TODAY For the love of theater Do you heart the ART? Here’s your chance to say thanks. Love Letters to the ART features cocktails, dinner, and appearances by Joan Parker, Ben Mezrich, Gavin Creel, and others. In honor of V-Day, performers will present romantically oriented poems, songs, and scenes. 6 p.m. $500. Back Bay Events Center, 180 Berkeley St., Boston. 617-496-2000, ext. 8832, www.americanrepertorytheater.org
Teen angst Some of us don’t like to remember the pain and suffering of adolescence. On the other hand, maybe the overwrought poetry we wrote to our high school crushes is worth a few good laughs. Mortified Boston’s Doomed Valentines Show features regular folk sharing diary entries, lyrics, and artwork created in the throes of puppy love. 7:30 p.m. $15. Coolidge Corner Theatre, 290 Harvard St., Brookline. 617-734-2500, www.coolidge.org
Hometown hero All good Bostonians know about Dorchester native Dennis Lehane’s novels-turned-movies. This week a Dennis Lehane Retrospective features screenings of “Gone Baby Gone’’ (today), “Mystic River’’ (tomorrow), and “Shutter Island’’ (Wednesday). On Thursday, the man himself discusses his films and his work with HBO series “The Wire.’’ Feb. 14-17, 7 p.m. Free, reservations suggested. Suffolk University, Modern Theatre, 525 Washington St., Boston. www.moderntheatre.com
TOMORROW Double the music This two-band folk music bill benefits domestic violence agency Respond. The Birds and The Bees features the intimate vocal sounds of acoustic trio Birdsong at Morning, and Annie Lynch, queen bee of the Beekeepers. 7 p.m. $25. Club Passim, 47 Palmer St., Cambridge. 617-492-7679, www.clubpassim.org
Rockin’ the fiddle Violin virtuoso David Garrett loves Kurt Cobain as much as he adores Beethoven. Garrett’s latest release, “Rock Symphonies,’’ includes Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit’’ and other rock tunes. It all makes perfect sense to the crossover artist, who says on his website, “In my eye, the Paganinis, Liszts, and Chopins of the 19th century were the world’s first rock stars.’’ Rock on. 8 p.m. $32.50-$42.50 Symphony Hall, 301 Mass. Ave., Boston. 888-266-1200, www.bostonsymphonyhall.org
Fresh catch It’s farm-raised Pacific weathervane scallops, US farm-raised crayfish, and wild-caught Pacific cod in the New England Aquarium’s Celebrate Seafood Dinner Series. Guest chef Stephen Oxaal of B&G Oysters prepares the three-course sustainable seafood meal complete with wine pairings, and offers cooking demos while Aquarium experts expound on sustainability features of the dishes. 6:30 p.m. $75. New England Aquarium, Harbor View Cafe, Central Wharf, Boston. 617-973-5206, www.neaq.org
