MUSIC
Eric Lu
Boston native Eric Lu began studying piano at age 6, and at age 19 he’s already performed at Carnegie Hall, Beijing Concert Hall and the Chopin Festival in Poland, among many other impressive gigs. Contrary to the stereotype of child prodigies as robotic and uncreative, Lu has been praised precisely for a gripping emotional power. Saturday night’s program includes Chopin, Mozart, Schubert and Prokofiev.
May 13, 8 p.m., Jordan Hall, 30 Gainsborough St., Boston, $15-$50. chineseperformingarts.net.
Savoy Motel
This Nashville band is a bona fide supergroup, the cream of the punk and garage rock crop in a city best known for its country music scene. In this project, however, they sound like an edgy, minimalist post-punk band attempting, with intriguing success, to play 70’s soul and glam rock, cultivating a suitably (and comically) 1970’s appearance in their photos and music videos.
May 12, 10 p.m., Great Scott, 1222 Comm. Ave., Boston, $10-$12, 21+. boweryboston.com.
THEATER
Desire
Zeitgeist Stage Company presents six tales from Tennessee Williams, adapted for the stage by contemporary playwrights Elizabeth Egloff, Marcus Gardely, Rebecca Gilman, David Grimm, John Guare and Beth Henley. While these stories are less known, their humid emotional stew of romance, decay and frustrated longing will be familiar to fans of Williams classics like “The Glass Menagerie” and “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.”
Through May 20, Plaza Theater, 539 Tremont St., Boston, $20-$30. bostontheatrescene.com.
How to Be a Rock Critic
There’s no mistaking the meandering, impassioned, beat/gonzo journalistic style of Lester Bangs, a singular talent in the annals of rock criticism. In this one-man show, Erik Jenzen plays the legendary writer, who waged a war against overblown arena trash and disco drivel throughout the 70’s, all while living like a rock star himself—a tendency that brought him to an early grave.
May 11 through 21, Paramount Center, 559 Washington St., Boston, $15-$60, artsemerson.org.
FESTIVALS
Springtime Spectacular at the Lawn on D
The Lawn on D hosts this family-friendly festival, with music from steel drummers Steel Rhythm, the bands Analog Heart, MB Padfield, Never in Vegas and Federator No1, a circus arts show from Nimble Arts performance. There will also be a pop-pop tide pool exhibit from the New England Aquarium, plus kids’ entertainment and activities including music, storytelling and puppet shows.
May 13, 12 p.m. to 11 p.m., The Lawn on D, 420 D. St., Boston, Free. signatureboston.com/lawn-on-d.
VARIETY
OnStage Arts Marathon
OnStage Dance Company presents its fourth annual blowout of local talent, with five hours of music, dance, film, poetry, spoken word, storytelling, visual art, performance art and comedy. Performers include Mary Alexandra Agner, Ange Arcadia, Marcelo Brociner, Cambridge Dance Company, Cathartic Conundrum,[tab]Michael John Ciszewski, Michael John Ciszewski, The CONcept Artists, Connections Dance Theater—and that’s just the first bit of the alphabet!
May 13, 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., Center for Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland St., Somerville, $20-$30. onstagedanceco.com.
COMEDY
Something Big with Liz Miele
This monthly comedy showcase “Something Big” returns with headliner Liz Miele, a New York comic who’s appeared in such unusually diverse publications as the New Yorker, Psychology Today and Runner’s World. Her breakout bit came in 2014, with “Feminist Sex Positions,” an NSFW viral hit on YouTube and Upworthy. Her latest album, “Mind of Melee,” dropped in March.
May 11, 8:30 p.m., The Rockwell, 255 Elm St., Somerville, $13-$15, 21+. sbcomedy.bpt.me.
MOVIES
The Adventures of Prince Achmed
Harvard Film Archive presents this early German animation masterpiece from 1926—the first-ever full length animated film, in fact—with live piano accompaniment. Director Lotte Reiniger used an uncommon technique of cardboard silhouettes instead of the cel animation that would become the norm later in the 20th century, creating a look as striking at the time as it is in the CGI-soaked present.
May 13, 3 p.m., Harvard Film Archive, 24 Quincy St., Cambridge, $5. hcl.harvard.edu/hfa.
Bonnie and Clyde
Even though it was set in the 30’s, “Bonnie and Clyde”, starring Warren Beatty and Fay Dunaway as the titular lovers/criminals, became a classic of the 60’s, speaking to a romantic, rebellious dimension of the American spirit that seemed to explode in those days, it unusual mix of violence and comedy channeling the desperation of those revolutionary times.
May 15, 7 p.m., Coolidge Corner Theater, 290 Harvard St., Brookline, $13. coolidge.org.
KIDS
Duckling Day
This annual tribute to Robert McCloskey’s beloved picture book “Make Way for Duckings” draws hundreds to Boston Common. The Harvard Marching band leads the adorable parade from Parkman Bandstand to the famous duckling statues in the Public Garden. Prior to the parade, there will be kids’ activities including face painting, circus games, a magic show, arts and crafts and more.
May 14, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., Boston Common, Boston, Free-$40. friendsofthepublicgarden.org.
ART
Alex Jackson
In much of his work painter Alex Jackson has seemed obsessed with making semi-obscured, tormented faces with a distressing power, speaking to frustrations of identity and communication. In these works, however, he takes on a more surreal tack, creating weird images with loud colors, so rich with apparent symbolic import, and yet so mysterious, that they could be Tarot cards.
Through May 27, Steven Zevitas Gallery, 450 Harrison Ave., Boston, Free. stevenzevitasgallery.com.
Food: Paintings and Photography
The four artists in this show prove that food is nearly as delicious to look at as to eat. You can almost smell the citrus in Larry Preston’s photorealistic still life paintings; Beth Galton’s beautifully composed photographs make poetry of Chinese takeout; Mary Ellen Johnson’s dripping dessert photos are downright erotic; painter James del Grosso finds character even in the humble onion.
Through May 21, Beth Urdang Gallery, 460 Harrison Ave., Boston, Free. bethurdanggallery.com.
