Stage spotlights: Fran Lebowitz and 'Dracula'

Friday: The mouthy New Yorker first burst on the scene in her early 20s when she became a columnist for Andy Warhol's Interview magazine. Much of her fame derives from her droll/brash persona, both onstage and in books such as "Metropolitan Life" and "Social Studies." Martin Scorsese directed a 2010 HBO documentary on her, "Public Speaking." Lebowitz will sign books, answer questions and possibly share some words about her long-running personal drama with an unfinished novel, "Exterior Signs of Wealth." It allegedly revolves around artists and rich people who desire to be in each other's places. --Rohan Preston

Saturday: Onetime '60s firebrand Amiri Baraka is known for his passionate poetry, his sharp plays (including "Dutchman") and biting social commentary. He is slated to come to town to join E.G. Bailey and an ensemble of dancers, poets and musicians for Bailey's stage adaptation of Baraka's "Wise Why's Y's." The choreopoem is about the trials and triumphs of Africans in America. The event, presented by Tru Ruts' Freestyle Theatre, features a roster that includes dancers Aneka McMullen and Leah Nelson and poets Truthmaze and J. Otis Powell. --Rohan Preston

Opening: Peter Sinn Nachtrieb's play has received good notices for its brutal, no-holds-barred comedy. Suffice it to say that it involves knives, blood and animals. Red Eye Theater is opening its season with the piece, which focuses on two couples who gather to celebrate a shared wedding anniversary and then slowly descend into uncivilized chaos. Put that way, Nachtrieb's scenario sounds a little like "God of Carnage." We'll see. Steve Busa directs Bethany Ford, Dan Hopman, Kevin McLaughlin and Jen Scott. --Graydon Royce

It's not often that a "Dracula" production is described as "family-friendly," but the Metropolitan Ballet promises a blood- and gore-free approach for its new take, which hopefully doesn't spoil all the creepy fun. Choreographed by artistic director Erik J. Sanborn (who also composed the piano score), the evening-length production will feature Tatiana Berenova as Mina, plus 30 guest dancers from schools in the Twin Cities and Rochester. --Caroline Palmer