eat + drink

It's getting funnier in Minnesota. One of the state's true comedy pioneers, Scott Hansen, is opening a new comedy club this weekend in St. Paul. This Place Is a Joke will host national headliners and also give the scene's burgeoning comedians another place to get on stage, he said.

Hansen, a five-time Minnesota Comedian of the Year award winner, will perform this weekend with Dave Mordal, a favorite on NBC's "Last Comic Standing."

The club, inside a Holiday Inn off Interstate 94 and McKnight Road, can hold 130 to 150 people. This weekend's show is $20, but most nights will be $10. Expect a full bar, as well as dinner-and-show packages.

Hansen will run the club with his brother Tom, who also owns the Minnesota Comedy Club in Maplewood. The spot will start as a weekend club but if business goes well, he hopes to open up a weekday schedule, too.

So what's with the name? "I've taken a little abuse for that from the hotel -- they hate it," Hansen said, joking. "But people will remember it."

True lies

One of the best tickets this weekend has got to be the Festival of Lies at the Cedar Cultural Center. A Congo-based dance company led by choreographer Faustin Linyekula is teaming up with local African musicians for a weekend of theatrical dance and soukous music (African rumba).

The performance will represent an old tradition in which villagers would gather for a party, telling lies about their corrupt leaders in order to laugh and subvert their oppressive circumstances. There will be food by Tam Tam's African Restaurant.

Saturday's show will go until 2 a.m. as they invite more Minneapolis artists to the party, including Tish Jones, Ananya Chatterjea, Black Arts Fusion and more. (8 p.m. today & Sat. 416 Cedar Av. S., Mpls. $20 today, $25 Sat. Tickets at: 612-375-7600 or www.walkerart.org/tickets)

Used art

Here is this week's funkiest art opening: The Festival of Appropriation at the Soap Factory. Put together by Jon Nelson, host of the syndicated radio show "Some Assembly Required," and L'Étoile magazine arts editor Kate Iverson, this crazy exhibit will showcase artists who use existing materials to make something totally new. A party tonight to open the monthlong show features DJ Mike the 2600 King and sound-collage artist Steinski. (7 p.m.-midnight today, 518 NE. 2nd St., Mpls. Free. www.soapfactory.org)

Better with pulp

Another Retrorama takes place at the Minnesota History Center next week. While a history center isn't the ideal spot for a party, these shindigs sound pretty cool. The classic noir evening consists of '50s-style music, cabaret, fashion and drinks. Beyond the pulp party, there's a vintage boutique featuring cool stuff from Up Six, Succotash and Midway Used and Rare Books. You can also create your own pulp-inspired greeting card. (7-11 p.m. Thu., 345 Kellogg Blvd. W., St. Paul. $15. 651-259-3015. www.mnhs.org/retrorama).

thorgen@startribune.com • 612-673-7909