MUSIC
Rock & Pop
GRANT-LEE PHILLIPS The Grant Lee Buffalo frontman and “Gilmore Girls” town troubadour streams a set live from Nashville. Jan. 3, 10 p.m. www.grantleephillips.com
JUST FOR ONE DAY: A BOWIE CELEBRATION Longstanding David Bowie band member Mike Garson hosts a lineup of artists who worked with the chameleonic singer or were influenced by him, including Duran Duran, Anna Calvi, Adam Lambert, and Trent Reznor. Jan 8. 9 p.m. http://rollinglivestudios.com/bowie
ZOË MADONNA
Classical
BERKSHIRE HIGH PEAKS FESTIVAL This classical music festival typically takes place in the summer, but this special winter edition promises to bring in the new year with masterclasses, lectures, panels, and concerts free to all on Zoom. Jan. 3-5. www.berkshirehighpeaksmusic.org
NO ORDINARY SUMMER In this 50-minute behind-the-scenes documentary, find out how Glyndebourne deployed some country gardens and a bit of directorial ingenuity to become the first UK opera house to offer a full-length staged production to a live audience during the COVID-19 pandemic. On YouTube through Jan. 4.
ZOË MADONNA
ARTS
Theater
A BINTEL BRIEF A staged reading of letters published in a Yiddish advice column that was launched in the early 20th century by Abraham Cahan, the founding editor of the Jewish Daily Forward, and helped Jewish immigrants adapt to their new nation. “A Bintel Brief” is directed by Dori Robinson and features Annette Miller, Lyndsay Allyn Cox, Barbara Grossman, Shoshana Narva, Stuart Hecht, Jesse Garlick, and Rebecca Smith. Presented by JArts TheatreWorks in partnership with the Yiddish Book Center and the National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene. At https://youtu.be/CAzZJSZgTWc
A CHRISTMAS CAROL Did you really think a pandemic was going to stop this chestnut from making its annual appearance? Well, think again. As part of the “Stage Windows” component of the “Downtown Holiday Magic” project, a Commonwealth Shakespeare Company video display directed by Steven Maler and narrated by Will Lyman — who plays Scrooge and the other characters in the story — will be presented in the late afternoon every day through Jan. 31 at the 467 Washington St. storefront window. Providence’s Trinity Repertory Company is streaming a free digital production of “A Christmas Carol,” directed by Curt Columbus and featuring Trinity Rep stalwart Joe Wilson Jr. as Ebenezer Scrooge. On demand through Jan. 10. Details and registration at www.trinityrep.com/carol
DON AUCOIN
Dance
IDENTIDAD THIS IS TANGO NOW Area tango fans may want to ring in the New Year with this filmed production created by the award-winning Boston-based Argentine dance duo Fernanda Ghi and Guillermo Merlo, with pianist-composer Alfredo Minetti. Six master tango dancers from Buenos Aires portray the tale of one woman’s journey toward love and liberation. Through Jan. 3. $10. www.passline.com/eventos/tango-identidad-this-is-tango-now
KAREN CAMPBELL
Visual Arts
ACCOMPANIED: THE ARTWORKS OF MARILYN PAPPAS AND JILL SLOSBURG-ACKERMAN These matriarchs of the Boston art world met in the 1970s. Their histories are entwined: professors at MassArt, Bunting Fellows at Radcliffe, founders of Brickbottom Artists Building. Pappas’s figurative textiles have little in common with Slosburg-Ackerman’s abstract sculptures, which meld opposing materials and concepts. Yet, as this virtual exhibit demonstrates, their friendship is a pillar of their artmaking. Through Jan. 16. https://onviewatradcliffe.org/accompanied-exhibition
CATE McQUAID
EVENTS
Comedy
LIZ GLAZER Law professor turned comedian Glazer is fresh off her victory at the online version of the Boston Comedy Festival contest this year (and hopes to be in Boston in person for the Women in Comedy Festival in 2021). She’ll headline Burbank club Flappers’ online room with host Amanda Cohen and feature Lexie Grace. Jan. 1, 8 p.m. $10. www.flapperscomedy.com
THE ROAST OF 2020 If ever there were an entire year worthy of roasting, it is 2020. Which is exactly what Sean White, Zoltan Kaszas, Carmen Morales, and more stand-ups to be announced will do on New Year’s Day over Facebook, YouTube, and Twitch for free, with some limited tickets available for the Zoom experience. Jan. 1, 9 p.m. $10. www.facebook.com/ThunderbarComedy; for tickets, search www.eventbrite.com
JIMMY TINGLE: HUMOR FOR HUMANITY: 20/20 VISION Tingle has turned his latest show, centered on his 2018 run for lieutenant governor of Massachusetts and his optimistic view of the ability of government to help people, into a one-hour film, which he is screening in a series of Zoom shows along with a live Q&A and stand-up. Jan. 1-2 at 7 p.m. and Jan. 3 at 5 p.m. Free/pay what you can. www.jimmytingle.com
NICK A. ZAINO III
Family
FIRST WINTER WALK Ring in the New Year by getting outside and taking in some public art. Register for a guided, hourlong hike through deCordova Sculpture Park, where attendees will get up close to the sculptures while learning about materials, museum acquisitions, and artistic processes of the makers. Participants should dress warmly; prior registration is required. Jan. 1, 1 to 2 p.m. $24. deCordova Museum and Sculpture Park, 51 Sandy Pond Road, Lincoln. thetrustees.org
DRIVE-IN SHOWING OF THE INCREDIBLES Motor up to Lexington for a family-friendly movie night enjoyable from the comfort of your car. This early-evening show features PG-rated “The Incredibles,” a 2004 Pixar flick detailing the trials and tribulations of a family of secret superheroes as they use their powers to combat evil. Food and drinks will be available for purchase. Jan. 2, 4:30 p.m. $20 per car. Revolution Hall, 3 Maguire Road, Lexington. eventbrite.com
M IS FOR MUSEUM Join staff at the Old Colony History Museum for a story hour suitable for the whole family. This drop-in event will feature books geared toward middle-elementary-age children, but attendees of any age are welcome. This sensory-friendly presentation aims to encourage reading in future historians and will be streamed on the museum’s Facebook page for those not able to attend in person. Jan. 5, 11 a.m. Free. Old Colony History Museum, 66 Church Green, Taunton. eventbrite.com
GRACE GRIFFIN