WED 1/25: Theatre, Jazz, Country, Rock

Happy Robbie Burns Night!

Not much in cheapness around Boston for the Scottish poet, and the area's Scottish restaurant has no room tonight.

Perhap a dram of whisky and a toast may suffice. Maybe in front of the Burns statue in the Financial District...?

Who knew there could be 2 Pay-What-You-Can nights on the same night? There are, and both are listed below.

BTW: None of the shows during the Magners Comedy Festival (WED 1/25 to SUN 1/29) are priced below $20, but I will mention the Orfeo Group's 2 performances of "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)" at Nick's Comedy Stop (Theatre District) tonight.

These guys have done it for free many times around Boston, so I thought I'd give a little shout-out. If tickets are still available, the 11pm show is going to be a new "R-rated" version.

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WED 1/25

7:30pm
"Fen": Pay-What-You-Can Night
at The Factory Theatre, 791 Tremont St, Boston (South End)
$5 minimum

Whenever I go to a play, there's a warm feeling of pride that I've tried to support the theatre as a viable part of our culture. Then a smug superiority rises because most people I know don't go to the live productions.

This is the 2nd of 3 plays by Obie-winning Caryl Churchill that are being performed by the Whistler in the Dark group over the next week or so.

I'll quote a London review of "Fen" from last year, because I can't give a better blurb:

This is a mysterious, tantalising play that, with its elliptical scenes and multiple characters, refuses to spoon-feed its audience. It offers a clear-eyed, feminist-socialist perspective on women and labour, but there is something darker and wilder lurking in its witchy psychic landscape.

As I've said before, there's nothing wrong with paying $20 ($10 students) on other nights. On the other hand, PWYC nights encourage you to attend.

"Tickets are available at the box office starting at 6:45pm."

WED 1/25

7:30pm to 9:30pm
Winter Panto 2012: "Humpty Dumpty"
at Black Box Theatre, Boston Center for Arts, 539 Tremont Street, Boston (South End)
$5 minimum

For many years, 'pantomime' conjured images of playing charades. Somewhere along the line, I read about the English tradition of presenting a musical/comedy show around Christmastime. They're usually silly (sometimes bawdy) versions of commonly-recognized tale.

Just like the play above you could pay full price on other nights, but I talk about cheap fun like pay-what-you-can nights (payable at the door day of show only).

This production says it is suitable for all ages, and there's no doubt that you've never seen Humpty Dumpty like this before.

WED 1/25

8pm to 2am
"A Tribute to Nina Simone" with Toni Lynn Washington & Sharon Sugar Jones
at The Beehive, 541 Tremont St, Boston (South End)
FREE

Whenever I see a tribute to Nina Simone, it's usually going to be a worthwhile gig. No one will ever sound exactly like Nina's deep fountain of soulfulness, but two of the bluesiest mamas in the Commonwealth will surely do justice to the songs associated with Ms. Simone.

Other singers that will be celebrated incude Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughn and Dinah Washington. They were expecting Etta James succumbing last week, but I suspect you might hear one or two of her classics.

WED 1/25

8:30pm
Roy Sludge
at Radio, 379 Somerville Ave, Somerville (Union Sq)
FREE

Last year, Sludge released a kick-ass country CD with a good dose of wit called "Too Drunk To Truck", and the songs go from there.

I also like how his site labeled this gig "Free Sludge". Buy yourself another beer since you didn't pay to get in and enjoy the tunes tonight.

WED 1/25

9:30pm
The Honors, Savoir Adore
at Great Scott, 1222 Comm Ave, Allston
$9 / 18+

Sure, there are chances to see The Honors play on weekends at places like Hennessey's and the Green Dragon, but I've noticed those places are often packed with people not paying attention to the music (to put it politely). It might be a better overall experience to hear their uber-catchy indie-rock at a club where they've done Halloween gigs as The Smiths and Morrissey.

When a band titles their album "The Adventures of Mr. Pumpernickel and the Girl With the Animals in Her Throat", they're pushing the envelope of acceptable length and silliness. Savoir Adore manages to keep in check, and they've have a fun indie-dancey pop thing going on.

Should be a good time!