It’s Memorial Day weekend, the kickoff of the summer season. The Portland Rose Festival returns this year but we’ve also got several theatrical productions, including the beloved musical “Rent,” beginning this week, and the return of the Multnomah County Fair.
Although the statewide indoor COVID-19 mask mandate has been lifted, some venues or artists still have restrictions in place. Check website venue information for specific COVID safety requirements.
“Sardine Sellers Net of Love”
Portland State University presents a student-performed Japanese Kabuki-style play by Yukio Mishima, performed in English. The popular comedy incorporates music, dance and mime, in a story about a humble sardine seller and his love for the most glamorous courtesan in Kyoto.
7 p.m. Thursday-Friday and 2 p.m. Saturday, May 26-28, Lincoln Performance Hall, PSU, 1620 S.W. Park Ave.; $9-$25; pdx.edu/japanese-studies
Stumptown Stages presents “Ring of Fire, the Music of Johnny Cash.”Image courtesy of Stumptown Stages
“Ring of Fire, the Music of Johnny Cash”
Stumptown Stages brings the songs of the great Johnny Cash to life in a musical about struggle and success and the healing power of home and family. The show features more than 20 of Cash’s classics, including “I Walk the Line,” “Folsom Prison Blues,” and “Ring of Fire.
Opens 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 27, and continues 7:30 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays, 2 p.m. Saturdays-Sundays through June 18, Winningstad Theatre, 1111 S.W. Broadway; tickets $27.25-$52.25; stumptownstages.org or 800-915-4698.
The Multnomah County Fair is back for 2022 at Oaks Park in Southeast Portland. Mark Graves/Staff/2019 Mark Graves
The Multnomah County Fair
It’s been two years since Oaks Park hosted a full-fledged Multnomah County Fair, but it’s back this Memorial Day weekend with all the fun in-person events you’ve come to expect. The weekend includes on-stage live entertainment, small animal viewing, art and food exhibits, costumed characters, a car show and the popular Weiner Dog Races.
Noon-7 p.m. Saturday-Monday, May 28-30, Oaks Amusement Park, 7805 S.E. Oaks Park Way; free entry, ride and game tickets sold separately; multcofair.com
2022 Stars on Ice Tour comes to Portland this weekend at the Memorial ColiseumImage courtesy of Stars on Ice
Stars on Ice
See all the athletic power and grace of the U.S. figure skating Olympic medal winners during this Portland stop of the Stars on Ice tour. Watch performances by medalists Nathan Chen, and pairs teams Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue and Madison Chock and Evan Bates, as well as many other members of Team USA.
4 p.m. Sunday, May 29, Veterans Memorial Coliseum at the Rose Quarter; tickets start at $30; RoseQuarter.com.
“Pretty Woman: The Musical”
Hollywood’s most famous transactional rom-com gets a musical makeover. What’s new? An original score by Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance, who co-wrote Adams’ hits “Summer of ‘69″ and “Heaven.” The pair packs the streetwalking-“Cinderella” tale with pop-rock tunes tailored to the era.
Opens 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 31, and continues various times and dates through Monday, June 6, Keller Auditorium, 222 S.W. Clay St.; tickets start at $25; BroadwayinPorltand.com.
– Lee William/Special to The Oregonian
Members of the cast of “Rent” at Portland Center Stage; (left to right) Ashley Song, Delphon “DJ” Curtis Jr., Nyla Sostre, Will Wilhelm, Kailey Rhodes, Benjamin Tissell, Johnny Newcomb, and Jeremiah Alsop.photo by Alec Lugo/Courtesy of Portland Center Stage
“Rent”
Jonathan Larson’s long-running and award-winning Broadway musical comes to Portland Center Stage, telling the story of young artists fighting for justice, visibility and love during the AIDS crisis. The show will be directed by Chip Miller and features musical direction by Tim Weil.
Opens 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 1, continues 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays-Sundays, 2 p.m. Saturdays-Sundays with some other varied matinees through July 10; U.S. Bank Main Stage, 128 N.W. 11th Ave.; tickets $25-$97; pcs.org/rent-musical or 503-445-3700.
“Liberace & Liza: A Tribute”
The Southwest Washington Center for the Arts hosts a night of music and comedy. David Saffert as Liberace and Jillian Snow Harris as Liza Minnelli recreate the variety show vibe popular in the 1960s and ‘70s. The show is conducted by Bo Ayars, who toured with Liberace for 13 years. Enjoy the outlandish costumes and the music in this cabaret-style performance.
7 p.m. Wednesday, June 1, Kiggins Theatre, 1011 Main St., Vancouver; tickets $25; kigginstheatre.com
Image from the performance “Lovely Beautiful” by the Shaun Keylock Company.Photo by Alec Marchant
“Lovely Beautiful”
Shaun Keylock Company performs a mixed repertory dance program of new work created by Keylock as well as dances by Josie Mosely and Gregg Bielemeier.
8 p.m. Thursday June 2, and 8 p.m. June 3-4, Portland Institute for Contemporary Art Annex, 15 N.E. Hancock St.; tickets $20-$35; shaunkeylock.com
“Troy, USA”
Bag&Baggage Productions offers its first in-person mainstage show since 2020, an adaptation of Shakespeare’s “Troilus and Cressida” that bends time and tells a multi-leveled story of strained love and civil unrest near Detroit, circa 1972. The work is a collaboration between Texas-born playwright Don Wilson Glenn and award-winning Portland actor and playwright Dmae Roberts.
Opens 7:30 p.m. Thursday, June 2, and continues 7:30 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays through June 19, Vault Theater, 350 E. Main St., Hillsboro; pay what you will; bagnbaggage.secure.force.com or 503-345-9590.
360-Degree Films
Born out of an immersive media production project that included 12 young artists who have experienced houselessness, the youth of Open Signal and Outside the Frame have created five films that invite the viewer to see the world through their eyes. A reception with the filmmakers and various instructors from the two programs starts at 6 p.m., prior to the two screenings, in the OMSI lobby.
Screenings 6:15 and 7 p.m. Thursday, June 2, Kendall Planetarium, OMSI, 1945 S.E. Water Ave.; donations will be split between Open Signal and Outside the Frame; tickets.omsi.edu/events
Looking for a list of Rose Festival events? We’ve got you covered: LINK GOES HERE
– If you have live or virtual events you’d like to see highlighted at OregonLive.com or in the weekly printed A&E section of The Oregonian, please email submissions to events@oregonian.com at least three weeks prior to the start of your event. Digital images or links to videos are helpful.
— Rosemarie Stein, events@oregonian.com
