Things to do around Boston this weekend and beyond

BENSON BOONE After departing the 19th season of “American Idol” early, this Washington-born singer-songwriter began posting performance videos that showed off his knack for reflective, emotion-forward piano pop. This year he’s hit the Hot 100′s top five with the bluesy neo-power ballad “Beautiful Things,” which reflects on the fragility of life amidst crashing drums and squealing riffs; it’s the first single from his debut full-length “Fireworks & Rollerblades,” which came out earlier this month. April 12, 7 p.m. House of Blues. 888-693-2583, houseofblues.com/boston

KATE THE DREAMER “Thalassophobia,” the recent EP from this singer-songwriter, is a fun, catchy pop confection with unexpected turns — the grandly galloping chorus that explodes out of the otherworldly verses of “Angels & Eggshells,” the punchy post-disco groove that takes over the title track. (It’s the intense fear of deep bodies of water, in case you wondered.) April 14, 6 p.m. Middle East Upstairs, Cambridge. 617-864-3278, mideastoffers.com

BAD BUNNY The overwhelmingly charismatic Benito Martinez’s most recent album is the club-hopping “Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana.” April 17, 8 p.m. TD Garden. 617-624-1000, tdgarden.com

MAURA JOHNSTON

WORLD MUSIC FESTIVAL This Plymouth venue is marking its 10th anniversary with a weekend series of concerts that concludes with an ample serving of world music. The evening will feature afrofunk from Brooklyn’s Kaleta & Super Yamba Band and various flavors of Latin American music from Sambita and the Carlos Odrias Trio. April 13, 6:30 p.m. $35. The Spire Center for Performing Arts, 25½ Court St., Plymouth. 508-746-4488, spirecenter.org

JOHN R. MILLER/THE DESLONDES This marvelous Monday-night double-bill is a co-headliner, which means unstinted sets from both parties. John R. Miller applies his beguilingly laconic singing voice to songs in full-Prine lyrical mode; the Deslondes, Miller’s match in distinctive vocalists — times two, actually, in both Sam Doores and Camerson Snyder — return with their high-test roots-music mix from their New Orleans base. April 15, 8 p.m. $29. Brighton Music Hall, 158 Brighton Ave. livenation.com

LARRY CAMPBELL AND TERESA WILLIAMS This longtime married and musical pair are marking four decades of partnership by — what else? — making music, in the form of their fourth album, the aptly named and themed “All This Time,” which once again combines Williams’s singing and Campbell’s multi-instrumental prowess. April 16, 7:30 p.m. $25-$35. City Winery, 80 Beverly St. 617-933-8047. citywinery.com

STUART MUNRO

SONNY SIDE UP Grammy Award-winning trumpeter Bijon Watson’s Iconic Jazz Legacies series present a celebration of the music of seminal 20th-century tenor saxophonists Sonny Rollins and Sonny Stitt, featuring acclaimed tenor men Dino Govoni and Tucker Antell with pianist Steven Feifke, bassist Sean Farias, drummer Austin McMahon, and a string section. April 13, 8 p.m. $36-$42. Shalin Liu Performance Center, 37 Main St., Rockport. rockportmusic.org

DOMAS ŽEROMSKAS The 23-year-old Boston-based Lithuanian pianist and composer celebrates his sophomore recording project “Meditations on Providence and Perseverance, Vol.1,” with his trio including bassist Ian Quinton Banno and drummer Héctor L. Falu Guzmán augmented by tenor saxophonist Gregory Groover Jr., flutist and vocalist Alexandria DeWalt, and vocalist Jádon Brooks. April 14, 4 p.m. $20. The Mad Monkfish, 524 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge. themadmonkfish.com

PIANO SUMMIT Keyboardist Dave Bryant’s Third Thursday series presents an array of locally based, left-of-center improvising pianists, including Pandelis Karayorgis, Steve Lantner, Tatiana Castro Mejia, Eric Zinman, and Bryant himself. April 18, 8 p.m. $10. Harvard-Epworth United Methodist Church, 1555 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge. dbryantmusic.com/third-thursdays/

KEVIN LOWENTHAL

BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA This week at Symphony Hall, the BSO and music director Andris Nelsons present Messiaen’s monumental and dazzling “Turangalila-symphonie,” featuring pianist Yuja Wang and ondes martenot player Cécile Lartigau (April 13 and 14). Next week, violinist Hilary Hahn joins the BSO and Nelsons for Brahms’s Violin Concerto, on a program that also includes Mozart’s Symphony No. 33 and Anna Thorvaldsdottir’s “Archora” (April 18-20). Symphony Hall. 617-266-1200, www.bso.org

BLUE HERON The early-music ensemble directed by Scott Metcalfe has spent considerable time over the last few years exploring the music of Franco-Flemish 15th-century composer Johannes Ockeghem; this weekend, the ensemble celebrates the composer with performances, talks, masterclasses, and even a “pub concert” with Belgian waffles and beers. April 12-14. First Church Congregational, Cambridge (April 12 and 13) and Arts at The Armory, Somerville (April 14). 617-960-7956, www.blueheron.org

BRENTANO QUARTET The acclaimed American quartet visits Jordan Hall with a program of tried-and-true string quartet repertoire from various eras and idioms; Mozart’s String Quartet No. 20, Shostakovich’s String Quartet No. 8, and Mendelssohn’s String Quartet in D Major. Presented by Celebrity Series of Boston. April 14, 3 p.m. Streaming option available April 16-22. 617-482-2595, www.celebrityseries.org

A.Z. MADONNA

THE DROWSY CHAPERONE This bonkers musical demands hammy excess, and director-choreographer Larry Sousa and his 16-member cast are only too happy to oblige. The result is a rollicking delight in which “The Drowsy Chaperone” sends up the corny tropes of the classic Broadway musical comedy while illustrating — song by song, scene by scene — why those tropes remain so emotionally potent. With music and lyrics by Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison, a book by Bob Martin and Don McKellar, and music direction by Matthew Stern. Through May 12. Lyric Stage Company of Boston. 617-585-5678, lyricstage.com

COMPANY In Marianne Elliott’s gender-flipped production of the 1970 musical by Stephen Sondheim and George Furth, Bobby is now Bobbie, played by the appealing and graceful Britney Coleman. She’s turning 35, which prompts the question: Should she set her sights on marriage? “Those good and crazy people, my married friends,” as Bobbie puts it, have a few ideas on the subject, and they’re not afraid to share them with her. Furth’s book wheezes and clanks and drags, but riches galore can be found in Sondheim’s lustrous score, one of the best he ever wrote. New York City is not just a setting but a major character in “Company,” as Sondheim brilliantly captures the flux of urban life. Through April 14. Broadway in Boston. At Citizens Opera House. BroadwayInBoston.com

BEYOND WORDS Under the inventive direction of Cassie Chapados, the premiere of Laura Maria Censabella’s play tracks the real-life 30-year relationship — it’s nothing less than that — between Alex (Jon Vellante), an African grey parrot, and researcher Dr. Irene M. Pepperberg (Stephanie Clayman.) Vellante delivers an absolute gem of a performance, a textbook lesson in how to conjure a rich character out of a role that requires you to spend most of your time onstage observing the actions of others. Through April 14. A Catalyst Collaborative@MIT production. Central Square Theater, Cambridge. CentralSquareTheater.org or 617-576-9278 x1

DON AUCOIN

UNDER THE CANOPY Conceived and directed by Joanie Block, this new Selmadanse project focuses on how inspiration and love can endure in the wake of pain and loss. This interdisciplinary evening weaves together movement, film, an original sound score, and prose to explore intimacy, trust, and the human capacity to find light and hope. April 13-14. $25. Boston University Dance Theater. www.selmadanse.com

THIS Carol Marie Webster/Dance Without Surrender presents an evening that examines “love, loss, lunacy, and laughter in the early 21st century.” Webster calls it a series of quirky experiential vignettes with dance, live original music by bassist-percussionist Ron Reid, prose, and song-making. The performance is available for both in-person and virtual viewing. April 13-14. $10-$30. Dance Complex, Cambridge. https://dancewithoutsurrender.com/2024/03/22/this/

SYREN MODERN DANCE In Celebration of World Quantum Day April 14 (who knew?) the New York City-based company presents excerpts from their work “Red and Blue, Bitter and Sweet,” inspired by quantum mechanics (11 a.m., 1 p.m., and 3 p.m.). The company is also roaming the halls of the Museum of Science to develop a new dance inspired by AI, exploring concepts such as consciousness, machine learning, neural networks, and what it means to be human, with a sneak peek presented April 18 at 1. Free with price of admission. Museum of Science, Cambridge. www.mos.org/events/syren-modern-dance

CLOCK, FALL: CHOREOROBOTICS AND NEAR FUTURES OF CHOREOGRAPHIC PRACTICE For its spring keynote seminar, Harvard University’s Mahindra Humanities Center Theater and Performance Seminar and metaLAB (at) Harvard present choreographer and Brown University dean Sydney Skybetter, an expert in the field exploring the intersection of choreography and robotics. The future is now! April 18, 5 p.m. Harvard’s Barker Center. https://mahindrahumanities.fas.harvard.edu/event/spring-keynote

KAREN CAMPBELL

HALLYU! THE KOREAN WAVE It’s no secret that popular culture from South Korea has been exploding in recent years (if you haven’t heard of “Parasite,” “Squid Game,” or BTS, you may as well stop here). Exploring its rapid rise to global prominence is this exhibition, which combines art, fashion, music, drama, and technology to provide a closer look at a little country that endured multiple oppressive regimes through much of the 20th century to emerge in the 21st with expansively American-esque global cultural import. Through July 28. Museum of Fine Arts Boston, 465 Huntington Ave. 617-267-9300, www.mfa.org

OUR TIME ON EARTH A set of propositions of a future planet adapting creatively to the accelerating impacts of the climate crisis, this exhibition, which comes from the Barbican Museum in London, engages viewers with immersive, experiential artworks meant to prompt out-of-box thinking to meet the inevitably massive change of the next few decades. Unexpected, at least by me, is a collaborative piece by the art/science/advertising collective Holition and noted climate sage George Monbiot, whose 2006 book “Heat” was among the very early public distant warnings of a rapidly changing global climate. Through June 9. Peabody Essex Museum, 161 Essex St., Salem. 978-745-9500, pem.org

BETWEEN WORLDS: THE ART AND DESIGN OF LEO LIONNI As the weather turns warm again, I can’t help but think of Frederick, to me the most iconic of Leo Lionni’s countlessly iconic field mice, who lazed about all autumn while his family labored to gather provisions for winter. Frederick, it turned out, was busy gathering something else: sunshine, which he shared with warm thoughts deep in the family burrow as winter closed in. If there’s anything in common among the dozens of children’s books Lionni made over his career, it’s warmth — something much needed and on ample display at this exhibition as winter makes its exit. Through May 27. Norman Rockwell Museum, 9 Glendale Road, Stockbridge. 413-298-4100, www.nrm.org

MURRAY WHYTE

2024 ZEKE AWARDS: UNBOWED. UNBROKEN. PORTRAITS OF CULTURAL RESILIENCE Each year, the Social Documentary Network honors photographers for projects that monitor cultures adapting to societal and environmental change, and tell stories about people who move the dial toward sustainability, democracy, and human rights. This exhibition features Natalya Saprunova’s series documenting the Evenks, an Indigenous group in the north of Russia, and Sarah Fretwell’s examination of natives of Peru’s Amazon region who work to protect the trees, the land, and their children’s future. Through May 18. Bridge Gallery, 5 Pemberton St., Cambridge. 617-930-3418, www.bridge.photos/shows

CATE McQUAID

ALI SIDDIQ: I GOT A STORY TO TELL The prolific Houston comic has earned his following telling intensely personal stories about his family life and time in prison. With four one-hour specials under his belt since 2018, and more already recorded and on the way, Siddiq graduates from the clubs to his first theater tour. April 12, 7 p.m. $30-$120. Boch Center Shubert Theatre, 265 Tremont St. 866-348-9738, bochcenter.org

BOSTON COMEDY BLOWOUT The four headliners on this show cross generations of Boston talent with Mike Donovan and Tony V, whose stars rose during the ‘80s comedy boom, plus Kelly MacFarland and Corey Rodrigues, staples in the scene for the past couple of decades. April 12, 8 p.m. $40.50-$47. The Cabot, 286 Cabot St., Beverly. 978-927-3100, thecabot.org

LIL BIT OF (ALMOST) EVERYTHING COMEDY SHOWCASE The comedy production team formerly known as FODball is now New Normal Boston, and the producers of this new incarnation — Amma Marfo, Ian Webster, Steph Dalwin, Ira Claybourne, and Roya Hamadani — share the stage for this showcase in Watertown. April 12, 8 p.m. $15-$20. Mosesian Center for the Arts, 321 Arsenal St., Watertown. 617-923-0100, mosesianarts.org

CLOUD NINE: A CONVERSATION COMEDY SHOWCASE Creator Jack Simon calls this “quite possibly America’s most sincere stand-up comedy show.” It’s a combination stand-up showcase and talk show, where the comics are all onstage throughout and talk to each other between sets in a conversation led by Simon. Kathy Lynch headlines, with Gwen Coburn, Angela Sawyer, and Mike Daniels. April 17, 7 p.m. $18-$25. The Rockwell, 255 Elm St., Somerville. therockwell.org

NICK A. ZAINO III

TAIKO DRUMMING IN THE CHERRY BLOSSOMS Celebrate Japanese culture among the Arboretum’s cherry blossoms with Taiko drumming by local band KM2 + KASA Taiko, and learn calligraphy and Japanese games from the Showa Boston Institute. The event will take place on the ground in the Bradley Rosaceous Collection, participants are encouraged to bring blankets to sit on. April 12, 6 p.m.-7 p.m. Free. The Arnold Arboretum, 125 Arborway, Jamaica Plain. arboretum.harvard.edu

MARATHON DAFFODIL DASH Children of all ages are welcome to participate in the third annual Marathon Daffodil Dash at The Track at Suffolk Downs. Three 50-yard dash races will be held for grades K-2, grades 3-5, and grades 6-8 and will not be timed. Each participant will receive a bib and is invited to hang out in the paddock for snacks, flower crowns, and music. Registration required. April 13, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Free. Suffolk Downs, 525 McClellan Highway. eventbrite.com

BEN & JERRY’S FREE CONE DAY Ben & Jerry’s is celebrating international free cone day with free ice cream available in Boston at their Seaport location. Individuals are invited to come by, grab a scoop, and explore the Seaport as they enjoy their pre-summer treat. April 16, noon-10 p.m. Free. Ben & Jerry’s, 83 Seaport Blvd. bostonseaport.xyz

ADRI PRAY