Staffpicks

Through Feb. 15 ‘Skin Deep’ Derby Dinner Playhouse 525 Marriott Drive Clarksville, Indiana derbydinner.com $36+; times vary There is so much good theater in this area — something for everyone. If you want one stop for dinner and a play, including pre-play dinner entertainment and a full bar, Derby Dinner Playhouse has got it. Their current production, “Skin Deep,” is a sweet, humorous play about lonely-heart Maureen, who has lost faith that anyone sees her more than skin deep. It’s a romantic comedy, so I don’t think I’m giving too much away in sharing that a blind date (set up by Maureen’s cosmetic-surgery-addicted sister) marks the turning point. Definitely a feel-good story, “Skin Deep” is a perfect heart month outing, even if you do indulge in the theater’s decadent desserts. —Laura Snyder

Feb. 5-March 6 French Film Festival U of L Floyd Theater 2100 S. Floyd St., 852-6691 Free; 5 & 8 p.m. If you’re looking for a little culture in your life, you can find that at the 2015 U of L French Film Festival. The festival runs every Thursday and Friday at the Floyd Theater in the Swain Student Activities Center until March 6 (screenings at 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. Thursday, 2 p.m. Friday). The festival features a range of films from the dramatic to the comedic, with post-film discussions led by local French and film scholars following the 5 p.m. screenings. Opening the festival is the film “Girlhood” by up and coming director Celine Sciamma, which attends to matters of race and identity. Outside of the Sundance Film Festival and Los Angeles, the University of Louisville is one of the first places to view this film, so don’t miss it. —Syd Bishop

THURSDAY, FEB. 5 Riff Raff Mercury Ballroom 611 S. 4th St., 583-4555 mercuryballroom.com $22; 8 p.m. By now, you’ve probably heard of Riff Raff, whether that’s because he’s a viral Internet rapper (with impressive longevity), embattled with director Harmony Korine about Jame’s Franco’s swiping his image in the movie “Spring Breakers” or because of his ridiculous Twitter handle. And you probably have an opinion on his level of seriousness, which is half the fun of following his career. That brings me to the point about why he’s worth your time and money: This might not be the highest quality of hip-hop music — and going to see someone like Kendrick Lamar or Vince Staples is definitely a higher recommendation — but this is the human form of Internet click bait on irrational or low-brow topics. You know you want to see it. So don’t pretend you’re above it. —Scott Recker

Saturday, Feb. 7 Bill Noel Carmichael’s Bookstore 2720 Frankfort Ave., 896-6950 carmichaelsbookstore.com Free; 4 p.m. Has author Bill Noel achieved the Baby Boomer generation’s dream retirement? His beach-town home-away-from-home inspired him to write a mystery novel, and he didn’t want to let go of the characters he developed. So he didn’t — and he’s nurtured them, and a readership, through nine novels now. Noel’s home is in Louisville, but he’s invested a lot of heart into two visions of Folly Beach, S.C.: the real island just outside of Charleston, and its well-cast fictional counterpart. Carmichael’s is noting the publication of new title “First Light” by having the author in for wine and cheese and book signing. The Folly Beach Mystery series is less concerned with building a whodunit’s page-turning momentum than in finessing a friendly, practically tidal rhythm. The centerpiece murder mystery’s solution-hunting and setbacks regularly give way to charming interactions among townies and vacationers. —T.E. Lyons

Saturday, Feb. 17 ‘4th Annual XXX Art Show’ Ultra Pop! 960 Barret Ave., 479-1035 ultra-pop.com Free; 6-9 p.m. Ultra Pop! presents its delightful annual celebration of erotic art. Louisville artists trip into the taboo, the exotic, the sensual and the just plain dirty. But is it art or porn? The answer is, without a doubt ... art. Naughty art, but art still the same. If your artistic taste leans on the cheeky side, this one-night show is not to be missed. Be prepared to have your mind titillated with the carnal visions from Louisville’s most creative artisans. Something at this show will speak to you or at least engage some interesting conversations. Guaranteed to be the perfect place for you to add an erotic masterpiece to your collection. —J. Cobb

SATURDAY, FEB. 7 ‘Cuteopia!’ Revelry Boutique Gallery 742 E. Market St., 414-1278 revelrygallery.com 6-10 p.m. It’s almost here, that “red heart” time that shows up every February. Ditch the flowers and candy to buy art that will remind you of your sweetie all year long. Revelry can help with this cause, as they have an annual Valentine’s Day show featuring local women artists, such as Lyndi Lou, Sarah Tidwell and MissHappyPink. “In college, I had a male professor who vehemently berated ‘girly art’ (he had a strict no glitter, pink policy) and I spent years trying to recover,” says artist Liz Richter. “I remember seeing Revelry’s ‘Cuteopia’ show … and it helped form my view of the city’s art culture: diverse, talented, edgy, with a sense of humor. This show is a great combination of artists supporting artists and women supporting women.” —Jo Anne Triplett

Saturday, Feb. 7 Historical Ball Locust Grove, Audubon Room 561 Blankenbaker Lane locustgrove.org, 897-9845 $25; 7-10 p.m. OK, all you history buffs, LARPers, vintage clothes hounds and historical reenactors, Saturday night is your chance to show off your best historical dress (all time periods welcome) at Locust Grove’s Historical Ball. The ball will feature live music, with dances called by historic dance instructors Tom and Toni Tumbusch, who will also be offering free dance practice from 1-2 p.m. on the day of the ball. The price of your ticket includes refreshments and tours of the 1790s historic home of George Rogers Clark ($20 tickets available for guests under 14). The Thomas Family will also be on site with wine and ale from their Madison, Ind., winery. House party! —Laura Snyder

Saturday, Feb. 7 Misha Feigin Party Dreamland 810 E. Market St. (behind Decca) dreamlandislouisville.org $7; 9 p.m. Misha Feigin has always had the eye of an outsider. In the time of Stalin, bureaucrats had a name for people like him, Jewish intellectuals, dubbed “bezrodnyi kosmopolit” (rootless cosmopolitans). It’s a label Misha proudly embraces. Though he’s planted himself pretty firmly in Louisville’s musical and literary scenes, he’s continued his wandering. His music ranges from Russian folksongs to atonal improvisations. His published writings include award-winning novels, poetry and creative non-fiction. His new book, “Tribal Diaries,” is a witty, vividly described travelogue that ranges from autobahn to interstate, German jazz clubs to native American reservations, Moscow to New Orleans. Luminaries like Tim Barnes, Jacob Duncan, Jon Silpayamanant, Steve Good and Gregory Acker will join in the party with readings and music. —Marty Rosen

THROUGH FEB. 21 ‘Cinema Killed the Video Star’ PUBLIC Gallery Louisville Visual Art Association 131 W. Main St., 235-3088 louisvillevisualart.org Once inside the curtains that cover the gallery entrance, you’re greeted by projected images on walls, ceiling and the windows facing Main Street (shown for a few hours at night). This is “Cinema Killed the Video Star,” an all-video exhibition curated by Andrew Cozzens and Stacey Reason. They state the “exhibition project is unique because of its focus on the medium of video itself, separate from video as cinematic production. The work we chose … highlights characteristics that are unique to video, and challenge the viewer’s notion of what the form can be, both in content and in presentation.” Highlights include “Trapped” by Joshua Jenkins, Claire Krueger’s “Last Chance Power Drive” and Dominic Guarnaschelli’s “Dragon” featuring an extreme close-up of a Komodo dragon (chilling). —Jo Anne Triplett

THROUGH MARCH 21 ‘Moroccan Paintings’ by Peter Gooch B. Deemer Gallery 2650 Frankfort Ave., 896-6687 bdeemer.com Morocco is a land of mystery to most of us. The movie “Casablanca” and books by Paul Bowles have given us just enough information to romanticize this North African country of desert, sun and palm trees. Condense your impressions of Morocco to shapes and colors and you’ll get a sense of what Peter Gooch’s art looks like. “My current work is comprised of a series of panel paintings influenced by time spent in and around Marrakech, Morocco in 2013,” Gooch states. “In a sequence of narrow stripes, I [attempted] to collate sensations of color and light experienced over a short duration of time – for example, a striped awning in the souk rippling in the wind or the movement of light over a stand of palms.” —Jo Anne Triplett