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The week ahead: Theater, galleries and museums

“Ed Ruscha: Standard, at the Rose Art Museum” at Brandeis University.

THEATER

THE BOOK OF MORMON For all of its raunchy envelope-pushing and scorched-earth satire, “Mormon’’ is bursting with affection for the old-fashioned Broadway musical, an institution it does as much to revitalize as to upend. With top-notch performances by Mark Evans as Elder Price and Samantha Marie Ware as Nabulungi. Through April 28. Broadway in Boston. At Boston Opera House. 800-982-2787, www.broadwayinboston.com

BY THE WAY, MEET VERA STARK The charismatic Kami Rushell Smith excels as an African-American maid in the 1930s whose aspirations for a movie career collide with Hollywood’s insistence on racial stereotyping. Lynn Nottage’s snappy, inventive, and pointed satire is directed with assurance by Summer L. Williams, who has marshaled a stellar supporting cast. Through April 27. Lyric Stage Company. 617-585-5678, www.lyric stage.com

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OPERATION EPSILON A satisfyingly taut and well-acted production of Alan Brody’s fine, historically based new drama about German nuclear scientists held captive at the end of World War II in a British country house, where they confront — and evade — their moral responsibility. Directed by Andy Sandberg, with standout performances by Will Lyman, Diego Arciniegas, Ken Baltin, and Robert D. Murphy. Through April 28. Nora Theatre Company. At Central Square Theater, Cambridge. 866-811-4111, www.central squaretheater.org
DON AUCOIN

THE IRISH . . . AND HOW THEY GOT THAT WAY Frank McCourt’s celebration, through story and song, of the Irish-American experience and a heritage that confronts adversity with determination, good humor, music, and a love of life. Through April 28. At Davis Square Theatre, Somerville. 800-660-8462, www.frankmccourtstheirish.com TERRY BYRNE

MASTER CLASS Terrence McNally’s 1995 Tony Award winner about the demands of divahood is almost entirely dependent on the actress playing Maria Callas. Amelia Broome may not channel Callas, but she masters the role, giving a commanding performance, entertaining the audience with her wit, and coaxing some superb singing out of her students as she teaches a master class. Through April 21. New Repertory Theatre. At Charles Mosesian Theater, Arsenal Center for the Arts, Watertown. 617-923-8487, www.newrep.org

RYAN LANDRY’S “M” Landry’s 90-minute deconstruction of Fritz Lang’s legendary 1931 film noir shows a loving knowledge of the original, even as it ranges far afield into romantic comedy and meditations on Authorship. Karen MacDonald, in the Peter Lorre role as M, is a knockout. Through April 28. Huntington Theatre Company. At Wimberly Theatre, Boston Center for the Arts, 617-266-0800, www.huntingtontheatre.org
JEFFREY GANTZ

DANCE

KATE WEARE COMPANY World Music/CRASHarts presents the Boston debut of this small, but dynamic New York troupe. Weare’s choreography is acclaimed for its combination of explosive athleticism and lyrical grace within the examination of human relationships. The troupe brings three works, including Weare’s powerful “Garden.” April 19, 7:30 p.m.; April 20, 8 p.m. Tickets: $40. Institute of Contemporary Art. 617-876-4275, www.worldmusic.org

MARIAH STEELE/QUICKSILVER DANCE This Residential Scholar event, “Rites of Passage,” brings together some of Steele’s most recent works, including the evolution-inspired “Epoch Tales” and sections from a brand new dance exploring ceremonial traditions of Spain, bringing to life a series of giant murals by impressionist painter Joaquin Sorolla. April 19-20, 8 p.m. Free. MIT’s Simmons Hall, 229 Vassar St., Cambridge. Reservations requested, quicksilverdance @gmail.com. www.quicksilverdance.com

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RHYTHM IN THE NIGHT Sean C. Fielder showcases the talented young hoofers of his Boston Tap Company in this family-friendly show. His choreography, which embraces classic moves as well as contemporary influences, sets feet tapping to music ranging from swing to salsa. Guests include Phunk Phenomenon, the Carberry Sisters, and Hands Down Tap Project. April 20,
7 p.m., Tickets: $20-$35. Strand Theatre Boston. 617-635-1403, www.brownpapertickets.com

THE ELDERS ENSEMBLE Prometheus Dance’s spirited company of post-professional dancers, all inspiring “women of a certain age,” presents its annual spring show, “Shift.” The concert pulls together a mixed bag of repertoire, including the feisty “There’s a Dance in the Ol’ Dame Yet!” April 20-21, Tickets: $20, $15 seniors. Dance Complex, Cambridge. 508-405-4085, www.prometheusdance.org Karen Campbell

GALLERIES

HILDA BELCHER: PAINTINGS, DRAWINGS & WATERCOLORS Belcher (1881-1963), studied with Robert Henri and developed her own style of deft, astute, and occasionally sly portraiture and genre scenes, painting the people and places of Savannah, Mexico, Europe, and Vermont. Through May 31. Martha Richardson Fine Art, 38 Newbury St. 617-266-3321, www.martharichardson fineart.com

LISA SIGAL: SHIFTING HORIZON Where do painting and architecture meet? While Sigal’s paintings actively engaged the gallery’s architecture by, say, leaning against walls, they also portray fleeting, fading glimpses of city structures, painted in situ, to viscerally evoke being there. Through May 25. Samson,
450 Harrison Ave. 617-357-7177, www.samsonprojects.com

AARON SISKIND: A SELECTION AND ROBERT RICHFIELD: PERPETUIDAD To mark Gallery Kayafas’ 10th anniversary, an exhibition of teacher and student. From Siskind: Early Harlem documentary photos to late abstractions of tar. From Richfield: the gaudy, colorful glories of Mexican cemeteries. Through May 11. Gallery Kayafas, 450 Harrison Ave. 617-482-0411, www.gallerykayafas.com

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NEAR DEATH PERFORMANCE ART EXPERIENCE Performance art works exploring the vitality of being close to death, curated by Vela Phelan and featuring performances by Marilyn Arsem, Jeff Huckleberry, Jamie McMurry, and more. April 21, 4 p.m. — midnight. Cyclorama, Boston Center for the Arts, 539 Tremont St. www.templeofmessages.com/NEARdeath
CATE McQUAID

MUSEUMS

ANDERS ZORN: A EUROPEAN ARTIST SEDUCES AMERICA A small but stellar show of paintings, etchings, and watercolors by the great Swedish artist, who was a contemporary of John Singer Sargent and friend of Isabella Stewart Gardner. Through May 13. Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. 617-566-1401, www.gardner museum.org

EDWARDIAN OPULENCE: BRITISH ART AT THE DAWN OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY A survey of British art that deepens our idea of a period that serves, rather thinly, as the backdrop to “Downton Abbey.” Through June 2. Yale Center for British Art, New Haven. 877-274-8278, britishart.yale.edu

VISITING MASTERPIECES: CEZANNE’S “THE LARGE BATHERS” Cezanne’s late masterpiece is on show at the MFA alongside Gauguin’s similarly Arcadian “Where Do We Come From, Who Are We, Where Are We Going?” A fruitful pairing. Through
May 12. Museum of Fine Arts. 617-267-9300, www.mfa.org

SEBASTIAN SMEE

Get your fill

ED RUSCHA: STANDARD More than 70 works — painting and film — from across the career of the acclaimed West Coast artist. Works drawn from the collection of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, where the show originated, are complemented by work from the Rose’s collection. Pictured: “Standard Station.” Through June 12. Rose Art Museum, Waltham. 781-736-3434, www.brandeis.edu/rose Sebastian Smee