This Week’s Forecast: 4.8.10
BOSTON BALLET
4/8 COPPÉLIA
Boston Ballet returns from its post-Nutcracker hiatus with its premiere performance of this dollhouse fantasy choreographed by George Balanchine, which wraps up 4/18. Can’t wait for the show? The company has a first for you: a blog all about creating the production from scratch, complete with costume sketches, dancer interviews, and rehearsal videos. bostonballet.org
ONE MAN SHOW
4/9 28 FEET
Jonathan Mirin’s one-man show takes its name from the length of the human digestive tract — fitting, since the play chronicles his battle with Crohn’s disease. Performing at Boston Playwrights’ Theatre, Mirin manages to find comedy in his struggle as he bounces between 20 different characters during this celebrated hourlong production. bu.edu/bpt
COMEDY
4/9 LAUGH FOR A CAUSE
If you like seeing your boldface Bostonians in decidedly unpretentious poses, Urban Improv’s annual Banned in Boston show is for you. Fast becoming one of the cooler fundraisers in town, the spectacle has people like Governor Patrick and Mayor Menino (along with more-musical guests like Aerosmith bassist Tom Hamilton) embarrassing themselves in song and satire — all for the benefit of kids. urbanimprov.org
BRIGHT IDEAS
4/10 Hail, Robots!
National Robotics Week begins on 4/10 — an occasion marked by a Botfest at UMass Lowell (4/10) and a Robot Block Party at the Museum of Science (4/17). Meanwhile, plenty of new Hub-bred technologies continue to pave the way for the inevitable takeover by robot overlords. Our favorite local advances:
A COOLER CARRIER The Pentagon gave Boston Dynamics $32 million to create a ‘bot that could run and jump. The Waltham company came up with BigDog — amazingly innovative and frighteningly dystopian. This four-legged automated carrier is expected to help lighten the load for ground troops.
WAREHOUSE FANTASIA Woburn’s Kiva Systems can turn a warehouse into something out of a Harry Potter novel: Automated shelves move so that workers don’t have to. The system allows the inventory to constantly adjust location based on demand, ensuring the more popular items get out the door quicker.
A SPY ON THE WALL Harvard’s Robert Wood is at work on an autonomous robotic fly that is about the size of its natural counterpart. It’s hoped the insectlike robot could be a great espionage tool. Next up on the CIA budget: bug zappers.
CONCERTS
4/10 KENNY ROGERS: THE FIRST 50 YEARS
There’s quite the lineup at this star-studded concert and television special. Kenny Rogers, Dolly Parton, Lionel Richie, Allison Krauss, Smokey Robinson, The Oak Ridge Boys, Wynonna, Sheena Easton, Chris Isaak, Billy Dean, Better Than Ezra, Linda Davis, First Edition and other big names in the music business will be performing Kenny’s six decades of hits. In the mix, they’ll be sharing favorite stories about Kenny and his songs.
IN SHOW
4/11 The Smucker’s Stars on Ice tour visits the TD Garden, featuring gold medal-winning figure skater Evan Lysacek — the most masculine man ever to don a Vera Wang outfit.