MUSIC
Pop & Rock
SHAKEY GRAVES Texas-born Alejandro Rose-Garcia delves into his back catalog and previews yet-to-be-released material at a two-night stint featuring stripped-down arrangements of his frontier-minded spin on Americana. Feb. 24-25, 7 p.m. (doors). $35 and up. The Sinclair, Cambridge. 617-547-5200, www.sinclaircambridge.com
LAURA, LAURA! A fever-dream take on bedroom pop, singer-songwriter-producer Maria Earabino makes heady, wondrous songs that swoon and swirl over thudding basslines. Feb. 25, 8 p.m. $8. O’Brien’s Pub, Allston. 617-782-6245, www.obrienspubboston.com
GINUWINE “Pony,” the squelchy, sexy jam that announced this R&B singer’s arrival in music, still sounds bleeding-edge 24 years after its release, thanks to Ginuwine’s all-in vocal and future-sonic production by Timbaland. Live, he’s a commanding force, his still-robust voice and overflowing charisma melting crowds. Feb. 29, 9 p.m. $50 and up. Mixx 360, Malden. 781-324-7120, www.mixx360.com
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MAURA JOHNSTON
Folk & World
CELTIC RICHES With Eileen Ivers previewing an upcoming album, JigJam bringing the Irish bluegrass they call “I-Grass,” Le Vent du Nord with their Celtic-Francophone mix, and traditional titans Altan coming through, you’re in for a busy week if you’re a Celtic music fan. Feb. 23: Ivers, City Winery, Boston, www.citywinery.com/boston; Feb. 26: JigJam, The Burren, Somerville, www.burren.com; Feb. 27: Le Vent du Nord, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, www.mfa.org; Feb. 28 Altan, Somerville Theatre, www.globalartslive.org. Check websites for times and ticket prices.
PHILIP B. PRICE It’s been several years since Price released a solo album; he’s been busy fronting his group Winterpills. His new one, “Bone Almanac,” on which he plays every instrument, is a marvel of murmuring, Fahey-channeling folk music. He celebrates the album Wednesday. Feb. 26, 8 p.m. $20. Club Passim, Cambridge. 617-492-7679. www.passim.org
DELLA MAE After a five-year hiatus from recording, the women of Della Mae — now slimmed down to a core trio (Celia Woodsmith, Jenni Lyn Gardner, and Kimber Ludiker) — are back with “Headlight,” and with a sound that extends well beyond their bluegrass origins. Caitlyn Canty opens the show. Feb. 27, 8 p.m. $18. The Sinclair, Cambridge. 888-929-7849. www.axs.com
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STUART MUNRO
Jazz & Blues
MARCIA BALL/SONNY LANDRETH A stellar blues double bill featuring rollicking and soulful pianist-singer Ball — who draws from her Gulf Coast Texas and Louisiana roots — and Louisiana-based guitarist-singer Landreth, known for his unique stick-to-your-ribs slide guitar style, celebrating the release of his wide-ranging new album, “Black Top Run.” Feb. 25, 7 p.m. $45-$65. ONCE Ballroom, 156 Highland Ave., Somerville. 617-285-0167, www.oncesomerville.com
COSMOSIS: THE MUSIC OF DAVE HOLLAND The magisterial bassist, composer, and bandleader’s annual NEC residency culminates this year with a concert featuring the NEC Jazz Orchestra and pianist-composer Jim McNeely performing the US debut of McNeely’s arrangements of Holland compositions, as first presented in 2017 by the Frankfurt Radio Big Band. Feb. 27, 7:30 p.m. Free (tickets required). NEC’s Jordan Hall. 617-585-1260, www.necmusic.edu
JASON PALMER PRESENTS THE UPWARDS MOTHER’S PROJECT FEATURING KEVIN HARRIS Boston-based trumpet master Palmer and long-time collaborator Harris (piano) debut their celebration of the courage and strength of mothers who have lost their children to acts of violence, featuring their compositions based on musical interpretations of women interviewees’ own words and cadences. Feb 28, 7:30 p.m. $22-$27. Regattabar, Cambridge. 617-395-7757, regattabarjazz.com
KEVIN LOWENTHAL
Classical
NEW ENGLAND PHILHARMONIC Violinist Danielle Maddon takes the spotlight for the world premiere of the Violin Concerto No. 2 (“Decapod”) by Bernard Hoffer, who is perhaps best known as the composer for “Thundercats.” The program, conducted (as always) by music director Richard Pittman, also features music by Judith Weir, John Adams, and Bartók. Feb 23, 3 p.m. Jordan Hall. 855-463-7445, www.nephilharmonic.org
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BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA This week at the BSO, we begin in Great Britain with Scottish composer Helen Grime’s BSO commission “Limina” and William Walton’s Cello Concerto, featuring soloist Johannes Moser. Then it’s across the Channel for Duruflé’s Requiem with the Tanglewood Festival Chorus and the Boston Symphony Children’s Choir. Giancarlo Guerrero conducts. Feb. 27-March 3. Symphony Hall. 888-266-1200, www.bso.org
VENICE BAROQUE ORCHESTRA Swedish mezzo-soprano Ann Hallenberg joins this renowned Italian ensemble for Baroque arias by Vivaldi, Handel, and more. Presented by Boston Early Music Festival. Feb. 28, 8 p.m. Emmanuel Church. 617-661-1812, www.bemf.org
ZOË MADONNA
ARTS
Theater
SWEAT Livelihoods, identities, and friendships start to crumble as the Pennsylvania factory workers in Lynn Nottage’s superbly textured play wrestle with the prospect of losing the jobs they have depended on for decades. Under the incisive direction of Kimberly Senior, an exemplary cast drives home the human costs of manufacturing decline and the wider fraying of the social fabric that continues to accelerate today. Through March 1. Huntington Theatre Company. At Huntington Avenue Theatre, Boston. 617-266-0800, www.huntingtontheatre.org
WOLF PLAY A lesbian couple, one of whom is a boxer on the verge of her professional debut, adopts a young Korean boy on the Internet. The boy, depicted by a puppet, believes he is a wolf, and responds as such to his circumstances, which get very complicated when the man who put him up for adoption tries to get him back. Hansol Jung’s moving and inventively on-point play is directed by Summer L. Williams with her usual deft touch. The cast includes Minh-Anh Day (excellent), Inés de la Cruz, Tonasia Jones, Greg Maraio, and Adrian Peguero. Through Feb. 29. Company One Theatre. At Rabb Hall, Boston Public Library, Copley Square. www.companyone.org
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VANITY FAIR The gifted director-designer David R. Gammons presides over an exhilaratingly inventive, go-for-broke production of Kate Hamill’s freewheeling play. Adapted from William Makepeace Thackeray’s 1848 novel of manners, “Vanity Fair’’ chronicles the bumpy social journeys of guileful Becky Sharp (a superb Josephine Moshiri Elwood) and gentle, overly trusting Amelia Sedley (an elegant Malikah McHerrin-Cobb) through early-19th-century London. Through Feb. 23. Underground Railway Theater. At Central Square Theater, Cambridge. 617-576-9278, ext. 1, www.centralsquaretheater.org
DON AUCOIN
Dance
rEVOLUTION Boston Ballet designed this meaty program to showcase the transformation of classical style in iconic works by three undisputed masters. The program features the dynamic Balanchine/Stravinsky collaboration “Agon,” Jerome Robbins’s powerful “Glass Pieces,” set to the music of Philip Glass, and William Forsythe’s landmark “In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated.” Feb. 27-March 8, $37-$179. Citizens Bank Opera House. 617-695-6955, www.bostonballet.org
ICE DANCE INTERNATIONAL Torvill and Dean brought a whole new level to ice dancing at the 1984 Olympics. This Maine-based company aims to make it accessible as well. The upcoming multi-state tour of “In Flight” plays off the energy of the company’s unprecedented performance at Jacob’s Pillow last summer and two television specials on PBS rotation. The troupe, which includes championship dancers, stops in Boston with works choreographed by Edward Villella, Trey McIntyre, Benoit Richaud, and artistic director Douglas Webster. Feb. 29, $20. Skating Club of Boston. 207-703-2629, www.icedanceinternational.org
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SOUTH ASIAN SHOWDOWN 2020 This national competition is a raucous, colorful, high-energy smackdown of Bollywood/fusion dance styles, with teams from all over the country competing for top honors. Fun for the whole family, this event has sold out 10 years in a row, so get your tickets early. Feb. 29, $25-$100. John Hancock Hall. 617-687-9181, www.southasianshowdown.com/2020/
KAREN CAMPBELL
Galleries
JOHN POWELL: NEON SHADOWS The Boston artist, who died last week at 73 after a battle with cancer, specialized in light. He’s best known for his public projects, illuminating the Cyclorama’s dome and bridges over the Charles River. But he also made small-scale works such as the luminous neon abstractions mounted on dark backdrops in this show. Through March 17. Howard Yezerski Gallery, 460 Harrison Ave. 617-262-0550, www.howardyezerski.com
FEMINISTFUTURIST Society is in crisis and life on the planet is in jeopardy, so artists Karen Meninno and Carolyn Wirth have curated an exploration of possible futures, stories, and visions cultivated from perspectives that value healing, mutual support, and community-building. Artists include Magda Fernandez and Linda Leslie Brown. Through April 5. Mills Gallery, Boston Center for the Arts, 551 Tremont St. 617-426-5000, bostonarts.org/event/feministfuturist/
MARY SHERMAN: BLACK BOX “Black box” is a metaphor for a system with obvious inputs and outputs, although how it runs is a mystery. In this show curated by Mario Diacono, Sherman presents a tried-and-true black box, sensor-activated, kinetic, and emitting sound. Inside is a white box (a metaphor for a transparent system). The question is: Where will viewers place themselves along this spectrum? Through March 4. Ars Libri, 500 Harrison Ave. 617-357-5212, www.arslibri.com
CATE McQUAID
Museums
PAINTING EDO With 120 works, “Painting Edo” is Harvard Art Museum’s biggest-ever single exhibition. It illuminates the moment when insular 17th-century Japan, under the warrior government of the shoguns, first opened itself more fully to engagement with the outside world. Spanning more than two centuries, the exhibition charts the famously reclusive country’s grappling with modernity — and the global exchange it inevitably brought. Through July 26. Harvard Art Museums, 32 Quincy St., Cambridge. 617-495-9400, www.harvardartmuseums.org
BOSTON’S APOLLO In 1916, John Singer Sargent, Boston’s preeminent portrait painter, met Thomas Eugene McKeller, a black elevator operator at the Hotel Vendome. Sargent asked McKeller to model for a variety of figures in his paintings, but none more prominent than the series of murals Sargent made for the MFA’s grand staircase and rotunda. McKeller’s frame became the template for an array of white gods and goddesses, his person subsumed by myth. This show supplants that myth to tell the story of McKeller’s reality as a black man left faceless despite his body being enshrined for the city’s elite. Through May 17. Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, 25 Evans Way. 617-566-1401, www.gardnermuseum.org
JACOB LAWRENCE: THE AMERICAN STRUGGLE This monumental display features the most important body of work by arguably the most important black artist in American history. With his “Struggle: From the History of the American People (1954–56)” series, Lawrence chronicled to chilling effect a nascent democracy built on equality for some, not all. Alongside the 30 paintings, Peabody Essex Museum (which also organized the show) will display works by contemporary artists Derrick Adams, Bethany Collins, and Hank Willis Thomas. Together they help capture a struggle still very much in progress. Through April 26. Peabody Essex Museum, 161 Essex St., Salem. 978-745-9500, www.pem.org
MURRAY WHYTE
EVENTS
Comedy
ARTISANAL COMEDY Bethany Van Delft welcomes stand-ups Diana Lu, Katlin McFee, Tooky Kavanagh, Trent Wells, Andrew Della Volpe, and Drew Dunn to this showcase at the Dorchester Brewing Company’s rooftop “Hopservatory” deck. Feb. 26, 7:30 p.m. $5 suggested donation. Dorchester Brewing Company, 1250 Massachusetts Ave., Dorchester
AFFIRMATIVE REACTION Brandon Lee and Diana Lu host and produce this monthly show spotlighting Asian and Asian-American comedians. This month’s edition features Shafi Hossain, Jaylene Tran, Nora Panahi, Connie Chung, and Bibek Gothane Gurung. Feb. 27, 9:30 p.m. $15. ImprovBoston, 40 Prospect St., Cambridge. 617-576-1253, www.improvboston.com
SUE COSTELLO The ebullient Dorchester native has found a home outside Boston’s usual comedy club circuit, producing her own shows at Florian Hall. This will be her fifth show at the venue and will include tables for local businesses to promote their stuff. Feb. 28, 8 p.m. $26-$30. Florian Hall, 55 Hallett St., Dorchester. www.brownpapertickets.com
NICK A. ZAINO III
Family
TYPEWRITER POETRY Try your hand at using an old-school typewriter and write some poems. Attendees will use their skills to write poems on the spot for library patrons. This event is geared toward children in grades 7 through 12. Feb. 24, 7 to 8:30 p.m. Free. Newton Free Library, 330 Homer St., Newton. eventbrite.com
DINOSAUR BONES Take part in a night of science and discovery revolving around dinosaur remains. Children ages 5 to 7 can enjoy refreshments while they learn about fossil formations and excavations. Wine and cheese will be available to adult attendees. Feb. 27, 6 to 7:30 p.m. $5. “e” inc. Science Emporium, 114 16th St., Charlestown. eventbrite.com
UNDER THE LILACS BOOK PARTY Celebrate independence, storytelling, and the launch of author and illustrator E.B. Goodale’s new book “Under the Lilacs.” Refreshments will be served and the author will read her story, sign books, and answer questions. Feb. 29, 3 to 5 p.m. Free. Porter Square Books, 25 White St., Cambridge. eventbrite.com
GRACE GRIFFIN
MARK YOUR CALENDAR
March 5 Om at the Sinclair sinclaircambridge.com
March 7 Squirrel Flower at Great Scott greatscottboston.com
March 10 Nathaniel Rateliff at Orpheum Theatre crossroadspresents.com
March 15 Anti-Flag at Brighton Music Hall musichallbrighton.com
March 19 Billie Eilish at TD Garden tdgarden.com
March 27 Leslie Odom Jr. at Brighton Music Hall musichallbrighton.com
March 28 Dorian Electra at the Sinclair sinclaircambridge.com
March 31 Pussy Riot at the Sinclair sinclaircambridge.com
GRACE GRIFFIN