April 1
Here's a twist. For ten years Suzanne Miller of Fort Lauderdale was known as Vivian Saint John, professional wrestler. But then she quit the ring and became a student at the New York School of Occult Arts and Sciences. She's now known as Lady Suzanne Miller, teller of fortunes and author of the book Omens, Curses & Superstitions: How to Remove and Reverse Them. If you're the superstitious type, you'll enjoy the $12 paperback, which Miller will discuss and sign copies of tonight at Galerie Macabre. One thing you don't want to do, Miller suggests in her book, is buy a broom during the month of May. If you do and you run into a string of bad luck, she has the cure: Rub an egg all over your body. Any skeptic who feels the urge to challenge Miller's claims at the signing would do well to remember that she knows how to use a chokehold. The event begins at 8 p.m. at Galerie Macabre, 207 SW Fifth St., Fort Lauderdale. Call 954-525-2098.
Friday
April 2
Josh Quick says that someday he'll be a medical illustrator, which means he'll be drawing plenty of entrails. At the moment, however, the Florida Atlantic University student is into animation, and he's found a way to combine his interests in animation and anatomy. In his seven-minute film Dante's Monologue, he's compressed Dante's epic The Inferno into a series of scenes in which tortured souls are shown cleft in two, ripping themselves open, and half eaten. "I'm an illustrator by nature," explains Quick, "so I like in-your-face imagery." Quick and his art-school buddies wanted to showcase their work and see what other college-age animators are creating, so they've put together the first Magnanimata International Student Animation Festival. An Internet posting drew entries from Canada and Europe, but most of the 20 animated films -- in experimental, stop-action, computer, and traditional cell styles -- are from the United States. Local band Hashbrown kicks off the event at 7 p.m. in the FAU amphitheatre, 777 Glades Rd., Boca Raton. Admission is $3. Call 561-297-3870.
Saturday
April 3
Even at the height of his career, comedian Lenny Schultz had to go home right after the show so that he could get up the next day for his day job as a high-school gym teacher. Maybe that explains why he was doing bits on group therapy sessions for sporting equipment. Thirty years ago Schultz performed his first professional gig at the original Improv in New York City, and a few months later he appeared on The Merv Griffin Show. Johnny Carson and other talk shows followed, and Schultz became known for his bizarre physical routines, such as bathing and burning baby dolls, juggling water, and his bionic chicken shtick. He's since retired from teaching and does the occasional comedic gig. In fact he's turned up on Comedy Central's Make Me Laugh, and he'll perform at Bocanuts (8221 Glades Rd., Boca Raton) tonight at 8:30 and 10:30 p.m. Admission is $12. Call 561-470-6887. See "Comedy" listings for a complete schedule.
Sunday
April 4
Good plays and books are snatched up as film fodder by Hollywood all the time, with mixed results. In the case of Marvin's Room, the transition to the big screen in 1996 went well. With a cast including Diane Keaton, Meryl Streep, Hume Cronyn, and Leonardo DiCaprio, it would seem it was destined to succeed. But the story isn't an easy one to pull off. Bessie (Keaton) is a selfless daughter who's been taking care of her bedridden father, Marvin (Cronyn), for quite some time. But when she gets sick, she asks her estranged sister (Streep), who's having serious problems with her son, Bessie's nephew (DiCaprio), to help out. What could easily have turned into a hankie fest was pulled off in a realistic manner by the entire cast. Now the actors at the Academy Theatre (2700 W. Oakland Park Blvd., Fort Lauderdale) face the same challenge. They're performing Marvin's Room through April 18. Tonight's show begins at 8 p.m. Tickets cost $15 to $20. Call 954-486-8876. See "Stage" listings for a complete schedule.
Monday
April 5
French painter Raoul Dufy (1877-1953) is best known for his whimsical, lighthearted watercolor paintings of sailing regattas and horseraces. Not exactly deep subjects, but they paid the bills, allowing Dufy to create more serious works. His oil paintings of nudes, landscapes, and views through windows were inspired by fauvism, the early-20th-century French art movement marked by the use of bold, distorted forms and vivid colors. Henri Matisse was a founding fauve, and Dufy was inspired by Matisse's creative use of color and drawing. "Raoul Dufy: Last of the Fauves" features a series of oil paintings created between 1901 and 1953. Included in the show is Sailboat at Saint-Adresse (1912), in which Dufy contrasts water and land, depicting a white-sailed boat bobbing on a royal-blue bay with bright green grass dividing the shoreline from a blurry city skyline of mustard-yellow and brick-red buildings. The show continues through June 6 at the Norton Museum of Art, 1451 S. Olive Ave., West Palm Beach. Call 561-832-5194.
Tuesday
April 6
In order to promote its Caddyshack Special Edition video, which comes out today, Warner Home Video hosts Disasters Before the Masters at PGA National Resort and Spa (400 Avenue of the Champions, Palm Beach Gardens). Some of the scenes in the 1980 movie were shot in South Florida, so the film company is returning to familiar ground for the event, in which "caddies" age 15 and older will vie for golf equipment and vacation packages in competitions based on scenes from the movie. For example, like the daft groundskeeper played by Bill Murray, they'll use a water hose to hunt for a gopher. They'll also hit plastic flowers with golf clubs and swat beach balls into a kiddie pool, in which a Baby Ruth bar may or may not be floating. The event begins at 9 a.m. To register to attend or compete, call 561-845-0165.
Wednesday
April 7
In 1957 Arthur Frommer published his original budget-travel guide, Europe on $5 a Day, and had even the stingiest American travelers packing their bags. Thanks to inflation his latest book is titled Frommer's 99: Europe From $50 a Day, but it follows the same basic formula: accommodations and three meals per day for a fixed sum. Frommer and his writers have written guides on dozens of destinations, helping travelers stick to the plan by offering exact prices on hotels and restaurants, transportation options (including discounts and other cost-cutting tips), lists of walking tours, shopping and nightlife listings, and full-color foldout maps. And after decades of globetrotting, Frommer has become a cantankerous critic. If you want his unabashedly biased -- albeit well-informed -- opinion on your next travel destination, you can ask him in person. The world traveler is still kicking around the globe and makes a local stop to sign copies of his new book at Barnes & Noble Booksellers (2790 University Dr., Coral Springs) at 7:30 p.m. tonight. Admission is free. Call 954-344-6291.
