“One Night With Janis Joplin” at Arena Stage is not a musical, and it’s not a play. Instead, says Mary Bridget Davies, who plays Joplin, it’s more akin to a concert. “We want you to clap and laugh at things you think are funny. It’s two and a half hours when you can forget about everything else,” she said.

Davies, who has gotten rave reviews for her interpretation of Joplin, is said to be “channeling” the Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll, an image that’s helped by the fact that she sings with the remaining members of Joplin’s original band, Big Brother and the Holding Co.