Five Reasons to Leave the House This Weekend

Photo by Joan Marcus

THEATER
Something Rotten

It’s hard enough to excel in the theater without trying to be a star when the most famous playwright of all time is your contemporary. But that’s just what two men try to do during Shakespeare’s era, as they strive to come up with the world’s first musical. Rent‘s Adam Pascal stars as the Bard in this comic show.

Through January 29, $40+, Boston Opera House, 539 Washington St., Boston, ticketmaster.com.

CONCERT
The Infamous Stringdusters

If you’re looking for a way to let off a little steam this weekend, you might want to head over to the Paradise on Saturday. Virginia-based bluegrass band the Infamous Stringdusters will be in town, challenging you to resist shaking your booty. Their latest album, Law of Gravity, came out last Friday, so they presumably have a lot of fresh new music to show off.

$20, Saturday, January 20, 7 p.m., Paradise Rock Club, 967 Comm. Ave., Boston, ticketmaster.com.

Image of A Dragon Arrives courtesy of Match Factory

CINEMA
Boston Festival of Films from Iran

Always looking for new types of film to take in? You may want to check out this festival, which highlights films from Iran. Cinema fans will recognize the 1997 film Taste of Cherry, from director Abbas Kiarostami, which won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival when it came out. It tells the story of a wealthy man who wants to kill himself, but needs to find someone to agree to the burial first.

$11, through January 29, Museum of Fine Arts, 465 Huntington Ave., Boston, mfa.org.

Image Provided

COMEDY
Chris Franjola

Comedian Chris Franjola may be best known for his years working on Chelsea Lately, where he both performed and helped write the show. But now you can see him live and on his own, where he’s likely to make a joke or two about how much more difficult it was to send dirty pictures to a lady before camera phones were around.

$29+, Thursday-Saturday, Laugh Boston, 425 Summer St., laughboston.com.

Image courtesy of Bon Me

COOKING CLASS
Bon Me Etc

Bon Me co-founder and executive chef Ali Fong walks you through preparing your own Chinese New Year foods. And we’re not just talking a side dish here—Fong has a whole three course meal planned out, including tea-marinated deviled eggs and a rice bowl. Sure, it’s probably not going to fix your endless cravings for Bon Me sandwiches, but you’ll probably get a pretty tasty meal out of it.

$45, Saturday, 6-8 p.m., Boston Public Market, 100 Hanover St., eventbrite.com.