Five Reasons to Leave the House This Weekend


roller disco(Photo by Guardrail Photography.)

Theater
Roller Disco the Musical
I’m fairly certain the title of this new performance at Oberon speaks for itself, but details never hurt. Based on 1979’s Roller Boogie (starring Linda Blair! Of Exorcist fame!), New York-based director and choreographer Jen Wineman’s roller skating spectacle is a love story that takes place in Los Angeles. According to the press release, “He’s dirt-poor. She’s filthy rich. He’s the best roller skater in California. She’s one of the best musicians in the country. It’s 1979. So of course they fall in love.” I don’t know about you, but I’ll be at the show’s world premiere this week with skates on. And knee pads. And elbow pads. And a helmet.
$25–$45, Wednesday and Thursday nights through August 30, 7:30 p.m., Club Oberon, 2 Arrow St., Cambridge, 617-496-8004, cluboberon.com.

Good Cause
6th Annual Anna’s Walqueria
Supporting a local non-profit by walking and eating free burritos might be hands down the best idea for a fundraiser, ever. The 13.1-mile loop hits each of Anna’s six locations, and for each stop a walker makes, the local chain will donate five dollars to The Home for Little Wanders. The first and last stops provide free burritos, while the rest dole out drinks, chips with guac and salsa, tacos, and cheese quesadillas. Participants should sign up via Facebook or send an e-mail to annaswalqueria@gmail.com ahead of time.
Free, Saturday, June 16, starts at 10:30 a.m. at Anna’s Taqueria at 1412 Beacon St., Brookline, 617-739-7300.

Bizarre
The Blooming of a Titan Arum
Long have I heard tales of an enormous, exotic flower that when in bloom smells like a rotting human corpse. The Franklin Zoo has one: the 200-pound specimen, named Morticia, weighs 200 pounds, is four feet, six inches tall as of Wednesday afternoon, and is set to flower in the next few days. Amorphophallus titanum, native to Indonesia, can go 7 to 10 years without blooming and requires specific environmental conditions for a flower to occur. When they do, the blossoms can be up to nine feet tall and six feet across, and give off a rather pungent aroma. Because it’s difficult to predict exactly when the flower will open, the greenhouse will be open from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. on Thursday, and extra viewing hours will take place from 8 a.m. – 9:30 a.m., and 6 p.m. – 8 p.m. through the weekend if the blooming does indeed occur. Keep track of its progress via the Zoo’s Twitter account (@zoonewengland) or Facebook page.
Free, Franklin Park Zoo, One Franklin Park Rd., Boston, 617-541-5466, zoonewengland.org.

Outdoors
Canoeing and Kayaking on the Sudbury River
As of today, the weekend forecast looks damn near perfect. Check out our guide to all things paddling in our latest summer workout guide: Fitness al Fresco. Then consider hitting up one of my favorite places for summer canoeing: the South Bridge Boat House. Located on the Concord River, a paddle north will take you past The Old North Bridge in Lexington and eventually to the Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, 3,800 acres of freshwater wetlands great for spotting herons and hearing the occasional bullfrog.
$14–18 per hour; daily rentals also available, South Bridge Boat House, 496 Main St. (Route 62), Concord, 978-371-2465, canoeconcord.com.

Dance
Boston International Ballet Competition
As a former attempted ballerina (I took two sessions’ worth of lessons when I was eight, NBD), I’ve always had a fascination with the dance form that is ballet — the dedication required for such perfection was not my forte to say the least. But sometimes, living vicariously through others is worth the price of admission. To wit: Boston’s International Ballet Competition (founded by Valentina Kozlova and headed by Mikko Nissinen, the Artistic Director of Boston Ballet) will feature dancers between the ages of 13 and 25 who will compete through three elimination rounds for contracts, scholarships, and more. For anyone who missed the documentary First Position, this is your chance to see the real deal.
$25 for Friday and Saturday, $35–$100 for Sunday gala, bostonibc.org, buy tickets here.