The Ticket
UPCOMING IN-PERSON AND ONLINE EVENTS, CHOSEN BY GLOBE CRITICS AND WRITERS
MUSIC
Pop & Rock
DROP NINETEENS In the wake of their first album in three decades, last year’s atmospheric yet hooky “Hard Light,” and in advance of their 1992 fuzzed-out breakthrough, “Delaware,” getting the reissue treatment this June, the local shoegazers return to the stage after a 30-year absence. April 19, 7 p.m. Paradise Rock Club. 617-562-8800,crossroadspresents.com
BENNY THE BUTCHER This Buffalo MC, a member of the Griselda Records collective alongside Westside Gunn and Conway the Machine, comes to town in support of his major-label debut, the razor-edged, yet pensive “Everybody Can’t Go.” April 23, 7 p.m. House of Blues Boston. 888-6932583,houseofblues.com/boston
KIMBRA This New Zealand singer-songwriter stripped down her cracked-open pop on her brilliant 2023 album “A Reckoning.” She opens for the composer and pop alchemist Jacob Collier, who just completed his “Djesse” series of albums with its fourth volume, which has a wide-ranging guest list that includes roots heroine Brandi Carlile, soul crooner Michael McDonald, K-pop collective aespa, and guitar wizard Steve Vai. April 24, 7:15 p.m. MGM Music Hall at Fenway. 617-4887540,crossroadspresents.com MAURA JOHNSTON
Folk, World, Country
ROBBIE FULKS AND PATTY LARKIN The venue where this pairing will take place is advertising it as “musical sorceress meets alt-country gent.” The “meets” suggests they’ll be performing together, which doesn’t seem to be the case, but the rest is close enough, although Fulks has ranged far from the days when he was classified as alt-country, most recently on a bluegrass record, “Bluegrass Vacation,” and “madcap” comes to mind before “gent.” April 20, 8 p.m. $28. TCAN, 14 Summer St., Natick. 508-6470097, natickarts.org
SCOTT H. BIRAM Biram has just released another album, and this one comes with a title, “The One and Only Scott H. Biram,” that’s accurate in a double sense. The marvelous racket you hear — by his account, “a mix of blues, country, folk, and influences from heavier genres like metal and hard rock” — is made by him and him only; and it isn’t much like anything you’ll hear elsewhere. April 21, 7:30 p.m. $20. The Burren, 247 Elm St., Somerville. 617776-6896, burren.com STUART MUNRO
Jazz & Blues
GRACIE CURRAN & THE HIGH FALUTIN’ BAND The charismatic blues and roots belter, a Winthrop native and one-time Boston Music Awards “Blues Artist of the Year,” has been a fixture on Memphis’s Beale Street. It’s always an occasion when she and her crew return to the area. April 20, 7:30 p.m. $20. The Cut, 177 Main St., Gloucester. thecutlive.com
CHARLIE KOHLHASE’S EXPLORER’S CLUB The multi-saxophonist and composer, a Boston jazz mainstay, leads this intrepid, horn-heavy septet of top local improvisers in a program of his witty originals as well as compositions by Elmo Hope and Kohlhase collaborators Roswell Rudd and John Tchicai. April 21, 6:30 p.m. $15. The Lilypad, 1353 Cambridge St., Cambridge. lilypadinman.com
THE DANIEL IAN SMITH SEXTET The Mosesian Arts Black Box Jazz series presents the saxophonist-alto flutist’s group playing jazz interpretations of the music of Coldplay, as arranged by Matthew Nicholl and Adi Yeshaya. With guitarist John Baboian, keyboardist Amy Bellamy, electric bassist Fernando Huergo, and drummer Gen Yoshimura. April 24, 7:30 p.m. $30. Black Box Theater, Mosesian Center for the Arts, 321 Arsenal St., Watertown. mosesianarts.org KEVIN LOWENTHAL
Classical
BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Violinist Hilary Hahn joins the BSO and music director Andris Nelsons for Brahms’s evergreen Violin Concerto this week; the program also includes Mozart’s Symphony No. 33 and Anna Thorvaldsdottir’s massive “Archora” (April 20). Next week, the orchestra and Nelsons perform the American premiere of Sofia Gubaidulina’s “The Wrath of God,” and showcase principal trumpet Thomas Rolfs in Detlev Glanert’s Trumpet Concerto (April 25-27). Symphony Hall. 617-266-1200, www.bso.org
HANDEL AND HAYDN SOCIETY The H+H Orchestra and Chorus teams up with soprano Lucy Crowe and baritone James Atkinson for an elegiac and pensive all-Brahms program, featuring “Begräbnisgesang” (Funeral Song) and “Ein deutsches Requiem.” BSO choral director James Burton conducts, stepping in for Bernard Labadie, who had to withdraw due to illness. April 19,
7:30 p.m.; April 21, 3 p.m. Symphony Hall. 617-262-1815, www.handelandhaydn.org
CHAMELEON ARTS ENSEMBLE The Chameleons welcome spring with a characteristically adventurous program, titled “Shadows, Canons, Veils”; the lineup includes a nocturne by Rebecca Clarke, a piece inspired by wild medieval manuscripts by Canadian composer Serge Arcuri, quintets by Beethoven and Shostakovich, and Couperin’s harpsichord gem “Les baricades mistérieuses” as reimagined by Thomas Adès for clarinet, bass clarinet, viola, cello, and double bass. April 20, 8 p.m.; April 21, 4 p.m. First Church in Boston. 617-427-8200, www.chameleonarts.org A.Z. MADONNA
ARTS
Theater
TOUCHING THE VOID During a mountain-climbing expedition in the Peruvian Andes, Joe Simpson (Patrick O’Konis) suffers a severe leg injury. That presents an agonizing choice for his climbing companion, Simon Yates (Kody Grassett). Amid the freezing cold, Yates has to decide whether or not to cut the rope that connects him to Simpson. David Greig’s stage adaptation of Simpson’s book, later a film docudrama, is directed by Danielle Fauteux Jacques. April 19-May 19. Apollinaire Theatre Company. At Chelsea Theatre Works, Chelsea. 617887-2336, apollinairetheatre.com
A STRANGE LOOP It doesn’t get much more meta than Michael R. Jackson’s quasi-autobiographical, Pulitzer- and Tony-winning musical about Usher (Kai Clifton), a gay Black writer who is writing a musical about a gay Black writer who is writing a musical about a gay Black writer. Directed by Maurice Emmanuel Parent. Choreography by Taavon Gamble.
Musical direction by David Freeman Coleman. April 26-May 25. Coproduction by SpeakEasy Stage Company and Front Porch Arts Collective. At Wimberly Theatre, Calderwood Pavilion, Boston Center for the Arts. 617-9338600, BostonTheatreScene.com
THE DROWSY CHAPERONE This utterly bonkers musical demands hammy excess, and the show’s 16-member cast, led by directorchoreographer Larry Sousa, are only too happy to oblige. Throwing any notions of restraint out the window, they deliver a rollicking delight of a production, with a wonderfully fizzy throwback score by Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison and a book by Bob Martin and Don McKellar that doesn’t even try to make sense. The genius of “The Drowsy Chaperone” is that it sends up the corny tropes of the classic Broadway musical comedy while at the same time illustrating — song by song and scene by scene — why those tropes remain so potent. Through May 12. Lyric Stage Company of Boston. 617-5855678, lyricstage.com DON AUCOIN
Dance
CARMEN Boston Ballet’s upcoming double bill program is anchored by resident choreographer Jorma Elo’s interpretation of the tale of the fiery Carmen and her ill-fated loves. This one is set in the world of high-fashion in the 21st century but retains music from Bizet’s beloved opera, arranged by Rodion Shchedrin. The program opens with Florence Clerc’s version of “Kingdom of the Shades,” one of classical ballet’s most mesmerizing and iconic scenes. April 25-May 5. $25-$195. Citizens Bank Opera House. www.bostonballet.org
LIMITLESS Boston Conservatory’s annual spring dance concert features five works, ranging from the José Limón masterpiece “The Unsung,” performed for the first time by all women, to a world premiere choreographed by faculty members Adriana Suarez and Gianni Di Marco. The concert also includes the exuberant “Plod,” by Dan Wagoner, with a Prokofiev score performed live by the Boston Conservatory Orchestra, and works by Dwight Rhoden and Aszure Barton. April 25-28. $18.75-$30. Boston Conservatory Theater. https://bostonconservatory.berklee.edu/
VIVEK RAMANAN Centered in Bharatanatyam dance and South Indian percussion arts, the solo artist presents “In Between,” a fusion of music, dance, and poetry that explores the effects of our often binary world and the experience of being somewhere in the middle. April 20. $20. Dance Complex, Cambridge. www.dancecomplex.org
BOSTON UNIVERSITY DANCE THEATRE GROUP Mentored by Bill McLaughlin, Liz Roncka, and Micki Taylor-Pinney, the group presents its “Visions 2024.” Pieces created and danced by students offer a glimpse into the choreographic imagination of the next generation, with styles ranging from traditional to experimental, whimsical to reflective. April 19-20. $12-$20. Boston University Dance Theater. https:/ /dtgvisions2024.eventbrite.com KAREN CAMPBELL
Visual art
HALLYU! THE KOREAN WAVE It’s no secret that popular culture from South Korea has been exploding in recent years (if you haven’t heard of “Parasite,” “Squid Game,” or BTS, you may as well stop here). Exploring its rapid rise to global prominence is this exhibition, which combines art, fashion, music, drama, and technology to provide a closer look at a little country with expansively American-esque global cultural import. Through July 28. Museum of Fine Arts Boston, 465 Huntington Ave. 617-267-9300, www.mfa.org
LATOYA M. HOBBS: IT’S TIME “Carving Out Time” (2020-21) is Hobbs’s series of five lifesize woodcuts, in which she portrays a day in the life of her family in Baltimore. An intimately diaristic view of her everyday with husband Ariston Jacks, also an artist, and their two children, “Carving Out Time” offers an unvarnished view of a woman artist’s many competing responsibilities as wife, mother, and caregiver, and of the deep history from which she comes. Look closely and you’ll see canonic artists like Alma Thomas, Elizabeth Catlett, and Kerry James Marshall embedded in her images, a lineage that gives her impetus to carry ever on. Through July 21. Harvard Art Museums. 32 Quincy
St., Cambridge. 617-495-9400, www.harvardartmuseums.org
NANCY ELIZABETH PROPHET: I WILL NOT BEND AN INCH Prophet, who was of Black and Native American descent, was among the first known women of color to graduate from the Rhode Island School of Design in the early 20th century. She left the US for Paris early in her career, as many Black American artists did, finding greater acceptance and freedom in its cosmopolitan, avant-garde environment than at home; but it also meant that she’s been largely overlooked in the
US. This exhibition finally brings her home, exploring her legacy as a groundbreaking Modern sculptor. Through Aug. 4. RISD Museum, 20 N. Main St., Providence. 401-454-6500, risdmuseum.org MURRAY WHYTE
PELLE CASS: TOSSED Cass’s time-lapse photographs gather hours of activity into a single still image. In one series, scores of balls (and in one case, apples) fly through the air, arcing and hovering. To make each, the artist set a camera near the ground and threw objects into the air again and again. Then he consolidated all that motion into one frame, bustling and buoyant with activity. Through May 17. Praise Shadows Art Gallery, 313A Harvard St., Brookline. 617-487-5427, www.praiseshadows.com CATE McQUAID
EVENTS
Comedy
TRANSCENDENT Every third Friday at Cinema Salem, Ms. Adventure and Viv Martin host this stand-up show with a trans headliner. This month, it’s Max Gross with Evan Valentine, Sarah May, and Lloyd Legacy Sharp. April
19, 9 p.m. Pay what you can; suggested price $15. Cinema Salem, One East India Square, Salem. Find the ticket link on @transcendentcomedy on Instagram.
MARTIN AMINI The comic is sometimes asked which side of his family he most identifies with — the Iranian or the Bolivian. “Depends on what Fox News is talking about this week,” he says. “If they’re talking about the Muslim ban, I’m super Bolivian. If they’re talking about immigration, then I’m from Iran. But if they’re talking about deportation, I’m from Silver Spring, Md.” April 19-20, 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. $33-$53. Laugh Boston, 425 Summer St. 617-725-2844, laughboston.com
ANTHONY JESELNIK: BONES AND ALL Jeselnik walks the fine line between funny and offensive with considerable skill, something he once addressed on Theo Von’s podcast with the quote, “Art is getting away with it.” He took aim at comics who say offensive things and then bristle when someone complains. “If you put out a special, and everyone’s pissed,” he said, “you didn’t get away with it.” April 24, 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. $47-$77. The Wilbur, 246 Tremont St. 617-2489700, thewilbur.com NICK A. ZAINO III
Family
EARTH DAY CELEBRATION Join Boston Building Resources for an Earth Day celebration in the heart of the city. Partake in a perennial divide plant swap from the Trustees of Reservations to encourage the ecosystem to grow, enjoy live music and food fresh off the grill, and learn bike safety and home resource tips. A tie dye station and giveaways will keep young ones entertained for hours. April 20, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Free. Boston Building Resources, 100 Terrace St. eventbrite.com
COURAGEOUS SAILING OPEN HOUSE This two-day event invites people of all ages (and dogs) aboard as boats take groups out on free 20-minute sailing trips around Boston Harbor. Refreshments and discounts on popular memberships and lessons will be available all weekend long. April 20-21, 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Free. Courageous Sailing Pier 4 Charlestown, 197 8th St., Charlestown. courageoussailing.org
REPTILE AND AMPHIBIAN NIGHT WITH ZOO NEW ENGLAND Meet some turtles with WBUR at reptile and amphibian night, one event in the news organization’s Earth Week programming. Participants will learn how scientists “headstart” turtle hatchlings, including a demonstration of how researchers radiotrack turtles to protect their nests. April 23, 6:30-7:30 p.m. $15 admission. WBUR CitySpace, 890 Commonwealth Ave. wbur.org ADRI PRAY