Theater: Playwright Lauren Gunderson wrote the redneck comedy Exit, Pursued by a Bear that Theatre at Arts Garage produced a couple of season ago, but try not to hold that against her. She is back with a much smarter script, I and You, about a couple of high school teens who meet over an English class assignment, and as with many formulaic romantic comedies, they banter and bicker before gradually growing closer. But Gunderson has written no romantic comedy, as she proves with a dandy 11th-hour twist that you probably will not see coming. Lou Tyrrell gets terrific performances from Gracie Winchester and Terry Guest. So fasten your seat belt and enjoy. Through Feb. 8. Call (561) 450-6357 for reservations.
Film: No, Jennifer Aniston did not make the cut for a Best Actress Oscar nomination, but she probably came in sixth. Instead of her usual lightweight perky comedy performance, she puts in an impressive dramatic turn in Cake, playing a lawyer with chronic pain syndrome who is herself a chronic pain. After a car crash that took the life of her son, Southern Californian Claire Bennett begins taking painkillers and quickly becomes addicted to them. She also becomes obsessed with a woman in her support group who committed suicide and vacillates between taking her own life or becoming involved with the dead woman’s husband. Cake is very dark and downbeat, but Aniston deserves to be seen. Opening this weekend in area theaters.
Art: ArtPalmBeach is in full swing at the Palm Beach County Convention Center, but the work there from more than 85 galleries around the world isn’t the only reason to make this a weekend to celebrate the visual arts. In tandem with the show, a la the pop-ups that accompany Art Basel Miami Beach each year, is a county-based effort called Art Synergy. Now in its third year and steered by the indefatigable Rolando Chang Barrero, nine arts districts and venues from the Lighthouse ArtCenter in Tequesta to Artist’s Alley in Delray Beach will be taking part in booths at the show and at their home bases. It’s a great way to stand back and take a look at just how vibrant this part of the country is for the visual arts; for details, check out artsynergypbc.com.
Music: During the season, many a fine chamber music concert can be heard at the Society of the Four Arts on Palm Beach, and while there are always good houses, usually there’s a seat to be had without any problem. But this Sunday, it’s all sold out, and that’s because of the elite nature of the guests: the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. Featuring such outstanding soloists as violinist Ani Kafavian, violist Paul Neubauer and cellist David Finckel, the society is bringing to the stage a can’t-miss program of music by Brahms, Dvořák and Kodaly. If you can find someone to give up their place at the auditorium, this would be the concert to do it for. Call 655-7226 to plead, or visit www.fourarts.org.
Meanwhile, the night before, a young French jazz singer who’s been making major waves in the industry stops in at Delray Beach’s Arts Garage. Cyrille Aimée, whose new release is It’s a Good Day, is a former first-prize winner at the Montreux Jazz Festival, and she brings to her readings of the American Songbook and her own songs a charming, sly kind of vocal style that makes her stand out from some of the more downbeat singers of our day. She’s at the Arts Garage at 8 p.m. Saturday, but that concert, too, is all sold out. Beg for a spot by calling 450-6357 or visit www.artsgarage.org.