What’s happening in the arts world

MUSIC

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Duke Riley’s “The Enchafed Flood” mosaic is part of “Lovers, Muggers, and Thieves” at Praise Shadows Art Gallery.

Rock & Pop

VANCE GILBERT

The veteran Boston singer-songwriter performs a set from Club Passim, which is currently celebrating Black History Month with a monthlong series of concerts, master classes, and more highlighting and celebrating Black artists. Some proceeds from shows will be donated to Black-led charities. Feb. 5, 7 p.m. www.passim.org

WINTER HOOT FROM HOME: A RESILIENCE REVUE

Mike and Ruthy of The Mammals curate a lineup of folk royalty, some performing from the Ashokan Center in upstate New York and some dialing in from around the world. Featured artists include Ghana-born storyteller and percussionist Joakim Lartey, singer-songwriter Ani DiFranco, indie rocker José Ayerve, and Ashokan head honchos Jay Ungar and Molly Mason. Feb. 6, 4-7 p.m. http://hoot.love/

A.Z. MADONNA

Classical

BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA After almost a full year away from the BSO podium, music director Andris Nelsons returned last month to record three programs that the BSO will be releasing on successive Thursdays in February. The common theme is Beethoven, with four of the nine symphonies originally scheduled for this season squeezed onto these three programs, alongside contemporary works. First up, posting at noon on Feb. 11, will be a Nelsons-led “Eroica” Symphony paired with a work by British composer Hannah Kendall entitled “Disillusioned Dreamer.” The chamber music codas performed by orchestra musicians have also been a highlight of this streaming series; this program will conclude with a BSO quartet offering Caroline Shaw’s “Blueprint.” www.bso.org

JEREMY EICHLER

ARTS

Theater

TIGER STYLE! An audio version of Mike Lew’s play about a pair of Chinese-American siblings who travel to China as part of an “Asian Freedom Tour” that they hope will enable them to reinvent themselves and essentially start their so-far-disappointing lives over again. In my review of the Huntington Theatre Company’s 2016 production, I called “Tiger Style!” a “sharply observed comedy” that lampoons “the stereotypes that surround Chinese-Americans while also illustrating how weighty those stereotypes can feel when you’re the one laboring beneath them,” and explores “the vexing and infinitely complicated business of wrestling with one’s heritage, both familial and ethnic.” Adapted by Lew and directed by Moritz von Stuelpnagel, the audio version of “Tiger Style!” is a Huntington production, being presented in partnership with GBH. Feb. 6, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on 89.7 FM. Also streaming on wgbh.org and the GBH News app. In addition, the Huntington is launching the production this week as a podcast in four weekly installments.

JULIA An adaptation of August Strindberg’s “Miss Julie” by Brazilian theater and film artist Christiane Jatahy, who also directed and designed the production. A blend of live video, film, and performance, “Julia” transposes the setting of Strindberg’s drama about the turbulent relationship between an aristocrat and a valet from 19th-century Sweden to contemporary Brazil. Performed in Portuguese with English subtitles. Performance contains “mature content, nudity and intense sexual situations,” and is not recommended for those under 18, according to ArtsEmerson. Feb. 9-22. www.artsemerson.org

THE ACTOR’S CRAFT Denis O’Hare will perform excerpts from “King Lear” and talk about interpretive approaches to the protagonist of Shakespeare’s epic tragedy in the latest installment of Commonwealth Shakespeare Company’s online series. Playing Lear’s three daughters will be playwright-actress Melinda Lopez (”Mala”) as Goneril, Zuzanna Szadkowski (”Gossip Girl”) as Regan, and Kaci Hamilton (CSC’s “Romeo and Juliet”) as Cordelia. Presented by Commonwealth Shakespeare Company. Feb. 6, at 4 p.m. Free of charge, but a donation of $10 is suggested. Advance registration is required at www.commshakes.org

DON AUCOIN

Dance

POSTCARDS FROM THE FRONT Peter DiMuro/Public Displays of Motion just launched this new series of video dance vignettes featuring a wide variety of movers performing with voice-over reflections from frontline workers. The two available so far are potent, thought-provoking snapshots of the moment. New releases every Tuesday and Friday through mid-March on the company’s Facebook page and Instagram TV. www.facebook.com/PDMPublicDisplaysOfMotion/

DANCING NATION London’s contemporary dance hub Sadler’s Wells and cultural broadcaster BBC Arts brought together 15 UK-based companies for a daylong digital dance festival, which is now available for free viewing throughout the month of February. Check out the first-time pairing of Akram Khan and Natalia Osipova in the kathak/ballet fusion “Mud of Sorrow: Touch” and the Black Lives Matter-influenced “Shades of Blue.” www.sadlerswells.com/

KAREN CAMPBELL

Visual Arts

SHEN WEI: PAINTING IN MOTION The Gardner ends its most recent COVID-induced hiatus on Feb. 5, which means the full museum takeover by this Chinese-American choreographer/director/painter has resumed in earnest, with screenings of his films in both the museum’s original palazzo and its contemporary wing, plus a commission for its façade. The main event, though, is an exhibition of gutsy, often-monumental paintings, two of which were made on site when Shen was artist-in-residence in 2018 and 2019. A little bonus programming to help you through this long, dark winter: The museum has tailored a pair of meditations for visi
tors seeking a dose of mindfulness, one for Shen and one for its tropical-plant laden courtyard. Through June 20. 25 Evans Way. 617-566-1401, isgm.org

MURRAY WHYTE

LOVERS, MUGGERS, AND THIEVES Duke Riley, a Boston native based in Brooklyn, hasn’t exhibited in these parts in 25 years, despite an international reputation for narrative works plumbing the mysteries of urban waterways. The centerpiece of this show is a big mosaic chronicling the Great Molasses Flood, the 1919 North End industrial disaster that killed 21 people and emptied into Boston Harbor. Through March 7. Praise Shadows Art Gallery, 313A Harvard St., Brookline. 617-487-5427, www.praiseshadows.com

CATE McQUAID

EVENTS

Comedy

ADAM RAY & FRIENDS Ray (from the upcoming sitcom “Young Rock” and films like “The Heat” and the “Ghostbusters” reboot) hosts this virtual stand-up, talk, and music show with comics Dana Carvey, Joel McHale, Sue Bird, Thomas Lennon, Iliza Shlesinger, Ron Funches, Adam Devine, and Melissa McCarthy, and musicians Joe McIntyre, Johnny Rzeznik, and The Head and the Heart. Feb. 5, 10 p.m. $15. www.rushtix.com

THE MADS ARE BACK Live movie riffing with two pioneers of the form, Trace Beaulieu and Frank Conniff of “Mystery Science Theater 3000.” This month’s flick is “The Choppers” from 1961, the story of teenage delinquents and a chop shop. Q&A after the movie, special guest to be announced. Feb. 9, 8 p.m. $10. www.themadsareback.com

MIKE BIRBIGLIA: WORKING IT OUT WORLDWIDE PART 6 — THE VALENTINE’S EDITION The Shrewsbury native, whose latest book and special, “The New One,” takes an earnest and sometimes unflattering look at marriage and parenthood, kicks off the romantic weekend a bit early on Thursday night. Some shows are already sold out. Feb. 11 at 9 p.m., Feb. 12-13 at 7:30 p.m., Feb. 14 at 9:30 p.m. $25. www.nowherecomedyclub.com

NICK A. ZAINO III

Family

VIRTUAL ANIMAL BREAKFASTS Need a little entertainment with breakfast? Kangaroos from Franklin Park Zoo are sharing their morning routine via Zoom for early risers like themselves. This livestream will include behind-the-scenes information on kangaroos’ favorite snacks and tips from the zoo’s education team. Feb. 6, 9 a.m. $20. www.zoonewengland.org/engage/virtual-animal-breakfasts/

VICTORY POINT PARADE OF PUPPIES To kick off Super Bowl (or more importantly, Puppy Bowl) celebrations, the second annual Parade of Puppies will be held on Marina Bay boardwalk. Dogs from Quincy Animal Shelter will strut their stuff with one lucky animal crowned “Puppy of the Year.” Proceeds will go to the shelter. Feb. 7, noon. Free. www.facebook.com/events/326525108684951

FAMILY CRAFT NIGHT If your Valentine’s Day decorations are lacking, this love-themed family craft night is a must attend. Gather your markers, colored pencils, glue sticks and stamps for this hand-crafted-card event. Feb. 12, 6:30 p.m. $25. www.alexmakesart.com/familynight

NATACHI ONWUAMAEGBU