Art: Was there any artist so indelibly associated with the late 1960s as Peter Max? The Art Students League-trained painter’s bright colors and quirky figures did as much to define the look of the age as hippiedom did. Max has continued working since those high-profile days, and has recently been painting portraits of singer Taylor Swift, which will be on sale Saturday when the artist makes two appearances in South Florida at the Wentworth Galleries in Fort Lauderdale and at Boca Raton’s Town Center Mall. The galleries are hosting a retrospective of his work dating to 1960, including his interpretation of 19th-century Impressionist masterworks. Max will be in Fort Lauderdale from 1 to 3 p.m., and in Boca from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Call 954-468-0685 for the Fort Lauderdale appearance; 561-338-0804 for the Boca appearance.
Film: Lake Bell is a familiar face in independent films, even if you probably never knew her name. Well, you had better learn it, because she has made one of the most enjoyable small-budget films of 2013, In A World …, that she not only stars in, but also wrote the screenplay and directed. She plays the daughter of a veteran of movie trailer voiceovers who is trying to break into that odd, but lucrative, corner of show business. And on a major account she finds herself — a mere woman — competing against her father. Bell’s film has a breezy sense of the offbeat, she chooses shots and moves her camera well and she is very appealing and easy to empathize with as an actress. What’s not to like? Playing this week at the Mos’Art Theatre in Lake Park.
Theater: Yes, it’s another dysfunctional family comedy, but as seen through the caustic, dark vision of Nicky Silver, who made his Broadway debut with The Lyons last year, after many raucous plays off-Broadway. The script gets its South Florida premiere from The Women’s Theatre Project of Boca Raton, a company which fortunately no longer adheres to its limiting mission of only doing plays written by women with only female casts. The first act of The Lyons does belong to Jessica K. Peterson as Rita Lyons, a materialistic wife and indifferent mother, sitting bedside as her husband dies of cancer. But the second act changes gears and focuses on her gay son Curtis, who eventually ends up in the same hospital bed his father occupied. The mordant humor is delivered well by an ensemble cast, directed by Genie Croft. Continuing through Sunday, Dec. 22. Call: (561) 347-3948 for tickets.
Music: It’s Messiah time again, as local choruses take up George Frideric Handel’s permanently popular 1741 oratorio to welcome the season. This Sunday, Masterworks Chorus of the Palm Beaches presents their 32nd annual performance of the so-called Christmas portion of the work, which is actually an Easter piece. Soloists Judy Marchman, Marilyn Mims, Christopher Waite and Neil Nelson join Ken Taylor and a Baroque-sized orchestra for the concert at 7 p.m. Sunday in the Royal Poinciana Chapel on Palm Beach. Tickets are $25; call 845-9696 for more information.