Five Reasons to Leave the House This Weekend

Larissa Ponomarenko and Gael Lambiotte in John Cranko’s Onegin in 2002; photo by Marty Sohl, courtesy of Boston Ballet

BALLET
Onegin by Boston Ballet

John Cranko’s Onegin ballet arrives in the city this weekend for its first run by the Boston Ballet since 2002. The ballet is based on Russian novelist Alexander Pushkin’s narrative poem Eugene Onegin and is set to music by Peter Ilych Tchaikovsky. Full of betrayal, regret, and unrequited love, the ballet follows the story of Eugene Onegin as he begs the beautiful, and once-naive, Tatiana for her love and forgiveness for an incident that happened years before. The ballet is famous for telling the story with drama, depth, and emotion. As created by Cranko for the Stuttgart Ballet, Onegin opened in Germany in 1965. Though that production was the first to come to the U.S., the Boston Ballet was the first U.S. ballet company to acquire Onegin in 1994 and create their own production. It had subsequent productions by the company in 1997 and 2002. This production was staged by Agneta Stjernlöf-Valcu and Victor Valcu under the supervision of Reid Anderson, who danced under Cranko and helped debut Boston Ballet’s 1994 production.

Tickets starting at $35, February 25-March 6, showtimes vary, Boston Opera House, 539 Washington St., Boston, bostonballet.org.

“The Bro Song,” which takes place at Kenmore, from Club Oberon in 2012. Provided.

IMPROV
T: An MBTA Musical at ImprovBoston

Grab your Charlie card and embark on a journey under the streets of Boston without all the delays and morning commute rage. ImprovBoston brings the T center stage with their remounted production of T: An MBTA Musical. The show tells the story of three 20-somethings whose lives are derailed by the MBTA. The trio discovers a secret map that will help them revolt against the transit system’s corruption, sending the stars on a journey that is equal parts love story and melodrama. Songs featured in the musical include “The Shuttle Bus Song (We Can’t Handle It),” “The Bro Song,” and “People on the T.” The show was first produced in 2011, and had a twelve-performance, two-weekend run at ImprovBoston. During its initial run, T: An MBTA Musical was given BroadwayWorld.com’s annual “Best New Musical” award. The show was revised in 2012 and the new two-act show premiered at Club Oberon in Harvard Square. The revamped production returns to ImprovBoston for an extended run from now until May.

$25, every Friday from February 26-May 20, 10 p.m., ImprovBoston, 40 Prospect St., Cambridge, improvboston.com.

David Angus conducting. Photo by Cory Weaver

OPERA
The Bittersweet Romance of Werther: An Evening with David Angus

Boston Lyric Opera Music Director and Conductor David Angus presents Werther at the Boston Public Library. Composed of an emotional and melodramatic score, Werther is a four-act opera by Jules Massenet based on German novelist Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s book The Sorrows of Young Werther. It follows the story of a young poet who loves a woman that he cannot have due to a promise she made to her dying mother. BLO artists will perform selections from the opera, while Angus will provide the audience with insight and context. Angus has been the music director at the BLO since 2012, and is no stranger to the international opera scene. He has conducted orchestras and choirs in locales ranging from London to Ireland to Italy. This free event is a part of the Opera Night at the Boston Public Library, a series of one-hour presentations that highlight Boston Lyric Opera’s upcoming productions. Werther premieres at the Shubert Theatre on March 11 and will run until March 20.

Free, Thursday, February 25, 6-7 p.m., Boston Public Library Central Branch, 700 Boylston St., Boston, blo.org.

A still from Full Metal Jacket. Provided.

FILM
Stanley Kubrick: A Retrospective at the MFA

Each winter, Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts presents a retrospective showcasing director Stanley Kubrick’s feature films. Kubrick’s films cover an unusually broad range of genres and subjects, including many adaptations of novels and short stories. Wondering why they do the same thing every year? Well, the MFA says “the experience of watching a Kubrick film is never the same twice.” This weekend is your last chance to catch the retrospective, so it’s time to see if they’re right. The museum will screen Full Metal Jacket, A Clockwork Orange, Barry Lyndon, and Eyes Wide Shut this weekend.

$11, February 25-28, showtimes vary, Museum of Fine Arts Boston, 465 Huntington Ave., Boston, mfa.org.

DANCE
Boston Masquerade Cosplay Ball 2016

Grab your date and dancing shoes: The Boston Masquerade Cosplay Ball returns to the city for its third year this Saturday. This year’s ball is cosmic-themed and offers cosplayers a chance to meet up and dance the night away. A semi-formal dress code will be enforced during the ball and attendees are encouraged to wear masks. The event will include a live DJ, but is not exclusively a dance, just in case your potential costume doesn’t leave much flexibility for dancing. Games will also take place throughout the evening.

$25, Saturday, February 27, 5:30 p.m., Red Room at Cafe 939, 939 Boylston St., Boston, berklee.edu.