By Greg Stepanich

    This might be a good month to get your grunge on.
    The pestilential heat of an August in South Florida has to be tempered some way, and perhaps an evening of rough-edged rock from rain-soaked bands that made it big in the 1990s will do the trick.
    On Aug. 10, Seattle’s Soundgarden joins forces with Trent Reznor’s Nine Inch Nails for a concert at the Cruzan Amphitheatre in suburban West Palm Beach. This tour, which brings these two acts together for the first time in 20 years, has been drawing strong reviews, such as this from the Denver Post’s account of the July 21 show at Red Rocks: “This was pure aural pleasure, delivered in the tastiest of fashions to an absolutely ravenous audience. Grunge is dead; long live grunge.”
    The pairing of the two bands is a smart one from the standpoint of contrast in the same general musical sphere. Soundgarden, which reunited in 2010 after a hiatus of 13 years, has a more conventional matinee idol in its lead singer and songwriter, Chris Cornell, who turned 50 last month.
    Cornell is gifted with one of rock’s great voices, and if his lyrics are often muddled, there’s no denying the big hooks of songs like Burden in My Hand, Fell on Black Days and Black Hole Sun, and in a current universe dominated by grrlzz pop and fey young men singing light-as-air dance music, Soundgarden sounds like what happens to the party music when the adults take over.
    Nine Inch Nails, which essentially is a solo project by Reznor, a Pennsylvania native who writes the NIN records and then assembles a band for touring, has in some ways had a bigger influence than Soundgarden. Through songs such as Wish, Happiness in Slavery and Hurt, Reznor has given hope, Velvet Underground-style, to aspirant rockers whose message might be too disturbing or quirky for easy acceptance. He is uncompromising about his art, and that’s a good example for other bands wanting to walk a difficult road.
    The Cruzan this summer has seen repeat visitors such as eternal hipster Dave Matthews and country idol Tim McGraw, who can always be counted on to draw large crowds to the fairgrounds. But this show will offer audiences a chance to hear how well this particular genre of popular music has held up over the years; whether, in fact, grunge still lives. Tickets for the 7 p.m. show start at $60; visit cruzanamphitheatre.net.  
    Other music: The free outdoor Friday night concert series at Boca Raton’s Mizner Park has been featuring a lineup of tribute bands. On Aug. 1, it’s Jimmy Stowe and the Stowaways, a Jimmy Buffett act, and on Aug. 8, it’s Turnstiles, a Billy Joel tribute band. Two national, ticketed concerts follow: Panic! at the Disco on Aug. 15, and the Grateful Dead’s Bob Weir on Aug. 23. If you’re still in the mood for free music, the brass section of the Symphonia Boca Raton sets up Aug. 17 for its own tribute to the music of the Big Band era.
    Meanwhile, the Symphony of the Americas moves its annual Summerfest appearance in Boca Raton to Florida Atlantic University on Aug. 8, joined by the Mission Chamber Orchestra of Rome. The program is a mixed salad of music by Leopold Mozart, Vivaldi and Dohnanyi, Cole Porter and Herbert L. Clarke, and new works by Juan Castillo (a Panama Canal rhapsody) and Lorenzo Turchi-Floris. Visit sota.org for tickets, or call 954-335-7002. … The Camerata del Re Baroque ensemble at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Delray Beach virtually visits the Netherlands on the afternoon of Aug. 24 with music by 17th- and 18th-century Dutch and Flemish composers including Matthias Mercker and Johannes Grönemann. Tickets for the 3 p.m. concert are $15-$20. Call 561-278-6003 for more information.
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    Dance: The Natalie Portman star vehicle Black Swan (2010), which won the actress an Oscar, reminded the non-dance world of the beauty and popularity of Swan Lake, which might be the first piece the average person thinks of when he or she hears the word “ballet.”  
    And for good reason: It is not only a compelling fairy-tale scenario of a faraway kingdom, courtly love, a force of evil and two tragic deaths, it has some of composer Peter Tchaikovsky’s most memorable music (and indeed, it was this score that established him as a go-to writer for the dance world after its premiere in Moscow in 1877).
   The Boca Ballet Theatre kicks off August with three performances of Swan Lake at the Olympic Heights High School auditorium, featuring a major contemporary ballerina, Sara Mearns, a principal dancer with the New York City Ballet. Mearns will dance the role of Odette/Odile (i.e., White Swan/Black Swan) opposite Simon Ball, a principal dancer with Houston Ballet, as Prince Siegfried; Ball was a guest last year of the Boca Ballet Theatre for performances of Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet.
    Mearns made her New York City Ballet debut as Odette at age 19, plucked from the corps de ballet by artistic director Peter Martins. She is considered one of the leading interpreters of the role in the ballet world, and doubtless her appearance here will be a huge event for young, aspiring dancers. They’ve probably already watched Mearns in several charming behind-the-scenes videos on YouTube, in which she gives viewers insight into the life of a leading dancer.
The ballet can be seen at 7 p.m. Aug. 1, 8 p.m. Aug. 2, and 2 p.m. Aug. 3. Tickets are $20-$35 for adults, $10-$25 for children and seniors. Call 561-995-0709 or visit bocaballet.org.
    Other dances: In Palm Beach Gardens, choreographers Maria Konrad (Reach Dance Company) and Jerry Opdenaker (O Dance) are teaming again for their Reach Dance Collective Intensive, a summer contemporary dance program for young dancers that opened July 28 and runs through Aug. 8.
    Special guest instructors this year include Melissa Rector of Philadelphia’s Koresh Dance Company, Kristina Fernandez of Broadway’s Wicked and In the Heights, Ryan Redman of the Trey McIntyre Project, and Christopher Huggins, formerly of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.
    The advanced students of the intensive will show their stuff at 8 p.m. Aug. 9 in a performance  called “Heat Wave,” set for the Eissey Campus Theatre at Palm Beach State College in Palm Beach Gardens. The show will feature a mixed program that includes new dances by Konrad and Opdenaker. Tickets are $15-$20; visit reachdancecompany.com or call 561-339-6360.
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    Theater: The Delray Beach Center for the Arts will mark its 25th anniversary in December with its first-ever production of a musical, Michael Bennett’s A Chorus Line (1975).
The show, under the direction of Bennett protégé and choreographer Kimberly Dawn Smith and mounted by MNM Productions, is still in need of several major roles: Cassie, Larry, Richie, Al, Bobby and Mike, as well as six understudies.
    Auditions for these roles and the company are set for Aug. 11 at the Crest Theatre, and will be conducted like the auditions that make up the narrative of this much-admired musical. Smith has directed versions of this show locally for years, and she brings to it an inside knowledge of the now-iconic musical as a onetime cast member.
    If you’re interested in seeing what it’s like to wear a gold top hat in one of the most famous kick-line moments in Broadway history, prepare a song from the show and arrive in appropriate dancewear, including character shoes. The auditions are set for 1:30 p.m. at the Crest, where the show will be presented 12 times Dec. 5-14. For more information, call 561-243-7922 or visit www.delrayarts.org.
    Other theater: The Most Happy Fella, in a concert version at Palm Beach Dramaworks, has been extended a week from its original July 27 closing date, and can be seen through Aug. 3 at Dramaworks’ home at the Brown Theatre on Clematis Street in downtown West Palm Beach.
This concert presentation of Frank Loesser’s 1956 musical about a May-December romance in Northern California stars William Michals as the Italian immigrant wine grower Tony, and Jessica Hershberg (from Broadway’s Cinderella) as Rosabella.
    The show, which also stars Jim Ballard, Laura Hodos, Jeni Hacker and Shane Tanner, has enjoyed enthusiastic support from audience and critics; thus the extension. Our own Hap Erstein of Palm Beach ArtsPaper called it “a completely satisfying evening of rarified musical theater.”
    Tickets are $40; call 561-514-4042, ext. 2, or visit palmbeachdramaworks.org.
    And up at the Maltz Jupiter Theatre, the product of another summer intensive will be seen at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 16, when a troupe of area high school students presents The Crucible, Arthur Miller’s meditation on the Salem witch trials of 1692, a play engendered by the anti-Communist hysteria of the 1950s. Tickets are $20 ($15 for children); call 561-575-2223 or visit jupitertheatre.org. … The Plaza Theatre in Manalapan brings back its tribute to three great vaudevillians of a century ago — Fanny Brice, Eddie Cantor and Al Jolson — in a revue that features standards such as Makin’ Whoopee, Swanee, and You Made Me Love You. Brice, Cantor & Jolson, which stars John Lariviere, Jon Zimmerman and Melissa Jacobson, opens Aug. 14 and runs through Sept. 14; tickets are $30. Call 561-588-1820 or visit theplazatheatre.net.
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    News: The Society of the Four Arts in Palm Beach has named a new president and chief executive officer to replace the retiring Ervin Duggan.
    David Breneman, a professor of economics and public policy at the University of Virginia, will take over the job Jan. 1 from Duggan, who has retired to North Carolina. In addition to serving as dean of UVa’s Curry School of Education and leading the public policy program at the university’s Batten School of Leadership, Breneman has taught at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
He also was president of Kalamazoo College in Michigan for six years, and was a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution from 1975 to 1983.    
    In choosing Breneman, the Four Arts is following in the path set out by Duggan, who was fond of saying that the Four Arts was essentially a small liberal arts college, pointing to its large lineup of Campus on the Lake educational programs (which served almost 8,000 people this past season) and more recently, its opening last year of the Dixon Education Building, a well-appointed home for classrooms, art studios and a demonstration kitchen.
    Breneman’s wife, Donna Plasket, has run UVa’s bachelor’s degree completion program for adults for the past 15 years, and with a background in music and choral conducting, should also fit right in at the Four Arts, which in addition to its educational programs, presents a rewarding of series of concerts and art exhibits during the season.
    With a strong endowment and a history of nearly 80 years, the Four Arts is in a great position to raise its profile and increase its outreach, and Breneman should have the proverbial wind at his back for almost anything he wants to do there.

The Rotary Club of Delray Beach gathered for official business to install its 2014-15 board of directors. ABOVE: (l-r) Anne Bright, Bill Arnst, Ernie Simon, Peter Beck, David Harden, Mike Campbell, Betsy Owen, Jimmy Weatherspoon, Candace Etzler, Alan Kornblau, Harvey Brown, Jess Sowards and Tom Coyne.
Photo provided

Members of Soroptimist International of Boca Raton and Deerfield Beach celebrated their organization’s 54th-annual dinner in special sunset style. Kathi Pease, past governor, installed the officers for the 2014-15 year as former President Kim Champion presented a gift to outgoing President Mariela Montgomery. Special guests included 11 past presidents, three new members and Marie Speed, honorary co-chairwoman of the upcoming Women of Distinction Breakfast. ABOVE: Front row: Marie Speed  (left) and Helen Babione; Back row: (l-r) Pat Reed, Carmen Uceda and Doreen Brittell. Photo provided by Barbara McCormick

Students raised $3,000 to benefit the Brother Mutien-Marie School in Mbalmayo, Cameroon, West Africa, during a contest that saw a teacher kiss a pig. The teacher, Eufrasio Volpe, who heads the Italian Club, did the deed at a pep rally. The pig was on loan from a local farm. Proceeds will pay for annual tuition for 20 children in the remote area. In additional to raising funds for the Cameroon school, Pope John Paul II High School’s student body amassed a record 32,216 community-service hours during the 2013-14 year, with several students exceeding 100 hours. ABOVE: Students with 100-plus community-service hours include (l-r) Jack LaBonte, Mitch Deaunovich, Brian Fallon, Jared Chaloux, Luis Menendez, Stephanie Ferrer, Jonah Fisher, Julie Cruz and Laura McKinney. Photo provided

‘Sea oats are our first line of defense in dune protection,’ Ocean Rescue Chief Tom Mahady says. So six students from Pope John Paul II High School joined Mahady in planting 250 sea oat seedlings. ABOVE: (l-r) Mahady with students Zachary Markle, Jonathan Gray, Christopher Cantazaro, Jonathan Pugh, Tim Morris and Dominic Polimini and marine science teacher Elizabeth Eubanks. View a video from the planting at www.thecoastalstar.ning.com. Photo provided by Glenda Hall

A special evening with special prizes benefited The HARID Conservatory, a professional training school for ballet dancers. Guests enjoyed wine and hors d’oeuvres, along with hair, make-up and skin consultations with aestheticians. ‘We are thrilled that our inaugural event was so well-received and supported by our clients and guests,’ salon owner Shimi Avni said. ABOVE: (l-r) Danny Verrochi, Renee Stern, Hal Fuhrman and Lynn Robins. Photo provided by Janis Bucher

Lily Forte performs with the School of Rock during its 2013 summer tour to the Northeast, which included a show at the Lincoln Memorial. Photo provided

Watch video of Lilly performing

By Amy Woods

    She sang her heart out in front of Mel B, Heidi Klum, Howie Mandel and Howard Stern, wailing about how “Tuesday’s just as bad” in Call It Stormy Monday.
    When she awoke on a recent Thursday, she learned her journey had ended on America’s Got Talent.
    “Being there was just so incredible, and I’m just so happy I got to do it,” Lily Forte said. “I was just so grateful that I got so far in the competition. I got a standing ovation from 3,500 people.”
    The Unity School eighth-grader made it to the popular television show’s Judgment Week as one of 75 teens culled from an initial audition of 75,000. Although her performance of the T-Bone Walker hit did not air on the July 15 episode, she said she received three yeses — from former supermodel Klum, actor and comedian Mandel and radio legend Stern — and one no — from Spice Girl Mel B.
    “It was so cool getting up there because you went up, and there’s all these other contestants, and you feel like an actual, famous star,” Lily said. “It was an awesome experience. It was amazing.”
The multitalented musician had to stay mute about the previously recorded results for nearly two months.
    “I’ve had to keep quiet about it,” Lily said. “I would just say, ‘Stay tuned, stay tuned.’ ”
    She said she didn’t shed a tear and already has booked her next gig.
    “I’m going to be in the Battle of the Bands for Teen Vogue and Rock Religion in Miami,” Lily said. “They found my music on ReverbNation, and they called my mom.”
    One of 12 performers selected for the Aug. 2 show, Lily will sing Rock and Roll by Led Zeppelin — her favorite band — and an original tune titled Too Bad.
    “I wrote the music and the lyrics and everything,” she said of her first song. “It’s kind of mellow, but it has a really great melody to it.”
    Not only does Lily play saxophone in the regular school band and drums in the jazz band, she also serves as lead singer of the School of Rock house band.
She has been singing since age 8.
    “I grew up watching the Disney Channel,” Lily said. “I would always sing along to those songs. I’d sing along to the radio. Then, I started listening to more songs that were not on the radio.”
    She came across a recording she liked, and while it belied her years, she sang John Lennon’s Imagine in the school talent show. It brought down the house.
    Mother Heidi Forte couldn’t be prouder of the opportunities Lily has been afforded.
    “With Lily, it’s like if she’s performing, and someone sees her, there’s something else that always comes out of it,” Forte said. “She is just a unique, different type of singer for her age. A lot of 13-year-olds don’t have that style, that bluesy, jazzy rock that she does.”
    Forte said she has no idea where her daughter got those chops.
    “Not from us,” Forte said of herself and husband, Craig. “Her father and I both love music, but neither one of us sings or plays an instrument. She just has a passion for it and a passion to learn.”

The Plate: The Country Pulled Chicken Sandwich
The Place: M.E.A.T. (Meat Eatery and Taproom), 980 N. Federal Highway, Boca Raton; 419-2600 or www.meateateryboca.com
The Price: $10
The Skinny: We at The Plate have a message for you, gentle readers:
When dining at M.E.A.T., order the fries.
Forget specialty flavors and rubs and salts.
It goes without saying that nobody knows the truffles we’ve seen, at least when it comes to fries.
But these were cooked in duck fat, and that is no canard.
Oh, you can order truffle fries here, but who needs that when duck fat renders a potato that is wonderfully crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside — it’s actually worth all those calories.
And that’s all the better to ponder some of the namesake dishes at M.E.A.T. (that’s short for Meat Eatery and Taproom), chef George Patti’s Islamorada concept that he opened in the lobby of a Wells Fargo bank building.
Consider the pulled chicken: tender bits of gently smoked chicken, tossed with broccolini and banana peppers, and served on a perfectly toasted bun.
It makes a near-perfect meal, and you don’t need any sauces, but you’ll want to taste that house-made ketchup, as well as the sinus-clearing mustard.
It’s all very fresh. Patti says all sausages and bacon are house-made, with seasonal ingredients, and there also is a top-flight beer menu that is sure to have us coming back for more.
— Scott Simmons

Shelley Gilken teaches an Action Karate class to young students in May. Photo provided

By Shelley Gilken

When people think of karate, they often conjure up images of punches, kicks or hand-to-hand combat.
    Those are all part of karate and self-defense, but there are far more important skills that come with learning martial arts.
    Among them: discipline, self-control and confidence.
    These skills come to mind as students prepare to go back to school in the next few days facing uncertainty, the potential for bullying and pressure to fit in and keep up with classmates.
    As a lifelong student of martial arts and a karate instructor for kids, I’ve found that building a student’s confidence is far more important than teaching them how to punch. In many cases, doing the first one reduces the likelihood the child will be in a position to resort to the second.
    Here are five ways to ensure that your child has a smooth transition in this school year.
    Pre-frame. Make sure your children know what bullying is and that you are willing to listen and support them if they raise any concerns. Discuss with your child any concerns they have over the approaching school year.
    Just as an athlete mentally prepares before a game, children should have the mindset that they are about to experience new challenges, relationships and life lessons. Tell them to be prepared for the unexpected and remind them of how they’ve grown from the previous year.
    Practice, practice, practice. Lack of confidence in academic ability can have a lasting effect on the child’s overall confidence. Students who don’t perform well early could end up living with lowered expectations and be more susceptible to a bully’s taunts.
    When it comes to starting a new school year, it may be daunting for a child to go right back into learning a difficult subject without consistent practice. If your child struggles in a subject like math, make sure he/she has a practice workbook and be sure to affirm progress.
    Analyze the previous school year. Every child has academic strengths and weaknesses. Every child has social strengths and weaknesses. Was your child prone to internalize insults or did your child believe in his or her abilities? Figure out what issues there are and how you can build on the strengths, and improve on the weaknesses.
    This is also a great opportunity to set new goals for the upcoming year. Generate a list of measurable goals so the child can be inspired by positive feedback of meeting goals.
    Don’t overload. Karate, gymnastics, soccer, piano. All these activities can be great for child development. However, overloading a child with activities can lead to subpar performance in all activities, including academics, instead of succeeding in one or two. A packed calendar can create fatigued, frazzled children.
    Flexibility in the schedule is also key to allow the child time to initiate free play activities and explore friendships outside of structured environments.
    Start strong. Getting back into a strict routine is difficult for anyone. When school begins, make sure your child’s routine is a system for success. The balanced approach to your children’s time — right from the start — builds healthy habits early that will get them through the tough times.

Shelley Gilken is a freelance writer, a black belt with Action Karate and a part-time karate instructor. Reach her at: littlerockyg@gmail.com.

The Florida Department of Transportation installed 17 pedestrian crossing signs in June along State Road A1A in Boca Raton in the spirit of pedestrian safety.
    The signs were erected on the double yellow lines in the center of A1A at 17 marked, but un-signalized crosswalks between Spanish River Boulevard and the Broward County line, said Jonathan Overton, assistant district traffic operations engineer for FDOT. The project cost approximately $10,000, he said. Overton said FDOT would maintain the signs and replace any if damaged in the future.
    The initiative was championed by Boca Raton Mayor Susan Haynie, who asked City Council members to support the issue in mid-February. Several beach and condo associations had requested the signs out of concern for pedestrian safety, Haynie said.
“Our No. 1 priority is the safety of our residents,” Haynie said. “It provides awareness to drivers and a safer environment for everyone.”
— Sallie James

The Friends of Gumbo Limbo recently awarded $15,000 in Gordon J. Gilbert Scholarships to future scientists and those currently doing research to further the mission of Gumbo Limbo — to increase public awareness of the coastal ecosystem through education, conservation and research endeavors.
Scholarships of $2,500 each were given to Cassie Nicholas and Karyn Saunders of Boca Raton High School and Raymond Truong of Atlantic Community High School. Nicholas will study environmental engineering at the University of South Florida.  Saunders will attend Duke University also studying environmental engineering. Truong will study molecular biology at University of Miami.
Graduate scholarships of $2,500 each were awarded to three local graduate students  doing research that supports the mission of Gumbo Limbo Nature Center.  Karen Pankaew, a master’s candidate at Florida Atlantic University, will receive support for studying the energy loss and impact of disorientation of sea turtle hatchlings because of anthropogenic light pollution/skyglow.
Courtney Cocilova, a Ph.D. candidate, was awarded a scholarship to assist in her research into the impact Red Tide (specifically the metabolising of brevetoxin) has on the long-term health of endangered sea turtles.  
The third graduate scholarship went to Boris Tezak, a Ph.D. candidate investigating the effect of climate change on the sex ratios of leatherback populations in Florida and more effective techniques of identifying sex in leatherback hatchlings.
The scholarship program is named in honor of Gordon J. Gilbert, the founder of the Gumbo Limbo Nature Center. Gilbert was instrumental in protecting the property and acquiring the funding to construct the Gumbo Limbo Nature Center.
— Staff report

By Rich Pollack

    Concerns from residents of a Highland Beach neighborhood about debris in roadways surrounding construction sites has led town officials to take a new approach to reminding workers of the requirements for site housekeeping and parking.
    Within the next few weeks, town building and code enforcement representatives will begin handing out informational placards to general contractors, asking that the cards be distributed to all subcontractors on a job site.   
    The placards, which will have specific requirements spelled out in both Spanish and English, can then be displayed by workers on the dashboards of their vehicles.
    “We don’t have a lot of issues with construction debris, but this is one more step that will help us ensure that everyone is informed and in compliance,” said Highland Beach Police Chief Craig Hartmann, whose officers assist with code enforcement after regular business hours.
    The idea for the dashboard cards surfaced during a meeting last month in which town representatives met with a handful of residents from the Bel Lido Isles neighborhood, who have been complaining about workers in the area not properly cleaning up construction sites and not following parking rules.
    Earlier in the month, Bel Lido Isles resident Peggy Gossett-Seidman went before the town commission to voice concerns about ongoing problems with construction sites in the neighborhood.
    She said one of the major worries for neighbors centers on nails, including roofing nails, left in the roadway that have been blamed for several flat tires.
    It was Gossett-Seidman who came up with the idea for the placards.
    “I definitely think this will help,” she said. “If contractors and subcontractors have the signs in their windshield then they can’t say they don’t know the rules.”
    Proposed requirements for the placards are:
    • Sweep and clean streets twice each day.
    • Sweep and clean the roadway after each dumpster change.
    • Put garbage and foodstuffs in a container separate from construction debris.
    • Park on one side of the street; do not block driveways or side streets.
    • Do not park within 30 feet of a stop sign.
    • Do not park on grass.
    • Provide a flagman when loading or unloading large vehicles.
    The placards, according to Mike Desourcy, the town’s building official, will be distributed to contractors doing major construction or exterior work such as roofing or driveway renovations.
    Desourcy believes that one factor leading to occasional housekeeping complaints from residents living near construction sites may be the economy.
    Not too long ago, he said, contractors could cost-effectively hire someone to ensure that job sites were left clean at the end of the day. But with the most recent economic slowdown and the increased competition for a reduced number of projects during that time, general contractors left the responsibility for housekeeping up to the subcontractors on site.
    Gossett-Seidman said that since her appearance before the town commission and the follow-up meeting with town officials, neighbors have seen housekeeping improvements at nearby construction sites.
    “Having the meeting was a great step forward toward keeping our neighborhood clean and safe,” Gossett-Seidman said. “Everyone came together to come up with solutions.”

By Rich Pollack

    It is a question for the ages, but with a bit of a twist in Highland Beach.
    If a tree falls on the public right of way and no one is around to see it happen, does the adjacent property owner still have to replace it?
    That’s one of the questions Highland Beach town commissioners have been wrestling with as they try to clarify a 1990 municipal ordinance dealing with the question of who is responsible for maintaining landscaping on public rights of way.
    A proposed revision to the ordinance that was brought to commissioners in May would have required adjacent property owners to maintain all landscaping on public rights of way.  But it drew concerns from Commissioner Carl Feldman and was sent back to the drawing board before it could be brought to a vote.
    Feldman questioned whether property owners should be responsible for replacing any of the more than 100 palm trees placed along State Road A1A  by the Florida Department of Transportation and the town in 2007.
    “You can’t park your car on a swale, you can’t put a sign in it, you can’t even put your lawn chair on it,” he said. “So why should you be responsible for the palms if they die?”
    As a result of Feldman’s questions, town attorneys are in the process of redrafting the ordinance, removing responsibility for replacing the trees from the adjacent property owner if the tree dies through no fault of their own. In those cases, the responsibility for removing and replacing the tree, if deemed necessary, would fall on the town’s shoulders.
Attorneys are also planning to add a provision that would absolve adjacent property owners of liability for issues involving trees planted by the state or the town.
    The revised ordinance, according to attorneys, would still require adjacent property owners to maintain landscaping in the public right of way. The ordinance is expected to come before commissioners for final approval within the next few months.

By Jan Norris

The dress codes for fine dining restaurants relax in summer — and so do the prices.
Several dining specials are offered at restaurants throughout the area to make eating out more pleasant despite the humidity. It’s the perfect chance to try out a new restaurant or patronize a favorite that was too crowded in season.
Take advantage of these deals that run typically throughout the off-season. Remember to read the fine print for the specials, as some have restrictions on days or menu items. Prices listed do not include tax and tip —  and most ask that you don’t share.

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The Wedge Salad at 50 Ocean. Photo provided

50 Ocean in Delray Beach kicks off summer with their Chef’s Summer Tasting Menu. It’s three courses for $35, served Sunday through Thursday. Choose from dishes such as lobster bisque or a Mediterranean plate of hummus, olives, feta cheese and pita to start. Main dishes include swordfish with roasted garlic and herb spaetzle; a honey-garlic grilled chicken with roast tomatoes and mushrooms and Florentine risotto; or a skillet-blackened cobia with roast corn puree, and blue crab, apple and fennel slaw. Dessert choices are chocolate lava cake or Key lime parfait. Restrictions apply, but for this menu, all guests at the table are asked to order from the tasting menu.

A similar Chef’s Tasting Menu is available for lunch, with grilled ham and cheese (house-smoked ham and Gruyere), a chicken BLT salad, a vegetarian Mediterranean sandwich or fish and chips available with dessert and starter for $25 per person. The menu is available Monday to Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.; a bonus for really early diners.

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At the Atlantic Grille in the Seagate Hotel, a three-course prix fixe for two is $33 per person, and includes a bottle of the house wine. It’s Sunday through Thursday, and diners order from a menu that changes monthly to include seasonal foods.

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Bistro Chez Jean-Pierre in Palm Beach offers a three-course prix fixe through Nov. 1, Tuesday through Friday, for $45. The menu changes weekly; dishes on a recent menu included a warm onion tart with mixed greens, homemade lobster ravioli with lobster sauce, sauteed fillet of snapper with Provençal sauce over ratatouille, sautéed calf’s liver with onions and mashed potatoes, and traditional coq au vin. Lemon tart, crème brûlée and profiteroles with ice cream and warm chocolate sauce are among desserts.

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Brio Tuscan Grille in Boca Raton is offering an $8.95 Tuscan lunch Monday through Friday; their menu changes weekly and includes items such as rigatoni alla rosmarino, pesto ravioli fra diavolo, mezza sausage, pepperoni and ricotta flatbread with a salad, and chicken pizzaioli.

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Buccan in Palm Beach features a special three-course fried chicken dinner prix-fixe for $35 on Sundays only, with wine specials as well.

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Cafe Boulud will reintroduce its Boulud Sud concept of Mediterranean fare. Photo provided

Daniel Boulud brings back the popular Boulud Sud to Café Boulud for summer dining at the Brazilian Court. Mediterranean fare is served in the courtyard terrace and features dishes such as whole branzino, spiced lamb loin or octopus a la plancha with white beans, piquillo peppers and celery.
Also at Café Boulud, a three-course prix-fixe dinner is $35 per person, and lunch, noon to 2:30, is $20.14. New menu selections include cappellini primavera, or coriander-spiced tuna with red quinoa, or a grilled pork loin with crispy polenta.

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Cafe Frankie’s in Boynton Beach has $2 and $3 drink deals all day, along with half off appetizers 4:30-6:30 p.m. (dine-in only). Pizza specials there are $8.99 and $9.99 for lunch, and for take-out on Monday through Wednesdays.

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Get to Callaro’s Steak House in Lake Worth by 6 p.m., and take advantage of their “First Impressions” dinner: choice of soup or salad, choice of side, a steak entree and dessert, along with a non-alcoholic beverage, for $21.99.  Other entree choices like chops or crab cakes are $19.99 for the deal.

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A number of deals are at Del Frisco’s Grille in Palm Beach, including the 7-7-7 option — seven appetizers for $7 each at the bar till 7 p.m. Pimento-cheese fritters, pulled pork empanadas, deviled eggs and more are on the list. The signature cocktail, Tito’s Classic Island Martini, is $8 during the 7-7-7.

A three-course dinner menu here is $35 — and includes a choice of starters like jumbo lump crab gazpacho, entrees like a 6-ounce filet with potato cake or grilled mahi with sweet shrimp and fingerling potatoes; and yogurt panna cotta or chocolate espresso tart for dessert.

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In Boca Raton, Josef’s Table is offering a $29.95 three-course prix fixe dinner nightly. Entrees include grilled mahi mahi, steak au poivre, wagyu steak frites, Wiener salon goulash, Wiener schnitzel, grilled lamb rack and more.

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It’s lobster on special at Josie’s Ristorante in Boynton Beach, where during summer months, diners can get a whole lobster prepared scampi or fra diavolo style for $15. Sides are extra.

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A five-course dinner, with dishes selected by the chef, is at Jove Kitchen & Bar in the Four Seasons Palm Beach. The $55 meal includes chef’s signature dishes from a menu of appetizers, pasta or risotto, seafoods, meats and desserts. Wine pairings to match the dishes are available for an additional charge. This special runs at Jove through August.

Also at the resort, a summer barbecue on Saturdays and Sundays through Labor Day is served at the Atlantic Bar & Grill. Dishes are $16 to $20 with grilled meats and vegetables with craft beer pairings. And at Graze on the beach, “haute dogs” with global condiments, salads and sides are combined for $20 through July.

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Chinois Chicken Salad from The Little House in Boynton Beach. Photo by Libby Volgyes/LibbyVision.com

Two diners eat for $29 on Tuesdays at The Little House in Boynton Beach. The three-course menu includes dishes like a grilled steak salad or meatloaf sliders and chocolate panna cotta to share, all with a bottle of Mars and Venus merlot. The menu changes occasionally.

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Golden tile fish at Max’s Harvest in Delray Beach. Photo provided

A three-course tasting menu is available for $55 per person, Sundays through Thursdays at Max’s Harvest in Delray Beach. They also offer half off on wines Mondays and Fridays.

A special “Getting Roasted” dinner is set for July 6 — for $45, dinner includes Southern-inspired relish tray, a choice of meats from a whole roasted hog, barbecue brisket or Southern fried chicken, and sides served family style. The dinner includes cobbler and other desserts. Beverages, including spiked tea or sangria, are extra.

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The Office in Delray Beach is known for its burgers. Photo by Joe Woolf

Work out a plan to take in The Office’s dinner specials — they change nightly. And happy hours are expanded to 3-7 p.m. and after 10 p.m. daily. A selection of special cocktails are $10 until October.

The foods line up like this: Monday, it’s barbecue with a variety of ribs, chicken, pulled pork and more on the menu with half-price house drinks and craft beers from 3 p.m. to close. Tuesdays, from 5 p.m. to close, it’s seafood specials with half-price wines ($49 and under bottles) off the list.

Burgers and craft beers are on special Wednesdays, including the monster Office Burger Challenge, a 4-pound dish that could include two burger patties, a waffle, two fried eggs, bacon, cheese and more. If the diner finishes the meal, The Office pays for it. (Restrictions apply.)

Thursdays are surf ’n’ turf with free desserts given with any surf ’n’ turf offering.
New is the Sunday Brunch that began in June, with bottomless brunch drinks (bloody Marys, Bellinis, mimosas and Champagne) for $15.

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At Palm Beach Catch, a choice of items are on the “skinny” prix fixe menu for $29 for dinner. Baby kale and beet salad, mussels, cioppino or filet mignon are among the dishes featured. These are available from 4:30-10 p.m. Monday to Saturday.

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Vic & Angelo’s will offer a BOGO on all pizzas and pastas, including the ravioli. Photo by Joe Woolf

At The Office’s sister restaurant, Vic & Angelo’s, a similar daily special list is available. Mondays it’s half-off all wine and cannolis. Tuesdays, it’s BOGO on pizzas and pastas. Wednesdays, a prime rib dinner with salad and mashed potatoes and dessert is $24.95 per person. Thursdays, lobster notte features 1-pound Maine lobsters with sides and desserts for $24.95 per person.

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Several Palm Beach restaurants are participating in the $20.14 annual promotion for lunch, including Renato’s, Bice Ristorante, Café Via Flora and Ta-Boó.

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 And let’s all scream for ice cream on Tuesdays. Buy a cone or cup at Hoffman’s Chocolates, and get one of the same or lesser value free. This deal ends Aug. 12, and is available at all Hoffman’s South Florida shops.

If You Go

50 Ocean, 50 S. Ocean Blvd., Delray Beach; 278-3364; 50ocean.com
The Atlantic Grille in Seagate Hotel, 1000 E. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach; 655-4800; theseagatehotel.com
Bice Ristorante, 313 Worth Ave., Palm Beach; 835-1600; palmbeach.bicegroup.com
Bistro Chez Jean Pierre, 132 N. County Road, Palm Beach; 833-1171
Brio Tuscan Grill, 5050 Town Center Circle, Boca Raton; 392-3777; brioitalian.com
Buccan, 350 S. County Road, Palm Beach, 833-3450; buccanpalmbeach.com
Café Boulud, 301 Australian Ave., Palm Beach; 655-6060, cafeboulud.com
Cafe Frankie’s, 640 E. Ocean Ave., Boynton Beach; 732-3834 (no website)
Café Via Flora, 240 Worth Ave., Palm Beach; 514-4959; cafeviaflora.com
Callaro’s Steak House, 717 Lake Ave., Lake Worth; 588-9730; callarossteakhouse.com
Del Frisco’s Grille, 340 Royal Poinciana Way, Palm Beach; delfriscosgrille.com
Four Seasons Palm Beach, 2800 S. Ocean Blvd., Palm Beach; 582-2800; fourseasons.com/palmbeach/
Hoffman’s Chocolate Shoppe, 5250 Town Center Circle, Boca Raton; 750-0021; and 705 Lake Ave., Lake Worth, 766-2517; hoffmans.com
Josef’s Table, 5030 Champion Blvd., Boca Raton; 353-2700; josefstable.com
Josie’s Ristorante, 1602 S. Federal Highway, Boynton Beach; 364-9601; josiesristorante.com
The Little House, 480 E. Ocean Blvd., Boynton Beach; 420-0573; thelittlehousebb.com
Max’s Harvest, 169 NE Second Ave., Delray Beach; 381-9970; maxsharvest.com
The Office, 201 E. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach; 888-507-7463; theofficedelray.com
Palm Beach Catch, 251 Sunrise Ave., Palm Beach; 655-5558; pbcatch.com
Renato’s, 87 Via Mizner, Palm Beach; 655-9752; renatospalmbeach.com
Ta-boó, 221 Worth Ave., Palm Beach; 835-3500; taboorestaurant.com
Vic & Angelo’s, 290 E. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach; 844-842-2632; vicandangelos.com

By Shelley Gilken

    The first piece of art children typically focus on at the Boca Museum of Art is in the lobby. Towering over all, teetering toward the ceiling, is a statue of 13 oversized teacups and five saucers — with a teakettle on top.
    The sculpture by Julio Larraz, titled Space Station, is reminiscent of the dancing silverware in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast.
    “Hardly a child six and under isn’t photographed by their parents at the cup and saucers,” said the museum’s interim director, Irvin Lippman.
    And so the child’s foray into exploring the art world at the museum begins. Over the summer, there ís another incentive to visit: With the help of a grant, it’s free on Thursdays. A summer-long free day is a concept practiced at many museums around the country. Another example is the Norton Museum of Art in West Palm Beach, which also offers free Thursdays in the summer.
    “We want to open it to the broadest audience possible,” Lippman said.
    Going to an art museum provides parents with an opportunity to enjoy an indoor activity while also introducing their children to the imaginative world of art.
    “In a society where everything is digitized and we feel we can get everything on the Internet — there’s something about seeing art in a museum setting. There’s something quite different when you stand before a work that is 15 feet tall,” said Lippman. “It’s something you can’t experience when you’re looking at your phone or tablet.”
    Lippman said a tour through the museum typically takes an hour or so. Many children visit the museum over the summer as part of organized art camps or art school, but it can also be a destination for parents who want to introduce their children to art — beginning with the youngest “when they recognize colors,” Lippman said.
    The museum features collections of 19th and 20th century European paintings, American art, prints and drawings, photography, modern art, West African tribal art and Asian art.
    Lippman said a popular exhibit at the museum for children is the sculpture garden.
    “You become part of the sculpture garden. The art comes off the walls and you walk through it,” Lippman said.
    But one of the more enlightening types of art children can learn about at the museum isn’t in one of those collections. It is the art of conversation.         “You are having to describe what it is you see, and that’s an important thing for all of us to learn. It is great if people talk about what they see. We encourage that,” Lippman said.
    Lippman said that asking open-ended questions invites a child to experience the art and really think about and communicate his or her artistic preferences.
    “Ask them. What work would you like to take home with you? Why? Because it is shiny or colorful?” Lippman said. “Everyone, whether you’re young or old, is going to have a different favorite work of art. You don’t have to like everything, but it’s always interesting to talk about it.”
    And once a child starts talking about the characteristics of art pieces, it could spark even greater interest in the long run. “It is the start of connoisseurship,” Lippman said.

The Crest Theatre will present A Chorus Line and is offering free dance workshops for community cast members.
Photo provided

By Thom Smith

So much for slow summers. But then full timers know that South Florida is not just a great place to visit, it’s a great place to live … all year. From Lake Worth to Boca, the joint continues to jump. And as it heats up, there are plenty of opportunities to cool down with hot films, live music and stage shows.

                              ***
Its food is more than enough, but for years the ultra-hip Dada in Delray has regaled guests with poets and pundits. Now it shows open-air double features every Sunday. A little bit of everything from silent classics to blockbusters. Anyone for Potemkin and Sink the Bismarck!?

                               ***
                              
    More movies, new and classics, are offered Wednesdays at 4 and 7:30 p.m. across the street at the Crest Theatre in the Delray Beach Center for the Arts. This month’s lineup includes The Godfather, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Blazing Saddles, Nebraska and Led Zeppelin: The Song Remains the Same.
    Of course, the Crest doesn’t just show movies. A Chorus Line will play Dec. 5-14 directed and choreographed by Kimberly Dawn Smith. A member of the original Broadway cast, she’s one of a few professionals anointed by the show’s creator, Michael Bennett, to mount the show, including a run in Fort Lauderdale in 1987.
    Auditions for the non-Equity production were held in April, but some roles have not yet been cast. So on July 13, 14, 20, 21, 27 and 28, Smith will conduct free dance workshops to allow those already cast to get “dance ready” and those wishing to be cast to get “audition ready.”  Contact MNMprods@gmail.com.
                              

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    If you like award-winning films from around the globe and like to watch them on a big screen, and I don’t mean 50-inch, check out Shelly Isaacs’ Cafe Cinematheque at Movies of Delray or Movies of Lake Worth. Since Isaacs doesn’t announce the titles until three days before screening, advance planning is difficult, but movie buffs who remember the art theaters in the days before multiplexes shouldn’t mind. Check it out at www.moviesofdelray.com.
                              

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    Did you know FAU has a movie house? You won’t find X-Men or Superman at the Living Room Theaters, but you can see Mike Myers’ Supermensch: The Legend of Shep Gordon, or a two-parter of Shakespeare’s Henry IV. Add a European-style cafe and a lounge, panini instead of popcorn, microbrews instead of giant colas, gelato instead of Cracker Jack. Plus every Sunday morning at 10, veteran TV producer and Emmy nominee Larry Ferber, who ran the Palm Beach Jewish Film Festival, hosts advance screenings for Living Room’s Movie Club. (FAU.livingroomtheaters.com)

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    Speaking of festivals, the first Boca Black Film Festival comes to the Boca Marriott, July 17-19. Picking up where the defunct Miami Black Film Fest left off, “Boca Black” is the creation of writer and filmmaker Lizabeth Martin. Since she’s a professor at Palm Beach State College, she’s also created a fast-track prep school for aspiring movie makers, with seminars on such topics as copyright protection, acting basics and product placement.  (www.bocablackfilm.org)

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    Nothing academic, however, about Swedefest Palm Beach. Nothing to do with Bergmann or Max Von Sydow, either — it’s the ultimate in bad. “Swedes” are three-minute, no-budget remakes of Hollywood films that will be screened at the Borland Center at Midtown in Palm Beach Gardens on Aug. 2. Tickets are $8 in advance, $9 at the door. A limited number of VIP tickets come with special seating and a VIP lanyard. (swedefestpalmbeach.com)

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    Delray Square Cinema, at the northeast corner of Military Trail and Atlantic, was one of two multiplexes in town where the projectors went dark this year. But the well-traveled Gary Waldman and Jamison Troutman saw the light. In February, “Cinema” became “Performing Arts Center,” opening with Sounds of Simon, their tried-and-true musical based on Paul Simon’s songs. Now they’re back with another musical with New York underpinnings, The Life. A bit saltier than Simon, this chronicle of Times Square in the ’70s and ’80s plays at least through July 27.

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    The titles for the first two productions of the 2014-15 season for the Delray Beach Playhouse’s Studio Theatre certainly pique local interest: Lunch at Costco and Condo Mania. One involves gossip over a 12-roll pack of paper towels and the other examines unexpected events between water aerobics and mahjong at La Vida Boca-Delray. The first main-stage production (Oct. 11-26) will be a bit edgier … Wait Until Dark. (delraybeachplayhouse.com)

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    Up in Manalapan, Plaza Theatre will be filled with town sounds — Wonderful Town, On the Town, West Side Story — with Bernstein on Broadway (July 10-27), while around the corner at its new cabaret, John Lariviere will perform the songs of Johnny Mercer (July 12, 14, 19 and 21 at 7:30, and July 13 and 20 at 5).
                              
    Due to popular demand …
    Across the bridge and I-95, the School Board has magnetized Boynton Beach High School with an arts program for 300 students who want to pursue intense instruction in dance, music and theater. The board hopes the program will provide an opportunity for South County students who passed auditions for Dreyfoos School of the Arts but missed out in the lottery for available desks.

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    No need for FAU performing arts students to leave campus in search of summer gigs: They have Festival Rep, a performance series that highlights the school’s stellar theater and music programs.
    August: Osage County, a play by Tracy Letts before it became a movie, continues through July 26 at the Studio One Theatre while Bonnie & Clyde, a musical drama that played Broadway in late 2011, runs July 5-27 in the University Theatre. Also at the UT: 352 Keys: Piano Gala Extravaganza! Aug. 1 and big band concerts by the FAU Swing Era Jazz Band, Aug. 2 and 3. (www.fauevents.com)

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    Peripatetic pop/folk/rocker Rod MacDonald has headed north for the summer, but not before finishing two new albums. Later That Night, 16 solo songs recorded in legendary Woodstock, was released May 1, followed by Big Tent with Bob Dylan cover band Big Brass Bed — 12 rock covers, including six Dylan songs and three by Rod.
    Rod returns in mid-August. He’ll play The Living Room in Boynton on the 15th, and in October, he’ll resume his lectures/concerts at FAU’s Lifelong Learning Center.

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Latin percusssionist Tito Puente Jr. headlines at the Arts Garage for two shows, July 18-19. Photo provided

                         
    At ArtsGarage, Ring of Fire, The Johnny Cash Musical, runs through July 17 and on nights when Cash doesn’t walk the line, catch the likes of jazz guitarist Nate Najar (July 5), Jazzrats (July 17), Tito Puente Jr. (July 18, 19), fusion guitarists Aaron Lebos (July 25) and Diego Figueiredo with Rose Max (July 26), jazz pianist Gianni Luciano Bianchini (July 31) and more of the same into the fall. (artsgarage.org)

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    Boca’s Town Center may have lost Legal Seafood, but on June 9 it picked up Shrimp House, the third in a chain run by Brazil-based Vivenda do Camarao. The grand opening attracted 200 guests including Boca Mayor Susan Haynie and Brazil’s consul general to Miami, Helio Ramos. Vivenda President Carlo Barbieri hopes to be in 30 Florida malls by the end of 2015.

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    The folks who run The Backyard in Boynton Beach refuse to be deterred by a tragedy last year that stunned regulars at the open-air bar and nightspot. Owner Jimmy Hall has some big moves in store for properties he owns along North Federal.
    “We want to bring business to a city that has the potential and the drive to be another Delray or Boca,” Backyard GM Matt King said. A beauty salon and a dog groomer have already moved in. Coming soon: The Hangar, a steakhouse that resembles an old airplane hangar.
    The March 2013 incident finally has seen some resolution. Brothers Vakhtang and Alexandre Magradze were seen offering to buy drinks for two women customers and became abusive when they were refused. When another customer, Ryan Gill, tried to assist the women, Vakhtang Magradze allegedly stabbed him repeatedly. He also allegedly stabbed two employees and attacked a responding police officer. Gill died at Bethesda Hospital.
    The brothers, citizens of the Republic of Georgia, were arrested. Alexandre was charged with disorderly conduct and posted bond. Vakhtang was jailed on a second-degree murder charge. Trial was set for last September, then postponed as competency tests were ordered.
    Finally on May 9, based on reports from two court-appointed psychiatrists, Judge Joseph Marx ruled that Vakhtang was not competent to stand trial. Marx committed him to the Treasure Coast Forensic Treatment Center in Indiantown, which houses and treats individuals with psychological and competency problems. The center, incidentally, is run by the controversial for-profit GEO Group in Boca Raton.
    Magradze’s status will be reviewed in November.

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    From bummer to beautiful. Robert Thompson just wanted some dinner with some fellow vets at the Old Key Lime House in Lantana. But an assistant manager, who didn’t differentiate between gang colors and Thompson’s “Legion Riders” vest, was curt: Take it off or leave, house rules.
    The 20-year Navy vet protested, was rebuffed and finally removed the vest and ate. But later he took his case to Facebook and within hours, sympathizers had posted a “Protest Key Lime House in Lantana, FL” page and were organizing drive-by protests at the popular restaurant. The restaurant’s management quickly offered an apology … and much more. Old Key Lime House and cycle-riding attorney Gabriel Cabrera each donated $500 to Heroes Entering Life’s Opportunities Foundation and to Military Heroes Support Foundation. A date hasn’t been set, but Old Key Lime House will host a special event and donate $5 to vet support groups for each attending veteran and supporter.
    Restaurant manager Katherine Kenyon used the “teachable moment” to educate staffers and review the house rules: The “no colors” sign is gone; all guests are welcome as long as they behave. As for that assistant manager: he was suspended… without pay.

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    Extra! Extra! Read all about it! Newsmax, the West Palm Beach-based conservative rival to Fox News, has taken over 50,000 square feet of the 750@Park building in the Boca Park of Commerce to house its cable TV operations. As the fall campaign picks up steam and candidates seek good press and endorsements, traffic is certain to pick up from Boca Airport to the new digs. And it’s possible, after leaving the airport, to make the trip with only right turns.

Thom Smith is a freelance writer. Contact him at thomsmith@ymail.com.

The Plate: Turkey Philly
The Place: Scully’s Restaurant, 2005 S. Federal Highway, Boynton Beach; 733-4782 or scullysrestaurant.com
The Price: $7.99
The Skinny: We love the Greek salads at Scully’s, and heaven knows owner Kevin Scully rightfully is proud of the Scullyburger.
But when we’re hungry for comfort fare, we like to stop in for Scully’s Turkey Philly.
The chefs at Scully’s grill sliced turkey with slices of green peppers and onions, then serve them on a hoagie roll with lots of melted provolone cheese.
Be sure to ask for extra napkins. Trust us — you’ll need them.
Just like you need this version of the Philly.
— Scott Simmons

     See Floating Cat, a 2011 work of Washi Paper and wire by Kyoko Hazama, at the Morikami Museum. Photo provided

By Greg Stepanich

     Palm Beach Dramaworks, which opened its summer series of musicals presented in concert form in June with Kander and Ebb’s Zorba!, this month tackles Frank Loesser’s The Most Happy Fella. It’s the story of a May-December mail-order romance between an older Italian immigrant Napa Valley grape farmer named Tony —played by William Michals — and a much younger waitress named Rosabella — played by Jessica Hershberg.

    This is one of those scores that inspires die-hard devotion from theater fans, in part because of lovely things like Somebody, Somewhere and catchy numbers such as Big D and Standing on the Corner, which was a pop hit after the show’s premiere in 1956. A revival in April in New York’s City Center Encores series won raves from critics, and the notion that Loesser’s score is much like an opera was much mooted about.
    “It’s often been compared to opera, and has been labeled as opera by some,” said William Hayes, Dramaworks’ producing artistic director. “It’s extremely challenging music, and this is another case in which we can demonstrate that we have a lot of supreme local talent that is up to the task.”
    Those performers include Jim Ballard, as the handsome but restless Joe, Laura Hodos as Rosabella’s sassy friend Cleo, Jeni Hacker as Tony’s sister, Marie, and Shane Tanner as Cleo’s love interest, Herman. New York-based actors Michals and Hershberg, will take the lead roles.

“William has one of the best, if not the best, baritone voices I have ever heard in my career,” said Hayes, who added that Michals’ performance last year as Don Quixote in the Dramaworks concert version of The Man of La Mancha sold out. Hershberg, currently understudying Ella in the Broadway revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella, was an instant choice for the role.
    “When we saw her, we said, ‘She’s the one,’” Hayes said. “She was able to get some time off to do this project, and she was so excited about the opportunity to sing this material.”
    Most Happy Fella’s story of an older man and younger woman who both have endured disappointments in love offers a more grown-up take on life than a standard boy-meets-girl story, which adds to its appeal. And doing it in concert form allows the audience to concentrate on the words and music, and in some ways that provides for a richer experience, Hayes said.
    “Often, these concerts pack a bigger punch than a full production, because you’re just zoning in on the story and not getting lost in the spectacle,” he said. The singers will be accompanied by two pianos, along with video projections.
    Hayes said that Dramaworks’ shift to concert versions of musicals from the stage productions they had previously mounted in the summer has not only been a money-saver, it also has brought in a different audience. Polls of audience members showed that 50 percent to 60 percent of the concert musical attendees had not been to Dramaworks before, he said, which led him to realize that “this is a concert crowd, this is not necessarily a theater crowd,” he said. “People want music. Yes, we’re telling a story; yes, we’re reading the scripts, but this is attracting a broader audience.”
Clive Cholerton directs The Most Happy Fella, which previews July 17 and runs for 12 performances through July 28. Other cast members include Stephanie White, Abby Perkins, Ken Clement, Oscar Cheda, Bill Adams, Roland Rusinek and Anthony Zoeller. Tickets are $40; call 514-4042, or visit www.palmbeachdramaworks.org.
                              

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    The lure of paper: The mysterious force of arts news that brings two of the same kinds of events together in separate places at the same time is active again this month in two visual art exhibits devoted to paper, or more specifically, the artworks that can be created from it.
    In one of these events, the Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens in west Delray Beach is hosting a remarkable small exhibit (From a Quiet Place) featuring the work of the contemporary Japanese artist Kyoko Hazama. She has taken a kind of traditional paper called washi and made delightful little scenes out of it, mostly featuring a Japanese girl in the company of extraordinary animals in routine-but-bizarre situations.
    In one, titled Room, the girl lounges on a green chair in a room filled otherwise with three musk oxen. In another, Bathroom, she sits naked in front of a bathtub, next to a wooden crane’s nest complete with crane, while a beaver in the tub munches her hair. In still another, Kickstand, she does a takeoff on a 13th-century Japanese drawing of animals frolicking Wind in the Willows-style; here, frogs and kangaroos sit amid piles of cellphone detritus.  
    It comes as quite a contrast to the other exhibit next door, which is an impressive collection of very old samurai gear, including 12th-century katanas and 17th-century suits of armor.
Hazama’s work makes its mark not only through its whimsy and quirkiness, but in the artist’s exceptional attention to detail. The Hazama and samurai exhibits run through Aug. 31 at the Morikami; call 561-495-0233. Tickets are $14.
    Back in Delray Beach proper, the Delray Beach Center for the Arts offers From Ordinary to Extraordinary: Paper as Art through Aug. 24 at the lovely, cool Cornell Museum. The show, curated by Melanie Johansen, features 75 works by 16 artists, including local standouts such as Bruce Helander and David Orr Wright.
    The non local artists in the show include Houston’s Cara Barer, who makes beautiful sculptures from old books and then takes photographs of them, and Cuban-born Alex Queral, who crafts arresting portraits of people by carving their faces out of a phone book. Admission to the Cornell is just $5. Call 243-7922 for more information.
    Both the Morikami and Cornell exhibits are the kinds of shows that will have you thinking about how a good artist can make compelling work out of just about anything.
                              

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The Palm Beach Chamber Music Festival returns this month, with concerts at three venues. Look for an additional season this fall. Photo by Rocky Helderman

    Chamber festival returns: Although the Palm Beach Chamber Music Festival has been a staple hereabouts for more than two decades, it’s actually an expanded organization these days because of its winter-season concerts.
    Beginning last year with performances at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Lake Worth and the Wold Performing Arts Center at Lynn University in Boca Raton, the group will continue this year with another series of winter concerts at St. Andrew’s, Lynn’s smaller Amarnick-Goldstein Concert Hall, and a third venue: the Lighthouse ArtCenter in Tequesta.
    Michael Forte, clarinetist and co-founder of the festival, said he took part in a workshop version of Ben Moore’s opera Enemies, which in its final form will have its world premiere next February at Palm Beach Opera, at Lighthouse and thought it would “be a great place to do chamber music.”
    Officials there agreed, and concerts there will be part of the winter series beginning in September, restoring the north county to the festival’s usual outreach.
    “All of our Eissey audience was sort of left out in the cold for our fall series,” said flutist and festival co-founder Karen Dixon. (The third co-founder is bassoonist Michael Ellert.)
    “Some of our Eissey audience even drove down to St. Andrew’s,” Forte added during a chatty lunch last month at a West Palm Beach eatery. “So this will make it a little easier for them, and it’s part of our mission statement to reach all of Palm Beach County.”
    But programs are still in process for those concerts, and this month, it’s the summer ones that occupy our attention. Beginning July 3, a day before the holiday, the festival opens its 23rd season with its usual four weekends of chamber music, on Friday, Saturday and Sunday except for the first week (the Fourth falls on a Friday). As ever, the concerts are in three different parts of the county:
    Friday nights are at Persson Hall on the campus of Palm Beach Atlantic University; Saturday nights, the group plays at the Eissey Campus Theatre at Palm Beach State College in Palm Beach Gardens. Both Friday and Saturday night concerts begin at 7:30 p.m. Sunday’s concerts are at the Crest Theatre at the Delray Beach Center for the Arts, and begin at 2 p.m.
    And as always, the players have chosen excellent but underperformed music for most of the concerts, which will run through July 27.  The first concert features music by two British composers, Malcolm Arnold (Trio for Flute, Viola and Bassoon) and Herbert Howells (Rhapsodic Quintet for clarinet and string quartet), and closes with the Septet No. 2 (in C, Op. 114) of Johann Nepomuk Hummel, a contemporary of Beethoven whose Trumpet Concerto is still standard repertoire. Hummel’s septet, subtitled Military, is scored for flute, clarinet, trumpet, violin, cello, bass and piano.
The Oboe Quartet (in F, K. 370) of Mozart and the Sextet (in C, Op. 37) of Ernst von Dohnanyi are showcased on the second series (July 11-13) of concerts, which also feature music by British composer and conductor Eugene Goossens (Suite for Flute, Violin and Harp) and France’s Alexis Roland-Manuel (Suite in the Spanish Style for oboe, bassoon, trumpet and piano.) A large early 19th-century French work, Georges Onslow’s Nonet (in A minor, Op. 77) closes the third program (July 18-20), which also contains Schubert’s Quartettsatz (in D minor, D. 703), French flutist and composer Paul Taffanel’s Wind Quintet, and a trio sonata for trumpet, violin and piano by the contemporary American composer James Stephenson.
    The final concerts (July 25-27) open with Villa-Lobos’ Fantaisie-Concertante for clarinet, bassoon and piano, followed by a quintet for flute, harp and string trio by Jean Françaix, and Manuel de Falla’s well-known, much-arranged Suite of Old Spanish Songs, heard here for trumpet and piano. The season closes with the String Quartet No. 3 (in D, Op. 44, No. 1) of Felix Mendelssohn.
    In short, a lot of unfamiliar-but-worthy music there. “But there’s nothing crazy this year, nothing too out of bounds,” Forte said.
    “We like to say that we’ve trained our audiences, because they know to trust us at this point,” Dixon said. Forte adds: “They buy the series because they know there’s going to be something they like, even if it’s something they never heard before.”
    And it will be performed by a cadre of veteran musicians who come back year after year to perform in the series. A couple of musicians who have been away from the festival, such as hornist Ellen Tomasiewicz, will be back this summer, a fact that pleases Dixon and Forte, who are looking forward to playing with old colleagues again.
    While another recording to add to its catalog of six is for now an unlikely event (Kickstarter, anyone?), the festival looks certain to continue steadily into the future. After all, 2016 will mark the 25th summer, a perfect chance to mark it with something special such as a world premiere of a new work.
    “I do think about it once in a while,” Forte said. “But we haven’t talked about it yet.”
    Tickets are $25 apiece, or $85 for the four-concert series. Call 800-330-6874 or visit www.pbcmf.org to buy tickets or get more information.

The Junior League of Boca Raton kicked off its 2014 Woman Volunteer of the Year luncheon by announcing Saks Fifth Avenue will serve as sponsor of the fashion-show portion of the 27th-annual event, set for Nov. 7 at Boca West Country Club. Stacey Bendet’s Alice + Olivia line will be featured. ABOVE: Luncheon Chairwomen Kirsten Stephenson (left) and Yvette Drucker.
Photo provided