THEATER
The King Kahn and BBQ Show Old school garage rock is always in style as long as characters like King Kahn exist, whether it’s with his own band, the Shrines, or the King Kahn and BBQ Show, his collaboration with Mark Sultan. The duo just dropped a new album, “Bad News Boys” this year, and it finds their raucous but melodic squall not evolved an iota—as it should be. Chalaque This British band is a rumbling psychedelic meltdown of an experience—one that, given their reliance on improvisation, is always different, audience exploring unknown territory together for the first time. Just like the present moment, you’ll never see it again. This show is also a good excuse to check out Deep Thoughts, one of Boston’s coolest underground record shops. Collegiate Bhangra teams from across North America throw down at this annual showcase. Colorful costumes, elaborate routines and big beats combine for one of the most energetic dance experiences of the year. Bhangra has ancient roots in Punjab and contemporary influences from the Indian diaspora. The competition’s organizers describe it, eclectically enough, as “cheerleading meeting hip hop with a folk twist.”
Through Nov. 22
Footlight Club
7A Eliot St., Jamaica Plain
$25, 617-524-3200
www.footlight.org
witnesses his village’s way of life beginning to crumble at the dawn of the 20th century, at the hands of forces both within and without. Even if he stands firm, he may have nothing left to stand on — fortunately, he never completely loses his sense of humor.
White on White: Churches of Rural New England
Through Jan. 31
BSA Space
290 Congress St., Boston
Free, 617-391-4000
www.architects.org
Through Nov. 29
Pucker Gallery
240 Newbury St., Boston
Free, 617-267-9473
www.puckergallery.com
Friday, 7 p.m.
Harvard Book Store
1256 Mass. Ave., Cambridge
Free, 617-661-1515
www.harvard.com
Through Nov. 22
Cutler Majestic Theater
221 Tremont St., Boston
$25-$65, 617-824-8400
www.artsemerson.org
Friday, 7:30 p.m.
First Lutheran Church of Boston
299 Berkley St., Boston
$20-$25
www.bostonguitar.org
Friday, 6 p.m.
Middle East Upstairs
472 Mass. Ave., Cambridge
$15, all ages, 866-777-8932
www.ticketweb.com
Saturday, 8:30 p.m.
Deep Thoughts
138 South St., Jamaica Plain
Free, 617-522-3587
www.deepthoughtsjp.com
Friday through Sunday
Citi Shubert Theater
265 Tremont St., Boston
$40-$50, 617-482-9393
www.citicenter.org
Saturday, 6 p.m.
Orpheum Theater
1 Hamilton Pl., Boston
$20-$100
Friday, 10 p.m.
The Wilbur Theater
246 Tremont St., Boston
$30, 800-745-3000
www.ticketmaster.com
Sunday, 7:30 p.m.
Central Wharf Co.
160 Milk St., Boston
$5
Friday and Saturday
Coolidge Corner Theater
290 Harvard St., Brookline
$12, 617-734-2500
www.coolidge.org
This 1986 horror-comedy seems like the kind of film that should only be shown at midnight, and the Coolidge Corner Theater has obliged. It takes place at Tromaville High School, located right next to the local nuclear power plant. Of course there’s an accident, and people start getting weirder… and more glow-in-the-dark. Ecological disasters are rarely so amusing.
What to do in Boston this weekend: Nov. 12 – Nov. 15, 2015
Justin Nicholas
Brown Box Theater presents this world premiere play by Patrick Gabridge about two friends, Mika and Jake, who make a weird living volunteering for medical experiments. Not the kind of thing you want to do forever. Perhaps their burgeoning relationship will be the way out — if it survives all the experiments, that is.
Fiddler on the Roof
Footlight Club presents the classic musical about Tevye, the rural Russian Jewish everyman who
ART
New England’s sparse white church buildings are one of its most iconic architectural features, communicating the Puritanical spirit of austerity and simplicity that remains a core aspect of the regional character. In these images, architect and photographer Steve Rosenthal captures many fine examples, as well as more elaborate 19th century churches in the Greek and Gothic Revival style.
Mark Davis/Roger Bowman
A sense of whimsy and mystery are common in these two artists’ works. Bowman’s still lives, with their soft, penciled colors, seem unthreatening enough, but more unsettled narratives emerge on a closer look. Davis’ abstract mobiles bring the unnatural shapes imagined by Kandinsky and similar painters to life. Odd but graceful, asymmetrical yet balanced, they’re like stand-ins for our own contradictory selves.
BOOKS
Rick Moody
What kind of person would bother to write such lengthy online reviews? Does it really matter that much? You’re not the only one to wonder — so did novelist Rick Moody. His latest book, “Hotels of North America,” consists of a series of online hotel reviews that trace the wanderings and anxieties of a man named Reginald.
MUSIC
uCarmen/A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Isango Ensemble, the South African opera troupe who performed “The Magic Flute” last year in Boston, double down for their return visit. The ensemble’s blend of European and African traditions makes these visions of Bizet and Britten both familiar and new to Western audiences. The two shows will be presented separately — check the website above for details.
Gaelle Solal
French classical guitarist Gaelle Solal is a fast-rising star in her field, celebrated for her charismatic performances, her original arrangements and her integration of jazz and world music into the classical guitar repertoire. Her experience as a dancer and actress is discernable in her theatrical style — for all her technical skill, it’s her ability to dramatize a piece that really impresses.
DANCE
CIRCA
CIRCA, a world-renowned Australian dance troupe that mixes circus arts with dance, returns to Boston with their piece “Opus,” featuring the stormy music of Shostakovich, performed by the Debussy String Quartet. The troupe’s eye-popping athletic prowess would be enough by itself, but add the dramatic intensity of the music and choreography, and you’ve got a strong cup of tea.
Boston Bhangra Competition
COMEDY
Craig Robinson
Craig Robinson began his career as a public schoolteacher in Chicago, but he’d already been seduced by Second City while studying for his Master’s. He’s best known for his role as Daryll Philbin on “The Office.” Now he’s touring with a musical standup show, “The Nasty Delicious”, furthering the evidence that jokes are just funnier over sensual piano music.
Central Wharf Comedy
This is only the second comedy show at Central Wharf Co., so if you’re thinking “I didn’t know they did comedy there,” it’s not just you. Hosted by Brian Higginbottom and Luke Touma, the second show features Shaun Bedgood, a local comic who frequently appears in “Quiet Desperation,” a Boston-based Internet sitcom. Justin Hoff and more unnamed talents will also perform.
MOVIES
Class of Nuke ‘Em High
