Arts

TEN CENTS A DANCE A lovely, elegiac musical revue, conceived and directed by John Doyle, that traces the shifting currents of romance through the songs of Rodgers and Hart. Through Aug. 28. Williamstown Theatre Festival, Main Stage, Williamstown. 413-597-3400, www.wtfestival.org

BAKERSFIELD MIST An absorbing production of a new comedy-drama by Stephen Sachs that pits a haughty art expert against an unemployed bartender who is convinced she has an undiscovered Jackson Pollock painting on her hands. Through Sept. 4. Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater, Julie Harris Stage, Wellfleet. 508-349-9428, www.what.org

RED HOT PATRIOT: THE KICK-ASS WIT OF MOLLY IVINS You’ll listen in vain for a Texas drawl: Tina Packer’s British accent is evident and, at first, jarring, in her portrayal of Ivins, the firebrand columnist and commentator from the Lone Star State. But Packer captures Ivins’s essential spirit, managing to make us laugh, make us think, and make us mad at the people Molly wanted us to be mad at. Through Sept. 4. Shakespeare & Company, Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre, Lenox. 413-637-3353, www.shakespeare.org

THE BETROTHED A playfully twisted, engagingly original play by Dipika Guha about a man who gets a surprise - make that several surprises - when he journeys to his homeland to meet the woman to whom he has been betrothed since childhood. Through Sept. 3. Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater, Harbor Stage, Wellfleet. 508-349-9428, www.what.org

AS YOU LIKE IT Director Tony Simotes sends waves of physical comedy across the stage while ensuring that the gleaming jewels of Shakespeare’s language are not submerged in the process. Through Sept. 4. Shakespeare & Company, Founders’ Theatre, Lenox. 413-637-3353, www.shakespeare.org

THE MEMORY OF WATER A smart and piercing, if overstuffed, comedy-drama about the ripple effects of loss. Three sisters (well played by Corinna May, Kristin Wold, and Elizabeth Aspenlieder) sift through their own lives, the intricacies of their relationship to one another, and the enduring puzzle of their newly deceased mother. Through Sept. 4. Presented by Shakespeare & Company. At Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre, Lenox. 413-637-3353, www.shakespeare.org

DON AUCOIN

THE BOOK OF MERMAN No relation to that struggling little show in New York, Varla Jean Merman’s latest revue, starring the dazzlingly cross-dressed Jeffery Roberson, is way more scandalous - and funny. Through Sept. 17. At the Art House in Provincetown. 508-487-9222, www.ptownarthouse.com

SANDY MACDONALD

LOVE SONG Smooth, subtle direction from Risher Reddick and outstanding performances add color and complexity to playwright John Kolvenbach’s unsatisfying play. Through Aug. 27. Presented by Orfeo Group at Charlestown Working Theater, Charlestown. 866-811-4111, www.orfeogroup.org

THE ODYSSEY A sensory feast that resonates on many emotional and intellectual levels, this “Odyssey’’ effortlessly integrates whimsical aerial adventures and puppetry with thoughtful explorations of loyalty and loss. Through Aug. 31. Presented by Double Edge Theatre in association with Charlestown Working Theater, at The Farm, Ashfield. 866-811-4111, www.doubleedgetheatre.org

TERRY BYRNE

DANCE

ON TAP! This Beantown Tap Fest presentation puts faculty and guests front and center to showcase the impressive stylistic range of what true artists can do with those tappin’ feet. The rich slate of performers includes “STOMP’’ veteran Michelle Dorrance and her group, “Bring in ’Da Noise, Bring in ’Da Funk’’ alum Sean Fielder and the Boston Tap Company, and Afro-Cuban wiz Max Pollak, among others. Aug. 19. $30. Arsenal Center for the Arts’ Mosesian Theater. 617-923-8487, www.arsenalarts.org

PILLOW DREAMS Urbanity Dance is performing at Jacob’s Pillow Aug. 24, but the dancers want to give local fans a taste before heading west. This intimate, informal showing of the Pillow program with refreshments and a Q&A includes pre-show “trailers’’ and seven recent works. Aug. 19. $15. Springstep, Medford. 617-416-9726, www.urbanitydance.org

ASPEN SANTA FE BALLET A contemporary company with a classical heart, Aspen Santa Fe Ballet sets its sleek, versatile dancers to the service of repertoire combining European aesthetic with American sensibility. If you missed the company’s Boston debut in March, don’t pass up this opportunity to see three memorable works by Kylian, Elo, and Cayetano Soto. Aug. 18-21. $35-$64.50. Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, Ted Shawn Theatre, Becket. 413-243-0745, www.jacobspillow.org

A JAZZ HAPPENING For the fifth year in a row, Jacob’s Pillow offers students of the intensive Jazz/Musical Theatre Dance Program the chance to perform alongside surprise Broadway stars for a one-night-only benefit extravaganza. Directed by Broadway veteran Chet Walker, the show includes original choreography and live music. Aug. 21. $75, $100 (includes reception). Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, Ted Shawn Theatre, Becket. 413-243-0745, www.jacobspillow.org

KAREN CAMPBELL

GALLERIES

JINX NOLAN: LIFE ON MARS AND OTHER PHENOMENA The Australian-born painter makes dreamy, collage-like mixed-media-on-porcelain landscapes inspired by the Central Australian countryside. Her work considers the pull between humanity and the universe, and delves into social and environmental issues. Through Aug. 27. Mobilia Gallery, 358 Huron Ave., Cambridge. 617-876-2109, www.mobilia-gallery.com

BAILEY BOB BAILEY, PAUL BOWEN, IRENE LIPTON Bailey’s sculptures, drawings, and collages address formalism, autobiography, and religion. Bowen fashions his sculptures from accumulations of wood found on beaches and riverbanks. Lipton’s paintings feature white lines rhythmically interspersed with color. Through Aug. 31. Artstrand, 494 Commercial St., Provincetown. 508-487-1153, www.artstrand.com

YUKO ADACHI: CELEBRATION OF NOW The Japanese-born, Boston-based artist makes oil paintings and delicate, mixed-media works on paper. Colors pop and patterns collide in these psychedelic imaginary landscapes that burble with optimism and pulse with relentless energy. Through Sept. 11. Albright Art Gallery, 32 Main St., Concord. 978-369-7300, www.albrightartgallery.com

CATE McQUAID

MUSEUMS

PISSARRO’S PEOPLE The rarely exhibited portraits and figure paintings of this beloved artist, a central figure in Impressionism. Through Oct. 2. The Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, Williamstown. 413-458-2303, www.clarkart.edu

JEWELS, GEMS, AND TREASURES: ANCIENT TO MODERN An exhibition of dazzling jewelry from various cultures over many millennia, inaugurating the MFA’s new jewelry gallery. Museum of Fine Arts. Through Nov. 1, 2012. 617-267-9300. www.mfa.org

PAINTING THE AMERICAN VISION Forty-five Hudson River School landscapes, including Thomas Cole’s “The Course of Empire,’’ from the collection of the New York Historical Society. Through Nov. 6. Peabody Essex Museum, Salem. 978-745-9500, www.pem.org

THE STRANGE LIFE OF OBJECTS: THE ART OF ANNETTE LEMIEUX A survey of the work of this restless and innovative conceptual sculptor. Through Oct. 9. Worcester Art Museum, Worcester. 508-799-4406, www.worcesterart.org

SEBASTIAN SMEE