THEATER A musical about mental illness? It can be done—and done well. Alice Ripley reprises her Tony-winning role as a bipolar mother wreaking havoc on her family in Next to Normal, opening tonight at 5th Avenue Theatre. Thru Mar 13.

On stage at the Moore: A wickedly funny stage adaptation of C. S. Lewis’s 1942 parable The Screwtape Letters, which follows the young demon Wormwood, tasked by “Our Father Below” to coax a human to the dark side. Feb 26.

VISUAL ART Explore America through the eyes of Norman Rockwell. A traveling exhibition of his work—more than 300 Saturday Evening Post covers and 44 paintings—arrive this weekend at Tacoma Art Museum. Feb 26-May 30.

OPERA Jules Massenet’s tragicomic Don Quixote makes its Seattle Opera debut. There’s one more chance to win tickets—just check out the Opera’s scavenger hunt. Feb 26-Mar 12.

CONCERT Fresh off his Asian tour, Eric Clapton returns to Seattle with a new studio album—Clapton, his 19th solo record—and guest Los Lobos. Feb 26.

Someone’s stock is rising: Seattle hip-hop act Macklemore and Ryan Lewis sold out two nights at Showbox at the Market (Feb 25 & 27), with Grieves with Budo, The Physics, and Sol opening. But you can still get tickets to see New York gypsy punk trio Balkan Beat Box, the project of ex-Gogol Bordello member Tamir Muskat, at Showbox. Feb 26.

CLASSICAL & MORE Seattle Symphony goes ‘beyond the score’ of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, with a multimedia presentation on the violin concertos’ history before the performance at Benaroya Hall. Feb 27.

ACADEMY AWARDS We have tips on three Seattle area Oscar parties, where you can watch the awards with other glamorous cinephiles. Prizes go to the best George Clooney lookalike. Feb 27.

FILM John Woo’s 2008 blockbuster Red Cliff —an epic dramatization of the Battle of Red Cliffs and the end of the Han Dynasty—clocked in at five hours, so it was trimmed to half that length for its U.S. release. (Damn our limited attention spans!) This Friday, enjoy the film in its entirety on the big screen at SIFF. Feb 25.