‘Anastasia’, Cascade Festival of African Films, Chelsea Handler: 9 things to do this week

This week’s lineup of entertainment options includes a plate of fun ladies. Three comical women grace the stage at various venues on Friday. Other options include the annual Cascade Festival of African Films, live jazz music, and “Anastasia,” a Broadway musical based on the 1990s animated film.

Remember that COVID-19 mandates requiring indoor masks are still in place. Check with venues for COVID-specific safety requirements.

Cascade African Film Festival

Portland Community College’s annual Black History Month celebration continues with a series of new films that show Africa through African eyes. The film’s subjects range from the tragic decline of the fishing industry in Senegal to the story of a gang leader who runs a prison in Ivory Coast.

The free festival will be offered virtually again in 2022 but includes four in-person events. All location-specific films offer entry on a first-come, first-served basis with limited capacity to allow for distancing. With the exception of “Lingui, The Sacred Bonds”, all films are also available for online streaming. The screening of the film begins at the time and on the day indicated on the calendar and will remain available until the following Wednesday or until the maximum number of views is reached.

In-person screenings are:

• “Diatribe,” 7 p.m. on Friday, February 4 at Hollywood theater.
• “Lingui, The Sacred Bonds, 7 p.m. on February 18 at Hollywood theater.
• “Twelfth Night, 7 p.m. on February 19 at Clinton Street Theatre.
• “Min Alesh, 7 p.m. on March 5 at Clinton Street Theatre.

The festival begins on Friday February 4 and continues daily until March 5; donations are appreciated; dev.africanfilmfestival.org

Leanne Morgan

The charming Southern stay-at-home mom combines amusing stories from her own life with everyday sightings in her “Big Panty Tour.” If you have kids, or were ever a kid, you can probably relate.

7 p.m. Friday, February 4, Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 1037 SW Broadway; tickets start at $30; portland5.evenue.net

Chelsea Handler: Vaccinated and Horny Tour

The prolific comedian, actress, writer, television host and producer is coming to Portland for two shows. The Comedy Central regular hosted “The Chelsea Handler Show” beginning in 2006 on E! network. She also starred in an NBC sitcom, “Are You There, Chelsea?”, which ran for one season and wrote six books that made the New York Times bestseller list.

7 and 9:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 4, Keller Auditorium, 222 SW Clay St.; tickets start at $50; portland5.com

Eugenie Jones

Jazz singer-songwriter Eugenie Jones takes the stage in Hillsboro with a smooth beat and driving tunes that pay homage to Ella Fitzgerald’s repertoire and The Great American Songbook.

7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 4, Walters Cultural Arts Center, 527 E. Main St., Hillsboro; tickets $22 on day of show; Hillsboro-Oregon.gov/WaltersConcerts

Miz Cracker: “It’s a women’s tour”

Miz Cracker, New York drag queen and star of Season 5 of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” and “RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars,” brings her brand of gleeful pessimism to the stage for a one-night solo show.

8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 4, Revolution Hall, 1300 SE Stark St.; tickets $30, 21+ only; revolutionhall.com

“The City of Many Names”

Hand2Mouth Theater’s youth program features a digital performance of an original work that explores the “Wild West” of the World Wide Web. Friday night’s performance includes a post-show chat with the cast and creators. The event is part of the Fertile Ground Festival.

7:30 p.m. Friday, February 4, tickets $5 to $15; YouTube link shared at time of ticket purchase; hand2mouththeatre.org

“Anastasia”

Broadway in Portland takes guests on a journey through the twilight of the 1920s Russian Empire. A young woman, determined to uncover the truth about her past, enlists a dashing con artist and lovable former aristocrat. Terrence McNally’s musical is based on the 1997 animated film of the same name.

Opens at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, February 8 and continues various dates and times through February 13, Keller Auditorium, 222 SW Clay St.; tickets start at $39.25; BroadwayInPortland.com.

Jeremy Denk

Chamber Music Northwest hosts American pianist Jeremy Denk, winner of a MacArthur Genius Fellowship and the Avery Fisher Prize, in a concert featuring Bach’s “The Well-Tempered Clavier”. The concert at the old church will be recorded and streamed online later in February. Check the website for more information.

Live concert at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, The Old Church, 1422 SW 11th Ave.; tickets start at $32.50; cmnw.secure.force.com

Frances Stilwell: Oregon Botanical Landscape

The Oregon Historical Society is hosting an exhibit of native plant paintings by former biologist and ethologist Frances Stilwell, who left her scientific career in 1981 to devote herself to creating depictions of Oregon’s native plants. She is also the author of “Oregon’s Botanical Landscape: An Opportunity to Imagine Oregon Before 1800”. View the work daily during museum opening hours until May 1.

10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 12 p.m.-5 p.m. Sunday, Oregon Historical Society, 1200 SW Park Ave; free admission for members and Multnomah County residents, $5-$10 for others; ohs.org/museum/visit-the-museum.cfm

One more: Need help navigating the Fertile Ground Festival? We’ve got you covered: oregonlive.com/entertainment

– If you have any live or virtual events you’d like to see highlighted at OregonLive.com or in the weekly print A&E section of The Oregonian, please email your submissions to [email protected] at least three weeks before the start of your event. Digital images or links to videos are helpful.

—Rosemarie Stein [email protected]