PICK OF THE DAY
The long and winding rope
Orly Genger used 1.4 million feet of hand-knotted nautical rope and 3,500 gallons of paint weighing more than 100,000 pounds to fill the lawn, paths, and hillsides of the deCordova Sculpture Park. The New Yorker’s winding walls are “Red, Yellow and Blue.”
(Pictured: the exhibit in New York.) Nov. 1 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. (through summer 2014). $14, $12 seniors, $10 students, free 12 and under and for active duty military personnel and their families. DeCordova Sculpture Park and Museum, 51 Sandy Pond Road, Lincoln. 781-259-8355. www.decordova.org
THURSDAY
Hurry up and wait In Samuel Beckett’s “Waiting for Godot,” two pals wait for a man on a country road. Will he arrive? ArtsEmerson: The World On Stage presents this co-production between Gare St Lazare Ireland and the Dublin Theatre Festival. 7:30 p.m. (through Nov. 10). $25-$89. Emerson/Cutler Paramount Center Mainstage, 559 Washington St., Boston. 617-824-8400. www.artsemerson.org
Halloween happening Creative director Chuck Lechien has said this about the Boston Circus Guild’s Cirque of the Dead: “Some of the most talented circus performers in all of New England will be bringing tasteless, low-brow horror to the masses. Our aim is to tickle your funny bone . . . before ripping it out of its socket!” You game? Dress creatively for this evening of music, burlesque, aerials, acrobatics, contortion, and more. Oct. 31 and Nov. 1 at 8 p.m. $20-$30. 18+. Oberon, 2 Arrow St., Cambridge. 617-547-8300. www.cluboberon.com
On your mark, get set, shiver After you sample your kids’ candy, get scared at Spooky Story Slam, where massmouth storytellers compete in a showdown. Bring your own spooky story to this massmouth and Puppet Showplace Theatre collaboration, where you’ll vote for the best spine-tingling yarn. 8 p.m. $10 (recommended for ages 13 and older). Puppet Showplace Theatre, 32 Station St., Brookline. 866-811-4111. web.ovationtix.com/trs/pe/9826997
FRIDAY
Impressive range Before you download this Grammy nominee’s new release of holiday classics, give a live listen to Nnenna Freelon. The jazz vocalist and composer has performed on TV, had a featured song on “Mad Men,” and made her feature-film debut in “What Women Want.”
Nov. 1 at 8 and 10 p.m. $35. Scullers Jazz Club at DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Boston-Cambridge, 400 Soldiers Field Road, Boston.
617-562-4111.
www.scullersjazz.com
And the wall comes tumbling down We all use denial, but in Larry Kramer’s political thriller
“The Normal Heart” the city of New York tries to bury its head about the AIDS epidemic. Presented by Zeitgeist Stage.
Nov. 1 at 7:30 p.m. (through Nov. 23). $20, $25 day of show (Nov. 1-3 previews); $25, $30 day of show; $20 students and seniors. Plaza Black Box Theatre, 539 Tremont St., Boston. 617-933-8600. www.bostontheatrescene.com
SATURDAY
A pair of cards According to half the team of Colin Mochrie & Brad Sherwood, their show is: “The most fun you can have with a theater full of people that’s legal and doesn’t include washing up.” That’s Mochrie for you. You might want to wash up because the improv skits by the Emmy-nominated stars of “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” are based on audience suggestions. Nov. 2 at 7 p.m. $29-$50. The Wilbur Theatre, 246 Tremont St., Boston. 800-745-3000. www.thewilbur.com
June Wulff can be reached at june.wulff@globe.com.