1. There’s not a ton of stuff to see this weekend with the family, and it’s basically half getting into the holiday spirit, and the other half a motley crew. Anyhow, peruse Footlights, see what you like that will get you out of the house more than a walk-off of your turkey-enduced coma.

2. Portlandia: The Tour is already sold out, after tickets just went on sale at 10 am this morning. (Comments indicate they sold out within minutes. Whatever, just put a bird on it.) The show, which you won’t be seeing, is in Chicago on January 18 at the Hideout. What will you be missing? Carrie Brownstein and Fred Armisen “performing live music, presenting sneak-peek clips from the show’s second season and sharing personal anecdotes about the creation and inspiration of Portlandia and its variety of eccentric characters.” Want more Brownstein? Check out these videos of Wild Flag performing for Sound Opinions here at WBEZ.

3. An Iliad has received the elusive five-star review from TimeOut; reviewer Oliver Sava writes, “Kane’s stunning performance has the spontaneity of a story told around a campfire, yet his emotional reaction to the narrative shows his profound connection to the material.” There’s also praise for set designers and directors — it sounds like no one is resting in this production.

4. Interesting: Yesterday Kris Vire and Ada Grey delievered their review of Strawdog’s Benefit Performance of The Phone Book LIVE. As in, in front of everyone it was concerning. I’m not super familiar with Grey, but her blog is quite enjoyable. Rude or funny? Your call. Maybe a bit of both, the best way to be.

5. The last week in November is House Manager Appreciation Week! Not officially or anything, but according to Backstage at BackstageJobs.com. They’re the ones that have to deal with:

• Irate patrons.
• Sick patrons.
• Violent patrons.
• Drunk patrons.

And why the last week in November? Because it’s the holidays, and that means people are shockingly not on their best behavior. “Not only do [house managers] have the stress of dealing with people who may have no idea what their expected behavior should be in a theatre [tourists], but also trying to ensure that they enjoy the experience enough to consider coming back for a show during the regular season.” So hug a House Manager!

Questions? Tips? Email kdries@wbez.org.