Little Green Guys, 5-Hour Durationals, and More Performance Picks

WEDNESDAY

Little Green Guys: An Evening of Comedy About Frogs and Lizards
Wednesday, May 10 at Babycastles, 8 pm: $5

First of all, I don’t know what I can say about this show that will make it any more appealing than the title already makes it. Little green guys! Why make jokes about people and places when you can make them about frogs and lizards. They’re small, they’re wacky, and they’re one of a kind. A grand old lineup of people will be stopping by to wax comedic about these green-hued critters, including Jo Firestone, Lorelei Ramirez, Annie Donley, Anthony Oberbeck, Carmen Christopher, The Junk Bros, and more, plus your amphibian-and-reptile-loving hosts Joe Rumrill and Andrew Tisher.

The only thing that would make this show better is if actual frogs and lizards made their way up the steps to Babycastles, clambered up the mic stands, and croaked out their own jokes and humorous musings. I guess we will just have to wait for the sequel to see that.

THURSDAY

Fail Better
Thursday, May 11 at The Tank, 9:30 pm: $12

Sometimes you want to see bands. Sometimes you want to see readings. Sometimes you want to see plays. But sometimes, you want to see all the things at once and maybe even more things on top of that. Fear not, indecisive culture fiends, as this Thursday night you will be able to see so many things under one simple roof at this “pop-up micro theater” experience. There’ll be sketch comedy, storytelling, music on banjos and ukuleles, short plays, dance, and even a musical about musicals based on campy classic films.

Yes, it’s in Midtown, but there will also be beer and popcorn. So uh… pretend you’re at a local dive bar? Plus, it’s aesthetically inspired by old vaudeville theaters, and we could all use a good dose of escapism right now.

FRIDAY

Heartbreak Hotel
Friday, May 12 at Grace Exhibition Space, 7 pm: $10 suggested donation

Durational performance art may not always be the most thrilling thing for someone with a not-so-great attention span. You are expected to watch something for a very, very long time. Sure, you can drop in and out, but you will know the same thing will still be happening. Grace Exhibition Space’s latest offering takes durational performance to a new level of stimulus, showcasing many different durational works at the same time over the course of the same night. So many things to look at!

Performance and video/installation artists alike will be flocking to Grace Space to show their work over the stretches of many hours (five to be exact), including choreographer Sigrid Lauren of FlucT, Spanish conceptual artist Camila Cañeque, photographer Jacob Winians, and more.

SATURDAY

Performancy Forum: night terrors, sandwiches, and dream logics
Saturday, May 13 at Panoply Performance Laboratory, 7 pm: FREE

If you weren’t able to make the long durational night or just want some more offbeat performance art, trot yourself on over to Panoply Lab this Saturday for the latest installment of their Performancy Forum series. This time around, four different artists will be showing work, and one of the pieces being performed is entitled “Night Sandwich.” Folks, I am hungry.

Anyway, expect to see creations from Brooklyn-based multimedia performance artist Quinn Dukes, Japan-born and New England-raised interdisciplinary artist Diane Dwyer, the duo of C Tara and David Gladden showing a piece exploring surveillance and paranoia, and Ayana M. Evans, who created a laminated sign declaring “I just came here to find a husband” and wore it at public events.

SUNDAY

The Truth About Pangaea II Release Party
Sunday, May 14 at Knockdown Center, 7:30 pm: FREE

What is Pangea, really? No, like, what is it, honestly? You may think you know, but comedian Ana Fabrega seems to insist you actually do not. With the help of Social Malpractice Publishing, she has written an entire book investigating just this and will be releasing it at this performance launch party event. It is not particularly hard to find things to yell about when it comes to the humble planet we call home nowadays, but you can trust that she will find some unexpected reasons.

Fabrega hasn’t made the book entirely by herself, as a team of funny folk have contributed a variety of illustrations. She also won’t be putting on the whole release party alone; joining her in performance will be Erin Schwartz, Max Wittert, Lorelei Ramirez, Sean J Patrick Carney, Elizaveta Shneyderman, and Steve Girard, all of which helped make the book a reality.