ULTIMATE BALANCHINE For budding dance lovers, it’s never to early to come under the spell of Balanchine, and Boston Ballet offers a dynamite program of three of the legendary choreographer’s undisputed gems: the uber-cool ‘‘Four Temperaments,’’ the Stravinsky-fueled ‘‘Apollo,’’ and the gorgeous ‘‘Theme and Variations,’’ set to the music of Tchaikovsky. May 6-16. $25-$132. Boston Opera House. 617-695-6955, www.bostonballet.org
(Gene Schiavone)
Arts: the week ahead
ULTIMATE BALANCHINE For budding dance lovers, it’s never to early to come under the spell of Balanchine, and Boston Ballet offers a dynamite program of three of the legendary choreographer’s undisputed gems: the uber-cool ‘‘Four Temperaments,’’ the Stravinsky-fueled ‘‘Apollo,’’ and the gorgeous ‘‘Theme and Variations,’’ set to the music of Tchaikovsky. May 6-16. $25-$132. Boston Opera House. 617-695-6955, www.bostonballet.org
(Gene Schiavone)
THEATER
AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY Estelle Parsons stars as the pill-popping matriarch in Tracy Letts’s familial kookapalooza, which began at Chicago’s Steppenwolf and then lit up Broadway. Through May 9. Colonial Theatre. 800-982-2787, www.broadwayacrossamerica.comBLITHE SPIRIT Spiro Veloudos directs the Noel Coward classic. May 7-June 5. Lyric Stage Company. 617-585-5678, www.lyricstage.com
THE GULLS Tippi’s blonde ’do and Landry, too. The Gold Dust Orphans reprise their big Hitchcock hit. May 7-30. Machine. 866-811-4111, www.theatermania.com
THE GREAT AMERICAN TRAILER PARK MUSICAL SpeakEasy Stage Company knows just how to play this entertaining bit of cheese: Cast great comic singers, add flamingos, and stir. Through May 30. Roberts Studio Theatre, Boston Center for the Arts. 617-933-8600, www.bostontheatrescene.com
HOT MIKADO New Repertory Theatre artistic director Kate Warner presents the swinging adaptation of Gilbert and Sullivan. May 2-22. Arsenal Center for the Arts, Watertown. 617-923-8487, www.newrep.org
LOUISE KENNEDY
DANCE
MOMIX The fantastical multimedia dancescapes of this inventive, athletic company can be eye-popping delights. Part of the fun is trying to figure out “How do they do that?’’ This World Music/CRASHarts engagement features the Boston premiere of the nature-inspired “Botanica,’’ set to an eclectic score ranging from Vivaldi to bird songs. May 7-9. $40-$65. Cutler Majestic Theatre. 617-876-4275, www.worldmusic.org POSTE RESTANTE This new light-hearted show by former Snappy Dance artists Bonnie Duncan and Tim Gallagher (a.k.a. They Gotta Be Secret Agents) uses puppetry, film, and partner acrobatics to explore the magic and mystery of an anonymous package, some hand-written letters, and a bicycle with wings, among other oddities. May 6-8. $18-$20. Charlestown Working Theatre, Charlestown. 866-811-4111, www.charlestownworkingtheater.org SHARED CHOREOGRAPHERS’ CONCERT The Dance Complex’s worthy mentored series continues with “Perpetual Motion.’’ Expected highlights include Amy Cohen’s intricate solo based on the Fibonacci sequence and a structured improvisation for four exploring connections between dream worlds and reality by Marsha Parilla. Other participants include Ayesha Fuentes, Jessica Howard, Angie Muzzy, Wanda Strukus, Liza Hostetler-Ingalls, and Dana Fitchett. May 7-8. $10. Dance Complex, Cambridge. 617-547-9363, www.dancecomplex.org KAREN CAMPBELLGALLERIES
MAN UP Artists Jesse Burke, El C. Leonardo, Steve Locke, and Rune Olsen populate this show with robust portrayals of masculinity as expressed through the body, representations of masculine power dynamics, and explorations of the space between strength and vulnerability. Through May 22. Judi Rotenberg Gallery, 130 Newbury St. 617-437-1518, www.judirotenberg.com SCOTT TULAY: DIMENSIONAL TRANSPARENCIES Tulay, who has training in art and architecture, works in charcoal, ink, and pastel to investigate space and light. His monochromatic pieces suggest both built and natural environments. Through May 30. Gurari Collections, 460 Harrison Ave. 617-367-9800, www.gurari.com
THE STORE SHOW Throughout May, artists have been invited to open a store at Meme for three days each. They can interpret the meaning of “store’’ however they like. Coming up Saturday: “Carry Out.’’ Participating artists created works in 3- by 3-inch plastic bags. Through May 30. Meme, 55 Norfolk St., Cambridge. www.memegallery.com
150 X 150 MAD DASH Established New England artists such as Jill Slosburg-Ackerman, Gideon Bok, Tory Fair, John Guthrie, donated 150 pieces, available for $150 each, to benefit the gallery. It’s a race to grab your favorite. Doors open at noon Saturday, with a preview Friday, 5:30-8 p.m. Through May 23. Laconia Gallery, 433 Harrison Ave. 857-222-0333, www.laconiagallery.org CATE McQUAID
MUSEUMS
DR. LAKRA A survey of the work of the Mexican tattoo artist Dr. Lakra, whose complex designs are inscribed on various found imagery and applied directly to the gallery wall in two massive wall drawings. Through Sept. 6. Institute of Contemporary Art. 617-478-3100, www.icaboston.org
FIERY POOL: THE MAYA AND THE MYTHIC SEA A fascinating exhibition about the connections between the cosmology of the Maya and water, featuring rare loans from around the world and unobtrusive interactive elements directed at younger viewers. Through July 18. Peabody Essex Museum, Salem. 978-745-9500, www.pem.org
GRAND DISCOVERY: ICONS ACQUIRED FROM EUROPEAN PRIVATE COLLECTIONS Ten icons newly acquired by the museum from two prestigious collectors in Germany and Holland. Through July 30. Museum of Russian Icons, Clinton. 978-598-5000, www.museumofrussianicons.org
A ROOM OF THEIR OWN: THE BLOOMSBURY ARTISTS IN AMERICAN COLLECTIONS A brilliant introduction to the heady world of the Bloomsbury artists, with special emphasis on the work of Duncan Grant, Vanessa Bell, Roger Fry, and Dora Carrington. Through June 15. Smith College Museum of Art, Northampton. 413-585-2760, www.smith.edu/artmuseum
SEBASTIAN SMEE 
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