Portland's sketchy kings of comedy, the Third Floor, return with another round of clever premises, audacious characters and an essential willingness to do anything for a laugh.
8 p.m. Friday-Saturday, through March 21, Miracle Theater, 525 S.E. Stark St.; $12 at the door
Oregon Ballet Theatre: Artistic director Christopher Stowell's world-premiere adaptation of Stravinsky's "The Rite of Spring," featuring a standout performance by Anne Mueller, highlights a varied, vital program.
7:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday, Keller Auditorium, 222 S.W. Clay St.; $13.50-$122, 503-222-5538
Carnaval Brasileiro: Anyone can samba -- and here's the chance to prove it. While this carnaval probably will be considerably more clothed than the version in Brazil every year (not a high bar, btw), it'll hopefully have much of the same fun.
9 p.m. Saturday, Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W. Burnside St.; $20 advance, $25 day of show, Ticketmaster, 503-224-4400.
"Food Fight": For those unfamiliar with the policy- and profit-driven reasons why agribusiness has exploded in the past 30 years, and why so much inexpensive, unhealthy food is in the marketplace, "Food Fight" is eye-opening stuff. (Watch trailer below.) Others may be put off by its foodie-centric nature and seemingly endless discussion of why locally grown, sustainable and very expensive meals at "California cuisine" landmarks such as Chez Panisse and Spago taste so good.
Saturday-Sunday at Hollywood Theatre
Martha Wainwright: Part of the talented Wainwright clan (brother Rufus, father Loudon), Martha's established her own identity, with her sharply observed, sometimes blunt lyrics.
9 p.m. Sunday, Doug Fir Lounge, 830 E. Burnside St.; $12 advance, $14 day of show, TicketsWest, 503-224-8499.
Shelley Short: With whimsical songs that play off her deceptively sweet voice, Short's brand of folk centers as much on skewing expectations as it does on her ear for a gorgeous melody.
8:30 p.m. Sunday, Holocene, 1001 S.E. Morrison St.; $7, 503-239-7639.
Dear and the Headlights: This Arizona band knows its way around hooky, catchy indie pop. Heavy touring schedules and two full-length albums have helped build an audience.
8:30 p.m. Sunday, Satyricon, 125 N.W. Sixth Ave.; $10 advance, $12 day of show, 800-838-3006.
"Bare": Catholic boarding-school students struggle with sexuality, faith and their production of "Romeo and Juliet." The companies Tin Pan Alley and Blue Monkey co-produce this musical.
Opens 2 p.m. Sunday, continues 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday through March 29, Interstate Firehouse Cultural Center, 5340 N. Interstate Ave.; $18-$20, 503-593-2466
Kathy Griffin: The veteran comic from "Seinfeld," "Suddenly Susan" and so on invites you to join her for a night on the D-List. But she'll probably be the only one in the room who's won an Emmy. 6:30 and 9 p.m. Wednesday, Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 1037 S.W. Broadway; $35-$50, 503-224-4400
Reading Frenzy benefit: If supporting this indie media store isn't enough of a draw, there's also a solid lineup, including Sleater-Kinney's Corin Tucker, author/musician Willy Vlautin and genre-mixing Tu Fawning.
8:30 p.m. Thursday, Holocene, 1001 S.E. Morrison St.; $20 advance, $8-$20 sliding scale day of show, 800-838-3006.