A scene from Portland Stage’s “Last Ship to Promixa Centauri.” Photo by Mical Hutson

‘Last Ship to Proxima Centauri’
7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, 3:30 and 8 p.m. Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday. Through March 20. Portland Stage, 25A Forest Ave., Portland, $25 to $57, discounts for seniors and students. portlandstage.org
“Last Ship to Proxima Centauri” is a Clauder Competition grand prize-winning play written by Greg Lam. The sci-fi tale imagines an uninhabitable Earth and what happens when the final escape ship from Seattle reaches its new home 2,000 years after the first arrivals. The pilots don’t know what hit them as 21st-century America through the lens of futurist neo-colonialism is explored. Themes of imperialism, systemic racism and injustice somewhere far from the known world sure hit home.

Whitney Cummings. Photo courtesy of Waterfront Concerts

Whitney Cummings
7 p.m. Friday. Merrill Auditorium, 20 Myrtle St., Portland, $41 to $65. porttix.com
Comic Whitney Cummings has been crushing it for several years with her NBC series “Whitney,” her podcast “Good For You,” her book “I’m Fine…And Other Lies”  and several guest spots and stand-up specials. Her most recent Netflix turn, 2019’s “Can I Touch It,” is an absolute riot. Her current “Touch Me” tour will unpack how she’s navigated the pandemic and offer her takes on society at large, all of it hilarious. She’ll leave no stone unturned, and you’ll be laughing until you cry … and then some.

John Cameron Mitchell.  Photo by Michael Muser

John Cameron Mitchell
7 p.m. Friday. State Theatre, 609 Congress St., Portland, $30 to $60. statetheatreportland.com
Portland Ovations presents a very special evening with John Cameron Mitchell, the Tony Award-winning, Golden Globe-nominated co-creator, star and director of the rock musical-turned-film “Hedwig and the Angry Inch.” The show is called The Origin of Love: Songs and Stories of Hedwig, and you can expect a fabulous cocktail of a cabaret show folded into a confessional with plenty of multimedia content. Mitchell will share stores of stories of two decades with Hedwig and will be joined by singer Amber Martin. The show will also feature material from Mitchell’s podcast “Anthem: Homunculus.”

John Mulaney. Photo by Marcus Russell Price

John Mulaney
7 and 10 p.m. shows. Cross Insurance Arena, 1 Civic Center Square, Portland, $52 to $76. crossarenaportland.com
John Mulaney has won a pair of Emmys, starred on Broadway, and wrote for, performed on and hosted “Saturday Night Live.” He’s also released several comedy specials. Now, comic Mulaney is doing what he does best: a stand-up comedy tour. His new show is called “From Scratch,” and you can count on his deadpan delivery whether you catch the early or late show in Portland. Then, on May 20, you can catch Mulaney and Andy Samberg starring as chipmunks in the reboot of the live-action and animated film “Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers” on Disney Plus.