this week in lectures, signings, panel discussions, workshops, and Q&As

SEATTLE ROCK ICONS FOUNDERS AWARD: ALICE IN CHAINS

Who: Korn, Billy Corgan, Metallica, Dave Navarro, Mastodon, Krist Novoselic, Taylor Hawkins, Mike McCready, Ann Wilson, Nancy Wilson, Chris Chaney, Corey Taylor, Dallas Green, Duff McKagan, Chris DeGarmo, Fishbone, Liv Warfield, Shooter Jennings, Kim Thayil, Mark Lanegan, Tad Doyle, Ayron Jones, Maggie Björklund, Bill Herzog, Martin Feveyear, Bubba Dupree, Jennifer Johnson, Jillian Raye, Nathan Yaccino, Shaina Shepherd, Taylor Hawkins, Les Claypool, Jeff Ament, Mike McCready, Eddie Vedder, Sammy Hagar, Vernon Reid, Tom Morello, Robert Downey Jr., Lily Cornell Silver, more
What: Museum of Pop Culture Founders Award presentation to Alice in Chains and fundraiser
Where: MoPOP Facebook, Amazon Music Twitch
When: Tuesday, December 1, free with RSVP (donations accepted), 9:00
Why: Formed in 1987 in Seattle, Alice in Chains has released a mere six studio albums in its history, from 1990’s Facelift to 2018’s Rainier Fog, spreading its unique brand of heavy metal grunge in its own way, primarily live. On December 1, the band, consisting of lead guitarist, songwriter, and vocalist Jerry Cantrell, drummer Sean Kinney, bassist Mike Inez, and rhythm guitarist William DuVall, will be honored with the Museum of Pop Culture’s Founders Award in an online presentation that features performances and tributes from such famous fans as Korn, Billy Corgan, Metallica, Dave Navarro, Krist Novoselic, Ann Wilson, Nancy Wilson, Duff McKagan, Fishbone, Shooter Jennings, Kim Thayil, Mark Lanegan, Les Claypool, Jeff Ament, Mike McCready, Eddie Vedder, Sammy Hagar, Vernon Reid, Tom Morello, and Robert Downey Jr. in addition to the debut of Lily Cornell Silver, the daughter of Chris Cornell and Susan Silver. AIC will take the virtual stage as well; the evening will also include songs from Sound Off! artists Katy Rose, Human Missile Crisis, David’s Van, and Talaya.

“It feels truly special to receive the MoPOP Founders Award in our home town of Seattle. It’s also humbling to be joined by so many of our friends, peers and heroes to rock some AIC tunes,” Cantrell said in a statement. “I hope people watching enjoy the show as much as we did putting it together. A big hearty thanks to everyone who participated in making this virtual thing happen during these strange times. Music has the power to unite, heal and inspire. It is all of ours. Let’s continue to create and celebrate that which feeds the soul. Rawk on!” Cofounder Kinney added, “When we got to make our first record, I thought, great, we will be able to make one record, do our thing, and hope for the best. Now, thirty years later, to get this award and still be touring and making music is the most amazing feeling. We are brothers with all of the craziness that goes with it. This is for Layne [Staley], Mike [Starr], and for all of us now. We can’t wait to get back out on the road once this hellish pandemic is behind us.” The event will be streamed live on Facebook and Twitch; admission is free but donations will be accepted for the museum, which is based in Seattle.

L’DOR V’DOR: GENERATION TO GENERATION

“Generation to Generation” benefit features Michael Zegen, Golem, and the Butnick family

Who: Michael Zegen, Stephanie Butnick, Golem, Howard and Elyse Butnick and Family
What: Virtual program with music and discussion
Where: Museum of Jewish Heritage, Facebook, YouTube
When: Wednesday, December 2, free (donations accepted), 7:00
Why: The Museum of Jewish Heritage’s annual “L’dor V’dor: Generation to Generation” goes virtual this year, streaming live on Facebook, YouTube, and mjhnyc.org The event, which raises funds and awareness to fight bigotry and anti-Semitism, will feature an interview between third-generation Holocaust survivor and Marvelous Mrs. Maisel star Michael Zegen with Tablet deputy editor and Unorthodox podcast cohost Stephanie Butnick, live music by Klezmer faves Golem, and a tribute to museum trustee and son of Holocaust survivors Howard Butnick and his family. Admission is free, but donations are encouraged. As the museum notes, “History is now.”

UNDERGROUND FAIRY

Alice Victoria Winslow stars as the title character in Satoko Ichihara’s Underground Fairy

Who: Alice Victoria Winslow, Par Parekh, Satoko Ichihara, Tara Ahmadinejad, Yoko Shioya
What: Virtual production and Q&A
Where: Japan Society YouTube channel
When: Through December 2, $15
Why: Since 2005, Japan Society has been presenting its popular “Play Reading Series: Contemporary Japanese Plays in English Translation.” But the fifteenth installment is going virtual, and it is more than just a reading; Satoko Ichihara’s curiously fascinating Underground Fairy has been reimagined for online viewing, performed live by Alice Victoria Winslow and Par Parekh and directed by Tara Ahmadinejad. The story follows a young half-human, half-fairy named Euriaeria (Winslow) who has an obsession with potatoes and not passing gas — a symbol for holding things in because of societal suppression of girls and women. Wearing cute ears and makeshift wings, Euriaeria leads the other (unseen) fairies, is joined by a furry creature (Parekh), gets a massage, plays with dolls, and delivers a love incantation. After the seventy-minute show, Ichihara (Favonia’s Fruitless Fable, The Question of Faeries), Ahmadinejad (Lunch Bunch, Disclaimer), and Japan Society artistic director Yoko Shioya take part in a discussion about the work.

NATKINS FUNHOUSE PRESENTS: THE LAST WALTZ AT HOME

Who: Nicole Atkins, Ray Jacildo, Ancient Cities, Aaron Lee Tasjan, Binky Griptite, Buffalo Hunt, Courtney Marie Andrews, Caleb Elliott, Dancey Jenkins, Davey Horne, Eric D. Johnson, Erin Rae, Hiss Golden Messenger, Jaime Wyatt, John Gallahger Jr., John McCauley, John Paul White, Justin & the Cosmics, Kashena Sampson, Langhorne Slim, Lilly Hiatt, Lola Kirke, the Lone Bellow, Midlake, Oliver Wood, Patrick Sweany, Phil Cook, the Pollies, Raul Malo, Shakey Graves, the Smoking Flowers, Suzanne Santo, the War and Treaty, Van Darien, more
What: Livestream concert re-creating The Last Waltz
Where: Natkins Funhouse online
When: Friday, November 27, $12, 8:00
Why: On Thanksgiving night, November 25, 1976, the Band played its farewell concert, The Last Waltz, at the Winterland in Sand Francisco, joined by an all-star lineup of luminaries that included Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Neil Diamond, Muddy Waters, Van Morrison, and others. Recently, a wide range of musicians have been gathering every other year or so at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester to re-create the show; last November, Warren Haynes, Jamey Johnson, Lukas Nelson, Don Was, Cyril Neville, and John Medeski, among others, joined in the fun. With the pandemic lockdown closing all music venues, singer-songwriter Nicole Atkins has taken the reins and turned it into a virtual event. “I called a bunch of my musician buddies who are all homebound themselves and love the music of The Last Waltz and miss all being together to perform it in a theater, club, or dive bar for sweaty, singing, smiling humans and this, ‘The Last Waltz from Home,’ became our solution,” she posted on Facebook.

On November 27 at 8:00, Atkins and jazz pianist Ray Jacildo will be hosting “The Last Waltz at Home,” an online concert featuring more than two dozen performers going song by song through the remarkable Last Waltz setlist, from Ancient Cities, Binky Griptite, Courtney Marie Andrews, Eric D. Johnson, and Jaime Wyatt to John McCauley, Justin & the Cosmics, Langhorne Slim, Lilly Hiatt, Lola Kirke, Raul Malo, and more. Atkins and Jacildo will share stories and give out prizes, and everyone can take part in the live chat as the bands make their way from “Up on Cripple Creek” and “The Shape I’m In” to “I Shall Be Released” and “Baby Don’t You Do It.” Virtual admission is $12; Atkins also noted on Facebook, “All of the money raised from tickets, tipping, and poster sales will go directly to the artists performing. Our industry has taken quite the beating in this pandemic and many of our tours and work has been cancelled. The silver lining in all this has been you, our fans, and your support throughout this time is beyond appreciated.” Last Waltz devotees will also want to check out the online photography exhibit “The Last Waltz: A Commemorative Retrospective” at the Morrison Hotel Gallery here.

BRICKMAN FOR BROADWAY CHRISTMAS CONCERT

Who: Jim Brickman, Kelli O’Hara, Matt Doyle, Sierra Boggess, Megan Hilty, Wayne Brady, Shoshana Bean, Santino Fontana, Adrienne Warren, Norm Lewis, Max Von Essen, Jane Lynch
What: Holiday concert benefiting the Actors Fund
Where: Zoom
When: Saturday, November 28, $20-$200, 8:00
Why: Solo pianist, songwriter, and author Jim Brickman is celebrating the holidays this year with a new album and virtual tour. The just-released Brickman for Broadway Christmas features an all-star lineup singing seasonal favorites, including Santino Fontana’s “Coming Home for Christmas,” Adrienne Warren’s “Hear Me,” Megan Hilty’s “Merry Christmas Darling,” Norm Lewis’s “’Twas The Night Before Christmas,” Shoshana Bean’s “Sending You a Little Christmas,” Sierra Boggess’s “Fa La La,” Max Von Essen’s “Christmas Is,” and Kelli O’Hara’s “O Holy Night.” On November 28 at 8:00, all of those Broadway performers will join Brickman and special guests Wayne Brady and Jane Lynch for a livestreamed interactive concert benefiting the Actors Fund.

“Recording duets with Broadway stars has always been on my career bucket list,” Brickman said in a statement. “The Brickman for Broadway Christmas project to benefit the Actors Fund was a perfect opportunity to record my songs with theater’s best and to raise money for such a worthy cause during this challenging time in the world. And to hear such phenomenal singers bring these songs to life was a thrill.” Admission to the show itself is $20; for the $75 Gold Package you can hang out with Brickman and others in a Zoom room and get a stocking of Christmas presents (CD, autographed photo, program, more) delivered to your door; and the $200 Diamond Package adds all of the above along with access to a preshow party. Brickman will also be hosting “Comfort & Joy at Home” concerts with special guests November 29 through January 2, each concert benefiting a different organization and/or theater.

PANDEMIC PLAYERS: RAISING ARIZONA BENEFIT READING

Who: Zachary Levi, Alison Pill, Dean Norris, Clancy Brown, Macon Blair, Ross Partridge, Sarah Clarke, Jeff “the Dude” Dowd, Jordana Brewster, Leila Almas Rose, Jaime Zavallos
What: Benefit reading for Covenant House
Where: Pandemic Players YouTube channel
When: Wednesday, November 25, pay-what-you-can, 2:00
Why: “This here’s the TV. Two hours a day, maximum, either . . . either educational or football, so’s, y’know, you don’t ruin your appreciation of the finer things,” H.I. “Hi” McDunnough says in the Coen brothers classic Raising Arizona. Since the middle of March, we have all had to get our entertainment from screens — televisions, desktop computers, laptops, phones, etc., and for a lot longer than two hours a day as we shelter in place from the deadly coronavirus. On November 25, that finer entertainment includes a charity reading, by the newly formed Pandemic Players, of the 1987 film about a childless couple (from a now-battleground state) who decide that another family has enough kids and won’t mind if they take one. “Edwina’s insides were a rocky place where my seed could find no purchase,” H.I. explains in defending the crime. Wildly unpredictable, gut-bustingly funny, and beautifully insane, the film helped spread the genius of writer-director Joel Coen and producer-director Ethan Coen, who had previously made the modern noir Blood Simple and would follow Arizona with Miller’s Crossing and Barton Fink, quite a start to their storied career. The reading is a benefit for Covenant House, which helps protect homeless youth in thirty-one cities across six countries. The original film featured Nicolas Cage as H.I., Holly Hunter as Ed, Trey Wilson as Nathan Arizona Sr., John Goodman as Gale, William Forsythe as Evelle, Sam McMurray as Glen, Frances McDormand as Dot, and Randall “Tex” Cobb as Leonard Smalls; the benefit cast consists of Zachary Levi as H.I., Alison Pill as Ed, Dean Norris as Nathan Arizona Sr., Clancy Brown as Gale Snoats, Macon Blair as Evelle Snoats, Ross Partridge as Glen, Sarah Clarke as Dot, Jeff “the Dude” Dowd as Leonard Smalls, Leila Almas Rose and Jaime Zavallos as multiple minor characters, and Jordana Brewster as the narrator.

Pandemic Players will present a benefit reading of Raising Arizona on YouTube on November 25

Pandemic Players self-identify as “a ragtag fugitive fleet on a lonely quest . . . for a shining planet known as Earth . . No, wait . . . that’s Battlestar Galactica. Pandemic Players told HAL to open the pod bay doors . . . Crap! Pandemic Players is a group of nobodies who dream of being somebodies. No, that’s Taxi Driver. . . . Pandemic Players is an epic of epic epicness . . . Damn you, Scott Pilgrim! OK, got it: Pandemic Players is diverse and growing group of like-minded artists who have come together for a common cause to do what they can to help in these deeply troubling times.” Headed by director-producer Matthew Barber, filmmakers Chris Brown and Darren Dean, writer-producers Frederik Ehrhardt and Myrta Vida, and producer Mark Rabinowitz, Pandemic Players will next present benefit readings of The Breakfast Club and Heathers along with other classic TV shows, radio plays, and films, partnering with different charity organizations on a monthly basis.

A THOUSAND DREADFUL THINGS: SHAKESPEARE AND THE FEAR OF BLACK VENGEANCE

Ron Cephas Jones (right) will discuss Titus Andronicus in special Shakespeare program from Brooklyn Public Library and the Public Theater (photo by Joan Marcus)

Who: Ron Cephas Jones, Eisa Davis, William Jackson Harper, Raúl Esparza, Jill Lepore, Michael Sexton, Ayanna Thompson, Stephen Greenblatt, Philip Lorenz
What: Digital Shakespeare program
Where: Brooklyn Public Library and the Public Theater
When: Sunday, November 22, free with RSVP, 7:00; Thursday, December 3, free with RSVP, 7:00; Thursday, December 17, free with RSVP, 7:00
Why: Shakespeare readings and discussions have multiplied during the pandemic, with actors and scholars presenting impassioned soliloquies online, followed by fascinating talks about the legacy of the Bard, particularly in this time of Covid-19, isolation, and social and political unrest; Red Bull Theater’s RemarkaBULL Podversations have been especially enlightening, highlighted by scintillating episodes with Chukwudi Iwuji and Patrick Page. Now the Brooklyn Public Library and the Public Theater have teamed up for a free three-part digital voyage into Shakespeare, kicking off November 22 at 7:00 with “A Thousand Dreadful Things: Shakespeare and the Fear of Black Vengeance,” an exploration of Aaron the Moor from Titus Andronicus, with Ron Cephas Jones, who played Aaron at the Public in 2011, William Jackson Harper, and Public Theater Shakespeare scholar in residence Ayanna Thompson, author of Passing Strange: Shakespeare, Race, and Contemporary America. On December 3 at 7:00, “What Is the City but the People? Shakespeare, Art, and Citizenship” features Pulitzer Prize-winning profession Stephen Greenblatt, author of Tyrant: Shakespeare on Politics, and actor and playwright Eisa Davis looking at modern democracy; and on December 17 at 7:00, “Two Monsters of Nature: Lope de Vega and William Shakespeare” links the theater of Lope de Vega and Shakespeare, with readings in Spanish and English by Tony winner Raúl Esparza and commentary by Cornell professor of comparative language Philip Lorenz. All three programs will be moderated by Public Theater Shakespeare Initiative director Michael Sexton and are free with RSVP.