Tucson Weekly: City Week (May 13

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Thursday 13

BLOODHUT BALLAD. Tucson's acclaimed Bloodhut Productions highlights past performances in Thighs and Dolls. This retrospective features Hut regulars Kim Lowry, Rhonda Hallquist, Laurie Levon, Carrie Hill, Annette Hillman, Jan O'Dell, Cynthia Meier and Jamie Lantz.
City Week They'll revisit a long roster of old faves including Our Own Bodies, I Know an Old Woman and Between the Sheets.
Show time is 8 p.m. in the PCC Center for the Arts, 2202 W. Anklam Road. Performances continue at 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, and 2 p.m. Sunday, through May 23. Tickets are $12, $10 for seniors and students, and $25 for a gala reception and performance on Sunday, May 15. Tickets are available at Antigone Books, Fit to be Tried and the CFA box office. Call 795-0010 for details.
TRADITIONAL STEPS. After intermittent closures and evolving venues, the timeless Cushing Street Bar and Grill is back on the scene with a full roster of live music Thursday through Saturday evenings.
Despite its many changes of ownership, this casual downtown rest stop remains one of the most charming old buildings in town; the hand-tooled wood cabinetry alone makes it worth a visit. Tonight, that historic ambiance is spiced by the exotic marimba sounds of local veterans Homero Cerón and Todd Hammes.
The duo plays from 8 p.m. to midnight on the restaurant's ample private patio, 343 S. Meyer Ave. Admission is free. Call 622-7984 for details.

Friday 14

MIGHTY IDA. She's been rocking Tucson since the long-lamented El Casino Ballroom was just a drafty tool shed. Now Queen Ida and her Bon Temps Zydeco Band return to town for a night of Louisiana-style hell-raisin'. Tucson's own Black Leather Zydeco opens the show.
Born in French-speaking Lake Charles, Queen Ida was weaned on the Mardi Gras songs, waltzes and two-steps of the local Saturday night fai do dos. By day she helped her folks around the farm, but at night there was always someone handy with a fiddle or washboard. She describes the resulting zydeco sound as a blend of "French Canadian folk music with rhythm 'n' blues, Cajun, Latin, Caribbean, country and '50s rock 'n' roll thrown in."
These days Ida is the reigning royal in the court of zydeco, and along with her Bon Temps band she'll ensure your feet keep moving until they close the doors behind you.
Show time is 8 p.m. in the Rialto Theater, 318 E. Congress St. Advance tickets range from $20 to $25, $15 for KXCI members, available in advance at Hear's Music, Zips University, Piney Hollow, the Congress Street Store and KXCI-FM. Doors open at 7 p.m. for a Louisiana-style dinner (not included in ticket price), with free dance lessons starting at 7:30 p.m. Call 623-1000 for details.
HEART FELT. Panoramic Productions plumbs the human condition with Terrence McNally's Love! Valour! Compassion!
During its 1995 Broadway run, this celebration of the gay lifestyle landed McNally the Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, New York Critics Circle and Tony awards for best play. The New York Times called it "a high point of the season," while The New Yorker praised it as "beautifully written."
Show time is 7 p.m. in the Tucson Center for the Performing Arts, 408 S. Sixth Ave. Performances continue at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 4 p.m. Sunday, through May 23. Tickets range from $8 to $10, available by calling 293-5397.
CONTINENTAL SHUFFLE. Fancy footwork from the far-flung regions of Eastern Europe, Colombia, Hawaii, the Philippines and Mexico is the fare of the day at this weekend's Festival of Food, Music and Folklore.
Presented by the Cultural Showcase of Tucson, the party will include more than 90 entertainers, including 10 local groups. This triad of temptations converges on the heart of downtown from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. today, and 5 to 10 p.m. tomorrow, in the Tucson/Pima Main Library Plaza, 101 N. Stone Ave. Admission is free, with plenty of ethnic chow for sale. Call 888-8816 for details.

Saturday 15

WEE HORNS. Tucson's Crawdaddy-O Brass Band takes tots to task with its second annual kids show.
This "zany, wacky" carnival will feature funny songs for the younger set, circus tricks, and prizes provided by Yikes! Just like former outings, this one promises to be a wee crowd-pleaser, says Crawdaddy's Dante Rosano. "I worked for years in a pre-school, and parents were always telling me we should do a show for kids. So we started these parties, and the kids have a blast. It's really a kick."
Show times are noon and 2 p.m. in The Mat Bevel Institute, 530 N. Stone Ave. Admission is $4, $2 for kids, and free for toddlers. For details, call 622-0192.
SONORAN STEPS. Tucson Regional Ballet brings together a fresh wellspring of talent for Dance in the Desert, the Regional Dance America/Pacific Festival '99.
More than 500 dancers will have the opportunity to stretch themselves over three days of classes with luminaries including Michael Uthoff, Ballet Arizona Artistic Director; UA dance professors Jory Hancock and Melissa Lowe; and Phil Otto of Pacific Northwest Ballet.
The gathering culminates with today's Gala Performance at 8 p.m. in the TCC Music Hall, 260 S. Church Ave. Tickets are $12, available at the TCC box office, Dillard's, or by calling 791-4266.
STRANGE SHENANIGANS. Hide the silver, put out the dog, and send the rugrats to Granny's, because it's time for the next round of anecdotal fun by Tucson's Oddvarks Comedy Improv Troupe.
The twisted rib-ticklers continue their month-long downtown blitz with an eccentric smattering of troublesome skits and off-the-cuff yuks carefully concocted to "offend delicate natures."
Show time is 7 p.m. at Double Zero, 121 E. Congress St. Admission is $2. For details, call 670-9332.

Sunday 16

LOST ARTISTS FOUND. Check out a grab-bag of mixed media when the El Centro Art Gallery hosts Adventures of the Lost Artists, a members' exhibit and sale featuring works at ganga prices. As the El Centro folks say, "Check us out--you might get lucky!"
Adventures runs from 1 to 5 p.m. in the historic C.O. Brown House, 40 W. Broadway Blvd. Call 770-1245 for information.
DESERT SONS. The Sons of Orpheus roar to life with their eighth annual Gala Spring Concert. This year, Tucson's premier male choir is put through its paces with choruses by Richard Wagner and Antonín Dvorák. The program also includes traditional Russian folk songs accompanied by the Balalaika Ensemble, cowboy classics, and a salute to the "Great American Pastime." The choir is led by Grayson Hirst.
The free performance begins at 3 p.m. in Grace St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 2331 E. Adams St. For more information, call 621-1649.
VOCAL VETERAN. She's a veteran of jazz and cabaret clubs from coast to coast, and has clocked plenty an entertaining hour on film and TV. Fellow vocalist Sheila Jordan calls her "a truly gifted singer with a wonderful voice and heart that goes with it."
Tucson audiences can judge for themselves at tonight's performance by Lisa Thorson, a jazz stylist WGBH in Boston describes as "one of the most exciting new interpreters of the Great American Songbook...she is not to be missed." Thorson is touring in support of her CD release, From This Moment On.
Show time is 6 to 9 p.m. in St. Philip's Plaza, at Campbell Avenue and River Road. Tickets are $11, $6 for TJS members, available at the door only. For details, call 743-3399.

Monday 17

CULTURAL DRIFT. With images that approximate "complex portraits" of a culture, photographer Virgil Hancock creates a collage of contemporary society in flux with New Ruins, Old Boneyards, on display in the Etherton Temple Gallery.
Hancock's powerful scenes draw together the roadside curios, cartoon icons and pure Americana emblematic of the changing lifestyle in the Southwest. Through an eclectic assortment of images, the Tucson native explores the effects of shifting cultural attitudes and wanton growth on the collective psyche of American culture. While many of his pieces focus on the commercialization and commodification of the Southwest, his luminous scenes also embrace the scars of past injuries, and honor our extraordinary ability to adapt.
The exhibit runs through May 29 in the upstairs gallery at the Temple of Music and Art, 330 S. Scott Ave. Hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, and prior to ATC performances. For more information, call 624-7370.
AMERICAN SOUND. The Kingfisher has an established culinary reputation as an American grill. Now the charming eatery on Grant Road is also home to an authentically American sound, with its Blue Mondays For May lineup. Featured this time out is another belting, low-down performance by local musical legend and bon vivant George Howard.
Howard plays from 9 p.m. to midnight in the Kingfisher Bar and Grill, 2564 E. Grant Road. Call 323-7739 for information.

Tuesday 18

FREE ASSOCIATION. Forget the boom-boxes of Reid Park, the dog poop at Himmel, the jocks on the UA mall, and the fee gauging at Catalina State Park. Instead, pack yourself a little lunch and head up to Agua Caliente Park, possibly the grooviest little outpost within city limits.
Part of the Pima County park system, Agua Caliente was historically a cattle ranch, and later a getaway for health-seeking easterners. Today, it remains full of towering trees, great picnic areas, and a handful of lakes that don't sidle up to sprawling, plaid-inundated golf courses. Best of all, it doesn't cost you one thin dime to enjoy. Agua Caliente Park is at 12325 E. Roger Road. Call 740-2690 for information.

Wednesday 19

FOLK NATION. Travel the globe without leaving town with the Tucson International Folk Dancers. Every Wednesday night, these hearty hoofers teach a few simple steps from far-flung lands, with promises that you'll soon be in step with traditions as diverse as Spain, Russia and Israel, to name a few.
Folk dancing runs from 8 to 10 p.m. in the Zenith Center, 330 E. Seventh St. Admission is $2. For details, call 792-2694.
CHASING A BREW. Tucson's tasty Nimbus Brewing company combines fine hops with Hollywood glamour at this mid-week movie night. They've dusted off the shelves, popped the corn, rearranged the couches and fired up a large-screen TV for an evening of Chevy Chase. Tonight, the physical prankster and former Saturday Night Live heavyweight stars in Fletch and Jabberwocky.
The double-feature starts at 6:30 p.m. at Nimbus Brewing, 3850 E. 44 St. Admission is free. Call 745-9175 for details.

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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