Things to do: Dystopian musical ‘Urinetown,’ Charli XCX dance night, Ukrainian folk music

I don’t know about you, but I am absolutely fed up with how cold our fair region has been day-to-day recently. Luckily, each of the events for this week’s roundup are indoors — and with two different dance parties on the list, things just might get downright sweaty.

Let’s get into it:

Stage shows

‘Urinetown’ at Very Little Theatre

Apropos of totally nothing, with no relevance to real-world politics, could I interest you in a musical set in a dystopian society where a megacorporation strictly rations water consumption, people pay fees for the “privilege to pee,” retribution for dissent against the state is swift and unmerciful, and corporate executives are lauded while everyday people scrap and struggle for basic dignity? (Ha ha ha …) The Brechtian-style meta-satire musical “Urinetown” comes to Eugene’s Very Little Theatre this week. 

• When: Opens Thursday, Jan. 22, and runs through Feb. 1
• Where: The Very Little Theatre, 2350 Hilyard St., Eugene
• How much: Tickets are available online, with most tickets priced at $31 for adults and $25 for students. Opening night tickets are $26, and $21 for students. 

Gary Gulman at the Hult Center

Tickets are still available to see comedian Gary Gulman on his “Misfit” stand-up and book tour, an offshoot of his 2023 book “Misfit: Growing Up Awkward in the ’80s.” (The stand-up features material based on the book, but isn’t a verbatim repeat.) Gulman is maybe best known in recent years for his material reflecting on his own experiences with suicidal depression, in his 2019 HBO special “The Great Depresh.”

• When: Sunday, Jan. 25, at 7 p.m.
• Where: The Hult Center’s Soreng Theater, in downtown Eugene
• How much: Tickets are available online, starting at $39.50.

What were the other options again?

Concerts

YAGÓDY: Contemporary Ukrainian folk music 

This band of four Ukrainian women was formed in 2016 by students and local theater faculty in the city of Lviv. They play a repertoire of both traditional poetic Ukrainian folk songs, like the hymn “Chernomorets,” about the Black Sea, and original music inspired by those traditions, like “Tsunamia,” which became Ukraine’s selection for the 2024 Eurovision competition.  

Attending also helps a good cause: The concert doubles as a benefit for Nova Ukraine, a nonprofit organization providing humanitarian aid to Ukraine. 

• When: Sunday, Jan. 25, at 7:30 p.m.
• Where: Unity Valley Church, 3912 Dillard Road, Eugene
• How much: Tickets are available online for $27.50.

Live album release party with The Benny Benack III Quartet

If the Oregon Festival of American Music’s French-American jazz connections aren’t piquing your interest, maybe a new album from an up-and-coming jazz star will. Benny Benack III is playing twice in Eugene tonight in a release concert for his newest album, “This Is Life.” It’s a jazzy week to live in Eugene!

• When: Two performances on Thursday, Jan. 22, at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m.
• Where: The Jazz Station, 124 W. Broadway, Eugene
• How much: Tickets are available online for $40 for either show.

What were the other options again?

Dancing

CLUB XCX: Icy Nights

“Brat Summer,” the lime-green tour de force that brought the musician Charli XCX to new heights after the release of her album “brat,” was a year and a half ago. But for many of us it never really ended. Those who want to hear those club classics, as well as Billie Eilish, Slayyyter, Troye Sivan, Kim Petras, Shygirl, Addison Rae, The Dare, Lady Gaga, Kesha, Lorde, Tinashe, Ariana Grande, and more should make plans to hit up WOW Hall on Friday night.

• When: Friday, Jan. 23, starting at 8 p.m.
• Where: WOW Hall, 291 W. Eighth Ave., Eugene
• How much: Tickets are available online for $20 (with fees, $25.88).

Whole Lotta Soul Dance Party

I heard it through the grapevine that if you’re into classic soul music, I have the spot for you to check out this Saturday night. This vinyl-only dance party night from the Ready Steady Soul Club will see DJs spinning soul, Motown and classic rhythm & blues tunes well into the night.

• When: Saturday, Jan. 24, from 8 p.m. to midnight
• Where: The Monkey’s Paw Tiki Bar, 420 Main St., Springfield
• How much: Free to attend, but be ready to spend some money on drinks. 

What were the other options again?

What’s playing at the movies?

New at the box office

The only notable new movie in theaters this week is “The Testament of Ann Lee,” the Mona Fastvold-directed biopic about Ann Lee, the founding leader of the communal religious movement, the Shakers. Amanda Seyfried plays Lee in a performance that the New York Times’ Alissa Wilkinson called “extraordinary” in her review. Fastvold co-wrote “The Brutalist” with her partner Brady Corbet before the couple wrote “The Testament of Ann Lee”; as a big fan of “The Brutalist,” I’ve been excited for “Ann Lee” for months.

Playing at Metro Cinemas. 

Special screenings

Art House stoner cinema

This series dedicated to classics of stoner cinema presents the 2008 James Franco-Seth Rogen comedy “Pineapple Express,” about a stoner and his drug dealer going on the run after witnessing a murder. Playing Friday, Jan. 23, through Wednesday, Jan. 28.

Free French film screenings at OFAM

The winter Oregon Festival of American Music run, dedicated to the cross-pollination between French and American music, comes with a series of free film screenings at The Shedd Institute.

Each screening starts at 9 a.m. in the Sheffer Recital Hall. Remaining screenings for the festival, which runs through Sunday, include:

• “The Umbrellas of Cherbourg” (1964), today Thursday, Jan. 22. (If you’re interested, run!)
• “Montmartre” (1941), Friday, Jan. 23
• “Gates of the Night” (1944), Saturday, Jan. 24
• “Elevator to the Gallows” (1958) on Sunday, Jan. 25

What were the other options again?

As always, thank you for reading my roundup. If you see someone bundled up in a big colorful scarf walking into a few of these events in the coming week, say hi — and take pity on a Florida girl in a Pacific Northwest winter.