Art: One of the least well-known painters of the Ashcan School was Theresa Bernstein (1890-2002), a Philadelphian who moved 100 years ago to New York with her husband, fellow artist William Meyerowitz. His work is well-known in modernist circles, and Bernstein’s has grown in reputation since her death at 111, and her pictures fit in well with the George Bellows-William Glackens style of urban realism, though Bernstein’s sharper figures give her work a feel akin to Manet or even van Gogh. The Boca Raton Museum’s ongoing exhibition of Bernstein’s work features 12 paintings from its large collection of Bernsteins, these ones executed from 1912 through 1930. The paintings offer a glimpse into the reality of the Eastern city dweller of about a century ago, and restore a long-neglected artist to contemporary awareness. The museum is open weekdays except Monday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and from noon to 5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Call 561-392-2500.
Film: It has taken the directing team of Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris six years to come up with a follow-up to Little Miss Sunshine, but fans of that movie will probably appreciate Ruby Sparks, which has a similar quirky comic sensibility. It is written by and stars Zoe Kazan ― granddaughter of the legendary Elia Kazan ― who plays a character in a new novel by a former whiz-kid best-selling writer (Paul Dano), stuck coming up with a follow-up book. She materializes and moves in with him, completely at the mercy of his literary whims. The film explores the creative process and also the difficulties of relationships. There is an amusing tangent when the writer appeases Ruby by taking her to visit his hippie mother (Annette Bening) and her boyfriend (Antonio Banderas). Kazan has been featured in a few films already (Revolutionary Road, It’s Complicated), but she stakes out a major career with Ruby Sparks. Opening Friday at various venues in the area.
Theater: Manalapan’s Plaza Theatre doesn’t let the dog days of August stop it from rolling out new shows, as this weekend’s arrival of the musical revue, Irving Berlin Salutes America, attests. Actually the show was first assembled a decade ago by producer Alan Jacobson, in an effort to offer audiences a patriotic evening in the wake of the 9-11 attacks. Plaza regulars Melissa Boher-Jacobson and Missy McArdle, as well as John Lariviere and Jon Zimmerman, sprint through the songbook of the Russian-born composer-lyricist who dominated Tin Pan Alley as well as Broadway throughout the 20th century. The revue includes many of Berlin’s biggest hits ― Alexander’s Ragtime Band, Always, Cheek to Cheek, Steppin’ Out With My Baby and This Is the Army, Mr. Jones, plus selections from Annie Get Your Gun and a finale medley of jingoistic tunes that is calculated to have you jumping to your feet. From Friday evening through Sun., Sept. 9. Call (561) 588-1820 for tickets.
Music: St. Paul’s Camerata del Re takes advantage of the slower August season with a concert Sunday devoted to music from the Czech lands. Composers on the program, such as Jan Dismas Zelenka, Jiri Benda and Josef Myslivecek (a good friend of the Mozart family), are not widely known today by the general public, but they were, and are, estimable writers and their work should get much more attention. Sunday’s concert also will feature a replica of an 18th-century fortepiano. Tickets are $15-$20, and the music starts at 4 p.m.