Jacquy Pfeiffer in Kings of Pastry.Film: We know, we know, one of your New Year’s resolutions is to lose some weight, and viewing the high-calorie baked goods in the tasty new documentary Kings of Pastry is not going to help matters. Still, treat yourself to this affectionate confection by co-directors D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus (The War Room, Moon Over Broadway), chronicling the three-day Meilleurs Ouvriers de France competition to crown the best pastry craftsman in a nation that knows a few things about crumpets, crusts and cream filling. The drama is almost as high as the cholesterol count, as the film follows Jacquy Pfeiffer, who founded The French Pastry School in Chicago, as he returns to his native land to vie with 15 of France’s top pastry chefs for the title. This week at Living Room Theaters on the FAU campus in Boca Raton.
Erin Joy Schmidt and Deborah L. Sherman in Goldie, Max & Milk. Theater: Did you hear the one about the artificially inseminated lesbian mom and the Orthodox Jewish lactation consultant? Of course, there is a natural tension between the two of them in the odd-couple comedy Goldie, Max & Milk by Karen Hartman, but over time they rub off on each other and even teach one another a thing or two. Florida Stage is giving the play – an audience favorite from the 2010 1st Stage Festival – its world premiere, gently directed by Margaret D. Ledford, with a crafty cast led by Erin Joy Schmidt, Deborah L. Sherman and newcomer Sarah Lord. At the Kravis Center’s Rinker Playhouse through Jan. 16. Call (561) 585-3433. — H. Erstein
Inside the Sphinx, by Gerri Aurre. At Contempo.Art: Two exhibits open this coming week in the northern part of the county: Contempo, at the Lighthouse ArtCenter in Tequesta, an exhibit of contemporary works juried by the Vero Beach Museum of Art (Jan. 6-Feb. 10), and the biennial faculty art show at Palm Beach State’s Eissey Campus in Palm Beach Gardens.
Contempo features works that were completed within the last two years, and is being shown at the same time as ArtyBras, a collection of art bras created to raise money for breast cancer awareness. The opening reception is planned for 5:30-7:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 13. Admission is $5 for visitors; free for members. Call 746-3101 for more information.
A ceramic by Victoria Rose Martin. At the Palm Beach State faculty exhibition.
The faculty exhibit, which opens Jan. 5 and runs through Feb. 4, features artists from the Palm Beach State campuses in Boca Raton, Palm Beach Gardens and Lake Worth. It consists of work by 17 artists including Victoria Rose Martin, Dennis Tishkowsky, Sherry Stephens and Nazare Feliciano. The opening reception is set for 5:00-8:00 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 11, in the BB Building on the Eissey Campus. Gallery hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, except for Tuesday, when the gallery is open until 8 p.m. Admission is free; call 207-5015.
Anton Arensky (1861-1906).Music: The Delray String Quartet has expanded its reach again this year, and the second seasonal program will be going on the road to the Trinity-by-the-Cove Episcopal Church in Naples as of Jan. 16. But the first time to hear it is Sunday afternoon in the quartet’s home base at the Colony Hotel in Delray Beach, where the foursome will tackle the Shostakovich Quartet No. 7 (in F-sharp minor, Op. 108), the Beethoven Quartet No. 6 (in B-flat, Op. 18, No. 6) and the standard-arrangement version of the Second Quartet of Anton Arensky (in A minor, Op. 35a), originally written for violin, viola and two cellos.
The Arensky is a deeply beautiful work, far too rarely played in either version, and it’s an inspired choice to go along with the Shostakovich quartet. Both are memorials: Arensky’s was composed in 1895 as a memorial for his mentor, Tchaikovsky, while Shostakovich composed his in 1960 as a memorial to his first wife, Nina. The Beethoven quartet is a splendid piece as well, and wraps up the collection of the six Op. 18 quartets that marked the composer as someone who would bring something new to the Haydn-Mozart string quartet approach. The concert begins at 4 p.m. Sunday at the Colony’s music room. Tickets are $35; call 213-4138 or visit www.delraystringquartet.com.