Five Reasons to Leave the House This Weekend

Photo by Todd Moffses

MUSIC
The Pink Floyd Experience

The music of Pink Floyd invades Boston this weekend as The Pink Floyd Experience performs a one night show at the Wilbur. Described as a “full on sensory assault,” the tribute tour celebrates the music of the classic rock band. Made up of six musicians, the Pink Floyd Experience highlights some of band’s greatest hits from albums like “Dark Side of the Moon” and “Wish You Were Here.” The show is traveling throughout the US in 2016 as a part of its twelfth North American tour, but don’t feel you have to be a diehard to enjoy it. The show aims to provide an intimate but vibrant experience that brings fans back into the world of Pink Floyd. Full of surprises (read: insane visual effects and a 12 foot tall pig blimp) The Pink Floyd Experience salutes one of the most influential rock bands in history. The band will play hits from their back catalog while interpretive videos play on stage— and even a plane crash occurs. 

Tickets starting at $40, Sunday, March 6, 7 p.m., The Wilbur, 246 Tremont St., Boston, thewilbur.com.

Eugene Lee in August Wilson’s How I Learned What I Learned. Photo by Josh Lamkin Photography.

THEATER
August Wilson’s How I Learned What I Learned

The Huntington Theatre Company will premiere August Wilson’s How I Learned What I Learned  this Saturday at BU Theatre. How I Learned What I Learned is a play that follows a memoir monologue format. It was written by August Wilson, the acclaimed playwright of the African-American experience in 20th century, who wrote and originally performed the show in 2003 at the Seattle Repertory Theatre. Wilson has won a range of prestigious awards for his works, including a Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize for Fences (1987). How I Learned What I Learned is a solo show that will feature Eugene Lee as Wilson. Lee is pretty familiar with performing Wilson’s work, as he performed on Broadway in the playwright’s Gem of the Ocean. In the play, Lee’s character shares stories about first jobs, his time in jail, and his experience with racism, music, and love while living in Pittsburgh. Honoring his legacy, the monologues reveal Wilson’s journey through self-discovery and adversity. Wilson had past connections with the Huntington, as he developed and premiered eight of the ten plays from his Century Cycle there before they went on to Broadway. Todd Kreidler co-conceived and directed this production, which runs through April 3.

Tickets starting at $20, March 5-April 3, showtimes vary, Boston University Theatre, 264 Huntington Ave., Boston, huntingtontheatre.org.

Kristian Bezuidenhout. Photo by Marco Borggreve.

CONCERT
Beethoven Presented by Boston Baroque

Enjoy an evening of classical music, including selections from Beethoven and Haydn, as fortepianist Kristian Bezuidenhout makes his Boston Baroque debut. The Grammy-nominated South African musician will perform Beethoven’s iconic “Symphony No. 5” and “Piano Concerto No. 2.” Also performing is Anna Maria Labin, a Romanian-born soprano singer. Labin will sing Beethoven’s “Ah! Perfido, Op. 65,” and “Franz Joseph Haydn’s “Scena di Berenice.” In addition, Beethoven’s Overture to “The Creature of Prometheus, Op. 43” will be performed by the orchestra on reproductions of instruments from the Baroque period, such as Baroque trumpets and horns, Cornettos, old style violins, cellos, and more. After the Friday, March 4, concert attendees aged 40 and under are invited to Improper Baroque, a free cocktail party for those looking to connect with other young professionals who have a passion for classical music, culture, and arts. The two performances at NEC’s Jordan Hall are directed by Martin Pearlman, Boston Baroque’s Music Director.

Tickets starting at $30, Friday-Saturday, March 4-5, 8 p.m., Jordan Hall, 30 Gainsborough St., Boston, bostonbaroque.com.

“Molecule” Shoes by Francis Bitonti. Photo © Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

ART
#techstyle at the MFA

Fashion meets technology at the Museum of Fine Arts’ new #techstyle exhibition. Take a look at garments created using 3D printers or engage with interactive clothing. Featuring designers who have taken full advantage of technological advances, #techstyle examines how fashion is changing in the digital age from manufacturing to consumer interactions. With over 60 works by 32 designers, #techstyle will display cutting-edge pieces that were produced both locally and internationally. Some of the highlights include Alexander McQueen’s Plato’s Atlantis collection and Iris van Herpen’s 3D printed dress, which was co-produced by MIT designer and assistant professor Neri Oxman. A dress commissioned by CuteCircuit for the MFA allows visitors to Tweet with the hashtag “#tweetthedress,” in order to see their messages appear on the garment via 10,000 MircroLEDs. The exhibit opens this weekend and will continue through July 10.  

Included in $25 museum admission fee, March 6-July 10, Museum of Fine Arts, 465 Huntington Ave., Boston, mfa.org.

The cast of ‘1984’. Photo by Ben Gibbs.

THEATER
Orwell’s 1984 at Loeb Drama Center

This weekend is your last chance to see 1984 at A.R.T.’S Loeb Drama Center. Based on George Orwell’s famous dystopian novel, the play brings his story of surveillance and identity to life. The show follows Winston Smith, who lives in a future where Big Brother is always watching. Secretly despising those who repress his freedom but unwilling to risk doing anything about it, Winston falls in love with Julia, and together they decide to join the resistance—a decision that comes with many costs. A cautionary tale that’s still highly applicable today, 1984 explores the intentions and potential abuse of authoritarian governments. While you may have read the book in high school, this new adaption comes straight from the United Kingdom and an extended run on the West End. The show is presented by the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, while this particular production was created by Robert Icke and Duncan Macmillan.

Tickets starting at $25, Thursday-Sunday, March 3-6, showtimes vary, Loeb Drama Center, 64 Brattle St., Cambridge, americanrepertorytheater.org.