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Wednesday, Oct. 12
GO: Mahjong Happy Hour
That clinking you hear inside The Hoxton’s velvet-clad, first-floor restaurant may not be craft cocktail glasses; if it’s Mahjong Happy Hour, the likely origin of that sound is tiles. The hotel has partnered with Lan Su Chinese Garden and mahjong expert Nicole Hudson Rhoads for a game night that takes its inspiration from the neighborhood’s cultural roots. First-time players will benefit from free instruction, but those with experience will also have an enjoyable time. Lovely Rita, 15 NW 4th Ave., 503-770-0500, thehoxton.com/portland. 5-7 pm Wednesday, Oct. 12. Free.
Thursday, Oct. 13
WATCH: The Last White Man
Bag&Baggage is marking the return of founding artistic director Scott Palmer with this love letter to writers and actors and everything else that makes theater great. The Last White Man is a fast-paced romp that explores the extremes performers go to when cast in Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Palmer guest directs this play along with Apples in Winter later in the season. The Vault Theater, 350 E Main St., Hillsboro, 503-345-9590, bagnbaggage.org. 7:30 pm Thursday-Saturday and 2 pm Sunday, Oct. 13-30. $20-$35.
LISTEN: Live Wire Radio Presents Nabil Ayers, Aubrey Gordon, Margo Cilker, and Chris Mejia!
Noteworthy writers, documentary filmmakers, musical guests and other prominent minds join Emmy Award-winning host Luke Burbank every week for Live Wire Radio. And sometimes, the variety show opens the tapings to an audience at the Alberta Rose Theatre. This week’s queue includes Rolling Stone writer and sometimes drummer Nabil Ayers, podcaster Aubrey Gordon (aka Your Fat Friend), singer-songwriter and Eastern Oregonian Margo Cilker, and comedian Chris Mejia. Alberta Rose Theatre, 3000 NE Alberta St., 503-719-6055, livewireradio.org. 7:30 pm Thursday, Oct. 13. $30 general admission, $45 preferred seating.
Friday, Oct. 14
LAUGH: Love, Shakespeare
For an even more unconventional take on Shakespeare, Curious Comedy presents the semi-regular show Love, Shakespeare. Performers craft a fresh and totally improvised take on a classic Elizabethan tale. Will Rosencrantz and Guildenstern make an appearance? Will everyone get married? Will there be a donkey? The possibilities are endless and usually very funny. Curious Comedy Theater, 5225 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., 503-477-9477, curiouscomedy.org. 7:30-9:15 pm Friday, Oct. 14. $15.
XWATCH: Bolero+
Exquisitely chiseled abdomens and a sense of otherworldliness are at the center of NW Dance Project’s Season 19 opener, Bolero+. Really, it’s three shows in succession, including a refreshed production of Bolero, a beguiling quartet by Italian choreographer Luca Veggetti; a world premiere composition by founding artistic director Sarah Slipper called Down the Garden Path; and Ensemble for Somnambulists—a spellbinding production that combines dance and spoken word that makes sleepwalking look beautiful instead of creepy. Come for dreamlike interpretations of raw emotion, stay for the Lycra bodysuits. Newmark Theatre, 1111 SW Broadway, 503-421-7434, nwdanceproject.org. 7:30 pm Friday-Saturday, Oct. 14-15. $29-$68.
GO: Glitterfest IV
Can an alcohol-free music event actually attract a crowd in Portland? Given the fact that Glitterfest is now in its fourth year, it must! Expect performances from seasoned local musicians, like Grammy winner Rizo, as well as newcomers, such as Wood Butcher and RainEzra. And while there may not be any booze, this family-friendly festival will have food carts, art and craft vendors, and plenty of good vibes. Green Anchors, 8940 N Bradford St., eventbrite.com/e/glitterfest-iv-tickets-426613892637. 8 pm Friday, 4 pm Saturday, Oct. 14-15. $20, children under 12 free.
Saturday, Oct. 15
EAT: Western Whiskey & BBQ
Suppose you’re looking for a reason to pull that Stetson out of the closet (who isn’t?). In that case, mosey on over to Stevenson, Wash., for Skamania Lodge’s inaugural celebration of the cowboy spirit and Portland-distilled Westward Whiskey. Come hungry: The menu includes queso fresco-stuffed chiles wrapped in bacon, Southwest chopped salad with cilantro lime dressing, and coffee-rubbed flank steak. Each dish comes paired with a different whiskey. Americana duo Barefoot & Bonafide and Oregon’s award-winning cowboy poet Tom Swearingen will perform, ensuring the Old West theme extends beyond the food. Skamania Lodge, 1131 SW Skamania Lodge Way, Stevenson, Wash., 509-314-4177, skamania.com. 5-7 pm Saturday, Oct. 15. $55 adults, $21 children under 12.
Sunday, Oct. 16
GO: Forty Years: Connecting Art and Audience
A staple of the Portland art scene, Elizabeth Leach Gallery celebrates four decades of operations, and to mark that milestone it’s releasing a detailed monograph of its hundreds of exhibitions during that time titled Forty Years. Channel your inner sophistication (it’s in there somewhere!) and head to the book launch for a discussion between Leach, who was just 24 years old when she founded the venue, and former Portland Art Museum curator Bruce Guenther to learn more about how the small gallery rose to regional prominence. Pacific Northwest College of Art, 511 NW Broadway, 503-224-0521, elizabethleach.com. 11 am Sunday, Oct. 16. Free.