FEATURED EVENT
ROCK
Claire Nelson, Damian Driscoll, Steve Johnson and the Forgotten Souls, Nails Hide Metal
9 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 3
Ash Street Saloon
$5, 21+
UPDATE: According to Ash Street Saloon’s official Facebook page, Ash Street Saloon will have shows through Dec. 31. A previous version of this article stated that the Dec. 3 show was Ash Street Saloon’s final show. Portland State Vanguard regrets the error.
Tuesday, Nov. 28
COMEDY
Willamette Week‘s Funniest 5 Showcase
6 p.m.
Alberta Rose Theatre
$10, all ages
JoAnn Schinderle, Milan Patel, Tim Ledwith, Becky Braunstein and Marcus Coleman perform as Willamette Week‘s Top 5 Funniest Comedians of 2017.
FILM
Alligator (1980)
7:30 p.m.
Hollywood Theatre
$7–9, all ages
A blood-thirsty alligator breaks out of the Chicago sewer system and wreaks havoc on the streets and swimming pools, which, if you think about it, sounds like a class system allegory.
ROCK
The Used, Glassjaw
8 p.m.
Roseland Theater
$32–47, 21+
The Used tour in support of their new album The Canyon.
Wednesday, Nov. 29
COMEDY
A John Waters Christmas
7 p.m.
Aladdin Theater
$40–115, all ages
The King of Filth himself, John Waters, returns to Portland for his holiday standup/storytelling series.
FILM
Last Days in Havana (Últimos días en La Habana) (2016)
7:30 p.m.
Hollywood Theatre
$7–9, all ages
Part of the Portland Latin-American Film Festival. From the copy: “Miguel (Patricio Wood) takes care of the bedridden Diego (Jorge Martinez), who is living with HIV. The two friends scrape by as Miguel plans on leaving for the US, but when Diego’s condition deteriorates, Miguel is trapped in a quandary and struggles to figure out his future.”
CABARET
The Boffo Follies
9 p.m.
Dante’s
$10, 21+
Asimov Atomsmasher and Richie Stratton host a vaudeville revue with burlesque, drag, circus, standup comedy, belly dance and more.
DANCE PARTY
Venus in Furs: A Darkly Erotic Goth Dance Party
9 p.m.
The Know
Free, 21+
DJs Aurora and Mizmargo play sexy goth music while psychic Daniellea Rahne performs tarot card readings.
Thursday, Nov. 30
FILM
The Disaster Artist (2017)
6:45 p.m. (through Dec. 7)
Cinema 21
$7–9.25, all ages
Dramatic retelling of the story about the creation of The Room, a cult classic dubbed the worst movie of the 21st century, and maybe of all time. Starring James Franco as The Room‘s writer/director/producer/lead actor, Tommy Wiseau.
THEATER
Belfast Girls
7:30 p.m. (through Dec. 10)
Shaking the Tree Theatre
$20–25, all ages
Corrib Contemporary Irish Theatre presents a play based on true historical accounts about five women who think they are seeking better lives in Australia to escape the Irish Potato Famine, but find they’re being displaced by the British government.
THEATER
An Act of God
7:30 p.m. (through Dec. 16)
Triangle Productions
$15–35, all ages
God (Norman Wilson) answers mankind’s toughest questions.
Friday, Dec. 1
SPORTS
Heartless Heathers vs. Lava City Roller Dolls
7 p.m.
The Hangar at Oak’s Park
$14–20, all ages
It’s Portland vs. Bend in the Rose City Roller Derby league.
ART RECEPTION
Fill the Void | Taylor Partee x Katie Beasley
7 p.m.
One Grand Gallery
Free, all ages
Illustrator Taylor Partee and typographer Katie Beasley present collaborative and standalone pieces that the press release describes as warped, dynamic, aloof and eerie.
THEATER
Die Hard: The Parody Musical
7 p.m. (through Dec. 30)
Funhouse Lounge
$15–85, 21+
Director Andy Barrett turns the classic Bruce Willis movie into a Christmas-themed musical parody that was, if we’re being honest, probably inspired by the 2014 Bob’s Burgers episode about dueling Working Girl and Die Hard musicals.
HIP-HOP
Azizi Gibson, Sammi Boi, Samuel the 1st, Lord Lawrence
8 p.m.
Hawthorne Theatre
$18.50, all ages
The German-American headliner’s biography challenges traditional concepts of what it means to be an American. He comes to Portland on his I’m Good People tour.
THEATER
Every Christmas Story Ever Told (And Then Some)
8 p.m. (through Dec. 17)
Twilight Theater Company
$15–17, all ages
Three performers perform as many Christmas stories as they can, mashing up Dickens with 20th and 21st century stories.
DANCE PARTY
PDX–Rated
9 p.m.
Bossanova Ballroom
$15, 21+
Portland’s most high-profile kink-and-fetish positive dance party, featuring numerous play areas, sexy go-go dancers and music from DJ Buckmaster.
FILM
Scrooged (1988)
9:30 p.m.
Hollywood Theatre
$7–9, all ages
Now almost 30 years old, Scrooged is a then-contemporary take on Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, with Scrooge as a TV executive played by Bill Murray.
DANCE PARTY
Bling Bling
10 p.m.
Holocene
$10, 21+
Tribute Night plays a curated list of early 2000s hip-hop.
Saturday, Dec. 2
THEATER
Cinderella
12 p.m. / 4 p.m. (through Jan. 1)
Northwest Children’s Theater & School
$13–25, all ages
Ezra Weiss’ version of the classic fairytale about child abuse, marrying into monarchy and beauty standards incorporates tap dance.
FILM
Thicker Than Blood (2017)
4 p.m.
Hollywood Theatre
$7–9, all ages
Not to be confused with the 1998 TV movie of the same name. Jordan (Kevin Boles, Jr.), a gay man in a homophobic family, returns home for the first time in years to celebrate his brother’s law firm promotion, only to see his tight-knit family torn apart by secrets.
ART RECEPTION
Cloud of Petals | Sarah Meyohas
6 p.m.
Disjecta
Free, all ages
From the press release: “Through multiple digital platforms, Cloud of Petals uses clichés of the feminine to represent our vast and intangible system of digital networks along with the shifting levels of consciousness and identity that come with our use of them.”
SPORTS
Rose Petals & Rosebuds Roller Derby Bouts
6 p.m.
The Hangar at Oak’s Park
$14–20, all ages
For the Rose Petals bout, it’s Daughters of Doom vs. Voodoo Dolls, and for the Rosebuds bout, it’s Undead Avengers vs. Little Red Riveters.
ROCK
Zepparella, Wallace
6:30 p.m.
Mississippi Studios
$20, 21+
The popular all-female Led Zeppelin tribute band performs with support from local singer-songwriter Erin Wallace.
POETRY
Cisper, Siggo, Sutter
7 p.m.
Independent Publishing Resource Center
$5, all ages
Mary Crisper (New Mexico), Cedar Sigo (SF) and Sara Sutter (PDX) read new works.
OPERA
A Christmas Carol
7 p.m. (through Dec. 30)
Hampton Opera Center
$34–59, all ages
Portland Playhouse puts Todd Van Voris, Julian Remulla, Rachel Lewis, Charles Grant and Claire Rigsby in the lead roles for Charles Dickens’ classic story.
ROCK
A Perfect Circle
8 p.m.
MODA Center
$25–121+, all ages
A Perfect Circle comes to town on a tour designed to help finalize their first record in almost 15 years.
INDIE POP
Slow Magic, Point Point, Qrion
8 p.m.
Wonder Ballroom
$20–23, all ages
The enigmatic headliner, whose true identity is a mystery, comes to Portland for a night of sensory overload and party vibes.
METAL
Bell Witch, Monarch, Usnea
8:30 p.m.
Tonic Lounge
$13, 21+
The headlining Seattle ambient metal band tours in support of new album Mirror Reaper.
CABARET
The Cat’s Meow
8:30 p.m.
Secret Society
$12–15, 21+
The Pink Lady’s early New Year’s party features Lola Couquette, Sugar Kane, Sandria Doré, the Portland Rhythm Shakers and the sounds of the Pink Lady & John Bennett Jazz Band.
INDIE ROCK
Chonk, Liam Barnes, Don’t Laugh At Me
9 p.m.
EastBurn Public House
$5, 21+
Low-key gig with Americana-inspired singer-songwriters.
Sunday, Dec. 3
FUNDRAISER
Christmas in a Galaxy Far, Far Away
Noon (also Dec. 2)
Peninsula Odds Fellows Lodge
$5–8, all ages
Torchsong Entertainment throws a Star Wars-themed party with crafted drinks, Sithmas tales and photos with Darth Vader.
CONTEMPORARY ART
Sylwia Kowalczyk
Noon
Blue Sky Gallery
Free, all ages
New series of collage works about occupying the empty spaces suggested by the works. Last day of the exhibition.
FILM
White Christmas (1954)
4 p.m. (also screening Dec. 2)
Hollywood Theatre
$6, all ages
From the press release: “Singers Bob Wallace (Bing Crosby) and Phil Davis (Danny Kaye) join sister act Betty (Rosemary Clooney) and Judy Haynes (Vera-Ellen) to perform a Christmas show in rural Vermont. There, they unexpectedly encounter General Waverly (Dean Jagger), their former commanding general during World War II, who is now in dire financial straits due to his failing country inn.”
ALT-ROCK
Silversun Pickups, Minus the Bear
7 p.m.
Crystal Ballroom
$38–40, all ages
The rescheduled show from Silversun Pickups and Minus the Bear’s November date.
DRAG QUEENS
Sad Day
9 p.m.
Lovecraft Bar
$10, 21+
Austin, Texas drag queen Louisiana Purchase returns to Portland for the world’s saddest pity party, featuring local performers, sad songs and a resident sad boi.
KARAOKE
Stripparaoke
9 p.m.
Devils Point
Free, 21+
Bring tip dollars and sing along to the songs while strippers dance: part karaoke, part strip club.
Monday, Dec. 4
CONTEMPORARY ART
Delta
Noon (through Jan. 18)
PICA at Hancock
Free, all ages
A six-channel film experience about a young man’s life, which uses the totality of PICA’s new Hancock space.
FILM
Edward Scissorhands (1990)
7 p.m.
Hollywood Theatre
$7–9, all ages
Tim Burton’s classic tale of loneliness and the quest for acceptance, starring Johnny Depp and Winona Ryder. Hosted by Eden Dawn and Marjorie Skinner, with a presentation from local salon Windowwall.