The week ahead: Performing and visual arts

SMART PEOPLE Lydia R. Diamond's splendid new Cambridge-based play sifts through the implications of research that suggests racism might be hard-wired into the human brain while showcasing a quartet of complex, flawed, intriguing, and, yes, smart people who register as much more than delivery systems for polemical freight. Directed by Peter DuBois. Through July 6. Huntington Theatre Company, at Wimberly Theatre, Calderwood Pavilion, Boston Center for the Arts. 617-266-0800, www.huntingtontheatre.org

DON AUCOIN

I AM A CAMERA Ruby Wolf dazzles as a pre-"Cabaret" Sally Bowles. Go, so you can say you saw her when. Through July 19. Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater, Wellfleet. 508-349-9428, www.what.org

SANDY MACDONALD

AMALUNA Cirque du Soleil is back with its big top, this time performing a female-centered spectacle that combines Las Vegas razzle-dazzle with refined art. Directed by Diane Paulus, who is also artistic director of the American Repertory Theater, the production is based loosely on "The Tempest," with a female Prospera who manipulates the natural world. This outing is more plot-based than previous Cirque shows, which gives it an intimacy and ties the circus acts together. Yes, you can expect the usual Cirque derring-do, with performers swinging through the air. But one new act is not to be missed: A character called the Balance Goddess makes a sculpture out of giant palm leaf ribs, and the effect is at once graceful and gripping. Through July 6. Boston Marine Industrial Park. 800-450-1480, www.cirquedusoleil.com/amaluna

PATTI HARTIGAN

HUBBARD STREET DANCE CHICAGO The popular and versatile Windy City repertory troupe returns to Jacob's Pillow for the first time in four years. The talented company (Jessica Tong and Quinn B. Wharton, pictured) brings two works by Alejandro Cerrudo, as well as Nacho Duato's "Gnawa" and Jirí Kylián's all-female "Falling Angels," set to Steve Reich's hypnotic "Drumming." July 2-6, $19-$75. Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival, Becket. 413-243-0745, www.jacobspillow.org

KAREN CAMPBELL

THE YARD One of the surefire highlights of this venerated Martha's Vineyard festival rounds up a galaxy of percussive dance artists from around the country. "Tap The Yard 3: A Vineyard Festival of Rhythm and Beats" features a rotating mix of performers, including The Wondertwins, The Bang Group, Dylan Baker, the Manzari Brothers, Jason Samuels Smith, Sheetal Gandhi, and others. July 2-12, $15-$25. Patricia N. Nanon Theater, Chilmark. 508-645-9662, www.dancetheyard.org

BLEU! Italian theater troupe Compagnia T.P.O. uses immersive technology, including animation and a motion-sensored set, to create this spectacle of movement, light, and sound evoking a fantastical underwater world. Designed for families, it's an interactive experience for those adventurous enough to join the performers onstage. Flippers optional. July 2-6, $10-$28. Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival, Becket. 413-243-0745, www.jacobspillow.org

BRAZEN BELLES BURLESQUE For those who like their moves with some sultry sass and a dash of slapstick, the Brazen Belles promise to be "Hotter than the 4th of July" with this taste of old-time vaudeville, complete with saucy retro costumes, physical comedy, and high-kicking pizzazz. July 9-12, 8 p.m., $20-$25. Cotuit Center for the Arts, Barnstable. 508-428-0669 www.cotuitcenterforthearts.org

KAREN CAMPBELL

SIGHT SPECIFIC: A SELECTION OF AMERICAN PERCEPTUAL PAINTINGS Curator George Nick celebrates the thriving tradition of realist and figurative painting spanning the last century or more, including Childe Hassam, Neil Welliver, and contemporary painters such as Alexi Worth. Through Aug. 13.Concord Art Association, 37 Lexington Road, Concord. 978-369-2578, www.concordart.org

BRIAN KNEP: CHUNKY FROG TIME Knep's ever-changing digital animation, on view after sunset, depicts a swimming frog evolving from tadpole to juvenile, and back to tadpole. Either it's bucking time's onslaught, or embodying the forward march of generations. Through Dec. 18. Boston Harbor Islands Welcome Center, Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway. 617-524-2109, www.bostoncyberarts.org

OVID'S GIRLS BOSTON — OVERLAPS AND UNDERCURRENTS — BOSTON/BERLIN German curator Anette Schwarz finds confluences among sculptors from Berlin and Boston: Surfaces that convey and cover up; materials that carry metaphors. The same group shows small works through July 26 at Gallery Kayafas. Through Aug. 3. Boston Sculptors Gallery, 486 Harrison Ave. 617-482-7781, www.bostonsculptors.com

ON THE WALL Here's a refreshing summer group show: five Boston-area artists worked directly on the gallery walls, creating temporary installations. They range from colorist John Guthrie's geometric patterns to Randal Thurston's gothic, luminous cut-paper branches, with plenty in between. Through July 11. Gallery NAGA, 67 Newbury St. 617-267-9060, www.gallerynaga.com

CATE MCQUAID

RICHARD ESTES' REALISM A large survey of the pioneering painter, often associated with photorealism, organized by the Portland Museum of Art and the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Through Sept. 7. Portland Museum of Art, Portland, Maine. 207-775-6148, www.portlandmuseum.org

PERMISSION TO BE GLOBAL/PRACTICAS GLOBALES: LATIN AMERICAN ART FROM THE ELLA FONTANALS-CISNEROS COLLECTION The first survey of contemporary Latin American art hosted by the MFA. Featuring work by 46 artists from Central and South America and the Caribbean, all from a single collection. The show was first seen at Art Basel Miami Beach late last year. Through July 13. Museum of Fine Arts. 617-267-9300, www.mfa.org

IAN HAMILTON FINLAY: ARCADIAN REVOLUTIONARY AND AVANT-GARDENER More than 200 works are included in this ambitious survey of the career of the great Scottish artist, poet, and garden designer. Through Oct. 13. DeCordova Sculpture Park and Museum, Lincoln. 781 259 8355, www.decordova.org

SEBASTIAN SMEE

Don Aucoin can be reached at aucoin@globe.com.