FAIRGROUNDS: PHOTOGRAPHY BY ROY DITOSTI
Summertime agricultural fairs are smorgasbords of brilliant pattern, brash signage, cartoonish prizes, and bustling activity. Ditosti, who has been prowling fairgrounds with his camera for 15 years, packs plenty into each frame. Pictured: “Red Shirt.’’ Through July 7. 6 Bridges Gallery, 77 Main St., Maynard. 978-897-3825, www.6bridges.gallery CATE McQUAID
Pop & Rock
COUNTRY 102.5 STREET PARTY Summer’s boot-scooting kickoff is topped by Cam, whose other-woman apologia “Diane’’ is a gently propulsive rave-up that shows off her bell-clear voice and humanistic outlook (“All those nights that he’s given to me/I wish that I could give them back to you,’’ she sings). With tradition-minded outfit LANCO and genre-melding upstart Kane Brown. June 3, 12:30 p.m. $29.50. House of Blues, Boston. 888-693-2583, www.houseofblues.com/boston
LEDISI The versatile belter, whose 2017 album “Let Love Rule’’ examines its titular emotion in all its forms, heads up a stacked bill of R&B that also includes simmering singer-songwriter Tweet and shape-shifting artisan Melanie Fiona. June 4, 8 p.m. $35 and up. Wilbur Theatre. 617-248-9700, www.thewilbur.com
TOP DAWG ENTERTAINMENT: THE CHAMPIONSHIP TOUR In the 11-ish months since his last Boston-area appearance, headliner Kendrick Lamar has added a new nickname to his arsenal: “Pulitzer Kenny,’’ so earned because of his 2017 epoch “DAMN.’’ snapping up the prize of the same name earlier this spring. The tour he’s leading is packed with artists from his label Top Dawg, although R&B thrush SZA was off its lineup at press time because of swollen vocal cords. June 5, 7:30 p.m. $35 and up. Xfinity Center, Mansfield. 800-745-3000, www.livenation.com
MAURA JOHNSTON
Folk & World
HORSE FEATHERS A soul song powered by banjo? “The Hex’’ is only one indicator of the distinctive, left-turn country soul with which the Horse Feathers’ marvelous new record, “Appreciation,’’ is shot through. It turns out that the endemic plead in singer/mainstay Justin Ringle’s voice is made for this music. June 8, 9 p.m. $20. The Sinclair, Cambridge. 888-929-7849, www.axs.com
BONNIE “PRINCE’’ BILLY Will Oldham has been on a covers kick in his Bonnie guise lately: Last year he released an album of his takes on Merle Haggard songs, and he’s followed that up with “Wolf of the Cosmos,’’ a reprise of not just songs, but an entire album, by Norwegian artist Susanna Wallumrod. Drag City labelmate Six Organs of Admittance opens. June 9, 8 p.m. $25-$35. Wilbur Theatre. 800-745-3000, www.ticketmaster.com
NORA JANE STRUTHERS Barely off of “Champion,’’ an album of frank depictions of the ups-and-downs she discovered in newly married life, country singer-songwriter Struthers is already releasing (one track at a time via her patronage site) a new album of harmony duets she’s recorded with her father, Alan. She performs with her band, the Party Line; Ian Fitzgerald opens. June 9, 8 p.m. $12. Riverwalk Café, Nashua, N.H. 603-578-0200, www.riverwalknashua.com
STUART MUNRO
Jazz & Blues
WILLIE J. LAWS The locally based guitar slinger, songwriter, and singer was raised in the Gulf Coast of Texas, and his sublimely funky blues is rooted in that rich musical soil, melding soul, country, rock ’n’ roll, and Afro-Caribbean influences. June 8, 9 p.m. No cover. Beat Brasserie, 13 Brattle St., Cambridge. 617-499-0001, www.beatbrasserie.com
MIDDLESEX JAZZ FESTIVAL The Concord Visitor Center and Recreation Department present a free outdoor music fete featuring four big bands and five smaller groups, including Mood Swings Orchestra, Harvard Alumni Jazz Band, Soft Touch Band, Compaq Big Band, and more. Food will be available, and bringing lawn chairs is encouraged. June 9 (rain date June 10), 1:30 to 7:45 p.m. Free. Concord Visitor Center, 58 Main St., Concord. www.middlesexjazzfest.org
ANNIE ROYER & LES GARÇONS MUSETTE The dynamic Parisienne chanteuse makes her annual area appearance to present a songful “Night in Paris’’ with her “boys’’ and guest pianist/vocalist Patrice Monahan. June 9, 8:30 p.m. $28. Ryles, 212 Hampshire St., Cambridge, 617-876-9330, www.rylesjazz.com
KEVIN LOWENTHAL
Classical
ROCKPORT CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL For Boston-area chamber music fans, this annual June festival marks the unofficial beginning of the summer season. This year brings a changing of the guard at Rockport, as violinist and violist Barry Shiffman takes the reins as artistic director, succeeding pianist David Deveau. Opening night will feature Tchaikovsky’s roof-lifting “Souvenir de Florence’’ alongside the haunting song cycle “Ayre’’ by Osvaldo Golijov, this summer’s composer-in-residence. June 15, 8 p.m., Shalin Liu Performance Center, Rockport. 978-546-7391, www.rockportmusic.org
ASTON MAGNA The venerable period-instrument festival opens this year within an intimate frame, as artistic director Daniel Stepner performs Bach’s magisterial Partitas for solo violin. June 14, 7 p.m., Brandeis University’s Slosberg Music Center. 413-528-3595, www.astonmagna.org
BOSTON POPS The spring Pops season features another big tribute to Leonard Bernstein. Coming up: Keith Lockhart conducts a concert performance of “West Side Story,’’ with a cast of Broadway singers headed by Ali Ewoldt as Maria and Ross Lekites as Tony. June 15-16, Symphony Hall. 617-266-1200, www.bso.org
JEREMY EICHLER
ARTS
Theater
THE WIZ A rousing and exuberant production that delivers a dose of irreverent fun — some of it at the expense of its fabled progenitor, “The Wizard of Oz’’ — while tapping into the qualities that have given “The Wiz’’ itself an enduring appeal. Directed with elan and a New Orleans flavor by Dawn M. Simmons, and featuring buoyantly propulsive choreography by Jean Appolon, with a vibrant cast that includes Davron S. Monroe as the Wiz and Salome Smith as Dorothy. Through July 1. Lyric Stage Company of Boston. 617-585-5678, www.lyricstage.com
MAME The Broadway revival of “Hello, Dolly!’’ has furnished a reminder, not that one was really needed, of how much heart and wit composer-lyricist Jerry Herman can pack into a score. For “Mame,’’ Herman put his songwriting skills in the service of another ebullient, larger-than-life female protagonist: bohemian and iconoclast Mame Dennis. After Mame finds herself with the responsibility of caring for her orphaned young nephew, the lad is thrust into a new world of adventure. Featuring Paige Davis as Mame and Ellen Harvey as Vera Charles, who joins Mame in the immortal duet “Bosom Buddies.’’ Directed by Charles Repole, with choreography by Michael Lichtefeld. June 5-17. North Shore Music Theatre, Beverly. 978-232-7200, www.nsmt.org
THE ROYAL FAMILY OF BROADWAY Composer-lyricist William Finn and librettist Rachel Sheinkin, the pair behind an endearing little piece of magic called “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,’’ team up for a musical based on a 1927 comedy by George S. Kaufman and Edna Ferber and an adaptation by Richard Greenberg. It’s about an acting clan (inspired by the Barrymores) who are jolted when one of them declares her intentions to marry someone from (gasp!) outside the theater world. Featuring Harriet Harris and Will Swenson, the world premiere is directed by John Rando and choreographed by Joshua Bergasse, the duo who gave us Barrington Stage Company’s marvelous revivals of “The Pirates of Penzance’’ (which starred Swenson) and “On the Town.’’ June 7-July 7. Barrington Stage Company. At Boyd-Quinson Mainstage, Pittsfield. 413-236-8888, www.barringtonstageco.org
DON AUCOIN
Dance
NEXT GENERATION This one-night-only performance by Boston Ballet School’s finest offers a glimpse of possible stars of the future. They dance choreography by BBS faculty members, as well as Christopher Wheeldon’s “The American,’’ Act III of Petipas’s “Raymonda,’’ and a new work by Igor Burlak. The program features 98 pre-professional program students ages 13–19, Boston Ballet II, and live music by members of the Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra. June 6. $29-$114. Boston Opera House. 617-695-6955, www.bostonballet.org
DANCE NOW BOSTON For this iteration of David Parker’s initiative to create choreographic connections between New York and Boston, Parker will be presenting a new work for his Bang Group, and he’s invited Chavi Bansal, Alexander Davis, Bill Evans, Paula Josa-Jones, and Riley Watts to show dances as well. The New York-based comic, feminist dance/theater ensemble LMnO3, a highlight of last year’s festival, returns as well. June 8-10. $20-$30. Dance Complex, Cambridge. 617-547-9363, www.dancecomplex.org
DANCE FOR WORLD COMMUNITY FESTIVAL More than 90 companies spread over five stages bring terpsichorean delight to Harvard Square with a day of performances and introductory dance classes (noon to 6 p.m.) followed by a dance party (6-8 p.m.). José Mateo Ballet Theatre’s festival, centered around the organization’s home base at Old Cambridge Baptist Church, is in its 10th year of creating connections between dance and social activism, with film showings in the days preceding. June 9. Free. Old Cambridge Baptist Church, Cambridge. 617-354-7467, www.ballettheatre.org
KAREN CAMPBELL
Galleries
KEITH MADDY: MONO NO AWARE Maddy builds his intricate collages that play with space, woven patterns, tangled gestures, and occasional cartoony figures, from meticulously cut-up vintage coloring books, some on flimsy pages dating as far back as the 1930s. Through July 14. Howard Yezerski Gallery, 460 Harrison Ave. 617-262-0550, www.howardyezerski.com
WORRIES BASH: CAITLIN & MISHA Anxious? Artist duo Caitlin Foley and Misha Rabinovich offer this installation, featuring hundreds of recorded concerns murmuring from piñatas. Touch or hit one, and a worry is clearly articulated. Contribute your own disquiet at worries.io/. Through June 15. Proof Gallery, 516 E. 2nd St., South Boston. 617-702-2761, www.proof-gallery.com
CATE McQUAID
Museums
TARYN SIMON: A COLD HOLE, ASSEMBLED AUDIENCE Simon considers the rituals of two public acts: cold plunges and acclamation by applause. The former installation features solid ice with a hole where visitors may take a frosty dip. Through March 2019, Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, 1040 Mass MoCA Way, North Adams. 413-662-2111, www.massmoca.org
FREDERIC CHURCH: A PAINTER’S PILGRIMAGE In the late 1860s, the Hudson River School painter visited Middle Eastern and Mediterranean countries to sketch landscapes and architectural ruins. Upon returning to New York, he crafted the scenes into larger paintings freighted with atmosphere. Through Aug. 26. Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, 600 Main St., Hartford. 860-278-2670, www.thewadsworth.org
WOMEN IN WWII: ON THE HOME FRONTS AND THE BATTLEFRONTS Women were pulled into action to support war efforts in Allied and Axis countries. Here in the Commonwealth, Ansel Adams photographed trainings of the Massachusetts Women’s Defense Corps.Through Oct. 7. International Museum of World War II, 8 Mercer Road, Natick. 508-651-1944, www.museumofworldwarii.org
CATE McQUAID
EVENTS
Comedy
JONO ZALAY Zalay’s humor is informed by his academic career — he holds a doctorate in neuroscience from Boston University. “It should actually be, ‘You are the wind above my wings,’’’ he notes. Hosted by Sam Ike and Anjan Biswas, with Josh Day. June 4, 8:30 p.m. Free. CitySide, 1960 Beacon St., Boston. 617-566-1002, www.citysidebar.com
KYLE KINANE The comic, actor, and co-host of “The Boogie Monster’’ podcast released a new half-hour special as part of the Netflix series “The Standups’’ earlier this year. The fantastic Shane Torres, whose defense of Guy Fieri shouldn’t be missed, opens. June 6, 7:30 p.m. $27. Wilbur Theatre, Boston. 617-248-9700, www.thewilbur.com
JESSICA KIRSON The always silly, ever-animated Kirson coached Robert De Niro on how to do stand-up for the 2016 film “The Comedian’’ after he saw her at the Comedy Cellar in New York. June 7 at 8 p.m., June 8 at 7 p.m., and June 9 at 8 and 10:15 p.m. $20-$25. Laugh Boston, 425 Summer St., Boston. 617-725-2844, www.laughboston.com
NICK A. ZAINO III
Family
Teddy Bear Picnic Every bear that ever was will gather at the Stevens-Coolidge Place because summer is the perfect time for a Teddy Bear Picnic. Have your kids bring their furry companions for a day of activities, snacks, and storytime, and Andover Bear Company will be in attendance to help with all things stuffed and fluffy. June 3, 1-3 p.m. The Stevens-Coolidge Place, 137 Andover St., North Andover. Members $5, Non-members $10. Adults free. www.thetrustees.org
Movies at the Lawn: “Jurassic Park’’ You’ll be able to spare every expense with this screening of the classic 1993 film, which will play on the Lawn on D for free. Enjoy food, drinks, Jeff Goldblum all in one place, and with the new “Jurassic World’’ sequel around the corner, there’s no better time to revisit the one that started it all. June 7, 8-10 p.m. Free. The Lawn On D, 420 D St. www.signatureboston.com
Watson Adventures’ Wizard School Scavenger Hunt Something magical is coming to the MFA, which means it’s a perfect time for “Harry Potter’’ fans to visit and explore for themselves. Be part of a scavenger team as you search for dragons, owls, and Hagrid-looking giants scattered throughout the museum. June 9, 1-3 p.m. $21.50-$34.50; includes museum admission. Museum of Fine Arts, 465 Huntington Ave. www.watsonadventures.com
Robert Steiner
MARK YOUR CALENDAR
June 15 Hayley Kiyoko at Paradise Rock Club www.ticketmaster.com
June 16 JoJo at Sinclair www.axs.com
June 18 Harry Styles at TD Garden www.ticketmaster.com
June 23-24 Ray Lamontagne and Neko Case at Blue Hills Bank Pavilion concerts.livenation.com
June 23 The English Beat at the Sinclair www.axs.com
June 26-July 2 Frank Turner and the Sleeping Souls at Royale www.axs.com
July 2 Jesse McCartney at Paradise Rock Club www.ticketmaster.comRobert Steiner
