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The Boston Globe's The Big To-Do Short Cuts

July 16, 2025

Welcome to the Wednesday edition of the Big To-Do: Short Cuts, our midweek round-up of what’s going on around Boston, as selected by Boston Globe critics and writers.

Marking its 40th anniversary, and its swan song, the Stephen Petronio Company performs at Jacob's Pillow July 23-27. IAN DOUGLAS

Thursday

Feel the need for speed? Head to Revere Beach for a free screening of the 1986 action classic “Top Gun.”
Beam up for season 3 of “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds,” streaming on Paramount+.
Dive into another horror whodunit as the latest “I Know What You Did Last Summer” sequel hits theaters.

Friday

Catch a free, outdoor screening of the 2024 Oscar-winning animated hit “Flow” over at Cambridge’s Kendall/MIT Open Space.
Nora Panahi hosts a showcase of queer comedians and drag queens as the monthly Roslindale Queer Comedy Night takes over the Rozzie Square Theater.
Broadway stars Sutton Foster and Kelli O’Hara join conductor Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops at Tanglewood.
See candid photos of John Lennon as the pop-up exhibition, “The Lost Weekend: The Photography of May Pang,” comes to Cambridge Friday through Sunday.

Saturday

The 37th annual ArtBeat festival returns to Davis Square with a lineup of local musicians, artisans, food vendors, and more.
The ninth annual Dudley Jazz Festival will feature performances by area artists Kurtis Rivers, Fred Woodard, Temidayo Balogun, and Donna McElroy as it takes over Dorchester’s Mary Hannon Playground.
Take a trip down memory lane with the Piano Man as the new two-part documentary “Billy Joel: And So It Goes” arrives on HBO Max.
D.C. power-pop group Bad Moves brings its farewell tour to Medford’s Deep Cuts.
Comedian Hannibal Buress returns to the Hub for an afternoon set at Laugh Boston in the Seaport.

Sunday

Fresh off their new LP “Welcome to the Family,” Michael Franti and his band Spearhead perform at Leader Bank Pavilion.

Ongoing

The exhibit “Making History: 200 Years of American Art” continues at Salem’s Peabody Essex Museum through Sept. 21.

Last Chance

Barrington Stage’s “Camelot” production ends its run at Boyd-Quinson Theater in Pittsfield on Saturday.

Thanks for reading our new Wednesday newsletter. Keep an eye out for Friday's regular Big To-Do email written by Marie Morris. Send comments to arts@globe.com.

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Welcome to the Wednesday edition of the Big To-Do: Short Cuts, our midweek round-up of what’s going on around Boston, as selected by Boston Globe critics and writers.

Marking its 40th anniversary, and its swan song, the Stephen Petronio Company performs at Jacob's Pillow July 23-27. IAN DOUGLAS

Thursday

Feel the need for speed? Head to Revere Beach for a free screening of the 1986 action classic “Top Gun.”

Dive into another horror whodunit as the latest “I Know What You Did Last Summer” sequel hits theaters.

Friday

Catch a free, outdoor screening of the 2024 Oscar-winning animated hit “Flow” over at Cambridge’s Kendall/MIT Open Space.

Nora Panahi hosts a showcase of queer comedians and drag queens as the monthly Roslindale Queer Comedy Night takes over the Rozzie Square Theater.

Broadway stars Sutton Foster and Kelli O’Hara join conductor Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops at Tanglewood.

See candid photos of John Lennon as the pop-up exhibition, “The Lost Weekend: The Photography of May Pang,” comes to Cambridge Friday through Sunday.

Saturday

The 37th annual ArtBeat festival returns to Davis Square with a lineup of local musicians, artisans, food vendors, and more.

The ninth annual Dudley Jazz Festival will feature performances by area artists Kurtis Rivers, Fred Woodard, Temidayo Balogun, and Donna McElroy as it takes over Dorchester’s Mary Hannon Playground.

Take a trip down memory lane with the Piano Man as the new two-part documentary “Billy Joel: And So It Goes” arrives on HBO Max.

D.C. power-pop group Bad Moves brings its farewell tour to Medford’s Deep Cuts.

Comedian Hannibal Buress returns to the Hub for an afternoon set at Laugh Boston in the Seaport.

Sunday

Fresh off their new LP “Welcome to the Family,” Michael Franti and his band Spearhead perform at Leader Bank Pavilion.

Ongoing

The exhibit “Making History: 200 Years of American Art” continues at Salem’s Peabody Essex Museum through Sept. 21.

Last Chance

Barrington Stage’s “Camelot” production ends its run at Boyd-Quinson Theater in Pittsfield on Saturday.

Thanks for reading our new Wednesday newsletter. Keep an eye out for Friday's regular Big To-Do email written by Marie Morris. Send comments to arts@globe.com.