ON STAGE: Live

The Cure for Cabin Fever

Midway through winter, local performing arts o er plenty of reasons to (carefully) leave the house

The performing arts are back in earnest. Sure, it’s tempting to spend every night in February scrolling through your Twitter feed. And yes, there’s still a pandemic afoot, and we all need to take some precautions. But there are plenty of exciting reasons to leave your den this month: provocative plays, a high-speed theater experiment, and a film festival that’ll have you heading south. So, throw on that coat and mask; soul-stirring evenings await.

ANGÉLIQUE KIDJO

Angélique Kidjo burst onto the world stage in the early 1990s, blending Pan-African musical styles and blowing away audiences with her powerful alto. On stage, the Beninese singer is a tectonic force, blasting through song after song of empowerment and celebration. Kidjo has collaborated with everyone from Herbie Hancock to Dave Matthews, and it’s no wonder that Kidjo has earned not one, not two, but four Grammy Awards in her epic career. She returns to Providence to perform at The VETS as a FirstWorks guest artist. Catch this one-night engagement in person and find out why this formidable songstress has been dubbed “Africa’s premiere diva.” February 13, First-Works.org

AN OCTOROON

Nearly two centuries ago, Dion Boucicault wrote a melodrama called The Octoroon about the antebellum South, centering on slaves and slaveholders. The story faded into obscurity until MacArthur Fellow Brandon Jacobs-Jenkins reconceived it as An Octoroon, his postmodern

Christopher Lindsay (left) and Ricardo Pitts-Wiley in August Wilson’s Gem of the Ocean.

FEB VACA FUN: Providence Children’s Film Festival

The Providence Children’s Film Festival brings together youth-forward cinema from all over the world, from animation to live action to shorts to features. So pry the child in your life away from that Netflix queue and open up this toy chest of di erent storytelling styles. This year’s festival will be mostly held remotely. February 18-27, ProvidenceChildrensFilmFestival.org