Film: New films opening in wide release today include "The Big Wedding," "King's Faith," and "Pain & Gain." Films screening at The Little Theatre are "Chronicle of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising," "The Company You Keep" (also at Pittsford Cinema), "Disconnect." "The Invisible War," "The Island President," "Overboard," and "Starbuck." Pittsford Cinema will also screen "Mud." In addition to hosting the Rochester International Film Festival, The Dryden will screen "The Householder," "Land of Milk and Honey," and "Sunset" this week.
Special Event/Music: I can’t stand standing for nothing, and if you are going to stand, might as well stand for something. Tonight you can do just that with the Young Audiences of Rochester’s Area Youth, presenting Cypher’s Stand Against Racism at Rochester Youth for Christ (1 Favor St). The event will featuring singers, rappers, dancing, and poetry. Tickets cost $5, or $3 for students with ID (children 10 and younger are free.).
Theater: "Trial by Jury," an operetta in one act by Gilbert & Sullivan, will be performed by Rochester Lyric Opera as part of the Chamber Opera Festival today, 12:30 p.m., at the Hall of Justice (courtroom 303, 99 Exchange Blvd.). The event is free to attend. For more information, call 738-5995 or visit rochesterlyricopera.org.
Music: Rochester’s own Violet Mary will be hosting a CD release show tonight at Richmond’s Tavern (21 Richmond St., richmondstavern.com), debuting its new album “Level.” Cover costs $5, music starts at 8:30 p.m.
Music: Looking to get down and groove a bit tonight? Vibe Lounge (302 Goodman St.) will be hosting Upstate Grooves, with a collection of regional Buffalo and Rochester acts to check out. Bentlee Gavin Wright & Verse, Drea Dnur, Carlton Wilcox, Finesse Richardson, and Quadir Lateef will all be there. Doors open up at 7 p.m., tickets run $15. For tickets and more info, check verticalentertainmentny.com.
Music: Prime Time Funk may not be past its prime, but it isn’t any slouch age wise, celebrating its 17 years as a band tonight at Taylor’s Nightclub (3300 Monroe Ave.). Todd East, the band’s original singer, will open up. Music starts at 9:30 p.m., cover costs $5.
Music: Looking for some jazz and Chinese tonight? We know you are, so head on over to Yummy Garden Hot Pot (2411 West Henrietta Rd., yummygardenrestaurant.com) tonight for the music of Ferrante & Furioso. Music goes 5:30 p.m. until 9:30 p.m., and the duo will be there every Friday and Saturday for the next month, so check them out.
Music: Of all the ingredients the fertile, all-encompassing jam-band scene tosses into the cauldron, reggae seems to be the most dominant. Sure, John Brown’s Body surfs the world-beat side of things with its polyrhythmic display, but it’s that wily one-drop that digs the deepest groove. “Future roots,” as the band calls it. Based in Boston and the Northeast’s hippy hotbed, Ithaca, JBB has been rockin’ steady since 1995. Bad-ass Brooklyn threesome Dub Trio plays with savage dynamics and deadly precision. Think Return To Forever with no looking back, or Fishbone after a copious bong hit. It’s dexterous and mucho intense but doesn’t come off too cerebral. You won’t need a slide rule, just your feet. The Big Upstate Reggae Festival with John Brown’s Body, Dub Trio, Nevergreen, Axis Armada, and Among Criminals takes place Friday, April 26, 8 p.m. at Water Street Music Hall, 204 N. Water St. $14-$20. waterstreetmusic.com.
Music: Early on in his career, lyricist Stephen Sondheim collaborated with then-established composer Leonard Bernstein on one of the most beloved musicals in theater history, “West Side Story.” This weekend the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, led by conductor Jeff Tyzik, will present songs from the aforementioned musical, as well as selections from Bernstein’s “Candide” and choice pieces from several of Sondheim’s own musicals (including “Company,” “Sweeney Todd,” and “Follies”). The RPO will be joined by vocalists Lisa Vroman (who has played Johanna in “Sweeney”) and J. Mark McVey (Jean Valjean in the 25th Anniversary Tour of “Les Miserables”) in a night that musical-theater lovers will surely not want to miss. The RPO Pops presents Sondheim and Bernstein on Broadway Friday and Saturday, April 26 and 27, 8 p.m., at Kodak Hall at the Eastman Theatre, 60 Gibbs St. Tickets range from $15 to $79. rpo.org.
