Advise and Consent

Jan. 24, MoMA, 11 W. 53rd St. (betw. 5th & 6th Aves.), 212-708-9400; 2, $10

Backroom political Vaselining was never as stylish as in Otto Preminger’s 1962 film. As Obama’s cabinet is cruising/struggling/falling through its confirmation process, the story of the nomination and subsequent disembowelment (not literally) of Robert Leffingwell (Henry Fonda) as candidate for Secretary of State is instructive, scary and a lot of fun to watch.

Bottom Line: Fonda is really good in this movie. So are Charles Laughton and Burgess Meredith. But the real star is a political process that is not only thrilling but also shocking.

An Intimate Night

Jan. 26, The Rainbow Room at Rockefeller Center, 30 Rockefeller Plz., 212-632-5000; 8, $1,500

Maybe you’re luckier than I am and have $1,500 to burn. Maybe you just really like cabaret. Either way, Manhattan Theater Club’s Winter Benefit at the Rainbow Room is worth catching. Soon the Rainbow Room will be no more, and you won’t have the chance to behold the murals, the gold and the gilt.Why not take in the scene amid the crooning of stars like that chick that played Mimi in Rent and Tony-winning actor James Naughton?

Bottom Line: Too expensive for most of us, but the chance to see the inside of a New York legend before it withers and dies is priceless.

Circus Jerkus

Jan. 22 through 24 and 27 through 29, Roulette, 20 Greene St. (betw. Canal & Grand Sts.), 212-219-8242; 8:30, $15
Shinkoyo is an art/music collective and Circus Jerkus is its three-day orgy of collaboration. In true experimental fashion, curator Doron Sadja, the genius and genial ringmaster, describes it as “a three-day restructuring of chaos.” Circus Jerkus is like going to a key party for experimental artists: No one is sure exactly who or what they’re going to do; but they know whatever it is, they’ll do it together.

Bottom Line:You know I try to put at least one event in here that is a known unknown but that looks promising. Like Iraq, this could turn out disastrous. On the other hand, like the Marshall Plan, it could just be crazy enough to work.

The Crits: Parsons Faculty on the Presidential Inauguration

Jan. 27, The New School, 66 W. 12th St. (betw. 5th & 6th Aves.), 5th Floor, 6:30, free

So, what did you think of the inauguration? Did Beyoncé nail it? Did Michelle Obama look smokin’? How was Martin Luther King III’s speech? If you are one of those who prefer professional opinions, stop by Parsons, where experts in fashion, stagecraft and theater evaluate the swearing in of our 44th president.

Bottom Line: Is it too early to judge? Hell no! Let’s get into the nitty-gritty dirty work of democracy: Did Obama look fat? Why was Biden’s forehead shiny? And most importantly, what does this mean for our future?

Slutty Puppets

Jan. 22, Galapagos Art Space, 16 Main St. (at Water St.), Brooklyn, 718-222-8500; 9, $7

The title is pretty self-explanatory and yet doesn’t manage to fully convey the weirdness (or the sluttiness) of this evening’s performance. Featuring a variety of small soft creatures with hands up their asses and the puppets they control, Kate Brehm’s variety show is saucy, creepy, funny, confounding and strangely hot.That last bit I’ll be discussing in therapy this week.

Bottom Line: Penis Puppets Jim Henson Tim