Cheapskate’s Guide to Boston Summer: Week of July 25

July has been good to us, cheapskates, and I know it’s often hard to say goodbye. But there are 11 other fish in the Gregorian sea, and it’s not fair to August to lollygag. As we keep vigil over July’s final hours, I think you’ll agree that the most honorable thing we could do is to leech as much free and/or cheapish goodness as humanly possible out of what remains. It’s what July would have wanted.

Brookline Parks and Rec's summer movie series walks the plank with "The Pirates of Penzance"

Monday, July 25

Brookline Parks and Rec wraps  up its swashbuckling Summer in the Parks Outdoor Film Series tonight with Angela Lansbury in the rollicking film adaptation of The Pirates of Penzance (1983) at Devotion School Field, 345 Harvard Street near Coolidge Corner.

Tuesday, July 26

Does Tuesday seem like it’s been a little uppity lately? Maybe it’s too good to partake in such lowly peasantries as free merriment. Bit of a prig, to be frank. Standbys are still fresh, in any case.

Wednesday, July 27

Shakespeare on the Common kicks off tonight as the Commonwealth Shakespeare Company presents All’s Well that Ends Well at the Parkmand Bandstand. The Bard will grace the Common each Tuesday through Saturday beginning at 8 PM until August 14, in addition to Sunday performances at 7 PM.

The all-free-all-the-time Boston Landmarks Orchestra presents Vivaldi selections tonight at the Esplanade Hatch Shell at 7 PM. Each week the Landmarks Orchestra features world-renowned guest musicians in addition to the core populist instrumentalists performing alfresco.

Improv Boston’s Comedy Lab puts the finishing touches on its July lab reports this week, wrapping up the apt pairing of “The Angriest Show in the World” with “Pretty Pretty Princess Prov.”  Students get in for $5 (plus there’s usually free karaoke afterward).

French horror comedy "Rubber" comes to the Brattle

Harvard Square’s Brattle Theatre tops its recent double feature offerings with sequential showings of Rubber (2010) and Super (2010), respectively about a telekinetic and megalomaniacal tire (as in a Goodyear) and a DIY super-anti-hero (played by Rainn Wilson). Students score entrance to both for $7.75 — Super plays at 5:30 and 9:30 PM, sandwiching Rubber at 7:30.

Thursday, July 28

Et tu, Thursday? Be you like your comrade Tues, so haughty and usurious? Fear not, cheapskates, I’m sure Thursday is just a bit under the weather. Since opening night of Shakespeare on the Common is sure to be packed, a one-off show on Thursday might be all the wiser.

Friday, July 29

The Highland Street Foundation’s Free Fun Fridays sets its sights on the Boston Children’s Museum this week. Cast awkwardness and “maturity” to the wind and relish the three-story (only semi-adult-friendly) maze, bubble room and kindergarten prep exhibit. On second thought, skip that last one.

Raise your butterbeers and pumpkin juice to the Best Harry Potter Party EVER (Part 2) this Friday in Harvard

Listen, cheapies, I’ve done my best to restrain my fanboy tendencies throughout the past couple of weeks through the premiere of HP7.2. But sometimes the nerdgasm sneaks up on you, and restraint is futile. Such was my reaction when I first got wind of Harvard Square’s Best Harry Potter Party EVER (Part 2), tonight from 7 to 10 PM on Brattle Street. Wizard rockers Harry and the Potters face off against Draco and the Malfoys, all prefaced by hip hop house elf MC Kreacher and accentd by special Potter deals around the Square.  The Quibbler is already calling this a Norwegian Ridgeback of a throwdown (lacy dress robes optional).

Or, you know, Free Friday Flicks at the Esplanade Hatch Shell continues at sundown with How to Train Your Dragon (2010). Accio Wet Blanket.

Saturday, July 30

Somerville Arts Council hosts the Boston Handmade Marketplace in Union Square from 3 to 7 PM, with over 30 local artisans hawking all manner of homespun and handcrafted wares, plus live music and craft demonstrations besides.

MIT tempts you Cambridge-wise with its free Asian Street Food Festival tonight from7:30 to 10 PM at the Sidney Pacific building. Sample gratis offerings from Chinese, Korean, Japanese and Singaporean delegations.

Pru’s Family Film Festival brings Shrek Forever After (2010) to the South Garden at sundown.

Sunday, July 21

The Charles River Conservancy presents the third annual Sunday Parkland Games all afternoon from 2 to 6 PM in Allston’s Herter Park. Planned activities include frisbee, bocce, badminton, horseshoes, paddle ball and more, all without any registration or entrance fee required. The events culminate in true Allston style with a community yoga session (also free) from 5 to 6 PM.

If you missed the Boston Landmarks Orchestra on Wednesday, they’ll be hitting up Jamaica Pond at 6 PM with a mix of Tchaikovsky, Mendelssohn, Vivaldi and a slew of other copy-and-pasted names.

About Shawn Musgrave

Shawn Musgrave is a senior studying economics and global development.

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