Somerville syrup, Brooklyn beats, and more things to do this weekend

Photo via fabulousfabs/Creative Commons

Take a break from your “True Detective” binge to crown Boston’s king of wings, sample some local maple syrup, and see a local institution’s milestone performance. Or don’t, it doesn’t really matter because time is a flat circle and everything we’ve ever done or will do, we’re gonna do over and over and over again.

* It’s opening night for the SpeakEasy Stage Company production of “The Whale” in which a 600-pound recluse in failing health makes one last desperate attempt to connect with his estranged teenage daughter. Basically “The Wrestler” crossed with the Walter Hudson video you watched in health class. 3.7. 8p. $15-60

* March means Free Film Fridays at the Museum of Science’s Mugar Omni Theater. Swim with the world’s largest shark, learn about Jerusalem’s historical and artistic connections, or explore Canada’s vast wilderness aboard the Rocky Mountain Express. I’ll pretend that you didn’t just stop reading after “world’s largest shark.” 3.7. Various times. FREE

* The ICA gives the drummer some at their First Friday: Beatz party, featuring beat machine demonstrations and pop-up performances by Brooklyn quartet Sõ Percussion. The group plays traditional household objects including metal pipes, trash bins and flower pots but also objects that would traditionally be found in the household of a Brooklyn percussion group, such as drums. 3.7. 5p. $15

* Join the Somerville Maple Syrup Project — an actual syrup project, not an indie band name — for their Maple Syrup Boil Down Festival as sap from local trees is boiled down into pure maple syrup. Taste the finished product, argue the relative merits of Grade A vs. Grade B syrup or just wait for the perfect time to make an “I’d tap that” joke. 3.8. 10a. FREE

* American Repertory Theatre’s ‘70s-inspired interpretation of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” The Donkey Show celebrates its 500th performance at Oberon with a cast of disco divas, roller skaters and hustle queens. Basically “American Hustle” crossed with the Shakespeare play you didn’t read in English class. 3.8. 7:30p/10:30p. $10-25

* All Things Horror presents The Kids Aren’t All Right, a night of indie horror films showcasing the genre’s creepiest kids, which is really a tie between all the kids who have ever appeared in a horror movie plus every other kid alive, ever. 3.8. 7p. $10

* Ira Glass, creator and host of the public radio show “This American Life” stops by Symphony Hall to share some funny and memorable moments from the program and talk about how they came together. For the unfamiliar, a “radio show” is like a podcast that you can only listen to in the car and sometimes features ads for stuff besides Stamps.com. 3.9. 3p. $30-60

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