The middle of January is about as bad as winter gets around here, so we won’t blame you for staying in all weekend and watching Netflix. However, your girlfriend WILL blame you when she finds out you watched a whole season of “Mad Men” without her and you were supposed to watch it together. So it’s probably in your relationship’s best interest to go out and catch a play, a gallery opening, or a beach party that will help you forget about winter altogether.
| 1. | Thursday, January 15 – Bedlam’s “Saint Joan” |
After sold-out runs in New York and Washington, D.C., the Bedlam theatre company brings its epic production of “Saint Joan” to Central Square Theater. Four actors perform all 26 roles in the story of Joan of Arc, which made Time Magazine’s top ten plays of 2013 list and was declared “Irresistible!” “Ferocious!” and “A force of nature!” by The New York Times, oh wait, those are actually words and phrases used by women to describe me, haha, whoops, sorry for the mix-up. The play runs through February 8. (7:30 p.m., $15-42, all ages)
| 2. | Thursday, January 15 – Cookie Creations |
You know how you’ve always dreamed about an episode of “Chopped” where all of the mystery box ingredients are Girl Scout cookies, and all of the competing chefs are from hip Boston restaurants, and you’re there enjoying the culinary concoctions but one of your teeth falls out and you’re back in high school and you’re naked and there’s a test you didn’t study for? Now you can make the dream a reality, minus all the weird symbolism that probably represents your anxiety about an upcoming period of transition in your life, at tonight’s Cookie Creations event from the Girls Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts. (6 p.m., $50, 21+)
| 3. | Friday, January 16 – Self Portraits not #Selfies |
Is there a difference between a self portrait and a #selfie? That’s the question posed by the new photography exhibition at the Panopticon Gallery at the Hotel Commonwealth, opening with a reception Friday night and running through March 17. Are you hoping to make money off your work? That’s a self portrait (you can’t eat Instagram likes). Are you making a duckface? That’s a selfie. Are you biting your bottom lip and doing double finger-guns? Trick question, it’s neither, someone else took the photo, and it’s a photo of me because that’s my go-to move. (5:30 p.m., FREE, all ages)
| 4. | Friday, January 16 – Aeronaut Beach Party |
Ain’t no party like a January beach party ‘cuz a January beach party is a brief but welcome reprieve from the windswept frozen hellscape outside. Friday’s Aeronaut Beach Party at the Somerville brewery is bringing the warmth with a couple of their favorite bands, a seafood food truck, a limited mango saison, and the inevitable “You got lei’d!!” jokes all night long. (5 p.m., FREE, 21+)
| 5. | Saturday, January 17 – “KERPLOP! The Tale of the Frog Prince” |
Part of the Emerging Theatre Program at the Boston Center for the Arts, Imaginary Beasts is back with their family-friendly Winter Panto 2015 production of “KERPLOP! The Tale of the Frog Prince.” You know the story: The kingdom is doomed unless a spoiled princess marries before the looming solar eclipse, but her handsome prince is transformed into a frog and only a fateful kiss from the princess can change him back. It’s like that saying “You need to kiss a lot of frogs before you find a prince!” Except not really, the princess only has to kiss the one frog, she’s not staying up all night swiping right on Ribbt (that’s Tinder for frogs) until she finds the right one. The play runs through February 7 at the BCA Black Box Theatre. (1 p.m., $10-24, all ages)
| 6. | Saturday, January 17 – “Atlas Riffed” |
Everybody had that one not-too-bright college friend who latched onto “Atlas Shrugged” to justify acting like such a selfish douche all the time, when being a dumb college kid was all the justification most of needed. But what about all those people who are ripe for indoctrination, but hate reading books? Enter the “Atlas Shrugged” movies, which works out great because movies are also a lot easier for smart people to mock, “Mystery Science Theater 3000”-style. After eviscerating the first film in the trilogy last year, comedians Josh Bolotsky and Matthew Filipowicz are back with “Atlas Riffed: A Live Riffing of Atlas Shrugged, Part Two” Saturday at ImprovBoston. (4 p.m., $12, all ages)
| 7. | Sunday, January 18 – Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra |
Yeah, I know there’s a pretty important football game Sunday, at least if you consider it important to get to the Super Bowl and win and force everyone to admit that Belichick is the greatest coach ever and Brady is the best quarterback ever and the Patriots are the greatest dynasty ever with the best and most educated fans of any team, ever, in the history of sports. But in the interest of counter-programming, how about a day at the opera? The Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra presents its annual semi-staged opera, Verdi’s “Un Ballo in Maschera (A Masked Ball)” at the Sanders Theatre in Harvard Square. (3 p.m., $30-45, all ages)
Photo credit: Marcy Leigh/Creative Commons
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