THE ESSENTIAL A&E PICKS FOR JAN 25 - 31 

• Courtesy Photo

Myq Kaplan
Comedian Myq (pronounced "Mike") Kaplan is a fixture on the late-night TV circuit, including the Tonight Show, Conan, James Corden and Seth Meyers, as well as various appearances on Comedy Central, Last Comic Standing and America's Got Talent. He's hosted a half-hour special on Comedy Central, a one-hour standup special on Amazon Prime Video, and a special on the Dry Bar Comedy channel. Other credits include the podcasts The Faucet and Broccoli and Ice Cream, and half a dozen albums—among them, Vegan Mind Meld, one of iTunes' top 10 comedy albums of the year, and his latest, A.K.A., which debuted at #1 and was described by the NY Times as "invigoratingly funny." He's also the author of a book, tellingly titled Heart Brain Art Train.

Still, it seems hard to classify his humor, given that the topics he touches on include such diverse subjects as ghosts, mediums, genocide, birth control, Catholic school and why having kids is like doing drugs. On the other hand, with more than 1,000 performances to date, he can tout the fact he was named "Local Comedian of the Year" in the Boston Phoenix reader's poll. There's more to him, however; he's also a guitarist and vocalist who refers to himself as vegan, polyamorous and "atheistic," although he adds that psychedelics inspired his spirituality. Is that just another reflection of his oddball imagination?

Myq Kaplan performs two 18 + show at Wiseguys Ogden (269 25th St.), Friday, Jan. 26 and Saturday, Jan. 27 at 7:30 p.m. nightly. Tickets cost $20; visit wiseguyscomedy.com for tickets and additional event information. (Lee Zimmerman)

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Bluey's Big Play: The Stage Show
There are times when children can teach adults a thing or two, specifically, about the joy of discovery in everyday experiences. Bluey's Big Play, an all-new theatrical adaptation of the Emmy Award-winning children's television series Bluey, brings that idea to the fore.

It features a cast of colorful puppets, brilliant puppeteers, an original story by Bluey creator Joe Brumm, and new music by Bluey composer Joff Bush. Heeler pup Bluey and her sister Bingo dream up a day of activities in order to nudge their dad into participating in their playtime, even though Dad has decided that what's most important is an afternoon off. Of course, being that Bluey loves to play, she's never at a loss when it comes to inventing games and involving others. Since she likes pretending she's a grown-up capable of indulging in adult activities, she decides to assign play parts for everyone—including Dad—and invent the rules as well. She's clever, committed and determined to get everyone involved, whether they're initially willing to or not. Naturally, there's plenty of incentive for the audience to join in as well, and take inspiration from her imagination. After all, who would dare say phooey to our Bluey?

Bluey's Big Play: The Stage Show comes to Delta Hall at the Eccles (131 S. Main St.) Friday, Jan. 26 at 6 p.m, Saturday, Jan. 27 at 11 a.m., 2 p.m. and 5 p.m., and Sunday, Jan. 28 at 1 p.m. Tickets are $25 - $75 depending on the performance; some performances may be sold-out as of press time. Visit arttix.com. (LZ)

• Unviersity of Chicago Press

Peter Coviello: Is There God After Prince?
The age of social media has inspired "attention scolds"—those who chastise you for devoting time or love to anything but that which has been rigorously vetted by them as worthy of such time or love. How dare you care about a movie, or a musician, when people are dying in [fill in the blank]? The apocalypse is nigh; the focus of your consciousness is a statement on your character.

In his collection of essays Is There God After Prince?, writer Peter Coviello draws particular attention to the question of what it means to love things—even things that others might consider frivolous—at a time when the world seems to be falling down around us. In the piece from which the book draws its title, for example, Coviello processes the death of rock musician Prince not just in terms of personal memories, but also how it feels like the loss of someone connected with a unique kind of transcendence. "This is what it means to call Prince the holy man of fucking," Coviello writes. "No one—I want to say, no one in the history of sound or creation—better understands the way sex is a passage to a world fantastically apart from ourselves."

Peter Coviello visits The King's English Bookshop (1511 S. 1500 East) on Monday, Jan. 29 at 6 p.m., in conversation with University of Utah English professor Kathryn Bond Stockton about Is There God After Prince. The event is free, but reservation is required via Eventbrite; visit kingsenglish.com for reservation link, or to pre-order copies of the book for signature. (Scott Renshaw)