Film: A new film based on a magic realism-infused novel by Rudolfo Anaya, Bless Me, Ultima, focuses on a small boy, Antonio (Luke Ganalon), who is introduced to the spirit world by his grandmother, Ultima (Miriam Colon), who is sort of a witch doctor, a conjurer of spells and an alternative healer. The compelling, if disorienting film is directed by Carl Franklin, probably best remembered for the dark Devil in a Blue Dress from almost 20 years ago. Ultimately (pun intended), the film becomes a battle between good and evil and a saga of Antonio’s coming of age. Opening this weekend at area theaters.
Theater: Palm Beach Dramaworks has just announced a week’s extension for its acclaimed and popular production of Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun, the 1959 drama about the Youngers, a black family living on Chicago’s poor South Side. Each of them has big dreams and plans for an insurance check soon to arrive, but the matriarch is determined to use the money for a down payment on a house in the nicer, white suburbs. As directed by Seret Scott, the play becomes more about the family dynamic than racial prejudice, which gives it a greater claim to universality. The Dramaworks production has a particularly strong ensemble cast, headed by Ethan Henry as ambitious Walter Lee and Pat Bowie as his iron-fisted mother Lena. Call (561) 514-4042 for tickets, now through Saturday, March 9.
Music: American opera has had a mixed record over the years, with perhaps only Porgy and Bess as one the one undisputed popularity champion. But opera composed in the United States has a rich history, and composers keep adding to the trove. The Young Artists of the Palm Beach Opera are currently in the middle of one; tonight they present the second and last performance of Ben Moore’s new Enemies, based on the Isaac Bashevis Singer novel (later a movie). Moore said the opera has been done in workshop with the Kentucky Opera (in 2009), and he’s continued to work on it since then. An abridged version of the work is being performed in reduced proportions (piano, violin and clarinet) with the Palm Beach Opera troupe at the Lighthouse ArtCenter tonight. A rehearsal of the opera this week revealed a richly tuneful, accessible score well-sung by its young cast. The company would love to give the world premiere of the complete work, and here’s a chance to get a taste of it. 7 p.m. at the Lighthouse ArtCenter in Tequesta. Tickets are $25; premium seating (with champagne) is $45. Call 746-3101 or visit lighthousearts.org.
From new opera to old: Seraphic Fire tackles Henry Purcell’s 1689 masterwork Dido and Aeneas this weekend, in a return to a score the group presented five seasons ago. It’s best known for its closing lament, When I Am Laid in Earth, a searingly beautiful expression of loss made the more remarkable because it is set to a strict musical formula (an unaltered ground bass). It’s a masterpiece of English Baroque, and it promises to be a season’s highlight. 8 tonight at First United Methodist, Coral Gables, and 3:30 p.m. Sunday at St. Gregory’s Episcopal Church in Boca Raton. Tickets: $55. Call 305-285-9060 or visit www.seraphicfire.org.
Art: The Beatles’ John Lennon was a writer and artist as well as a musician, and for some years now a touring exhibition of his drawings and sketches have made occasional appearances here at venues such as the Town Center mall and CityPlace. This weekend, The ArtWork of John Lennon is at the Delray Beach Center for the Arts through 7 p.m. today and from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. In the spirit of Lennon and wife Yoko Ono’s benevolence, Legacy Fine Art and Productions will be raising money to help benefit Delray Beach Center for the Arts through a suggested $2 donation at the door. For more information, call 243-7922.