Pencil This In

THEATER: Teflon war criminal and Nobel laureate Henry Kissinger made news again this week with the revelation that Dr. Strangelove has secretly cautioned against any troop withdrawal from Iraq because, just like ‘Nam, such action would “become like salted peanuts to the American public; the more troops come home, the more will be demanded.” Kissinger’s breathtaking contempt for democracy is matched only by his Machiavellian genius; both attributes are skewered to great effect in this terrific revival of Nixon’s Nixon, which imagines what went down during Nixon’s historic meeting with Kissinger on the eve of his resignation. The play is getting great reviews, which further disproves Tom Lehrer’s quip that political satire became obsolete when Kissinger won the Nobel Peace Prize. - John Del Signore

Friday // 8pm // Lucille Lortel Theatre, 121 Christopher Street // Tickets are $55

MUSIC: You know how much we love Union Hall, well their downstairs room, where the bands play, is called The Science Room - and tonight Math & Physics Club are playing. How perfect! They open for Envelopes, so it's a solid bill to check out, and maybe you'll learn something.

Listen: Weekends Away.mp3 - Math and Physics Club

8pm // Union Hall [Union at 5th, Park Slope] // $10

On Saturday we only have one place to suggest for your sonic stimulation, and that's Sin-e. Apes and Androids will be playing, and because of that there really isn't any place else that could be more awesome. Check out the short clip we took last time the band hit the Sin-e stage, above. The whole lineup is actually quite good, they're joined by: Die Romantik, Palomar, The Oranges Band.

Saturday // 8pm // Sin-e // $10

And BOTH Saturday and Sunday, you'll be able to catch Two Gallants (who we interviewed this year) once in Brooklyn, once in Manhattan. These guys never ever cease to amaze us. Opening for them are Trainwreck Riders and Movable Hype alum Langhorne Slim!

Saturday // Northsix [66 North 6th St] // $10
Sunday // Bowery Ballroom [6 Delancey St] // $15

EVENT: Come put the Bush back in Bushwick this weekend at a benefit show to support neighborhood beautification. The Benefit Show for Trees Not Trash will include the following lineup: Project Jenny/Project Jan, Dynamite Club, Looker, Wake Up Dead.

Learn more about the cause here.

Saturday // 9pm // ASTERISK [258 Johnson, at Bushwick] // $7

THEATER: Alterego Productions is unveiling the world premiere of A First Class Man, a play based on the extraordinary life of Srinivasa Ramanujan, a shipping clerk living in India in the 1910s with a gift for producing complex mathematical theorems without any formal training. According to the Alterego weblog, Ramanujan was widely considered one of twentieth century’s towering mathematical geniuses. The play tracks his complex relationship with the Cambridge don Professor GH Hardy, whose precise world of scientific orthodoxy clashed with Ramanujan's deeply spiritual perspective on mathematics. - John Del Signore

Saturday and Sunday // 2pm & 8pm // The 45th Street Theater (354 W. 45th St) // Tickets $18

ZOMBIE PARADE!: The SVA kids have organized a zombie parade from 23rd & Lexington down through Union Square. Zombies are the new Pirates, or something. Seeing the undead walking through broad daylight should get you in the mood for Halloween, too! If you go take some pics be sure to contribute them.

Sunday // 7pm // 23rd and Lexington to Union Square // Free