Tears in Their Beers

THU 11/4
As rustic rockers in Okkervil River and slow-moving saddies in Shearwater, singer-songwriters Will Sheff and Jonathan Meiburg pair vulnerable vocals with emotionally wrenching scenarios. Whereas Okkervil builds to a boil, however, Shearwater lets its sorrow simmer. With Winged Life, Shearwater develops backdrops of spare piano and plucked strings into elaborate arrangements, often ending with enchanting instrumental passages. Sheff’s sitting out this tour, which means the set list focuses on Meiburg’s work. On “My Good Deed,” Meiburg’s narrator leaves a lover, his voice quivering as his rationalization (he’s saving her from future disappointment) yields to bitter realization. When not sabotaging or coveting functional relationships, Meiburg’s characters eloquently contemplate their own lives, bemoaning the passage of time and assessing their current lots with grim honesty. Shearwater brings the pain to the Jackpot Saloon (943 Massachusetts in Lawrence, 785-832-1035) at 10:30 p.m. Thursday. — Andrew Miller

Lasting Impressions

11/6-11/14
In his novel Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck offers two of his most seminal characters: George, an amiable farmhand, and his bearish friend, Lennie, whose dull mind masks his good intentions. But what’s surprising about the Carlisle Floyd adaptation opening at 8 p.m. Saturday at the Lyric Opera of Kansas City (1029 Central) is that a baritone, John Packard, plays George, whereas Lennie will be sung by tenor David Pomeroy. The Lyric first staged the opera in 1970, the same year as its debut in Seattle, but this adaptation is proving to have a longer shelf life than the stage version mounted by the Steppenwolf Theatre. The show closes November 14; for tickets call 816-471-7344. —Steve Walker

Aja Minor
Sometimes, theater is best served small.

11/5-11/6
The area can never have too many drama troupes like the brand-new Borogrove Theatre Company. It’s six friends who love theater — especially new works by undiscovered playwrights. Unlike the college-entrenched actor mill, the Waiting for Guffman-esque community-playhouse set or the Broadway touring company that contributes fuck-all to the local arts, the grassrootsy Borogrovers remind us how Unicorns are born. This weekend may be our last chance to catch this Kansas City-Lawrence collective’s production of The Art of Conquering Aja, an unpublished comedy about a young kleptomaniac sentenced to therapy for trying to steal her favorite Kandinsky painting. Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Friday and 8 p.m. Saturday at the University of Kansas’ Ecumenical Christian Ministries building (1204 Oread in Lawrence). Tickets are $10. Call Alyson Schacherer, 785-341-3070, for more information. — Jason Harper