Mark S. Howard
John Ambrosino and Phil Tayler in Lyric Stage Company’s “Avenue Q.”
Now playing
TOTEM Virtuosity topped with Vegas cheese: It’s the tried-and-true Cirque du Soleil recipe, and it works well in “Totem,’’ written and directed by the ubiquitous Robert Lepage, a man who knows a thing or two about juggling. Extended through Aug. 5. At Big Top, Boston Marine Industrial Park. 800-450-1480, www.cirquedusoleil.com/totem
CAR TALK: THE MUSICAL!!! Based on NPR’s popular call-in program, this show might seem an unlikely proposition. But with the help of Tom and Ray Magliozzi, who contributed their voices to the project, Wesley Savick has cobbled a wacky plot, clever song parodies, the brothers’ trademark outrageous puns, and a fine cast into a production that’s running like a top. Through Aug. 12. Presented by Underground Railway Theater and Suffolk University. At Central Square Theater, Cambridge. 866-811-4111, www.centralsquaretheater.org
Last chance
AVENUE Q Inspired by “Sesame Street,” the 2004 Tony Award winner for best musical is a dark story of growing up in the big city. With its adult themes and graphic puppet sex, it’s not for children. But adults will be able to access their inner child through this sunny-side-of-the-street production, in which it’s hard to tell who’s cuter and more lovable, the puppets or the humans. Through July 1. Lyric Stage Company, Boston. 617-585-5678, www.lyricstage.com