Tucson Weekly: City Week (January 22

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Thursday 22

HAPPY CHAPS. America's immutable king of Sansabelt humor returns in The Actors' Theatre production of The Sunshine Boys, written by none other than Neil Simon.
City Week The story revisits Lewis and Clarke, two vaudevillian actors who reunite after a 20-year feud over such weighty issues as whether Al intentionally poked Willie in the chest during the doctor sketch. Joining the fray is Willie Clarke's nephew and agent, Ben, who tries to bring the two cantankerous performers back together.
Show time is 7 p.m. at The Actors' Theatre, 7000 E. Tanque Verde Road. Performances continue at 7 p.m. Thursday through Sunday, with Sunday matinees at 2:30 p.m. through February 15. Tickets are $12, $8 for children. An optional dinner package is available for $30. Tickets are available in advance at the theater, or by calling 751-6419.
EXCRETIONARY JUDGMENT. Shameless repulsion rears its riotous head in the irreverent Spike and Mike's Sick and Twisted Festival of Animation, screening this weekend at The Loft Cinema.
The producers of the first two Beavis and Butthead films return to unleash this annual compilation of animated shorts, including premiers of Matt Stone and Trey Parker's "The Spirit of Christmas," and charming shorts such as "No Neck Joe," "Jurassic Fart," "Hut Sluts" and "Lloyd's Lunchbox."
Festival continues through February 5 at The Loft Cinema, 3233 E. Speedway. Screening times vary. Tickets are $7. For information, call 795-7777.
NO FEAR. Will we slowly charbroil ourselves into crispy critters as our planet warms under the umbrella of increasing atmospheric pollutants? And will it hamper our ability to purchase sports utility vehicles?
Thomas Gale Moore, an international trade specialist and senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, takes on these and other frightening scenarios in The Economics of Global Warming, a free lecture sponsored by the UA College of Business and Public Administration. It's also a chance to plug his soon-to be-released book, Climate of Fear: Why We Shouldn't Worry About Global Warming.
Lecture begins at 5 p.m. in the UA Berger Auditorium, located in McClelland Hall, at the north end of the pedestrian underpass on Speedway east of Park Avenue. For details, call 621-2920.

Friday 23

FINE LINE. Connecticut artist John Craig has been photographing the Southwest for almost 20 years, aiming his lens in particular at northern Arizona's Navajo people and dramatic Black Rock Canyon. Now an exhibit of his work, depicting the "edge" between the Navajo homeland and suburbia, is on display in Bero Gallery.
Craig co-authored a book that meshed his images with the oral history of a Navajo family, and his big prints and sewn Polaroid constructions back up his contention that "we are part of the quantum where change is the only constant, and tradition is the binding element in our common evolution."
Exhibit runs through February 28 in downtown Bero Gallery, 41 S. Sixth Ave. Hours are 1 to 5 p.m. Tuesday, noon to 5 p.m. Wednesday, 1 to 5 p.m. Thursday, noon to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and during Downtown Saturday Nights. Call 792-0313 for details.

Saturday 24

HIGHLAND STRUGGLE. Big Mountain has long been a site of struggle between the federal government and Navajos resisting removal from their homes under the controversial Hopi/Navajo relocation agreement. The idea is to return to Hopis their share of northern Arizona turf from the much larger Navajo tribe. But behind the fight lies a cabal of Washington powerbrokers, big business, and some Indian leaders with questionable alliances.
Tucson gets a taste of that battle today with a Big Mountain benefit concert featuring the Native American alternative rock trio, Blackfire. Special guests include Spirit Union Revival, and the Cledd's Castle puppet show.
Show time is 7 p.m. in the Cellar, located in the UA Memorial Student Union east of Old Main on the mall. A $5 donation is requested. Call 620-0881 for information.
WINTER WALK. Though the mornings may be a tad crisp, they have none of the chilly ardor found in other parts of the country. And how many places boast even a trace of sunshine in the middle of January?
Today, the jubilant strollers of the Tucson Volkssport Club celebrate our relatively fantastic climate by taking to terra firma for five- and 10-kilometer non-competitive walks in Catalina State Park.
Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. in the Catalina State Park Day Use Area. Take Oracle Road north past Oro Valley to Milepost 81. Event is free, but there is a $4 fee per vehicle for entrance to the park. For details, call 722-9530.
DANCE ADVANCE. For the fourth year running, Southwest Dance brings some of Arizona's finest high-steppers to Tucson for the Arizona Contemporary Dance Festival. Eight companies present new works and celebrate their own unique talents, including The Dancers!, A. Ludwig Dance Theatre, Canyon Movement Company, Center Dance Ensemble, Desert Dance Theatre, Movement Source, Opendance, Orts Theatre of Dance, and Tenth Street Danceworks.
The festival takes off with a flying leap at 8 p.m. in the PCC Center for the Arts, 2202 W. Anklam Road. Tickets are $12, $9 for seniors, $7 for children and students. Get them in advance at Dillard's, or by calling (800) 638-4253.

Sunday 25

ROCK RALLY. A stunning display of minerals, gems and fossils from around the world goes on the block today when the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum hosts its annual Mineral Madness extravaganza, with proceeds benefiting the museum's permanent mineral collection.
Featured stones include quartz, calcite and celestine from Mexico; honey-colored calcite from the midwestern U.S.; and red-orange vanadinite from western Arizona.
Fluorite, the featured mineral at this year's Tucson Gem and Mineral Show, will also be on sale. Coming from Mexico and England, it's a dazzling blend of hues, ranging from clear to deep purple. Study kits for folks planning to attend the show will also be available.
Event runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, 2021 N. Kinney Road. Admission is included with the regular museum entrance fee of $8.95, or $1.75 for kids ages 6 to 12. For details, call 883-2702.
FATE AND FAITH. Dr. Martha Livingston has a challenge on her hands when she must determine the sanity of the young nun accused of killing her own baby. The thorny dilemma gets a thorough airing in Millennium Theatre Company's production of Agnes of God, by John Pielmeier.
The young company probes the tenets of faith, love and commitment in a script the New York Times calls an "outstanding play" that "deals intelligently with questions of religion and psychology."
Performance is at 2:30 p.m. in the Historic Y Theater, 738 N. Fifth Ave. Production run continues at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 2:30 p.m. Sunday, through February 8. Tickets are $12, $10 for seniors and students, available by calling 882-7920. There will be a special Millennium Madness performance at 7:30 p.m. Monday, February 2, with all tickets only $5 at the door.
HIGHER HUNT. Travel to wild places, hunt down wild creatures--and count them. The Sky Island Alliance undertakes another conservation-minded count of tracks left by mountain lions and other wildlife today. No experience is necessary--the Alliance offers on-the-trail training.
Event runs from 7 a.m. to noon. For location and other information, call 323-0547.

Monday 26

TAKING NO CHANCES. It was some 2,000 years back that Qin Shi, the first emperor of China, planned for his after-life by having a life-sized terra cotta army created for his personal protection. The entire serene force was buried with him outside the city of Xian.
The amazing site was unearthed 23 years ago, and its excavation continues to yield new discoveries. Tucson Museum of Art Docent Barbara Hodges discusses the site today, in a lecture entitled The Terra Cotta Warriors of China: An Extravagant Investment in the Afterlife.
Her free lecture is at 1:30 p.m. in the TMA Education Auditorium, 140 N. Main Ave. Call 624-2333 for information.

Tuesday 27

RENOWNED RENDITIONS. Stellar performances and a classic repertoire are tonight's themes, when soprano Faye Robinson and pianist Rex Woods appear as part of the UA Faculty Artist Series.
The pair has a reputation for lighting up a stage: The magazine Le Figaro writes of Robinson's performance that she "showed remarkable lyricism and controlled power, with an enthralling timbre that suited perfectly the style of the piece."
Performance begins at 8 p.m. in Crowder Hall, located in the UA Music Building at the southeast end of the pedestrian underpass at Speedway and Park Avenue. Tickets are $10, $8 for faculty and staff, $5 for seniors and students, available at the door. Call 621-1162 for tickets and information.
MONKEYING WITH CREATION. Dr. Arthur Peacocke of Oxford University takes on the big picture in a lecture titled Welcoming the Disguised Friend: Darwin and Divinity. A physical biochemist and ordained Anglican priest, Peacocke has authored several books and papers on science and theology, including Theology for A Scientific Age. His visit is sponsored by the Catholic Newman Center, and the St. Albert the Great Forum on Theology and Science.
His free lecture is at 7 p.m. in the Newman Center, located on the UA campus at 1615 E. Second St. For information, call 621-5836.

Wednesday 28

TWISTED FATE. A modern-day mystery unfolds when a beautiful young woman in 19th-century clothing is found floating on an iceberg. Upon rescue, she utters only one word: "Titanic!"
She claims to be the last survivor of the legendary voyage, but a Titanic expert is more than a tad skeptical. He takes the woman to an isolated spot on the coast of Maine, where he plans to interrogate her for six days and prove her a fraud. But what he discovers is a formidable opponent whose questionable identity both deepens and unravels in The Invisible Theatre's production of Jeffrey Hatcher's Scotland Road.
The eerie drama features James Blair, Amy Lehmann, Francesca Jarvis, and Emily Grogan as the woman of mystery.
Show time is 7:30 p.m. in The Invisible Theatre, 1400 N. First Ave. Production run continues at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, and 2 p.m. Sunday, through February 8. Tickets are $14 and $16. Call 882-9721 for reservations and information.
REEDS AND RUGRATS. Ever wish for a moment's respite from your squalling tots? Quintessential Theatre's latest production reminds us to be careful what we ask for, as the company unveils its interactive version of The Pied Piper, the classic fable about townsfolk who pay a wandering piper to rid their town of rodents, only to find that their wee ones march to the musician's same seductive tune.
Directed by Michelle Fincher, the production will feature professional actors, and kids will have an opportunity to meet the cast following each performance.
Show time is at 7 tonight through Saturday, January 31, on The Quintessential Stage, 118 S. Fifth Ave. Evening and matinee performances continue through February 8. See the City Week listings for dates and times. Tickets are $5, available at the door or by calling 703-1543.

City Week includes events selected by Calendar Editor Tim Vanderpool. Event information is accurate as of press time. The Weekly recommends calling event organizers to check for last-minute changes in location, time, price, etc. To have material considered, please send complete information at least 11 days prior to the Thursday issue date to: Tucson Weekly, P.O. Box 2429, Tucson, Arizona 85702, or fax information to 792-2096, or email us at listings@tucsonweekly.com.

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