Welcome to the Big To-Do: Short Cuts, our guide highlighting the top things to do in and around Boston each weekend, as curated by Globe critics, editors, and writers.
On tap this weekend: Role Model is in town, plus “Wicked” returns. — Matt Juul
Things to do in and around Boston this weekend
Role Model performs during Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival on June 14, in Manchester, Tenn. AMY HARRIS/AP PHOTO/AMY HARRIS
JONAS BROTHERS The formerDisney Channel trio is back at TD Garden this weekend on “The Burning Up Tour All Over Again.” Friday’s show kicks off with special guests Magnus Ferrell and Deleasa. Sept. 25, 7:30 p.m. Tickets start at $69. 100 Legends Way. tdgarden.com/events/detail/the-jonas-brothers — Daisy Levine
CRAIG ROBINSON Comedian and musician Robinson has had a quirky 2026 — his two highest profile gigs were voicing Atlas, a GPS-infused hippo, in “Toy Story 5,” and getting slaughtered as himself along with Seth Rogen, Kumail Nanjiani, Will Forte, and Christopher Mintz-Plasse in a particularly gory episode of “The Boys.”Sept. 25 at 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. and Sept. 26 at 6:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. $53.12-$64.15. Laugh Boston, 425 Summer St. 617-725-2844, laughboston.com — Nick A. Zaino III
SAM ADAMS OCTOBERFEST Enjoy a weekend of fest food, lawn games, and stein hoisting contests. Visitors can also enjoy live music by Foes of Fern, Lighthouse Route, Bog Berries, Rob Thackery, and the Blue Light Bandits. Sept. 25-27. Friday 5-10 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tickets start at $10. Samuel Adams Boston Brewery, 30 Germania St. eventbrite.com/e/octoberfest-celebration-tickets-1992056786473 — Janira Skrbkova
AFTERNOON TEA AT THE RITZ In anticipation of the 25th anniversary of the opening of the Ritz-Carlton in Downtown Boston, the luxury hotel is bringing back its classic afternoon tea. Visitors can enjoy tea service, decadent sweets, and petite sandwiches. Adults can also enjoy tea-themed cocktails. The return of the afternoon service coincides with “Wicked” showing at the Citizens Opera House, a short walk away from the hotel, and will showcase a selection of green and pink food and beverage offerings in an homage to the musical. Sept. 26-Nov. 15. 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sundays. $99 per adult (excluding alcohol), $49 per child under the age of 10. Tax and gratuity are not included. Avery Bar at the Ritz-Carlton, 10 Avery St.opentable.com — JS
WICKED Theater lovers are in for a wicked good time as Broadway’s biggest blockbuster returns to Boston this fall. Aline Mayagoitia and Claudia Bennett will grace the “Wicked” stage as Elphaba and Glinda, respectively, performing the untold story of the witches of Oz. The musical, which kicks off the Broadway in Boston season, serves as a prequel to “The Wizard of Oz” and finds its source material in Gregory Maguire’s 1995 dark fantasy novel, “Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West.” Through Nov. 15, various times. Tickets start at $50. Citizens Opera House, 539 Washington St.boston.broadway.com/shows/wicked-2 — JS
BROOKLINE PORCHFEST Hosted by Arts Brookline and Brookline Music School, Brookline Porchfest returns for a day of live outdoor performances. Residents and visitors alike can enjoy sets from local talent at makeshift neighborhood venues — first-floor porches or lawns. This year’s lineup includes indie-folk group Caboose and rock group Lateral Collateral. Sept. 26, 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Oct. 3 rain date. Free. Various locations.brooklineporchfest.org — JS
A CAPPELLA FESTIVAL More than 15 groups are expected to attend Saturday’s A Cappella Festival, with genres ranging from barbershop music to jazz and modern pop. The event is organized by Vocal Revolution, one of New England’s top a cappella groups. Sept. 26, noon-6 p.m. Free. Riverstage at Herter Park. 1175 Soldiers Field Road, Allston. herterpark.org/event-details/boston-a-cappella-festival-1 — DL
BE GOOD WITH PAULETTE Daniel Maseda, a trained clown, brings this show about a man who stumbles into a room full of strangers while looking for a meeting of The Notebook Society, and though he is a tad shy and perhaps a bit too eager to conform to social norms, decides to stay and make a show out of it. Sept. 26, 7 p.m. $15-$25. The Rockwell, 255 Elm St., Somerville. therockwell.org — NZ
THE ROAST OF MARK ZUCKERBERG The Studio is giving an encore performance of this character roast of Meta founder Zuckerberg, with Boston comics playing unhinged versions of Zuck, Donald Trump, Bernie Sanders, Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and Grok, a special appearance from Professor Brian Longwell, hosted by Sarah Fitz. They may do more roasts in a similar format in the future. Sept. 26, 9:30 p.m. $23.95. The Comedy Studio, 5 John F. Kennedy St., Cambridge. thecomedystudio.com— NZ
ROLE MODEL “Sally, When the Wine Runs Out” singer Role Model is in Boston this weekend with “Chuck on Tour,” featuring opener Samia. The Maine-born star’s third and latest album, “Chuck Timely & The Hourglass,” arrived in the top 10 across six Billboard charts last month. Sept. 27, 7:30 p.m. Tickets start at $188.60. Leader Bank Pavilion, 290 Northern Ave. ticketmaster.com — DL
Critics’ picks for this weekend and beyond
Don Aucoin’s picks
ALL MY SONS A powder keg of a production whose fuse is lit early on and slowly burns while we watch and wait. In Arthur Miller’s 1947 drama, the Keller family faces a harsh reckoning several years after the factory run by father Joe (a superb Bill Mootos) shipped defective airplane parts that resulted in the deaths of 21 pilots during World War II. Directed by Scott Edmiston, “All My Sons” serves as a reminder that Miller created a work of profoundly enduring resonance even before writing “Death of a Salesman.” Through Oct. 18. Lyric Stage Boston, 140 Clarendon St. 617-585-5678, lyricstage.com
COVENANT When a once-struggling musician named Johnny “Honeycomb” James (Anthony T. Goss) returns to his Georgia hometown in the 1930s, he’s been transformed into a famous blues performer, prompting rumors that he sold his soul to the devil in return for the gift of musical genius. York Walker’s gothic drama, inspired by the myth that surrounded legendary blues pioneer Robert Johnson, features Deannah “DRIPP” Blemur as Avery, the young woman Johnny wants to persuade to run away with him; Crystin Gilmore as Avery’s mother; Sydney Alicia Jackson as Violet, Avery’s sister; and Kayla Sessoms as Ruthie, Violet’s friend. Directed by
Dawn M. Simmons.Sept. 25-Oct. 17. SpeakEasy Stage Company. At Roberts Studio Theatre, Calderwood Pavilion, Boston Center for the Arts, 527 Tremont St. 617-933-8600, speakeasystage.com
BOUNCERS John Godber’s raucous comedy about a single night in a Yorkshire disco, as seen through the eyes of a quartet of bouncers — played by Joe Siriani, Liam McCarron, Michael Ferrari, and Bradley Belanger — as they try to cope with the club’s rowdy, drunken clientele. Directed by Bill Doncaster. Oct. 1-24. Production by Visual City LLC and the Modern Theatre at Suffolk University. At Modern Theatre at Suffolk University, 525 Washington St. ci.ovationtix.com/34432/production/1280397
Odie Henderson’s picks
9 TO 5
This weekend, the Brattle, Coolidge Corner, and Somerville Theatre have must-see movies that will tickle your funny bone and tear at your heart. And you can do one of them each day, starting with Friday’s 35mm screening of the 1980 workplace comedy “9 to 5” at the Somerville. Pour yourself a cup of ambition and wade through the jumping street traffic to see Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, and the late, great Dolly Parton stick it to the patriarchy. Bop along to Dolly’s Oscar-nominated title song while laughing at the shenanigans scripted by director Colin Higgins. There’s even a Boston tie — the film was based on a labor union formed here in 1973.
Sept. 25, 8 p.m. Somerville Theatre, 55 Davis Square, Somerville. somervilletheatre.com/production/nine-to-five-in-35mm
MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL Want more absurdity in your comedy? Ride your invisible horse on over to the Coolidge for Sunday’s screening of the 1975 cult classic “Monty Python and the Holy Grail.” Bring out your dead (and not quite deceased) and chuckle at the Knights Who Say “Ni!” The inspiration for Broadway’s “Spamalot” holds up as a hilarious parody of King Arthur and a tribute to the Monty Python troupe (though “Life of Brian” is a better movie). Watch out for that Rabbit of Caerbannog; he’s meaner than he looks. Sept. 27, 4:45 p.m. Coolidge Corner Theatre, 290 Harvard St., Brookline. coolidge.org/films/monty-python-and-holy-grail
MY BROTHER’S WEDDING And now for something completely different. The Brattle has two screenings of the restoration of Charles Burnett’s haunting drama, “My Brother’s Wedding.” This tale of a man torn between attending his brother’s nuptials and the funeral of his best friend is a funny and tragic peek into a Black family’s generational and societal differences. This new version presents the film as Burnett originally intended, the first time in the film’s four-decade history that this is possible. It’s a must-see from the director of “Killer of Sheep,” and you can fit it in on Saturday between the two comedies.
Sept. 25-26. The Brattle, 40 Brattle St., Cambridge. brattlefilm.org/movies/my-brothers-wedding
A.Z. Madonna’s picks
BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA BSO music director Andris Nelsons leads Mahler’s Symphony No. 7, the only symphony by the composer that he hasn’t conducted with the BSO so far (Sept. 25 and 26). Next week, it’s an all-Rachmaninoff program with Nelsons and pianist Seong-Jin Cho, with an extra performance on Wednesday evening (Sept. 30-Oct. 3). Symphony Hall, 301 Massachusetts Ave. 617-266-1200, bso.org
BOSTON LYRIC OPERA Rossini’s grand opera “William Tell” opens the company’s 50th season, with a large cast and chorus headed by George Gagnidze in the title role and co-directed by Vita Tzykun and David Adam Moore; it’s the first time in over a century and a half that Boston has hosted a staged production of the opera. Sept. 25 through Oct. 4. Emerson Colonial Theatre, 106 Boylston St. 617-542-6772, blo.org
CAPE SYMPHONY Conducted by Alyssa Wang, the Hyannis-based orchestra blasts off for the stars in this weekend’s orchestral program, which pairs Kaija Saariaho’s cosmic “Asteroid 4179: Toutatis” with Holst’s imaginative “The Planets” and Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 1 featuring violinist Nathan Olson. Sept. 26 at 4 p.m., Sept. 27 at 3 p.m. Barnstable Performing Arts Center, 744 West Main St., Hyannis. 508-362-1111, capesymphony.org
Murray Whyte’s picks
EXCAVATING ANTIOCH: THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF AN ANCIENT CITYOpening this week:In 1930, Princeton University, in partnership with the French government, led an excavation of the ancient city of Antiochin what’s now modern-day Turkiye. Through the colonial archeological practice of partage— literally, sharing — finds were divvied up among the various excavating parties and dispersed to museums across Europeand North America. After threeyears of research by Wellesley College, this exhibition tries to put the pieces back together — many of them not seen, or even known, for decades. Sept. 25-May 30. The Davis Museum at Wellesley College, 106 Central St., Wellesley. 781-283-2051, wellesley.edu/davismuseum
SUZANNE JACKSON: WHAT IS LOVEOpening this weekend:“It’s political to make an artwork about peace and beauty,” Jackson once said, and it’s hard to imagine a moment more timely for that point of view than right now. This is the first full retrospective in the 60-plus-year career of Jackson, a fixture of the 1960s California Black Arts scene. For Jackson, now in her 80s, maybe it was a matter of waiting for just the right — if terrible — time. Sept. 26-Jan. 18. Museum of Fine Arts, 465 Huntington Ave. 617-267-9300, mfa.org
Last chance
LUCY RAVEN: ROUNDS
Closing this weekend: Summer’s all wound down (pause for deep sigh), which means the end of the Watershed, the ICA’s seasonal annex on the East Boston side of the harbor. This year, Lucy Raven has kept it thunderously active all summer long. Known for her meditative film installations that set the heroic landscapes of the American West on a collision course with the historic exploitation and extraction economies that have left it heavily scarred, Rounds comes as advertised: “Murderers Bar,” a 2025 film that witnesses the removal of a colossal concrete dam in northern California, is a sonorous ode to the cathartic, destructive deluge of release. ThroughSept. 27. 256 Marginal St., East Boston. 617-478-3100, icaboston.org/ica-watershed — MW
LET’S DANCE BOSTON There are only a couple nights left to enjoy a free lesson before the citywide dance party ends. This weekend’s themes include hustle and soul line dancing. Previous experience, special shoes, and a partner are not required to attend. Just bring yourself and your theoretic dancing shoes for a night of outdoor fun and live music. Through Sept. 27. Dewey Square Park. Atlantic Avenue. vivoperformingarts.org/live-performances/lets-dance-boston-2026 — DL
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