What’s Good – Sept 28-Oct 4, 2023

Our weekly guide to what’s going on around Buffalo and in the world of pop culture.

Thursday, 9/28

What the Constitution Means to Me (The Kavinoky Theatre, 320 Porter Ave, Thu/Fri 7:30pm, Sat 3:30pm, Sun 2:00pm, $34)
Heidi Schreck’s terrific autobiographical show combines big ideas about America’s fundamental values, and a personal story about her years in high school debate clubs, arguing about the Constitution as a means to travel around the country (and pay for college).

The Life and Slimes of Marc Summers (Alleyway Theater, 1 Curtain Up Alley, Thu-Sat 7:30pm, Sun 2pm, thru 9/30, $30-60)
Summers hosted Double Dare, the gross-out game show that was central to every GenXer’s childhood. Now he has a one-man show that recounts his career — and recreates the messy fun of his old show.

Murder Ballad (Road Less Traveled, 456 Main St, Thu-Sat 7:30pm, Sun 2pm, thru 9/30, $24-50)
This off-Broadway love-triangle thriller, with indie rock music by Talking To Animals’ Juliana Nash, comes to Buffalo. 

Belfast Girls (Irish Classical Theatre, 625 Main St, Thu/Fri 7:30pm/Sat 3pm & 7:30pm/Sun 2pm, through 10/15, $48/$23 student) 
Five young women board a ship from Ireland to Australia, to escape famine in 1850. As they head for their new home, they each hope they can outrun their past, in this play from award-winning director Kyle LoConti.

Midnight Traveler (7pm, online, voluntary donation)
The 5th annual WNY Refugee Film Festival screens films from around the world, telling stories of refugees from Uganda, Syria, Congo, Afghanistan, and Ukraine. Register on the festival’s web site for a pass to a virtual screenings of Midnight Traveler, and a post-film discussion. 

Taj Farrant w/Nathan Bryce (Iron Works, 49 Illinois St, 7pm, $30)
Australian guitarist Farrant was wowing YouTube with his blues playing at age 9. He’s 14 now, and already on his third tour of the US. 

Thom Tran: From Refugee to Comedy (WNED Studios, 140 Lower Terrace St, 6-8:30pm, $75)
Tran was born in Vietnam, came to the US as a refugee, grew up in Buffalo, and joined the Army, where he was wounded in combat. He turned to comedy to combat his PTSD, and ended up launching a GIs of Comedy Tour, that started his career as a stand-up. 

Hannah Berner (Asbury Hall, 341 Delaware Ave, 8pm, $35)
This comic has had success both at the Just For Laughs festival, and online where she has 3.3 social media followers, and two podcasts, Giggly Squad, and Berning in Hell.

Friday, 9/29

Old 97’s w/John Hollier (Rec Room, 79 Chippewa St, 6pm, $25)
Alt-country mainstays Old 97’s bring their “loud folk” to Rec Room.

Alison Pipitone (The Cave, 71 Military Rd, 7pm, $8)
Piptone has been a fixture of Buffalo’s music scene since the started performing as a teenager in the ’90s.

Janice Mitchell (PAUSA Art House, 19 Wadsworth St, 7-9:30pm, $10)
Mitchell sings popular standards and blues songs with The Jim Beishline Trio.

Phil Hanley (Helium Comedy Club, 30 Mississippi St, Fri/Sat 7:30/10pm, $26)
Vancouver stand-up Hanley is a regular at NYC’s Comedy Cellar, and has acted in Sundowners and I Feel Pretty..

Grand Island Sunset 10K (Beaver Island State Park, 2136 W. Oakfield Rd, Grand Island, 5:30-8pm, $35)
This 10K is a largely flat out-and-back run alongside the Niagara River, with awards in each age group, and post-race pizza, ice cream, cake, and beer (depending on the age group). Register here.

Full Moon Family Hike (Tifft Nature Preserve, 1200 Fuhrmann Rd, 7-8:30pm, $8)
This guided tour seeks out nocturnal wildlife under the harvest moon. No headlamps or flash photography. Ages 5+.

New Movies This Week

Stop Making Sense (Amherst Theatre, North Park, Transit Center)
The big suit. The silly dances. The iconic music. In 1983, the Talking Heads and director Jonathan Demme teamed up for the greatest concert film ever made. Do not miss your chance to see it on the big screen, remastered for its 40th anniversary.

The Kill Room (Transit Center, Walden Galleria)
A hit man and an art dealer set up a money-laundering scheme that inadvertently gets hailed as avante garde art. With Samuel L. Jackson, and mother-daughter team Uma Thurman and Maya Hawke.

The Creator (in wide release)
Humans (including John David Washington, Gemma Chan, and Ken Watanabe) fight back against a malevolent AI hellbent on wiping us out, in a movie that asks, what if The Terminator were an adorable child?

Saw X (in wide release)
Tobin Bell returns as Jigsaw, as the tenth entry in the series inexplicably takes place in between Saw and Saw II.

The Re-Education of Molly Singer (in wide release)
To save her job, a hard-partying lawyer (Britt Robertson) has to go back to college, and befriend her boss’ socially awkward son, in what feels like a remake of that Jennifer Lawrence movie from earlier this year.

Heist 88 (Showtime)
A con man assembles a team to rip off $80 million, in a story based on a real 1988 heist.

Fair Play (Netflix)
A couple’s relationship is strained when one of them gets a promotion at a cutthroat hedge fund, in this erotic thriller.

Fukrey 3 (Elmwood Center)
Pulkit Samrat and Varun Sharma’s scheming slackers return for another sequel. In Hindi with subtitles.

Skanda: The Attacker (Elmwood Center, Transit Center)
Ram Pothineni is a college student who vows to avenge his family. In Telugu with subtitles.

The Vaccine War (Elmwood Center)
This medical thriller tells the true story of India’s race to develop a COVID vaccine. In Hindi with subtitles.

Chandramukhi 2 (Elmwood Center)
A woman (Kangana Ranaut) suffers from dissociative identity disorder, and a psychiatrist (Raghava Lawrence) risks his life to help her, in this horror-comedy. In Tamil with subtitles.

Saturday 9/30

Broken Social Scene (Town Ballroom, 681 Main St, 7pm, $35)
Pitchfork called this baroque Toronto indie-pop collective one of the most important artists of the past 25 years.

Mighty Niagara Half Marathon (Artpark, Lewiston, 9am, $90)
Hospice Dash 5K (Porter-on-the-Lake Park, Youngstown, 9am, $90)
The half marathon and 5K run simultaneously along the Niagara River. (Both finish in Youngstown) There’s also a a post-race party and concert (free for races, $25 otherwise). Register here.

Walk to End Alzheimer’s (Lakewide Lawn @ Outer Harbor, 225 Fuhrmann Blvd, 7am-noon, FREE)
Walks are happening in 600 communities across America. Register here to help raise funds to fight Alzheimer’s.

Harvest Roll 2023 (Lexington Co-Op, 1678 Hertel Ave, 2pm, $40)
This Slow Roll group bike ride highlights urban farms and other food-producing systems around Buffalo, with brunch and an afterparty. Unlike most Slow Roll rides, tickets are limited.

Spark Micro-Short Film Fest (Fitz Books & Waffles, 433 Ellicott St, noon-3pm, FREE)
Spark features short films five minutes and under, because you don’t need a big budget and a lot of time to tell an impactful story. 

Scajaquada Scavenger Hunt (Scajaquada Creek Watershed, noon-3pm, $20)
Teams visit locations along the Scajaquada Creek, completing activities and solving challenges for points. Winners get a prize pack with gift certificates from local shops and restaurants. Specific locations will be announced day-of. Register here.

Sunday 10/1

Teen Mortgage (Mohawk Place, 47 E Mohawk St, 6pm, $15)
We don’t know much about this DC hard rock band, but they’ve got a great name.

Bob’s Burgers (9pm, Fox)
Fox’s second-longest running animated family sitcom has slowed down a bit in recent years, but it still serves up welcome TV comfort food.

Monday 10/2

Redline Ride (Broadway Market, 999 Broadway, 5:30-10pm, FREE)
The 10 mile roundtrip bike ride through several Buffalo neighborhoods includes two stops, and ends with an afterparty with food, drink, and music.

Wednesday 10/4

Stevie Nicks (KeyBank Center, 1 Seymour H Knox Plaza, 7pm, $77+)
The former Fleetwood Mac frontwoman enough timeless hit songs to overshadow the band’s legendary personal drama.

The Midnight (Asbury Hall, 8pm, $30)
This band has grown from a duo to a quintet, and from synth-heavy music to an arena rock-ready sound.