Sean Lennon

Talk about a dude who needs no introduction. Wait a minute, maybe he does need an introduction. You may know him as John and Yoko’s kid, but not-so-young-anymore Sean Lennon hasn’t had the commercial breakthrough his music deserves.

His new album, Friendly Fire, has earned clinical acclaim and been described as “pretty” and reminiscent of Elliott Smith. That’s good enough for us. Women & Children and singer-songwriter Kamila Thompson—daughter of Richard and Linda—will open.

Sean Lennon will perform Tuesday (April 10) at 7 PM at the Egg (Empire State Plaza, Albany). Tickets are $24. For reservations and information, call 473-1845.

The Gospel of John

This is the U.S. premiere of The Gospel of John, a play adapted from—you guessed it—the Bible, and presented by Walking the Dog Theater, in residency at Stageworks/Hudson.

The original U.K. edition earned raves: “Charged with passion and power” (Stroud News and Journal). “Almost balletic. Beautifully styled and executed” (The Herald-Edinburgh).

Walking the Dog Theater’s production of The Gospel of John opens tonight (Thursday, April 5) at 8 PM at Stageworks/Hudson (41A Cross St., Hudson). The show continues through April 22; call for shows and times. Tickets are $18-$12. For reservations, call (877) 725-8849; for information, call 755-1716.

Alex Katz: Selections From the Whitney Museum

A special selection of works by renowned American pop-art artist Alex Katz has been gleaned from the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City for an exhibition at the New York State Museum as part of the museum’s Bank of America Great Art Series.

More than 30 works are on display in this show, from Katz’s early landscape paintings and collages from the 1950s to the brilliantly colored portraits for which he’s famous. According to the museum’s Web site, “Katz’s portraits became occasions for the exploration of distilled form and color, while poetically evoking the character of each individual.”

Alex Katz: Selections From the Whitney Museum is now open in the West Gallery at the New York State Museum (Empire State Plaza, Albany); it will run through Aug. 19. For more information, call the museum at 474-5877.