Editor’s note: Technical difficulties prevented this entry from being posted at the correct time.
Theater: One of the most unlikely adaptations is Victor Hugo’s serpentine, 1,200-page novel Les Misérables, which was turned into a surprisingly accessible epic musical almost 27 years ago. To celebrate its longevity, producer Cameron Mackintosh had the show redesigned and restaged and sent on the road again, playing the Kravis Center in West Palm Beach, now through Saturday, May 26. The score by Claude-Michel Schönberg remains emotionally rousing, particularly as sung by this sizeable cast led by Peter Lockyer as Jean Valjean. Missing, and missed, is the original turntable staging by Trevor Nunn and John Caird, but you will probably marvel anew at the animated backgrounds based on artwork by Hugo himself, most notably in the climactic scene in the sewers of Paris. Call (561) 832-7469 for tickets.
Film: The name Netanyahu probably brings to mind Benjamin, the current prime minister of Israel. But in the impressive documentary Follow Me: The Yoni Netanyahu Story, writer-director Jonathan Gruber tells the gripping tale of Benjamin’s older brother, a natural-born leader and fervent Zionist, who led the successful raid on Uganda’s Entebbe Airport in the summer of 1976, rescuing 98 hostages and twelve Air France crew members from Palestinian terrorists. But Netanyahu died in the raid that day.
The film relates his life through interviews with Netanyahu’s family and former colleagues, plus his own words from his impassioned correspondence. By the time of the climactic showdown, we know him well, and the film manages to muster suspense, even though we know what is about to happen. Opening this weekend at several locations throughout the county, from the Living Room Theaters in Boca Raton to Cobb Downtown in Palm Beach Gardens.
Music: Georg Philip Telemann is known several quirky facts in music history, such as being perhaps the most prolific composer in the classical tradition, and that he was the first choice to run St. Thomas’ in Leipzig, and when he wasn’t available, the city fathers had to settle for J.S. Bach. But Telemann was a fine composer, and one whose work is far too little known by most audiences today. On Sunday, the St. Paul’s Episcopal Church Baroque ensemble Camerata del Re and the St. Paul’s Choir will try to right that impression by performing an entire concert of music by this composer. Included are a few of Telemann’s 1,043 cantatas, including Wilkommen, segenvolles Fest (for Easter), and Jesu, meine Zuversicht. Also scheduled is a concerto for viola d’amore, oboe d’amore, flute and strings. Tickets for the 3 p.m. concert are $15-$20. Call 278-6003 for more information.
This weekend is also a good one for pianists. The Miami International Piano Festival concludes its Discovery series at the Colony Theater in Miami Beach with four pianists – Kemal Gekic, Misha Dacic, Francesco Libetta and Eric Ferrand-N’Kaoua – playing five of the Beethoven symphonies in the transcriptions by Franz Liszt. Symphonies 4, 5, and 6 are up at 3 p.m. Sunday and Nos. 7 and 9 (for two pianos) are set for 8 p.m.
Also at 3 p.m. today at Granada Presbyterian Church in Coral Gables, the Chopin Foundation wraps its season with the young Russian pianist Nikolay Khoizanov, who won the Dublin International Piano Competition Tuesday. Khoizanov will play music by Chopin, of course – the Scherzo No. 4, the Ballade No. 2 and the rarely heard Bolero – plus Schubert’s Wanderer Fantasy, Beethoven’s Sonata No. 31 (in A-flat, Op. 110), and the Mephisto Waltz of Liszt. The concert is free admission; call 305-868-0624 or visit www.chopin.org for more information.
Art: This coming week, mosaic artist Vanessa Somers Vreeland, currently at the Armory Art Center, presents a talk on the art of mosaics. It’s one of the oldest of all art forms, and Vreeland became interested in it after beginning her art career as a painter. Vreeland will speak at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday about her art, and the art of mosaic-making in general. The talk is free and open to the public; get reservations by (561) 832-1776, ext. 15.