This is one of those weeks. Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and a bit into Sunday there are simply too many things to do! Oh Rochester, why can't you spread your events in a more random distribution?

Thursday, September 27

• Today at 12:15 p.m. on Nextstage at Geva is a Lunchtime Reading of After Magritte by Tom Stoppard, directed by Bruce Jordan. According to Geva's site, "can the eccentric Harris family help Chief Inspector Foot get to the bottom of the Crippled Minstrel Caper without implicating themselves?" [source: Geva Theatre ticket website, 2012-Sep-25]
• This evening from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. in Kate Gleason Auditorium at the Rundel Library, English professor Stephanie Li and political science professor Valeria Sinclair-Chapman will lead a discussion on The Role of Race in American Politics. [source: Friends & Foundation of the Rochester Public Library e-mail, 2012-Sep-19]
• Tonight at 6 p.m. at the Eastman House is a Wish You Were Here Lecture with Todd McGrain on The Lost Bird Project, on display on the grounds of the Eastman House. [source: Eastman House calendar, 2012-Sep-25]
• Tonight at 7 p.m. on Nextstage at Geva is the premiere performance of 44 Plays for 44 Presidents — 44 two-minute plays, one for each president of the United States. Performances run through October 6. [source: Geva Theatre ticket website, 2012-Sep-25]
• Don Hall will speak on Louis Comfort Tiffany: His Life and Work tonight at 7 p.m. at the MAG as part of the In Company with Angels lecture series and show. [source: MAG website, 2012-Sep-25]
• Tonight at 8 p.m. and on Sunday at 5 p.m., the Dryden is screening Animal House (John Landis, US 1978, 109 min.), the only college comedy you will need to see. [source: Dryden website, 2012-Sep-25]
• Starting around 9 p.m. at the Bug Jar is Ed Downey's Birthday Show, presumably with Ed and his friends and regular conspirators performing. [source: Bug Jar calendar, 2012-Sep-25]

Friday, September 28

• Over at Abilene, starting early at 6 p.m. is "bluegrass/old-time music with local trio" The Windsor Folk Family, then at 9:30 p.m. it's the "bluegrass/jug band" Ruckus Juice Stompers. [source: Abilene e-mail, 2012-Sep-24]
• Tonight through Sunday at 8 p.m. at the MuCCC are performances of Jagadamba by Ramdas Bhatkal. From their website:
  

  'Jagadamba' is essentially a one-woman play, in two acts. The title 'Jagadamba' refers to the Mother of the Universe. Although the play looks at Mahatma Gandhi and history from the viewpoint of his wife Kasturba, it is essentially her story- the story of a simple uneducated woman, who is thrust into circumstances far beyond anyone's expectations, and, who becomes a source of inspiration and comfort to one of the greatest men to live on this planet.

  [source: MuCCC website, 2012-Sep-25]

• At the Dryden tonight at 8 p.m. is a screening of Compliance (Craig Zobel, US 2012, 90 min.) Here's the Eastman House's description:
  

  The disturbing true story of a prank call delivered to a fast food restaurant comes to life in Craig Zobel's (The Great World of Sound) controversial new film. Night manager Sandra — convinced that the police have fingered one of her employees — falls victim to the persuasive and commanding voice on the phone. Grimly depicting human readiness to obey higher authority, Zobel's provocative film is a sure conversation-starter.

  [source: Dryden website, 2012-Sep-25]

• Over at the Bug Jar tonight starting around 9 p.m. is ROC_CHIP_23 featuring Animal Style, great one-man-band with chiptune vocoder BC Likes You, Fowls, and SBthree. [source: Bug Jar calendar, 2012-Sep-25]

Saturday, September 29

• The UofR Cinema Group is screening Magic Mike (110 min.) this evening at 7 p.m. (and at 9:15 p.m. and 11:30 p.m.) in Hoyt Auditorium. From their description:
  

  Set in the world of male strippers, Magic Mike is directed by Steven Soderbergh and stars Channing Tatum in a story inspired by his real life. The film follows Mike (Tatum) as he takes a young dancer called The Kid (Pettyfer) under his wing and schools him in the fine arts of partying, picking up women, and making easy money.

  [source: UofR website events calendar, 2012-Sep-25]

• Meanwhile the Dryden is screening a completely different kind of film at 8 p.m. and again on Sunday at 2 p.m.: Annie Hall (Woody Allen, US 1977, 93 min.) Here's their description of this new 35mm print:
  

  Coming between the jokey parody of Love and Death and the dour, Bergmaneqsue Interiors, this four-time Oscar-winner (including Best Picture) strikes the perfect balance between flat-out comedy and genuine pathos. It may also be Allen's finest film. He stars as a neurotic Jewish comedian who obsesses over what went wrong in his relationship with a kooky shiksa (Diane Keaton, Allen's real-life ex). The autobiographical elements have been widely noted but, according to Allen, greatly exaggerated.

  [source: Dryden website, 2012-Sep-25]

• John Brown's Body, wicked fun, saxophone-driven, percussive groove-rock band The BuddhaHood, and great reggae-ska/groove-rock band Nevergreen will perform tonight at Water Street Music Hall starting around 9 p.m. [source: JamBase calendar, 2012-Sep-25]
• However, I'll more likely head to Abilene for their show starting around 9 p.m. with good acoustic soloist Nick Young followed by Ghost Country which they comment, "think Traffic, Steve Winwood, Mark Knopfler, Talking Heads". Ok, sounds good to me. [source: Abilene e-mail, 2012-Sep-24]

Sunday, September 30

• Today starting at 1 p.m. at Skylark (40 S. Union St., formerly Muthers) is Give Your Love to Chopstix Waits — a fundraiser for her parents to cover the funeral expenses from her death last month. [source: City Newspaper events calendar, 2012-Sep-25]
• M.K. Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence is hosting a Gandhi Birthday Party today from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. [source: Restorative Rochester Yahoo! Group, 2012-Sep-4]
• This evening from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Lori's Natural Foods is A Taste of Lori's, an annual fundraiser for All4PetsWNY and The Crisis Nursery of Greater Rochester [source: Lori's flyer, 2012-Sep-10]
• Over at the Bug Jar starting around 9 p.m. is Dear Rabbit, Dream Girls, THIN HYMNS, fantastic, subdued "gypsy folk" from The Pickpockets, and Crushing Something. [source: Bug Jar calendar, 2012-Sep-25]

Monday, October 1

• The Bug Jar is hosting really great sounding acoustic trio Baby Shark, Nick Walter, and very good, natural-styled acoustic soloist Peter House starting around 9 p.m. [source: Bug Jar calendar, 2012-Sep-25]

Tuesday, October 2

• Today from 12:12 p.m. to 12:52 p.m. in the Kate Gleason Auditorium in the Rundel Library, Katherine Mayberry will review Home by Toni Morrison. [source: Friends of the Public Library e-mail, 2012-Sep-7]
• Updated:This evening at 7 p.m. at Writers and Books, Jeffrey Koch will discuss How Political Scientist[sic] Understand American Elections. [source: Writers and Books flyer, 2012-Oct-2]
• Updated:This evening from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Little Cafe is Authors Aloud featuring Patricia Roth Schwartz, and Jacob Rakovan. [source: Little Theatre e-mail, 2012-Sep-28]
• Tonight at 8 p.m. at the Dryden is Mr. Fix-It (Allan Dwan, US 1918, 50 min.) Tempting fate, the Dryden will run this "new Eastman House restoration made from the sole surviving print" through their projectors. It's also Member's Movie Night, so if you're a member, it's free. Oh, and here's what they have to say about this silent treat:
  

  Future swashbuckler Douglas Fairbanks became one of the world's great screen personalities with a series of buoyant comedies that epitomized American optimism and verve by showcasing Fairbanks's unique charm and compulsive athleticism. This film has Fairbanks impersonating a friend to get him out of an arranged marriage and finding his own girl and surprises along the way.

  [source: Dryden website, 2012-Sep-25]

• Apparently Dragonfly Tavern has Tuesday Night Trivia, you know, tonight. Probably something like 9 p.m. [source: Dragonfly Tavern facebook page, 2012-Sep-25]

Wednesday, October 3

• The Dryden is screening Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (Frank Capra, US 1939, 129 min.) tonight at 8 p.m. Again from the calendar:
  

  Anyone who equates "Capraesque" with "corny" or "naively idealistic" may be surprised by the clear-eyed, pessimistic tone of this political comedy about a country-rube-turned-US senator (James Stewart) who singlehandedly faces down a corrupt political machine. After a prerelease screening in Washington, it was even condemned as being anti-American and pro-Communist. Guided by Capra's sure hand, Stewart's performance — particularly his celebrated filibuster scene — made him a major star.

  [source: Dryden website, 2012-Sep-25]

• Really good blues-charged rock from Buford and Smokin' Section performs tonight at Dinosaur starting around 10 p.m. [source: Dinosaur Bar-B-Que website, 2012-Sep-25]