Tuesday, May 9

If someone regrettably gets a minor boo-boo during the opening match-up of a swift two-game slate between the Houston Astros and the Atlanta Braves, the call of “is there a doctor in the house?” will be answered en masse. That’s because it’s Medical Professionals Appreciation Night, which entitles folks in Houston’s medical community to cheaper tickets in the mezzanine and field box IV sections at Minute Maid Park, as well as Astros navy scrub tops for the first 500 purchasers. As for the game, the Braves seemed to be on a pace similar to 2016’s last-place finish in the National League East before they performed with more spunk in mid-April inside their brand-new $622 million SunTrust Park. The Astros will hope to lean on their explosive bats and some home cooking in order to further ATL’s road woes. 7:10 p.m. May 9. Also 1:10 p.m. May 10. 501 Crawford. For information, call 713-259-8500 or visit astros.com. $6 to $89. — Steve Jansen

Wednesday, May 10

In the opening scene, a teenage couple, both recovering meth addicts, lose custody of their baby, who has been brought to the hospital in bad condition. Caroline, a social worker, gives them the news that they won’t be taking their daughter home. In Rebecca Gilman’s Luna Gale, the baby is essential to all that follows (although never seen in the flesh onstage) as the social worker struggles with who is the best person to raise a child. Seth Gordon is back in Houston to direct the play at Stages Repertory Theatre. “The social worker needs to figure out exactly what to do with the baby and she’s faced with a moral issue: the choice between allowing the kids to put themselves back together so they can have their baby returned to them or whether one of their parents should take the child.” Carolyn Johnson (End of the Rainbow) plays the social worker, Justin Doran (Shear Madness) is Pastor Jay, and the actors playing Karlie (Tanith Albright) and Peter (Jeremy Gee) are undergraduates at Sam Houston State University. Gordon says he’s a fan of Gilman’s work because of the way she tackles tough issues. “She also writes plays about characters who are sort of swimming upstream. They’re having difficulty navigating.” 7:30 p.m. May 10. Continuing 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays, 2:30 and 8 p.m. Saturdays, 2:30 p.m. Sundays. May 10 through May 28. 3201 Allen Parkway. For information, call 713-527-0123 or visit stagestheatre.com. $21 to $65. — Margaret Downing

Thursday, May 11

It is a modern classic, the story of two teenage boys in 1940s Brooklyn from rival yeshivas, one Hasidic and the other Modern Orthodox, with news of the Holocaust in the background. During an intense baseball game, batter Danny Saunders (played by John Forgy) hits a ball hard into the face of pitcher Reuven Malter (Brian Chambers), who ends up in the hospital. Danny comes to visit Reuven and the resulting friendship lasts for years despite all sorts of difficulties, including one father forbidding his son to talk to the other boy. It’s Chaim Potok’s The Chosen, first a book read by millions around the world and then a play, presented here as a co-production of Theater LaB Houston and the Evelyn Rubenstein Houston Jewish Community Center. “I think that it’s a timely story in that there’s several themes: father and son, family expectation; there’s splits that happen that will feel like people have to take sides,” says director Linda Phenix. “And then what the people do with that.” Also, she adds, “It’s very important that we continue to educate future generations about the Holocaust.” With a cast that also includes Steve Garfinkel as Reb Saunders, Brad Goertz as The Narrator (older) Reuven Malter and Trevor B. Cone as David Malter, Phenix says this is a good show “for a family to see and then have so much to talk about later.” 7:30 p.m. May 11. Continuing 7:30 p.m. Thursdays, 8 p.m. Saturday, 8 p.m. Sundays. May 11 through May 21. The Evelyn Rubenstein Jewish Community Center, 5601 South Braeswood. For information, call 713-868-7516 or visit thelabhou.org. $22 to $42. — Margaret Downing

Before One Direction, the Jonas Brothers and other modern boy bands, there were ’60s sensations Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, now on tour with their biggest hits throughout the years. The “Big Girls Don’t Cry” crooner will always be remembered for other songs, like “Walk Like a Man,” “Rag Doll” and “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You,” but Valli’s powerful falsetto was also responsible for dozens of other Top 40 hits during the band’s career. They sold more than 100 million records between 1962 and 1978 alone, and who could forget the account of their lives in the hit Broadway musical (and later film) Jersey Boys? 8 p.m. May 11. Smart Financial Centre, 18111 Lexington Boulevard. For information, call 281-207-6278 or visit smartfinancialcentre.net. $65 to $125. — Sam Byrd

The whole nanny cheating scandal gave us a glimpse into Jude Law's personal demons, but the megastar plays a different role in Obsession, where his handsome (of course) but down-on-his-luck character Gino begins a torrid affair with the beautiful Giovanna while plotting to kill her husband. Love, temptation and fear are all on the menu in this roadside restaurant drama, brought to the London stage at the prestigious Barbican Theatre. Ivo van Hove (A View from the Bridge) directs this new stage adaptation of Luchino Visconti’s 1943 film. This one's smoking hot and, yes, Law does take his shirt off in a scene. NT LIVE: Obsession is being broadcast live to big screens courtesy of Fathom Events and BY Experience. 7 p.m. May 11. Edwards Houston Marq*E Stadium 23 & IMAX, 7600 Katy Freeway. Price varies by location; visit fathomevents.com for participating venues. $25.98. — Susie Tommaney

Friday, May 12

Don’t go mental if you’re standing in a concessions line at BBVA Compass Stadium behind R2-D2. It’s all part of the second annual Houston Dynamo Star Wars Night, which ties in with Comicpalooza. Before the Dynamo kick off against the Vancouver Whitecaps FC, Star Wars characters will line the orange carpet on the field. Throughout the night, they’ll mingle on the concourse, where fans (dressed up in comic gear or otherwise) can grab photos with many of George Lucas’s creations. For a pretty sweet price, folks can score a game ticket and a limited-edition Dynamo Star Wars scarf; additionally, select lucky ducks have a chance to win a copy of Rogue One. “It’s fun to see the characters interact with the kids who have just started watching Star Wars and the older adults who grew up on it,” says Dynamo spokeswoman Valerie Holland. 8 p.m. May 12. 2200 Texas. For information, call 713-276-4625 or visit houstondynamo.com/starwars. $36. — Steve Jansen

Step right up, folks, and witness the unique, strange and unintentional oddities at Mystic Errata, Zine Fest Houston's showcase of monoprints and misprints. We all know errors, plate flaws, typos and misprints can cause the value of stamps, comics and books to skyrocket; so come view these one-of-a-kind treasures in the window display case at Mystic Lyon. This evening also serves as the opening-night shindig for Zine Fest Houston's 2017 compilation; peruse and purchase works by self-publishers Eye Sore, Rene Cruz, Ryan Francisco, Josh Higgins, Brett Hollis, Gabriel Martinez and Travis Oren Smith, as well as the adventurous team of Erik Sultzer and Emily Halbardier (The Center for Imaginative Cartography and Research). 6 p.m. May 12. 5017 Lyons Avenue. For information, visit zinefesthouston.org or on Facebook. Free. — Susie Tommaney

Don’t call Chase Padgett’s 6 Guitars a comeback. Or a concert. “It’s a hybrid of music, comedy and characters,” says Padgett of the genre-defying one-man show he has toured for years, which comes to Houston by way of Lott Entertainment Presents. For the performance (let’s call it that), the Fringe festival favorite portrays six guitar players, each with his own musical style and story, using one guitar and a pedalboard. “By the end, they all have come to a similar realization, which is: It doesn’t matter what you play. It just matters that you play,” says Padgett. 6 Guitars is a journey of fulfillment and challenge, using the metaphor of music, he says. “Music teaches us how to be the kind of people that we’re supposed to become.” 8 p.m. May 12-13. Alley Theatre, 615 Texas. For information, call 713-220-5700 or visit alleytheatre.org. $27 to $37. — Katricia Lang

He fooled the scientists; now it's time to see for yourself whether the world's leading mentalist truly possesses psychic powers and the ability to read minds and predict the future. Banachek (the first magician to successfully perform the buried alive escape broadcast live on syndicated television) is set to introduce mystery after mystery at 14 Pews and, whether you're a skeptic or a believer, don't be surprised if you're asked to participate in the inexplicable. The researchers conducting tests for Project Alpha at Washington University fell under his charm, believing the 18-year-old's psychic abilities were genuine and blurring the lines between illusion and reality. What is real is the launching of a lifelong career as a mentalist and skeptic, who has partnered with entertainers David Blaine, Criss Angel and Penn and Teller. At Banachek: Telepathy, audience members will witness cutlery turned into a near liquid state and demonstrations of ESP while Saint Arnold Brewing Company turns it into a party with free beer (woot). 8 to 9:30 p.m. May 12. 800 Aurora. For information, call 281-888-9677 or visit 14pews.org. $16.50. — Susie Tommaney

The only connection between The 5 Browns and The Partridge Family is Nick at Nite reruns, according to Gregory Brown, middle child in the quintet composed of him and siblings Desirae, Deondra, Melody and Ryan. The group’s repertoire, though not a pop fantasia, does feature some Fantasia 2000. The pianists will perform scenes from Stravinsky’s “Firebird Suite,” including the sweet “Round Dance of the Princesses” and “Infernal Dance,” in which sweetness is abruptly and “hostilely overtaken by struggle and pain,” says Gregory of the classical jump-scare. The group wants the audience to be moved and have fun at the concert, a homecoming for the Houston-born Browns. From a time zone away, Gregory says his memories of the Galleria and the balmy city make him feel like a kid again and, like classical music, stir his soul. 8 p.m. May 12. Jones Hall, 615 Louisiana. For information, call 713-227-3974 or visit spahouston.org. $43 to $103. — Katricia Lang

“I came home crying because I hadn’t gotten in something,” recalls stand-up Liz Padjen. “And my sister was looking at me and said, ‘Your crying’s not doing anything to help. Do your own show if you’re dissatisfied with the festivals you’re getting in. Get off your ass and do something about it.’” And so she did. For one weekend in May, Liz and her sister, Emily “Padj” Padjen, will be producing Houston’s first all-female comedy event, the Yellow Rose Comedy Festival. “The name is definitely an ode to Yellow Rose of Texas, who helped beat Santa Anna and now is more of a legend who [represents] the women of the Texas Revolution,” Liz explains. “I wanted the image of the tenacity of women to resonate in the name.” Local favorites Maggie Maye, Olivia Arrington, Kathryn Way and more will perform alongside former MTV star Sara Schaefer. 7 p.m. May 12-13. 813 Emanuel. For information, call 801-706-8634 or visit yellowrosecomedyfestival.com. $20 to $55. — Vic Shuttee