Opera of the Obsessed

There’s a whole theory that our generation is totally self-obsessed. To that we say, “Um, yeah.” This idea is examined in two exhibits opening today at Commerce Street Artists Warehouse. “Because the music he constantly plays says nothing to me about my life…” is a group show featuring various New York artists, whose photographs — such as one of a woman dancing in a pit of shirtless men — and sculptures examine the media and the joys of narcissism.

Complementing the exhibit will be Vinod Hopson’s one-night show The Rise…a karaoke narrative. Hopson, a bookish media relations professional for DiverseWorks by day, will engage the audience in a 20-minute rock opera — karaoke-style. Taking music from David Bowie’s classic Ziggy Stardust album, Hopson will create a story of a man who cracks and falls into a fantasy of being a rock star. “But where most people’s rock star fantasies, whether it’s singing in the shower or in the car, have them at the top of the game,” says Hopson, “this character goes through the whole thing: rise and fall, just like in Stardust.” Expect a kooky show: “My singing is bad,” he says. (Well, duh, Vinod). “So if I have the whole audience laughing, I’ve done my job.”

Sat., April 8, 8:30 p.m.; April 8-May 3