman’s 7 p.m. concert at the Steinway Gallery in Boca Raton are $20 in advance and $25 at the door. Call 929-6633 or visit www.pianolovers.org for more information.