Sex and Laughter in "Inherent Vice"

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Joaquin Phoenix Gets Groovy in "Inherent Vice"

By Skip Sheffield

Far out man!

Stumble back into the early 1970s with Joaquin Phoenix and “Inherent Vice.”

Thomas Pynchon is noted for his dense, baffling novels such as “Gravity’s Rainbow,” “Crying of Lot 49” and “V.” I stumbled upon Pynchon as a college student and became entranced with his obvious intelligence, humor and total weirdness.

I never read “Inherent Vice,” which was published in 2009, but I recognize Pynchon’s weirdness and extreme intelligence in the character of Larry “Doc” Sportello, played by another celebrated weird guy, Joaquin Phoenix. Sportello is a private eye in Los Angeles in 1970, living in a seaside community very much like Manhattan Beach. Why he is called Doc is never explained, but that’s Pynchon for you.

Phoenix grew huge muttonchop sideburns for his character and his attitude is that of a typical Southern California stoner, always in a marijuana haze.

The setup for the story is a visit by an ex-girlfriend Shasta, played by Katherine Waterston. I was nor familiar with British-born Katherine Waterston, but let me put it bluntly: she is one beautious babe.

The fictional Shasta is involved with a slimy developer, Mickey Wolfmann (Eric Roberts, who does slime very well).

Mickey will disappear, but we will see him again, as we will Shasta. Meanwhile Doc gets a legitimate job from Hope Harlingen (Jena Malone), a former junkie who wants Doc to find her AWOL musician husband Coy (Owen Wilson, who always seems stoned even if he is completely sober).

This is a seventh feature for director Paul Thomas Anderson, who wrote the screenplay. It is the funniest, sexiest movie he has done since "Boogie Nights" back in 1997. The film abounds in celebrity cameos and bizaare names, such as Martin Short as Japonica Fenway and Maya Rudolph as Petunia Leeway. Reece Witherspoon is at her deadpan best as Deputy District Attorney Penny Kimball and Josh Brolin is a hoot as a literally square-headed Lt. Det. Christian F. Bjornsen, known as "Bigfoot." What a long, strange trip it is.

A Very Musical "Stars of David"

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All Hail “The Stars of David”

By Skip Sheffield

It is no secret that Jewish people are disproportionately represented in movies and entertainment. That fact is celebrated in the musical revue “Stars of David,” running through Jan. 4 in the Amaturo Theatre of Broward Center for the Arts. The show will play Kravis Center in West Palm Beach Feb. 17-March 15.
The show is based on a book by Abigail Pogrebin and conceived by Aaron Harnick. It stars two of South Florida’s most popular Jewish entertainers: Avi Hoffman and Patti Gardner, and two relative newcomers, Cassie Levine and Mike Westrich.
It is not just entertainers who are the “Stars of David,” it is political figures, lawyers, scientists and financiers. It is no secret that Jewish people tend to be over-achievers. It is a kind of survival mechanism.
The songs of “David” are by a variety of composers; some little-known (Gaby Alter, Abigail Pogrebin and Gordon Greenberg) and others famous (David Shire, Richard Maltby, Jr. and Michael Feinstein). The songs are clever and witty, and except for the theme song “Stars of David,” they are aimed at specific Jewish personalities such as Leonard Nimoy, Aaron Sorkin, Joan Rivers, Norman Lear, Fran Drescher and Gloria Steinem. One of the funniest songs, “Who Knew Jew,” is dedicated to Gwyneth Paltrow. No, I didn’t know. Gwyneth looks as goy as me. Then again one of the most famous and beloved Jews who is not included in this show is Paul Newman, who certainly is one of the most handsome Jewish actors in history. Woody Allen isn’t included either. He may not be as handsome as Newman, but he has made millions of people laugh.
The more I have learned about Jewish people and the older I get, the more my admiration for “the chosen people” has grown. The deal was sealed when I was invited by Ben-Gurion University back in 2008 to visit the State of Israel. The miracles that have been accomplished in that desert country are astounding. I saw first-hand how Israelites live in a constant state of preparedness for surprise attacks, yet go on about their everyday life as if everything was perfectly normal. The scientists and educators of Israel who make medical and technological breakthroughs on a regular basis are to me the true “Stars of David.”
Tickets are $45. Call 800-745-3000 or go to www.ticketmaster.com or wwwbrowardcenter.org.

Once Again "Into the Woods"

“Into the Woods” for the Umpteenth Time

By Skip Sheffield

“Into the Woods” is not my favorite Stephen Sondheim musical. After about the tenth time of hearing the refrain “Into the Woods” repeated I get tired of it. I get it. All kinds of stuff happens in Grimm Fairy Tales’ weird woods.

On the other hand the movie version of “Into the Woods” has a killer cast; not the least of which is Meryl Streep at her witchiest. I could watch the many moods of Meryl all day long. She is clearly relishing playing the bad girl; the wicked witch.

On the other hand we have Johnny Depp, camping it up as the big, bad wolf. For one thing Depp is not big. And in his silly makeup he is about as threatening as a housecat.

The rest of the “Woods” is a mixed bag. I liked little Red Riding Hood, played by newcomer Lilla Crawford. I loved Anna Kendrick’s Cinderella, who figures in all the tales.

In the stage musical the Baker (James Corden) and his wife (Emily Blunt) are central to both the comedy and the pathos of James Lapine’s script. To my mind Emily Blunt can do no wrong, and as the childless wife cursed by the Witch, she tugs at the heart strings.

Also recurring in the story is Jack (Daniel Huttlestone) of beanstalk and giant fame, and Rapunzel (Mackenzie Mauzy), who lets down her hair to let up her lover.

“Into the Woods” is directed by Rob Marshall, who fared much better with the screen version of “Chicago.” In his defense “Woods” is a much more dense, complicated show. It looks amazing for the most part, but for me the definitive version stars one Bernadette Peters as the Witch and Joanna Gleason as the Baker's Wife.

"Unbroken" an Earnest, Noble Tribute

By Skip Sheffield

You can’t fault Angelina Jolie for bad intentions. “Unbroken” is as noble a film as we have seen in years, and it’s all true.
“Unbroken” is the story of Louis Zamperini, an Olympic track star whose B-24 bomber was shot down over the Pacific in World War II. After surviving 47 days at sea in a rubber raft, Zamperini was captured by Japanese and sent to an internment camp, where he spent two and a half tortuous years.
Angelina Jolie directs and championed this film, for which Ethan and Joel Coen wrote the screenplay. The Coen brothers are best known for dark, funny, offbeat films such as "Fargo" and "The Big Lebowski."
"Unbroken" is as earnest and serious as you can get. Thereby lies the problem. It's not very exciting. Sure, it starts off with a bang with the desperate last moments before Zamperini's plane plunged into the sea. But then we flash back to Zamperini's high school years and the ethnic slurs he suffered for being Italian. It seems almost quaint now, but the discrimination against Zamperini just made him stronger.
Jack O'Connell, who neither looks nor sounds Italian, plays Louis Zamperini. He is a very good-looking guy, which might be one of the reasons Jolie cast him.
The other major player in a war of wills is Takamasa Ishihara as Zamperelli's Japanese tormento

r, Mutsushiro Watanbe. One of the most satisfying things about "Unbroken" is the depiction of the grudging admiration that grows between the two enemies.
Louis Zamperelli wasn't the only American hero of World War II. There were thousands of them. It is good to honor them while they remain alive. One by one "The Greatest Generation" is dying off. I salute Angelina Jolie for saluting them.

Boca Symphonia Rocks!

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Classical Music Alive and Well in Boca Raton

By Skip Sheffield

Boca Symphonia rocks!
No, really. The Symphonia Boca Raton plays classical music, but they are not your grandmother’s orchestra.
Violinist David Kim was on the podium for the first concert of the Symphonia’s tenth season, Dec. 21 at Roberts Theatre, St. Andrew’s School. Kim is concertmaster of the Philadelphia Orchestra; a post he has held since 1999. Kim conducts with his violin, not a baton. I couldn’t help but notice he did not have sheet music but an Ipad. Later he told the audience that he has gotten with the program and moved from printed paper to electronic device. This does not mean Kim rejects the past. He plays a 1757 Guarneri violin owned by the Philadelphia Orchestra. He cheerfully admits it is worth more than $1 million.  I love it when musicians talk about their instruments. Guarneri is second only to Stradivarius in value and mystique. In Kim’s hands it doesn’t really matter. He is a master player, as he so readily demonstrated in the first selection of a Baroque program: Corelli’s Concerto Grosso, Op. 6, No. 8. Big it was, indeed.
Even more of a treat was J.S. Bach’s Concerto for Two Violins in D minor, featuring Mei Mei Luo toe-to-toe with David Kim.
The music of J.S. Bach is devilishly complex, but to Kim and Luo it was child’s play. In addition to being a fine player, Luo throws her whole body into expressing the music, which reminds us there is so substitute for hearing music live.
Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons” is what music snobs like to call a “warhorse.” I’ll get up on that horse and ride it any time, as the Boca Symphonia made as fresh as it was when composed in 1717.
People worry about the decline of classical music. The good news is it is alive and well and living in Boca Raton. The next concert is Jan. 11, with Gerard Schwarz on the podium and a program of Strauss, Saint-Saens, Mahler/Britten and the mighty Beethoven. Call 866-687-1201 or go to www.thesympnonia.org.

Rough, Tough Reese Rules "Wild"

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Rough, Tough Reese Rules

By Skip Sheffield

Reese Witherspoon rules!
Who knew this tiny, pretty, girly-girl was such a warrior woman? I sure didn’t until I saw “Wild,” which Witherspoon produced and stars in as Cheryl Strayed.
Strayed was a troubled woman who dropped out of everyday life and embarked on a 1,100-mile hike, which she chronicled in her memoir “Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Coast Trail.” British novelist Nick Hornby (“About a Boy”) adapted the book for a screenplay directed by French-Canadian Jean-Marc Vallee (“Dallas Buyers Club”).
Cheryl Strayed’s dropout was triggered by two events: the breakup of her marriage and the death of her beloved mother Bobbi, played by Laura Dern. Oh, there were a couple of other things too. Cheryl got into alcohol and drugs and “graduated” to shooting heroin. She became sexually promiscuous as well. In short Cheryl was a mess at the outset of her ill-prepared journey.
“Wild” is a visually gorgeous film, and Reese Witherspoon is not bad to look at either. Reese is only 61 inches tall, and she probably doesn’t weight more than a large sack of flour. It is pretty funny watching her struggling with a ridiculously huge backpack (she calls it “Monster”) that is just about as big as she is. Reese cheerfully swears like a sailor, bares her body and reveals a bit of her soul in her scenes with Laura Dern, whom I have always loved. It’s nice to see Dern get a decent role, and it does not get much more tragic when a battered, ever-sunny woman suffers and dies of lung cancer at the young age of 45. Dern is only nine years older than 38-year-old Witherspoon, but she has the sacrificing mom thing down beautifully.
Cheryl Strayed is an avowed feminist, which does not necessarily mean she hates men. However, all but a handful of the male characters in “Wild” come off as rotters. The worst of the lot is Cheryl’s alcoholic, abusive stepfather. On the other hand is her endlessly patient, tolerant ex-husband Paul (Thomas Sadoski).
In the end “Wild” is a joyful journey from the depths of depression and self-destruction to the highs of amazing physical endurance, strength and triumph.

Steve Carell Goes Postal for "Foxcatcher"

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Steve Carell Channels His Bad Self for "Foxcatcher"

by Skip Sheffield

Ah Steve Carell, we hardly knew ye.
Typically Carell plays light-hearted comedy roles, and he is very good at it. “Foxcatcher” is more than just a departure. It is a revelation.
Carell plays John E. du Pont of the famous, fabulously wealthy du Pont family. “Foxcatcher” was the name of the Pennsylvania country estate where John E. lived with his elderly mother Jean (Vanessa Redgrave) and a full service staff.
 Jean du Pont loved horses and everything equestrian, including fox-hunting.
John E. du Pont hated horses but had a thing for wrestling, and he fancied himself an expert. That is the impetus for this bizarre story, based on actual events and adapted for the screen by E. Max Frye (“Where the Money Is”) and Dan Futterman (“A Mighty Heart”).
Dave (Mark Ruffalo) and his younger brother Mark Schultz (Channing Tatum) were 1984 World and Olympic Gold Metal Champion wrestlers for Team USA. The story begins in March, 1987. The brothers teach and coach at a small college. One day Mark gets a message summoning him to the du Pont estate to meet John E. du Pont in person. Mark did not realize the full impact of the du Pont name, but when he was transported by helicopter to the vast estate, he learns soon enough.
Du Pont wanted both Schultz brothers to come and live at the estate and coach a hand-picked team to compete in the 1988 Seoul Olympics under the Foxcatcher banner. Dave was happily married to Nancy (Sienna Miller) with two children, and he had no desire to be uprooted to suit a rich man’s fancy.
“The rich are different for you and me,” F. Scott Fitzgerald once famously said to his friend Ernest Hemingway.
“Yes,” Hemingway wisecracked, “They have more money.”
Being fabulously wealthy is not just about money. It is about power. John E. du Pont is portrayed as a petulant spoiled brat by Carell, who wears a large fake nose and other prosthetics to make him less handsome. As we watch du Pont browbeat first Mark and then Dave, whom he coerces to work for him despite his better instincts, he becomes uglier and uglier.
Channing Tatum bulked up amazingly for his role, and his wrestling moves are quite convincing. So is the physical beating he takes, in what he says is his most difficult role to date. I believe him.
The outcome of this story is a matter of public record, so I won’t go into it. The take-away for me is that yes, the rich are different, but no, I would not want to trade places.

A Standing O for "Book of Mormon" in WPB

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Crude, Rude Lewd but Funny & Tuneful

By Skip Sheffield

“The Book of Mormon” is crude, rude and lewd. It is also very funny and surprisingly tuneful.
The debut run of “The Book of Mormon” through Sunday, Dec. 21 at Kravis Center is pretty much sold-out, so we will keep this short. Evidently the West Palm Beach audience is more in tune with this Trey Parker-Robert Lopez-Matt Stone musical comedy than Broward County was when it opened there last year. We saw no walk-outs in WPB and the audience was the most enthusiastic I’ve ever seen at Kravis. They actually stayed all the way through a long standing ovation.
This cast features several veterans of the Broadway cast. Principal among these is Cody Jamison Strand, the shorter, chubbier partner of a mismatched duo with tall, lithe David Larsen. Strand and Larsen are Elders Cunningham and Price. After completing their missionary training, the “Elders,” who are in their late teens and early 20s, are given assignments to all parts of the world. Elder Price had dreamed of Orlando (a recurring joke), but instead he and Elder Cunningham are sent to Uganda; one of the most unstable, diseased countries in Africa.
This is the setup for all kinds of cultural, spiritual and sexual shocks. Parker and Stone are the guys behind the foul-mouthed cartoon series, “South Park.” Lopez is the composer-lyricist of the equally outrageous puppet show “Avenue Q.” If you don’t know these facts, you might be quite offended.
I found “Book of Mormon” even more enjoyable the second time around because I was able to concentrate more on the music. The ensemble vocal work is fabulous and so is the live musical accompaniment. Cody Jamison Strand is the standout male vocalist and darling Deenee Benton is irresistible as the Chief’s daughter, Nabulungi. Evidently the Church of the Latter-Day Saints is OK with the show because they took out three full-page ads for the actual Book of Mormon.
Though the show is sold-out, turn-backs or no-shows are possible. Tickets start at $45. Call 800-572-8471 or go to www.kravis.org.

Ladies Rule in Amaluna

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Beauty Under the Big Top

By Skip Sheffield

Cirque du Soleil is back in town with a new show, “Amaluna,” and a new location under a big top set up in a parking lot across from Sunlife Stadium in Miami through Jan. 23.
In French big top is Grand Chapiteau, which sounds much more elegant, and indeed this is an elegant female-centric show that started on tour in 2012 and is finally reaching us here at the bottom of the USA.
Cirque du Soleil (Circus of the Sun) is an all-human circus extravaganza from the Montreal-based company that is the largest theatrical company in the world. Instead of animals, Cirque du Soleil features amazing human tricks performed by the best acrobatic, balance, gymnastic and dance performers in the world. Like all Cirque du Soleil shows, “Amaluna” has minimal dialogue and maximum draw-dropping performances, costumes and sets.
Plot is probably the least important element in any Cirque du Soleil show, but for the record “Amaluna” is set on an enchanted island governed by goddesses who are guided by cycle of the moon. The chief goddess is Prospera (Julie McInnes) who has a lovely, tiny daughter named Miranda (Julia Mykhailova). My guess is Guy Laliberte and his 15 collaborators were inspired by Shakespeare’s “The Tempest,” which has a male character named Prospero and a terrible storm.
There is a storm in “Amaluna” too, and it maroons a cast of young, virile and very agile men on the shores. One of them, Prince Romeo (Evgeny Kurkin, again with the Shakespeare) catches the eye of Miranda and proceeds to woo her.
This premise sets up the acrobatic, trapeze and juggling acts which include Storm, Peacock Dance, Cerceau (Andreanne Nadeau), Water Bowl (Julia Mykhailova) and Uneven Bars in Act One and Teeterboard, Balance Goddess (Lili Chao-Rigolo), Duo Trapeze (Anouk Blais, Guillaume Mesmin), Chinese Pole (Evgeny Kurkin), Juggling (Viktor Lee) and Aerial Straps (Virginia Kanovas, Sarah Hardy and Haley Viloria)
There is a lizard-like character named Cali (Viktor Kee) who has a crush on Miranda and a grudge against Prince Romeo, and of course there are clowns (Nathalie Claude is Jeeves and Shereen Hickman is Deeda) who are sent in to jolly up the story. Even the director (Diane Paulus) and the band is all-female, and they are excellent.
One thing I can guarantee: You will be dazzled by beauty and amazed by feats of agility, strength, balance, and gravity-defying acrobatics.
Tickets are $57, $76 and $102, with premium seats going all the way up to $360. Parking is $25, cash only. Call 866-624-7783 or go to www.cirquedusoleil.com.

A Sad, Brave Farewell to Glen Campbell

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"I'll Be There" a Most Excellent, Moving Documentary

By Skip Sheffield

The Sad, Brave Story of Glen Campbell

Need a good cry? It is hard to remain emotionless while watching the poignant documentary "Glen Campbell: I'll Be There."

I used to feel a little defensive admitting I liked Glen Campbell and his "Goodtime Hour" TV show. Turns out I was not alone. A whole bunch of celebs much more talented than I go on record paying tribute to Glen Campbell as singer, songwriter, actor and virtuoso musician.

Directed by fellow Southerner James Keach, "I'll Be There" chronicles a final international tour embarked upon by Campbell, his young wife Kim, their three musical children Cal, Shannon and Ashley, fellow band members and crew.

Campbell went public with the announcement of his Alzheimer's Disease diagnosis in June of 2011. It was decided he would make a five-week "farewell tour" while he was still mentally and physically able. It was an incredibly brave thing to do, from the heart and completely sincere. The tour was such a hit it was extended through a year.

"I'll Be There" does not detour into the darker side of Campbell's life, though it acknowledges his many marriages (Kim Woolen, a former Rockette, is his fourth wife) and battles with alcoholism and drugs.

Music is one of the toughest businesses there is. Few if any remain unscathed. Campbell endured for more than 50 years as a session musician, songwriter, singer, actor and television star. Campbell was the artist most responsible for promoting Country music to the mass market. Don't take it from me. Hear the testimony of Blake Shelton, Sheryl Crow, Keith Urban, Brad Paisley, Taylor Swift, Steve Martin, Chad Smith of the Red-Hot Chili Peppers, Bruce Springsteen, The Edge of U-2, Paul McCartney from a little group known as The Beatles and from former U.S. President and fellow Arkansas native, Bill Clinton.

Because I know first-hand what a harsh mistress music is, I give this my highest rating.

"My Old Lady" a Comic, Dramatic Gem

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"My Old Lady" a Comic and Dramatic Gem

By Skip Sheffield

“My Old Lady” runs like a precision hand-crafted gold pocket watch at Palm Beach Dramaworks. The Israel Horovitz comedy-drama runs through Jan. 5 at 201 Clematis St., West Palm Beach.
A gold pocket watch has a significant role in this "love letter to France," which Israel Horovitz embraced when he was only 20-years-old.
That was more than 50 years ago. In the years since the Massachusetts writer-director has become a leading playwright in France, with more than 50 translated productions of his work.
Horovitz was inspired by the uniquely French concept of "viager," which enables an elderly owner of property to sell a building below market value in exchange for living privileges and an income for life for the seller.
Such is the case with Mathilde Girard (Estelle Parsons), the 92-year-old owner of an elegant French townhouse overlooking the Jardin du Luxembourg in Paris. Mathilde is a refined and lovely woman in reasonably good health and sharp of intellect. Living with Mathilde is her 50-year-old never-married daughter Chloe (Angelica Page), an English teacher at the school her mother founded.
Into this cozy relationship blunders Mathias "Jim" Gold (Tim Altmeyer), a 53-year-old thrice-married, self-described loser from New York City. Penniless, relapsing alcoholic Mathias has only a fancy gold pocket watch and a claim to the townhouse occupied by the Girard women, left to him by his late, estranged father Max.
British-born Mathilde is not unaware of Mathias because she has been informed by her lawyer of his inheritance. Chloe has no such insight and she is instantly hostile and combative when she encounters the strange American wearing her father's bathrobe.
The reason Mathias' father's bathrobe is in the townhouse is because he and Mathilde were lifelong lovers, though locked into loveless marriages to others.
Among the several revelations in "My Old Lady" is the difference between Americans and French in attitudes regarding love, marriage and fidelity. The crude, self-centered and resentful Mathias becomes enlightened by the older and younger Girard ladies, who resolve some of their own conflicts too.
The esteemed Estelle Parsons, who is both an Academy Award-winner ("Bonnie & Clyde," 1967) and a 2004 inductee to the Theater Hall of Fame, is simply one of the finest actors working in America today. She plays five years older and more fragile than her robust, agile 87-year-old self. Parsons radiates a fierce intelligence and rapier wit essential to her character, working with two skilled actors with whom she has worked before. Both Tim Altmeyer's Mathias and Angelica Page's Chloe have unresolved parental issues and an unrealized yearning for a committed romantic relationship. It is the detente of adversaries and blossoming of Mathias and Chloe's relationship that provides the warmth and hope in this, the most sharply-realized version of a play that was first performed in 2002. Director William Hayes worked closely with the playwright in creating a new, definitive version of the stage play. Horovitz wrote and directed a 2014 film version of "My Old Lady" starring an A-list cast including Kevin Kline, Maggie Smith and Kristen Scott Thomas. Other than the fact the movie had gorgeous actual Paris locations, I can say I enjoyed this stage version even more. Kudos to everyone.
Tickets are $62 ($10 students) and may be reserved by calling 561-514-4042 or going to www.palmbeachdramaworks.org.

Leslie Uggams is a Charming Mame

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Leslie Uggams Makes Us Feel Alive Again in “Mame”

By Skip Sheffield

Our family has admired Leslie Uggams since she was a child star on “Sing Along With Mitch.”
Leslie Uggams is fully grown and then some as the larger-than-life Manhattan socialite “Mame,” playing through Dec. 28 at the Wick Theatre, 7901 N. Federal Highway, Boca Raton.
The role of “Auntie” Mame Dennis is one of the best female characters in American musical history. Many illustrious actresses have played Mame, starting with Rosalind Russell in the original 1956 Broadway production.
Here in Boca Raton the most memorable Mame for me was our own Jan McArt, who embodies the outgoing, showy, joyful character both on and offstage.
I do not know Leslie Uggams personally, but she is an undeniably beautiful woman with a lovely voice. I think she handles the role of Mame Dennis well, but there are a few strange things about this production, directed by the ever-reliable Norb Joerder.
While she looks much younger than her real age of 71, Ms. Uggams is noticeably older than her stage love interest, Beauregard Jackson Pickett Burnside, an aristocratic, cornpone Southern plantation owner played by Jim Ballard.
However, Mame’s “bosom buddy” Vera Charles, is played by the age-appropriate and always delightful Lourelene Snedecker.
“Mame” has a live band listed in the program, but the musicians are not visible, and the sound they create is so heavily amplified it might as well have been pre-recorded.
On the plus side Ryan Sell is one really cute kid and self-assured as younger Patrick Dennis, who becomes Mame’s ward when his father dies. It was the real-life Patrick Dennis who wrote the memoire on which the book Jerome Lawrence and Robert Edwin Lee based their script.
Also excellent in the comic role of Mame’s long-suffering personal secretary Agnes Gooch is Irene Adjan. Playing the insufferable killjoy Dwight Babcock is the always professional Jeffrey Bruce.
No, this is not the best “Mame” I have ever seen, but I can honestly say this is the best I’ve seen in years, and Leslie Uggams delivers where it counts in the score’s best ballad, “If He Walked Into My Life.” Lavishly costumed, “Mame” is all about Jerry Herman’s wonderful music, and with that Leslie Uggams can “coax the blues right out of the horn.”
Tickets are $72. Student tickets are $25 advance or $15 rush one hour before curtain. Call 561-995-2333.

Tommy Lee Jones Stars in a "Midwestern"

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Tommy Lee Jones Stands Tall in "The Homesman"

By Skip Sheffield

Can Tommy Lee Jones save the American Western?
“The Homesman” is not exactly a Western. You could call it a "Midwestern,” as it is set in Nebraska Territory and points east toward Iowa in the year 1854.
Jones, who co-wrote, directed and stars in “The Homesman” makes one of most comical entrances in movie history, staggering out of a sod hut in his long johns, his face covered in soot.
Jones' character, who he chooses to call George Briggs, has been charged with claim-jumping by a vigilante crowd of locals. The homestead's true owner had gone East in search of a bride, Briggs figured "finders keepers."
A tough, self-reliant woman named Mary Bee Cuddy (Hilary Swank) has been humiliated and unsuccessful thus far in her hunt for a husband. Three young wives in the pioneer community had gone "plumb loco," as they used to say, and Mary Bee was the volunteer winner of a lottery to decide who would be responsible for transporting the three mentally-disturbed, possibly violent women back East to a church home in Iowa. A primitive paddy wagon was been constructed, complete with barred windows, a door that locks from the outside, and cuffs and chains to secure the human cargo.
Mary Bee just so happens to discover George Briggs on a horse beneath a tree, with hands tied and a noose around his neck. She decides to save the luckless stranger but it is not with a price. May Bee tells Briggs about her mission and says she will save him and pay him $300 at the end if he helps her drive the wagon and three crazy woman to Iowa.
So begins a pioneer-era road trip with the mismatched couple and their charges. Jones the director mixes equal parts comedy with the drama, and there will be some unexpected plot turns.
Hilary Swank has the admirable ability of appearing very strong, yet vulnerable. She is not a classic beauty, but she certainly is not the Plain Jane she plays in this movie.
Both Swank and Jones cheerfully make fun of themselves. Did Jones ever hear of sunscreen? His George Briggs is so wrinkled, baggy and bleary, Keith Richard is a smooth lad by comparison.
Jones is not doubt held in high regard by the Hollywood community, for a prestigious A-list of celebrities lined up for bit parts. While the crazy ladies (Grace Gummer, Miranda Otto and Sonja Richter) are lesser-known, Grace Gummer's mom, Meryl Streep, certainly is. Streep has a tiny role at film's edge as a Methodist preacher's wife. Also playing a preacher is John Lithgow, while James Spader plays a cowardly rotter. In the screenplay, based on Glendon Swathout ("The Shootist") novel, George Briggs extracts a horrible revenge.
If anyone can save the Western, even if is a Midwestern, it is stern-faced, rock solid Tommy Lee Jones. Good work son.