US – Friday, July 30

 Art
Drawings That Work: 21st Drawing Show Opening Reception
Tonight, 6
Mills Gallery
539 Tremont St., Boston
MBTA: Orange Line to Back Bay
Free, 617-426-8835
www.bcaonline.org
An interesting idea for an art show — here we see not the finished products, but the preliminary drawings for different pieces, in various stages, by a diverse and numerous bunch of artists. Recommended for anyone interested in the creative process, or just, you know, unfinished stuff.

Theater
‘The Superheroine Monologues’
Sunday, 7:30 p.m.
BCA Plaza Theatre
539 Tremont St., Boston
MBTA: Orange Line to Back Bay
$5 minimum, 617-426-5000
www.superheroinemonologues.com
Here’s your second chance to see this show, a “Vagina Monologues” for superheroines such as Wonder Woman, Supergirl, and Catwoman (though sadly not Phantom Lady — anybody? Never mind). It plays from Thursday through Sept. 26, but we picked Sunday because if you buy tickets beforehand you can pay as much as you want (with a $5 minimum)!

‘Fences’
Friday through Oct. 11
Huntington Theatre
BU Theatre — Mainstage
264 Huntington Ave., Boston
$25-50, 617-266-7900
www.huntingtontheatre.org
This play by August Wilson tells a story concerning an oft-forgotten aspect of our racial history, namely that black people were once not allowed in major league baseball. Protagonist Troy Maxson was once in the Negro Leagues but now has to work as a garbage man. The metaphor is obvious, but no less powerful.

Culture
West African Cultural Dancers
Today, 5:30 p.m.
Burnside Park
2 Kennedy Plaza, Providence
This group, led by Chris Bihiga, is composed of young refugees from the Congo region. These kids have seen war, famine, disease, poverty, you name it — and here they are to sing and dance for you. What was the worst thing that happened to you this week? Some jerk cut you off on the Pike? Get some perspective! Take a 50-mile road trip to Rhodey!

Sam Adams OctoberFest 2009
Friday & Saturday
Park Plaza Castle
130 Columbus Ave., Boston
MBTA: Green Line to Arlington
$15-$35, 617-451-1121
www.beersummit.com
It’s a two-day German-style party with plenty of games, live music, and beer, lots of beer, provided by the Boston Beer Co. The prices might seem steep, but Friday’s includes four beers and your own stein, so that’s gotta be worth something. Be warned, though: Tickets must be purchased in advance on the Web.

King Richard’s Faire
Saturday & Sunday, 10:30 p.m.
235 Main St., Carver
$30, 508-866-5391
www.kingrichardsfaire.net
It’s that time of year again, when leaves turn, the air gets crisper, and a bunch of people in Carver pretend it’s 1482. This thing is full of amusing crap — jousting, juggling, giant chicken legs, the list goes on. It’s not historically accurate, but would you want to risk bubonic plague? It continues each week-end until Oct. 25.

Films
‘Dancing at Lughnasa’
Today, 2 p.m.
Boston Public Library, Rabb Auditorium
700 Boylston St., Boston
MBTA: Green Line to Copley
Free, 617-536-5400, ext. 2339
www.bpl.org
This is the film version of a 1990 Irish play by Brian Friel about five sisters living in County Donegal in the summer of 1936. It stars none other than Ms. Meryl Streep. Since this is an Irish tale, the standard conflicts between human nature and the Catholic Church pop up, including a priest who leaves for Uganda and goes “native.”

‘Hooked on Who’
Friday, 9:30 p.m & Saturday, 2:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.
Brattle Theatre
40 Brattle St., Cambridge
MBTA: Red Line to Harvard
$5 suggested donation
617-876-6837
www.brattlefilm.org
The new “Dr. Who” shows are fun, sure, but we prefer the great sci-fi-fantasy writing and hilariously low production values of the original series, not to mention the brilliant mix of mystery and friendliness in Tom Baker’s portrayal of the Doctor. And this weekend, here’s your chance to see four classic ’70s “Who” eps on the big screen. No brainer, obvs.

Music
Stryper
Friday, 7 p.m.
House of Blues
15 Lansdowne St., Boston
MBTA: Green Line to Kenmore
$25-$30, 888-693-2583
www.houseofblues.com
Stryper filled a niche in the ’80s for Christians who wanted to hear that borderline homoerotic devil music called glam metal but needed lyrics about that old-time religion to make it OK. After all, if Jesus were alive in the ’80s mightn’t He have teased His hair? We’ll never know, and Stryper continues to take full advantage of that.

9/11 Tribute Concert
Friday, 8 p.m.
Wilbur Theatre
246 Tremont St., Boston
MBTA: Green Line to Boylston
$30, 617-248-9700
www.ticketmaster.com
This show stars contemporary Irish singer and Boston Sgt. Detective Pauline Wells, no stranger to charitable events, and benefits Cops for Kids with Cancer. Bizarre to think it’s been eight years now since 9/11. In some ways, they’ve been a very long eight years... Just to lighten the mood: Pauline’s bio says her teacher’s name is “Robert Honeysucker.” Hehehe.

The Horrors
Tuesday, 7 p.m.
The Paradise
567 Comm. Ave., Boston
MBTA: Green Line B to Pleasant
$14, 18+, 617-562-8800
www.thedise.com
This British band combine the rawness of scuzzy American garage rock like the Stooges with arty British post-punk a la Joy Division, creating a style as reckless and real as it is self-conscious and artificial, and proving, as some have suspected, that the dividing lines between proto-punk, punk, and post-punk are wholly artificial.