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SEE: Rent
There are still a few weeks left to catch Portland Center Stage’s production of the late Jonathan Larson’s musical masterpiece. A terrific cast (including Kailey Rhodes, Ashley Song and Charles Grant) populates Larson’s epic of love, loss and laughs in Lower Manhattan’s East Village. Portland Center Stage, 128 NW 11th Ave., 503-445-3700, pcs.org. 7:30 pm Wednesday and Friday, 2 and 7:30 pm Saturday-Sunday, 2 pm select Thursdays, through July 10. $25-$105.
DRINK: Portland Craft Beer Festival
The festival that aims to bring as many Portland breweries together as possible in one place returns this week after a two-year hiatus. The event, established in 2015, kicked off what was then Oregon Craft Beer Month (it has since been moved to February), a busy time for festivals both big and small. PCBF managed to carve its own niche by showcasing only beer from producers within Portland city limits. This year, you can expect to find a handful of newly established breweries along with the celebrated beer/cider slushie machine. The Fields Park, 1099 NW Overton St., portlandcraftbeerfestival.com. Noon-10 pm Friday-Saturday, July 1-2. 21+. Noon-6 pm Sunday, July 3. All ages. $30 in advance includes a cup and 10 beer tickets; $40 at the gate.
GO: Waterfront Blues Festival
The largest celebration of blues, soul, funk and R&B west of the Mississippi is also back in full force following a scaled-back version in 2021. Now in its 35th year, the dance party will be held at its traditional venue—Waterfront Park. Highlights include a lineup of Grammy Award-winning artists, food vendors (Horn of Africa, Bates BBQ & Burgers, Phil’s Bento Bar, Nico’s Ice Cream), and adult beverage brands (Widmer, 10 Barrel, Union Wine). Don’t miss the expanded artisan marketplace in between sets, then stick around for fireworks on the Fourth: The pyrotechnics are choreographed to a soundtrack of classic and new blues songs. Tom McCall Waterfront Park, 98 SW Naito Parkway, waterfrontbluesfest.com. 11 am-10:30 pm Friday-Monday, July 1-4. $35-$3,340.
DRINK: Cellar on the Road
Road trips became even more popular during the pandemic due to their relative safety. The American pastime is still going strong this summer, and now a Portland wine club packs its bags and hits the highway. Cellar 503 hosts a pop-up in Hood River out of a modern, redesigned camper where you’ll get pours straight from a window cut in the side of the vehicle. The selection of bottles changes daily, and winemakers from the Columbia River Gorge are scheduled to be on hand to meet guests. The rig will be parked in Ferment’s lot, so head to the brewery for dinner after your tasting. Ferment Brewing, 403 Portway Ave., Hood River, 503-897-8013, cellar503.com. 4-8 pm daily, through Friday, July 1. $10 for a flight of four wines, $8 for a glass.
WATCH: Demolition Man
It would take an infinite amount of revisionist film-bro logic to argue that Demolition Man is good. Yet somehow, director Marco Brambilla’s brain-dead 1993 film about Sylvester Stallone and Wesley Snipes fouling up a futuristic utopia manages to be delightful and endearing in its stupidity. Highlights include Sandra Bullock (as a perky police officer) and Stallone chowing down on a “rat burger.” Clinton Street Theater, 2522 SE Clinton St., 971-808-3331, cstpdx.com. 7 pm Friday, July 1. $8.
WATCH: The Lady Eve
In 1941, screwball mastermind Preston Sturges pitted Barbara Stanwyck and Henry Fonda against each other in one of the zaniest (if not the zaniest) romantic comedies in Hollywood history. Per the title, the film has fun with its quasi-biblical inspiration, but by the end, it descends into sheer, mind-twisting madness. Hollywood Theatre, 4122 NE Sandy Blvd., 503-493-1128, hollywoodtheatre.org. 2:30 pm Saturday-Sunday, July 2-3. $7.
