theater

IT’S A WONDERFUL AFTERLIFE. Where would you like to visit after you die? The Hasty Pudding Theatricals’ 155th spoof takes you through Heaven, Hell, and Limbo in a production of Divine Comedy proportions. Meet Rabbi Noah Fense, Nun Taken, and the Roman General Curtis Interruptus. Hilarious. Wednesdays through Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m., Sundays at 3 p.m. Tickets $25 weekdays, $27 weekends. Group discounts available. Through Wednesday, March 19. Hasty Pudding Theater, 12 Holyoke St., (617) 495-5205. (TIH)

CULTURAL RHYTHMS. The Harvard Foundation presents the 16th annual Cultural Rhythms Festival, with hip-hop artist Queen Latifah as emcee. Featuring performances by over 30 student organizations, including the Kuumba singers, the Chinese yo-yo team, the kung fu club, and other ethnic groups. Should be stunning and diverse as always. Saturday, Feb. 22, 3–5 p.m. Food reception to follow in the Science Center, and a free student-emceed second show at 7:30 p.m. Tickets $10 for Harvard ID-holders (limit 2 per person) at the Harvard Box Office, (617) 496-2222. Sanders Theater, Memorial Hall. (TIH)

IGP. Harvard’s Immediate Gratification Players (IGP) join forces with a number of other comedy troupes to overload you with their hilarious stand-up improvisations and witticisms. Friday, Feb. 21, and Saturday, Feb. 22, 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Tickets free at the Loeb Box Office. Loeb Experimental Theater. (ESH)

LA CENERENTOLA. See opera review. Through Saturday, Feb. 22 at 8:30 p.m. Tickets $8, $7 students, $6 Dunster House residents, $10 at the door, available at the Harvard Box Office or by phone (617) 496-2222. Dunster House Dining Hall. (NKB)

LA DISPUTE. To decide which sex is least faithful, several men and women are raised in total isolation from everyone but their caretakers—and then let loose in the outdoors. The human subjects eventually pair off and swear undying love to their partners. But there is soon trouble in paradise. Though the play is allegedly a comedy, the story contains plenty of sadism and bitterness. See full story in Feb. 7 section. Through Saturday, Feb. 22 Tickets $34-$68. American Repertory Theater, Loeb Drama Center, 64 Brattle St. (617) 547-8300. (ADH)

film

NO MAN’S LAND. Bosnian director Danis Tanovic’s debut film about the recent Balkan wars won Best Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards last year. With Rene Bitorajac and Branco Djuric as two enemy soldiers trapped in the same trench. Bosnian and French with English subtitles. Free admission, with an introduction by director Tanovic. Wednesday, Feb. 26, 7 p.m. Harvard Film Archive, Carpenter Center, 24 Quincy St. (617) 495-4700. (TIH)

HARVARD SQUARE LOEWS

10 CHURCH ST., (617) 864-4580

ABOUT SCHMIDT. About Schmidt, in a bizarrely somber, comedic fashion, is possibly the most depressing film of Jack Nicholson’s long career. His performance as a retired insuranceexecutive is a deeply complex and hilariously tragic portrayal of the most banal aspects of one man’s post-mid-life crisis. Director Alexander Payne, famous for his digressions on suburban angst in films such as Election and Citizen Ruth, keeps the tone light and the characters archetypally and delicously bizarre. About Schmidt screens at 12:15, 3:15, 7 and 10 p.m. (CJF)

ADAPTATION. At its core, Adaptation is an analysis of the intellectual diseases that plague every writer, from editorial pressure to sibling rivalry to unrequited love. But its narrative edges make it a unique experience. Nicolas Cage plays writer Charlie Kaufman (the real-life writer of the film), who becomes consumed by his assignment to adapt Susan Orlean’s meditative nonfiction novel The Orchid Thief and his own personal eccentricities. Like Kaufman and director Spike Jonze’s previous film Being John Malkovich, several plots overlap and intertwine with surprising at dramatic twists, creating a frustrating, complex film that is infinitely insightful and weirdly moving. Adaptation screens at 12:30, 3:30, 6:15 and 9:15 p.m. (CJF)

THE LIFE OF DAVID GALE. Kevin Spacey stars as Professor David Gale, an anti-death penalty crusader accused of murdering a fellow activist (Laura Linney) in this issue movie from Alan Parker (Angela’s Ashes). Once Gale reaches death row, he gives his side of the story to an ambitious reporter (Kate Winslet). The film’s trio of Oscar darlings and hot social topic should lend some class and relevance, respectively, to the reportedly twist-heavy story. The Life of David Gale screens at 12, 3, 6:30 and 9:30 p.m. (BJS)

CHICAGO. The potential revival of the Hollywood musical is upon us with Chicago—for better or worse. Ignoring its politicized ramifications as a genre revival, Chicago on its own is a pretty wild ride, showcasing once and for all that the new school of glitzy film stars can sing better than Jennifer Lopez. Catherine Zeta-Jones, Renee Zellweger, and especially John C. Reilly are surprisingly watchable in this furiously edited, expensive adaptation of the murderous Broadway classic. Die-hard Bob Fosse fans may leave screaming in disgust, but fortunately for the rest of us director Rob Marshall knows the difference between film and theater, and milks it with remarkable excess. Chicago screens at 1, 4, 7:30 and 10:10 p.m. (CJF)

THE HOURS. This adaptation of Michael Cunningham’s Pulitzer-winning novel is unapologetically Oscar bait, a solemn, century-spanning “what is life?” treatise backed by a triumvirate of A-list actresses (Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman, Julianne Moore) and directed by Billy Elliot vet Stephen Daldry. Yet for a film of its ostensible weight, The Hours certainly takes easy shots at its lead trio—three colossally boring straw women who rediscover their lost vitality in drearily obvious ways as the picture progresses. Perhaps The Hours’ greatest value rests in its side-by-side comparison of Moore, the greatest actress of her generation, and Streep, the most acclaimed actress of hers; when judged head-to-head, Moore ends up easily topping Streep, if for no other reason than that Streep persists in being an actress onscreen while Moore is content to be a person. The Hours screens at 12:45, 3:45, 6:45 and 9:45 p.m. (BJS)