HELADO NEGRO “Phasor,” the latest full-length from this North Carolina-based singer, songwriter, and producer, is dreamy yet humming synthpop, with subtle touches like the bursts of glitter that adorn the shuffling “I Just Want to Wake Up with You” inviting the listener to lean in more closely. April 26, 8:30 p.m. The Sinclair, Cambridge. 617-547-5200, sinclaircambridge.com
THE BLACK CROWES Last month Chris and Rich Robinson’s rock and soul collective released its first album in 14 years, “Happiness Bastards”; recorded in 2½ weeks, it finds the brothers feisty and energized, particularly on uptempo cuts like the boogieing opener, “Bedside Manners,” and the rave-up “Flesh World.” April 28, 8 p.m. MGM Music Hall at Fenway. 617-488-7540, crossroadspresents.com
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ONEOHTRIX POINT NEVER Massachusetts-born experimental-electro innovator Daniel Lopatin — whose credit list includes scores for “Uncut Gems” and “The Curse,” as well as the musical direction for The Weeknd’s 2021 Super Bowl halftime show — returns home for a live presentation of Oneohtrix Point Never’s most recent album, 2023′s suspended-in-time “Again.” April 28, 8 p.m. Royale. 617-338-7699, royaleboston.com
Get The Big To-Do
Your guide to staying entertained, from live shows and outdoor fun to the newest in museums, movies, TV, books, dining, and more.
MAURA JOHNSTON
Folk, World & Country
GARNET ROGERS This veteran Canadian folkie with the imposing frame and well-deep voice has eased away from touring these days, so it’s worth taking advantage of the opportunity to see him when it presents itself, as much for the stories he tells between his songs as for the songs themselves. April 26, 8 p.m. $30. Club Passim, 47 Palmer St., Cambridge. 617-492-7679. www.passim.org
WAXAHATCHEE Katie Crutchfield, a.k.a. Waxahatchee, continues the country lean she manifested on her last record on the just-released “Tigers Blood,” which she comes to Boston in support of Friday. And the album contains something unprecedented, at least for her: the first love song she’s ever written. April 26, 8 p.m. $41.25-$75.50. Orpheum Theatre, 1 Hamilton Place. www.livenation.com
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THE TOWN AND THE CITY FESTIVAL As usual, there’s plenty on offer for roots music fans at this year’s The Town and the City, with individual bills conveniently packaged as “singer-songwriter,” “Americana,” and “solo acoustic” (not that you shouldn’t explore). Worth singling out: a rare appearance by Syd Straw. April 26, 6 p.m., April 27, 2 p.m. Downtown Lowell, various venues and prices; see festival website for details. www.thetownandthecityfestival.com
STUART MUNRO
Jazz & Blues
MICHEL CAMILO Two nights of solo performances by the nonpareil Dominican-born pianist and composer. Among the great living virtuosos in any genre, he seasons his powerfully swinging jazz with pinches of classical and Latin music. April 26, 27, 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. $40-$55. Regattabar. 617-395-7757, www.regattabarjazz.com
CHERYL ARENA & FRIENDS A matinee showcasing the red hot blues harmonica of singer-songwriter Arena, who has shared stages with scores of blues legends and was among the select artists featured in the 2019 book “Masters of the Harmonica.” April 27, 1 p.m. No cover. The Porch Southern Fare and Juke Joint, 175 Rivers Edge Drive, Medford. www.theporchsouthern.com
LA CHAMPOLA QUARTET This accomplished Latin jazz foursome features Costa Rican singer-percussionist Manolo Mairena, Cuban pianist-composer Anibal Cruz, Venezuelan trombonist Angel Subero, and Ecuadoran bassist Wilson Vera. May 2, 6 to 8:30 p.m. No cover. Long Live Roxbury, 152 Hampden St. www.longlivebeerworks.com/boston
KEVIN LOWENTHAL
Classical
BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA This week at Symphony Hall, the BSO and music director Andris Nelsons present the American premiere of the venerable Sofia Gubaidulina’s “The Wrath of God” alongside Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 4 and Detlev Glanert’s Trumpet Concerto, which features BSO principal trumpet Thomas Rolfs (April 25-27). Next week, the orchestra closes the book on the spring Symphony Hall season with Berlioz’s dramatic symphony “Roméo et Juliette,” featuring vocal soloists J’Nai Bridges, Nicholas Phan, and John Relyea (May 2-4). Symphony Hall. 617-266-1200, www.bso.org
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BOSTON PHILHARMONIC The Boston Philharmonic and conductor Benjamin Zander celebrate Austrian composer Anton Bruckner’s 200th birthday with the colossal Symphony No. 9, which was unfinished at the time of the composer’s death. Pianist Alessandro Deljavan joins the orchestra for Mozart’s haunting Piano Concerto No. 24. April 26, 8 p.m. Symphony Hall. Pre-concert talk at 6:45. Livestream also available. 617-236-0999, www.bostonphil.org
CAPPELLA CLAUSURA Founder Amelia LeClair conducts her final performance as artistic director of the adventurous group, leading a 1650 Vespers by Chiara Margarita Cozzolani, a cloistered nun and composer who was one of the initial inspirations for the group’s inception. The Handel and Haydn Society’s youth chorus of sopranos and altos joins the group for the performance. April 27, 8 p.m., Grace Church, Newton; April 28, 4 p.m., Emmanuel Church. www.clausura.org
A.Z. MADONNA
ARTS
Theater
THE DROWSY CHAPERONE This bonkers musical demands hammy excess, and director-choreographer Larry Sousa and his 16-member cast are only too happy to oblige. The result is a rollicking delight in which “The Drowsy Chaperone” sends up the corny tropes of the classic Broadway musical comedy while illustrating — song by song, scene by scene — why those tropes remain so emotionally potent. With music and lyrics by Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison, a book by Bob Martin and Don McKellar, and music direction by Matthew Stern. Through May 12. Lyric Stage Company of Boston. 617-585-5678, lyricstage.com
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A STRANGE LOOP It doesn’t get much more meta than Michael R. Jackson’s quasi-autobiographical, Pulitzer- and Tony-winning musical about Usher (Kai Clifton), a gay Black writer who is writing a musical about a gay Black writer who is writing a musical about a gay Black writer. Directed by Maurice Emmanuel Parent. Choreography by Taavon Gamble. Musical direction by David Freeman Coleman. April 26-May 25. Coproduction by SpeakEasy Stage Company and Front Porch Arts Collective. At Wimberly Theatre, Calderwood Pavilion, Boston Center for the Arts. 617-933-8600, BostonTheatreScene.com
DON AUCOIN
Dance
ALVIN AILEY AMERICAN DANCE THEATER The beloved 65-year-old company’s annual visit, presented by the Celebrity Series of Boston, will feature a mix of classic works by Alvin Ailey as well as new and notable modern and contemporary selections reflecting Black American life, culture, and history, carrying on the company’s storied legacy. Highlights over the course of the run include the Ailey season world premiere of Amy Hall Garner’s “Century” and new productions of works by Ronald K. Brown, Alonzo King, and Jamar Roberts. May 2-5, $20-$95. Boch Center Wang Theatre. www.celebrityseries.org
CITY BALLET OF BOSTON Along with the youth dancers of Tony Williams Ballet Center, the company presents “Ballet Banquet.” Showcasing a range of contemporary ballet, the concert opens with Williams’s jazzy “Ben’s Trumpet Suite,” based on the Caldecott Medal-winning children’s book. The concert also features Gianni Di Marco’s “Sleeping Beauty: The Awakening” and “The Gathering,” Tony Williams’s “Baba Ghanoush,” Marcus Schulkind’s “Slanting Sun,” and a premiere by CBB company member Morgan Brown Sanborn. April 26-28, $20-$35. Strand Theatre. https://cityballetofboston.org/performances/
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FOURTH DIMENSION TAP COMPANY The troupe calls its new production “Nostalgia” a “journey through time,” as it uses tap dance to explore days gone by and point to the future ahead. The performers’ work is fueled by music ranging from good time rock ‘n’ roll to Motown. April 26-28, $25-$35. Dance Complex, Cambridge. www.dancecomplex.org/events
ALICE IN WONDERLAND North Atlantic Ballet presents the world premiere of its new version of Lewis Carroll’s treasured tale. The company hopes to immerse audiences in a magical dreamlike experience as it heightens the surreal and fantastical elements and characters of Wonderland, from the Mad Hatter to the Queen of Hearts. April 27-28, $35.25-$68.50. The Cabot, Beverly. www.thecabot.org
KAREN CAMPBELL
Visual art
ETHIOPIA AT THE CROSSROADS Exploring 2,000 years of cultural heritage right up to the present day, this exhibition brings together more than 200 pieces including painted religious icons, illuminated manuscripts, gospel books, coins, metalwork,and carvings from a region that has served as a significant cultural crossroads between East and West for millennia. The exhibition also includes works by contemporary Ethiopian artists including Julie Mehretu, Helina Metaferia, Aïda Muluneh, and Elias Sime. Through July 7. Peabody Essex Museum, 161 Essex St., Salem. 978-745-9500, pem.org
EMANCIPATION Conceived with John Quincy Adams Ward’s bronze sculpture “The Freedman,” 1863, at its heart, this exhibition ruminates on the rough evolution of American freedom since the Civil War’s end, with responses by six contemporary artists to Ward’s bronze, itself a complicated icon of the imperfect freedom it represents. With works by Sadie Barnette, Alfred Conteh, Maya Freelon, Hugh Hayden, Letitia Huckaby, Jeffrey Meris, and Sable Elyse Smith. Through July 14. Williams College Museum of Art, 15 Lawrence Hall Drive, Williamstown. 413-597-2429, artmuseum.williams.edu.
MONDRIAN: FOUNDATIONS Last chance: Twenty-eight paintings and drawings from early in Piet Mondrian’s career help chart his evolution from an impressionistic painter of Dutch landscapes to the master of the blue, yellow, and red grid for which he’s best known. Through April 28. Museum of Fine Arts Boston, 465 Huntington Ave. 617-267-9300, www.mfa.org.
MURRAY WHYTE
WELL Boston artist Eben Haines makes assemblages that critique capitalism, crafting scraps into art that depicts a dystopian future hinting at terrible ruptures caused by an uncaring, unequal society. The title piece, an immersive installation, sets viewers at the bottom of a well. But “well” has more than one meaning, and in this exhibition, Haines begins to imagine what’s needed for healing: neighborliness, kindness, and a helping hand. Through May 17. Trustman Art Gallery, Simmons University, 300 The Fenway. https://trustman.simmons.edu/
CATE McQUAID
EVENTS
Comedy
ROBERT KELLY A world-class chops buster, these days the Medford native and host of the “You Know What Dude” podcast is directing his ire at subjects like parenting a child, how sex and relationships change as you age, and, sometimes, the folks in the front row. Early Saturday show is sold out. With Danny Braff. April 26 and 27 at 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. $33. Laugh Boston, 425 Summer St. 617-725-2844, www.laughboston.com
COMEDY AT COBBLESTONES Lowell’s The Town and The City Festival is expanding this year to include stand-up with this show headlined by Boston comedy stalwart Mike McDonald, with Casey Woods, Kristen O’Brien, and Scott MacNeil. April 27, 8 p.m. $20-$25. Cobblestones of Lowell, 91 Dutton St., Lowell. www.thetownandthecityfestival.com
EMMA WILLMANN Having grown up in Blue Hill, Maine, population 800, Willmann admits she can get competitive with her small town pride. If someone’s town is smaller than hers, “I get a little annoyed,” she says. Someone once told her their town had 200 people with one dirt road, and she replied, “We had no roads! I meant none! It was just me! Me by myself in a field, that’s where I grew up.” May 1, 7 p.m. $25-$30. The Rockwell, 255 Elm St., Somerville. www.therockwell.org
NICK A. ZAINO III
Family
YOUTH-ONLY ROCK CLIMBING EVENT Participants ages 13 and under are invited to a three-hour outdoor rock climbing event at Hammond Pond in Newton. Join others in groups of eight for an introduction to rock climbing that allows you to explore local climbing walls while making fun memories. All gear provided. April 27, 9 a.m.-noon and 1 p.m.-4 p.m. $90 admission. Hammond Pond Trail, Hammond Pond Parkway, Newton. greaterbostonclimbing.com
BOSTON WALK FOR EPILEPSY Individuals of all ages are invited to Fenway Park for a walk with the Epilepsy Foundation of New England. The walk will start and end at the Green Monster, with lunch to follow. April 28, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. $40 admission. Fenway Park, 4 Jersey St. epilepsynewengland.org
TELLING THE UNTOLD STORIES FOR CHILDREN This hybrid event convenes a conversation about the importance of biographies for children, and will feature three well-known children’s writers to discuss their work, the importance of accessible biographies, and what biographies can do. Ray Anthony Shepard, who’s written books for teens of various Black Americans; Heather Lang, who writes biographies for young readers focused on women; and Mia Wenjen, who authors biographies for children and middle schoolers that center the stories of Asian Pacific Americans, will be in conversation. Registration required. May 2, 5 p.m.-6:15 p.m. Free. Massachusetts Historical Society, 1154 Boylston St. masshist.org
ADRI PRAY
