July 6 - July 12, 1995
Thursday
SIZZLING SUMMER SOUNDS. Jeffrey Haskell and Jack Neubeck
are a creative force infrequently joined on Tucson stages. They
teamed up in 1990 for a memorable musical cabaret evening at the
Doubletree Inn and again with Susan Claasen in Invisible Theatre's
1991 salute to Irving Berlin, Once and Forever. Haskell
coordinates the jazz studies program at the University of Arizona,
and has performed as a jazz pianist with greats like Ray Brown
and Clark Terry. His three Los Angeles Emmys are no small achievement,
either. Neubeck has been entertaining audiences for 25 years,
with a career that took him from low budget horror films and more
than 3,000 Broadway performances, including the original casts
of Evita and La Cage Aux Folles, to his current
seat as musical director for IT's A...My Name is Still Alice.
They celebrate Invisible Theatre's 25th anniversary tonight with
"an evening of musical magic" featuring pop, jazz and
Broadway show tunes, with vocalist Betty Craig performing a tribute
to George Gershwin. Guest artists for the remaining shows include
vocalists Jean Oliver and Dawn Veree and world-class jazz trombonist
Tom Ervin. Even Carol Channing is rumored to appear, or to appear
to appear, if there's any truth to the clothes making the "man."
Tickets for the 8 p.m. show are $15, available at the IT box
office, 882-9721. Performances continue at 8 p.m. through July
8, with a 2 o'clock Saturday matinee, at the Doubletree Inn, 445
S. Alvernon Way. Take advantage of the 25 percent IT anniversary
dinner discount at the Javelina Cantina or the Cactus Rose. Call
882-9721 for information.
Friday
NEW 'DO. Those wacky folks at Stray Theatre are ready
to unleash their latest: Wigged Out, a "world premier
original country western musical," opening at 8 p.m. at the
Tucson Center for the Performing Arts, 408 S. Sixth Ave. Believing
that their Golden Fleece Salon is going under, a band of desperate
beauticians scheme to get an endorsement from a country western
star who's returned home to be inaugurated into the local Hall
of Fame. During the three-day ordeal to catch her attention, "an
unlikely friendship is struck, a marriage falls apart, a mother
and son reunite and love is found." Tickets are $14, with
discounts available for seniors, students and children under 12,
available at the Arizona Theatre Company box office, 622-2823.
Production continues through July 30.
Saturday
COLORFUL PALETTE. Discover your inner genius with well-known
painter Bruce McGrew, in this intensive one-day watercolor workshop
from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Mt. Lemmon. McGrew, a professor of art
at the UA, has conducted workshops throughout the U.S., Mexico
and Scotland. His works are in the UA Museum of Art's permanent
collection, the local Davis Dominguez Gallery and galleries in
Santa Fe and New York. Today's workshop will explore the use of
color as light and space and "investigate content formed
by the equation of sense, place, medium and painter." Individual
exploration and personal vision will be stressed. Cost of the
workshop is $59. Call the UA Extended University at 621-8632 for
registration and information.
OUTLAWS IN. One San Francisco Film Festival
reviewer called it a "truly astonishing and exhilarating
film, both deeply thought-provoking and laugh-out-loud funny."
With a motto like "Copyright infringement is your best entertainment
value," it sounds like a cynic's paradise. What the landmark
documentary Sonic Outlaws is, in objective terms, is a
combination of interviews, music and stock footage chronicling
the infamous Negativland v. U2 lawsuit, copyright infringement,
"fair use" and the long history of sound and image sampling--from
the Cubist and Dadaist perspectives of the early 1900s to pop
art and satellite downlinks. If not for the brilliantly processed
collage of monster movies, TV evangelists, Pixelvision, Daffy
Duck and jackalope postcards, go see it for the clip of Casey
Kasem cursing like a truck driver.
Sonic Outlaws screens at 8 o'clock tonight and 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, July 9, at The Screening Room, 127 E. Congress St. Admission
is $4. Filmmaker Craig Baldwin and Negativland band member Mark
Hosler are scheduled to appear at both screenings. Call 622-2262
for information.
BISBEE BUZZ. As much as we like Tucson, a little absence-makes-the-heart-grow-fonder
attitude adjustment might make this weekend really cool--by at
least a few degrees. The annual Subway Street Summer Party happens
tonight in the cool, mile-high city to the south, with a variety
of art openings, food and entertainment. Opening tonight with
a reception from 6 to 10 p.m. is a unique show at Jane Hamilton
Fine Art Gallery, 31 Subway St. Summer Screens is an eight-artist
juried exhibition focusing on the nostalgic, romantic and mysterious
themes that surround folding screens. Featured works include a
natural-fiber piece using Katazome, an ancient Japanese art form,
by fiber artist Anna Keene, a cut-out screen of the rodeo genre
by Phoenix painter Paul Verberg, watercolors on silk by Leah Niemoth,
and a photographic montage by Bisbee artist and poet Marguerite.
The street party will be crawling with live music, with solo guitar
by Burt Webster, the zany musical group The Green Tomatoez, a
cappella singers La Luna Tunes and dancers from the Afro-Haitian
Dance Group. Call (520) 432-3660 for information.
Sunday
SWEET RELEASE. Stefan George and Songtower need no
introduction to Tucson audiences. Wherever world-traveled singer/songwriter
George plays, a wall-to-wall crowd of loyal, boogie-footed blues
fans follow. The TAMMIE-award winners for Best Acoustic/Folk Ensemble
two years running aren't through celebrating yet. They unveil
their latest CD, Cactus and Concrete, in a show from 7
to 11 p.m. in the air-conditioned comfort of the Southwest Center
for Music, 2175 N. Sixth Ave. Whether you're a long-time listener
or a curious newcomer, Songtower is sure to enchant, revealing
a poetic side of this desert town you may never before have had
the pleasure of seeing. Tickets are $5, available at the door.
Call 884-1220 for information on advance tickets.
BEER AND BELLY-LAUGHS. Joey Medina's career path is the
ultimate punch line. The mild-mannered young comedian tells with
a straight face how he went from the professional boxing ring
into a Tucson Police Department uniform and eventually found his
bliss on an amateur night stage at Laffs Comedy Caffe. While he
readily admits his new career isn't nearly as painful, "there've
been times (on stage) I wished I could throw in the towel,"
he chuckles. Medina has proved himself a heavy hitter on the up-and-coming
list on the competitive stand-up circuit, receiving warm welcomes
in L.A., Texas, Colorado, New Mexico and "oh yeah, some clubs
back East." He's joined tonight by L.A. comedians Gilbert
Esquivel and Rudy Moreno, both regulars at Hollywood's Improv
and Laugh Factory and winners of the prestigious Latino Comedy
Search. The three reconvene in Tucson after a sold-out show six
months ago at ASU. "I'm really excited about working with
them," says Medina, who sees "a future Paul Rodriguez
in all of us."
Catch the first annual Latino All-Star Comedy Tour, hosted by
KQHT's Manic Hispanic, at 8 p.m. at the Wildcat House, 1801 N.
Stone Ave., before fame and fortune--or some other wild career--intervene.
Tickets for tonight's show are $5 in advance, $8 at the door,
and will benefit the bone marrow transplant search fund for 14-year-old
Christalina Brito. Call 623-6429 for ticket outlets and information.
Monday
BOYS IN THE WOOD. The Bianco Theatre Company presents
a mid-summer musical theatre production for the whole family with
this adaptation of the classical tale of Robin Hood. See
the Gaslight Theatre transformed into Sherwood Forest, home of
Prince John, the evil Sheriff, Maid Marion, King Richard and "several
surprise additions" from two casts including more than 50
actors ages four through 16. Showtime is 7:30 p.m., with performances
continuing July 15, 17 and 18. Tickets are $7 general admission,
$5 for children, available at the door or by calling 290-9108.
The Gaslight Theatre is at 7010 E. Broadway, in Trail Dust Town.
Tuesday
PAPER RAP. One of the beneficial by- products of the
reuse-recycle movement is a changing aesthetic toward paper. Those
crisp, clean white sheets have largely given way to the beauty
and texture of "imperfect" recycled papers. Similarly,
the art of papermaking seems to have received renewed attention
from artists and audiences alike. Local artist Barbara Kennedy
is one such artist whose love of handmade papers sent her work
into unique new directions with collage and pastel (See Margaret
Regan's article in the Review section for details on the show).
Barbara Kennedy: Color and Paper continues through July
17 at Tohono Chul Park Gallery, 7366 N. Paseo del Norte. Gallery
hours are 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 11
a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Requested donation is $2. Call 575-8468
for information.
Wednesday
FLASH POINT. Su Teatro presents Burn This, by
Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Landford Wilson, under the skillful
direction of award-winning playwright Ken Tesoriere. You'll just
have to find out for yourself why Pale carries a gun and where
the lives of a dancer, two cadavers, an ardent suitor and a guy
named Larry who "just wants to sleep until the happy ending"
intersect. Performances continue at 8 p.m. Wednesday through
Saturday through July 23 at the Historic Y Theatre, 738 N. Fifth
Ave. Tickets are $9, $8 for seniors, available at Antigone Books,
600 N. Fourth Ave., and the Book Stop, 2504 N. Campbell Ave. Call
740-1402 for information.
Photo 1: "Enchanted Forest," by Donald Smiley, highlights
Summer Screens, continuing through July 31 at Jane Hamilton
Fine Art Gallery on Subway Street in Bisbee.
Photo 2: High rise: Stefan George and Songtower celebrate the
release of Cactus and Concrete from 7 to 11 p.m. Sunday,
July 9, at the Southwest Center for Music, 2175 N. Sixth Ave.
Photo 3: "Dragon's Teeth," by Charlotte Bender, is one
small wonder in the third annual Small Works Invitational continuing
through July 22 at Davis Dominguez Gallery, 6812 N. Oracle Road.
Photo 4: "Self-portrait with a Monkey," 1983, by Frida
Kahlo, spotlights Latin American Women Artists, 1915-1995, opening
July 8 at the Phoenix Art Museum, 1625 N. Central Ave. in Phoenix.
July 6 - July 12, 1995
