Great Escape: Punk, Theater, And The Silver Screen

For all you sports fans looking for a great local game... I've got nothing. The good news is that there's plenty of music, theater, and movies to keep you busy.

I'm not sure how many Providence Bruins fans will be interested in checking out Steel Magnolias, but maybe you're out there. Here are your weekly suggestions:

• Singer Kim Jennings will be performing an acoustic set at the Rhode Island Ale House on Saturday, May 14th. Good music, craft beer, and you don't even need to leave town.

• On Sunday, punk rock legends Social Distortion perform at Lupo's. The show begins at 8:30 p.m., and tickets start at $30. As someone who will be seeing them for the fourth time, I can tell you that their shows are worth every penny.

• Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides premieres on Thursday, May 12. The movie will be shown in 3D, as well as the IMAX at Providence Place Mall. This latest installment in the series stars Johnny Depp, Penelope Cruz, Ian McShane, and Kevin R. McNally.

• For all you Tom Petty fans, Damn the Torpedoes, a Petty tribute band will be performing a free show at the Lighthouse Bar in Twin River.

• Earth, Wind, and Fire visit the Providence Performing Arts Center on their 40th anniversary tour. Thursday's show begins at 7:30 p.m. and tickets start at $48.

• For you theater fans, this weekend is that last chance to see Steel Magnolias at Trinity Rep. The play's month-long run ends this Sunday. Don't say I didn't warn you! Tickets start at just $12.

• Why Torture is Wrong, and the People Who Love Them recently began a run at the Sandra Feinstein Gamm Theatre in Pawtucket. Tickets for this comedy about the GWOT (Global War on Terror) are $30.

• For all you indie film fans, Hesher opens at the Cable Car Cinema in Providence this weekend. Hesher is about an unlikely character who helps a family deal with a death in the family. It stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Natalie Portman, David Brochu, and Rainn Wilson.