December 28 - January 4, 1995
Thursday 28
TWISTED TALES. Back in 1994, evolution took a curious lurch
forward when a small group of men stood up and said, "Look,
the whole is funnier than the sum of its parts." Of dubious
repute and questionable sanity, this gaggle of babble formed The
Sweatlodge, the fledgling sketch comedy troupe that delivered
Songs from the Sweatlodge and Men, Our Bodies, Ourselves,
to sold-out crowds at Serendipity Playhouse last year. Now Nick
Seivert, Danny Boskowitz, Fish Karma, Dave Fitzsimmons and Mike
Sterner are back with an all-new show they mildly proclaim "destined
to be a Tucson classic," called Tales From The Hotel Arizona,
the first in a series of takes on life in the Old Pueblo, including
sketches on everything from vegetarian cowboys to songs like "The
Night They Burned Old Tucson Down" and "Lute's Blues."
Showtime is 8 p.m. at the Southwest Center for Music, 2175 S.
Sixth Ave. Tickets are $6 at the door, with a $1 discount for
donations to the Community Food Bank. Call 884-1220 for reservations
and information.
Friday 29
EVENING IN VIENNA. The Tucson Symphony Orchestra hosts
its eighth annual Evening In Vienna concert at 7 tonight
and Saturday, December 30, in the TCC Grand Ballroom, 260 S. Church
Ave. Vocalist Nancy Davis Booth returns for an all-new program
featuring selections by Johann Strauss, Jr. and "swing era"
tunes to make great use of that slick dance floor. Individual
tickets are $20 in advance, with tables for eight still available
for $136. Ticket outlets include the TCC and TSO box offices,
and all Dillard's. Call 882-8585 for reservations and information.
POWWOW WOW. More than 50 tribes will ring in the New Year
with three full days of dancing, feasting, drumming and craftsmanship
at this year-end powwow at the Amigos Complex, 250 E. 36th St.,
at Fourth Avenue and 36th Street. Buffalo burgers and stew, tamales
and traditional Indian tacos will sizzle over mesquite fires as
top dancers from all over the western United States and Canada
compete in the grass dance, fancy dance, buckskin, gourd dance
and more. The largest "friendship dance" in the west
brings all visitors into the ceremonial circle to join hands at
11:45 p.m. Sunday to greet the New Year.
The powwow begins at 4 today, and continues from noon to midnight
through Sunday, December 31. Admission is $5. Call 622-4900 for
information.
Saturday 30
SWAMP CREATURES. Cool your heels with the cast and crew
behind Swamp Cooler, an independent feature film written
and produced in your own backyard, as they celebrate with a pre-release
party at 3 p.m. at The Screening Room, 127 E. Congress St. If
these guys are as creative and resourceful in their filmmaking
as they have been with their fundraising efforts, then the unedited
footage to be screened should be worth the price of admission.
Live music will be provided by "musicians from the soundtrack,"
along with a walk-through of the film's "art gallery scene,"
and raffle tickets for visual art pieces donated by local artists.
Call 622-2262 for information.
MIDNIGHT JAM. If you're under 21 today, take heart. New
Year's Eve is for amateurs, anyway. Have your fun tonight with
Tucson Parks and Recreation's Midnight Jam, a pre-New Year's Eve
party from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. in the TCC North Exhibit Hall, 260
S. Church Ave. Here the 13- to 19-year-old crowd can cut loose
with loud music, rows of pool tables, video games, ping-pong and
a basketball shoot-out. Shuttle service is available at Udall
Center, Park Mall, Randolph Center, El Pueblo Neighborhood Center,
Tucson Mall, Mansfield Recreation Center, Oury Recreation Center
and Archer Center. Call the center nearest you for bus schedules.
Buses leave the TCC at 12:30 and 1 a.m. Cost is $2 per person
or $3 per couple. Call 791-4845 for information.
Sunday 31
RING IN THE NEW. For a complete listing of New Year's Eve
events, consult the City Week listings and New Year's events calendar
in the Music section. But here are a couple of samples to whet
your appetite:
BLUE YEAR'S BLOW-OUT. One of the absolute best shows happening
anywhere tonight is the Trio of Trios at The Rialto Theater, 318
E. Congress St. They've been working through the holidays to get
the old theater gussied up, with fixed seating for 300 in the
main theatre, a huge expanse of open space for whooping it up,
and hopefully additional seating in the balcony (they're trying
to bring it up to code before tonight's show). Austin swamp rockers
the Tailgators open the show, followed by San Diego's Tex-Mex
blues hogs Billy Bacon & the Forbidden Pigs, and the Paladins.
While all three are well-known to local audiences, they've never
played together in Tucson. Their union tonight, culminating in
an outrageous all-band jam at midnight, is the realization of
an eight-year dream by Rialto partner Jeb Schoonover. Do the words
"Houserockin' Party" ring a bell?
The show begins at 9 p.m., with each band playing a 50-minute
set. This is a 21-and-over affair, complete with full-bar service
and discounts on rooms at the nearby Santa Rita Inn. Tickets are
$10, available in advance from Hear's Music and all Zia Record
locations. They'll cost $12 on the day of show. Call 795-1420
for information.
TASTE THE BIG APPLE. If your idea of a big night out involves
champagne and Broadway show tunes, then make your after-dinner
reservations at Serendipity Playhouse, 7000 E. Tanque Verde Road,
for New Year's in New York, starting at 9 p.m. Tickets
are $17 per person, $32 per couple. Call 751-4445 for information.
Or combine dinner and music with Fly Me To The Moon, a
delectable New Year's Eve celebration at Hacienda del Sol Guest
Ranch, 5601 N. Hacienda del Sol Road, featuring a three-course
meal prepared by Presidio Grill chefs and "popular American
song" with the Jeffrey Haskell Trio and special guest Mary
Baker. Tickets for the 6:45 and 10 p.m. seatings are $75 per person,
all inclusive. Call 690-2123 for reservations and information.
Monday 1
PREY TELL. If your head isn't throbbing too badly, head
over to Café Magritte for your favorite comfort food and
check out Predator or Prey, "an engrossing interpretation
of today's menace." The 28 artists whose works are featured
in the café this month are all members of the Arizona Women's
Caucus for Art, who have gathered their wits to provide "a
variety of work that displays a threat to an individual, the environment,
or a politically determined group." Local artists include
Chris Dawdy, Scarlett Decker, Moira Geoffrion, Laura Godsill,
Trena Howard, Marlys Kubicek and Sally Lovell. The show continues
through January 31 at Café Magritte, 254 E. Congress St.
Call 884-8004 for hours and information.
Tuesday 2
FRESH START WITH ART. If you made your annual resolution
to visit more museums and galleries in 1996, seize the day as
Dinnerware Gallery, 135 E. Congress St., re-opens today
with a new two-artist show featuring sculpture by Susan Vancas
and paintings by Scarlett Decker. The exhibition continues through
January 27, with regular gallery hours from noon to 5 p.m. Tuesday
through Saturday, and extended hours on Thursday Art Walk and
Downtown Saturday Nights. Call 795-4503 for information.
CELTIC JAM. And if you promised yourself you'd learn to
play the banjo, bodhran, guitar or mandolin, get inspired at the
weekly jam from 8 to 11 p.m. at The Folk Shop, 2525 N. Campbell
Ave. This week's Celtic jam is a meeting ground for practiced
players, interested novices and appreciative listeners. Call 881-7147
for information.
Wednesday 3
PAPER TIGRESS. Local artist Catherine Nash offers Japanese
Papermaking and Contemporary Paper Art, a free slide lecture
for students of paper crafting or those who've simply "always
wanted to know more about paper," from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
at The Drawing Studio, 601 S. Fifth Ave., at the southeast corner
of 16th Street and Fifth Avenue in Armory Park. The lecture will
draw upon the artist's experiences at an international symposium
this past October in Kyoto, Japan, where she was a lecturer. Call
740-1673 for reservations and information on upcoming classes.
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December 28 - January 4, 1995
