Lovely performance
THE COLOR PURPLE Director Paul Daigneault brings his usual vitality and dexterity to this musical adaptation of Alice Walker’s story about a woman who somehow emerges with her identity and spirit intact despite years of abuse. The strong cast includes Lovely Hoffman as Celie (above) and Maurice Emmanuel Parent as Mister. Through Feb. 8. SpeakEasy Stage Company, at Wimberly Theatre, Boston Center for the Arts. 617-933-8600, www.speakeasystage.com
DON AUCOIN
Theater
WE ARE PROUD TO PRESENT A PRESENTATION ABOUT THE HERERO OF NAMIBIA, FORMERLY KNOWN AS SOUTHWEST AFRICA, FROM THE GERMAN SUDWESTAFRIKA, BETWEEN THE YEARS 1884-1915 A powerfully unsettling production of Jackie Sibblies Drury’s drama, directed by Summer L. Williams, about a group of actors rehearsing a “presentation’’ about Germany’s merciless slaughter of the Herero people. On a small, personal, and chilling scale, “We Are Proud to Present a Presentation . . .’’ illustrates the ways that one segment of a population can be denied their humanity because another segment has lost their own. Through Feb. 1. ArtsEmerson and Company One Theatre, at Jackie Liebergott Black Box Theatre, Emerson/Paramount Center, Boston. 617-824-8400, www.artsemerson.org
VENUS IN FUR David Ives’s psychosexual pas de deux is brought to spellbinding life by Andrea Syglowski as a mysterious actress auditioning for a part in a new play and Chris Kipiniak as an arrogant playwright-director who is in for a few surprises. Directed by Daniel Goldstein. Through Feb. 2. Huntington Theatre Company, at Boston University Theatre. 617-266-0800, www.huntingtontheatre.org
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DON AUCOIN
PINKALICIOUS A silly little fable is transformed into a charming musical in the hands of director Mary G. Guaraldi and her talented troupe. Elizabeth and Victoria Kann’s popular series of picture books follow the adventures of a little girl whose single-minded determination gets her into all sorts of trouble. A joyful sense of curiosity and exploration combine with some peppy tunes for a musical that celebrates family without getting bogged down by sentimentality. Through Feb. 2. Boston Children’s Theatre, at Calderwood Pavilion, Boston Center for the Arts. 617-424-6634, ext. 222, www.bostonchildrenstheatre.org
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TERRY BYRNE
Dance
GALLIM DANCE Batsheva Ensemble alum Andrea Miller and her athletically gifted company bring the Boston premiere of “Wonderland,” a kinetic and provocative exploration of how easily human behavior can descend into pack mentality. Presented by World Music/CRASHarts. Jan. 31-Feb. 1. $40. Institute of Contemporary Art. 617-876-4275, www.worldmusic.org
SPUNKANDCOMPANY As a showcase finale for its dance residency at Boston Center for the Arts, the troupe presents “#hereandnow,” a series of interactive works-in-progress that explore our society’s obsession with instant gratification. Be ready to deliver. Jan. 31-Feb. 1, 8 p.m. $12-$15. Calderwood Pavilion, Boston Center for the Arts. 617-933-8600, www.bostontheatrescene.com
STEPZ No one makes music with his feet with quite the same imagination, commitment, and flair as Savion Glover. FirstWorks presents the percussive tap dynamo and his talented ensemble of hoofers in his most recent creation, “STePz.” One night only, great for the whole family. Jan. 31, 7:30. $28-$58. The Vets, Providence. 401-421-2787, www.first-works.org
BB@HOME One of Boston Ballet’s hottest young stars, Jeffrey Cirio, gets a showcase for his choreographic talents in the intimate 150-seat black box theater at the company’s Clarendon Street studios. Performers include dancers from Boston Ballet II. Jan. 30-31, 7:30 p.m. $40. Boston Ballet, 19 Clarendon St. 617-695-6955, www.bostonballet.org
KAREN CAMPBELL
Galleries
SEEING GLACIAL TIME: CLIMATE CHANGE IN THE ARCTIC Artists in this show utilize photography and video of polar regions to create work that elucidates the incremental but dramatic shifts brought on by rising temperatures. Through May 18. Tufts University Art Gallery, Aidekman Arts Center, 40 Talbot Ave., Medford. 617-627-3518, www.artgallery.tufts.edu
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GEOFF HARGADON: WARHOL COMING SOON, REMI THORNTON: JESUS COMING SOON Hargadon’s text-based works and photos unravel the tight weave of desire, consumerism, and art. Thornton photographs at night with long exposures, making prints imbued with imperceptible light and nighttime’s promise of things hidden. Through March 1. Gallery Kayafas, 450 Harrison Ave. 617-482-0411, www.gallerykayafas.com
BOSTON DOES BOSTON 7 Each year, Proof Gallery asks artists to pair up with others whose work has kinship to their own. The artists this year: Todd Bartel, Elaine Buckholtz, Georgie Friedman, Chris Faust, Tatyana Gubash, and AJ Liberto. Through March 1. Proof Gallery, 516 East Second St., South Boston. 617-702-2761, www.proof-gallery.com
CATE MCQUAID
Museums
SOPHIE CALLE: LAST SEEN Fourteen works incorporating photography and text by the provocative French artist. The works, made in 1991 and 2012, respond to the 1990 theft from the Gardner of Jan Vermeer’s “The Concert.” Through March 3. Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. 617-566-1401, www.gardnermuseum.org
YOU ARE HERE An intriguing group show of contemporary artists interested in finding analogues and equivalents for the human body, often touching on childhood memory. Includes work by Rona Pondick, Inigo Manglano-Ovalle, Gillian Wearing, Jim Lambie, and Charles LeDray. Through Aug. 31. Worcester Art Museum, Worcester. 508-799-4406, www.worcesterart.org
STILL LIFE: 1970S PHOTOREALISM A survey of painters working in the style of photorealism from the gallery’s collection. Includes work by Robert Bechtle, Idelle Weber, Robert Cottingham, Duane Hanson, and Gerhard Richter. Yale University Art Gallery. Through March 9. New Haven. 203-432-0600, artgallery.yale.edu
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JOHN BISBEE: NEW BLOOMS Large scale, floral-inspired sculptures made from twisted and welded nails by Bisbee, a sculptor-in-residence at Bowdoin College in Maine. Through May 26. Shelburne Museum, Shelburne, Vt. 802-985-3346, www.shelburnemuseum.org
SEBASTIAN SMEE
‘Made’ at Montserrat
MADE Nothing is what it first appears in this group show about uncanny art. Alexa Meade paints people so they look like drawings. Patrick Jacobs’s work appears to be photographic, but it’s actually an intricate diorama. Through March 29. Montserrat College of Art Gallery, 23 Essex St., Beverly. 978-921-4242, www.montserrat.edu
CATE MCQUAID