ARTS
Rock & Pop
MASHROU’LEILA Having established itself as an art-rock septet, this popular, controversial Lebanese band took a sharp turn on its fourth LP, “Ibn el Leil,” fashioning an artful strain of dance pop as engrossing as it is propulsive. June 9, 7 p.m. $40, advance $30. Middle East Downstairs, Cambridge. 617-864-3278, www.mideastclub.com
BEARSTRONAUT Boston’s favorite electro-pop combo reliably delivers dancefloor bliss, so you can well imagine how hot it’s going to get at this celebration for its latest album, “Telecoast.” A ridiculously stacked bill includes support from Dirty Bangs, Superhuman Happiness, and Party Bois. June 10, 8 p.m. $12. The Sinclair, Cambridge. 617-547-5200, www.sinclaircambridge.com
LOS AMIGOS INVISIBLES This Venezuelan dance-pop quartet has been anything but invisible over the last 25 years, polishing its groundbreaking blend of styles to a seductive sheen. Marking a quarter century, the band celebrates “Otra Cara Bonita,” a recently issued collaboration with Italian-born troubadour Yordano. June 10, 8 p.m. $20. Brighton Music Hall, 617-653-8000, www.ticketmaster.com
STEVE SMITH
Folk & World
MICHAEL DAVES It’s a great idea, but not everybody could pull it off: a two-disc album with the same songs in the same order on each, one electric and one bluegrass. On the wonderfully named “Orchids and Violence,” Daves pulls it off with aplomb. He visits Friday, joined by Noam Pikelny and Brittany Haas. June 10, 8 p.m. $18. Red Room at Cafe 939. 617-747-2261. www.cafe939.com
The Jayhawks The band that came out of Minneapolis to stand at the headwaters of what came to be known as alternative country continues its fits-and-starts pattern of recording and touring; the band is out behind “Paging Mr. Proust,” an album that finds it once more pushing its always recognizable sound into new spaces. June 13, 7 p.m. Tickets: $30. Royale. 800-745-3000. www.ticketmaster.com
JOHN DOE He must like the place: John Doe packed ’em in here for a solo show last fall, and now he’s back in full-band mode for a two-night stand that doubtless will feature material from his fine new record, “The Wanderer.” June 12, 9:30 p.m., 13, 9 p.m. $20 (limited numbers remain, at the door only). Atwood’s Tavern, Cambridge. 617-864-2792. www.atwoodstavern.com
STUART MUNRO
Jazz & Blues
DARRELL NULISCH The superb, soulful singer and hot harmonica player fronted Ronnie Earl & the Broadcasters, and was drafted to sing for the James Cotton Band when the leader lost his voice. With guitarist Nick Adams, bassist Mike Law, and drummer Chris Rivelli. June 11, 8 p.m. $16. Bull Run Restaurant, Shirley. 877-536-7190, www.bullrunrestaurant.com
BENJAMIN SEARS & BRADFORD CONNER: TOP HAT — SONGS OF FRED ASTAIRE We think of Astaire as a great dancer, but he was also an important singer, introducing a panoply of standard songs including some of the greatest of Irving Berlin, the Gershwins, and Cole Porter. A guided tour through the Astaire songbook given by delightful cabaret duo Sears & Conner. June 12, 2 p.m. Free. Newton Free Library, Newton. 617-796-1360, www.newtonfreelibrary.com
GIACOMO GATES The late-blooming jazz vocalist’s burnished baritone, command of standards, and mastery of swing, scat, and vocalese put him in the running for most underrated singer around. With the Tim Ray Trio. June 14, 7:30 p.m. $10. Jocko’s Jazz at the Sahara Club, Methuen. 603-898-1591, www.jockosjazz.com
KEVIN LOWENTHAL
Classical
WHEN IN ROME Odyssey Opera concludes its current mini-festival with Mozart’s early opera “Lucio Silla” in fully staged performances under the baton of Gil Rose. June 10 and 12, Boston University Theatre. 617-826-1626, www.odysseyopera.org
INUKSUIT Dozens of New England percussionists join forces to perform the Boston premiere of “Inuksuit,” an iconic outdoor work by John Luther Adams, which will have musicians ranging over the conifer collection of the Arnold Arboretum. June 12, 3 p.m., Free. www.kadencearts.org
IDOMENEO Boston Opera Collaborative offers a condensed two-hour version of the Mozart favorite, conducted by Vivian Montgomery and staged by Greg Smucker. June 11-19, Pickman Hall, Longy School of Music, Cambridge. 617-517-5883, www.bostonoperacollaborative.org
ROCKPORT CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL The charming seaside festival continues with a meaty program offered by the Borromeo Quartet: arranged selections from Book I of Bach’s “Well-Tempered Clavier,” a towering late Beethoven Quartet (Op. 127), and the premiere of Elena Ruehr’s Piano Quintet (with pianist Donald Berman). June 9, 8 p.m., Shalin Liu Performance Center, Rockport. 978-546-7391, www.rockportmusic.org
JEREMY EICHLER
ARTS
Theater
LETTICE AND LOVAGE British playwright Peter Shaffer (“Amadeus,’’ “Equus’’), who died Monday at age 90, created an idiosyncratic original in Lettice Duffet, the eccentric tour guide incisively portrayed by Lindsay Crouse at Gloucester Stage Company. To Lettice, all the world is indeed a stage and history naught but a rough script that can only be improved by her highly theatrical revisions. Deftly directed by Benny Sato Ambush, Shaffer’s comedy costars Marya Lowry as a preservationist who is first appalled, then beguiled, by Lettice. Through June 11. Gloucester Stage Company, Gloucester. 978-281-4433, www.gloucesterstage.com
KURIOS: CABINET OF CURIOSITIES Cirque du Soleil conjures an entrancing world that is equal parts steampunk fantasia, “Alice in Wonderland,’’ Federico Fellini, and Jules Verne. That world is brought to vaulting life by aerialists, acrobats, and other performers who manage to find loopholes in the laws of gravity, physics, and probability while using their bodies to deliver a geometry lesson. Through July 10. Cirque du Soleil at the Big Top, Suffolk Downs, East Boston. 877-924-7783, www.cirquedusoleil.com/kurios
PETER AND THE STARCATCHER Turns out there is a cure for Peter Pan fatigue, and it can be found in Rick Elice’s whimsical, family-friendly prequel, which explores how an unnamed orphan was transformed into The Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up. There are no special effects to speak of in Spiro Veloudos’s high-spirited, low-tech, hard-to-resist production, unless you consider charm to be a special effect. Added bonus: the return to a Boston stage of the gifted Erica Spyres. Through June 26. Lyric Stage Company of Boston. 617-585-5678, www.lyricstage.com
DON AUCOIN
Dance
DANCE FOR WORLD COMMUNITY The aim of this indoor-outdoor annual event, presented by José Mateo Ballet Theatre, is to highlight the power of dance to make the world a better place. From ballet to hip-hop to square dance, the celebration features free performances by more than 80 local troupes, as well as introductory dance classes, children’s activities, food, and the opportunity to connect with a variety of advocacy organizations. June 11, noon-8 p.m., Free. Sanctuary Theatre area, Cambridge. 617-354-7467, www.danceforworldcommunity.org
Luminarium Dance Company For the first time, TEDxCambridge has commissioned a dance to open its upcoming “talks” event. The new work by Luminarium explores the theme of innovation, with interactive projections by visual artist Samo. TEDxCambridge has grown so much that it is moving the presentation across the river to a larger Boston venue, providing a stage for non-spoken creativity as well. June 9, 7-9 p.m., $45-$150. Boston Opera House. 617-477-4494, www.Tedxcambridge.com
DANCENOW BOSTON Following last weekend’s Oberon show, David Parker and The Bang Group present another iteration of their dance/cabaret series at the Dance Complex. In addition to company work, this show features new dances by Kelley Donovan and Michael Figueroa. Tapper Ryan Casey hosts the first night, with veteran dance-maker Bill Evans stepping in for the next show. June 10-11, 8 p.m., $20-$25. Dance Complex, Cambridge. 617-547-9363, www.dancecomplex.org
KAREN CAMPBELL
Galleries
RICO GATSON: POWER LINES Gatson employs vibrant geometric abstraction; you might not recognize that his paintings and sculptures are laden with social commentary, starting with a palette linked to African nationalism, and including embedded text and occasional archival imagery. Through July 17. Samson, 450 Harrison Ave. 617-357-7177, www.samsonprojects.com
PRINTS: SACRED, PROFANE Printmaker David Curcio curates this show, which updates printmaking’s age-old practice of conveying blessings and warnings to the public. Works grapple with the sublime and the vulgar, sex and death. Artists include Sage Perrott and Stella Ebner. Through July 30. Drive-By Projects, 81 Spring St., Watertown. 617-835-8255, www.drive-byprojects.com
TREEMUSE This group show celebrates trees as kin, as inspiration, as the source of sounds and materials. Sandra Allen’s intricately described drawings, Mitch Ryerson’s furniture and play structures, Ellen Band’s sound art “When Trees Speak,” and more are rooted in the woods. June 9-July 7. 75 Arlington St. 617-994-4283, www.suffolk.edu/nesad/gallery
CATE McQUAID
Museums
MEGACITIES ASIA Sculptures, installations, and other large-scale work grounded in an aesthetic of accumulation by artists based in Asian cities of 10 million people or more (Mumbai, Beijing, Shanghai, Delhi, Seoul). Includes installations and sculptures by Ai Weiwei, Song Dong, Hema Upadhyay, Subodh Gupta, Asim Waqif, Yin Xiuzhen, Hu Xiangcheng, the collective flyingCity, and Aaditi Joshi. Through July 17. Museum of Fine Arts, 465 Huntington Ave. 617-267-9300, www.mfa.org
REVOLUTION OF THE EYE: MODERN ART AND THE BIRTH OF AMERICAN TELEVISION More than 260 objects open a window onto the ways in which avant-garde art affected the look of early television, and the ways in which TV in turn spread people’s awareness of modern art. Through July 31. Addison Gallery of American Art, 180 Main St., Andover. 978-749-4015, www.andover.edu/museums/addison
ALEX DA CORTE: FREE ROSES Installations, collage paintings, and, best of all, videos in bright colors and surreal, Pop-influenced imagery, by the talented young artist. Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, 1040 Mass MoCA Way, North Adams. Through January 2017. 413-662-2111, www.massmoca.org
SEBASTIAN SMEE
EVENTS
Comedy
JOHN CAPARULO The Ohio native has a voice like Buddy Hackett and a comic sensibility that has a broad enough appeal for him to have been featured on “Blue Collar Comedy Tour: The Next Generation” and become a regular on “Chelsea Lately.” With Mark Ellis. June 9 at 8 p.m. and June 10-11 at 7:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. $24-$34. Laugh Boston, 425 Summer St., Boston. 617-725-2844, www.laughboston.com
SOMMORE The former teacher and Queen of Comedy has a smooth sense of style, a penchant for rough talk about sex and relationships, and a healthy, self-confident outlook. June 11, 9:45 p.m. $32. Wilbur, 246 Tremont St., Boston. 617-248-9700, www.thewilbur.com
BROAD APPEAL COMEDY NIGHT Alison Klemp headlines the June edition of this monthly showcase of female and female-friendly comedians. With Kathe Farris, Kenice Mobley, Rick Canavan, Pamela Ross, Molly Dugan, and Chris Post. Hosted by Christa Weiss. June 15, 7:30 p.m. $5 suggested donation. Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Somerville. 617-718-2191, www.artsatthearmory.org
Nick A. Zaino III
Family
Behind the Mask Theater: Once Upon a Time Somerville is far from far, far away, but you’d be surprised what a couple masks and a little imagination can do. Tales from the Brothers Grimm and more put on new faces in this enchanting outdoor anthology. June 9, 6-7:30 p.m. Free. Chuckie Harris Park, 3-17 Cross St. E, Somerville. 617-417-4961. www.somervilleartscouncil.org/node/2451
Super Hero Day Iron Man and Captain America might be at odds after that nasty mission report, but who can stay mad when visiting the zoo? Besides, the planet still needs saving, so kids might as well suit up and join them. June 11, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. $14$-20. Franklin Park Zoo, 1 Franklin Park Road. 617- 541-5466. www.zoonewengland.org/superheroday
Boston Dragon Boat Festival For the 37th year in a row, dragons will descend on the Charles. The 39-foot boats will race up the river as part of the largest Asian-American cultural festival in New England, which also includes kung fu, taiko drumming, and too many tasty vendors to name. June 12, 7 a.m.-5 p.m. Free. Weeks Footbridge, Memorial Drive, Cambridge. www.bostondragonboat.org
Joe Incollingo
Mark Your Calendar
June 16 The Cure at Agganis Arena www.ticketmaster.com
June 17 Michael Christmas at The Sinclair www.ticketmaster.com
June 23 Death From Above 1979 at Blue Hills Bank Pavilion www.livenation.com
June 24 Paul Simon at Blue Hills Bank Pavilion www.livenation.com
July 1 Weezer and Panic! At The Disco at Xfinity Center www.livenation.com
July 5-17 If/Then at Boston Opera House www.boston.broadway.com
July 7 Swans at Royale www.ticketmaster.com
July 9 The Beach Boys at The Wilbur www.ticketmaster.com
Joe Incollingo