MUSIC
Pop & Rock
JUST MUSTARD This Irish quintet pairs razor-wire guitars with yearning, spectral vocals to staggering effect; their second album, “Heart Under,” comes out in May. They’re touring the States with the similarly bleak post-punk outfit Fontaines D.C. April 25, 8 p.m. Paradise Rock Club. 617-562-8800, crossroadspresents.com
BIG K.R.I.T. The Mississippi MC comes to town in support of “Digital Roses Don’t Die,” a fast-paced collection that pairs his dense rhymes with rubbery funk. April 26, 7 p.m. Royale. 617-338-7699, royaleboston.com
EM BEIHOLD “Numb Little Bug,” which pairs piano-pop bounce with tense lyrics about the effects of depression, is this Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter’s breakthrough single, and it’s currently inching its way toward the Top 40 after a snippet of its propulsive, chatty chorus went big on TikTok last year. Beihold, who’ll be back in town in late June when she performs as part of KISS 108′s back-from-hiatus pop buffet concert, opens for the soft-rock troubadour Anton Seabra. April 27, 7 p.m. Brighton Music Hall. 617-779-0140, crossroadspresents.com
MAURA JOHNSTON
Folk, World & Country
THE SUITCASE JUNKET Thankfully, Atwood’s Tavern finally emerged from pandemic stasis this month and has resumed its quality mix of local and national mostly-roots-artist performances. This week, Matt Lorenz brings the ragged, jagged, rough-hewn music he makes as the Suitcase Junket to the venue for three nights, and he’s cooked up a different setlist for each of them. April 22-23, 10 p.m., April 24, 7:30 p.m. $20. Atwood’s Tavern, 877 Cambridge St., Cambridge. 617-864-2792, www.atwoodstavern.com
JANIS IAN Another one hangs it up: Folk singer Janis Ian first made her mark in 1967 with her song “Society’s Child.” Fifty-five years later, she’s putting a capstone on her career with her final record, “Light at the End of the Line,” and a final tour she’s dubbed “Celebrating Our Years Together.” April 23, 8 p.m. $57. Lynn Auditorium, 3 City Hall Square, Lynn. 800-653-8000, www.ticketmaster.com
WALTER SALAS-HUMARA “Walter Salas-Humara and [his long-running band] the Silos present and past have marshaled the best of America — our wide tradition, focused innovation and unfettered optimism. Embrace them as a national treasure.” So says the bio on Salas-Humara’s website; it’s not hype, it’s true, and I can’t say it better than that. He plays in his solo guise Tuesday. April 26, 8 p.m. $18. Club Passim, 47 Palmer St., Cambridge. 617-492-7679, www.passim.org
STUART MUNRO
Jazz & Blues
JON IRBAGON QUARTET First generation Filipino-American Irabagon won the 2008 Thelonious Monk Saxophone Competition and has since become an eminence in New York City jazz circles in ensembles led by the likes of Dave Douglas, Uri Caine, and Mary Halvorson, and as a leader himself. His new quartet’s members — all leaders in their own right — are pianist Matt Mitchell, bassist Chris Lightcap, and drummer Dan Weiss. April 23, 8 p.m. $15-$20. The Lilypad, 1353 Cambridge St., Cambridge. www.lilypadinman.com
BLUES NIGHT WITH DIANE BLUE & TONI LYNN WASHINGTON Blues by the shore, with Blue, the hot harmonica player, bandleader, and current singer for Ronnie Earl & The Broadcasters, and Washington, “The Queen of the Boston Blues.” Also featuring Ed Scheer, Johnny Juxo, Bobby Gus, and John Poniatowski. April 23, 8:30 p.m. No cover. C Note Nantasket Beach, 159 Nantasket Ave., Hull. www.cnotehull.com
YOKO MIWA TRIO The Kobe-born, classically trained jazz pianist, composer, and educator is acclaimed internationally for her swinging, elegant playing and poetically evocative compositions. April 24, 2 p.m. $10. The W Gallery, 57 Andrew Ave., Wayland. 774-421-9211, www.artswayland.com
KEVIN LOWENTHAL
Classical
BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
The Symphony Hall season concludes with more Strauss than you can shake a stick (or a baton) at. Friday evening’s Casual Fridays event offers the Symphonic Fantasy on “Die Frau ohne Schatten” and “Symphonia domestica” (April 22); Saturday and Tuesday evenings add “Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks” to the mix (April 23 and 26). Next week, Nelsons leads two more Strauss selections (the orchestral interludes from “Intermezzo” and “An Alpine Symphony”), and BSO principal cellist Blaise Déjardin makes his in-house concerto debut with Saint-Saens’s Concerto for Cello No. 1 (April 28-April 30). Symphony Hall. 617-266-1200. bso.org
BLUE HERON
The acclaimed vocal ensemble expands on its usual 14th- and 15th-century fare with “Many Voices,” a concert that marries motets and madrigals with Jean-Yves Daniel-Lesur’s “Cantique de cantiques” for 12 voices and contemporary pieces by Kevin Allen and Boston’s own Mehmet Ali Sanlikol. April 22 and 23. First Church in Cambridge, Congregational. 617-960-7956, blueheron.org
MISTRAL
It’s spring, so why not try something new, or new to you? This seems to be the philosophy behind this ensemble’s closer to its 25th season, featuring deep cuts from the European chamber repertoire by Jacques Ibert, Ernö Dohnányi, and Louis Spohr. April 23, 4 p.m., West Parish Church, Andover; April 24, 5 p.m., St. Paul’s Church, Brookline. 978-474-6222, mistralmusic.org
A.Z. MADONNA
ARTS
Theater
DON’T EAT THE MANGOS In this play by Ricardo Pérez González, described as a “funny drama” and an allegory for what is described as the “abusive paternalistic relationship” the United States has with Puerto Rico, secrets are revealed as three sisters living outside of San Juan cope with their ailing parents and a “legacy of family trauma, identity, and claiming one’s place in the world.” Directed by Mariela López-Ponce. Through May 15. Coproduction by Apollinaire Theatre Company and Teatro Chelsea. At Chelsea Theatre Works, Chelsea. 617-887-2336, www.apollinairetheatre.com
A GENTLEMAN’S GUIDE TO LOVE AND MURDER Spiro Veloudos returns to the theater he called his professional home for more than two decades to direct this larky musical comedy about impoverished Monty Navarro (Jared Troilo), who decides to dispatch the eight members of the D’Ysquith family (all played by Neil A. Casey) who stand between Monty and an aristocratic title. Featuring Aimee Doherty as Sibella Hallward and Jennifer Ellis as Phoebe D’Ysquith, with both of whom Monty is smitten. April 24-May 22. Lyric Stage Company of Boston. 617-585-5678, www.lyricstage.com
THE WIZARD OF OZ There’s no place like . . . Well, you know. The cast includes Lily Park as Dorothy, Katie Anne Clark as the Wicked Witch of the West, Maxwell Seelig as the Scarecrow, David Jiles Jr. as the Tin Man, Krystal Hernandez as the Cowardly Lion, and Zachary McConnell as the Wizard. Directed by Nick Vargas, with choreography by Tiffany Lau. Through May 1. Wheelock Family Theatre. 617-353-3001, www.wheelockfamilytheatre.org
DON AUCOIN
Dance
ALVIN AILEY AMERICAN DANCE THEATER There is no better harbinger of spring in Boston arts than the company’s annual visit —though this is the first since 2019, so it’s more welcome than ever. Programming for the four-day run includes Boston premieres by artistic director Robert Battle and resident choreographer Jamar Roberts, plus the company premiere of Aszure Barton’s “BUSK.” Highlights include an all-Ailey program and “The Battle 10th Anniversary” program. April 28-May 1. $35 and up. Boch Center Wang Theatre. www.celebrityseries.org
DANCING THROUGH IT: EXPRESSIONS OF MOVEMENT FROM THE PANDEMIC Sponsored by the Celebrity Series of Boston as a nod to some of the themes embedded in the weekend’s Ailey engagement, this informal showcase features performances of works created by local dancers during the past two years. April 24. Free. Complex@Canal, Cambridge. www.CSeries.org/DancingThroughIt
LIMITLESS Boston Conservatory at Berklee’s spring dance concert is not just a chance to catch a glimpse of the possible stars of tomorrow, but also an opportunity to see a program of wide-ranging world class repertoire. This time around, the program features a world premiere by Jennifer Archibald (Arch Dance Company), as well as four notable reconstructions: Victor Quijada’s “Enter Woven”; Murray Louis’s “Four Brubeck Pieces”; Jawole Willa Jo Zollar’s “Shelter”; and “La Vivandière (a.k.a. “Markitenka”), choreographed by Arthur Saint-Léon. April 21-24. $20-$30. Boston Conservatory Theater. bostonconservatory.berklee.edu
QUARRY DANCE X Windhover Center for the Performing Arts launches the premiere of this lovely, evocative film with a free Zoom event that includes the film screening followed by a Q&A with the creative artists. Made during the summer of 2021 in and around two private quarries on Cape Ann, the 36-minute film features the Dušan Týnek Dance Theatre and original music by Berklee School of Music professor Joe Mulholland. April 24. Free with RSVP. windhover.org/performances
KAREN CAMPBELL
Visual Arts
BEING MUHOLI: PORTRAITS AS RESISTANCE The intense, often-harrowing black-and-white photo self-portraiture for which the South African artist Zanele Muholi is known at times seems to take in all of the bleak tensions of their homeland’s racially charged history at once. Muholi says they are not an artist but a “visual activist,” and their work bears that out. Their pictures frequently tease out a litany of stereotypes with the intention of deflating and reclaiming them at heart. “Portraits as Resistance” is an apt name for their longstanding practice and features entirely new creative departures, such as colorful painting and bronze sculpture. Through May 8. Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, 25 Evans Way. 617-566-1401, gardnermuseum.org
TURNER’S MODERN WORLD Joseph Mallord William Turner — J.M.W., to you — was less a British artist of the Romantic era than a fiery experimentalist whose audacious work blazed a path from serene Romanticism headlong into the turbulent realm of Modernist art. Any Turner exhibition is almost inevitably a thrill ride; this one, with more than 100 paintings and drawings centered on the artist’s pivotal role as a bridge between eras, promises to be more than most. Through July 10. Museum of Fine Arts Boston, 465 Huntington Ave. 617-267-9300, mfa.org
A PLACE FOR ME: FIGURATIVE PAINTING NOW The obituary for figurative painting has been written so many times in the past 100 years, it’s tempting to consider any exhibition of it to be something of a seance. The truth is quite the opposite: Despite the decades-long shunning by art world cognoscenti of such millennia-old forms as portraiture and landscape painting, it never went away, and in the last 20 years in particular it has gone through an ebullient renaissance. This show makes a case yet again that should hardly need to be made: that human hands pushing paint to portray human beings is as elemental to our species’ culture as walking and breathing. Through Sept. 5. Institute of Contemporary Art Boston, 25 Harbor Shore Drive. 617-478-3100, icaboston.org
MURRAY WHYTE
DATA DRAWS DATA Network science maps everything from the brains of mice to the means of success in the art world. This show features works from BarabásiLab, a.k.a. the Center for Complex Network Research at Northeastern University, a collective of artists, designers, and scientists specializing in visualizing network science’s complex systems, sometimes using artistic forms of expression. Through May 22. Boston Cyberarts Gallery, 141 Green St., Jamaica Plain. 617-522-6710, bostoncyberarts.org
CATE McQUAID
EVENTS
Comedy
JIM GAFFIGAN In his latest Netflix special, “Comedy Monster,” Gaffigan revealed his thoughts on pandemic fashion. “I was kind of tempted to wear, like, a thong mask,” he said. “Something tasteful yet naughty. ‘I can see his cheeks, but they’re still a mystery.’” April 22 at 7:30 p.m. and 10 p.m., April 23 at 7 p.m. and 9:45 p.m., and April 24 at 7 p.m. $59-$75. The Wilbur, 246 Tremont St. 617-248-9700, www.thewilbur.com
COREY MANNING: YOU KNOW HOW I FEEL Manning’s return to the one-man show format is a “traumedy” reflecting his experiences with racism, addiction, prostate cancer, and bullying. “It’s a staged autobiography of me,” he says. ”But the purpose of it is to show some of the traumatic moments in my life and how I used comedy as coping mechanism.” April 22, 8 p.m. $20. The Rockwell, 255 Elm St., Somerville. 617-628-4445, www.therockwell.org
IT’S A DATE Jaylene Tran hosts this stand-up show aimed at helping single millennials get together and meet, and possibly have their first date onstage after being matched from their pre-show questionnaires. This month’s edition is at Turtle Swamp Brewing, with other venues planned for May. April 28, 7:30 p.m. $22. Turtle Swamp Brewing, 3377 Washington St. www.eventbrite.com
NICK A. ZAINO III
Family
PLAY WEEK! AT THE BOSTON CHILDREN’S MUSEUM The Boston Children’s museum is offering a week of fun during spring break, including a chance to play-test games built by Northeastern engineering students on Friday, and an endless supply of Keva Planks-a-Plenty building blocks on Saturday and Sunday. Through April 24, 9 a.m.-noon and 1:30-4:30 p.m. $18 for adults, free for children under 12 months. Boston Children’s Museum, 308 Congress St. bostonchildrensmuseum.org
SESAME STREET LIVE! LET’S PARTY! Get ready for the “funniest, furriest party” you can imagine with all your favorite characters from Sesame Street, including Elmo, Oscar, Cookie Monster, and Big Bird. April 22-24, showtimes vary. Tickets start at $15. Agganis Arena, 925 Commonwealth Ave. ticketmaster.com
FAMILY-FRIENDLY, BEGINNER’S BIRD WALK AT MAGAZINE BEACH PARK Enter the exciting world of birding with a lovely walk along Magazine Beach Park, and yes, binoculars are provided. This event is brought to you by Many Helping Hands 365, Mass Audubon, Magazine Beach Partners, and the Boston Birding Festival. April 23, 8-9:30 a.m. Free. Magazine Beach Powder Magazine, 730 Massachusetts Ave. eventbrite.com
SAM TROTTENBERG