City Week

Thursday 7

BLOOD LUST. A thinly disguised, highly personal reflection on obsessive love is revealed in Oscar Wilde's Salome, presented by Horror Unspeakable Productions.

The biblical tale of lust revolves around Salome, the daughter of King Herod, who falls for John the Baptist. But poor John seals his fate when he gives the girl the boot; she turns around and has dad lop off the poor Baptist's noggin. But that's hardly the end of this sordid story. In love with his own daughter, Herod finally gets disgusted with her too, and soon puts her pretty little head on the block.

According to legend, Wilde penned this wildly controversial piece as a missive on obsessive love to his erstwhile significant other, Lord Alfred Douglas, better known as "Bosie." As the story goes, Wilde wrote Salome in French, knowing that Bosie was largely ignorant of the idiom. The Lord upped the ante, however, by learning just enough of the language for an adequate translation. That translation, in turn, became the modern masterpiece. "It's really several lyrical, obsessive monologues," says director Stuart Bousel. "But we keep the violence to a minimum--it's all approached symbolically." Of course, he adds, "we will have a blood-oozing head just for flavor."

Salome opens at 8 p.m. today in the Temple of Music and Art, 330 S. Scott Ave. Performances continue at 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, and 2 p.m. Sunday, through September 16. Tickets are $7, $6 for seniors, students and military, and are available by calling 903-9950.


Friday 8

SOMBER RECALL. The Tucson Museum of Art sheds light on a dark history with Witness & Legacy: Contemporary Art About the Holocaust.

Organized by the Minnesota Museum of American Art, the show features 85 works by 22 artists. It includes paintings, photographs, sculpture, video, collages and five full-room installations.

Holocaust survivors, children of survivors and those empathizing with their plight created these riveting pieces. Although the subject is often painful, the works aim to provide an experiential opportunity for catharsis and enlightenment.

Witness and Legacy is one of the most thematically powerful and visually compelling exhibitions that has been presented by the Tucson Museum of Art," says Julie Sasse, curator of contemporary art at the TMA. "The works in this exhibition exemplify how art can transcend human injustice and act as a source of awareness and healing."

The show will be accompanied by a slide lecture by co-curator Stephen Feinstein from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, September 20 in Temple Emanu-El, 225 N. Country Club Road. Feinstein is director of the Center of Holocaust and Genocide Studies at the University of Minnesota.

Holocaust survivors will share their insights from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, October 11 in the TMA, 140 N. Main Ave.

Witness & Legacy runs through October 29. Regular museum hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday, noon to 4 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $5, $4 for seniors and students, $3 for kids 13 and older, and free for children under 13. For information, call 624-2333.


Saturday 9

DIFFERENT ANGLE. Get a fresh take on modern reality with a film series presented by the St. Phillip's Gay and Lesbian Spirituality Group.

Alive and Kicking tells the story of a young dancer who finds friendship after losing his lover to AIDS, and shows at 4 p.m. Fire details the controversial romance of two young Indian women, Sita and Radha, and shows at 6 p.m. Finally, Trick focuses on the Manhattan adventures of two young chaps, and includes everything from drag queens to Tori Spelling. It screens at 8 p.m.

The films will be shown in the La Parroquia Room at St. Philip's in the Hills, 4440 N. Campbell Ave. at River Road. Donations of $5 are suggested. Call 323-7943 for details.

HEALTHY HOMES. Take a gander at environmentally friendly domains with the Permaculture Home and Garden Tour.

Five sites will be included, with permaculture designers on hand to answer questions. They'll explain such wise innovations as passive solar heating, passive cooling, and basic solar power start-up systems. Outdoors, these experts will tout rainwater harvesting to support organic gardens and native-plant landscapes. Building techniques ranging from rammed earth and straw bale to adobe will also be detailed.

The tour runs from 7 a.m. to noon. The cost is $35. For reservations and locations, call 624-1673.

GLASS MENAGERIE. The acclaimed Philabaum Glass Gallery unveils its fall season with Glass/Contrast.

This wide-ranging opener features recent work by Philip Crooks, Mark Fowler, Susan Gott, Duncan McClellan, Merrilee Moore and Michael Schunke. A student of Italian glass maestro Lino Tagliapietra, Schunke will be on hand at the reception to discuss his pieces.

Glass/Contrast runs through October 28, with an opening reception from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, September 16, in the Philabaum Contemporary Glass Gallery, 711 S. Sixth Ave. Regular gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. For information, call 884-7404.


Sunday 10

LITERARY LIGHTS. Raise a toast to the written word, and enjoy a talk by author Demetria Martinez at a fund-raiser for Literacy Volunteers of Tucson.

These folks are dedicated to giving others the fundamental power of reading--and much more. "Too often we define literacy very narrowly, as having in one's possession a set of skills needed to function in society," says Martinez. "But it is so much more." People who lack the skill are often wrongly branded as ignorant, she says. "Such a view is a travesty; it is a sin against the dignity inherent to each person."

Martinez is the author of a poetry collection, Breathing Between The Lines, and her novel Mother Tongue won the Western States Book Award for fiction. She also writes a column for the National Catholic Reporter.

The event is at 5 p.m. at the Skyline Country Club, 5200 E. Saint Andrews Drive. Dinner tickets are $50, and are available by calling 882-8006.

SUMMER FINALE. The St. Andrew's Bach Society winds down its summer performance season with the Southwest String Quartet.

Ensemble members include violinists David Rife and Wynne Wong Rife, Ilona Vukovic-Gay on viola, and Mary Beth Tyndall on cello. With the creative use of props and costumes, these Tucson Symphony Orchestra members make "classical music come alive" for new listeners. They'll perform works by Corelli, Mozart, Borodin, Bennett, Schickele and Puccini.

The performance is at 3 p.m. in the St. Andrew's Church, 545 S. Fifth Ave. Tickets are $8, $5 for seniors and students, available at the door. Call 628-8119 for information.

CAJUN TWIST. Tucson gets a touch of swamp fever when premier Cajun band BeauSoleil rolls into town.

After releasing 20 albums in as many years, this rollicking band just keeps getting spicier. Winners of a Grammy for the 1997 release L'Amour ou la Folie ("Love or Folly"), they start with the basics of Cajun music--hot fiddle licks, soulful French lyrics and an unstoppable accordion. From there, the group adds a smorgasbord of Louisiana influences, from Caribbean and New Orleans Jazz to Tin Pan Alley and the blues. It all amounts to a steamy mix, and a spirited ensemble that Garrison Keillor calls "the best Cajun band in the world." They arrive hot on the heels of their latest release, Cajunization.

Show time is 7 p.m. in St. Philip's Plaza, on the southeast corner of River Road and Campbell Avenue. Advance tickets are $16, $14 for In Concert! and Tucson Jazz Society members. They're available at Hear's Music, the Folk Shop, CD City and Antigone Books, or by calling 327-4809.


Monday 11

ISLANDS OF FLIGHT. Tucson Audubon Society members pose this query: "So, what was your first new bird of the New Millennium?"

And we're sure they're not talking about road rage gestures. Instead, it's a clever intro to the lifestyle of intrepid birder Tom Gatz, who made his first millennium mark with a sighting of the Southern Giant Petrel. That's no surprise for this U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist who recently spent three weeks visiting the Falkland Islands, South Georgia Island and the Antarctic Peninsula.

While encountering relatively few species during his Southern Hemisphere romp, Gatz was amazed by the tens of thousands of birds congregating in breeding colonies. The highlight was a huge colony of King Penguins, the second-largest penguins in the world. Categorized as fish by early explorers, the birds are skillful underwater "flyers," perfectly suited to their harsh environment.

Gatz will describe his avian foray at 7 p.m. in UMC's DuVal Auditorium, 1501 N. Campbell Ave. Admission is free. For information, call 629-0510.

DISAPPEARING ACT. Sleight-of-hand ace T.C. Tahoe headlines tonight's installment of It's Magic.

The series features prime disappearing aficionados from around the country. For his part, Tahoe is billed as "more than a magician, more than a comic." And he's certainly more than your run-of-the-mill mystery man, having earned a big reputation at Hollywood's acclaimed Magic Castle, where he landed Magician of the Year titles two years running. He's performed across the globe and on numerous TV shows, and even appeared with Jack Nicholson in the film Crossing Guard.

Las Vegas star Charles Bach will also perform. Accompanied by his beautiful assistant, he'll take you on "a magical illusionary adventure" that includes cruising through a solid 6-foot mirror.

Show time is 7 p.m. in The Gaslight Theatre, 7010 E. Broadway Blvd. Tickets are $10, available at Williams Magic and Novelties. Call 790-4060 for information.


Tuesday 12

SYMPHONIC MASTERS. The Kirov Orchestra brings a roaring sample of Russia to the UA Centennial Hall.

Directed by Valery Gergiev, the strapping 120-piece ensemble will perform classics including Tchaikovsky's passionate Symphony No. 5, Debussy's ethereal La Mer, and Sergei Prokofiev's lyrical Piano Concerto No. 1. Following a recent concert, the Los Angeles Times called the Kirov Orchestra "a perfectly balanced, impeccably blended virtuoso instrument, and Valery Gergiev plays it with masterly élan."

Show time is 7:30 p.m. in Centennial Hall, inside the main gate east of Park Avenue. Tickets range from $48 to $60 with discounts available, and can be purchased at the Centennial Hall box office or by calling 621-3341.

CONFLICT RESOLUTION. What can Bosnians, Croatians and Serbs learn from Northern Ireland? Find out in a discussion with cultural anthropologist Melissa McCormick.

Hosted by the Tucson Balkan Peace Support Group, McCormick is currently working on a Ph.D. dissertation titled Pass No Remarks, about a small town in Northern Ireland. Her study focuses on linguistic and cultural practices that can either spark war or foster peace.

The free lecture is at 7 p.m. in the Servetus Room of the Unitarian Church, 4831 E. 22nd St. For information, call 623-8905.


Wednesday 13

GUIDING LIGHTS. No doubt about it, life in the southwest territory was rough and isolated. And churches were few and far between.

To cope, frontier dwellers spent several hundred years worshipping at homespun devotional shrines and altars embellished with santo images. Now these humble religious centers are highlighted in the Arizona Historical Society's new santos and altars exhibit.

The display runs through October 9 in the society's Sosa-Carillo-Frémont House, 151 S. Granada Ave. Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. Call 622-0956 for information.