Priority list includes Alton Brown, LaChanze, more

“Alton Brown Live: Eat Your Science”

Things could get messy in the first few rows of this event in which the star of “Cutthroat Kitchen” and “Good Eats” mixes science, music, talk show tropes, audience participation and edibles into a stage production. Don’t go looking for plot. Instead, treat it like you are sitting on a stool in the world’s largest kitchen, being entertained by a chatty chef who realizes that conversation is as important as food in staging a successful dinner party. May 3 Clowes Memorial Hall Details

LaChanze

Since I last saw LaChanze—in a Philadelphia production of “Jesus Christ Superstar” in which she sounded glorious—she has gone on to star on Broadway in “The Color Purple” (for which she won a Tony Award), “If/Then,” and “Ragtime.” She also sang “Amazing Grace” at the dedication of the National September 11 Memorial—an amazingly graceful act given that she lost her husband in the attack. Here, she’ll offer her cabaret show “Feeling Good,” in which she covers tunes ranging from Diana Ross’ “It’s My Turn” to Stephen Sondheim’s “Losing My Mind.” I’m already bracing myself for “I’m Here” from “The Color Purple.” May 5 Cabaret at Indiana Landmarks Center Details

IDADA First Friday

Stutz artist Susan Brewer at Gallery 924, the Herron Senior Exhibition, the Harrison Center’s “Right Angle” group show, and a look at the state’s ten most endangered buildings at the Indiana Landmarks Center are just some of the suggested starting points for this month’s trek through downtown galleries. May 5 Various locations Details

Also this week

Chris Rock speaks his mind at the Murat May 3-4.

Carrie Newcomer closes out the season for the Indy Folk Series with a May 6 concert at the Unitarian Universalist Church.

Heartland Big Band swings to the music of George Gershwin in “Gershwin by George!,” a concert at the Theatre at the Fort May 5-6. 

Ensemble Music Society presents cellist Jay Campbell and pianist Conor Hanick at the Indiana History Center May 3.