Thursday, July 7
Reality Bites Back. No Offense. Deal With It. A quick scan through the projects comedian Theo Von is involved in makes it clear the man is not interested in discussing hurt feelings. The former MTV Real World/Road Rules franchise contestant who describes his comedic style as "all Southern, no comfort" rose through the ranks of reality television, ultimately trading in endurance challenges for more lucrative standup with routines on NBC's Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central's Chelsea Lately, and The Arsenio Hall Show. In the comedy world, Von — a self-professed blabbermouth — makes no effort to observe political correctness, sometimes offending entire audiences during his set. In fairness, he too is often the butt of his own jokes. For some reason, the charming Louisiana native usually gets away with his remarks, though he will occasionally get booed offstage like he did at the University of Florida early in his career. The reason this was a real problem was at that show, he was the host and had to return to the stage several times throughout the night.
Von kicks off his four-night stint at the Fort Lauderdale Improv (5700 Seminole Way, Hollywood) at 8 p.m. Thursday, followed by 8 and 10:30 p.m. Friday, 7 and 9:30 p.m. Saturday, and 7 p.m. Sunday. Tickets cost $20 and require a two-drink minimum. Call 954-981-5653, or visit ftl.improv.com.
Kermit Christman, artistic director of the Palm Beach Shakespeare Festival, is long accustomed to thinking outside the Elizabethan box of doublets and jerkins, kingly sets, and four-hour running times. Over his 26 years of bringing Shakespeare to the masses, he’s staged Hamlet as a Scarface-like gangster saga, produced Richard III in a world similar to Miami Vice, and mounted Coriolanus in outer space, with a glowing monolith as the only scenic element. In his ongoing efforts to present Shakespeare’s words as we’ve never heard them before, Christman's 27th-annual Shakespeare by the Sea festival will feature one of the Bard’s most ribald comedies in a milieu known for its raucous history: The company is doing The Taming of the Shrew at the Kentucky Derby. Christman’s production will keep the action confined to 90 minutes, a shortening that befits an event known as “the greatest two minutes in sports.” Expect to encounter Shakespeare’s controversial courtship of Petruchio and Katherina complete with plenty of fascinators, pastel ties, riding crops, and mint juleps. And if you feel like complaining about the play’s notorious reputation for misogyny, well, it’s Kentucky — what do you expect?
The Taming of the Shrew runs at 8 p.m. July 7-10 and 14-17 at Seabreeze Amphitheater, located at 750 State Route A1A in Jupiter. Admission is free. Call 561-966-7099, or visit pbshakespeare.org.
Friday, July 8
All in the Family aside, the television sitcom was a pretty safe place to be in the late ’70s and early ’80s. Foulmouthed, premiumcable neurosis was still a generation away, and most American TV comedies took only the gentlest of jibes at mainstream (read: Caucasian) family life. As Larry Wilmore pointed out on Bill Maher last month, even Bill Cosby’s shows were as white as Full House. Three’s Company was another whitebread fixture, securing handsome ratings for eight seasons with a subject no more controversial than coed living. It was a sitcom ripe for parody, which is where Erynn Dalton’s Infinite Abyss Productions comes in. A devotee of cult horror, Dalton and cowriter Fernando Barron II’s Come and Knock on Our Door satirizes Three’s Company by turning it into a late’70s slasher flick. Thus, John Ritter’s clumsy gourmand Jack Tripper is now Jack Ripper, while snooping landlord Mr. Roper is now Mr. Groper. As for the pair of women cohabiting with Mr. Ripper? Needless to say, they might want to sharpen up on the location of the communal kitchen’s best knives. As always with Dalton’s productions, Come and Knock on Our Door is an interactive play. It’s set during the live taping of a sitcom, with a comedian from Boca’s Sick Puppies providing a “warmup act” before the show.
The play runs at 8 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays from Friday through July 30 at the Abyss Theatre, located at 2304 N. Dixie Highway in Wilton Manors. Tickets cost $25. Call 9543267767, or visit infinite-abyss.org.
We often think of posers with a negative connotation. But posers aren’t necessarily the fake people you see at the gym. In the realm of bodybuilding, they make the world go round. In Fort Lauderdale, men and women from across the globe, from senior citizens to young adults and teenagers, will be posing for a chance to win at the 2016 National Physique Committee Southern States Championships body building competition. One of the largest contests of its type east of the Mississippi, the twoday, 36thannual competition will feature the best in amateur figure, fitness, bikini, physique, and bodybuilding and is a regional qualifier for the upcoming International Federation of Body Builders. The event will also feature nearly 20 vendors displaying the latest advancements in supplement, food, clothing, and training information. The contest will feature Sandy Williamson, the women’s chairperson of the IFBB and NPC, who hails from Riverside, California.
Come see ripped and tan bodies at the annual NPC Southern States Championships Friday and Saturday at the War Memorial Auditorium, located at 800 NE Eighth St. in Fort Lauderdale. Prejudging starts at 10 a.m. Friday and 9 a.m. Sunday, and the evening show begins at 6 p.m. both days. General admission tickets are $25 and VIP are $40, both of which include parking. Call 3055627233, or email [email protected].
The Orlando Massacre at the Pulse nightclub in the early morning hours of June 12 left at least 49 people dead and more than 50 injured. It shocked the nation. The tragedy is described as the deadliest mass shooting in American history, and it rattled the LGBTQ community across Florida. But as horrific as the shooting was, the outpouring of support has been even greater. Donations have been coming in from across the globe to help the victims. The city of Orlando even stepped up by offering free airfare to the victims and their families. If you want to help out, show your support by attending RSC: Pulse Fundraiser, a local benefit for victims at the Respectable Street restaurant and club in West Palm Beach. The benefit is to raise money for Tampa nonprofit Equality Florida and will feature a drag show by Haus of Piss as well as performances by local bands the State Of, Killmama, and Chaucer. Jordan Calloway of Reckless Dames will be painting faces to show the unity of our community.
The benefit will take place Saturday, July 9 from 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. at Respectable Street located at 518 Clematis St. in West Palm Beach. All donations and bar sales raised that night will go toward Equality Florida. Call 561-832-9999.
With the great abundance of pictures and YouTube videos of marine life affected negatively by litter, it makes you wonder: “Is there anything I can do?” The answer is a resounding "yes," and you don’t have to be a marine biologist to help. This Saturday is the Fort Lauderdale Beach Sweep, where participants can gather and help clean the beach. The four-hour event is from 7 to 11 a.m., so volunteers will definitely miss the peak hours of the heat. Preregistration online is not necessary, and those helping out do not have to stay for all four hours. Have a sibling that needs service hours? You’ve come to the right place – students will receive community service credit. In fact, since this event is recurring, they are sure to get those service hours in no time.
The Fort Lauderdale Beach Sweep is the second Saturday of every month. At 7 a.m., meet at 300 S. Fort Lauderdale Beach Blvd., which is at the intersection of E. Las Olas Blvd. and A1A North. Pickers and buckets for trash as well as gloves are provided. Close-toed shoes are required. Visit fortlauderdale.gov or facebook.com/flbeachsweep.
The hardworking fetishistas of the Fetish Factory have given the fetish community over 20 years of fun in a safe and like-minded environment. This is no easy feat with said community's ever-increasing needs and desires. Whatever their secret, Glenn and Donna must either have a genie on retainer or an idea well that runs deep because for their latest offering of their Alter Ego party, already a second Saturday staple, they're debuting a new theme: "Red, White, and Bruised." We could try and write something witty here, but it wouldn't be as effective as their press release: "Come show your patriotism in the most American way possible! Let's all sign our Declaration of KINKdependence and show the rest of the world why America is still #1! With the dance floor's red glare! The music booming through the air! We'll give proof all through the night that our flag should have been made of latex!" You can't make stuff like that up, folks, and seriously, what could possibly be a better way to celebrate our unique sense of Americana than with a bash that represents such a polarizing lifestyle? And, yes, it's at a nudie bar.
DJs Linder SMASH!, KAOS, and Rippin Kittin will keep the dance floor red like skin welts all night from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. on Saturday, July 9 at Goldfinger, 3801 N. University Dr., Sunrise. Advance tickets cost $15, $20 day of the event. Visit thefetishparty.com.
For more events, visit our online calendar or pick up the print edition of the New Times every Thursday. To submit an event, use our online form.
