The Weekend Guide

FILM
The Avengers
That sound you hear is Marvel fanboys (and girls, of course) counting down the minutes to one of the most anticipated releases of the summer. Early reviews have been markedly restrained, touting writer-director (and Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator) Joss Whedon’s “superhero smash-up” as “escapism of a sophisticated order”. Here’s how the plot goes down: with the threat of global annihilation imminent, a group of Avengers—namely Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Captain America (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) and the Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson)—is gathered to save the day, which is really just an excuse to wreak “CG-inflated, 3D-augmented geek-out mayhem”.
When: From Friday, April 27.
Where: At cinemas across the city.

ART
Norman Parkinson at the ICIA
In his 56-year career, British fashion photographer Norman Parkinson unshackled fashion photography from its staidness, by plonking models into exotic locals around the world. At “Pink is the Navy Blue of India”, on display at the ICIA gallery, you can see a mix of some of his iconic shots of beauties like Audrey Hepburn and Jerry Hall and a series of photos he took in India for British Vogue in 1956. Shot from Jaipur to Mylapore, they are exquisitely composed, with their subjects often irreverently posed in front of looming monuments like the Taj.
When: From Saturday, April 28 to Saturday, May 5. Monday to Saturday, 11am to 7pm; closed on Sunday and public holidays.
Where: ICIA House, 22/26 K. Dubhash Marg, Kala Ghoda. Tel: 2204 8138.

ALSO AROUND TOWN
• Hear the hits of Hindi film composers Laxmikant-Pyarelal at a concert of their most famous tunes that will be performed by playback singers such as Amit Kumar, Kavita Krishnamurthy and Suresh Wadkar this Friday, April 27, from 6.30pm at the Shanmukhananda Auditorium. Tickets are priced at Rs200, Rs300, Rs500, Rs1,000, and Rs1,500 for the concert, which will help raise funds for the Shri Kulswamini Mata Charitable Trust that works for the education of blind children. Shanmukhananda Auditorium, behind Gandhi Market, Sion (East). Call 89830 98044 for further details.

• See a performance of the play Boy With a Suitcase, an Indo-German production that is a collaboration between the Ranga Shankara theatre in Bangalore and the Schnawwl Theater in Mannheim, at 7pm at the NCPA’s Experimental Theatre on Friday, April 27, and at 4pm and 7pm at the Prithvi Theatre on both Saturday, April 28 and Sunday, April 29. Tickets are priced at Rs200 for all shows of the play, which centres around the journeys of a 12-year-old protagonist named Naz. National Centre for the Performing Arts, NCPA Marg, Nariman Point. Tel: 6622 3737. Prithvi Theatre, Janki Kutir, Juhu Church Road, Juhu. Tel: 2614 9546.

• Listen to recitals by three widely acclaimed classical musicians, Carnatic vocalist Aruna Sairam and flautists Rakesh Chaurasia and B. Vijayagopal (who respectively represent the North Indian and South Indian playing traditions) at a concert organised by Kala Sangam, Bombay this Friday, April 27, from 7pm, at the Fine Arts Society, Chembur. Donor passes for the concert, which will also feature a jugalbandi between Chaurasia and Vijayagopal, are priced at Rs100 and Rs200. Sivaswamy Auditorium, Fine Arts Society, Fine Arts Chowk, Chembur. Tel: 2522 2988.

• Laugh at the routines of British stand-up comedians, Tom Wrigglesworth, Alistair Barie and Paul Thorne this Friday, April 27 at their show at The Comedy Store, which will be opened by actors Rajat Kapoor, Ranvir Shorey and Neil Bhoopalam, who will perform a sketch to promote their upcoming film Fatso, which has been directed by Kapoor. Tickets for the event, which is scheduled to start at 8pm, are priced at Rs600. The Comedy Store, Palladium, Third Floor, High Street Phoenix, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel. Tel: 4348 5000.

• Dance to the sounds of electronica collective Bhavishyavani Future Soundz at the launch of their new monthly night at Bonobo, HEARTBEAT on Friday, April 27, from 9pm onwards. There is no entry fee for the gig, which will feature sets by DJs M.Mat, Charlee and Loopkin. Bonobo, Kenilworth Mall Phase II, Second Floor, off Linking Road, same building as KFC, Bandra (West). Tel: 2605 5353.

• Visit Voicing A Presence: Women Artists in the Jehangir Nicholson Collection, an exhibition featuring 52 paintings by 25 female artists (Anju Dodiya, Nalini Malani, Arpita Singh among them) whose works were collected by art lover Jehangir Nicholson over his lifetime. The exhibition at the CSMVS’s Jehangir Nicholson gallery opens on Saturday, April 28. Tuesday to Sunday, 10.15am to 6pm; Monday closed. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya, 159/61 M. G. Road, Kala Ghoda. Tel: 2284 4484.

• Pick up organic kiddie clothes for your tots during a trunk show of children’s wear label Nee & Oink at Neel at Tote on the Turf on Saturday, April 28, from 1pm to 5.30pm. The clothes, which are made using eco-friendly dyes, are priced between Rs2,000 and Rs5,000. Mahalaxmi Race Course, opposite Gate 5 & 6, Keshvrao Khadye Marg, Mahalaxmi. Tel: 6157 7777.

• Watch a pair of blues rock acts, Blues No Bar and Blackstratblues (aka guitarist-composer Warren Mendonsa) perform at the Hanging Gardens this Saturday, April 28, from 5.30pm. The free gig is part of the series of Bandstand Revival concerts organised by the Bombay Chamber of Commerce and Industry at bandstands across the city. Hanging Gardens, entrance opposite the Malabar Hill Club, Malabar Hill. Call 98196 89544 for further details.

• Attend Ahsas, a two-day festival of contemporary dance that will be held from 7pm on both Saturday, April 28 and Sunday, April 29 at the St. Andrew’s Auditorium. The festival has been organised by the Sumeet Nagdev Dance Arts company which will perform at the event along with the New Delhi-based Bhoomika Creative Dance Centre, British choreographer Aakash Odedra and American dancer David Poznanter. St. Andrew’s Auditorium, St. Dominic Road, Bandra (West).

• Sing along to the songs of recently reformed Pakistani Sufi rock band Junoon, the current line-up of which includes founding member, guitarist and singer Salman Ahmad and bassist Brian O’ Connell, at a concert that will be held at InOrbit mall in Malad on Saturday, April 28, from 7pm onwards. Tickets are priced at Rs599, Rs999 and Rs1,999 for the gig, which will feature an appearance by the cast of Hindi film Jannat 2 and opening sets by Helen and the Mumbai Mariachis, and the groups Electro Sufiz and Oak, which are the bands fronted by Bollywood composers Hanif Shaikh and Saim Bhat respectively. InOrbit Mall, Malad Link Road, Malad (West).

• Check out the music of three new acts, singer-songwriters Divya Lewis and Vernon Noronha and pop-rock band Duncun Rufus, at this month’s edition of Live From The Console at Mehboob Studios this Saturday, April 28, from 7.30pm onwards. Tickets are priced at Rs150. Stage No.5, Mehboob Studios, Hill Road, Bandra (West). Call 99675 39983 for details.