A week of events in Cambridge and Somerville: ancient games, armored fights, Ouroboros dance

Thursday, March 20 

“Farm Girl on the Front Lines: Deborah Sampson’s Secret” historical reenactment, from 11:30 to 2 p.m. at City Hall, 795 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square, Cambridge. Free. Learn about Deborah Sampson (born December 1760, died April 1827), who disguised herself as a man and served in the Revolutionary War under the name Robert Shurtliff. Telling her story later, she became the first woman to lecture professionally in the United States – and to get a full military pension. Janet Parnes portrays Sampson at this event with food and light refreshments.

Gallery Talk: Spring in the Gardens from 12:30 to 1 p.m. at Harvard Art Museums, 32 Quincy St., near Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. Nowruz, the Persian New Year, is celebrated museum-style: with curatorial fellow Janet O’Brien discussing representative art items such as an 18th century Persian garden carpet, contemporary glass birds by Turkish artist Felekşan Onar and historical South Asian paintings – part of a “New on View” series examining recent acquisitions and significant artworks.

Creative Patching from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Cambridge Main Library, 449 Broadway, Mid-Cambridge. Free, but register. Participants repair holes, tears and stains in clothing using fabric patches and hand embroidery techniques, practicing stitching methods, exploring tools and materials and creating visible mends. The session includes hands-on practice, and everyone leaves with a sampler of techniques for future use.

Silvia Park reads from “Luminous” at 7 p.m. at Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Ave., Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. Park discusses their debut novel, “Luminous,” in which estranged siblings – one of them a robot – collide during a murder investigation in a future Korea. Park joins Ken Liu, author of the “Dandelion Dynasty” series.

Poets Julie Carr, Gillian Conoley and Kevin Holden at 7 p.m. at the Grolier Poetry Book Shop, 6 Plympton St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free, but register. With an introduction by Talin Tahajian.

Smith Family Variety Show from 7 to 8:59 p.m. at Lilypad, 1353 Cambridge St., Inman Square, Cambridge. Free. Jacob, Samuel and Larry Smith perform original folk songs and arrangements of traditional tunes folk, inviting audience participation and featuring guest performances.

Scottish Country Dance from 7 to 9 p.m. at New England Science Fiction Association clubhouse at 504 Medford St., Magoun Square, Somerville. $5 to $20 donations accepted. Dancing with gender-neutral language, including a lesson for all levels, social dancing with music provided and advanced dancing.

Jane Monheit Duo performs, 7:30 p.m. at Regattabar, 1 Bennett St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $36 to $48. The jazz vocalist behind a dozen studio albums is on the road and in town for a single night. 

Comedy with Laura High at 8 p.m. at The Comedy Studio, 5 John F. Kennedy St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $15 to $20. Laura High takes the stage and possibly leads the resistance, having been outspoken in the past months about bad practices in the White House and – personal to her – in poorly regulated reproductive industries such as sperm donation and newly threatened technologies such as IVF birthing. The show features David Columbo and is hosted by Brieana Woodward.

Classic rock dance party from 9:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. at The Cantab Lounge, 738 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square, Cambridge. $7 to $10, and 21-plus. Performances of classic songs by Flying Turtle featuring hits by bands such as The Eagles, Grateful Dead, Creedence Clearwater Revival.

Friday, March 21

“Body Politics” art exhibition reception at 6 to 8 p.m. at Gallery 263, 263 Pearl St., Cambridgeport. Free. New England artists explore the human body in the context of the country’s current social and political landscape.

Alison Wood Brooks presents “Talk: The Science of Conversation and the Art of Being Ourselves.” at 7 p.m. at Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Ave., Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. A Harvard Business School professor discusses how small changes can improve communication. We wrote about the book here.

“Time Reconsidered: Exploring Aging, Disability and ‘Crip Time’” at 7 p.m. at The Museum of Science, 1 Science Park, Boston, on the Cambridge border. Free, but register. A discussion of “crip time,” the flexible experience of time shaped by disability and its relationship to aging. 

Show Me Your Bits Standup & Sketch Show at 7:30 p.m. at Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Spring Hill, Somerville. $7 to $12.50. Comedian Jonathan Anderson hosts a night of comedy with stand-up, character performances and music. 

The KDF Big Band at Epic Ballroom at 8 to 11:45 p.m. at Q Ballroom, 26 New St., near Fresh Pond in Neighborhood 9, Cambridge. $14 to $22. Swing dancing to live music with a 16-piece jazz ensemble featuring emerging artists from around the Northeast. Lessons at 8 p.m., open dancing at 9 p.m.

Cari Cari performs at 8 p.m. at Somerville Theatre’s Crystal Ballroom, 55 Davis Square. $20 to $25. The DIY duo arrive by way of London, Hamburg and Vienna featuring vocals, drums, didgeridoo and guitar in a sound that’s been called “the love child of The Kills and The XX.” Their songs have been on episodes of “Shameless” and “The Magicians.” 

“None Escape”: A theatrical adaptation of “The Island of Dr. Moreau” at 8 p.m. (and weekends through March 29) at Unity Somerville, 6 William St., just off College Avenue near Davis Square, Somerville. $20 to $25. A new play by Robin Abrahams and directed by Elizabeth Ross updates the horror tale by H.G. Wells and sets it in a present-day trauma support group, where the protagonist shares her experience of being shipwrecked on an island where animals are being vivisected into humanlike creatures.

Salsa Inferno: Monthly Dance Event at 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. at the Dante Alighieri Society Center, 41 Hampshire St., Kendall Square, Cambridge. $15 to $20, and 21-plus. Salsa and bachata for dancers of all levels. DJ Condori provides the music.

Saturday, March 22

Women’s History Month Celebration at 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at The Museum of Science, 1 Science Park, Boston, on the Cambridge border. $26 to $31. Performances by Kimaya Diggs, the Boston Circus Guild, The Mood Swings Orchestra and BalletRox interspersed with “meet the scientists” moments with Kathryn Ackerman, Samantha Johnson, Yvette Cozier and Laura Carfang.

Sixth Annual Bow Market Book Fair at 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. at Bow Market, 1 Bow Market Way, Union Square, Somerville. Free. Tiny Turns Paperie, All She Wrote Books, Side Quest Books and Read My Lips Boston offer story and activity time for kids, bookseller pop-ups, a Saus cookbook swap, author signings, a book-themed maker market, food and drink specials and workshops. The evening features literary drag trivia and an after-party. We wrote about it here.

“Breathe In, Breathe out. It’ll All Work Out” Children’s Storytime from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. at Lovestruck Books, 44 Brattle St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free, but RSVP. Author Christine Carlucci Evans reads “The Worry Cloud” and “Breathe In, Breathe Out. It’ll All Work Out” to young readers. The stories focus on emotional well-being, resilience and hope, which could also be useful for parents and caregivers to overhear in troubled times.

From The Beatles to Beyoncé: A Night with DJ J-Wall at 2 to 5 p.m. at CambridgeSide, 100 CambridgeSide Place, East Cambridge. Free. A genre-blending pop journey to entertain diners at the CanalSide Food + Drink food hall.

Kintsugi Workshop for Beginners at 4 p.m. at Bow Market, 1 Bow Market Way, Union Square, Somerville. $125. Learn to repair broken pottery using kintsugi, a traditional Japanese craft that highlights visible mending as part of the pottery’s design. This workshop uses modern adhesives alongside traditional urushi lacquer. Participants must sign a waiver to attend.

“Still Marching 1970–2017” exhibit from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in the community room at the Cambridge Main Library, 449 Broadway, Mid-Cambridge. Free. Filmmaker and photographer Liane Brandon brings together photographs of two Boston women’s marches nearly 50 years apart.

Qabaret: Dance Revolution from 7 to 9 p.m. at The Foundry, 101 Rogers St., East Cambridge (and repeating March 23). $15. A third annual showcase from the Queer Theatre Project returns promising “dance, dazzle and delight.” The shows have included singing, dancing, aggressive buffoonery, sketches, improv and more.

Mark Guiliana performs at 8 p.m. at Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Spring Hill, Somerville. $41. This drummer and composer has been performing for more than 20 years, including playing on David Bowie’s “Blackstar” album and touring with St. Vincent. He brings his album “Mark” and a multimedia show.

Sona Jobarteh Band at the second annual Global Arts Live gala at 7:30 p.m. at Somerville Theatre’s Crystal Ballroom, 55 Davis Square. $47 for the concert only; $250 for the full gala. Sona Jobarteh, a Gambian musician, composer and modern griot, plays the kora, a West African stringed instrument, and fronting an electric Afropop band. A gala ticket gets, in addition to a premium concert seat for Jobarteh, a 5:30 p.m. soiree with cocktails and tapas and 9:30 p.m. after-party featuring Cuban mambo band Orquesta Akokán.

“None Escape”: A theatrical adaptation of “The Island of Dr. Moreau” (continued) at 8 p.m. (and weekends through March 29) at Unity Somerville, 6 William St., just off College Avenue near Davis Square, Somerville. $20 to $25.

“Ouroboros” dance at 8 to 9:30 p.m. at The Dance Complex, 536 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square, Cambridge. $18 to $55. Audiences enter a tentlike space and are treated to rosewater as well as contemporary and Middle Eastern dance by Nejla Yatkin. Storytelling in English, German, Turkish and American sign language is part of Nejla Yatkin’s spectacle. and singing to the music of Shamou to explore the “ancient healing symbol of Ouroboros,” the snake that eats itself. All are invited to a dance gathering at the end. 

Juventas New Music Ensemble’s “Encore” at 8 to 10:30 p.m. at Multicultural Arts Center, 41 Second St., East Cambridge. Starting at $1. A program of audience favorites curated from years of audience surveys features works by six living composers. Guest conductor Kristo Kondakçi leads the ensemble in celebrating contemporary music.

Sunday, March 23

Puzzle swap at noon to 2 p.m. at CambridgeSide, 100 CambridgeSide Place, East Cambridge. $5. Swap completed puzzles for new challenges in an event by the Craft Loft store. There’s a puzzle raffle, and participants get a 10 percent discount on purchases.

Creative Resistance Workshop at 1 to 4 p.m. at The Foundry, 101 Rogers St, Cambridge. Free, but register. Foundry artist-in-residence Lonnie King leads a workshop on using creativity to empower and uplift in challenging times. Disabled folks are encouraged to attend.

Qabaret: Dance Revolution (continued) at 2 to 4 p.m. at The Foundry, 101 Rogers St., East Cambridge. $15.

“In our Midst: The Grace of the Black Church” discussion at 3 to 4:30 p.m. at St. Augustine’s African Orthodox Christian Church, 137 Allston St., Cambridge. Free. A panel with Mayor E. Denise Simmons, the Harvard Divinity School’s Melissa Wood Bartholomew, the Rev. Jeffrey Brown and the Rev. Irene Monroe exploring the Black church as a force for endurance, renewal, liberation and grassroots organizing in a Black History in Action for Cambridgeport event. It accompanies the exhibition “Grace: The History of Black Churches in Cambridge” at the Kendall Center lobby, 325-355 Main St., Kendall Square, Cambridge.

Kendall Square Orchestra performs “Light in Darkness” at 3 p.m. at Sanders Theatre, 45 Quincy St., near Harvard Square, Cambridge. $10 to $50. A program featuring Reena Esmail’s “RE|Member,” Mendelssohn’s “Violin Concerto” with violinist Sophia Szokolay and Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5. Kristo Kondakçi conducts.

“The world as a supermarket” exhibition at 3 to 5 p.m. at Brickbottom Artists Building, 1 Fitchburg St., Inner Belt, Somerville. Free. Cuban artist Janette Brossard examines consumerism and environmental destruction in a large-scale installation highlighting endangered species and conservation. (Also on view is a separate art collaboration with Mary Sherwood Brock showing work from a Paper Boats Project.)

Bida contra dance at 4 to 7:30 p.m. at the Masonic Lodge, 1950 Massachusetts Ave., Porter Square, Cambridge. $5 to $20. The thrice-monthly dances of the Boston Intergenerational Dance Advocates start with a lesson in the first 30 minutes and switch up callers from dance to dance.

Young-adult novelists on love, friendship and growing up at 5 to 7 p.m. at Lovestruck Books, 44 Brattle St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $34. Emily Locker, Hannah Reynolds, Alex Thayer and C.W. Farnsworth discuss their stories of youth navigating love, friendship and growing up. Moderated by Lucy Keating.

Book Club: “Enter Ghost” by Isabella Hammad at 6 p.m. at Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Ave., Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. This monthly book club discusses a novel about a woman returning to Palestine who joins a production of “Hamlet.”

“Inside Out 2” adult movie night at 6 to 8 p.m. at Lamplighter Brewing, 284 Broadway, The Port, Cambridge. Free, but 21-plus with RSVP. This 2024 animated coming-of-age film got three out of four stars from our reviewer, who called it “a heartwarming take on the big emotions of early adolescence.” Popcorn and M&Ms available for purchase.

Comedy with Jaye McBride at 7 p.m. at The Comedy Studio, 5 John F. Kennedy St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $15 to $20. The first openly transgender comedian to perform at Madison Square Garden and regular at New York City’s Comedy Cellar takes on awkward first dates, strained family relationships and self-acceptance. With Alex Giampapa and host Laith Alsasah.

“Ouroboros” by Nejla Yatkin (continued) from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at The Dance Complex, 536 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square, Cambridge. $18 to $55.

Tsunami and Ida reunion Coin Toss Tour at 7 p.m. at Somerville Theatre’s Crystal Ballroom, 55 Davis Square. $30 to $35. Musicians Tsunami and Ida reunite to celebrate the reissue of 1990s albums, sharing a van and equipment and flipping a coin each night to decide the stage order.

Boston League of Wicked Wrestlers presents “Knights of The Squared Circle” from 7 to 10 p.m. at Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Spring Hill, Somerville. $27.50 to $48.50. The queer pugilists find themselves in the Dark Ages during this dark time, joined by The North Horde, a group of Bostonians who swing (safe) swords and axes in historically accurate armor.

“None Escape”: A theatrical adaptation of “The Island of Dr. Moreau” (continued) at 8 p.m. (and weekends through March 29) at Unity Somerville, 6 William St., just off College Avenue near Davis Square, Somerville. $20 to $25.

Yamane & The Band perform at 8 p.m. at The Cantab Underground, 738 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square, Cambridge. $20, and 21-plus Lebanese multi-instrumentalist, singer, composer and producer Yamane El Hage and her band.

Zane Lamprey’s “Another Round!” comedy tour at 8 to 9:30 p.m. at Portico Brewing, 101 South St., Boynton Yards, Ward 2, Somerville. $27 to $42.50, and 21-plus. Though Lamprey has three Amazon Prime Video stand-up specials, this is all-new material – and he’s serious about the tour theme, which is why the VIP price gets you in an hour ahead of showtime to play drinking games with him. 

Monday, March 24

“Dependent Territories” political talk at 3 to 5 p.m. at Goldman Room, Adolphus Busch Hall at Harvard University, 27 Kirkland St., Cambridge. Free. As superpowers’ colonizing began winding down in 1950, there were nearly 120 dependent territories. Now there are 35 territories remaining possessions of another state – but why are there any? Political scientist Melissa Lee of the University of Pennsylvania explores why some territories did not achieve (or rejected) sovereign statehood.

Karen Russell at the Cambridge Public Library at 6 p.m. at The Cambridge Main Library, 449 Broadway, Mid-Cambridge. Free, or $34.50 with a copy of the book. The Harvard Book Store and Cambridge Public Library host Karen Russell, author of “Swamplandia!” and “Vampires in the Lemon Grove,” for a discussion of her new novel, “The Antidote” – magical realism set in a dust bowl Nebraska town during the Great Depression – with New York Times Magazine writer Kim Tingley.

Zine workshop at 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Boston Figurative Art Center, 285 Washington St., Suite 102, near Union Square, Somerville. Free. Led by ZineSpace experts, participants will construct and fill a one-page foldable mini-magazine using materials such as colored paper, drawing tools and magazines, with an emphasis on giving space to thoughts, observations and perspectives that might otherwise not be published or considered. 

“Climate Crisis Cabaret: The Warm-Up” at 7 p.m. (and continuing March 25) at Arrow Street Arts, 2 Arrow St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. Pick your price; $20 suggested. A group of artists, scientists and activists spur action on the climate crisis with theater, comedy, song and readings. Attendees are invited to a conversation afterward.

Sean Palfrey reads “Imagine” at 7 p.m. at Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Ave., Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. Sean Palfrey, former faculty dean at Harvard University, discusses his photography book pairing lyrical writings with images from a decadeslong archive.

Clown Class Show at 8 p.m. at The Rockwell, 255 Elm St., Davis Square, Somerville. Free. Nine students of Gemma Soldati’s clown class take the stage to show what they’ve learned. 

Poets Jonathan Aaron and Steven Ratiner at 8 to 9 p.m. at Cambridge Center for Adult Education, 56 Brattle St., Harvard Square. $5. The Blacksmith House Poetry Series features established and emerging writers of poetry and fiction. Aaron reads from “Just About Anything: New and Selected Poems” with Steven Ratiner, author of “Grief’s Apostrophe.” 

Tenor saxophonist Jerry Bergonzi at 8:30 to 10 p.m. at Cambridge Center for Adult Education, 56 Brattle St., Harvard Square. $10 to $15. Bergonzi plays selections influenced by jazz legends such as John Coltrane and Sonny Rollins with Phil Grenadier (trumpet), Luther Gray (drums) and a guest bassist.

Tuesday, March 25

Boudreau Branch Mystery Book Group at noon to 1 p.m. at Cambridge Public library’s Boudreau Branch, 245 Concord Ave., Observatory Hill in Neighborhood 9. Free. The book group discusses “The Stranger Diaries” by Elly Griffiths. Meet in person or virtually via Zoom.

“Nonprofits and the Making of Neoliberalism after Empire” political talk at 4:30 to 6 p.m. at Hoffmann Room, Adolphus Busch Hall at Harvard University, 27 Kirkland St., Cambridge. Free. Using products from handicrafts and sugar to tea and coffee, Tehila Sasson of the University of Oxford looks at how British NGOs reshaped economic relations with the “third world” and created neoliberalism – a topic she explores in the book “The Solidarity Economy: Nonprofits and the Making of Neoliberalism after Empire.”

“Still Marching 1970-2017” photography exhibit (continued) at 5 to 8 p.m. at The Cambridge Main Library, 449 Broadway, Mid-Cambridge. Free. 

Patricia Lockwood in conversation with Tara K. Menon at 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Boylston Hall in Harvard University’s Barker Center, 12 Quincy St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. Lockwood, author of “No One Is Talking About This” and “Priestdaddy” and contributor to The New York Times, New Yorker and the London Review of Books, discusses writing and literature with Harvard’s Tara K. Menon.

“Book Moot” discusses “The Sword in the Stone” T. H. White at 6:30 p.m. at Pandemonium Books & Games, 4 Pleasant St., Central Square, Cambridge. $5, but register. This group looks at the section of “The Once and Future King” focusing on the young King Arthur’s education under the magician Merlyn, exploring Arthur’s rise and challenges, including betrayal and treachery.

“The Design of Power Sharing” urban planning lecture at 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Gund Hall, 48 Quincy St., Suite 207, Cambridge. Free. Harvard’s Maurice Cox talks about what happens when designers’ processes include community voices with the goal of reactivating neighborhoods by reversing decades of disinvestment. The south and west sides of Chicago are used as examples, with former Chicago mayor Lori Lightfoot joining for a conversation.

Roxane Gay presents “The Portable Feminist Reader” at 7 p.m. at the First Parish Cambridge Unitarian Universalist, 3 Church St./1446 Massachusetts Ave., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $33 with book. The cultural critic, New York Times contributor and author of “Bad Feminist” brings a discussion of her new feminist canon. WBUR’s Cristela Guerra joins. 

“Climate Crisis Cabaret: The Warm-Up” (continued) at 7 p.m. at Arrow Street Arts, 2 Arrow St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $20.

Great Books Book Group from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Cambridge Main Library, 449 Broadway, Mid-Cambridge. Free, but register. This week’s selection is Euripides’ “The Bacchae” – a fairly gruesome tale of cults, politics and an angry Dionysus sneaking back to his hometown for revenge on the people who denied he was the son of the god Zeus. Some may recognize the play as the trigger for the horror in Donna Tartt’s “The Secret History,” in which some college classics students go into the woods seeking to experience Dionysian rapture.

Author Jill Santopolo on “The Love We Found” from 7 to 9 p.m. at Lovestruck Books, 44 Brattle St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $42.50. The author discusses her new follow-up to “The Light We Lost,” a 2017 literary romance phenomenon that follows a couple over 13 years. Writer Louisa Thomas joins to explore how Santopolo continues the story.

Sissoko, Segal, Parisien, Peirani: Les Egarés musical performance at 7:30 p.m. at Somerville Theatre’s Crystal Ballroom, 55 Davis Square. $30 to $48. Global Arts Live presents a band of kora player Ballaké Sissoko, cellist Vincent Segal, accordionist Vincent Peirani and saxophonist Emile Parisien, whose work together ranges from European jazz to klezmer and big band.

The Moth story slam at 7:30 p.m. at Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Somerville. $17.50. This monthly open-mic storytelling competition is open to anyone who can share a five-minute tale on the night’s theme – this time, “Beef,” about bad blood, grievances that drive you mad, cold wars waged, long-standing grudges and petty spats, rivalries that pushed your buttons.

BroadBand a cappella at 8 p.m. at Club Passim, 47 Palmer St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $26 to $28. A blend of jazz, pop and contemporary music by a Boston voice group that prioritizes appearances for fundraisers, schools and other causes.

Wednesday, March 26

Interactive fashion collection, all day on the second floor of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Media Lab, 75 Amherst St., in Area II near Kendall Square, Cambridge (and up through April 14). Free. See four garments from Ganit Goldstein’s collection that are embedded with conductive materials, LEDs and sensing technology so they adapt, respond and engage with the wearer and their audience with changes in color and texture. Part of the MIT Artfinity Festival.

“Re-translating Kafka” talk from 3 to 5 p.m. at Harvard University’s Barker Center, 12 Quincy St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. Translator and scholar Mark Harman discusses the challenges of (re-)translating Kafka, drawing from “The Castle” and “Selected Stories” to look at how to reconnect Kafka’s texts to their historical and cultural context at a time things may feel more “Kafka-esque” than ever.

“Murder, Poetry and Scribes in Ancient Egypt” talk from 6 to 7 p.m. at Geological Lecture Hall, Harvard Geological Museum, 24 Oxford St., in the Baldwin neighborhood near Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free, but registration is recommended. Margaret Geoga, assistant professor of Egyptology at the University of Chicago, explores “The Teaching of Amenemhat,” the only ancient Egyptian literary work to describe the assassination of a king.

“The Moving Image” talk from 6 to 8 p.m. at The MIT Museum, 314 Main St., Kendall Square, Cambridge. Free. With two-thirds of the world’s Internet traffic being video and Americans getting news and information more often from screens and speakers than through any other means, MIT’s Peter Kaufman and Karen Cariani, director of the GBH archives, look at where it’s all headed. The conversation draws from Kaufman’s book “The Moving Image: A User’s Manual.”

The Outlet: Open Mic Night at 7 p.m. at Multicultural Arts Center, 41 Second St., East Cambridge. $10. Creatives of all mediums can share their craft in a series by Dorchester’s Elae Weekes. 

Lady Gaga Drag Night from 8 to 10 p.m. at Aeronaut Brewing, 14 Tyler St., near Union Square in Ward 2, Somerville. $15. With the release of “Mayhem” fresh, Dykelangelo does Gaga new and old with local queens Coleslaw and Severity Stone and two newcomers.

The Lilypad Variety Show from 10 p.m. to midnight at Lilypad, 1353 Cambridge St., Inman Square. $5. Music, comedy, dance, poetry, art and film may make its way to the stage.

Thursday, March 27

New Music Marathon from 3 to 9 p.m. at Edward M. Pickman Concert Hall, Longy School of Music, 27 Garden St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free to $20, but register. Highlighting music created after 1965 with performances by Longy students, faculty, staff and alumni in three concerts of around two hours each.

Harvard Art Museums at Night from 5 to 9 p.m. at Harvard Art Museums, 32 Quincy St., near Harvard Square, Cambridge. (last Thursday of every month). Free. During this recurring event, wander exhibits (including the long-awaited and just opening “Edvard Munch: Technically Speaking”), make art, catch spotlight tours, browse the shop, enjoy sounds from DJ C-Zone and buy refreshments from Jack’s Abby. 

ArtsThursdays: “Ancient Game Night” from 5 to 9 p.m. at the Harvard Semitic Museum, 6 Divinity Ave., in the Baldwin neighborhood near Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free, but an RSVP is encouraged. Learn to play ancient board games such as the royal game of ur, senet and al-qirkat, explore the museum’s galleries, use an augmented-reality app to bring sculptures to life and create a clay medallion with a personalized cuneiform symbol. Beverages are available for purchase.

Witchcraft Cinema: “Charmed” from 7 to 9:30 p.m. at Side Quest Books & Games, 1 Bow Market Way, Union Square, Somerville. $15. Watch the first three episodes of the television classic while crafting and sipping a themed drink. Popcorn and nonalcoholic drinks are provided, and other outside food from Bow Market vendors is welcome.

“¡A Bailar!” dance event at 7:30 p.m. at The Museum of Science, 1 Science Park, Boston, on the Cambridge border. Free, but register. Explore Latinx and Hispanic culture through dance, music and conversation. The evening includes a panel discussion, dance classes and performances, focusing on movement’s role in wellness and community.

Tom Stoppard’s “Arcadia” at 7:30 p.m. at Agassiz Theatre, 5 James St., Cambridge (and continuing through March 30). $15. The terribly cerebral Stoppard went all out in his 1993 “Arcadia” with a play with two increasingly blurred time settings (1809 and present day) that explores topics from literary mysteries to math and physics, gardening and sex. Can the students of the Harvard-Radcliffe Dramatic Club pull off Stoppard’s dazzling but difficult wordplay? Will the actors attempt British dialect? The 13 characters with their overlapping agendas have been hard for even Broadway pros to pull off, and the play runs three hours.

“Night Side Songs” musical theater at 7:30 p.m. at Masonic Lodge, 1950 Massachusetts Ave., Porter Square, Cambridge (and continuing through April 20). $50. The production invites audiences to sing along with a story following a cancer diagnosis and blending folk-inspired music with stories of doctors, patients, researchers and caregivers. The title is inspired by essayist Susan Sontag observing that “illness is the night side of life.” We wrote about it here.

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