Welcome to the Wednesday edition of the Big To-Do: Short Cuts, our midweek round-up of what’s going on around Boston, as selected by Boston Globe critics and writers.

Thursday

• Conan O’Brien and other stars celebrate the legacy of Mel Brooks in the new docuseries “The 99 Year Old Man!,” debuting on HBO.

• “University: A Reckoning” author Lee C. Bollinger joins WBUR’s “Morning Edition” host Tiziana Dearing for a chat at WBUR CitySpace.

Friday

• “Secret Mall Apartment,” the documentary about how a group of artists built a secret apartment inside the Providence Place Mall, is streaming on Netflix.

• “Free Solo” climber Alex Honnold attempts his latest feat, ascending Taipei 101, one of the world’s tallest buildings, in an event streaming live on Netflix.

• “Bitter Buddha” comic Eddie Pepitone takes the stage at the Comedy Studio in Cambridge.

Saturday

• The Grand Kyiv Ballet brings its production of “Swan Lake” to the Huntington Theatre.

• Berkshire County-based band Misty Blues brings its eclectic and soulful sound to City Winery.

• Miranda Lawson’s dance-comedy mashup “qUaRtEr LiFe cRy SiS” takes over Cambridge’s Dance Complex.

Sunday

• Maine native Patrick Dempsey stars in the new TV series “Memory of a Killer‚” premiering on Fox.

• Drum Tao puts an acrobatic spin on taiko drumming with the new show, “The Best,” at the Berklee Performance Center.

Ongoing

• “Kevin Kling: Unraveled” continues at Lowell’s Merrimack Repertory Theatre through Feb. 8.
• Explore the latest additions to the MFA’s Modern art collection.

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Thanks for reading our new Wednesday newsletter. Keep an eye out for Friday's regular Big To-Do email written by Marie Morris. Send comments to arts@globe.com.