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NOT ENOUGH AIR Masha Obolensky creates a richly layered, riveting exploration of journalist-turned-playwright Sophie Treadwell and her play “Machinal.’’ Through March 14. Nora Theatre Company at Central Square Theater, Cambridge. 866-811-4111, www.centralsquaretheater.org (Elizabeth Stewart) |
Arts: the week ahead
THEATER
STICK FLY The Huntington Theatre Company presents Lydia R. Diamond’s new play about sibling rivalry and class conflict in an African-American family on Martha’s Vineyard. Feb. 19-March 21. Wimberly Theatre, Boston Center for the Arts. 617-933-8600, www.bostontheatrescene.comTHE ISLAND OF SLAVES The Orfeo Group plays fast and smart with Pierre Marivaux’s classic, which finds the social order upended after a shipwreck. Through March 6. Plaza Theatre, Boston Center for the Arts. 617-933-8600, www.bostontheatrescene.com
HONK! This charming adaptation of “The Ugly Duckling’’ features hummable tunes, lively dance numbers, and a terrific ensemble. Through Feb. 28. Wheelock Family Theatre. 617-879-2300, www.wheelock.edu/wft
THE LION KING Once more around on the circle of life? Hakuna matata! Through March 21. Opera House. 800-982-2787, www.broadwayacrossamerica.com
LOUISE KENNEDY
DANCE
CELEBRATING ANNA One of the great modern dance pioneers, Anna Sokolow, would have turned 100 this year. In honor of her centennial, Jim May is staging selections from two of her dramatic works, “From the Diaries of Franz Kafka’’ and the groundbreaking “Rooms,’’ for the Boston Conservatory Dance Theater. The concert also features the premiere of a new work by former Boston Ballet principal Viktor Plotnikov. Feb. 18-21. $7-$22. Midway Studios. 617-912-9222, www.bostonconservatory.edu/tickets BIG RED DOOR & OTHER STORIES Urbanity Dance’s winter revue offers four new works by director Betsi Graves Akerstein that serve as a series of short dance stories, with inspiration ranging from KAREN CAMPBELL
GALLERIES
AUGUST VENTIMIGLIA: EVENT STUDY For this show, Ventimiglia, who is featured in this year’s DeCordova Biennial, focuses entirely on black-and-white sculptures and drawings. His minimalist choices focus the viewer’s attention on subtle variations in repeated gestures and in texture. Through March 13. Judi Rotenberg Gallery, 130 Newbury St. 617-437-1518, www.judirotenberg.comWILLIAM POPE.L: COLOR ISN’T MATTER Another artist in the 2010 DeCordova Biennial, Pope.L can be incen-diary and paradoxical, examining and exploding cultural assumptions. This show features sculptures, drawings, and performances that delve into how we use color to create and order our world. Through March 20. Samson, 450 Harrison Ave. 617-357-7177, www.samsonprojects.com
ANDREA FRASER: BOXED SET Performer and video artist Fraser presents five videos made between 1989 and 2001. They take on the art world, questioning whether its institutions are embedded in structures of patriarchy and capitalism. Through April 4. Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts, Harvard University, Cambridge. 617-495-3251, www.ves.fas.harvard.edu/fraser.html
BOSTON COMBAT ZONE 1969-1978 Black-and-white photos by Roswell Angier, Jerry Berndt, and John Goodman provide a view into the world of adult entertainment before the Internet, depicting Boston’s red-light district and denizens of clubs such as the Teddy Bare Lounge and the Naked Eye. Through March 16. Howard Yezerski Gallery, 460 Harrison Ave. 617-262-0550, www.howardyezerskigallery.com CATE McQUAID
MUSEUMS
ASIAN JOURNEYS: COLLECTING ART IN POST-WAR AMERICA An exhibition of more than 50 objects from China, Japan, and Southeast Asia collected by the Rockefeller family and later donated to the Asia Society in New York. Through June 6. McMullen Museum, Boston College. 617-552-8100, www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/cas/artmuseumARTIST + POET: GEORGE NAMA & CHARLES SIMIC A selection of Nama’s recent etchings, gouaches, and sculptures inspired by the poetry of his friend, Charles Simic. Through April 10.
GIOVANNI BOLDINI IN IMPRESSIONIST PARIS A look at the first half of this amazingly gifted and versatile artist’s career, before he became known almost exclusively as a society portraitist. Through April 25. Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, Williamstown. 413-458-2303, www.clarkart.edu
THE SHAPE OF ABSTRACTION A look at abstract art in historical and contemporary forms, featuring 24 artists, from Josef Albers and Ellsworth Kelly to Thomas Nozkowski. Through March 28. Boston University Art Gallery. 617-353-3329, www.bu.edu/art
SEBASTIAN SMEE 
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