Keeping Tabs: Events in and around Boston
Dusting for Secrets: This may be the first time that I'm grateful I can't afford to hire a maid. In the New Rep's current show, " The Clean House," a professional couple hires a Brazilian woman to clean their house. Problems arise from the fact that the Brazilian woman hates to clean (she would rather think of "the funniest joke in the world") and the couple has a couple of skeletons in their closet. The show closes soon, so get out of your dirty house to see it. Come, laugh and be thankful for the inevitable recession keeping you from some of life's extra privileges. Through March 23, Friday 8 p.m., Saturday 3:30 p.m. and 8 p.m., Sunday 2 p.m., at the New Repertory Theatre in Watertown. Tickets: $35-$55. Call 617-923-8487.
Journalist in Iraq: Sinan Ünel, an award-winning Massachusetts playwright, will have a world premiere of his play " The Cry of the Reed ," about a captured journalist, a determined boyfriend, and international intrigue. The play follows photojournalist Sevgi Okan, who is searching for a story in Iraq. After being captured, her boyfriend (who apparently needs to prove he'll be there for her) runs out to save her. In the meantime Sevgi befriends her captors and, most likely, begins to see another side of the war she didn't realize existed. And you thought you could go to plays to escape reality. March 28 to May 3, Tuesdays to Thursdays 7:30 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays 8 p.m., matinees on Saturdays and Sundays 2 p.m., at the Boston Center for the Arts in Boston. Tickets: $15-$55. Call 617-933-8600.
The Big Classical Three: Who needs a silly college basketball tournament to get them through March (this is Gonzaga's year!) when you can have aural madness in the form of Beethoven, Brahms and Mozart ? The Boston Chamber Music Society will feature Beethoven's Serenade in D major, Brahms' Cello Sonata in E minor, and Mozart's String Quintet in G minor. If you're new to classical music, hearing those three guys are like witnessing a triple-double in a national championship game. Friday, March 28, 7:30 p.m. at NEC's Jordan Hall in Boston and Sunday, March 30, 7:30 p.m. at Sanders Theatre in Cambridge. Tickets: $17-$47. Call 617-349-0086.
Let's Talk About Race: Wait, this is the third play we're mentioning this week, which means this is either your week or a version of your personal hell. " The Gibson Girl " will enjoy its Boston premiere and aims to create a dialogue about race, class and America with a story about Ruth, the mother of two twin girls with different skin colors. When one starts to ask questions, Ruth does what any concerned mother would do: visit a $10 psychic. Through April 5, Wednesdays and Thursdays 7:30 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays 8 p.m., Sundays 2 p.m. at the Boston Center for the Arts. Tickets: $15-$30. Call 617-933-8600.
French Film: It's the final stretch of the MFA's Francophone Week and for those who don't want to miss out, Jacques Rivette's new film "The Duchess of Langeais" awaits you. The film is "a faithful adaptation of the eponymous Balzac novella," a story about Antoinette, a beautiful, married Parisian socialite who is being sought after by Montriveau, a Napoleonic war hero. She thinks it's fun to play an intricate seduction game and continually refuses Montrieveau, which prompts him to go crazy. Sounds like my life…the being denied part, not so much the crazy. It's just one of the films in the festival, which runs through March 26, at Remis Auditorium at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. Tickets: $8-$9. Call 617-369-3687.
The End of WHAT?: Adam Mansbach's new novel focuses on a group of artists and how, eventually, they realize the cold truth that "Creation's necessary consequence is destruction." With that in mind, " The End of Jews " has been praised for being "a masterwork of the Jewish arts of humor and sadness." Tuesday, March 25, 7 p.m. at Brookline Booksmith. Free. Call 617-566-6660.
A Mozart Rarity: There's a lot of Mozart out there (some people would say there's almost too much). But for the Mozart aficionados, there's a great opportunity for you to salivate over classical music again. Renowned violinists Lucia Lin and Peter Zazofsky will join the Boston Classical Orchestra for a performance of Mozart's seldom-heard "Grand Concerto." Want the event to be a little more special? The performance will take place in an American hall built 32 years before the music was written in 1774. Let the drooling begin. Friday, March 28, 8 p.m. and Sunday, March 30, 3 p.m. at Faneuil Hall in Boston. Tickets: $32-$57. Call 617-423-3883.