Friday
It's hard to imagine a time when the vampire mythos wasn't baked (or staked) into our national consciousness. This century has witnessed the vampire as bullied adolescent, lovesick teenager, and bayou sex fiend. When they're not being slaughtered by Abraham Lincoln, today's fang-bearers are usually misunderstood outcasts pining for normalcy. Not so with the original Dracula, the tale of the suave Transylvanian count imagined by Bram Stoker in his groundbreaking 1897 novel that established many of the serious tropes our generation has subverted or watered-down: Stoker's Dracula, seeking fresh blood from London spinsters, moves to the metropolitan city to feast in the night, with the vampire hunter Van Helsing hot on his shadowy trail. That's the story Orson Welles brought to radio in 1938 in his inaugural Mercury Theatre on the Air broadcast, and it's this seminal audio adaptation of Stoker's tale that our own Arts Radio Network will bring to life onstage. As always, the radio geeks behind the network will enlist top regional actors to enliven Welles' crackling script, supplemented with vintage sound effects created live with unusual objects. Plenty of audience participation will heighten the thrills. Revisit the myth anew at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the Broward Center (201 SW Fifth Ave., Fort Lauderdale). Tickets cost $25. Call 954-462-0222 or visit browardcenter.org.
If you live in South Florida, you've seen plenty of men like the titular character of the movie A Man Called Ove: potbellied, permanently scowling, severely aged, sporting an ugly plaid flat cap, whiling away his days meddling in the business of others. Ove represents Sweden's brand of the lovable curmudgeon archetype, but the timeworn tropes ring true through the subtleties. Yet he's anchored by a distinctly Swedish sense of melancholy: When he's not berating the neighbors in his planned community for disobeying the development's strictures, he routinely tries to kill himself for reasons that manifest as the film progresses. A Man Called Ove's regional premiere couldn't come at a more opportune time: Its novel source material of the same name has spent 40 weeks on the New York Times best-seller list, where it stands at number two at the time of this writing. A surprisingly tremendous box office success in its native country, it was even chosen as Sweden's entry for Best Foreign Language Film for next year's Academy Awards. See it now, before Clint Eastwood options the American remake. A Man Called Ove opens Friday at the Classic Gateway Theater (1820 E. Sunrise Blvd., Fort Lauderdale). Tickets cost $8.50 to $11. Call 954-763-7994 or visit classicgateway.com.
“My mother didn’t think it’d be a good idea,” says Paul Mecurio. “She was concerned that I was going to tell jokes in these drug-filled comedy clubs, but little did she know there were better drugs in Wall Street!” Mecurio might be an Emmy- and Peabody award-winning comedian these days, but he started off as a humble Wall Street lawyer and investment banker after graduating from Georgetown Law. After getting hired by Jay Leno to write for The Tonight Show, Mecurio continued as a political satirist and one of the original writers on The Daily Show. Mecurio is a gifted storyteller and possesses the calming reasoning of an uncle you admire. As election day careens towards us, he’s found his political commentating in demand, and he can lay into both candidates with gusto. Fans of comedy and folks looking for a sobering take on the current state of American politics will not want to pass him up on this weekend-long appearance; He’ll be hitting the West Palm Beach Improv, 550 S. Rosemary Ave. #250, West Palm Beach, with shows on Friday at 7:30 and 10 p.m., Saturday at 7 and 9:30 p.m., and Sunday at 7 p.m. The show has a two-drink minimum and is 18 and over. Tickets cost $20. Call 561-833-1812 or visit palmbeachimprov.com.
Saturday
The crazy Canadian felon crew of Ricky, Julian, and Bubbles is back with another feature, and it’s coming to a theatre near you. The Trailer Park Boys' Still Drunk, High, and Unemployed comedy tour makes a much-anticipated stop at the Parker Playhouse on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. The tour brings us the Trailer Park Boys after they've answered to the law in the Community Service Variety Show, preaching the dangers of substance abuse to avoid jail time. The crew is now on the road without parole officers, and Bubbles tries to create a new career for himself in the movie industry, Julian puts his latest money-making scams into action, and Ricky has an idea that can “change the world!” The Trailer Park Boys are a comedy group based out of Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, that is known for its zany comedy antics and storytelling capabilities that leave fans rolling around on the floor in laughter. The group has risen to fame recently following their new Netflix television series and the success of the Trailer Park Boys podcast on iTunes, which was recently nominated for the Best of iTunes 2015. Tickets for the Still Drunk, High, and Unemployed Tour cost $39.50–$59.50. You can buy tickets online at browardcenter.org, by phone at 954-462-0222, and in person at Ticketmaster outlets or the Broward Center’s AutoNation Box Office. Tickets are also available for purchase at the Parker Playhouse box office through Saturday from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Monday
The only thing scarier than this presidential race might be the election results. It may be no coincidence, then, that Election Day falls a mere week after Halloween. So what does Wilton Manors' Pride Center do? Makes "Political Nightmare" the theme for its 2016 Halloween bash, Wicked Manors. Expect 15,000 to 18,000 attendees to bring their scandals, sins, and secrets in some of the most outrageous costumes of Hillary, Trump, Bernie, and everyone else to downtown Wilton Manors. It's an event that claims to be the biggest of its kind in the Southeast, and it's open to the entire community, including kids. Trick-or-treating begins at 5 p.m. on Wilton Drive, but Wicked Manors runs from 7 to 11 p.m., closing down the street from Five Points Plaza to NE 21st Street this Monday. Emcee Miss Misty Eyez will return to the HITS 97.3 main stage alongside DJ Laz, Miss Bryan, and Kimmy B. There will be five costume contests, including one for kids at 7:30 p.m., with cash prizes. Drink tickets start at $4 for water and soft drinks, $5 for beer and wine, and $7 for cocktails. Drink tickets can be purchased online at wickedmanors.org/donate. Call 954-463-9005 or visit wickedmanors.org.
