Art: Every year, the Norton Museum of Art summer interns get a chance to curate their own show, and this year’s is focused on another hot summer, that of 1968, when the nation’s political and social structures took a series of body blows. That was the year of the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy, plus the tumultuous Democratic National Convention in Chicago. And in Oakland, Calif., it was the summer of the Black Panthers. A series of 22 historic photographs by Pirkle Jones and Ruth Marion-Baruch chronicling the black political group are now on view at the Norton through Nov. 29. The ghosts of 1968 are still with us as a nation, and the subject matter of this exhibition could scarcely be more pertinent for a time when racial concerns are once again front and center. Call 832-5196 or visit www.norton.org for more information.
Film: With so many of this summer’s movies so dependent on digital effects and cinematic technology, it is a pleasure to encounter a low-tech, tongue-in-cheek romp like Shaun the Sheep: The Movie, a Claymation, stop-action comedy from the inventive and infinitely patient Aardman Studios (makers of the sublime Chicken Run and Wallace and Gromit.) What makes it stand out all the more is that the story is told completely non-verbally, with a silent movie sensibility. The plot concerns Shaun and his fellow flockmates venturing off the farm and heading to the big city — London — where they have to elude the animal control officer. Meanwhile, the farmer also comes to town, gets conked on the head, loses his memory and, using his shearing skills, becomes convinced that he is a master hairstylist. Oh, just go and enjoy. At area theaters beginning this weekend.
Theater: Two seasons ago on Broadway, John Logan (Tony Award-winning playwright of Red) strung together a host of dishy Hollywood stories as told by deal-making expert superagent Sue Mengers in a compact 80-minute one-woman show, I’ll Eat You Last. Written as a vehicle for Bette Midler and her killer comic timing and foul mouth, the play seemed unlikely to be produced at regional theaters around the country. It certainly didn’t seem like the sort of material that GableStage like to challenge its audience with, but artistic director Joe Adler apparently wanted to serve up a lightweight summer breather. Playing Mengers is versatile local actress Laura Turnbull, who commands the stage as she lounges on the agent’s Beverly Hills living room couch. She almost manages to turn the trick of making us think I’ll Eat You Last is a play. It’s not, but it is very entertaining. Through Aug. 30. Tickets are $50-$55. Call 305-445-1119.
Music: Tonight at FAU, Austria’s Arpeggione Chamber Orchestra joins forces with Fort Lauderdale’s Symphony of the Americas for a string orchestra concert in SOTA’s long-running Summerfest series. On the program is a collection of pleasant lighter works that fit the summer mood well, from Mozart’s Eine Kleine Nachtmusik to Massenet’s Méditation, to a movement from the Serenade for Strings by Victor Herbert and a showpiece by the Romantic-era cello virtuoso David Popper. The performance is set for 8 tonight at FAU’s University Theater, with a followup at 8 p.m. Saturday at Fort Lauderdale’s Parker Playhouse. For more information, call 954-335-7002 or visit www.sota.org.