Weekend Arts Roundup: Festivals, preFrosh, and the Fiery Furnaces

As this week's prefrosh descend like locusts--bringing Shirley T's patented Perfect-Preview-Weather along with them--there are lots of exciting arts events on hand to make this weekend an enjoyable one.  Get out into the sunshine, savor the post-thesis existence (or, if you're a junior, take a break from JP hibernation), and bring your prospective students along--there's no better way for them to get a sense of the countless events that the Orange Bubble has to offer on a weekly basis.

• Only at Princeton would you have one of indie music's hottest bands performing...at an art museum.  That's right, the Fiery Furnaces are playing tonight at the University Art Museum's "This is Collage," where they'll be collaborating with the Princeton University Klesmer Ensemble (who actually call themselves PUKE).  Not to be missed!  The Mashmaticians and The Rembrandts (of Friends theme song fame) will also be making appearances: Rembrandts are on from 9:30-10:30pm, with Mashmaticians from 10:30-11:30 and the Fiery Furnaces from 11:30-12:30.  It's a pretty small venue, so get there early!

• Got a prefrosh who's the next Alvin Ailey?  Steer them towards Dusk to Dusk, featuring dance thesis pieces choreographed by Alexis DeWan Branagan '11 and Eva Marie Wash '11. While each piece has its own unique style and aesthetic, both explore time, nature, and the human experience in ways that are truly spellbinding--and their beautiful costumes evoke the essence of spring.  Thursday-Saturday in the Hagen Dance Studio at the Lewis Center for the Arts (185 Nassau Street), 8pm; free and open to the public.
• Hemingway fans rejoice--the performance ensemble Elevator Repair Service (who brought the award-winning Gatz to The Public Theater in New York last fall) is performing their interpretation of The Sun Also Rises at McCarter's Berlind Theatre this weekend only as part of their national tour.  Performances at 7pm on Friday and 2pm on Saturday; it's bound to sell out, so get your tickets now! $10 for students.
• Theater options abound this weekend: try out Julia Keimach '11's sexily comedic interpretation of Romeo and Juliet at Whitman Theatre, or stop by Theatre Intime for the first weekend of Cara Tucker '11's staging of the haunting Elephant Man. Tickets to both are $8, student events eligible; performances start at 8pm Thursday-Saturday.
• For music lovers (or lovers of 2oo1: A Space Odyssey), hear Strauss's oft-quoted Also Sprach Zarathustra in its entirety at the Princeton University Orchestra's spring concert, along with pieces by Mahler and Beethoven. Friday and Saturday at 8pm in Richardson Auditorium at Alexander Hall; tickets are $10, and it's student events eligible.
• While not strictly a typical arts event, Princeton's take on the national Take Back the Night movement promises music and dance performances--along with thoughtful and moving reflections on sexual harassment and abuse and a candlelit ceremony.  An amazing event on any campus, and Princeton's version has consistently been excellent in previous years. 7:30-9pm on Friday on Frist South Lawn; free.
• Noticed that big white tent these past few days (no, not that one--the second, smaller one in front of Frist)?  It's time for the Asian Night Market, an annual festival of performances, food samplers, and games from groups like Triple 8, Chaos Theory, Sympoh, Steve Kuei, and P.U. Taiko Drumming. Friday from 8pm-11pm on Frist North Lawn; tickets can be purchased at the event.
• What better way to fill your Friday night than with The Man Show, Princeton's annual male a cappella extravaganza with the Tigertones, Footnotes, and Nassoons? Nothing can quite compare to the ridiculousness--and the awesomeness. It's always a sold out event, so buy ahead at Frist! Tickets $10, with all proceeds going to Japan earthquake relief. Friday 11:30pm-1:30am.
• Want to learn to dance like those crazy actors from Cats, Andrew Lloyd Webber's legendary and insane Broadway hit? Bust out your moves with former cast member and (Triangle alum!) Hans Kriefall '87 in a dance workshop on Friday from 8-10pm in the Matthews Rehearsal Room at McCarter Theater. Admission is free...but the memories of falling on your face (with snazzy pizazz, of course) last forever.