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THEATER
THE GOAT, OR WHO IS SYLVIA? Edward Albee’s tragicomedy inspires fine performances, especially from Anne Gottlieb. As a woman whose world is turned upside down when her husband falls in love with a cud-chewing member of the animal kingdom, Gottlieb is a spellbinding portrait in grief, rage, and resolution. Through Aug. 23. Gloucester Stage Company, Gloucester. 978-281-4433, www.gloucesterstage.orgDON AUCOIN JERSEY BOYS Don’t go expecting the thrill of the new. But do go to this hit musical, the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, for the rush of the familiar - the songs, the jokes, the hardscrabble kids, the peaks and pitfalls of stardom - done well. With four talented and immensely appealing performers leading us by our ears, evergreen hooks acquire a measure of pathos and joy. Through Sept. 26. Citi Shubert Theatre. 866-348-9738, www.citicenter.org JOAN ANDERMAN TWELFTH NIGHT Star turns by the entire ensemble, enhanced by ingenious sight gags, yield a classic that’s fresh and exhilarating. Through Sept. 5. Shakespeare & Company, Lenox. 413-637-3353, www.shakespeare.org
SANDY MACDONALD THE COMPLETE WOWS(A) Even the title is funnier shorter: “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)’’ gets its laughs from goofy gags, clever wordplay, and the high spirits and high jinks of the Orfeo Group cast. Through Aug. 22. Christian Herter Park. 617-824-4215, www.orfeogroup.org
LOUISE KENNEDY HAMLET Shakespeare & Company reprises its electric, heady staging, with Jason Asprey leading as the melancholy one and Tina Packer playing (as well as being) his mother. Through Aug. 28. Shakespeare & Company, Lenox. 413-637-3353, www.shakespeare.org L.K.
GALLERIES
PULLING BACK THE CURTAIN The 10 artists in this juried show use film, animation, and both mechanized and electronic sculpture to examine perception, hidden meanings, and the uncertainty of nostalgic emotion. Through Sept. 27. Axiom Center for New and Experimental Media, 141 Green St., Jamaica Plain. 516-987-6561, www.axiomart.orgANNA HEPLER: INTRICATE UNIVERSE Hepler lists flocks of birds, fireworks, and dandelion whorls as inspirations. All the works in this show, including a large sculptural installation, describe the fleeting geometry of particles suspended in air. Aug. 22-Oct. 17. Montserrat College of Art Gallery, 23 Essex St., Beverly. 978-921-4242, Option 3, www.montserrat.edu/galleries
TERRY BOUTELLE: A FOREST IN MIND Boutelle’s mixed-media paintings start as meditations on birch trees. She mixes in pastel, plaster, and wax, and adds leaves, twigs, and seeds to create emotionally charged pieces. Through Sept. 13. Hunnewell Building Lecture Hall, Arnold Arboretum, 125 Arborway, Jamaica Plain. 617-384-5209, www.arboretum.harvard.edu/visitors/art_shows.html CATE McQUAID
DANCE
MUSEUMS
PRENDERGAST IN ITALY Maurice Prendergast’s views of Rome, Siena, Venice, and Capri, as well as fascinating archival material from the artist’s two trips to Italy in 1898 and 1911. Through Sept. 20. Williams College Museum of Art. 413-597-2429. www.wcma.org.ROBERT INDIANA AND THE STAR OF HOPE A stimulating survey, drawn from the artist’s own collection, of the work of this Pop artist and graphic designer, who has long had a studio and house in Maine. Through Oct. 25. Farnsworth Art Museum. 207-596-6457. www.farnsworthmuseum.org.
DOVE/O’KEEFFE: CIRCLES OF INFLUENCE An exploration of the mutual influence these two popular giants of early American modernism exerted on each other. Through Sept. 7. Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, Williamstown. 413-458-2303, www.clarkart.edu
A NEW AND NATIVE BEAUTY: THE ART AND CRAFT OF GREENE AND GREENE A succinct and beautifully installed overview of these stars of the American Arts and Crafts movement, featuring furniture, stained glass, and metalwork, as well as architectural drawings. Through Oct. 18. Museum of Fine Arts. 617-267-9300. www.mfa.org.
THE OLD, WEIRD AMERICA: FOLK THEMES IN CONTEMPORARY ART The first museum exhibition to explore the widespread resurgence of folk imagery and mythic history in recent American art, inspired by Greil Marcus’s book of the same name. Through Sept. 7. DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park, Lincoln. 781-259-8355. www.decordova.com SEBASTIAN SMEE 
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