By Gerry Barker

Can a down and out, aspiring NYC comedian, trapped in his mother's attic in Longview, Texas during a pandemic, full of self-loathing and doubts, find inspiration to get his life back on track?

Yes, if your name is Kevin and your inspiration comes from the person you've worshipped your whole life -- Dolly Parton.

That's the gist of "Here You Come Again (How Dolly Parton Saved My Life in 12 Easy Songs)," now playing in the Rinker Playhouse at Kravis Center.

When Kevin (played by Gabriel Barr, also the director and co-author) hits his lowest moment, Dolly (played by Tricia Paoluccio, also a co-author) magically appears to give him guidance and hope through some of her most memorable songs.

Much like Clarence, the angel who has to earn his wings by helping Jimmy Stewart in the Christmas classic, "It's a Wonderful Life," Dolly helps Kevin navigate his personal struggles with work and romance as only country music can. There are actually 15 songs in all, spread between two acts, and they include favorites like the title song, "9 to 5," "Jolene" and "Islands in the Stream."

Ms. Paoluccio makes a terrific and believable Dolly, with a great voice, and Barr is the embodiment of the nerdy but loveable guy living with his mom. There's lots of humor to balance the heartache, and Dolly's optimism is as infectious (no pun intended regarding the play's pandemic theme) as her songs.

Unlike Clarence, Dolly didn't need to earn her wings. Instead, she affirms to Kevin, "I Will Always Love You."  That's just as good.
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"Here You Come Again" is at the Kravis Center’s Marshall E. Rinker, Sr.  Playhouse through December 31. Tickets are available at the Kravis Center Box Office and online at kravis.org.

(PRESS RELEASE)_Lake Worth, FL – December 28, 2022) In its dynamic Donald M. Ephraim Family Gallery, the Cultural Council for Palm Beach County will present another thought-provoking exhibition: Veni, Vidi, Vici by international portrait artist Serge Strosberg, January 6 through February 18, 2023. The exhibition is an artistic exploration of the life and influence of Henry Morrison Flagler, the founder of Standard Oil and the Florida East Coast Railroad, as well as the cities of Miami and Palm Beach.
 
Strosberg takes Flagler as captured in portraits and vintage photographs provided by the Henry Morrison Flagler Museum and the Historical Society of Palm Beach County, and reimagines him in a modern context, costumed in contemporary vibrant patterns and colors by Lilly Pulitzer or Maus and Hoffman, while a frieze composed of train tracks borders the works. Descriptions of the historical images were written by popular Worth Avenue tour guide Rick Rose, author of Palm Beach: The Essential Guide to America’s Legendary Resort Town.
 
“The captains of industry from the Gilded Age seemed to have a fascination for Ancient Rome, Greece and Europe, which constructed infrastructure such as roads, aqueducts, and monuments while also building economic empires,” explains Strosberg. “Henry Flagler transformed Florida (which was still mostly swamps in the late 1800s) into a flourishing state by building a railroad going all the way to Key West, plus monumental hotels and cities, ‘conquering’ this ‘inhospitable’ land. In fact, it was the monumental bust of Caesar Augustus adorning the entrance of Whitehall at the Henry Morrison Flagler Museum   that inspired this exhibition.”
 
“After all, Palm Beach today is an ultra-wealthy enclave, a modern Rome separated from the rest of the world by an intracoastal where workers do not reside and only an exclusive crowd now lives. It is also decadent and surreal in a world that is quickly evolving,” adds the artist. 
 
The exhibition Veni Vidi, Vici by Serge Strosberg is available for free viewing in the Cultural Council’s Donald M. Ephraim Family Gallery Tuesdays through Saturdays, noon to 5 p.m., January 6 through February 18, 2023.

(PRESS RELEASE)_Boynton Beach & Palm Beach Gardens, FL (December 20, 2022): Attention Florida film fans! Get out the popcorn and get ready to enjoy the best of Jewish cinema because the Mandel Jewish Community Center of the Palm Beaches (Mandel JCC) has just announced the lineup for the 33rd Palm Beach Jewish Film Festival (PBJFF). In-person screenings will be held from January 21 to February 1, 2023 at theaters in Palm Beach Gardens/Jupiter, Wellington/Royal Palm Beach and Boynton Beach. A virtual viewing option is also being offered February 12-18, 2023. All tickets must be purchased in advance at www.pbjff.org.
 
There is drama, romance, comedy and suspense galore as this year’s international selection of films, which explore the Jewish experience and the diversity of the community around the globe. The 44 featured films encompass diverse themes, including Jewish issues, Jewish achievement and valor, modern Israeli life, and Jewish culture, arts, and history. Several films will also be making their Palm Beach County, Florida, United States, and North America premieres at the Palm Beach festival.

(PRESS RELEASE)_South Florida’s hottest and hippest, new Asian fusion restaurant—Blackbird Modern Asian—will be offering a 4-course prix fixe menu for $150 per person, excluding tax and tip. 
 
Menu includes: 

Course 1

• Wok charred edamame with soy sauce, chili, and garlic

Course 2 (Choice of one)

• Tuna crispy rice with scallions and wasabi tobiko
• Thai beef satay with smoked chili sauce, black pepper, and sweet soy sauce
• Vegetable spring roll with orange-black bean dragon sauce
• Spicy pork wontons with cilantro and Sichuan chili sauce
• Mongolian brisket buns with green apple, pickled fresno, and hoisin sauce 

Course 3 (Choice of one)

• Beef & broccoli featuring New York strip steak with gai lan and sweet soy sauce
• Halibut with wild mushrooms, Chinese chive, and mushroom soy dashy
• King crab fried rice with five vegetables, Thai basil, egg, chili paste, and lime
• Orange chicken with orange peel, sweet chili, and bok choy
• Chow fun with shiitake, wild Cantonese rice noodle, mushroom soy sauce, garlic chive, and truffle

Course 4 (Choice of one)

• Chocolate bomb cake with salted caramel peanut brittle ice cream, caramelized bananas, fresh strawberries, and dark chocolate sauce
• Cheesecake lollipops in flavors of blueberry/lemongrass, lychee/raspberry, mango/passion fruit, and wheatgrass 

Peking duck with Chinese pancakes, Beijing garnish, and hoisin sauce is available à la carte for $95; serves 2-4 people; quantities are limited. Guests will receive a complimentary glass of champagne, party hats, balloons, and other festive favors. For entertainment, DJ Nick Flash will be playing from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m.
 
For New Year’s Eve reservations, email Egena@blackbirdmodernasian.com.
 

(PRESS RELEASE)_National Spaghetti Day is January 4, 2023. Louie Bossi's and Elisabetta's will feature Cacio E Pepe with spaghetti chitarra, pecorino romano and cracked black pepper ($21), Spaghetti Alla Sorrentino with burrata mozzarella, san marzano sauce and fresh basil ($24) and Spaghetti Carbonara, house cured pance ($26).

Elisabetta's and Louie Bossi's are highly acclaimed Italian restaurants. Known for homemade pastas, breads and pizzas, each restaurant's menu offers a variety of fresh pastas made in house daily, steaks dry aged in house, salumi plates, fish from a wood burning grill, and fresh desserts and pastries, all made in house daily. They are Big Time Restaurant Group restaurants.

Elisabetta’s and Louie Bossi's serve dinner seven nights a week, lunch Monday-Friday, and brunch, on Saturdays and Sundays.  Elisabetta’s Ristorante and Pizzeria is located at 185 Banyan Boulevard, West Palm Beach and at 32 East Atlantic Avenue in Delray Beach.  For more information, visit Elisabettas.com.

Louie Bossi's Ristorante, Bar & Pizzeria is at 1032 East Las Olas Boulevard, Fort Lauderdale (954-356-6699) and 100 Palmetto Park Road in Boca Raton (561-336-6699). Visit louiebossi.com for more information

By GERRY BARKER

Ask Cate -- our 10-year-old granddaughter -- what our favorite movie is, and she'll answer, without hesitation, "Aladdin." So you can imagine how excited she was to learn she would be seeing the stage version at the Kravis Center.

This was her first visit to the Kravis, and she was "wowed" as soon as she entered the lobby. There at the top of the stairs was the giant poinsettia tree; downstairs there were "Aladdin" items for sale, costumes on display and a place for a photo op. She took it all in. Before the show started, a children's chorus performed songs from "Aladdin." The mood was definitely set.

As we found our seats and got settled in, she surveyed the stage and seating areas, proclaiming, "it's so beautiful." As an aspiring actor herself -- she played a role in her school's production of "Annie" and is set to appear in the forthcoming "Seussical the Musical" -- she leaned over and told me, "I'm so excited!"

(PRESS RELEASE)_(West Palm Beach, FL – December 15, 2022) The Legacy Foundation of Palm Beach County, an extension of the outreach programs of The Palm Beach Pops, is pleased to announce the newest winners of Legacy Scholarships to help them continue music education.
 
“A total of $16,750 was awarded to eight promising young musicians, ranging in age from 11 to 17, who auditioned virtually before a distinguished review committee of business and cultural leaders,” says Jon Lappin, founder, president and executive director of the Legacy Foundation. “This year’s list of young recipients—all of whom were previous Legacy scholarship winners—will use the funds to pay for music lessons, orchestra dues, instruments, and other performing needs.”