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HIP-HOP
A meaty and varied bill downstairs at the Middle East: Def Jux honcho/indie hip-hop hero EL-P, British grime eminence DIZZEE RASCAL, LA eclectic BUSDRIVER, and DJ AARON LACRATE | 480 Mass Ave, Cambridge | 617.864.EAST or www.mideastclub.com. |
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THEATER MARATHON
The BOSTON THEATER MARATHON is really a sprinters’ event, with 51 plays by New England playwrights produced by 50 New England theater companies over the course of 10 hours. Of course, it is a marathon for the audience, which can abandon carbo loading for a smorgasbord that’s bound to offer something you like, whether from familiar dramaturgical chefs like Robert Brustein and Theresa Rebeck or first-timers. It’s at the BCA’s Calderwood Pavilion, 527 Tremont St, Boston | noon–10 pm | $25 in advance; $30 at the door | 617.933.8600 or www.bostontheatrescene.com. |
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ANARCHY IN THE STREETS?
Can movies change history? Can history change movies? Both issues were up for grabs 40 years ago in the streets of Paris as students, workers, and New Wave filmmakers united and accomplished basically nothing. Well, some interesting movies came out of the confusion, and they can be seen at the Harvard Film Archive in its “MAY ’68 AND FRENCH CINEMA: GODARD, GORIN, GARREL, AND THE GRIN WITHOUT A CAT” series, which, running through May 19, has everything from Jean-Luc Godard’s Sympathy for the Devil (the one with the Rolling Stones) and Tout va bien (the one with Jane Fonda) to the Chris Marker documentary A Grin Without a Cat. The HFA is in the Carpenter Center, 24 Quincy St, Cambridge | 617.495.4700. |
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FILM
Remember all those arguments you had growing up about who would win in a fight, Batman or Superman? Here’s your chance to get some actual evidence in support of your opinion as the Coolidge Corner Theatre’s “Science on Screen” series presents SUPERMAN (1978), starring Christopher Reeve and Margot Kidder, with a discussion afterward led by scientific superhero expert Max Tegman! Remember, Superman’s tough, but there’s always the Kryptonite factor! The Coolidge is at 290 Harvard St, Brookline | 7 pm | 617.734.2501. |
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AWARDS
Boston doesn’t have Tonys, it has Norties. Tonight marks the 26th annual handout of the ELLIOT NORTON AWARDS, which honor the best of this past season’s area theater. The Elliot Norton Prize for sustained excellence will be picked up by outgoing Huntington Theatre Company artistic director Nicholas Martin, who’ll be introduced by Tony- and Emmy-winning Huntington vet Andrea Martin. The rest of the awards are a surprise — find out who wins at Harvard’s Sanders Theatre, 45 Quincy St, Cambridge | 7 pm | $10 | 617.496.2222 or www.fas.harvard.edu/~tickets. |
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ROCK
On the eve of the release of “The Only One”/“NY Trip” — the first of four two-song singles coming out on the 13th of each month till September, when the CURE’s as-yet-untitled 13th studio album (clever, eh?) finally sees the light of day — Robert Smith and his mates play their rescheduled show at Agganis Arena. With openers 65DAYSOFSTATIC | 925 Comm Ave, Boston | 7:30 pm | $38.50-$63.50 | 617.931.2000 or www.ticketmaster.com. |
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JAZZ
The exciting Indian-American pianist VIJAY IYER comes into the Regattabar with Stephan Crump on bass and Justin Brown on drums. Iyer (most recently seen in town back in February at the Gardner Museum with one of his regular running partners, saxophonist Rudresh Mahanthappa) criss-crosses the progressive jazz piano spirit of Andrew Hill with the Indo-jazz of John Coltrane and an affinity for DJ culture (his CDs include one with Mike Ladd) | Charles Hotel, 1 Bennett St, Cambridge | 617.395.7757 or www.regattabarjazz.com. |
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BOOKS
You, fair Phoenix readers, know MATT TAIBBI for his “Sports Blotter” over in the News + Features section; the rest of the country knows him for his insightful, incisive, and hilarious political coverage in Rolling Stone and his appearances on HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher. Stunts like interviewing the former head of the Office of National Drug Policy while on acid and wearing a Viking helmet have led to inevitable comparisons with gonzo godfather and RS predecessor Hunter S. Thompson, an analogy that Taibbi isn’t much fond of. (It seems he’s more of an H.L. Mencken guy.) In any case, he’s in to town to discuss his first original book (following a couple of collections), The Great Derangement: A Terrifying True Story of War, Politics, and Religion at the Twilight of the American Empire (Spiegel & Grau) — a tragicomic trip from the streets of Baghdad to the evangelical heartland to the back rooms of Congress. That’s at the BU Barnes & Noble, 660 Beacon St, Boston | 7 pm | free | 617.267.8484 or bu.bkstore.com. |
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THEATER
There is nothing quite like Italian-born “quick-change artist” Ennio Marchetto, who’s bringing his show ENNIO! to the BCA’s Calderwood Pavilion. Using paper costumes and origami techniques, the performer transforms himself into whimsical facsimiles of more than 50 celebs ranging from Marilyn Monroe to the Mona Lisa. He’s presented in Boston by the Huntington Theatre Company at the Calderwood, 527 Tremont St, Boston | May 13–June 1 | $15-$50 | 617.266.0800 or www.huntingtontheatre.org. |
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JAZZ
Two of the bright lights of the up-and-coming jazz scene, pianist TAYLOR EIGSTI and guitarist JULIAN LAGE join forces for the release of Eigsti’s new Let It Come to You (Concord) at Scullers, DoubleTree Guest Suites Hotel, 400 Soldiers Field Road, Boston | 617.562.4111 or www.scullersjazz.com. |
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JAZZ
Make your reservations now: pianist/composer AHMAD JAMAL, who through his influence on Miles Davis changed the way small-group jazz is played, comes to the Regattabar for a healthy three-night stand, but tickets will probably go fast. He’s with bassist James Commack, drummer Idris Muhammad, and percussionist Manolo Badrena, in the Charles Hotel, 1 Bennett St, Cambridge | May 15-17 @ 7:30 + 10 pm | 617.395.7757 or www.regattabarjazz.com. |
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DANCE
BOSTON BALLET ends its roller-coaster (lost an executive director and some dancers; found a new home) season with a program called “Three Masterpieces,” and there can’t be any argument (unless you’re crusty English critic Clement Crisp): George Balanchine’s sublime, classic CONCERTO BAROCCO (set to Bach’s Double Violin Concerto), Antony Tudor’s still, elegiac DARK ELEGIES (set to Mahler’s Kindertotenlieder), and Twyla Tharp’s wham-bam IN THE UPPER ROOM (set to Philip Glass — this is the one Clement hates). It’s all at the Wang Theatre, 270 Tremont St, Boston | May 15 @ 7 pm; May 16 @ 8 pm; May 17 @ 2 + 8 pm; May 18 @ 2 + 7 pm | $25-$110 | 800.447.7400 or www.bostonballet.org. |
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SHAKE ASS FOR THE ARTS
Aside from being your last chance to grab a handful of Ben Sisto’s beard before Boston’s Duke of DIY defects to the Big Apple, the second LOVE DURING WARTIME party next month at the Paradise is also an opportunity to shake something for more than just the camera phone: the secondary goal of LDWT (after getting folks to dance, natch) is to funnel some dough back into the local arts community. As with the first LDWT, which was held back in the fall of 2006 and raised $1000, proceeds go toward a grant for a local artist chosen by the DJs and VJs who perform at the party. This edition’s stellar entertainment/jury includes Lone Wolf, Etan, Claude Money, Dan Shea, Matt Sisto, Joseph Colbourne, Baltimoroder, Josh Randall, Michael Savant, and more. For the full rundown, go to www.myspace.com/loveduringwartime2 | Paradise, 967 Comm Ave, Boston | May 31 | 617.562.8800 or www.thedise.com. |
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