Thursday, Nov. 28
Somerville Road Runners’ 28th Annual Gobble, Gobble, Gobble at 9 a.m. at Davis Square, Somerville. Free (to watch) or $45 (to run). This 4-mile race benefiting local charities starts and ends in Davis Square, with post-race festivities at The Burren. Information is here.
Game Day at the New England Science Fiction Association from noon to 10 p.m. at the group’s clubhouse at 504 Medford St., Magoun Square, Somerville. Free. A variety of board, card and role-playing games for all tastes and abilities are available. Or bring your own game and teach others how to play. (Masks optional.) Information is here.
Thanksgiving Meal Out at various restaurants in Cambridge in Somerville. When few other restaurants are open, give thanks that a handful will serve you a sit-down meal – and get you out of the house when the streets are blissfully calm and quiet. Among the list are Bambara, Grafton Street, Harvest, Henrietta’s Table and Russell House Tavern in Cambridge and Five Horses Tavern in Somerville. Information is here.
Office Hours Comedy Thanksgiving Special from 8 to 9:30 p.m. at The Comedy Studio in the basement at 5 John F. Kennedy St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $8 to $15. Jeremy Pearson – professor by day, comedian by night – hosts a show where up-and-coming comedians cross highbrow concepts with lowbrow silliness. Information is here.
Friday, Nov. 29
THANGsgiving: The Three Sisters Edition from noon to 6 p.m. at SomArt@The Hive, 561 Windsor St., Somerville. Free. The THANG series is two daylong performance events: the first the day after Thanksgiving, the second on Good Friday (First night of Passover Friday) in the spring. Around 40 artists perform dance, music and poetry, much of it experimental. (“Thang” is a blues term for “a conglomeration of funky, different things.”) Information is here.
“Galileo’s Daughter” at 2 and 7:30 p.m. at Central Square Theater, Cambridge, 450 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square, Cambridge (and continuing through Dec. 8). $27 to $95. Jessica Dickey’s play alternates between Tuscany of the present day and the 1600s. A writer on the brink of divorce travels to Florence to research a trove of revelatory letters written to Galileo by his daughter Marie Celeste. Information is here.
Holiday Small Biz Market from 5 to 10 p.m. at Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Somerville. Free. More than 30 vendors showcase handmade crafts, treats and food, with festive tunes and face painting. Presented by Fertility Inspired and 1012 Candle. Information is here.
Actors’ Shakespeare Project presents “Emma” at 7 p.m. at the Multicultural Arts Center, 41 Second St., East Cambridge (and continuing through Dec. 15). $25 to $64. Kate Hamill’s radical adaptation of Jane Austen’s Regency-era novel about matchmaking features screwball antics and fourth-wall breaking meta-theatrics. Directed by Regine Vital. Information is here.
Say Darling performs at 7 p.m. at The Burren, 247 Elm St., Davis Square, Somerville. $25 to $30. The band is bringing the full quintet back for its annual Thanksgiving show. Information is here.
Spoondrift performs from 7 to 9:30 p.m. at Portico Brewing, 101 South St., Boynton Yards, Ward 2, Somerville. Free. A Boston jam band playing “electric Americana with a psychedelic tinge.” Information is here.
Thirteenth Annual David Boobie Burlesque Tribute at 8 p.m. at the Crystal Ballroom, 55 Davis Square, Somerville (and also Saturday). $25 to $50 and 18-plus. One of the area’s unique holiday traditions – sort of the Harvard Square November complement to Davis Square’s December “Slutcracker” – is the Bowie-flavored striptease that comes just after Thanksgiving every year. Features Niki “Starbust” Luparelli and her Total Blam Blam David Boobie Band. Information is here.
Friday’s Sweater Comedy from 8 to 9:30 p.m. at The Comedy Studio in the basement at 5 John F. Kennedy St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $20 to $26. The last Friday of every month, Mark-Anthony Lewis presents lo-fi stand-up from Northeast comics looking to spin a yarn or just brush up on some material. Information is here.
Detention stand-up comedy at 8 and 10 p.m. at Goofs Comedy Club, 432 McGrath Highway, Prospect Hill, Somerville (and also Saturday). $16 to $22 and 21-plus. Post-Thanksgiving belly laughs with a secret lineup of drop-in guests, a special food menu and affordable drinks. Information is here.
Post-Thanksgiving DJ Jam at Boston Swing Central from 8 to 11:45 p.m. at Q Ballroom, 26 New St., Fresh Pond, Cambridge. $8 to $13. Dance off Thanksgiving dinner with this social partner dance that begins with a lesson for beginners in the first hour. No partner required; no street shoes allowed. Information is here.
Superstition Friday from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. at ManRay, 40 Prospect St., Central Square, Cambridge (and the fifth Friday of every month). $12 to $15 and 19-plus. DJ Static and DJ Outsider bring the best in goth, industrial, postpunk, dark wave, dark electro, cold wave and more. No dress code. Information is here.
Saturday, Nov. 30
Herbstalk Wintergreen Market from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Somerville. Free entry. The marketplace features handmade herbal products and botanical goods created by New England crafters, an array of free educational talks related to herbalism and holistic well-being, as well as Bipoc-led classes and art exhibitions. Information is here.
Small Business Saturday & Makers Market from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Bow Market, 1 Bow Market Way, Union Square, Somerville. Free. An annual makers market pop-up for holiday gift shopping, food and drink specials by Bow’s resident businesses, entertainment, prizes and more. Information is here.
Cambridge Fire Engine Co. No. 5’s 150th anniversary party at 11 a.m. at the Inman Square Fire House, 1384 Cambridge St., Inman Square. Free. Celebrate the 150 years of service of Cambridge Fire Engine Co. No. 5 in Inman Square. Information is here.
Turkey Fest Movie Day from noon to 7 p.m. at the New England Science Fiction Association clubhouse at 504 Medford St., Magoun Square, Somerville. Free. The NESFA’s annual exploration of the worst of cinema comes back for another year. Information is here.
Porter Square Books new-location grand opening from noon to 7 p.m. at Porter Square Books, 1815 Massachusetts Ave., Porter Square, Cambridge. Free. Local authors join booksellers behind the register and among the shelves to provide recommendations, plus a scavenger hunt, prizes, a raffle and more. The store’s new cafe partner Page & Leaf is open for the duration. Information is here.
Storytelling and Social Dance with Annawon Weeden for Native American Heritage Month from 2 to 3 p.m. at the Cambridge Public Library O’Neill Branch, 70 Rindge Ave., North Cambridge. Free and all ages. The speaker and performing artist was born and raised in his father’s Tribal community of Charlestown, Rhode Island, learning the history of his Pequot/Narragansett lineage, before making his home in his mother’s Wampanoag community in Mashpee. Information is here.
Actors’ Shakespeare Project presents “Emma” (continued) at 2 and 7 p.m. at the Multicultural Arts Center, 41 Second St., East Cambridge. $25 to $64. Information is here.
“Galileo’s Daughter” (continued) at 2 and 7:30 p.m. at Central Square Theater, Cambridge, 450 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square, Cambridge. $27 to $95. Information is here.
“The Thanksgiving Play” at 2 and 8 p.m. at Arrow Street Arts, 2 Arrow St., Harvard Square, Cambridge (and continuing through Dec. 15). $45. In Larissa FastHorse’s “rambunctious, wild and fearless play” serving up “a steaming side dish of uniquely American hypocrisy,” four politically correct performers come together to create a take on the traditional holiday pageant. Tension ensues as the group struggles to reenvision history without ruffling feathers. Directed by Tara Moses (Seminole Nation of Oklahoma/Mvskoke). (Masks are required for Saturday matinee performances.) Information is here.
Charles Hotel tree lighting from 4 to 7 p.m. in the upper courtyard at The Charles Hotel, 1 Bennett St., Harvard Square. Free. This family event includes free snacks (hot chocolate and sweets from Henrietta’s Table, cider and cider doughnuts from Red Apple); crafts and a story time for kids; the tree lighting at 5:30 p.m. followed by a visit from Santa; and excerpts from José Mateo Ballet Theatre’s “The Nutcracker” at 6 p.m. The Cambridge Fire Department collects new, unwrapped toys for their Annual Toys for Tots drive and brings a fire truck for kids to explore. Information is here.
Bigfoot Research Organization with Lloyd Thayer, Dave Dersham and Rob Laurens at 7 p.m. at Club Passim, 47 Palmer St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $20 to $25. Promised are “cool lighting and sound effects,” videos and “serious crap to discuss … and render into song … about the ever-shifting landscape of political discourse and social conscience and folk music worlds.” Information is here.
Miranda Rae at 7 p.m. at The Rockwell, 255 Elm St., Davis Square, Somerville. $20 to $30 and 21-plus. The award-winning R&B vocalist performs soulful music with heartfelt vibes and joyful energy. Special guest TBA. Information is here.
Sofar Sounds concert from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. at Lamplighter CX, 110 N. First St., North Point, Cambridge. $27 and 21-plus. You buy the tickets but won’t know who’s playing until they take the mic. Information is here.
Thirteenth Annual David Boobie Burlesque Tribute (continued) at 8 p.m. at the Crystal Ballroom, 55 Davis Square, Somerville. $25 to $50 and 18-plus. Information is here.
Upstairs at Bow Comedy Showcase from 8 to 9:30 p.m. at Upstairs at Bow, 1 Bow Market Way, Union Square, Somerville. $20. This time, Howling Wolf Productions’ comedy show features Mike Toohey, Ian McDonald, Garrett Finn, Monica Carroll and Matt Jarvis. Information is here.
Detention stand-up comedy (continued) at 8 and 10 p.m. at Goofs Comedy Club, 432 McGrath Highway, Prospect Hill, Somerville. $16 to $22 and 21-plus. Information is here.
Sunday, Dec. 1
Lindy Hopcats practice from 10 a.m. to noon at the Cambridge Community Center for the Arts, 41 Second St. (enter from the side-street patio), East Cambridge. $5 (cash or Venmo). Semistructured practice sessions for motivated dancers at all levels. No partner required. Information is here.
Somerville Flea Holiday Market from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Somerville (also Dec. 15). Free entry. Curated vintage wares and artisan creations on two floors, plus wine and beer. Information is here.
Heart Hive presents “Ecstatic Dance [Heart Opening]” from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Masonic Lodge, 1950 Massachusetts Ave., Porter Square, Cambridge. $10 to $35 (free for children under 5). A chance to dance without shoes, alcohol or phones. Features DJ Dustin Rosata and sound bath with Lawanda. A community singing circle wraps up the event. Information is here.
“Sound of Music” sing-along drag brunch from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Summer Shack, 149 Alewife Brook Parkway, Alewife, Cambridge. $20. Take your grandma or auntie to thank her for her holiday cooking. Hosted by Kori King. Information is here.
Art and the Expanded Field workshop: “Visioning Language: Text as Image and Painting Poems” from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at The Foundry, 101 Rogers St., East Cambridge (and continuing most Sundays through Jan. 26). $30 and 18-plus. The first of a seven-part series of instructional and generative experimental art courses across painting, poetry, performance, cinematography and practical applications exploring interdisciplinary art practices. All levels welcome. Instructors: Katya Borkov and Dani Nordenberg. Information is here.
Boston Japan Film Festival from 1 to 5 p.m. at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Building 32, also known as the Ray and Maria Stata Center, at 32 Vassar St., Cambridge. Free, but register. Short films include “Ding Dong Ditch,” “AI Love You” and “Sansedai.” Feature film is “Chōshū Five,” followed by a talk session about the film with MIT associate professor of history Hiromu Nagahara and two Japanese first-year MIT students. Information is here.
“Galileo’s Daughter” (continued) at 2 p.m. at Central Square Theater, Cambridge, 450 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square, Cambridge. $27 to $95. Information is here.
Actors’ Shakespeare Project presents “Emma” (continued) at 2 and 7 p.m. at the Multicultural Arts Center, 41 Second St., East Cambridge. $25 to $64. Information is here.
“The Thanksgiving Play” (continued) at 3 p.m. at Arrow Street Arts, 2 Arrow Street, Harvard Square, Cambridge. $45. Information is here.
“Mahagonny” film screening at 3 p.m. at Harvard Film Archive at The Carpenter Center, 24 Quincy St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $10. Harry Smith’s magnum opus (1970-1980) consists of four 16 mm projections in a square. The four screens feature four sets of imagery – portraits, animation, symbols and nature – that communicate with one another in myriad ways and are interrupted by a variety of “uncategorized” shots and visual pauses. Smith chose the opera “Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny” as the basis for the film. Information is here.
St. Augustine’s New Light Celebration from 3 to 5 p.m. at St. Augustine’s African Orthodox Christian Church, 137 Allston St., Cambridgeport. Free. Celebrate the church’s completed exterior restoration and rebirth as a center for Black culture, arts and community with refreshments, tours, art activities led by Dzidzor and Crystal Bi, and performances by the Boston Latin School Step Team. Information is here.
Akiko Aoki from 4:30 to 6 p.m. at Lilypad, 1353 Cambridge St., Inman Square, Cambridge. $15. The singer, voice instructor and Japanese teacher known for her jazzy phrasing and pitch control is accompanied by pianist Russ Hoffmann, bassist Bruce Gertz, drummer Gary Fieldman and guitarist John Baboian. Information is here.
Emo Collage Experience from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Connexion, 149 Broadway, Somerville, Cambridge. $20 and 21-plus. Hosted by Lavender Education, a collage workshop with a “joy of emo music” theme: Participants at all skill levels use materials – including lyrics and album art – to create personalized collages that reflect their memories, identity and connection to music. Information is here.
The Secret Sauce at 7 p.m. at Club Passim, 47 Palmer St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $18 to $20. Janet Feld, Esther Friedman and Jackie Damsky perform “tasty originals and choice covers, with lots of sweet three-part harmony, plus guitar, mando and violin.” Information is here.
Cellist Mike Block and Tabla Player Sandeep Das at 7:30 p.m. at Somerville Theatre’s Crystal Ballroom, 55 Davis Square. $20 to $48. The pioneering cello player, singer, composer and educator cross-culturally collaborates with one of the leading tabla virtuosos in the world. “Never before has such an unorthodox pair of instruments sounded so deeply powerful” (says WBUR). Information is here.
Monday, Dec. 2
“To Grasp the Unattainable” exhibition final day all day at Behind VA Shadows Gallery, 2 Linden St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. Last chance to view this solo show by Matilda Peng using large-scale photography works to investigate the intertwining relationship between image and text as devices to capture memory. Information is here.
Chess hour from 5 to 6 p.m. at Cambridge Library’s Boudreau Branch, 245 Concord Ave., Observatory Hill in Neighborhood 9, Cambridge (and continuing every other Monday). Free. Players of all skill levels and ages welcome. Chess sets provided, or bring your own. Information is here.
Té Making class from 5 to 7 p.m. at The Foundry, 101 Rogers St., East Cambridge (also Dec. 14 and 17). $40. Led by Alexis Jones, founder of TheTéSpa, participants mix their own blend of loose-leaf tea herbs to take with them and learn how to incorporate beneficial herbs into their daily lives. Information is here.
Ashlee Cowles and Danielle Stinson (aka A.D. Rhine) discuss their new book “Daughters of the Bronze” at 7 p.m. at Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Ave., Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. The two YA novel authors, whose first collaborative adult novel was “Horses of Fire,” discuss the second installment of that epic duology of the Trojan War centering female friendship. Boston University professor and YA novel author Regina Hansen joins. Information is here.
Orhan Pamuk reads from “Memories of Distant Mountains: Illustrated Notebooks, 2009-2022” at 7 p.m. at First Parish in Cambridge Meeting House, 3 Church St./1446 Massachusetts Ave., Harvard Square. $12 ($45 with book). During this Harvard Book Store event, the award-winning author of “My Name Is Red” and winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2006 discusses the publication of his journals, illustrated with his own paintings. Foreign correspondent Stephen Kinzer joins. Information is here.
Picture + Panel: Culinary Cartooning with Sarah Becan and Jarrett Melendez from 7 to 8 p.m. at Aeronaut Brewing, 14 Tyler St., near Union Square, Somerville. Free to $15 and 21-plus. The monthly confab of graphic-novel creators sponsored by Aeronaut, Porter Square Books and the Boston Comic Arts Foundation brings in Becan, creator of “I Think You’re Sauceome,” a food-centric autobiographical webcomic, and Melendez, author of “The Comic Kitchen,” a fully illustrated, comic-style cookbook. Milk Street Television chef Rayna Jhaveri moderates. Information is here.
Capoeira class from 7 to 8 p.m. at Dance Union, 16 Bow St., Union Square, Somerville (and every Monday). First class free, $15 thereafter. Learn a workout based on the Afro-Brazilian art form that combines dance, music and martial arts. Information is here.
Chess night from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Somerville Public Library, 79 Highland Ave., Central Hill (and continuing monthly). Free. Players of all skill levels are welcome, and chess sets are provided. Information is here.
Poets Carl Phillips and V. Penelope Pelizzon read from 8 to 9 p.m. at the Cambridge Center for Adult Education, 56 Brattle St., Harvard Square. $5. Phillips’ book is “Scattered Snows, to the North”; Pelizzon’s is “A Gaze Hound That Hunteth by the Eye.” Sponsored by the Blacksmith House Poetry Series. Information is here.
Tufts Chamber Music from 8 to 9:30 p.m. at Distler Performance Hall, Tufts University, 20 Talbot Ave., Medford. Free. Students perform works for strings, winds, brass and piano. Information is here.
Tuesday, Dec. 3
Winter Walk and Tea from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at the Mass Audubon Nature Center at Magazine Beach, 668 Memorial Drive, Cambridgeport. Free, but register and adults only. Enjoy mindful walking in the park with guided breathing and sensory awareness exercises. End with a cup of hot tea while reflecting on how nature can help keep people grounded. Information is here.
“On Display at Harvard” from noon to 1 p.m. at in the Calderwood Courtyard at Harvard Art Museums, 32 Quincy St., near Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. This year, the installation invites performers and audience members to consider societal “norms” about disability and difference. Audience members are invited to wander through the installation, viewing each performer in close proximity; participants in the work create sculptural compositions of their own making and on their own terms, in real time. Information is here.
Claudia de Rham reads from “The Beauty of Falling: A Life in Pursuit of Gravity” at 6 p.m. in Hall C at the Harvard Science Center, 1 Oxford St., near Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free, or $29.70 with book. During this event co-sponsored by the Harvard Book Store, the Imperial College London professor shares captivating stories about her quest to gain intimacy with gravity as a diver, as a pilot, as an astronaut candidate and as a physicist. String theorist Tasneem Zehra Husain, author of the popular science novel “Only the Longest Threads,” joins. Information is here.
Christina Tosi reads from “Bake Club: 101 Must-Have Moves for Your Kitchen” at 6 p.m. The Brattle Theatre, 40 Brattle St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $12, or $42 with book. During this Harvard Book Store event, the two-time James Beard Award-winning chef and owner of Milk Bar discusses her new book of 100-plus unfussy-yet-impressive sweet and savory recipes. James Beard Award-winning chef Ken Oringer joins. Information is here.
Movement, Rhythm and Voice from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at The Foundry, 101 Rogers St., East Cambridge. $17 to $20. Sophie Leurent leads dance to live drumming inspired by Haitian choreographer Herns Duplan and 20th century American choreographer-anthropologist Katherine Dunham. Information is here.
“Hunt for the Oldest DNA” documentary film screening from 6 to 8 p.m. at The MIT Museum, 314 Main St., Kendall Square, Cambridge. $5 to $15. Niobe Thompson’s film about looking for DNA not in fossils or frozen ancient tissue – but in dirt. Executive producer John Rubin talks with Harvard anthropology professor Tina Warinner afterward. Information is here.
Outdoor pub sing from 6 to 8 p.m. at The Growing Center, 22 Vinal Ave., near Union Square, Somerville. Free. Anyone is welcome to lead in drinking songs, sea chanteys and anything with a singable chorus. There will be a propane fire pit and marshmallows to toast; other snacks are welcome. Information is here.
Vernon Street Studios 50th Anniversary Retrospective exhibit opening reception from 6 to 8 p.m. at The Nave Gallery, 155 Powderhouse Blvd., near Teele Square, Somerville. Free. On display through Jan. 9, the exhibit features more than 50 artists. Information is here.
Ms. Ezra Furman Doing What She Wants at 6:30 p.m. at The Rockwell, 255 Elm St., Davis Square, Somerville. $10 to $25 and all ages. The acclaimed singer-songwriter who provided much of the soundtrack for the TV show “Sex Education” performs in an intimate space. Information is here.
Graphic Novel Book Club discusses “Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees” by Patrick Horvath at 6:30 p.m. at Pandemonium Books & Games, 4 Pleasant St., Central Square, Cambridge. $5 and registration required. Cute critters aren’t immune to crime in this twisted debut graphic novel described as “‘Dexter’ meets Richard Scarry’s ‘Busy, Busy Town.’” Information is here.
Ensemble Uncaged performs at 7 p.m. at the Longy School of Music, 27 Garden St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free to $20. The group performs works that “honor the familiar, invite the unknown and challenge the conceptual limits of concert music in the 21st century.” Information is here.
Great Books Book Group from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Curious George Room of the Cambridge Main Library, 449 Broadway, Mid-Cambridge. Free, but register. This time it’s “James Wright, Selected Poems.” Information is here.
Laugh Giraffe Comedy Show at 8 p.m. at Union Tavern, 345 Somerville Ave., Union Square, Somerville (and every Tuesday). Free, but reserve your space. Stand-up comedy showcase. Information is here.
Beth Bahia Cohen, Rebecca Mac and Tev Stevig at 8 p.m. at Club Passim, 47 Palmer St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $18 to $20. Violinists Cohen and Mac present a concert of traditional Greek and Turkish music, freshly interpreted and newly arranged, joined by multi-instrumentalist Stevig and other special guests. Information is here.
Isabella Gueck, Emma Petersen and Tessa Brown perform from 10 p.m. to midnight at Lilypad, 1353 Cambridge St., Inman Square, Cambridge. $10. An evening of women singer-songwriters performing indie folk and some pop music. Information is here.
Wednesday, Dec. 4
Fresh Pond Nature Walk from 10:15 to 11:30 a.m., meeting at the ranger station (under the clock tower) at 250 Fresh Pond Parkway, in West Cambridge at Fresh Pond, Cambridge. Free, but register. During this relaxing walk of Fresh Pond, ranger Tim Puopolo shares insights about what’s growing, changing and blooming in the neighborhood. The walk is on uneven terrain, down hills and over roots, not on a paved path. Information is here.
Tufts Composers: Harmonica Designs from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Distler Performance Hall, Tufts University, 20 Talbot Ave., Medford. Free. Leon Li, a harmonica performer and doctoral student working on harmonica acoustics, design and development with Jiangyin Soundreal Music Instrument Co., teams up with Tufts composers. Information is here.
Collins Branch Book Group from 6 to 7 p.m. at the Cambridge Public Library Collins Branch, 64 Aberdeen Ave., West Cambridge. Free, but register. December’s title: “Wild Girls: How the Outdoors Shaped the Women Who Challenged a Nation” by Tiya Miles. Information is here.
Bill Ayers reads from “When Freedom is the Question, Abolition is the Answer: Reflections on Collective Liberation” from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Cambridge Main Library, 449 Broadway, Mid-Cambridge. Free. The author and activist shares reflections that incorporate history, political theory, literature and his own experience within social movements. Patrick MacDonald, author of the bestselling memoir “All Souls: A Family Story from Southie,” joins. Information is here.
Comedian Abbas Wahab from 7 p.m. at The Comedy Studio in the basement at 5 John F. Kennedy St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $20 to $22. The Canadian comedian and actor has been featured on Just For Laughs and Edinburgh Fringe festivals. Information is here.
Poets Mary Bonina, Charles Coe, Helena Minton and Ellen Steinbaum from 7 to 8 p.m. at Grolier Poetry Book Shop on 6 Plympton St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $5 to $10, but register. Information is here.
Annual Holiday Benefit Variety Show for The Friday Café at 7:30 p.m. at The Burren, 247 Elm St., Davis Square, Somerville. $35. As part of the Burren’s Brian O’Donovan Legacy Series, a variety of performers perform to benefit the weekly daytime drop-in program in Harvard Square that offers a welcoming space where homeless and housed adults can gather. Information is here.
“Galileo’s Daughter” (continued) at 7:30 p.m. at Central Square Theater, Cambridge, 450 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square, Cambridge. $27 to $95. This performance is followed (at 9 p.m.) by a conversation with a local screenwriter and a local playwright about why adaptations are increasingly popular. Information is here.
The Thanksgiving Play (continued) at 7:30 p.m. at Arrow Street Arts, 2 Arrow Street, Harvard Square, Cambridge. $45. Information is here.
Leanna Firestone performs at 8:30 p.m. at Somerville Theatre’s Crystal Ballroom, 55 Davis Square. $25 to $30. The Nashville artist’s first release, “Strawberry Mentos,” reached 5 million streams, followed by “Least Favorite Only Child” at 4 million. Now signed to Frtyfve Records in London, more recent tunes include “Diet Coke” and “Gambling Addiction.” Also playing: Brye and Jobie. (This event was originally scheduled for Aug. 18.) Information is here.
Thursday, Dec. 5
“Rhyme, Rhythm and Resistance: Enacting the Art of Dissent” curator-led tour from 3 to 4 p.m. at the Poorvu Gallery in the Schlesinger Library in Radcliffe Yard, 3 James St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free, but register. A tour led by curator Patrice Green. Information is here.
MIT Axiom Ensemble from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Kresge Auditorium, 48 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge. Free. The newly formed ensemble performs “musical works which don’t quite fit in the context of a typical large-ensemble concert nor chamber music concert.” Its second concert features Darius Milhaud’s “Le creation du monde.” Adam Boyles conducts. Information is here.
Harvard Art Museums at Night from 5 to 9 p.m. in the Calderwood Courtyard at Harvard Art Museums, 32 Quincy St., near Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. During this recurring event wander exhibits, catch spotlight tours, browse the shop, enjoy sounds from DJ C-Zone and buy brews from Vitamin Sea Brewing and food from a local vendor. Information is here.
Randal Munroe reads from “What If? 10th Anniversary Edition: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions” at 6 p.m. at First Parish in Cambridge Meeting House, 3 Church St./1446 Massachusetts Ave., Harvard Square. $40 with book. During this Harvard Book Store event, the former NASA roboticist, creator of the webcomic “xkcd” and author of the bestsellers “What If?,” “What If? 2,” “Thing Explainer” and “How To” discusses the special 10th anniversary edition’s revisions and annotations with new illustrations and answers to important questions you never thought to ask. Information is here.
“Darkness Spoken” – Peter Filkins on Ingeborg Bachmann from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in the Woodberry Poetry Room at Lamont Library, Room 330, 11 Quincy St., Harvard Square. Free. The editor and translator of “Darkness Spoken: The Collected Poems of Ingeborg Bachmann” will intersperse readings of his translations with the playback of a rare Poetry Room recording of Bachmann, made during her time in the Harvard International Seminar in 1955. Information is here.
Resa Blatman’s “Little Green” art exhibition opening reception from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Multicultural Arts Center, 41 Second St., East Cambridge. Free. The artist explores “the shifting climate that is unpredictable, yet captivating and beautiful through painting, drawing and mixed-media installation, blended with reverence for the natural world to compose works that are both contrary and compelling.” Information is here.
Ice sculpture stroll from 6 to 8 p.m. at Assembly Row, 355 Artisan Way, Assembly Square, Somerville. Free. There are nine sculptures to discover at this annual event, with live music, treats and retailer giveaways (while supplies last). Donations for food pantries will be accepted. Information is here.
Actors’ Shakespeare Project presents “Emma” (continued) at 7 p.m. at the Multicultural Arts Center, 41 Second St., East Cambridge. $25 to $64. Information is here.
Grolier Poetry Book Shop fundraiser with poet Tom Daley at 7 p.m. at a West Cambridge location revealed with registration. $100 donation. The first 25 people to donate $100 or more get a copy of Daley’s limited-edition book featuring his watercolors and a poem, “Body Surfing, Venice Beach” and an invitation to bring a guest to the party. Refreshments provided. Information is here.
Comedian Abby Govindan’s “How to Embarrass Your Immigrant Parents” at 7 p.m. at The Rockwell, 255 Elm St., Davis Square, Somerville. $20 to $25. A stand-up show and solo act that’s an intimate, hilarious, soul-bearing journey about struggling with mental health, fitting in and wanting to understand one’s parents but struggling to see eye-to-eye. Information is here.
Joseph Luzzi reads from “Dante’s Divine Comedy: A Biography” and his new translation of Dante’s “La Vita Nuova” at 7 p.m. at Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Ave., Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. The Bard College professor discusses the influence of Dante’s epic poem on legendary authors and describes a fresh and approachable translation of Dante’s smaller “La Vita Nuova.” Boston College Italian professor Mattia Acetoso joins. Information is here.
“Galileo’s Daughter” (continued) at 7:30 p.m. at Central Square Theater, Cambridge, 450 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square, Cambridge. $27 to $95. This performance is followed (at 9 p.m.) by a discussion with the cast and creative team about bringing this production to the stage. Information is here.
“The Thanksgiving Play” (continued) at 7:30 p.m. at Arrow Street Arts, 2 Arrow St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $45. (Masks are required for Thursday evening performances.) Information is here.
Without Borders featuring Maxim Lubarsky Group at 7:30 p.m. at Regattabar, 1 Bennett St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $20 to $30. The quartet blends jazz with artful arrangements of music worldwide, featuring Maxim Lubarsky (piano), Tucker Antell (saxophone), John Lockwood (bass) and Rafael Barata (drums). Information is here.
“Pippin” musical at 7:30 p.m. at Agassiz Theatre, 5 James St., Harvard Square, Cambridge (and continuing through Dec. 8). Free to $15. A humorous allegory about growing up and a dark tale of the danger of false appearances and empty promises, with a main character who dabbles in bloody battle, licentious and lusty sexual entanglements and savvy political maneuvers, only to discover that true happiness is more complicated than he thought. Information is here.
This Music series from 7 to 10 p.m. at Lilypad, 1353 Cambridge St., Inman Square, Cambridge. $10 to $15. First group: Eli Wallace (piano), Bill Harris (drums), Josh Berman (trumpet) and Ishmael Ali (cello). Second group: Tomatillo Latin and Middle Eastern jazz fusion with Martin Gohary (piano), Eric Barber (sax), Kathleen Jara (violin), Doug Harrison (bass) and Carlos Herrand-Pou (drums). Information is here.
Tufts Opera Ensemble at 8 p.m. at Distler Performance Hall, Tufts University, 20 Talbot Ave., Medford. Free. An evening of opera, operetta and musical theater scenes from composers Claudio Monteverdi to Alan Menken and everyone in between. Stage director: Carol Mastrodomenico. Music director: Thomas Stumpf. Information is here.
Non-Event Concert Series presents Speaker Music, Isabella Koen & Rachel Devorah and ehrdz at 8 p.m. at The Foundry, 101 Rogers St., East Cambridge. $12 to $18. Non-Event organizes experimental music and sound performances in spaces in and around Boston. This time, a night of experimental techno featuring an ex-American rhythmanalyst who channels the African American modernist tradition of rhythm and soul music, and three sound artists. Information is here.
A stronger
Please consider making a financial contribution to maintain, expand and improve Cambridge Day.
We are now a 501(c)3 nonprofit and all donations are tax deductible.
Please consider a recurring contribution.