Tucson Weekly: City Week (April 22

Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday

Thursday 22

WATCH CLOSELY. Big yuks and deep amazement share common ground in a performance by hypnotist Mark Strivings. Proceeds will benefit the Catalina High Magnet School Student Counciue (read hilarious) approach to mind control, Strivings says hypnotism doesn't have to be heavy. "You never know what might happen. People are transformed into Elvis. They dance the Macarena and conduct symphony orchestras. They translate Martian and lose their belly buttons. Anything can happen."
City Week Still, he cautions, "It's always done in good taste, and we never embarrass anyone!"
Strivings performs at 7 p.m. in the Catalina High Magnet School, 3645 E. Pima St. Tickets are $7, $5 for students and their families, and available at the door. Call 318-2270 for information.
TURN OUT THE LIGHTS. Three singers and four instruments expose humanity's darker corners when the Pima Opera presents Closing Time.
The drama surrounds two men who meet in a bar at closing time to face their fleeting hopes and the portent of suicide. While discussing their mutual desire to have life "over and done with," they still disagree on how to reach that grim conclusion. Their eventual consensus evokes a ghostly blues-singing spirit called "Erda."
Directed by Korby Myrick, Closing Time features Stan Kruggel as the customer, Mark Jarvis as the bartender, and Stephanie Dreisbach as Erda.
The performance is 7:30 p.m. in the PCC Proscenium Theatre, 2202 W. Anklam Road. Tickets are $8, $5 for seniors, $4 for students, and available at the PCC Center for Fine Arts box office, or at the door. For information, call 206-6988.
TROPICAL TROUPE. The tropics arrive in Tucson with Keola Beamer and his Hawaiian Dancers.
Keola hails from a performance lineage dating back to the 15th century, when a Beamer was Queen of Hawaii. He's played slack key guitar, bamboo nose flute and piano from childhood, and now boasts eight albums. The New York Times calls him the "quintessential master of the slack key style," a form unique to Hawaii, and created after Mexican and Spanish vaqueros introduced guitars to the islands in the 1830s.
The performance will include Beamer's wife, Moanalani, and her dancing partner, Kau'i Merghart, along with lots of native percussion sticks and stones.
Show time is 7:30 p.m. in the Berger Performing Arts Center, 1200 W. Speedway. Tickets are $15, $13 for In Concert! members, and available at Hear's Music, Antigone Books, or by calling 327-4809.

Friday 23

CURTAIN CALL. Christmas in Atlanta, 1939: As the entire city gears for the premiere of Gone With the Wind, and residents line the streets for glimpses of Clark Gable and Vivian Leigh, Atlanta's elite Jewish community is preparing for a very different celebration--the Ballyhoo dance.
Lala Levy is filled with the anticipation of romance, while her beautiful cousin Sunny couldn't care less. But before the party is over, they'll both learn bittersweet lessons about love, bigotry and the importance of family in Alfred Uhry's The Last Night of Ballyhoo, presented by the Arizona Theatre Company.
You might remember Uhry from his screen hit, Driving Miss Daisy. Now he's back in full force with a Tony Award-winning drama. According to the Atlanta Constitution-Journal, "this irresistible love story bestows the gift of a truly, deeply, happy ending."
Show time is 8 p.m. in the Temple of Music and Art, 330 S. Scott Ave. Performances continue through May 1; times vary. Tickets range from $19 to $28, and are available at the ATC box office, Dillard's, or by calling 622-2823. Half price adult and $10 student rush tickets are available at the box office one hour before curtain time.
LATIN LILT. The 17th annual International Mariachi Conference reaches its vibrant crescendo this weekend with two espectacular concerts.
It's a Latin-tinged tradition that puts Tucson on the global map. Fittingly, this year's lineup features the best mariachi players in the world, including Pedro Fernández and his band, Mariachi Los Camperos de Nati Cano, and Mariachi Las Adelitas.
Performances are 7:30 p.m. today and 2 p.m. tomorrow in the TCC, 220 S. Church Ave. Tickets range from $20 to $55, and are available at the TCC box office and Dillard's. For details, call 791-4838.
VOCAL VAGABONDS. Karen Akers is ranked among America's best concert and cabaret stars, with a globetrotting track record that includes Europe, Russia and Broadway in such hits as Grand Hotel and Nine. Steve Ross is a cabaret entertainer whose career included long sojourns at New York's fabled Algonquin Hotel and the Backstage, along with stints in London's Ritz, Hong Kong's Imperial, and Tucson's own Invisible Theatre.
Now the pair team up for a night of Cole Porter, George Gershwin and Edith Piaf in April in Paris--A Musical Tribute to the City of Lights.
Presented by the Invisible Theatre, this evening of timeless song is guaranteed to leaving you singing "C'est magnifique!"
Show time is 8 p.m. in the Berger Performing Arts Center, 1200 W. Speedway. Performances continue at 8 p.m. tomorrow and 2 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $22.50 and $25, and available at the Invisible Theatre box office, or by calling 882-9721.

Saturday 24

FRAGILE PHRIENDS. Twelve glassblowers and one "ex-glassblower" share the spotlight today when the Philabaum Contemporary Art Glass Gallery unveils Philabaum and Phriends.
Throughout the exhibit, artists will be continuously adding pieces that "translate the physical, kinesthetic, heat, balance, timing, aesthetics and fear of the glassblower into powerful beauty."
A major player on the American glass scene, the gallery will also display more than 100 pieces by internationally known artists.
The exhibit runs through August 28, with an opening from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. today, in the Philabaum Gallery, 711 S. Sixth Ave. Regular gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Call 884-7404 for information.
REGGAE ROMP. The dreads gather in full force as the 1999 Bob Marley Festival rolls into town. Starting in Houston, this tour travels to approximately 20 cities each year spreading the late Marley's message of peace and unity.
Along with reggae bands, tour performers include dance troupes, jugglers and poetry readings. There will also be a playscape area and Native American story tellers to entertain the kids.
The Bob Marley Festival will run from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. today, and noon to 9 p.m. tomorrow, in Kennedy Park, 3700 S. Mission Road. Admission is $5, or non-perishable food for the Highland Free School and Desert Survivors. Call 795-6504 for details.

Sunday 25

IN THE WERX. Musical collaboration is thematic today when the Tucson Philharmonia Youth Orchestra and the Tucson Jazz Society's Jazz Werx ensemble perform the music of Miles Davis and George Gershwin. The show will also feature this year's TPYO Solo Competition gold medalist.
The performance is 3 p.m. in the TCC, 260 S. Church Ave. Tickets are $8.25, $5.25 for seniors and students, and available at Dillard's and at the door. For details, call 326-2793.
FIFTY YEARS IN FLIGHT. Join the folks of the Tucson Audubon Society as they celebrate 50 years on the southern Arizona bird scene.
Held at the beautiful, 20-acre Mason Audubon Center for Ironwood Preservation and Environmental Education, the celebration will include music, activities for the kids, and a flock of memories shared by the society's many dedicated volunteers, who will also be leading tours through the preserve.
The anniversary party runs from 2 to 6 p.m. at the Mason Audubon Center, on the southwest corner of Thornydale and Hardy Roads. For information, call 629-0510.

Monday 26

SET SAIL. Set your sights--or at least your imagination--towards big adventure when Tucson sailor Frank Griffith presents Sailing in the Aegean Sea. Hosted by the Tucson Sailing Club, this slide show soiree highlights Griffith's recent junket to the briny inlet off the Mediterranean Sea, stretching between Greece and Asia Minor.
The free discussion is 7:30 p.m. in the Elks Lodge, 2404 E. River Road. Call 742-3212 for details.
PLODDING FORWARD. Damesrocket Theater continues its New Play Reading Series with Steady Gains, by San Francisco-based playwright Wendy Belden.
Savvy, startling and edgy, the drama focuses on a stockbroker who speculates with her client's money, to the point of disaster. Steady Gains is populated with quirky characters who give rise to "truly thought-provoking theater."
The staged reading is 7:30 p.m. in Damesrocket Theater, 125 E. Congress St. Admission is $3, and includes an informal reception and refreshments. Call 623-7852 for details.
NOCTURNE ILLUSIONS. Hailing from Hollywood's Magic Castle and Wizards at Universal Studios, sleight-of-handers Charles and Bobbi Peters join local faves Gene Collins, Mari Lynn and Mike DeSchalit for a night of illusion and comedy.
It's Magic will open with magicians strolling tableside, and continue with a stage show featuring the renowned Hollywood tricksters.
Show time is 6 p.m. in The Gaslight Theater, 7010 E. Broadway. Tickets are $8, and available at William's Magic and Novelties. For information, call 790-4060.

Tuesday 27

MILES TO GO. Zeitgiest continues its Jazz at the Institute series with the Ron Miles Trio's brass-tinged stylings.
Along with releasing four critically acclaimed albums, Denver-based trumpeter Miles has spent the last decade racking up a record of breathtaking performances at New York's What is Jazz? Festival and the Monterey Jazz Festival.
"It's clear that Ron Miles has a wider outlook than some of his trumpet peers," says Wire magazine, "and a good deal more emotional force than most of them." The Boston Phoenix calls him "a startlingly original composer and instrumentalist."
Rounding out the trio are pianist Eric Gunnison and bassist Kent McLagen.
The performance is 8 p.m. in the Mat Bevel Institute, 530 N. Stone Ave. Advance tickets are $10, and available at the CD Depot. Tickets are $12 at the door. For information, call 882-7154.

PENTAMETER PARTY. The Tucson/Pima Library continues its celebration of National Poetry Month with Luminous Moments: Poetry Events in Public Libraries.
Led by performance poet Will Clipman, these hands-on poetry and mask-making workshops are aimed at budding teen and pre-teen scribes.
They run from 4 to 5:30 p.m. today and Thursday, April 29, in the Columbus Branch Library, 4350 E. 22nd St. A workshop will also be held from 4:30 to 6 p.m. tomorrow in the Main Library, 101 N. Stone Ave. Admission is free, but registration is required. Call 791-4391 for details.

Wednesday 28

SABINO STROLL. Take a relaxing stroll through one of this area's prettiest landscapes when the Sabino Canyon Volunteer Naturalists host another nature walk.
The free, guided amble leaves at 9 a.m. from the kiosk outside the Sabino Canyon Visitor's Center, 5400 Sabino Canyon Road. And from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., they'll also host a panning session for sand rubies. Be sure to wear comfortable shoes and bring plenty of water. Call 513-0231 for details.
TOP DOGS. Considered Ireland's top folk performers, The Chieftains have gained a huge worldwide following for their joyous performances, improvisational brilliance and old-fashioned charm. And they do get around: the four-time Grammy Award winners have collaborated with everyone from Willie Nelson and Roger Daltrey to Emmylou Harris and Elvis Costello. Most recently, they recorded a haunting version of the traditional Irish lament "The Foggy Dew,"with Sinéad O'Connor.
Now The Chieftains bring their heartfelt, deeply rooted sound to Tucson, for what promises to be a night of memorable music. A critic at The Houston Post summed it up quite nicely: "If there is a more beautiful sound in all the world, I haven't heard it."
The performance is 7:30 p.m. in the UA Centennial Hall, inside the main gate east of Park Avenue. Tickets range from $24 to $36, half price for students and children under age 18, with discounts available for faculty, staff and UApresents subscribers. Tickets are available at the Centennial Hall box office, or by calling 621-3341.

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.

Home | Currents | City Week | Music | Review | Books | Cinema | Back Page | Archives