Arts: the week ahead

June 23, 2011

Sisters act THE MEMORY OF WATER A smart and piercing, if overstuffed comedy-drama… (Kevin Sprague )

THEATER

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. Calderwood Pavilion, Rehearsal Hall A, Boston Center for the Arts. 617-933-8600, www.companyone.org

JEFFREY GANTZ

A BEHANDING IN SPOKANE A superb production, under the direction of Jeff Zinn, of Martin McDonagh’s light farce, in which the playwright 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, Wellfleet. 508-349-9428, www.what.org

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, Wellfleet. 508-349-9428, www.what.org

TERRY BYRNE

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, Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre, Lenox. 413-637-3353, www.shakespeare.org

DAVID PERKINS

DANCE

RETURN THE BURN The b-boy crew the Floorlords celebrate 30 years of shaping the Boston area’s hip-hop culture with this one-night-only show featuring current and former company members, France’s Dynasty Rockers, and Canada’s Fresh Format. June 25, 6-10 p.m. $15-$25. Institute of Contemporary Art. 617-478-3103, www.icaboston.org

5TH ANNUAL NDAJE FESTIVAL June 23-26, the Dance Complex will be a hotbed of workshops in West African dancing, drumming, and singing. Directed by Pape N’Diaye of the National Ballet of Senegal, the festival includes performers and teachers from the United States and Africa. The centerpiece is a performance Saturday night at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology by the dance company Les Enfants du Soleil. June 25. $20 MIT’s Kresge Auditorium, Cambridge. 575-513-7273, www.papendiaye.com