What to see (there's a lot), and what's next

Pick a door, any door - there's probably a good show behind it.

Frankly, there's almost too much to see in town right now. Where to begin? Probably the best of the bunch is Nicholas Martin's expert production of Bus Stop at the Huntington - but the rest of the bunch is pretty strong, too. Fräulein Maria, which closes at the Paramount this weekend, is an absolute riot, and I've heard good things about The Laramie Residency as well (I can't see it till Saturday). (ArtsEmerson, which a friend described to me as "like having our own little BAM here in Boston!" has indeed, opened with a BAM.) Meanwhile 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is still buzzing at the Lyric, and Camelot is jousting away down at Trinity. If low-down humor is your bag, then the North Shore has up a crackling version of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels - or if you're a hopeless trend victim, SpeakEasy Stage is doing a solid version of Sarah Ruhl's silly In the Next Room, or the Vibrator Play. Let's see, that's (1-2-3-4 . . .) SEVEN shows worth seeing up around town. Perhaps a record.

But wait, there's more - this weekend, I'm catching up with Stoneham's Glee-ful Perfect Harmony, which got strong notices, and closes Sunday. Then it's off to the ICA for a rare program of local dance from area stars Daniel McCusker (his company, above), Caitlin Corbett, and Kelley Donovan. Then comes the Laramie Residency, as noted, and finally, the opening of Handel and Haydn's season, with an all-Mozart program ranging pleasingly from the greatest hits (Eine kleine Nachtmusik) to the obscure (the overture and march from Mitridate, written when the boy genius was 14). This weekend also marks the kick-off of Handel Haydn's count-down to their two hundredth birthday (yes, you read that right). More to come on that. In the meantime, get online, or get out to the BosTix booth, and go see a show.