FRI 10/24
Long story shortÂ… it's Hedwig
African-American Research Library unchains memories
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If you're not feeling the creative vibe just yet (i.e., you can't think of a costume), why not sit back and be inspired? Old School Square (51 N. Swinton Ave., Delray Beach), along with Delray Mazda and the Palm Beach Post, presents a Halloween-themed version of the biannual "Friday Night Flicks" series. A screening of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets starts off the night, followed by the perpetually goose-bump-inducing Poltergeist. If you can make it through that scene in Poltergeist where the creepy clown comes to life in the kid's bedroom (and watching through your fingers doesn't count), then there is a midnight showing (naturally) of the cross-dressing mother of all Halloween movies, The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Movies begin at 7 p.m. outside, so bring a chair. Admission is free. Call 561-243-7922. -- Audra Schroeder"Six inches forward..."
WED 10/29
It's a classic tale. American GI meets a German boy named Hansel. American GI falls in love with Hansel, makes boy get a sex change to come to America, sex change gets botched, and boy is now, well, almost a girl. That's the condensed tale of Hedwig and the Angry Inch, the brilliant play turned film from director and star John Cameron Mitchell. After Hansel/Hedwig comes to America, he/she strives to become an "internationally ignored vocal stylist" and succeeds, all the while looking more fabulous in high heels and a blond wig than any man ever should. Hedwig inches into the Broward Center (201 SW Fifth St., Fort Lauderdale) Wednesday through Sunday. Tickets cost $27 to $29. Call 954-463-0222. -- Audra SchroederUnchained Memories
SAT 10/25
In the late 1930s, at the height of the Great Depression, about 100,000 former slaves were still alive. From 1936 to 1938, more than 2,000 interviews, transcribed in the vernacular of the time, were conducted by the Federal Writers' Project. The collection formed a firsthand account of plantation life, traditions, the Underground Railroad, and life after emancipation.
It took more than 60 years to dust off the interviews at the Library of Congress and turn them into a set of dramatic readings called Unchained Memories: Readings from the Slave Narratives. An HBO documentary based on the material aired last February. In honor of its first anniversary, the African-American Research Library and Cultural Center (2650 Sistrunk Blvd., Fort Lauderdale, 954-625-2800) hosts a multimedia exhibit focused on this poignant and evocative film. The event opens with a reception at 6 p.m.
Readings are supplemented with archival photos, music, and bits of period film and images. There's even authentic slave-era music performed by the McIntosh County Shouters. The film runs continuously in the library's first-floor gallery through December 31. -- Tomi Curtis
