Arts: the week ahead

THE BOOK OF LILITH — A THEATRICAL BELLY DANCE Exquisite Corpse Dance Theatre evokes the ancient Middle Eastern goddess/demoness Lilith in her many incarnations, from her humble beginnings as a handmaiden to her appearance as Adam’s first wife in the Garden of Eden. Sept. 3-5. $25. Salem Theatre Company, Salem. 978-790-8546, www.salemtheatre.com

September 2, 2010

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THEATER

CABARET Amanda Palmer of Dresden Dolls fame stars as the Emcee in this Weimar Berlin-era musical, directed by Steven Bogart, Palmer’s former drama teacher at Lexington High School. Through Oct. 29. Oberon, Cambridge. 617-547-8300, www.americanrepertorytheater.org

WICKED Ding, dong, the witch is back in this popular musical, based on Gregory Maguire’s novel set in the land of Oz. Through Oct. 17. Opera House. 800-982-2787, www.ticketmaster.com

THE REAL INSPECTOR HOUND Publick Theatre Boston presents Tom Stoppard’s clever comedy, which takes on the English whodunit while sending up newspaper critics. Directed by Diego Arciniegas. Sept. 2-25. Plaza Theatre, Boston Center for the Arts. 617-933-8600, www.bostontheatrescene.com

THE 25th ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE A perfectly motley assortment of kids — the home-schooled hippie, the driven overachiever, the introverted book lover, the nervous Boy Scout, and the heartbreakingly self-aware, chubby nerd — battle their way once again past such dragons as “chimerical’’ and “hasenpfeffer’’ in this charming musical. Sept. 3-Oct. 2. Lyric Stage Company. 617-585-5678, www.lyricstage.com

THE WINTER’S TALE Jonathan Epstein returns to Shakespeare & Company with brilliant intensity in Kevin Coleman’s fine production of this late romance. Through Sept. 5. Shakespeare & Company, Lenox. 413-637-3353, www.shakespeare.org

DAVID PERKINS

DANCE

WIND OF COLORFUL GUIZHOU Ding Wei, a director of the Beijing Olympics’ opening-ceremony extravaganza, directs this celebration of folk dance and music from China’s Guizhou province. The family-friendly show promises an exotic spectacle of movement, sound, light, and colorful costumes. Sept. 5. $25-$50. John Hancock Hall. 617-610-3636, www.colorfulguizhou.com FLAMENCOBOSTON In Spain, aficionados can enjoy their flamenco with a glass (or three) of wine and tasty tapas. Bar Lola offers a similar experience this weekend, as dancers Lauren O’Donnell and Jamie Belsito, along with guitarists John Smathers and Anthony Tran, invoke the spirit of the gypsies. Sept. 5. $20 food/drink minimum, no cover. 617-266-1122, www.barlola.com

URBAN BUSH WOMEN Jawole Willa Jo Zollar’s “Walking With Pearl . . . Southern Diaries, Body Talk, and Naked City’’ traces the journey of legendary dancer/anthropol ogist Pearl Primus as she researched the richness of African-American dance in the Caribbean and the Jim Crow South. Sept. 3-6. $15-$100. The Yard, Chilmark. 508-645-9662, www.dancetheyard.org

KAREN CAMPBELL

GALLERIES

RICHARD BARNES: MURMUR and DAVID MOORE: JOKULSARLON Barnes’s black-and-white photos often look like abstract compositions; actually, they depict flocks of starlings near Rome. Moore’s blue, gray, and velvety black abstract paintings were inspired by a glacier lagoon in Iceland. Through Sept. 29. Clark Gallery, 145 Lincoln Road, Lincoln. 781-259-8303, www.clarkgallery.com

9.02.10: TEEN TV RESIDUE “Beverly Hills 90210,’’ one of the first nighttime soaps aimed at teens, premiered 20 years ago. This group show, opening tonight, examines the impact of teen shows, including “Buffy the Vampire Slayer’’ and “Gossip Girl.’’ Through Oct. 7. Distillery Gallery, 516 E. 2nd St., South Boston. 978-270-1904, www.gallery.distilleryboston.com

JILL WEBER: STRUCTURAL IMPROVISATIONS Weber, a painter, trained as an architect. She uses photos and found images as a starting point to construct abstract compositions, which read as ambiguous, disorienting places, or prisms waffling through and reconstructing space. Through Sept. 25. Bromfield Gallery, 450 Harrison Ave. 617-451-3605, www.bromfieldgallery.com

HELEN MIRANDA WILSON: NEW WORK Several years ago, Wilson, then known for her detailed landscape paintings, took a sudden turn to geometric abstraction. These paintings feature pulsating grids that still have a gentle, handmade feel, and a quivering attunement to accretions of color. Through Sept. 16. Albert Merola Gallery, 424 Commercial St., Provincetown. 508-487-4424, www.universalfineobjects.com

CATE McQUAID

MUSEUMS

CHARLES LEDRAY: WORKWORKWORKWORKWORK A survey of the astonishing work of this New York-based contemporary artist, who makes witty, detailed, and tremendously poignant sculptures out of fabric, human bone, ivory, and clay. Through Oct. 17. Institute of Contemporary Art. 617-478-3100. www.icaboston.org

TAKING FLIGHT! THE BIRDS OF JOHN JAMES AUDUBON FROM THE COLLECTION OF THE NEW BEDFORD FREE PUBLIC LIBRARY A selection of Audubon’s life-size, dramatic, and peerless illustrations of American birds, along with other ornithological images. Through Sept. 11. New Bedford Art Museum, New Bedford. 508-961-3072, www.newbedfordartmuseum.org

PICASSO LOOKS AT DEGAS A brilliant, revelatory show about the many ways in which the example of Edgar Degas fired the work of Pablo Picasso at regular intervals throughout his career. Through Sept. 12. The Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, Williamstown. 413-458-2303. www.clarkart.edu

AVEDON FASHION: 1944-2000 A stunning overview of one of the most inventive and appealing fashion photographers of the 20th Century. Through Jan. 17. Museum of Fine Arts. 617-267-9300, www.mfa.org

SEBASTIAN SMEE