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SATURDAY, MAY 28

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AT THE CLUBS

We’ve long held that it isn’t the solstice but the legendary Dick Dale who brings springtime to New England. He starts his annual visit tonight at the Middle East (617-864-EAST) in Cambridge on a surf-and-sand bill with ex-Kyuss dude Brant Bjork, then hits the Iron Horse (413-584-0610) in Northampton tomorrow before going on to a Memorial Day outing at the Wellfleet Beachcomber (508-349-6055) on Cape Cod.

ROCK. They have a groovy three-song demo and some gorgeous three-part harmonies, and that’s damn good way to start. Somerville’s Saturday Saints are a female-fronted synth-pop quintet whose relative newness is nowhere apparent in their songs. With its undulating synthesizer lines, tremolo’d guitar, and sweet Debbie Harry–esque croon, "Walking by the Sea" sounds like Blondie’s early surf homages — it’s a sea-foam-green summer reverie whose shimmering sunniness belies the romantic disappointment evinced in its lyrics. "Penny Luck" is pure power pop, its locked-in siren song echoing the lush harmonies of groups like the Essex Green and the Aislers Set. "Lopsided House" pairs a loping melody with just a little dissonance, à la the Raincoats or the early Go-Betweens. Saturday Saints make their Abbey Lounge debut on a bill with stoogy sleaze merchants TV-Eye, maximum-rock-and-rollers the Drags and grease-monkey motorheads Rock City Crimewave. That’s at 3 Beacon Street in Somerville, and tickets are $8; call (617) 441-9631.

Hailing from NYC, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah have a singer who does an amazing Talking Heads–era David Byrne impersonation, and it’s all the more awe-inspiring when he deploys it in a song that sounds like Belle & Sebastian covering Lita Ford’s "Kiss Me Deadly." They’re at Great Scott with two bands from the newly revived (by Damien Jurado!) imprint Made in Mexico: the all-girl summer-fun band the Catch, who play delirious punk pop with all the modern twists (occasional dance beats, new-wave keyboards) as well as the old charm of the Muffs; and the sophisticated Bacharach/Beach Boys–inspired indie-pop band Dolour. That’s at 1222 Commonwealth Avenue in Allston; call (617) 566-9014.

Also tonight: the latest edition of the long-running Chicago avant-garde/prog-rock group Cheer Accident is signed to Skin Graft, where their recent output has included a 52-minute song, an album called Introducing Lemon, and a soundtrack to the indie-comix strip Gumballhead the Cat. Along with Young Sexy Assassins, noise maven Donna Parker’s local supergroup Robotvoice, and Night Rally drummer Luke Kirkland’s hip-hop side project Boo Radley Bruises Badly, they’re at the Midway Café, 3496 Washington Street in Jamaica Plain; call (617) 524-9038. And Boston hardcore faves Bane play a CD-release party for their reunion album, The Note (Equal Vision Records), at the International Community Church, 557 Cambridge Street in Allston. Doors are at 5 p.m., and admission is $12; call (617) 782-8120, or visit www.rockonboston.com for advance tickets.

ROOTS. Formed amid London’s spikes-and-mohawks milieu, Levi Dexter’s the Rockats were among the first to export roots rockabilly enlivened by punk fervor — a formula that would produce the Stray Cats. But the Rockats drew raves when Brian Setzer was still playing Long Island dives; with a rotating line-up of Americans and Englishmen (depending on where Dexter happened to be living at the time), the group performed on the hallowed Louisiana Hayride (a show later released on the LA punk label Posh Boy) and were just as successful opening for the Cramps. They’re at T.T. the Bear’s Place, 10 Brookline Street in Central Square, with the Two Timin’ Three, Johnny Carlevale and the Broken Rhythm Boys, and Ace Brown and the Helldivers; call (617) 492-BEAR.

JAZZ. High-powered multi-octave singer Diane Schuur has joined forces with vibist Dave Samuels and his Caribbean Jazz Project for Schuur Fire (Concord), which takes a swing at trad bossa like Sergio Mendes’s "Look Around" but also applies Afro-Latin rhythms to standard jazz repertoire like "Love Come Back to Me" and "So in Love" and even Stevie Wonder’s "Always," to good effect. They’re at the Regattabar, in the Charles Hotel, 1 Bennett Street in Harvard Square, for shows at 7:30 and 10 p.m. Tickets are $27.50; call (617) 395-7757.

OTHER LIVE SHOWS:

For the following shows, see the Club Directory for phone numbers and addresses.

ABBEY LOUNGE, Somerville. Biopop, Trashlight Vision.

ACTON JAZZ CAFE, Acton. Matt Jenson’s Acid Reggae Experience.

ANTHEM, Boston. At 10 p.m., "Latin Fever."

THE ASGARD, Cambridge. Named by Strangers.

AVENUE ONE LOUNGE, Boston. At 7:30 p.m., Leah Souza Trio.

THE AVENUE, Allston. At 5 p.m., "Acoustical Pop" with Ali.

THE BEACHCOMBER, Quincy. Brendan Grave, Joe Morierty & Irish Beat.

CANTAB LOUNGE, Cambridge. Upstairs: Little Joe Cook & the Thrillers.

CLUB HOLLYWOOD, Boston. At 8:30 p.m., "Glitter Switch Drag Karaoke."

CLUB PASSIM, Cambridge. At noon, "Cutting Edge of the Campfire" with "Session Americana," Andrew Grimm, Jud Caswell, Jon Nolan, John Francis, J.E. Borgen, Jason Myles Goss, Justin Jones. At 3:45 p.m., Believers, Lisa Bastoni, Holly Jean Cosner, Sara Cox, Naomi Sommers. At 5:45 p.m., Day Traders, Ralston, Jeremy Wallace, Tim Gearan, Cliff Murphy. At 8 p.m., Alex Radus, Teddy Goldstein, Jason Shain, Brian Webb, Nadine Goellner, Jacquie Barnaby, Katie McD, Jocelyn Arem. At 11 p.m., Todd Martin, Granian, Brian Joseph, Owen Plant. At 12:30 a.m., Noam Weinstein, Danielle Miraglia, Ad Frank, Rachel McCartney.

DICK’S LAST RESORT, Boston. Dick & Jane.

DODGE STREET BAR & GRILL, Salem. At 9:30 p.m., Matthew Stubbs Band.

ENCORE, Boston. DesPres & DeGraff.

EVOS ARTS, Lowell. Palace in Thunderland, Supersoul Challenger.

THE GOOD LIFE DOWNTOWN, Boston. Jim Porcella Trio.

GRAND CANAL, Boston. Live Wire.

GREAT SCOTT, Allston. "The Plan" with Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Dolour, Catch.

GREEN DRAGON, Boston. Swerve.

GREEN STREET GRILL, Cambridge. "Live Salsa Party" with Kilombo Mambo.

HARPERS FERRY, Allston. Backseat Lover.

HENNESSY’S, Boston. Incadence.

JARROD’S PLACE, Attleboro. Stoic, Final Hour, Lucid Sky.

JOHNNY D’S, Somerville. Nicole Nelson.

KINGS, Boston. Justin Beech Band.

KIRKLAND CAFE, Somerville. Gut, Slumberfunk, Johnny Plankton & the Sea Monkeys of Soul.

LES ZYGOMATES, Boston. Karin Parker Group.

LIZARD LOUNGE, Cambridge. At 9:30 p.m., Push Stars, John Frances Maher.

MIDDLE EAST, Cambridge. Upstairs: At 1 p.m., Why Versus Rome, Human Flight Committee, Easton Legacy, Ambry. At 9 p.m., Audible Mainframe, Fear Nuttin’ Band, On the Drop. Downstairs: Dick Dale, Brant Bjork & the Bros.

MIDWAY CAFE, Jamaica Plain. Cheer Accident, Young Sexy Assassins, Robotvoice, Boo Radley Bruises Badly.

MR. DOOLEY’S TAVERN, Boston. Tommy & Alan.

THE MODERN, Boston. "Klik: Futuristic Music for a Modern Era" minimal-tech, micro-house, electro-funk with Bons, Bill Crook.

O’BRIEN’S, Allston. Zippo Raid, Hymen Maneuver, Badmothafuzz, Fenwick.

PARADISE ROCK CLUB, Boston. Team Sleep.

PA’S LOUNGE, Somerville. Raymond Morin, Sleeping Weather with Eli Queen, Milo Jones, Apothecary Hymns.

PLOUGH & STARS, Cambridge. At 5 p.m., Flexible Flyer String Band. At 9 p.m., Ray Corvair Trio.

RIVER GODS, Cambridge. At 8 p.m., Minimalist Orchestra.

THE ROXY, Boston. At 10 p.m., "Show Saturdays."

RYLES, Cambridge. Soul Ambition.

SEA NOTE, Nantasket Beach. Commander Cody & His Lost Planet Airmen.

SISSY K’S, Boston. At 4 p.m., Matt Browne. At 8 p.m., Kevin Kirrane.

TOAD, Cambridge. At 7 p.m., "Greg’s Saturday Showcase." At 10 p.m., David Johnston.

TOP OF THE HUB, Boston. Bob Nieske Trio.

T.T. THE BEAR’S PLACE, Cambridge. Rockats, Two Timin’ Three, Johnny Carlevale & the Broken Rhythm Boys, Ace Brown & the Helldivers.

WALLY’S CAFE, Boston. At 9:30 p.m., Jason Palmer/Warren Wolf Jazz Collective.

WELLFLEET BEACHCOMBER, Wellfleet. Barrence Whitfield & the Savages.

WESTERN FRONT, Cambridge. Stepper’s Heaven.

ZEITGEIST GALLERY, Cambridge. At 7 p.m., Sonho Meu. At 9:30 p.m., Gill Aharon Ensemble, Bar Rot.

ZUZU, Cambridge. "Soul-le-lu-Jah."

DJ SHOWS:

AN TUA NUA, Boston. "Sizzlin Saturday" hip-hop with DJ G Squared.

ARIA, Boston. "Ecco," international and vocal house, with DJ Roger M. In the Angel Room, "International Saturdays."

ATLAS DANCE, Boston. "Top 40 Dancing."

AVALON, Boston. At 10 p.m., "Tease" sexy house with DJ Rick Naples.

THE AVENUE, Allston. At 9 p.m., House with DJ Munroe.

AXIS, Boston. At 10 p.m., "Seductive Saturday" Hip-hop and Reggae with DJ Glen.

BLARNEY STONE PUB, Dorchester. Commercial dance and R&B.

BLUE CAT CAFE, Boston. DJ Casey.

BOSTON ROCKS, Boston. Interactive video Top 40 Dance & hip-hop party with VJ Johnnie Walker.

BUCK MULLIGAN’S, West Roxbury. R&B, rock, and dance with DJ Keith.

BUZZ BOSTON/EUROPA, Boston. "Killer Dance Club," gay night with DJs Mary Alice & Michael Sheehan.

CANTAB LOUNGE, Cambridge. Downstairs: DJ Turn-ta-Bill.

CLUB CAFE, Boston. "Boys Night Out" with VJ Cliff Cunningham.

COMMON GROUND, Allston. DJ Spindler.

DEVLIN’S LOUNGE AND BAR, Brighton. "Mixes & Remixes" with DJs Daniel Spurling & Chris Deorio.

DRUID PUB, Cambridge. "Saturday Social" with DJ Rodney Marable.

EMBASSY, Boston. At 10 p.m., "Essence" with DJs Reevz & Lograsso.

ENORMOUS ROOM, Cambridge. "Breaks & Such" with Mark Estrada.

THE E ROOM AT THE GOLDEN TEMPLE, Brookline. Disco, motown, and classics from the ’80s & ’90s with DJ John Reed.

FELT, Boston. "Top 40 and Club Classics."

G-SPOT, Boston. "Deep, sexy house" with DJs Mike Traylor & Paul Incus.

HONG KONG, Cambridge. Top 40 Hip-Hop, Rock & Club Classics with DJ Chris G.

I/D, Boston. "Life Ladies’ Night."

THE INDEPENDENT, Somerville. At 10 p.m., "Make Out Club" Rare and unreleased indie and vintage alternative with DJ Aaron Perrino.

THE KELLS, Allston. Hip-hop, house, techno, top 40 with DJs Darren Drag & Kieran.

MANRAY, Cambridge. "Transmission" retro new wave with DJ Chris Ewen, and high energy and ’70s disco trash with DJ Gary Conzo.

MARQUEE, Boston. DJ Murray.

MILKY WAY, Jamaica Plain. At 9 p.m., "Mango’s Latin Dance Club" with DJ Antonio Ortiz.

THE MODERN, Boston. "Klik: Futuristic Music for a Modern Era" minimal-tech, micro-house, electro-funk with Bons, Bill Crook.

ORLEANS, Somerville. DJ Gabe.

PHOENIX LANDING, Cambridge. "Boom Boom Room," new wave, one-hit wonders, and disco with DJ Vinny.

THE PLACE, Boston. VJ Laptop.

Q, Boston. At 9 p.m., DJ Profenna.

THE RACK, Boston. At 9 p.m., DJ Brian Roche.

REDLINE, Cambridge. At 10 p.m., DJ Cherry.

RIVER GODS, Cambridge. At 10 p.m., "For Real, Too Reel" Electro, funk, ’80s flashback with Dali & Ross.

ROGGIE’S, Brighton. House with DJ Marc Farrell.

SCRUFFY MURPHY’S, Dorchester. "Party Time" with DJ Jen.

SISSY K’S, Boston. Upstairs: "Dance Party," old school and new dance, with DJ Tom McKenna.

SUGAR SHACK, Boston. Hip hop, and top 40 with DJ B-Spin.

SWEETWATER CAFE, Boston. Old and new dance hits with DJs KC and Gallo.

OPAL LOUNGE, Boston. At 10 p.m., "CandyShop Lesbian Night."

THIRSTY SCHOLAR PUB, Somerville. DJ Sean.

TOAST, Somerville. "Prescription Spinning House."

TRATTORIA IL PANINO, Boston. ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s with DJ Zino; progressive, top-40, club, and international with DJ Steve Anderson.

21st AMENDMENT, Boston. DJ Sean Daly.

VAPOR, Boston. "Crosswalk," with DJs David Skye, M.J.

VENU, Boston. European disco house with DJs Javier and Nico and "Mythos," ethnic house and Greek sounds with DJ Yorgo.

VERTIGO, Boston. "Vertigo Saturdays," hip hop, R&B, house, and reggae, with DJ Ron Steel.

WEST STREET GRILLE, Boston. Top 40 funk and dance with DJs Gabe and Lazee Boy.

WHO’S ON FIRST, Boston. At 10 p.m., DJs Garfield, Disciple, and Nate.

COMEDY

BEANTOWN COMEDY VAULT, (781-729-2565), at Remington’s, 124 Boylston St., Boston. "Boston Attitude" with Danny Kelly.

COMEDY STUDIO, (617-864-5311), 1236 Mass. Ave., Cambridge. Mqy Kaplan, Korte Yeo, Steven Donovan, Ben Murray.

DICK DOHERTY’S BEANTOWN COMEDY ESCAPE, (800-401-2221), Doubletree Hotel, 50 Warren St., Lowell. At 9 p.m., Bob Niles, Jake Daniels.

IMPROV ASYLUM, (617-263-6887), 216 Hanover St., Boston. At 8 and 10 p.m., "Pork Fried Clowns." At midnight, "The Midnight Show."

IMPROVBOSTON THEATRE, (617-576-1253), 1253 Cambridge St., Cambridge. At at 8 and 10 p.m. "ImprovBoston Mainstage."

JIMMY TINGLE’S OFF BROADWAY, (617-591-1616), 255 Elm St., Somerville. At 7:30 p.m., John Gorka, Jimmy Tingle.

NICK’S COMEDY STOP, (617-482-0930), 100 Warrenton St., Boston. At 8:45 p.m., Kevin Knox, Bill Tobin, Mike Cote.

NICK’S MAUI, (508-482-0930), Rte. 28 North, Brockton. At 9 p.m., Mark Riley, Ben B.

CLASSICAL MUSIC CONCERTS

BOSTON POPS CONDUCTED BY BRUCE HANGEN presents "Hooray for Hollywood" tonight at 8 p.m. at Symphony Hall, 301 Mass. Ave., Boston. Tickets $16-$120; (617) 266-1200.

CAMBRIDGE COMMUNITY CHORUS AND CHAMBER ORCHESTRA perform Handel’s Israel in Egypt Part I and works from African-American and Jewish traditions at 7:30 p.m. at MIT, Kresge Auditorium, 84 Mass. Ave., Cambridge. Suggested donation $10, $5 for students, seniors; (617) 876-1313.

RUEI-BEIN CHEN performs piano works by Bach, Tchaikovsky, Chopin, Rachmaninov, and Stravinsky at 8 p.m. at Jordan Hall, 30 Gainsborough St., Boston. Tickets $28, $25 for seniors, $10 for students; (617) 585-1260.

POP MUSIC CONCERTS

If it seems odd for a major-label metal frontman to be dabbling in indie rock, it’s downright freakish to find the drummer in a major-label emo-prog band dreaming of hip-hop cred. Just don’t tell Coheed and Cambria’s Joshua Eppard, who’s performing as Weerd Science, his indie-rap alter ego. Weerd’s debut album, Friends and Nervous Breakdowns (on his own Super Rap Records — does Grandmaster Flash know about this?), may leave him with less of the former and more of the latter, but he’s supporting it with a gig tonight at the International Community Church (617-782-8120) in Allston. He’d better have his heckle comebacks ready, since he’ll be opening for New England old-school hardcore thugs Bane.

JOHN GORKA performs tonight at 7:30 p.m. at Jimmy Tingle’s Off Broadway, 255 Elm St., Somerville. Tickets $20-$22; (866) 811-4111.

U2 AND KINGS OF LEON perform tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the FleetCenter, 1 FleetCenter Pl., Boston. Tickets $49.50-$165; (617) 931-2000.

STRANGE CREEK CAMPOUT with Max Creek, Windfalls, Reid Genauer & the Assembly of Dust, Percy Hill, the Breakfast, Brothers Past, Jiggle, the Knot, Juggling Suns, Zen Tricksters, Rane, Depth Quartet, Black Rebels, Fungus Amungus, Ryan Montbleau Band, Primary Others, Jounce, Rev Tor Band, Catfish Jam, Ed n Dave with T, Shortness, U-Melt, Moon Boot Lover, Low Dogs, Scarecrown Collection, Uncle Billy’s Smokehouse, Domino Theory, Turbine, the Brew, Jon Short, and others is today from 10 a.m. to midnight and tomorrow from 1 to 11:30 p.m. at Camp Keewanee, Glenbrook Dr., Greenfield. Tickets $75; (800) THE-TICK.

DANCE/PARTICIPATORY

GAY AND LESBIAN CONTRA DANCE is from 7:30 to 11 p.m. at the First Unitarian Universalist Church, Centre and Eliot Sts., Jamaica Plain. Tickets $6, $5 before 8 p.m.; (617) 522-2216.

NEW ENGLAND CONTRAS AND SQUARES COUPLES DANCE is at 8 p.m. at the Scout House, 74 Walden St., Concord. Tickets $8; (617) 547-7781.

NOCHE DE LA SALSA is at 9:30 p.m. at the Brookline Community Center for the Arts, 14 Green St., Brookline. Tickets $10; (617) 738-2800.

RYLES DANCE HALL with Latin, swing, and tango sounds with DJ Chris Johnston is at 9 p.m. at Ryles Jazz Club, 212 Hampshire St., Cambridge. Tickets $12; (617) 876-9330.

DANCE/PERFORMANCE

Boston Dance Month just keeps coming. This weekend, Prometheus Dance Company, headed by Diane Arvanites-Noya and Tommy Neblett, offers up its spring repertory concert — the Boston premieres The Queens’ Specter, Crazy Girl, and Solace, plus the Tourette-syndrome-inspired Anadimioupyia — at the Boston Conservatory Theatre, 31 Hemenway Street in Boston. Performances are at 8 p.m. tonight and tomorrow, and tickets are $30, $15 for students and seniors; call (617) 576-5336.

JEANNETTE NEILL DANCE STUDIO presents "Another Place or Time" tonight at 8 p.m. at the Tsai Performance Center, 685 Comm. Ave., Boston. Tickets $20, $15 for seniors, children under 12; (617) 353-8725.

BOSTON YOUTH MOVES performs works by Chet Walker, Jimmy Viera, Danny Buraczeski, Kristina Berger, Matthew Rushing, Hope Boykin, Molly Molloy, Marcus Schulkind, and Lynn Simonson at 3 p.m. at the Tsai Performance Center, 685 Comm. Ave., Boston. Tickets $5, free for ages under 19; (617) 353-8725.

ALICE HUNTER presents "On-e-On" at 8 p.m. at Green Street Studios, 185 Green St., Cambridge. Tickets $12; (617) 864-3191.

DINING & WINING

The weather hasn’t yet made it to hot-hot-hot, but that’s not stopping Anthem (138 Portland Street, Boston) from launching "Latin Fever," a weekly party with Latino flair. Beginning tonight, from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m., the restaurant and the Three Amigos are presenting a Saturday-night series featuring specialty drinks, a Latin-highlighted menu, and surprise guests. The cover charge is $10; RSVP to info@latinfevernight.com, or call (508) 308-3038 for information.

EVENTS

Expect tons of vinyl "as well as vegan snacks, random items, tapes, videos, books, and a lot of home-made ’zine/clothing/artwork type things" at this afternoon’s Punk Rock Flea Market 5. The not-quite-annual DIY tag sale returns in a new location, and under new management, but it’s still about the most fun you can have with capitalism. Forty or so vendors will be hawking wares, and for a buck, you can buy a shot at a bike customized by Beck (yes, that Beck) back in 1994 that’s being donated by one of the Tigersaw dudes, who himself won the thing in another raffle. (The bike raffle, as well as 25 cents of each $1 admission, benefits the Kirsten Malone Scholarship Fund at MassArt, which commemorates the Faux keyboardist who died in a bicycle accident.) Honeypump’s Ben Sisto, former Start! DJ Joe P, and WERS’s Matt Breen will be spinning tunes throughout the day. That’s from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Massachusetts College of Art’s Pozen Center, 621 Huntington Avenue in Boston. It’s all-ages and admission is $1; for details, visit www.honeypump.net

ANNUAL STREET PERFORMERS AUDITIONS with magicians, puppeteers, jugglers, musicians, and more is today through Monday from noon to 7 p.m. at Faneuil Hall Marketplace, Quincy Market, Boston. Free; (617) 523-1300.

MAYLENNIUM V: SPOKEN WORD, POETRY, HIP-HOP, MUSIC with Natural Bliss, Curtis & Alexandria King, Regie Gibson, AMB, Paula Green, Afroblues, Shilo, Marlon Carey, U-Meleni Mhlaba, and Big Brotha Sadi is at 2 p.m. at the Jackie Jenkins-Scott Building, 1800 Columbus Ave., Jamaica Plain. Tickets $5; (617) 480-7663.

GAY & LESBIAN

CANDYSHOP LESBIAN NIGHT is at 10 p.m. at Opal Lounge, 48 Winter St., Boston. Tickets $10; (617) 482-6725.

GLITTER SWITCH DRAG KARAOKE is at 8:30 p.m. at Club Hollywood Boston, 41 Essex St., Boston. Tickets $5; (617) 417-0186.

GAY AND LESBIAN CONTRA DANCE is from 7:30 to 11 p.m. at the First Unitarian Universalist Church, Centre and Eliot Sts., Jamaica Plain. Tickets $6, $5 before 8 p.m.; (617) 522-2216.

AT THE MOVIES

Every few years, we get a reminder that 50 miles off our shore lies a nation whose existence we refuse to recognize. Such an event was the notorious 1980 Mariel Boatlift, in which some 130,000 Cubans sailed to Florida when Castro briefly permitted emigration. Lisandro Pérez-Rey’s Más allá del mar/Beyond the Sea (2003) is not another Bobby Darin bio-pic but an examination of the phenomenon from a Cuban perspective. It screens through Sunday (today at 3:15 p.m.) in the Museum of Fine Arts’ Remis Auditorium, 465 Huntington Avenue in Boston; call (617) 369-3907.

OPENING THIS WEEKEND: As the Red Sox begin their late-spring swoon, what better time to release a football movie? Peter Segal (50 First Dates) remakes the 1974 Robert Aldrich comedy The Longest Yard, in which an inmate team takes on the guards. Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, and Burt Reynolds star; let’s hope it’s not The Waterboy 2. Speaking of a pack of caged beasts: Madagascar, the new DreamWorks animation fantasy, is about a crew of Central Park Zoo animals who find themselves on a boat to the title island. Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, and Jada Pinkett Smith give voice; it’s directed by Eric Darnell and Tim Johnson (Antz). While on the way, they might want to avoid being shipwrecked on the British coast and taken in by the Ladies in Lavender; a/k/a Dames Judi Dench and Maggie Smith as a pair of sisters who adopt a young Polish violinist they find cast away on the beach. Daniel Brühl and Natascha McElhone also star; Charles Dance directs. And if none of these appeals to you, you can always consider Eating Out, a romantic comedy about a straight guy who pretends to be gay to win the heart of the girl he loves. Q. Allan Brocka directs.

For more movies and showtimes, see our Movie Theater directory.

READINGS & LECTURES

"OPEN BARK POETRY NIGHT" with Deborah Priestly is at 8 p.m. at Out of the Blue Gallery, 106 Prospect St., Cambridge. Suggested donation $3-$5; (617) 354-5287.

THEATER

It’s kind of like the 48 Hour Film Festival, only it’s more like a 24 Hour Play Festival. Actually, it’s not that either: it’s the Third Annual May Day Play Day. The SouthCity Theatre Company presents four new short plays, all of which were developed in 24 hours. The plays were produced by some of the brightest, freshest minds in theater from around the country — and locally. It all starts tonight at the Piano Factory’s Devanaughn Theatre (791 Tremont Street, Boston) at 8. Seating is limited, so reservations are recommended; get $10 tickets and more info at www.southcitytheatre.org

The son also rises: this weekend marks the American premiere of a new play by John Buffalo Mailer, the actor/writer offspring of Norman. Going up in Provincetown, Crazy Eyes is a Mamet-influenced take on vigilante justice set in October 2001 in Brooklyn, where a young day trader captures the Arab owner of a 99-cent store on his block and accuses him of terrorism. The question is: who’s the villain? The show continues through June 12 at the Provincetown Theater, 238 Bradford Street, Provincetown. Tickets are $28; call (508) 487-9793, or visit www.ptowntix.com

The now-classic introspective on the true dysfunctionality of our traditional fairy tales, Into the Woods, is continuing its run at the New Repertory Theatre (54 Lincoln Street, Newton Highlands). Even if theater isn’t usually your bag, you should check this out. The production’s vain princes and perfectly psychotic little Red Riding Hood had us rolling with laughter, as did the rest of the cast. And we think the big bad wolf actually turned us on . . . um, never mind . . . But anyway, this is the New Rep’s final season in the old church in Newton, and this show is guaranteed to entertain. It runs through June 12th; for tickets and show times, visit www.newrep.org