THURSDAY

(image via Becca Bernard / Facebook)

Clown Cabaret
Thursday, September 20 at The Brick, 7 pm: $20

Ah, clowns. Perhaps one of the most misunderstood performance mediums, they’re most commonly thought of as just a strange part of circuses (or horror films), wearing red noses, white face paint, and large shoes. I just had a strange recollection of a time my mom volunteered to be a clown at my preschool or something, and she did in fact have to wear large floppy shoes. But it’s not always this way! Come see the many ways clowns can exist at an all-clown cabaret at The Brick in Williamsburg on Thursday night, presented as part of The Clown Theater Festival. There will be music, comedy, and other varieties of clownlike performance. Will everyone be wearing a red nose or will someone be subversive and spring for a different color? Only one way to find out.

FRIDAY

(image via The Special Without Brett Davis / Facebook)

The Special Without Brett Davis Season 3 Kickoff Party
Friday, September 21 at Brooklyn Bazaar, 10 pm: $35 ($15 off with code ‘onedayfunday’)

If you didn’t know, it’s currently the Brooklyn Comedy Festival. Also, everyone’s favorite weekly late-night public access comedy variety show The Special Without Brett Davis is going to start up again in February following a summer hiatus. Put those two together and what do you get? This live show at Brooklyn Bazaar, which features a slew of The Special’s regular performers, like Chris Gethard, Sally Burtnick, Lorelei Ramirez, and Nick Naney, as well as some additional special guests, such as musician Luxardo. If you buy a festival badge for this night, you can also see a podcast taping by Catherine Cohen and Steven Markow and a show from Joe Pera and Conner O’Malley called Thank You Viacom!, as well as maybe even other shows if you can figure out how to be in two places at once.

SATURDAY

(photo: Sam Burriss)

Alien Nation
September 22-October 6 at Paradise Factory, 7:30 pm (10/3-4 at 7 pm): $20-30

Talk of life on Mars is becoming more and more real lately. While yes, chatter nowadays is more likely to refer to Elon Musk’s plan to relocate himself (and other very rich people) there once Earth becomes inhospitable and those who aren’t swimming in cash are presumably left to fend for themselves, it’s also still possible that the wealthy will arrive on Mars and be greeted by a crop of extra-terrestrials who don’t know what a start-up is and don’t wish to find out. If you’re a believer, you might be intrigued by Alien Nation, a “live, immersive alien movie” by the company Nightdrive beginning Saturday in the East Village. While some aliens are painted as villains, these have more noble pursuits: they take over the bodies of “terrible” college seniors in order to make them better people. The immersive element means audience members are cast as extras in the show, so be prepared.

SUNDAY

(image courtesy of Shark Party Media)

Adrienne Truscott’s A One-Trick Pony
Sunday, September 23 at Joe’s Pub, 9:30 pm: $15

Back at the beginning of August, we told you about performance artist Adrienne Truscott’s latest live creation, which involves wrestling, Andy Kaufman homages, mediation on one’s own bad reviews, and explorations of what exactly it means to do comedy as a woman and/or feminist. It probably won’t do the latter the way Nanette did, so whether you liked that or not this will probably be way different! Also, human horse tails seem to be involved. I cannot say whether or not they are the butt plug kind. If you missed Adrienne Truscott’s A One-Trick Pony, or if you saw it before and liked it so much you miss seeing it and want to see it again, well, you’re in luck. It’s coming back for one more night on Sunday.