theatre

Just like the people who wear them, hoop earrings come in endless shapes, sizes and colors. Beyond a fabulous fashion accessory, they are a means of ethnic and ancestral expression, particularly for Black, Latine and Indigenous communities.

A head of state believes he has been betrayed, despite all evidence to the contrary. He sets out to destroy his perceived rival and ruins many people in the process. So begins William Shakespeare’s late-career play, “The Winter’s Tale.”

Michael Jackson is about to moonwalk his way onto Boston stages in “MJ The Musical,” a jukebox production based on the life of the famous entertainer that features a biographical narrative and many of the pop star’s greatest hits.

“The Great Gatsby” is about to get a shakeup beyond author F. Scott Fitzgerald’s wildest dreams. A new musical adaptation, “Gatsby,” makes its world premiere at the American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) this month featuring a refreshingly diverse cast and an all-star creative team.

In “Next to Normal” at Central Square Theater, a picture-perfect Black family gets ready for their day. Mom makes lunch, dad prepares for his workday as an architect, and two clever teens assemble their school supplies. But the picture, and the audience’s understanding of it, begins to crack as Mom’s bipolar disorder seeps into their daily routines and emotions.

The opening scene in “Senseless Smoke – Live,” a theatrical production based on a film of the same name, brings to life the fears and uncertainties of living in a culture of gangs and guns. As well as efforts to overcome the pathologies of that life.

In “Morning, Noon, and Night,” local playwright Kirsten Greenidge tackles post-pandemic emotions through the lens of a mother-daughter relationship. We got through the pandemic, the play posits, but did we get through all the trauma and emotions that came with it?

When Dorchester native Kai Clifton saw “A Strange Loop,” it was the first time he had ever seen a queer Black character represented at the heart of a musical. After years of studying and participating in theater, Clifton finally felt like he belonged.

Stephen Sondheim’s 1970s comedic musical “Company” gets a modern upgrade in the Broadway tour production in Boston this month.

A dusty Sony boombox. A pile of books. An easel. A brown coat rack. A stack of cassette tapes. These are the contents of multidisciplinary artist Daniel Callahan’s mind. Or, at least, the way he will soon visualize them on stage.

James Weldon Johnson’s “The Crucifixion” is getting a local musical twist this Easter season.

King Hedley II returns from a prison sentence in 1985 to find his Pittsburgh community in crisis, burdened with violence, the effects of redlining and the unfulfilled promises of Reagan economics.