Best of the Week: Our Picks for November 23-27, 2015

Welcome to Best of the Week, our recommendations for what to check out around town this week. If you’re wondering what to do in Boston this week, check out these events.

Wombats photo by Chloe Chaplin on Flickr

MUSIC
Monday, November 23
The Wombats

The Wombats may think your body is a weapon, but they’re pretty devastating themselves, if their international trail of sold-out shows is any indication. That said, maybe their missile-guidance technology could use a little improvement, considering they originally scheduled this show for September and had to postpone. But we’ll forgive them—all tickets from the September show are being honored tonight.

November 23, 7 p.m., House of Blues, 15 Lansdowne St., Boston, 888-693-2583, houseofblues.com.

Will & Grace / Promotional photo

SAYING GRACE
Tuesday, November 24
“Will & Grace & Thanksgiving”

Sure, the Plimoth Plantation 17th-century-style dinner may be all booked up, but it’s not the only time-traveling Thanksgiving celebration around these parts. We’re talking about “Will & Grace & Thanksgiving” at Club Cafe. What—is this ‘90s/early-aughts throwback not historically important enough for ya? May we remind you that artifacts from the show are now part of the Smithsonian collection. Will & Grace has had plenty of meaty Thanksgiving eps—remember the one where Jack came out to his mom?—and our favorite roving LGBT party The Welcoming Committee wants to “get in the binge holiday spirit” with a special screening of three back-to-back episodes at Club Cafe, one of our favorite gay clubs in Boston. Make like Karen, and grab cocktails at the pre-party, starting at 6 p.m.

$15, November 24, screening 7-10 p.m., Club Café, 209 Columbus Ave., Boston, 617-536-0966, clubcafe.com. Get tickets at Eventbrite.

The Maltese Falcon / Film still

FILM
Wednesday, November 25
“75 Years of Film Noir, Part 2: The Authors of Film Noir”

Need something astringent to cut all that saccharine holiday cheer? Well, we have just the thing for you: a whole week of hard-nosed gumshoes, duplicitous dames, and dastardly deeds at the Brattle. To celebrate the 75th anniversary of the film noir genre, the Harvard Square cinema is honoring the pens behind the snub-nosed revolvers, with noir films written by such crime-fiction authors as Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler. They kick things off with a screenings of The Maltese Falcon and The Big Sleep on Wednesday, with an encore on Thursday.

Films screen November 25-December 3 at the Brattle Theatre, 40 Brattle St., Cambridge, 617-876-6837, brattlefilm.org.

Roasted Turkey Photo by Kimberly Vardeman on Flickr/Creative Commons

TALKING TURKEY
Thursday, November 26
Thanksgiving Dinner

There are those of us who view the prospect of cooking a Thanksgiving dinner—brining the turkey, rolling perfect pie crusts, boiling your own cranberries—with delight. And then there are the rest of us. Life’s too short to be falling to pieces over a 15-pound bird. Luckily, there are plenty of ways to ditch the kitchen stress this Thanksgiving and still give the family a glorious meal. This year, 30-plus restaurants are making the feast for you—with plenty of intriguing twists, from soul food at Darryl’s to turduckens at Deuxave, to turkey confit with French-inspired sides at Brasserie Jo.

See the full list of participating restaurants here.

Boston Ballet’s The Nutcracker / Photo by Liza Voll, courtesy of the Boston Ballet

DANCE
Friday, November 27
Boston Ballet’s The Nutcracker Opens

Let the rest of the world slug it out over bargain-priced HDTVs and Xboxes. This weekend, stay out of the consumer feeding frenzy, and instead let yourself get whisked away to the Land of Sweets with Clara and her Nutcracker Prince. One of Boston’s annual holiday highlights for decades, the Boston Ballet’s rendition of the Tchaikovsky classic is one of the most renowned in the world. And if you need a sense of the work that goes into putting on the production, keep in mind that this year, Boston Ballet’s manager of costumes and wardrobe Charles Heightchew and his staff refurbish around 350 costumes for performance. See them glitter this month at the Boston Opera House.

$35+, Friday, November 27, through Thursday, December 31, times vary, Boston Opera House, 539 Washington St., bostonballet.org.