Performance Picks: Bats N’ Rats, Comedy Music Fest, + More

WEDNESDAY

Little Gross Guys: An Evening of Comedy About Bats and Rats
Wednesday, August 9 at Babycastles, 8 pm: $5

The last time I saw Joe Rumrill and Andrew Tisher pay tribute to quirky creatures, it was at Little Green Guys: An Evening of Comedy About Frogs and Lizards. Though sadly no actual frogs or lizards were in attendance, the show went swimmingly (do lizards swim?) and it appears they are continuing on with this charming theme. This time around, they’re dedicating it to the little guys often misunderstood or feared by the human species: bats and rats.

The two hosts have assembled a mighty group to sing the praises and oddities of these furry and beady-eyed critters. Expect creative concoctions of all sorts from Patti Harrison, Ike Ufomadu, Alyssa Stohona, Phil Meister, Brian Fiddyment, and Joey Dundale. This may be the only time you see someone screaming at the sight of a rat in a positive and encouraging way. I was once walking and a rat scurried across the sidewalk and ran straight into my boot on his way to his destination. Maybe he was heading, slowly but surely, to this show.

THURSDAY

ReconFIGUREd
August 9-12 at University Settlement, 8 pm: $15

Whether you know it personally or not, traversing through this slowly melting earth when you’re not a cis dude is going to be tricky. The cast of Honest Accomplice Theater’s ReconFIGUREd know this well, as the ensemble is comprised of 12 individuals who identify as women or trans. The show focuses primarily on the body and how a marginalized body is perceived and understood, both by the people who inhabit the bodies and those around them. It’s still sadly rare, especially in more commercial ventures, to see media featuring the stories of marginalized people told by those very same people, but supporting work that does could encourage more of it.

FRIDAY

run.
August 11-12 at Point Green, 9 pm: $15 students, $20 general admission

Up near the G where the Points are Green, dancer-poet duo and real-life couple Nia & Ness will be unveiling their first longform performance piece, entitled run. The duo’s work is powerful and poignant; typically Ness delivers firm poetic words about issues they face both as a black lesbian couple and individually as two different queer black women, while Nia dances passionately. The only performances I’ve seen Nia & Ness do so far have ran at around 10-15 minutes, but thanks to a space grant from BAX, they’ve gone above and beyond with this more expansive show that clocks in at around an hour ten.

As part of the experience, there will be a pre-show pop-up exhibition on view, created by the couple in collaboration with Moth Dust, Muhammad Floyd, and Emanie Antonette. Intended to set the tone for the show, it includes glimpses of their domestic life together.

SATURDAY

Duality
Saturday, August 12 at GAMBA Forest, 6:30 pm: $5 suggested donation

Sometimes when you go to a show, you want to see more than one type of thing. Which is fair, seeing as nuclear war could be imminent, who knows. The least you could ask for is the mingling of artistic disciplines during a night out. If you happen to be around Greenpoint this Saturday evening, you can experience just that at this night of visual art, poetry, performance art, music, Tarot, and more. Some highlights include a “vulva performance” by Naomi Elena Ramirez, “sadistic circus vibes” by Sella Malin, and songs about food, which in my opinion are much better than songs about people.

SUNDAY

Sex, Drugs, and Comedy: A Comedy Music Festival
Sunday, August 13 at The Footlight, 8 pm: $10

As I discussed with Tessa Skara when we chatted recently, comedic music is rather difficult to get right. In fact, there’s a lot of bad comedy music out there. You’ve heard it. I’ve heard it. We’ve all heard it. But this Sunday, you can experience a show that seeks to show you all some music, comedy, and comedic music all in one place. Coincidentally, those are also the three genders.

The show is hosted by Skara and her rock band, and they will be performing songs from her autobiographical show Rock Goddess in between “music-inspired” comedy acts from Eudora Peterson, Ana Fabrega, Jaboukie Young-White, Arti Gollapudi, Lena Einbinder, Free the Mind, and Peter Smith, plus the last-ever performance by the band Gandor Chorale. I was going to make a joke about how this is the Woodstock of 2017, and Joni Mitchell’s song Woodstock just started playing on my Spotify. That must be a sign of something.