Things to Do This Weekend in Boston
Keep your weekend full with our roundup of fun events around Boston. And don’t miss our list of iconic things to do around Boston.
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Photo by Joan Marcus
MULTIPLE DAYS
THEATER
The Timeless Music of Fiddler on the Roof
Director Bartlett Sher helmed this 2015 revival of one of Broadway’s most acclaimed musicals. The sad/uplifting tale depicts life in an insulated Russian Jewish community in the early 20th century, exploring the power and limits of tradition in an increasingly unstable world. The titular fiddler, despite having top billing, isn’t a primary character. Rather, he’s a symbol for everyone, precarious but devoted to his music.
$45-$205, through March 8, Colonial Theater, 106 Boylston St., Boston
Photo by Timothy M. Schmidt
COMEDY
The Second City Rips the Patriarchy a New One with “She the People”
Over a decade after Christopher Hitchens announced in the pages of Vanity Fair that women are not funny, the evidence that he was dead wrong mounts higher and higher. Chicago’s seminal comedy factory The Second City presents this feminist comedy show written and performed entirely by women and described as a “mimosas-and-madness-fueled foray” with sketches and music striking back at male power. Would Hitch take it back today? Probably not, but who cares?
$35-$69, through March 8, Huntington Theater, 264 Huntington Ave., Boston
DANCE
Boston Ballet Charts the Evolution and Revolution of Ballet
The Boston Ballet’s latest show, rEVOLUTION, is a compact history lesson through the works of three masters: George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, and William Forsythe. Balanchine’s 1957 work Agon, set to Stravinsky, remains an athletic challenge. Robbins composed Glass Pieces, set to Phillip Glass, later in his life, expressing the overwhelming complexity of urban life. Forsythe, the only living choreographer on the program, is represented by his 1987 work In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated.
$37-$159, through March 8, Boston Opera House, 539 Washington St., Boston
Image provided
MOVIES
The Original Japanese Version of The Ring
The 1998 horror masterpiece Ringu caused a global revolution in horror, leading not only to a whole series of Hollywood remakes of Japanese and Korean horror films, but to mainstream American horror (which was really starting to burn out on the whole “slasher” thing) actually getting scary again. If you’ve only seen the American Ring, Ringu is reputedly much better and creepier. If you’ve never seen either, might as well save the best for first, right?
$10-$12, Friday through Sunday, Brattle Theater, 40 Brattle St., Cambridge
Montana Life Through the Eyes of Certain Women
This 2016 drama by Kelly Reichardt takes place in Montana, focusing on four small-town women (played by Michelle Williams, Kristen Stewart, Lily Gladstone, and Laura Dern) and their everyday struggles. The Harvard Film Archive observes that “certain” applies in both senses for these characters, to describe their individuality and their resolute natures, and at stake is the cost of being “certain,” the thin line between the abyss of loneliness and the spiritual refuge of solitude.
$9, Sunday and March 7, Harvard Film Archive, 24 Quincy St., Cambridge
FRIDAY
COMEDY
No, Ali Macofsky Isn’t Being Sarcastic—Not All the Time, Anyway…
Los Angeles comedian Ali Macofsky has an extremely deadpan voice, especially for a female comic, and she’s aware of it, observing that even banal statements like “Hey, that’s a cool hat” can come off as cutting remarks from her. She isn’t actually very sarcastic, preferring to use her deadpan tone to underscore her self-deprecating candor, occasionally breaking it with some bizarre singing. If this all sounds like Maria Bamford, you’re not off base—Bamford fans will probably love Macofsky.
$10, 7:30 p.m., White Bull Tavern, 1 Union St., Boston
SATURDAY
MUSIC
Fresh Jazz from Matt Savage and Tucker Antell
Local tenor sax player Tucker Antell has a funky, bluesy sound, but he can also get into the weeds of abstract jazz, and his compositions are as holistic as his improv style. One of New England’s most sought-after saxophonists, he’s nothing if not busy. Opener Matt Savage is a charmingly geeky wunderkind. Recognized as a piano prodigy at age eight, he got to perform with many of jazz’s living legends while his peers were just trying to finish their homework.
$12, 7 p.m., The Lilypad, 1353 Cambridge St., Cambridge
Image provided
SUNDAY
MUSIC
Restless Souls, Meet The Promise Is Hope
This duo, comprised of married couple Ash and Eric L’Esperance, promise “folk that makes you feel things.” Well, any self-respecting musician probably wants to make you feel things, but the The Promise is Hope definitely do deliver on the big feels. Part of that may be their religious faith, which informs their songs without invading them. Their heartfelt tunes, stirring harmonies, and passionate performances lift them well above the typical open mic pretender.
$20, 7 p.m., Club Passim, 47 Palmer St., Cambridge
Bobby McFerrin: The Man of a Thousand Throats
While the world of pop music knows him for just one song, other realms know Bobby McFerrin has a vast and eclectic body of work and a remarkably elastic voice, capable of polyphonic overtones, numerous sound effects, and rapid and large shifts in intervals between notes. He’ll appear here with 16-person chorus The Singing Tribe and special guest Meredith Monk.
$60-$80, 3 p.m., Symphony Hall, 301 Mass. Ave., Cambridge
Free Events
MUSIC
The Upbeat Brilliance of Snack Cat
This New York City band is comprised of ace young musicians who’ve worked with Roberta Flack, John Mayer, The Zach Brown Band, Grace Potter, Ben Folds, John Patitucci, Jersey Boys, Greg Allman, and many other icons old and new. Their worldly soul/R&B sound reflects an ability to mesh with such diverse artists. It’s good vibes music, smart and almost unbelievably on point, the kind of stuff that’ll have you hankering for summer to arrive.
Friday, 10 p.m., The Beehive, 541 Tremont St., Boston
Photo by Sasha Pedro
ART
Humanity and Nature Play Tug-of-war in WILD
Gallery 263’s latest show is a juried multimedia exhibition of artists exploring the always mysterious relationship between human beings and their environment. We come from nature, we’re surrounded (despite our vast, smoggy cities) by nature, and yet we keep acting as if we’re special, above it, as if this is someone else’s planet. As climate change continues to ramp up, the question isn’t just academic—it could be a matter of life or death. The opening reception is Friday at 7 p.m.
Through March 14, Gallery 263, 263 Pearl St., Cambridge
Family-Friendly Events
MUSIC
The Sound of the Movies Comes to Life via New England Film Orchestra
The New England Film Orchestra will perform segments from a bunch of crowd-pleasing films of recent vintage, including the Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Chronicles of Narnia, and Pirates of the Caribbean series, The Mission, Legends of the Fall, Inception, and The Avengers. The music will be both familiar and new as it’s given the spotlight, separated from all the Hollywood wackiness it normally underscores.
$30, Friday and Saturday, First Church in Cambridge, 11 Garden St., Cambridge.
BOOKS
Dr. Seuss Wasn’t a Real Doctor, but This Is His Real Birthday
Harvard Square pays tribute to America’s most popular poet (admit it, nerds) and one of its greatest cartoonists at this adorable celebration which includes a public reading of Green Eggs and Ham followed by actual green eggs and ham, birthday cake, and ice cream. The celebration continues at the COOP with more story time and activities. Incidentally, Seuss had no particular connection to Harvard or the Boston area, but he was born and raised in Springfield. Close enough!
Free, Saturday, 12 p.m, Harvard COOP, 1400 Mass. Ave., Cambridge