Forecast: December

CULTURE

The Cultural To-Do List
Seven events worth putting on your radar this month

12/02 Bartok, Martinu & Dvorak
Tonight the BSO kicks off a four-night run celebrating these three classical masters, and we're expecting Bartók's Divertimento to be a highlight. Wielding the baton will be German conductor Christoph von Dohnányi, whose own grandfather was tight with Bartók from their days together at the Budapest Academy.
bso.org

12/05 BILL COSBY
Don't worry: This doubleheader at Lynn Memorial Auditorium doesn't feature the Cos that makes you feel guilty about enjoying gangster rap. The 72-year-old comedian is promising laughs, not lectures, on his new tour, while keeping it as clean as jokes about colonoscopies can be.
ticketmaster.com

12/07 WEEZER
Harvard grad Rivers Cuomo brings his power-pop quartet to Agganis Arena in support of the band's seventh studio album, the just-released Raditude. Of course, Cuomo might be wise to consider a little extra security—not to fend off fans, but to keep his debt-ridden alma mater's development officers from hassling him for a donation.
ticketmaster.com

12/10 "SIX YEARS ON MARS"
In this free lecture, Harvard biology professor Andrew Knoll shares the best of what he's gleaned while working on the Mars Rover missions. Considering budget-conscious NASA is taking a dimmer view of manned flights to the Red Planet, Knoll may be offering the best view of Mars that we're going to get for a while.
hmnh.harvard.edu

12/16 THE SANTALAND DIARIES
The New Repertory Theatre in Watertown presents this rousing stage adaptation of writer David Sedaris's experiences working as a Macy's Christmas elf. Consider the sardonic true-life tale a necessary antidote for the annual onslaught of devoutly moral holiday fiction.
newrep.org

12/23–12/27
THE 101 DALMATIANS MUSICAL
The purple tour bus alongside the Wang Theatre for this musical's five-day run isn't home to some diva headlining the show, but rather to the real stars: 15 dalmatians plucked from shelters and trained for show biz. Mention this to your kids, and don't be surprised if they're begging to hang out by the bus like groupies at walk time.
the101dalmatiansmusical.com

12/29
SCENES FROM A PARISH
Filmmaker James Rutenbeck's portrait of St. Patrick's Parish in Lawrence goes national tonight, offering a gripping look at the turmoil of some Catholic churches. Rutenbeck draws sympathetic parallels between the struggles of the old Irish and new Hispanic immigrants. Pastors in Charlestown may want to watch with a notepad handy.
10 p.m. on WGBH