Five Reasons to Leave the House This Weekend

Photo by Helene Norton Russell Photography

CULTURE

Nowruz 2016: The Persian New Year Festival at the MFA

Head to the MFA to celebrate Nowruz, the Persian New Year, and the first signs of spring. At the MFA’s Nowruz celebration, visitors will be able to learn about Persian traditions and art. Included in the event are various demonstrations as well as music and dance performances throughout the day. For example, internationally-acclaimed musician Kayhan Kallhor will perform on the kamancheh, a Persian spiked fiddle, at the MFA’s Remis Auditorium. In addition, the Iranian Dance Artists (IDA) and Aftab Dance Group will perform dances to Persian classical and folk music. Visitors can also listen to the Sheez Ensemble as the group presents Persian love poetry through classical, folk, and jazz music. Special tours and talks will also take place, including “Persian Art Around the Globe,” and “Persian Mythology.” Art-making activities will be available for all ages, too, making the festival a true family affair.

Free with admission, Saturday, March 19, 10 a.m.-4:45 p.m., Museum of Fine Arts Boston, 465 Huntington Ave., Boston, mfa.org.

DANCE

Boston Ballet’s Kaleidoscope

This week the Boston Ballet opens Kaleidoscope, a production composed of vibrant and influential choreographic works from the 20th century. Featured in the show are George Balanchine’s Kammermusik No. 2, Leonid Yakobson’s Pas de Quatre, Léonide Massine’s Gaîté Parisienne, and William Forsythe’s The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude. Each piece offers a unique sound and tone, providing audiences with a dynamic visual and audio juxtaposition throughout the performance. The program is intended to represent the range of capabilities from Boston Ballet’s dancers and the company’s broad repertoire.

Tickets starting at $35, March 17-March 26, showtimes vary, Boston Opera House, 539 Washington St., Boston, bostonballet.org.

THEATER

Dying for It at ART

Dying for It, by British playwright and screenwriter Moira Buffini, is an adaptation of Nikolai Erdman’s dark comedy The Suicide. Long-suppressed, The Suicide was written by Russian playwright Nikolai Erdman in 1928, but shortly after its release Josef Stalin banned the play from soviet Russia and exiled Erdman to Siberia. The play wasn’t performed until 1979, when the Royal Shakespeare Company created a production that saw a brief Broadway run in 1980. Buffini’s rework is gaining praise after adapting the play and giving it a new name. The plot follows the story of Semyon, a man who is contemplating suicide after being down on his luck. But soon various characters come to him, asking for ownership of his act and subsequently hoping to make him a martyr for their causes. The show is a satire and commentary on the hypocrisy of Soviet life. In 2007, Buffini’s Dying for It had an acclaimed run at London’s Almeida Theater, and now graduates from the American Repertory Theater Institute’s class of 2016 will perform the show this weekend at Loeb Drama Center in Cambridge.

$20, Thursday-Sunday, March 17-19, showtimes vary, Loeb Drama Center, 64 Brattle St., Cambridge, americanrepertorytheater.org.

Photo by Maria Abou Nassar

COMEDY

Nemr at the Wilbur

Lebanese-American stand-up comedian Nemr arrives in Boston this weekend as part of his debut U.S. tour. Nemr is credited for establishing and pioneering the stand-up comedy scene in the Middle East. The comic grew up in San Diego but later moved back to Lebanon with his family where he started performing stand-up in English as a way to break down barriers and prove that comedy is universal. Nemr’s accomplishments include several full-feature specials, a television show called “A Stand-Up Comedy Revolution,” and movie releases of two of his specials, “EPIC,” and “Victorious Secret.” In addition, he’s appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine (Middle East) and holds the record for the largest show in every major country in the Middle East. Catch Nemr at the Wilbur before he heads back to the Middle East to perform shows in Qatar, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and more.

Tickets starting at $32, Saturday, March 19, 9:45 p.m., The Wilbur, 246 Tremont St., Boston, thewilbur.com.

MUSIC

Emmet Cahill at Irish Social Club of Boston

Fill your St. Patrick’s Day weekend with some sweet Irish tunes. After selling out a show in the city last summer, Emmet Cahill is back for another performance, this time at the Irish Social Club of Boston. After spending the last four years as the lead singer of Celtic Thunder, Cahill is now hoping to carve out his own solo career. He started music lessons at the age of four and went on to attend the prestigious Royal Irish Academy of Music for formal classical music training. Cahill will perform classic and modern Irish songs, as well as a few show tunes.

$30, Friday, March 18, 8-9 p.m., Irish Social Club of Boston, 119 Park St., West Roxbury, emmetcahilltours.ticketleap.com.