THEATER
Unsafe Here’s your last chance to catch this play from Boston Public Works, written by the Boston-based playwright Jim Dalglish. It begins when our hero, caught in a blizzard in Manhattan, resorts to popping in unannounced at his stepmother’s 40th birthday party. We won’t give too much away, but it’s billed as a “psychological thriller”, so assume it gets intense. Daughter of a Cuban Revolutionary Marissa Chibas performs this autobiographical one-woman show about three crucial figures in her upbringing. Her father Raúl was a co-author, with Fidel Castro, of the manifesto of the Cuban Revolution. Her uncle Eddy was a candidate for Cuban president in 1951, and her mother Dalia was a runner-up for Miss Cuba in 1959. That’s not too intimidating a legacy, right? MUSEUMS
Art in Bloom Flower lovers should stop by the Museum of Fine Arts this weekend, where local garden clubs and professional flower arrangers have contributed special floral displays to complement art all around the museum. There are also special events and master classes for those looking to broaden their knowledge of gardening and the art of display. SHOPPING
CraftBoston Spring CraftBoston comes twice a year, at the holidays and in the spring. Featuring a wide range of hand-made items—jewlery, clothes, furniture and much more—sold direct by the makers, it’s got a little something for everyone. For the cash-strapped, there’s a selection of items marked under $100, but the artistry alone makes this show worth a look even for the strictly window-shopping. MOVIES
Cinema Somerville Outdoor Film Fest Enjoy this set of 16 short films running the gamut from comedy to sci-fi to horror and experimental, all made by local creators. Among the more intriguing film titles: “A Mouthful of Cupcakes”, “Highway to the Uncomfortable Zone”, “What Are Humans For?” and “SOS (Save Our Squirrels!)”. There’s also a music video from local band Guillermo Sexo. FESTIVALS
Boston College Arts Festival This annual showcase of Boston College’s student and faculty talent draws more than 16,000 visitors to see music ranging from classical to middle eastern to electronica, theater, dance, poetry, film, visual art, comedy and more. Highlights include the play “The Servant of Two Masters”, a hip hop tent party called “BC Underground”, and the jazz/dance show “Dancing with bOp!”. CLASSES
Harvard Square Parkour Class Being the YOLO type you are, you’ve been crossing lots of items of your bucket list, but you still haven’t learned the basics of parkour. Worry not, we’ve got this one covered: come by Brattle Square on Wednesday evenings for this class, taught by an ADAPT-certified instructor who’ll show you how to overcome limits of both body and mind. FOOD
Taza Chocolate Cinco de Mayo Block Party Taza Chocolate celebrates Cinco de Mayo with beer from Slumbrew and cider from Bantam, ice cream from Scoopsies, Tex-Mex food from several local carts and of course Taza’s own signature stone-ground, Mexican-style chocolate. This might make for a perfect pit-stop during this weekend’s art events in Somerville. Or maybe you just want a little free chocolate—we certainly won’t stop you. DANCE
Evolution This performance marks the fifth anniversary of local ensemble Jo-Me Dance, so named for its co-founders, Joe Gonzalez, and May-Lisa Chandler. If you’ve never seen them, this is a perfect introduction, a sort of “greatest hits” of their work so far, including “No Greater Love”, “The Build”, “Surreptitious”, “Vessel”, “Home On The Other Side” and two brand new pieces. MUSIC
KYLAM Rama Lama Ding Dong This two-night local underground rock blowout features the Monsieurs, the Prefab Messiahs, Nice Guys, Littlefoot, Scully, Black Beach, Future Spa, Guerilla Toss, The Barbazons, Johnnie and the Foodmasters, Kal Marks, Beware the Dangers of a Ghost Scorpion! and the Electric Street Queens. Why’s it called “Rama Lama Ding Dong”? Damned if we know, but it’s a funny thing to say. Mothers Mothers hails from the legendary college town of Athens, Georgia. Their latest “When You Walk A Long Distance You Are Tired”, is a mellow, slightly sad collection of beautiful, fluctuating indie pop, with lead singer Kristine Leschper as a rock amidst the mood shifts, straddling her vocals between the willful weirdness of Joanna Newsom and the confident vulnerability of Jenny Lewis. Yuna Yuna hails from Malaysia, but her sound is 100% American pop. Some critics, hoping for something more exotic, allowed this fact to disappoint them when she first came on the scene. Nonetheless, with her sweet, humane vocals, signature headdresses, and self-written songs, she’s hardly another faceless pop star. Her latest single, “Crush”, featuring Usher, shows a young artist coming ever more into her own. Dan Bern With his nasal, boyish voice and smartass lyrics, Dan Bern could almost be the folk singer version of David Sedaris. His material ranges from funny to serious, political to personal. Burdened with comparisons to Bob Dylan early in his career, he was known to respond, “I guess Bob Dylan was sort of the Dan Bern of the 60s.” COMEDY Say what? You wanted to attend both a beer tasting and a comedy show this weekend, but you don’t have time for both? This event features beer from 10 different breweries including Boston icons Samuel Adams and Harpoon, plus a performance from the professionals at ImprovAsylum, sandwiched nicely in between tasting sessions. Problem solved — you’re welcome. The Krang of Pop This new show from the alterna-comics at Riot Theater skewers that endless resource of inanity: popular culture. The poster, with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ nemesis Krang, nestled inside the belly of “Bad”-era Michael Jackson, suggests a nostalgia trip, but we can’t see how they’d resist the madness of the present either. Fortunately, at the moment, Prince jokes work for both!
Through Saturday
Plaza Theater
539 Tremont St., Boston
$15-$29, 617-933-8600
www.bostontheatrescene.com/season/iUnsafei/
Through Sunday
Paramount Center
559 Washington St., Boston
Free, 617-824-8400
www.artsemerson.org
Friday through Monday
Museum of Fine Arts
465 Huntington Ave., Boston
$23-$25, 800-440-6975
www.mfa.org/programs/series/art-bloom
Friday through Sunday
Cyclorama
539 Tremont St., Boston
$12-$15, 617-266-1810
www.craftboston.org
Saturday, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Union Square Plaza
90 Union Sq., Somerville
Free, 617-625-6600 ext. 2985
www.somervilleartscouncil.org/artsunion/2016/filmfest
Thursday through Saturday
Boston College
140 Comm. Ave., Chestnut Hill
Free, 617-552-2787
www.bc.edu
Ongoing, Wednesday evenings
Brattle Square Park
Cambridge
$10, blake@parkourgenerations.com
pkgamericas.com/outdoor-adult-harvard-sq/
Saturday, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Taza Chocolate
561 Windsor St., Somerville
Free, 617-623-0804
www.tazachocolate.com
Saturday, 8 p.m.
Boston University Dance Theater
915 Comm. Ave., Boston
$15-$25, info@jo-medance.com
www.jo-medance.com
Friday and Saturday
Middle East Upstairs
472 Mass. Ave., Cambridge
$12-$20, 18+, 866-777-8932
www.ticketweb.com
Saturday, 9 p.m.
Great Scott
1222 Comm. Ave., Allston
$10-$12, 21+, 800-745-3000
www.ticketmaster.com
Monday, 7 p.m.
The Sinclair
52 Church St., Cambridge
$20, 18+, 800-745-3000
www.ticketmaster.com
Saturday
Club Passim
47 Palmer St., Cambridge
$30, 617-492-7679
www.passim.org
Laffenhaus Beer and Improv Fest
Saturday, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Laugh Boston
425 Summer St., Boston
$35-$40, 21+, 617-725-2844
laughboston.com/event.cfm?id=394796
Saturday, 10 p.m.
The Riot Theater
146A South St., Jamaica Plain
$10, theriottheater@gmail.com
www.theriottheater.com/krang-of-pop.html
Watch art literally bloom before your eyes
Courtesy of MFA Boston
