CHECK IT OUT: Put these arts events on your calendar
SECRET LIVES: "Fun Home," is a five-time Tony Award-winner, including best musical. The show is based on the graphic memoir of Vermont's Alison Bechdel and takes the audience through Alison's life at three different stages as she tries to make sense of her relationship with her father and her sexuality, among other things. Presented by the Speakeasy Stage Company, through Nov. 24. Paul Daigneault directs. www.speakeasystage.com.
DANCER/ARTIST: It's not hyberbole to say choreographer William Forsythe is one of the best in world. His oeuvre includes crafting pieces for the London Ballet, Stuttgart Ballet and Ballet Frankfurt, among others. In "William Forsythe: Choreographic Objects" at the ICA, the renowned choreographer gets his first comprehensive U.S. exhibition that includes sculptures, video installations and other interactive touches. On view Oct. 31-Feb. 24. www.icaboston.org
MADCAP MYSTERY: In "The Play That Goes Wrong," J.J Abrams ("Star Wars") trades the Force for farce to produce this story of a madcap 1920s murder mystery, Nov. 7-18, Emerson Colonial Theatre. boston.broadway.com.
ADAPTING THE BARD: Shakespeare is the starting point for "Measure for Measure," an adaptation of the play by "Cheek by Jowl" and Pushkin Theatre of the U.K. and Russia. Shakespeare's political epic collides with contemporary society in a revealing look at authority, justice and love. Oct. 24 - 28 at the Emerson Cutler Majestic Theatre. www.artsemerson.org
FOR THE KIDS: "Gooney Bird Greene and Her True Life Adventures" is an adaptation by Kent R. Brown of the Lois Lowry book that charts the quirky course of Gooney Bird, a new student at Watertower Elementary with a flair for the theatrical. Presented by the Wheelock Family Theater, Oct. 26-Nov. 18. wheelockfamilytheatre.org.
BACKSTORY: The Tony Award-winning play "Peter and the Starcatcher" upends the centuries old story of how a miserable orphan boy becomes the legendary Peter Pan. Presented by Hub Theater Boston, Nov. 2-Nov. 17 at First Church Boston. www.hubtheatreboston.org
GET READY TO REVEL: The Revels are planning "Northern Lights: A Christmas Revels Preview Event" for Friday, Nov. 9, 7:30 p.m. at the Scandinavian Cultural Center in West Newton. Kick of the season with a celebration of cultures and traditions of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. Meet their nations' honorary consuls at this special event previewing "The Christmas Revels" later in the season. Along with a live auction, they'll be serving up delicious traditional Nordic desserts. revels.org/concert.