THEATER
Really
Things to do in Boston this weekend: ‘Really,’ A Fish Called Wanda’ and CRASHfest come to town
Company One presents the New England premiere of this play by Jackie Sibblies Drury, about two women sifting through the work of a deceased photographer they both knew, searching for insight into his life and mind. But is there any insight to be found there? What does art really tell us about the artist? What does it really tell us about anything?
Through Feb. 12
Matter and Light Gallery, 63 Thayer St., Boston
$15-$25,c1really.brownpapertickets.com
ARTS
I Dread to Think …
Liz Blum curated this multiartist exhibition around the theme of feeling unsafe — certainly relevant in today’s fractious sociopolitical climate, with both sides of the political spectrum claiming threats to their identity and integrity. Blum’s aim is not simply to depict this fear but to investigate its causes and perpetuation in the media, political discourse, and what she calls “erosions of privacy.”
Through March 19
Mills Gallery,
551 Tremont St., Boston
Free, bit.ly/2jpg6Se
Represent: Politics and Portraiture
With so much talk about how “crazy” college students have gotten these days in the political realm, we thought we’d feature this explicitly political exhibition by Lesley University art students and let you decide for your self. Starting Feb. 2, it will be accompanied by a similar exhbition of non-student artists, “Impolite-ic Politics.”
Jan. 26 through Feb. 21
Lunder Arts Center,
Lesley University
1801 Mass. Ave., Cambridge
Free, lesley.edu
MOVIES
Science on Screen: A Fish Called Wanda
It’s rare for an actor to win an Oscar for a comedy role, but Kevin Kline managed it for his performance as Otto West in the 1988 crime comedy “A Fish Called Wanda.” Part of the Coolidge’s “Science of Screen” series, this screening includes a talk from Harvard biology professor Dr. Catherine Dula on the science of falling in love.
Jan. 30, 7 p.m.
Coolidge Corner Theater, 290 Harvard St., Brookline
$11-$13, coolidge.org
Memory and Hope: The Paraguayan Cinema of Paz Encina
Roger Ebert called movies “empathy machines.” If that’s true, this pair of screenings should give you a sense of life in Paraguay, a country we rarely hear about in the United States. Paz Encina will appear in person on both nights. Friday is his 2006 film “Paraguayan Hammock,” and Saturday is his latest, “Memory Exercises,” accompanied by the short “Sorrows of the Struggle.”
January 27 and 28
Harvard Film Archive, 24 Quincy St., Cambridge
$12, hcl.harvard.edu
MUSIC
CRASHfest
Held by World Music/CRASHarts, this festival features performances from local acts Bombino, San Fermin & NOW Ensemble, Salif Keita, Debo Band, Orkesta Mendoza, Daby Touré, Carrie Rodriguez, Air Congo, LADAMA and Emperor Norton’s Stationary Marching Band. It may well be the most multi-genre concert all year, and they’ll be offering an equally global assortment of food and drink.
Jan. 28,
5:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.
House of Blues,
15 Lansdowne St., Boston
$48, worldmusic.org
Burne Holiday
Princeton, New Jersey’s Burne Holiday has a sound firmly rooted in the major label “alt rock” of the mid-late 90’s, sounding variously like Weezer, Dispatch, Incubus, the Foo Fighters and others. For folks of a certain age, they’ll bring back fond memories of listening to the alt-rock radio. WBCN, we hardly knew ye!
January 28, 7:30 p.m.
The Lilypad, 1353 Cambridge St., Cambridge
$10,lilypadinman.com
FOOD
Harvard Square Chocolate Festival
What’s that, you don’t like chocolate? Wonderful, thank you, that means more for the rest of us. This event’s central attraction is the free chocolate tasting at Brattle Plaza (in front of the Crema Café), with more than a dozen businesses around the Square offering cacao-laden deliciousness of all sorts, but there are several more promotions all weekend long around the Square.
January 28 and 29
Harvard Square, Cambridge
Prices vary, harvardsquare.com
COMEDY
Corinne Fisher
This New York-based stand-up comic is half of a duo with partner Krystyna Hutchinson called “Sorry about Last Night,” a mix of sketch, musical comedy, and even solicited advice — anything they want to do, pretty much. Much of their comedy is about life as a woman in a semi-liberated world — they’ve even done a TEDx talk about the messed-up social messages young girls get fed.
Jan. 30, 8:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Cityside, 1960 Beacon St., Brighton
Free, 21+, bit.ly/2jW5OfF
