By June Wulff Globe Staff,October 7, 2013, 12:00 a.m.
PICK OF THE DAY
Whole lotta shakin’ goin’ on
Can you imagine Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Elvis Presley in the same room at the same time? Sam Phillips, the "Father of Rock 'n' Roll," made it happen on Dec. 4, 1956, at Sun Records in Memphis. This jam session is the subject of the Tony-winning
"Million Dollar Quartet." Oct. 8 at 7:30 p.m. (through Oct. 20). $33 and up. Citi Performing Arts Center Emerson Colonial Theatre, 106 Boylston St., Boston. 866-348-9738. www.broadwayinboston.com
MONDAY
From Cuba to Canada That move northward also changed the music direction for Alex Cuba. The almost 40-year-old Latin Grammy-winning singer-songwriter changed from an exclusively Cuban sound to one incorporating soul and funk. 8 p.m. doors $15. 18+. Middle East Upstairs, 472-480 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge. 866-777-8932. www.mideastclub.com
Authors in search of a cure
A benefit for the Mount Auburn Hospital Hoffman Breast Center, “An Evening With Your Favorite Authors” features Alice Hoffman, the center’s namesake and author of “Survival Lessons,” who will talk about breast cancer’s effect on her life. Jodi Picoult, Gregory Maguire, Ann Hood, Ann Leary, Elinor Lipman, and Lee Woodruff are also slated to read and talk. 7 p.m. (6 p.m. reception). $250. American Repertory Theater, 64 Brattle St., Cambridge. 617-499-5656. www.mountauburnhospital.org
A musical and artistic tribute
Amanda Palmer — singer, songwriter, playwright, blogger, pianist, and “The Social Media Queen of Rock-N-Roll” — presents “A Tribute to Rebecca Rosenthal: A Night of Music, Art & Remembering.” Rosenthal was a Smith student who died at her Newton home last year at 27. Joining the mission are author Neil Gaiman, drummer Brian Viglione, and others. 7 p.m. $25, $100 (proceeds benefit the Rebecca Samay Rosenthal ’07 Memorial Special Collections Fund at Smith College). Somerville Theatre, 55 Davis Square, Somerville. 617-625-5700. www.vendini.com/ticket-software.html?t=tix&e=a4e51df651ed159d57c8ee040f26e44d
We call it home
Wunderkammer, “a place where a collection of curiosities and rarities is exhibited,” according to the dictionary, started in the 15th century when scientists, monarchs, scholars, and others organized things based on status, scholarship, and a hankering for the bizarre and exotic. The artists at “Beyond the Wunder-kammer” take on that spirit through sculpture, photographs, collage, and more. Monday hours are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. (through Oct. 30). Free. Art Institute of Boston, 700 Beacon St., Boston. 617-585-6600. www.lesley.edu/EventDetail.aspx?id=13024
A slice of life Laurie Bowen and Kristin Broadley, friends who founded Centerville Pie Co. and were discovered by Oprah Winfrey, lead “Festive Fall Pies With Centerville Pie Co.” 6-9 p.m. $70, $15 for materials (registration required). Boston Center for Adult Education, 122 Arlington St., Boston. 617-267-4430. www.bcae.org
TUESDAY
A walk in the park We don’t know if landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted loved jewelry, but we love his Emerald Necklace. Your Nature Walk at Olmsted Park, led by the folks from Mass Audubon, will focus on the Necklace’s native species and Olmsted’s work.
Oct. 8 from 10-11 a.m. Free. All ages. Olmsted Park, 217 Jamaicaway, Jamaica Plain. 617-635-4505. www.cityofboston.gov/parks