Music: One of the great tragic heroines of Italian bel canto opera returns Saturday night as Florida Grand Opera opens its new season with Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor. The American soprano Anna Christy stars as the Scots noblewoman driven mad on her wedding night because of her forced marriage to a man she does not love. In addition to this tour de force scene, Donizetti’s score has a wealth of melody and color, including the great Act II sextet, “Chi mi frena in tal momento?” The production also stars Joshua Guererro as Edgardo, Lucia’s true love and Trevor Schuenermann as Enrico, her scheming brother. It opens at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Ziff Ballet Opera House in Miami; it can be seen six more times through Dec. 2. For tickets, call 800-741-1010 or visit www.fgo.org.
Film: Some of the best documentaries contain truths that are stranger than fiction. A case in point is Aida’s Secrets, about an unusual family reunion. It is a personal story for filmmakers Alon and Shaul Schwarz, whose 67-year-old uncle learns that he has a younger brother. Both were born in the post-World War II displacement camp of Bergen-Belsen, then sent off with different families in separate countries – Izak to Israel, Shep to Canada. How they learn of each other is a piece of detective work that leads them to question their mother’s motives in keeping such information from them. Ultimately, Aida’s Secrets is a testament to the resilience of families. Opening this weekend at the Living Room Theaters in Boca Raton.
Theater: With acclaimed revivals of South Pacific and Fiddler on the Roof, director Bartlett Sher has built a reputation for reinvigorating classic musicals. To that list can be added Rodgers and Hammerstein’s 1951 tale of East-West culture clash, The King and I. Staging the musical numbers is the easy part. Where Sher shines is with the book scenes, as Anna Leonowens, a British schoolteacher confronts stubborn Siamese monarch Mongkut, who is attempting to pull his country into the modern era. Jose Llana (The King) is a veteran of the show and it shows, and he is well matched by Heather Botts as the proud, pre-feminist Leonowens. It doesn’t hurt that this Lincoln Center production tour is also visually stunning. Through Sunday at the Kravis Center’s Dreyfoos Hall.
Art: The eccentric artist George Ohr called himself the “mad potter of Biloxi,” but today, his unusual ceramics are considered examples of rare artistry and innovation. The Boca Raton Museum of Art has just opened an exhibit of Ohr’s work, accompanied by pieces from 18 contemporary artists inspired by Ohr. The exhibit is a compelling demonstration of how much variety can be brought to the utilitarian world of ceramic objects. Regarding George Ohr runs through April 8 at the Boca Museum in Mizner Park. Visit bocamuseum.org for more details.