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Wednesday, Oct. 19
WATCH: To Kill a Mockingbird
Revisit a high school English class staple, which has now become the highest-grossing American play. Broadway in Portland opens its 2022-23 season with Harper Lee’s enduring story of racial injustice and childhood innocence, set in 1934 Alabama. Aaron Sorkin’s stage adaptation of that novel centers on righteous lawyer Atticus Finch—played in New York first by Jeff Daniels and then Greg Kinnear—has consistently played to full houses since it opened. That will likely be the case with its local run, since Emmy Award winner Richard Thomas now stars in the touring production. Get your tickets now before they sell out. Keller Auditorium, 222 SW Clay St., 503-248-4335, portland.broadway.com. 7:30 pm Wednesday-Friday, 2 and 7:30 pm Saturday, 1 and 6:30 pm Sunday, through Oct. 23. $34.75-$134.75.
Thursday, Oct. 20
LISTEN: Bobby Torres Quartet
Happy hour at Lovely Rita just got a little more jazzy thanks to the gentle, percussion-driven sounds of the Bobby Torres Quartet. A 40-year veteran of the Portland jazz scene, bandleader Torres has an impressive résumé that includes performing at Woodstock with Joe Cocker, 10 years of touring with Tom Jones, and induction into the Oregon Music Hall of Fame. While you listen to the Latin-influenced soundtrack, don’t sleep on the martini and half-dozen oyster special, which is only five bucks. Lovely Rita, 15 NW 4th Ave., 503-770-0500, thehoxton.com. 5-7 pm Thursday, Oct. 20. $15.
Friday, Oct. 21
LAUGH: Talk of the Town
Part current events debrief, part improv show, Talk of the Town is one way to catch up on the local headlines, but funnier than your typical local news broadcast. Special guests with a variety of interests—from food to art to leadership—provide updates about their latest projects, then Curious Comedy’s team of pros use those stories to create sketches on the spot. The Annex at Curious Comedy Theater, 5225 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., 503-477-9477, curiouscomedy.org/shows. 7:30-9 pm Friday, Oct. 21. $15.
LISTEN: Marco Benevento With William Tyler
Mark Benevento is said to have done “brutal things to a baby grand.” Find out what that may look and sound like when the acclaimed keyboardist comes to Doug Fir for two nights of performances. His genre-defying tunes have received rave reviews over the course of his seven-studio-album career, celebrated for their sense of joy, grace and weirdness. Doug Fir Lounge, 830 E Burnside St., 503-231-9663, dougfirlounge.com. 9 pm Friday-Saturday, Oct. 21-22. $17. 21+.
WATCH: Wendell & Wild
Sorry, Laika! You’re not the only game in town when it comes to Portland-area animation. Netflix built a brand-new studio in Milwaukie to make this film by acclaimed stop-motion animation director Henry Selick (Coraline and Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas, which, title notwithstanding, was directed by Selick, not Burton). It’s a tale of scheming demons (is there any other kind?) featuring the voices of Keegan-Michael Key, Jordan Peele and Angela Bassett. Hollywood Theatre, 4122 NE Sandy Blvd., 503- 493-1128, hollywoodtheatre.org. Multiple showtimes Friday-Thursday, Oct. 21-27. $7-$10.
WATCH: 101 Extraordinarily Awful & Truly Terrible Ways to Die (in one night)
Experience Theatre Project is known to bring fast-paced humor to its productions, and 101 Extraordinarily Awful & Truly Terrible Ways to Die (in one night) promises to be no different. The Monty Python-esque collection of dark comedy skits promises 101 reenactments of some of the most cringeworthy ways to kick the bucket. Self-described “overly educated idiots” will lead the show, which also features audience participation bits, deadly game shows, and the Grim Reaper himself. Beaverton Masonic Lodge, 4690 SW Watson Ave., Beaverton, 503-568-1765, experiencetheatreproject.org. 6 pm Friday-Saturday, Oct. 21-22 and 28-29. $35-$92.50. 21+.
Saturday, Oct. 22
GO: Portland Oddities & Curiosities Expo
The organizers behind the Oddities & Curiosities Expo characterize it as a gathering of all things weird (that are legal to own) from around the country. Expect taxidermy, preserved specimens, antiques, quack medical devices, creepy clothing, odd jewelry, animal skulls, funeral collectibles—the list goes on and on. There’s really something for everyone, whether you’re one of those guys who drives around in a hearse and is generally strange, or you’re simply looking for a unique experience. For an extra fee, you can take the Two Headed Duckling Taxidermy Class or tour the Museum of Marvelous Mutations (allegedly “The World’s Largest Traveling Freak Show”). Oregon Convention Center, 777 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., odditiesandcuriositiesexpo.com. 10 am-6 pm Saturday, Oct. 22. $10-$15.
Sunday, Oct. 23
WATCH: Home Is Somewhere Else
As anyone who has seen modern classics like Ari Folman’s Waltz With Bashir and Brett Morgan’s Chicago 10 knows, animation can be a powerful tool for a documentary. The latest testament to that underappreciated truth is Home Is Somewhere Else, in which directors Jorge Villalobos and Carlos Hagerman invite audiences into the souls of undocumented families. Best of all, the film is voiced by actual children and their families, with spoken word poet José Eduardo Aguilar (also known as Lalo “El Deportee”) serving as host and MC. Screens as part of the Portland Latin American Film Festival. Hollywood Theatre, 4122 NE Sandy Blvd., 503-493-1128, hollywoodtheatre.org. 3 pm Sunday, Oct. 23. $8-$10.
