Bars and Clubs

Black Rose. Harvard Square. 492-8630. Atlas Shrugged on Thursday, Dec. 9. Shaggahs on Friday, Dec. 10.

House of Blues. Harvard Square. 491-BLUE. 11th Hour on Thursday, Dec. 9. TaylorMade on Friday, Dec. 10.

ManRay. 21 Brookline St., Central Square, Cambridge. 864-0400. Carnival on Friday, Dec. 10.

The Middle East. 472 Mass Ave., Cambridge. 497-0576. Downstairs: Schoolly D on Thursday, Dec. 9. Preservation Act ll on Friday, Dec. 10 and Saturday, Dec. 11. Benefit for the Homeless on Sunday, Dec. 12. Big Chief on Wednesday, Dec. 15.

T.T. The Bears. 10 Brookline St., Cambridge. 492-BEAR. Stranger than Pretty on Thursday, Dec. 9. Machinery Hall on Friday, Dec. 10. The Second Step and Groovasaurus on Saturday, Dec. 11.

Western Front. 343 Western Ave., Cambridge. 492-7772. Sophie Dunner Orchestra on Thursday, Dec. 9. Steve Coleman and the Five Elements on Friday, Dec. 10 at 7:30 and 9:30. Loose Caboose on Friday, Dec. 10 at 11 p.m. and Saturday, Dec. 11.

Concert

Boston Symphony Orchestra. Performs Berlioz's "L'Enfance du Christ" on Dec. 10 at 1:30 p.m. Symphony Hall, 301 Mass Ave., Boston. 266-1492.

Harvard Glee Club Christmas Concert. Performs a variety of Christmas music. Saturday, Dec. 11 at 8 p.m. Pleasant Street Congregational Church, 75 Pleasant St., Arlington, near the Arlington Heights bus stop on route #77. $5. Call 495-5730 for more information.

Exhibitions

Museum of Fine Arts. 465 Huntington Ave., Boston. 267-9300.

The Age of Rubens. Through Jan. 2. The first major survey of Flemish Baroque painting ever mounted in the United States, presenting about 120 paintings by Rubens and his most important pupils.

Duccio to Delacroix: Masterpieces of European Paintings from the Collection. Through Jan. 2. Includes over 80 European paintings.

African and Oceanic Sculpture: Treasures from a Private Collection. Through July 3. The objects are mostly wood and terracotta, ranging from a miniature wooden mask from Zaire to a monumental yoruba veranda post from Nigeria.

Rubens, Bellange, Rembrandt: European Graphic Art, 1580-1660. Through Feb. 6. Ninety prints, drawings and illustrated books explore the rich variety and visual extravagance of European graphich art from the final phases of the Renaissance through the apogee of Baroque.

In and Out of Place: Contemporary Art and the American Social Landscape. Through Jan. 23. Explores representations of people, from the homeless to the wealthy, and the places they inhabit.

Deities, Saints, and Allegories: Late Antique and Coptic Textiles. Through March 6. Includes tapestries of full-length images and busts of Classical deities, saints and allegoric figures.

Movies

Brattle Theatre. 40 Brattle St., Harvard Square. 876-6837. "Riff Raff" at 4 and 8 p.m. and "High Hopes" at 5:50 and 9:45 on Thursday, Dec. 9. "Wings of Desire" at 3 and 7:40 on Friday and Saturday, Dec. 10 and 11. "Taxi Driver" at 5:30 and 10 on Friday and Saturday, Dec. 10 and 11, with a Saturday matinee at 1 p.m. "The African Queen" at 3:30 and 7:30 and "Summertime" at 1:30, 5:30 and 9:30 on Sunday, Dec. 12. "The Letter" at 4:15 and 7:45 and "Another Man's Poison" at 6 and 9:30 on Monday, Dec. 13. "Daughters of Darkness" at 4:15 and 7:40 and "The Velvet Vampire" at 6 and 9:30 on Tuesday, Dec. 14. "Zu: Warriors of the Magic Mountain" at 4, 6, 8 and 10 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 15.

Loews Fresh Pond. Fresh Pond Plaza. 661-2900. On Thursday, Dec. 9. "Age of Innocence" at 12:55, 3:45, 6:35 and 9:25. "The Three Musketeers" at 12:15, 3:10, 5:45, 8:15 and 10:35. "Carlito's Way" at 12:35, 4. 6:50 and 9:40. "We're Back" at 11:10 a.m., 1:10, 2:55, 4:40, 7 and 8:50. "Addams Family Values" at 11:20 a.m., 1:25, 4:15, 6:20 and 9:05. "The Nutcracker" at 11:50 a.m., 2:25 and 5:10. "Mrs. Doubtfire" at 11:35 a.m., 12:40, 2:10, 3:25, 4:55, 6, 7:35, 8:35 and 10:15. "A Perfect World" at 11 a.m., 1:45, 4:30, 7:15 and 10. "My Life" at 12, 2:40, 5:30, 7:55 and 10:25. "Man's Best Friend" at 7:25.

Loews Harvard Square. 10 Church St., Cambridge. 864-4580. On Thursday, Dec. 9. "Farewell My Concubine" at 12:15, 3:15, 6:45 and 10. "The Joy Luck club" at 12, 3, 6:10 and 9:15. "The Piano" at 11:30 a.m., 2, 4:30, 7:15, 10:15 and 12:30 a.m. "Remains of the Day" at 12:30, 3:50, 7, 9:45 and 12:15 a.m. "The Nightmare Before Christmas" at 11:45 a.m., 1:30, 3:30, 5:30, 7:30, 9:30 and 11:30. "Rocky Horror" at 12:35 a.m. on weekends.

Loews Janus. 57 JFK St., Harvard Square. 661-3737. On Thursday, Dec. 9. "Short Cuts" at 12:30, 4:30 and 8:30.

Talk

U.S. Foreign Policy and the Current Crisis in Haiti. Author and MIT professor Noam Chomsky. Kresge auditorium, MIT. Monday, Dec. 13 at 7 p.m. $5 suggested donation at the door.

Theatre

A Christmas Carol. Through Dec. 23. Presented by the Huntington Theatre Company to benefit Globe Santa. $22-$39. 264 Huntington Ave., Boston. Call 931-ARTS for tickets.

Forever Plaid. Indefinite run. In Stuart Ross's tribute to the "guy groups" of the '50s and '60s, the Plaids, a semi-pro harmony group killed on the eve of their first big-time gig, have come back from the dead to croon their tunes. Boston Park Plaza Hotel, 64 Arlington St., Boston. Call 357-8384 for more information.

Henry IV. By William Shakespeare. Through Jan. 2. A glorious compound of comedy, drama, and history, as seen through generational conflicts and civil strife. Through two parts, the events are played out against a background of colorful panoply and tumultuous battles. Loeb Drama Center, 64 Brattle St., Cambridge. 547-8300. $18-$42. Tuesday-Friday, 8 p.m. Saturday, 2 and 8 p.m. Sunday, 2 and 7 p.m.

Nunsense. Indefinite run. This Off Broadway musical revue has the Little Sisters of Hoboken putting on a talent show to finance the burial of 52 of their number inadvertently poisoned by the convent chef. Theatre Lobby, 216 Hanover St., Boston. Call 931-2000 for tickets and more information.

The Nutcracker. Through Jan. 2. Presented by the Boston Ballet. Wang Center, 270 Tremont St., Boston. $18-$56. Call 931-ARTS for tickets.

Shear Madness. Indefinite run. This audience-participant whodunit is about the murderer of a classical pianist who lived over the unisex hair salon where the show is set. Charles Playhouse, 74 Warrenton St., Boston. Call 426-5225 for tickets and more information.

You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown. Through Dec. 26. The classic family musical. Charles Playhouse, 76 Warrenton St., Boston.