Arts: the week ahead

June 16, 2011

Charming Lady MY FAIR LADY A charming production of the classic Lerner &… (Paul Lyden )

THEATER

RICHARD III and THE COMEDY OF ERRORS Talk about your mood swings. Under the expert direction of Edward Hall, “Richard III’’ is a shiver-inducing portrait of a silky psychopath (the excellent Richard Clothier) who kills his way to the top. By contrast, “Comedy’’ (also directed by Hall) delivers the simple pleasures of knockabout farce. “Richard III’’ is a must-see, “Comedy’’ is a should-see. Through Sunday.Production by Propeller Theatre Company, presented by Boston University School of Theatre in Association with Huntington Theatre Company. At Boston University Theatre. 617-266-0800, www.huntingtontheatre.org

THE DROWSY CHAPERONE Karen MacDonald, Thomas Derrah, Will McGarrahan, and the rest of the cast shine in this joyously goofy — or is it goofily joyous? — musical-within-a-comedy . Through Sunday.SpeakEasy Stage Company. Roberts Studio Theatre, Boston Center for the Arts. 617-933-8600, www.speakeasystage.com

DON AUCOIN

JIHAD JONES AND THE KALASHNIKOV BABES Robert Kropf’s fast-paced direction and a terrific ensemble capture the wit of Yussef El Guindi’s satire while overcoming some of the playwright’s heavy-handed sermonizing. Through June 25. Julie Harris Stage, Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater. 508-349-9428, www.what.org

A BEHANDING IN SPOKANE A superb production, under the direction of Jeff Zinn, of a light farce in which playwright Martin McDonagh puts aside any deeper interest in human frailty and instead delivers a wild and crazy tale that’s just plain fun. Through July 2. Harbor Stage, Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater. 508-349-9428, www.what.org

TERRY BYRNE

THE MOUNTAIN SONG Theater is the art of making something out of nothing, and there’s plenty of that magic in this ensemble piece by the PigPen Theatre Company, which incorporates tall tales, puppets, Appalachian-flavored live original music, and no small amount of imagination. Through June 25. Presented by Company One. At Calderwood Pavilion, Rehearsal Hall A, Boston Center for the Arts. 617-933-8600, www.companyone.org

JEFFREY GANTZ

WOMEN OF WILL: THE COMPLETE JOURNEY, PARTS I-V In this stunning, if sometimes dizzying five-part dramatic sequence, Tina Packer, along with her acting partner Nigel Gore, offers persuasive evidence that Shakespeare was always singularly concerned with women’s place in a male-dominated world. Through July 10. Shakespeare and Company, Lenox. 413-637-3353, www.shakespeare.org

DAVID PERKINS

DANCE

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