MUSIC
Rock & Pop
KITTEN This Los Angeles-based band has been one of the best rock outfits of the 2010s, consistently releasing urgently hooky records that show off their kitchen-sink tastes (shoegaze, freestyle, Prince, etc.) and the spellbinding presence of lead singer Chloe Chaidez. They’ll be previewing their forthcoming album at this show. Nov. 26, 9:30 p.m. $12 and up. Great Scott. 617-566-0914, www.greatscottboston.com
JACOB BANKS This gruff Brit’s hearty bellow adds dramatic heft to his raw, gospel-tinged version of soul, which gets the stripped-down treatment on his 2017 EP “The Boy Who Cried Freedom.” Nov. 28, 9 p.m. $15 and up. The Sinclair, Cambridge. 617-547-5200, www.sinclaircambridge.com
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RUFUS WAINWRIGHT In his storied career, this restless troubadour has covered Judy Garland’s Carnegie Hall live album, crafted musical accompaniments for Shakespeare’s sonnets, and collaborated with the likes of David Byrne and Pet Shop Boys. Wainwright has also given the 21st century some of its most sublime, and painful, pop moments on songs that give a theatricality to his arch, yet bruised observations of the human condition. Nov. 28-29, 8 p.m. $70 and up. City Winery Boston. 617-933-8047, www.citywinery.com/boston
Folk & World
DAVID RAWLINGS The name on the marquee is David Rawlings but, as always, the long-running collaboration between him and Gillian Welch will be at the heart of this show. They’ll be supporting the latest release under Rawlings’s name, “Poor David’s Almanack,” an album of original, updated takes on traditional stories and songs. Nov. 29, 8 p.m. $39.50. Wilbur Theatre. 800-745-3000, www.ticketmaster.com
GUY MENDILOW ENSEMBLE Mendilow and company present their new album project, “The Forgotten Kingdom,” an epic musical and narrative travelogue that uses Ladino songs of Mediterranean and Balkan Sephardic communities wiped out during World War II to weave together an exploration of an old world’s destruction through the emergence of a new one. Nov. 30, 7:30 p.m. $25. Club Passim, Cambridge. 617-492-7679, www.passim.org
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SOMERVILLE SONGWRITERS SESSIONS A classic in-the-round affair with a little celebration thrown in: local singer-songwriter Terry Kitchen, who will be marking the release of a new CD, “The Quiet Places,” long-time New York folk scene mainstay David Massengill, and Martha’s Vineyard-based Rob Lytle will each play a set and then join together for a song swap. Dec. 2, 7:30 p.m. $10 (suggested donation). Armory Cafe, Somerville. 617-718-2191, www.artsatthearmory.org
Jazz & Blues
MARK GIULIANA JAZZ QUARTET Perhaps best known for his virtuosic drumming on David Bowie’s final album, Giuliana is celebrated for merging acoustic percussion with electronic beats. This gig celebrates his fine new recording “Jersey,” featuring his all-acoustic quartet with saxophonist Jason Rigby, pianist Fabian Almazan, and bassist Chris Morrissey. Nov. 30, 7:30 p.m. $20-$25. Regattabar. 617-395-7757, regattabarjazz.com
ERIC HOFBAUER’S 5 AGENTS: BOOK OF WATER Adventurous guitarist and composer Hofbauer’s extended composition “Book of Water” employs Wu Xing — the Chinese system of organizing elements of nature, the arts, and society — to guide some of New England’s finest improvisers: trumpeter Jerry Sabatini, tenor saxophonist Seth Meicht, trombonist Jeb Bishop, bassist Nate McBride, and drummer Curt Newton. Dec. 2, 7:30 p.m. $10. Third Life Studio, 33 Union Square, Somerville. www.thirdlifestudio.com
RONNIE EARL & THE BROADCASTERS Profoundly influenced by such legends as T-Bone Walker, B.B. King, Muddy Waters, and his number one inspiration, Otis Rush, the award-winning Earl surely ranks among today’s finest blues guitarists. Dec. 2, 8 p.m. $22-$26. The Center for Arts in Natick, 14 Summer St., Natick. 508-647-0097, www.natickarts.org
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Classical
BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA The probing Athenian violinist Leonidas Kavakos returns to the BSO as soloist in Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 2 under the baton of Andris Nelsons, who will also lead works by Strauss (“Alpine Symphony”) and Derek Bermel (“Elixir”). Nov. 30-Dec. 2, Symphony Hall. 617-266-1200, www.bso.org
ODYSSEY OPERA Odyssey continues its Joan of Arc-themed season, with Norman Dello Joio’s “The Trial at Rouen.” Originally written as an opera for television, the work aired on NBC in 1956. This semi-staged performance will be the first time the score has been performed for a live audience. It will be preceded by Dello Joio’s better known symphony, “The Trial of Saint Joan.” Gil Rose conducts a cast headed by soprano Heather Buck, and Roses’s own Boston Modern Orchestra Project partners with Odyssey for this performance. Dec. 1, 8 p.m., Jordan Hall. www.odysseyopera.org.
CHAMELEON ARTS ENSEMBLE This adventurous ensemble takes on Messiaen’s fearsome and sublime “Quartet for the End of Time,” a pillar of the modern chamber music literature, on a program that also includes works by Debussy, Haydn, and David Ludwig. Dec. 2 and 3, First Church in Boston. 617-427-8200, www.chameleonarts.org
ARTS
Theater
TARTUFFE As the title character of Moliere’s comedy, a religious fraud and con man, Brett Gelman delivers a performance of comic dexterity that’s a treat to watch. Directed by Peter DuBois. Through Dec. 10. Huntington Theatre Company at Huntington Avenue Theatre, Boston. 617-266-0800, www.huntingtontheatre.org
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THE 39 STEPS A delectably funny staging of Patrick Barlow’s labyrinthine stage adaptation of the 1915 John Buchan novel and the classic 1935 film by Alfred Hitchcock. Directed by Allison Olivia Choat and featuring a cast of talented and indefatigable actors who race with gusto through the play’s razzle-dazzle absurdities. Through Dec. 9. Moonbox Productions. At Plaza Theatre, Boston Center for the Arts. 617-933-8600, www.moonboxproductions.org
JULIUS CAESAR A darkly compelling all-female production of Shakespeare’s tragedy of power, ambition, and bloodshed that is highlighted by Marianna Bassham’s many-shaded portrayal of Antony and Marya Lowry’s brooding Brutus. Directed by Bryn Boice. Through Dec. 17. Actors’ Shakespeare Project. At Studio 210, Huntington Avenue Theatre, Boston. 617-933-8600, www.actorsshakespeareproject.org
Dance
NUESTRO FLAMENCO New York-based company A Palo Seco presents its most recent show, which infuses the art form of flamenco’s centuries-old traditions with contemporary energy and urban flair. Catch the spirit with complimentary appetizers for the hour before the 8 p.m. show and a cash bar for wine and cava. Dec. 2. $30. Multicultural Arts Center, Cambridge. 617-577-1400, www.multiculturalartscenter.org
MOVING STORIES This full-evening production by the dance company Moving Steps Foundation addresses the epidemic of addiction and over-incarceration, with performances by women who have been there. Enlivened by original choreography and music, cast members who were previously incarcerated or are in recovery share their stories in hopes of raising awareness and reducing stigma. Dec. 1-2. $15. Dance Complex, Cambridge. 617-547-9363, www.movingstoriesfoundation.com
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MEDICINE WHEEL’S ANNUAL WORLD AIDS DAY VIGIL Kairos Dance Theater premieres a new site-specific performance as part of Michael Dowling’s sculptural art installation and vigil to contemplate the impact of AIDS. The event starts at midnight on Thursday and continues throughout the day on Friday, featuring performances by other dance companies, as well as musicians and poets. Nov. 30-Dec. 1. Free. Boston Center for the Arts Cyclorama. 617-268-6700, www.mwponline.org
Galleries
FEMINIST ARCHAEOLOGY Jennifer Bornstein’s video projection weaves technology from different eras, including 16mm film and high-definition video, to explore threads of feminism that may not always synch. Also: prints and sculptures. Through Jan. 20. Johnson-Kulukundis Family Gallery, Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, Harvard University, 10 Garden St., Cambridge. 617-496-1153, www.radcliffe.harvard.edu
CURRENT: KENJI NAKAYAMA & PAT FALCO The two painters share a studio in South Boston. That environment is replicated and evolving in this sandbox of an installation, where other artists may come to make and display art. Through Jan. 5. University Hall Gallery, University of Massachusetts Boston, 100 Morrissey Blvd. 617-287-7633, www.umb.edu/in_the_community/arts/university_gallery
SPEAK, OBJECT Every object is nested with meaning: what it signifies to society, what history it represents, what we see in it. Artists such as Caleb Cole and Judy Haberl exhibit art implicit with meaning alongside objects they find meaningful. Through Jan. 16. Suffolk University Gallery, 8 Ashburton Place. 617-573-8785, www.suffolk.edu/nesad/gallery
Museums
TAKASHI MURAKAMI: LINEAGE OF ECCENTRICS The Japanese artist, known for his so-called superflat pop style and for gleefully erasing boundaries between high art and low, partners with art historian Nobuo Tsuji to reveal his antic art-historical progenitors in the MFA’s Japanese collection. Through April 1, 2018. Museum of Fine Arts, 465 Huntington Ave. 617-267-9300, www.mfa.org
MATERIALITY: THE MATTER OF MATTER Artistic materials are intrinsic to what an artwork communicates; paint signifies different things from what stone does. Here artists such as Emilie Stark-Menneg and Aaron T Stephan investigate the meanings behind their materials. Through Feb. 11. Center for Maine Contemporary Art, 21 Winter St., Rockland, Maine. 207-701-5005, www.cmcanow.org
ART FROM THE NORTHERN PLAINS This show of historic and contemporary art responding to westward expansion centers around a late-19th-century painting of a Lakota Sun Dance ceremony, made at a time the ritual had been outlawed. Through July 8, 2018. Bowdoin College Museum of Art, 245 Maine St., Brunswick, Maine. 207-725-3275, www.bowdoin.edu/art-museum
EVENTS
Comedy
SUNDAY FUNNY BRUNCH Tricia Auld hosts this afternoon comedy show with headliner Emma Willmann, who has a role in the current season of “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,” and featuring performances by Chris D., Nonye Brown-West, and Andrew Mayer. Nov. 26, 2 p.m. $20. Club Café, 209 Columbus Ave., Boston. 617-536-0966, www.clubcafe.com
SARAH TIANA The former “@Midnight” and “Chelsea, Lately” staple was born in California, but her perspective on topics like sports and relationships is informed by her childhood in Georgia. Nov. 30-Dec. 1 at 8 p.m. and Dec. 2 at 8 p.m. and 10:15 p.m. $20-$25. Laugh Boston, 425 Summer St., Boston. 617-725-2844, www.laughboston.com
THE IMPROVISED HOLIDAY SPECTACULAR ImprovBoston presents a new, improvised holiday-themed show Fridays (and one Saturday) through the end of the year with songs and sketches based on audience suggestions. Fridays through Dec. 29 at 10 p.m. and Dec. 23 at 10 p.m. $18. ImprovBoston, 40 Prospect St., Cambridge. 617-576-1253, www.improvboston.com
Family
BACKYARD AND BEYOND: LANTERN LIGHT-UP! Construct and decorate your own paper lantern — complete with an LED candle — and watch it float into the afternoon sky. Nov. 28, 2-4 p.m. Free with $12.50 museum admission. The Discovery Museums, 177 Main St., Acton. 978-264-4200, www.discoverymuseums.org
FROG POND SKATING SPECTACULAR AND TREE LIGHTING Head over to the Boston Common for a figure skating show featuring professional performers. Stick around after the show to go skating yourself, or catch the tree lighting with Mayor Martin J. Walsh. Nov. 30, 5-6 p.m. Free. Boston Common. 617-635-2120, www.bostonfrogpond.com
ENCHANTED TROLLEY TOUR Kick off December by joining Boston’s three-day tree-lighting extravaganza, complete with visits from Santa and holiday performances, happening in several neighborhoods throughout the city. Check the schedule online for times and locations. Dec. 1-3. Free. Various locations. 617-635-3911, www.boston.gov/news/mayors-2017-enchanted-trolley-tour
MARK YOUR CALENDAR
Dec. 14 Matt Pond PA at Brighton Music Hall www.ticketmaster.com
Dec. 21 Cam’ron at Middle East Downstairs www.ticketweb.com
Dec. 21 Ceremony and Nothing at Sonia www.ticketweb.com
Dec. 21 Prawn and Slingshot Dakota at Middle East Upstairs www.mideastoffers.com
Dec. 26 The Roots at House of Blues concerts.livenation.com
Dec. 27 Moon Hooch at Sinclair www.axs.com
Dec. 28 Cymbals Eat Guitars at Great Scott www.axs.com
Dec. 28-30 The Mighty Mighty Bosstones at House of Blues concerts.livenation.com