Theater: Cole Porter’s 1934 shipboard farce, Anything Goes, contains a score of hits that remain standards of the American Songbook 80 years later. The script — dusted off and freshened up by two contemporary wags, Timothy Crouse and John Weidman — is a string of groan-worthy jokes, but at least it delivers the songs efficiently. Now playing the Kravis Center through Sunday is the 2011 Tony Award-winning revival of Anything Goes, which features knockout choreography by director Kathleen Marshall, which serves to extend the fun of such songs as “It’s De-lovely,” “Blow, Gabriel, Blow” and the title tune. Throw in the comely, leggy Emma Stratton as nightclub performer and occasional evangelist Reno Sweeney and you have a recipe for sublime entertainment. Call 561-832-7469 for tickets.
Music: The Festival of the Arts Boca wraps up its performances (though not all its events; writer and radio personality Martin Goldsmith gives a talk Sunday afternoon) tonight with a sure-fire piece of music, the Symphony No. 9 (in D minor, Op. 125) of Ludwig van Beethoven, an iconic work whose influence some 191 years after its premiere remains undimmed. The Festival Orchestra Boca, led by Constantine Kitsopoulos, will be joined by soloists Melody Moore, Margaret Mezzacappa, Joseph Kaiser and Soloman Howard, along with the Master Chorale of South Florida and the Young People’s Chorus of New York City. One of the most remarkable things about Beethoven’s Ninth is how each time it’s performed, it’s a special occasion; there’s never anything ordinary about the Ninth, and concertgoers in Mizner Park tonight will no doubt feel the same way. The concert begins at 7:30 p.m., with tickets starting at $25. Call 866-571-2787 or visit www.festivaloftheartsboca.org.
Film: Some documentaries work because if their stories were presented in a feature film, you would never believe them. That is the case with The Life and Mind of Mark DeFriest, a real-life yarn about a Floridian, 54, who has spent more than half his life in prison, from which he escaped over and over, by manufacturing keys and weapons from inside his cell. This latter-day Houdini was first arrested for a relatively minor crime, but after breaking out of jail over and over, he is now serving a major sentence, with parole denied every time he becomes eligible. Director Gabriel London tells DeFriest’s story in exhaustive detail, interviewing him, his lawyer and his wives — plural — plus the occasional animated sequence. It’s an amazing story, told with jaw-dropping incredulity. Opening this weekend at the Living Room Theaters in Boca Raton.
Art: One of the persistent oddities of American culture is its reluctance to honor the contributions of its own past artists, a stark contrast to European nations in which historic creators are part of the everyday life of the country. Running through March 29 at the Society of the Four Arts’s O’Keeffe Gallery is a collection of 50 pictures from the Farnsworth Art Museum of Rockland, Maine, that offer a great cross-section of American landscape painting from the 19th and 20th centuries. Artists such as Ashcan standouts Robert Henri and George Bellows, sculptor Louise Nevelson and three of the Wyeths are part of the exhibit, called American Treasures from the Farnsworth Art Museum. These are marvelous images of American scenes, many of them glorying in the country’s extraordinary natural features. For only $5, it’s a bargain education in American art and a deal that’s hard to beat. Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday; 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Call 655-7226 or visit www.fourarts.org for more information.