If you’re reading this on Thursday morning, please stop what you’re doing and proceed to Symphony Hall for a $22 open rehearsal to the Boston Symphony Orchestra featuring a Ravel piano concerto and Stravinsky’s “Rite of Spring.” If you’re reading this after 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, I don’t know what to tell you. The early bird catches the worm, and today you’re not that bird. There will be more open rehearsals (including one on Jan. 23), and as for this weekend, you’ll have to settle for one of the five things below that are also worthwhile ways to spend your weekend.
Thursday, Jan. 11-Sunday, Jan. 14
Back in 2013, I was sorting through the CDs that record labels sent to my college’s radio station. It was mostly pleasant indie pop and under-produced rock groups, but there was one traditional Celtic album that caught my ear. Since then, I’ve had a soft spot for that style of music. Whether you’re a fan or not, you may find something you like at this year’s four-day Boston Celtic Music Festival. Music kicks off at 7 p.m. on Thursday at Club Passim with Joey Abarta, followed by Jenna Moynihan and Neil Pearlman & the Wallbreakers. Friday has twice the offerings with three acts at Club Passim as well as The Boston Urban Ceilidh at the Crystal Ballroom. Saturday’s lineup includes a Dayfest, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., featuring 19 acts across three venues in Davis Square, and Saturday night ends with a performance by Le Vent du Nord at the Crystal Ballroom. A brunch will be held at Club Passim from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday. Festival attendees can either purchase a pass or tickets to single events. Live streams are also available for purchase. Check the festival’s lineup for details.
Through Jan. 21
Fashion, movement and internal conflict — these elements come together in “Real Women Have Curves,” a musical about a high school girl from an immigrant family as she figures out how to take the next step after graduation. The show is an adaptation of a 1990 play written by then-19-year-old Josefina López who pulled on her own experience as an undocumented immigrant as inspiration for the story. This production at American Repertory Theater is a global premier for this musical, directed and choreographed by Sergio Trujillo with music and lyrics by Joy Huerta and Benjamin Velez. There are only a couple of weeks left to see it so act fast! [Hear more about the show from WBUR’s Arielle Gray and read WBUR theater critic Jacquinn Sinclair’s review here.]
Friday, Jan. 12
All levels of experience are welcome at this workshop teaching popular Caribbean dance forms. The class is the first in a series taking place over the coming months, each focusing on a different style: merengue, rumba, bachata and salsa. Even if you don’t dance, you might just want to go for the music and the beautiful views of Boston Harbor from the ICA. Can you think of a better way to warm up on this cold New England weekend? The workshop will be led by Cambridge-based Masacote Dance Company, which has toured five continents and performed in places such as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center and Berklee Performance Center. The museum’s wine and coffee bar will have refreshments available, and while you’re at the museum, consider stopping by “Forecast Form: Art in the Diaspora, 1990s-Today,” which closes on Feb. 25. The workshop begins at 7 p.m., and is free with admission to the museum.
Through Feb. 3
I enjoy seeing the personal works of commercially successful artists. It often reveals the character behind the artist, unencumbered by the restraints that can come with a paid project. Photographer George Platt Lynes found success in advertising and fashion. The photographs in this exhibit focus on his one-time partner Charles “Chuck” Howard, who was another successful figure in the fashion world: a model, designer and restaurateur. Lynes worked in the 1930s and ‘40s, and outside of his career, he took a series of nude and homoerotic photographs featuring his friends and acquaintances, including dancers and other gay artists. Works from his private collection of black and white photographs are on display for a couple more weeks at the Childs Gallery in Boston alongside another, more colorful exhibit, “Interlaced, The Fabric of Art.”
Sunday, Jan. 14
I recently accompanied my nephews to a performance of “Wild Kratts Live! 2.0,” another child-centric edutainment stage show. The two main characters walked out onstage, and the room erupted like the guests at the Ed Sullivan Show during The Beatles’ famous performance. For regular theater-goers, there’s something uniquely spectacular about an audience of excited children, far from the typical calmer, adult audiences. For the children themselves (ages 3 and up), it’s a tailor-made opportunity to have their first theatrical experience. “Dinosaur World Live” weaves large-scale puppetry and educational material that will surely delight and inspire many young folks in attendance. Audiences can expect to see a Tyrannosaurus rex, a Triceratops, a Giraffatitan and more take the stage alongside an enthusiastic human explorer. The show at the Emerson Colonial Theatre lasts 50 minutes, plus a 15-minute opportunity to meet and greet with a dinosaur. Tickets start at $39.
