Thursday, September 3
It's been eight years since the late and otherwise great Christopher Hitchens delivered a legendarily asinine polemic for Vanity Fair titled "Why Women Aren't Funny." It was quite an assertion, which funny women like Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Mindy Kaling, Amy Schumer, Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, and countless others have spent the following near-decade disproving. Local comedian Julie Baez still encounters this stigma, however, and she's out to change it with events like this weekend's Stache of Ladies Comedy Night, an event hosted, naturally, at Stache, everyone's favorite new cocktail lounge/concert hall. Baez, who books comedy for Stache and is its comedy MC, says, "I started to push more for an all-female showcase because I saw a lot of possibilities to expand and network. Each month, I select a new lineup of professional female comedians and even some first-timers too. This month, we have unique lineup of women, from college students to young moms and even women over 50. The show has something for everyone." Touring comedian Angela Nacca of New Haven will headline this month's program and will be supported by Minda Mo, Kelley Barth, Noam Manor, and Tiery Alexis.
There is no admission charge, and the show begins at 9 p.m. Thursday. The comics will be followed by three live bands. Stache 1920's Drinking Den is located at 109 SW Second Ave., in Fort Lauderdale. Call 954-449-1044 or visit stacheftl.com.
Seriously, are you ready? The regular NFL season is almost here (it technically starts September 10), and you best be ready to drop everything you're doing and dedicate the next five months of your natural life to pigskin, pads, tackles, and touchdowns.
If you're not too busy, why don't you celebrate the occasion with a little preseason party at Tilted Kilt Fort Lauderdale's First Annual Football Pep Rally? It's one week before the official season begins, but you're going to need at least that much time to get amped. How are they going to do it? Totally free appetizers, man (while they last, of course). What's more is that because the Tilted Kilt's happy hour runs from 4 to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, you'll also get at least one hour of drink specials with two-for-one call and well liquors, domestic beers, and house wines. There will also be giveaways, door prizes, and general camaraderie (that is, if you're a Florida Gators or Miami Dolphins fan). If you aren't, then be prepared to have the drinks on you. With a full menu of pub grub, tap beers, big-screen high-definition TVs, and football, you're set to get the NFL season started early.
The pep rally starts at 6 p.m. Thursday at the Tilted Kilt Fort Lauderdale. By the way, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers play the Dolphins in the final preseason game in Miami on that day. The Tilted Kilt is located at 219 S. Andrews Ave. in Fort Lauderdale. Call 954-763-5458, or visit tiltedkilt.com.
Friday, September 4
To suggest that The Fantasticks has a lengthy shelf life in American theater is an understatement; it's existed longer than the shelves themselves and the wood to make them. The musical premiered, off-Broadway, in 1960, a minimalist romance whose thrifty $900 set design included a cardboard moon. It closed, to the continued surprise of its humbled creators, 42 years later, after a record-breaking 17,162 performances. The justification for its wild success speaks to its frequent revivals in regional theaters worldwide: It's relatively cheap to produce, its songs have become canonized classics (especially "Try to Remember"), and its story is both timeless and idiosyncratic: Scheming fathers, living in neighboring country houses, conspire to match up their children. Their plot involves hiring a charismatic villain to abduct the girl, leaving the boy to foil the kidnapping, save the damsel, and win her heart. It all goes well, until it doesn't. A famously mute character, a bumbling old actor, and the actor's Native American-dressed sidekick round out the offbeat ensemble.
The Broward Stage Door unveils its take on the intimate musical this weekend, with Pedro Kaawaloa, Alexander Zenoz, Molly Ann Ross, and others starring under the direction of Dan Kelley. The Fantasticks plays Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays at 2 p.m. and Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. from Friday to October 11 at Stage Door, located at 8036 W. Sample Road in Margate. Tickets cost $38 to $42. Call 954-344-7765.
Saturday, September 5
There is a myriad of motivators out there for putting feet to pavement and going out on a group run. Anything from a better, more relaxed mental state and a toned athletic physique to the possibility of proactively counteracting hefty caloric intake on a particularly stellar food day are all perfectly acceptable reasons for lacing up. This Saturday, the proverbial dangling carrot of motivation will be in actual food form when the Delray Beach Running Company hosts the Run Into the Food Truck Face-Off. During this two- to six-mile group fun run, participants have the chance to win free tickets to the upcoming Food Truck Face-Off on September 12, of which the Delray Beach Running Company is a proud sponsor. Runners-up (pardon the dad-joke pun) will have the chance to win extra raffles and prizes just for showing up and joining in the fun. Meet at Delray Beach Running Company for a 7 a.m. run start, at 20 W. Atlantic Ave., Suite 101, Delray Beach.
Call 561-270-7622 for more information on the free run or visit exit52events.com for more info on the Food Truck Face-Off the following weekend.
When it comes to improvisation, people can be split into two distinct groups. First, there are those whose stomachs flip and palms begin to drip pearls of sweat as they slink deep into their seats, eyes carefully shifted away from the front of the room to avoid any and all interaction with the night's host. Then there are the others, a scant few whose eyes widen, mouths drop open, hands raise, and feet nervously tap at the fun possibilities and punch lines ahead. The 25 talented participants who make up Sick Puppies Improv Comedy would fall into that latter category. In what member Casey Casperson calls "90 minutes of purely made-up improv comedy just like you might see at Second City in Chicago," audience members who show up weekly to Center Stage Performing Arts never really know what to expect, knowing only that whatever they get, it will never happen the same way again. With topics and themes that audience members contribute, cast members work on the art of a good riff, bouncing the verbal hot potato back and forth in scenes created on the spot. With an interchangeable cast, Sick Puppies has been making Boca Raton an epicenter of comedy for the past three years.
Saturday's show starts at 9 p.m. at 7200 W. Camino Real. Snacks and nonalcoholic drinks are available for purchase. Call 954-667-7735, or visit sickpuppiescomedy.com for advance tickets. Tickets cost $20 at the door or $15 online.
Sunday, September 6
Birthday parties for 1-year-olds are usually full of clowns, bounce houses, and weird relatives. However, if it is a one-year birthday at a bar, things are a bit different. Take, for instance, downtown Himmarshee's Bull Market. The gastropub, which has beer and spirit prices that fluctuate on supply and demand, will celebrate its first anniversary on Sunday. With the party starting at 7 p.m., guests can register to win prizes such as an iPad, flat-screen TV, swag from cocktail and craft beer companies, and free chair massages from Fort Lauderdale's Mankind. In addition, there will be drink specials such as $5 New Amsterdam drinks as well as $5 Bacardi drinks. Cheap drinks and raffle prizes aren't the only thing attendees get to look forward to: Bull Market will debut its Bacardi-sponsored Bull Bar, located in the back of the establishment. Don't let the name fool you, however — barflies can purchase all types of drinks there, not just those that are Bacardi-based.
Bull Market is also the recipient of three New Times Best Of awards for Best Brunch, Best Happy Hour, and Best Burger. This just goes to show that this bar is worth stopping by and that the good reviews are not just a load of bull (ahem).
The anniversary for this bar ends in the wee hours of the morning — 3 a.m., to be exact. Bull Market is located at 210 SW Second St. in Fort Lauderdale. Attendance is free and open to the public. Visit bullmarketbar.com.
You don't need to travel across the world for a taste of Japan. In fact, you can merely drive to Fort Lauderdale to get your snacking fix of out-of-the-country food. Tate's Comics will host a Japanese snack-tasting event on the Sunday of Labor Day weekend. Attendees are invited to sample numerous Japanese snacks at no charge. In addition, attendees receive a sticker souvenir. After arriving at the store, attendees are to receive a special numbered ticket. While waiting for their number to be called, guests can browse the store. After their number is called, they will be invited in groups of 15 people to sample their snacks upstairs. While sampling food, they can fill out a questionnaire to enter in a raffle for a chance to win snacks. As if that weren't enough, guests are able to purchase two Japanese snacks or drinks and get another one free with the use of an online coupon, valid at both Tate's Comics locations all day.
This snacking event runs from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday at Tate's Comics' main headquarters, located at 4566 N. University Drive in Lauderhill, and at the north location, at 801 N. Congress Ave., Suite 604, in Boynton Beach. Visit tatescomics.com.
With longer hours and more responsibility for less money, American workers don't have it as good as they used to. Still, employment conditions are a hell of a lot better than they were a couple of hundred years ago. Though most of us think of Labor Day as the end of summer — at least in areas with more than two seasons — it's really about honoring the social and economic achievements of the American labor movement, so make sure to raise a glass. Here's where to celebrate this year.
• Labor Day Weekend Festivities: Hang by the beach without the sand this weekend. On Sunday from noon to 4 p.m., celebrate with a buffet barbecue for $29.95 per person and 50 percent off cocktails from 3 to 5 p.m. while a DJ spins until 7. Hilton Fort Lauderdale Beach Resort is located at 505 N. Fort Lauderdale Beach Blvd. in Fort Lauderdale. Call 954-414-2630, or visit facebook.com/HiltonFLLBeach.
• Labor Day Sunday Gay Tea Cruise: Dance on water this Sunday at the Gay Tea Cruise aboard the yacht Musette. From 5 to 9 p.m., the party features live DJs and entertainers including the reigning Miss Stonewall, Carment Adore, and the reigning Miss Island City Pride, Niomi Wynters. Early-bird tickets start at $30. The boat departs from Smoker Park, 540 SE Fifth Ave. in Fort Lauderdale. Call 954-903-4041, or visit gayteacruisesfl.org.
• Sounds of Miami 2015: If you don't feel like dealing with the traffic or terrible parking in Dade this weekend, Delray Beach is offering an alternative on Monday. Starting at 7 p.m. at Il Bacio, the all-white party is bringing Miami house to Palm Beach County. The lineup includes WePlayHouse, Andres Villamil, J.J. Martinez, Gio Black, Michael Gianetto, Dutch, Bonkers, Ben Negrelly, and Adam Turetsky. Wear as much white as possible. Admission is $20. Il Bacio is located at 29 SE Second Ave. in Delray Beach. Call 612-318-1428, or visit ilbacioofdelray.com.
• Labor Day Native Bird Festival: And finally, on Monday, you can forgo the party animals and watch wildlife instead. The experts at Flamingo Gardens are hosting tours, presentations, and exhibits on avians for the annual festival. The event also includes wildlife organizations, craft vendors, and activities for kids starting Monday at 9:30 a.m. Admission, regularly $19.95 for ages 12 and up and $12.95 for ages 3 to 11, is half-price for the holiday. Flamingo Gardens is located at 3750 S. Flamingo Road in Davie. Call 954-473-2955, or visit flamingogardens.org.
You can contact Rebecca McBane, Arts & Culture Editor/Food Editor at [email protected]. Follow @cleanplatebpb on Twitter and like New Times Broward Palm Beach Food & Drink on Facebook to stay connected for all the local food news and events.
