5 things to do this weekend, including the Blue Man Group and Boston Asian American Film Festival

So you missed out on your tickets to the 48th Anniversary Spectacular Tour of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” with Patricia Quinn, the original 1975 film’s Magenta, at the Emerson Colonial Theatre. Never fear. There’s still plenty else to do this weekend, including a film festival, a new reading of an ancient story, the opening of an exhibit about Isabella Stewart Gardner and more. Here are a few ways you might enjoy spending your weekend.

This reading of “The Odyssey” will feature actors with scripts in hands after a two-week workshop with the materials. This performance marks the early stages of a new work commissioned by the American Repertory Theater. Kate Hamill, who adapted Jane Austen’s “Sense and Sensibility” in 2014, is reworking Homer’s epic ancient Greek poem. The story follows the tail end of Odysseus’s 10-year journey home to Ithaca after fighting in the Trojan War. For those who haven’t attended workshops before, play readings are helpful to the creatives to gauge how an audience interacts with a story. For the crowd, it’s an opportunity to watch a creative process progress as a play goes from its infancy and hopefully works toward a fully formed production. While the show is free, visitors are encouraged to RSVP.

As an art enthusiast and museum founder, Isabella Stewart Gardner was an expert curator. The enduring success of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is proof that she had a keen understanding of presentation and curation. This exhibit, “Inventing Isabella,” focuses on the museum founder’s curatorial skills at shaping her own self-image using art, fashion and photography. One notable work from the collection is John Singer Sargent’s portrait of Gardner— the two were close friends. This exhibit explores the lore and legend surrounding Gardner featuring pieces that are contextualized with how the public reacted at the time as well as what the museum can gather from Gardner’s own account. [Want more art exhibit suggestions? Check out our fall guide here.]

Back for its 15th year, the Boston Asian American Film Festival showcases stories about Asian American experiences. The festival has been underway since Oct. 12, so most of the screenings are behind us. There are, however, two worthwhile festival-related events happening this weekend. On Sunday, filmmaker Lulu Wang will be visiting the Emerson Paramount Theatre for two screenings and a talk. You may be familiar with Wang’s 2019 “The Farewell” about illness and family starring Awkwafina. This weekend, Wang will be screening an episode of her upcoming Amazon series “The Expats,” based on Janice Y. K. Lee's 2016 novel “The Expatriates” about three American women living in Hong Kong. Outside of Sunday’s in-person events, the festival also has a series of short films that are available to stream on-demand, which is a perfect way to enjoy local entertainment from the comfort of your home. Check out the schedule and find tickets to both in-person and streaming festival events here. [For more film fest suggestions, check out our fall guide here.]

It’s almost like dancing — the synchronized movement between rowers in a race. There’s both grace and power on display as they balance the demands of each stroke. When the rowers work in unison and their boats glide across the water, it can be as beautiful as a choreographed show. The boats racing in this weekend’s Head of the Charles Regatta will be among the best in the world with teams traveling from across the world to compete at one of (if not the) largest regattas in the world. Spectators often gather along the banks of the Charles River as well as over the bridges (which often serve as course obstacles). The races begin just east of the Boston University Bridge, winding along the river and ending at the finish line located in Allston, just a few steps away from the Charles River Speedway.

Why mention Blue Man Group in this weekend’s roundup? The show’s been here in Boston since 1995 and if all is good and right in the world, it will be here for another 28 years. Well, every so often when a show has been around for thousands of performances, it’s time to change things up a little, and earlier this month, Blue Man Group in Boston did just that. Don’t worry, the performers are still blue. Overall, it’s a similar show to the one that has stood the test of time. This revitalization has added a few new elements, including new original music, new visuals, two new acts plus a new finale. If you’re unfamiliar with Blue Man Group, it’s a music-filled, mostly wordless performance that explores themes of connection, communication and the power of rock and roll.