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Boston-area to do list

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PICK OF THE DAY

Chekhov, two ways

An interpretive performance of Anton Chekhov’s “Uncle Vanya,” the 1994 film “Vanya on 42nd St.” is a tribute to the Russian writer’s work, as well as the creative process itself. The special screening of the Louis Malle-directed film — which stars Wallace Shawn and Julianne Moore — is followed by a conversation with guests from the Huntington Theatre Company’s production of the Tony Award-winning play “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike” (above), who will discuss the different approaches to Chekhov’s classic themes of loss and longing. Jan. 5 at 7 p.m. Tickets: $10.25 adults; $8.25 seniors and children.
Coolidge Corner Theatre, 290 Harvard St., Brookline. 617-734-2501. www.coolidge.org

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MONDAY

The write stuff Poetry and nonfiction collide as writers Adrian Matejka and Pamela Petro take the stage at Lesley University as part of school’s Winter Evening Readings series. Matejka will read from “Big Smoke,” his most recent book of poetry that was a finalist for the 2014 Pulitzer Prize, and Petro, who teaches nonfiction at Lesley, will share from her book “Sitting Up With the Dead: A Storied Journey Through the American South.” Jan. 5 at 6:30 p.m. Free. Lesley University’s Marran Theater, 34 Mellen St., Cambridge. 617-868-9600. www.lesley.edu/info/readings

TUESDAY

Picturing the past The photographs of Lolita Parker capture the multitude of changes that Boston’s West End has gone through over the past 16 years, highlighting the projects, events, and people that have reshaped and reenergized the neighborhood. Parker’s photos, on view at the West End Museum’s new exhibit “The New West Enders & Other Green Monsters,” cover everything from the 2004 Democratic National Convention to projects like the demolition of the elevated MBTA tracks. Exhibit is on view Jan. 6-Feb. 28. Museum hours: noon-5 p.m. Tuesday-Friday; 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday. Admission: free. West End Museum, 150 Staniford St. 617-723-2125. www.thewestendmuseum.org

Straight from the White House The Van Burens merge their energetic music — a mix of rock, funk, prog, and reggae — with clever lyrics and pop culture humor, with many tunes taking jabs at the country’s many commanders-in-chief. The band — hailing from Quincy, the City of Presidents — teams up with special guests for the Van Buren Family Road Show, at the Lizard Lounge every Tuesday in January. Jan. 6 at 9 p.m. (repeats Jan. 13, 20, and 27). Tickets: $10. 21+. Lizard Lounge, 1667 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge. 617-547-0759. www.lizardloungeclub.com

Seeing the future In regions of West Africa, as well as other areas, cowrie shells are divination objects, used in rituals and religious ceremonies. In “Divination X,” Jamaican-born Nari Ward — a former artist-in-residence at the Gardner Museum — created a contemporary piece that resembles an X-ray of a cowrie shell reading in response to the question, “What does the future hold?” The public art installation is now on view on the museum’s exterior façade. Installation on view
Jan. 6-June 29. Museum admission: $15 adults; $12 seniors; $5 students (free for members and children under 18). Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, 25 Evans Way. 617-566-1401. www.gardnermuseum.org

West Coast rock Long Beach, Calif.-based band
Tijuana Panthers
released its second indie/surf rock-infused album, “Wayne Interest,” last summer. Joined by the Garden, Tijuana Panthers is onstage at Great Scott for one night only. Jan. 6 at 9 p.m. Tickets: $10. 18+. Great Scott, 1222 Commonwealth Ave., Allston. 617-566-9014. www.greatscottboston.com Eryn Carlson


Eryn Carlson can be reached at eryn.carlson@globe.com