Film: Writer-director John Gray (credited with creating TV’s Ghost Whisperer) grew up in Brooklyn and his latest feature film, White Irish Drinkers, feels like it has autobiographical elements in its coming-of-age tale of a young, sensitive artist trying hard not to sucked into the world of crime of his older, desperate brother. Nick Thurston impresses as Brian, who chooses instead to work at the local movie house where the Rolling Stones are slated to put in a guest appearance and Brian’s brother Danny is planning to rob the box office. Despite the plot cobbled from familiar parts, Gray manages to inject a few worthy surprises and some authentic-sounding dialogue and period atmosphere. Opening Friday at Mos’Art Theatre in Lake Park.
Theater: The local theater scene is winding down for the summer, but you can still catch Palm Beach Dramaworks’ first rate season-ender, Martin McDonagh’s The Beauty Queen of Leenane, a gorgeously twisted, dark comedy about a no-longer-young Irish lass who reaches out for what may be her last chance at happiness and her sour mother, who is desperate to thwart her. Artistic director William Hayes demonstrates why his company continues to grow, even in hard economic times. Of course, it helps when you’ve got the good taste to cast Kati Brazda as lovelorn Maureen and the wily Barbara Bradshaw as her mum. Through June 19. Call (561) 514-4042 for tickets.
Art: Summer has always been a time for movie blockbusters, and this weekend at the Norton Museum, the art powers that be have recognized that with a fun exhibit called Out of This World: Extraordinary Costumes from Film and Television. More than 30 costumes, including Jim Carrey’s Riddler getup from Batman and Arnold Schwarzenegger’s leather jacket from Terminator, are on display through Sept. 4 in a show that pays tribute to the power of costume to make the magic of film, on small and big screens.
The Norton also has extended the run of From A to Z, a collection of 26 photos alphabetically arranged by photographer name, and featuring in which the 26 pictures are grouped according to each photographer name in the alphabet, from Ansel Adams to George Zimbel. It had been scheduled to close Thursday, but now will remain open until Oct. 16. Tickets for the shows are $12; hours for the West Palm Beach museum are from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Call 832-5196 for more information or visit www.norton.org.
Music: The young Ukrainian-born pianist Sofiya Uryvayeva has become something of an audience favorite at the concerts of the Piano Lovers series at Boca Raton’s Steinway Gallery. This Saturday night, she returns to the room for a concert featuring all 24 of the Etudes from Opp. 10 and 25 of Frederic Chopin, pieces unique for their status as artworks and teaching pieces.
There are numerous videos of Uryayeva on YouTube playing some of the Etudes, the Ballades, and pieces by Messiaen and the Polish composer Gerard Drozd. Here’s one of her playing the Etude in B minor, Op. 25, No. 10, which is murderously difficult and tiring in the outer sections and calls for a rare sort of tenderness and taste in the middle. The Etudes were written beginning in 1829, when Chopin was only 19 years old and in that first flush of exceptional composition that included the two piano concertos. They are a remarkable exploration of everything the modern piano could do in its day, and to hear them all at once is to get a glimpse of the range of Chopin’s art. Uryvayeva takes the stage at 7 p.m. Saturday at the gallery on Federal Highway. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door. Call 929-6633 or visit www.pianolovers.org.
Next week, two pop bands whose heydays were back in the 1970s and 1980s team for a concert at the Cruzan Amphitheatre. The first is the English pop-metal band Def Leppard, who had several monster hits including Photograph, Pour Some Sugar On Me, Pyromania and Foolin’. The band retains a strong following, and at its best, they produced catchy radio-friendly pop that had enough of an edge to make it dangerous enough for its fans.
Def Leppard will be joined by Heart, one of the first truly successful female-led rock bands, and unusual because its leads – sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson – were such able songwriters. Their list of classic songs includes Barracuda, Magic Man, Crazy on You and Tell It Like It Is, and the band has returned to the studio with new songs more reminiscent of that style than the AOR pop it pursued in the 1990s. The concert is set for 7:30 p.m. Wednesday. Tickets range from $25-$125. Call 800-745-3000 or visit www.ticketmaster.com or www.livenation.com.