Thursday 13
SEXUAL SIBERIA. Internecine sex takes center stage when Quicksilver Productions presents The Exiled, by Stuart Eugene Bousel.
The comedy centers around a circle of friends getting by -- and turning each other on -- in a mid-sized town, where emotional complications become a battle zone. "Eventually, the circle closes in on itself," Bousel says. "These people can't seem to get outside their social pool, and eventually, that bites back."
Curtain time is 8 tonight, tomorrow and Saturday in the Tucson Center for the Performing Arts, 408 S. Sixth Ave. Tickets are $6, and available by calling 797-4792.
PERSIAN PERSPECTIVE. Glimpse an eclipsing nation with Iran Now (1998) and Then (1971-73), presented by the Wilmot Branch Library's Armchair Adventures series.
Weekly contributor Dave Devine leads this discussion of changes in Iran since its revolution, when Islamic fundamentalists toppled the despised (and United States-supported) Peacock Throne.
The free lecture begins at 1:30 p.m. in the Wilmot Branch Library, 530 N. Wilmot Road. Call 791-4627 for details.
Friday 14
MILLENNIUM ARIA. The Arizona Opera rings in a new century with Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin.
The performance is directed by Sonia Frisell, whose work has been seen at the world's greatest opera houses, including the current conceptualization of Aïda for the Metropolitan Opera. Considered a protégé to directors Franco Zefferelli, Jean-Pierre Ponelle and Giorgio Strehler at La Scala, Frisell is "noted for her artistic creativity and imaginative and intelligent staging." Conducted by Stephen Lord, the show stars Gary Lehman and Victor Ledbetter in the title role.
The performance begins at 7:30 tonight at the TCC Music Hall, 260 S. Church Ave. Performances continue at 7:30 p.m. tomorrow, and 2 p.m. Sunday. Tickets range from $17 to $67, and are available by calling 321-1000.
HORSING AROUND. Enjoy equestrian beauty at the 29th annual All-Arabian Charity Horse Show.
Hosted by the Southern Arizona Arabian Horse Association, the show will feature top-notch competitions ranging from trainer to adult amateur. This is the first qualifying show of the season, and will include a stallion showcase and an "Arabian Extravaganza."
Show runs from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. today through Sunday at the Pima County Fairgrounds. Admission is free. Proceeds benefit the PCC 4H horse club. For details, call 647-7756.
Saturday 15
TRADE TIRADE. Were the Seattle WTO protests a one-shot gig, or beginnings of a true global backlash against the New World Order?
You be the judge, when the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom hosts protest participants and Sonoran Justice Alliance members Sonya Diehn, Chris Ford and Daniel Patterson in a discussion of their raucous Seattle sojourn.
The free gathering begins at 2 p.m. in the Northwest Neighborhood Center, 2160 N. Sixth Ave. For details, call 622-5743.
ECCENTRIC ASSORTMENT. The slightly off-center takes center stage at "A MadParty and PhatFest" in the Mat Bevel Institute.
Who'd expect anything less in the uniquely adventurous institute? Presented by Erl Kimmich and a Consortium of Friends, this latest sublime excursion will feature Caliche Con Carne; arias and vocalizing by Stefanie Sykes; "word" by Bertha; original guitar and thumbdrum by Penn; open mic poetry; and "Necromantics and Abe!" Proceeds will benefit Primavera Builders.
Catch it all at 8 p.m. in the Mat Bevel Institute, 530 N. Stone Ave. A $5 donation is suggested. Call 795-8593 for information.
FEET FEATS. Twinkle toes run rampant today with The Sixth Arizona Contemporary Dance Festival and an outing by A Time to Dance Studio.
The ensemble festival will feature a slew of top troupes, from members of the UA Dance Department and A Ludwig Dance Theatre to Orts Theatre of Dance, Tenth Street Danceworks and the Zenith Dance Collective.
Show time is 7:30 p.m. in the UA Ina Gittings Building PE 132, north of the main mall and west of Campbell Ave. Tickets are $10, $8 for seniors and students, and available by calling 624-3799.
The talented kids from A Time to Dance Studio hit the boards for their performance of The Three Magi. Written by studio director Dee Dee Doell, the piece promises "a delightful afternoon" of fleet-footed drama.
Show time is 7 p.m. in the Berger Performing Arts Center, 1200 W. Speedway Blvd. Admission is free, but donations will be accepted. For information, call 327-5137.
Sunday 16
DEGRAZIA RECALLED. Depending upon your perspective, he was either a hip desert rat, a Southwest visionary or the pioneering King of Kitsch. Either way, Ted DeGrazia certainly left his mark on these parts.
Today, the Arizona artist is celebrated when Bisbee hosts a retrospective show of his art and films.
Films, you say? Yep, DeGrazia either appeared in or actually made a bunch of them, including one about Bisbee's 1939 beauty contest. Today's event will also feature an exhibit of his original paintings from the 1930s, when the aspiring artist managed Bisbee's historic Lyric Theater for his father-in-law.
The festival starts at noon at Jane Hamilton Fine Art, 29 Main Street, with the first public display of the early Lyric Theater pieces. A rare resale show of other DeGrazia originals follows, along with music by Cool Jazz.
The festival continues in the Copper Queen Plaza from 3:30 to 6 p.m. with welcoming remarks and film screenings by Tucson historian George Hall.
To reach Bisbee, take I-10 east to the Tombstone exit, continuing south on Highway 80. Drive time is approximately 90 minutes. Call 299-9191 for information.
SCREEN SCENE. The ninth annual Jewish Film Festival rolls into high gear with a special Family Day event.
Even as Hitler invaded Europe, a young Jewish baseball player was challenging Babe Ruth's record. The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg is a humorous and nostalgic documentary about an extraordinary ballplayer who transcended religious prejudice to become an American icon. The film screens at 3 p.m. in the Tucson Jewish Community Center, 3800 E. River Road. The screening will be proceeded at 1 p.m. by a kids' baseball clinic with the Tucson Sidewinders.
Tickets to The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg are $5, $4 for seniors and students. The festival continues through January 27. Ticket prices vary. For show times, listings and ticket information, call 299-3000, ext. 205.
HOT TAMALES. The already spicy El Parador Restaurant and Cantina reaches fever pitch with a steamy jazz jam.
Hosted by the Tucson Jazz Society, the jams fire up every Sunday from 8 to 11 p.m. The restaurant also hosts salsa music with Raphael Moreno and Descarga on Friday, and Charranga la Unica on Saturday.
El Parador is located at 2744 E. Broadway Blvd. For schedule and admission information, call 881-2808.
Monday 17
WAY DOWN DIXIE. The indomitable Gaslight Theatre takes a dramatic break with its new concert series.
The program roars up to vintage speed tonight with a performance by Rob Wright's Dixieland Band. They'll open this string of family-oriented performances "featuring the best local groups and performers that Tucson has to offer."
Show time is 7 tonight in The Gaslight Theatre, 7010 E. Broadway. Tickets are $8, $6 for seniors, students and military, $5 for children ages 12 and under. Call 886-9428 for reservations.
BURIED BATTLES. William Walker discusses ancient belligerents in Must We Sacrifice Ritual Prehistory on an Altar of War.
Luckily, regional prehistoric cults often left behind tokens from ritualistic war and religious practices. Walker is among the scientists who've attempted to model various events in the life histories of those artifacts and their surrounding architecture. Specifically, he'll explore "ritual and warfare explanatory alternatives for the destruction of sites in the Casa Grandes interaction sphere." And if you have any idea what that means, you've already got a leg-up.
Learn more at 7:30 p.m. in the UMC DuVal Auditorium, 1501 N. Campbell Ave. For details, call 298-5167.
Tuesday 18
ROYAL REGISTER. Centennial Hall erupts in musical majesty with a performance by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
Since its founding a half-century ago by Sir Thomas Beecham, the ensemble has established itself as one of the world's great symphonies, performing and recording acclaimed renditions of the classical repertoire under such distinguished conductors as Antal Dorati, Andre Previn and Vladimir Ashkenazy. The orchestra continues winning accolades under current director Daniele Gatti.
Tonight's performance will include Brahms' Variations on a Theme by Haydn; the "Good Friday Spell" from Wagner's opera Parsifal; and Anton Bruckner's Symphony No. 4 in E-flat major. It's a must-see show; according to one Los Angeles Times critic, "Daniele Gatti and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra are the real thing. I can recall no performance, live or recorded, so purposeful, compelling and coherent."
The performance begins at 7:30 p.m. in UA Centennial Hall, inside the main gate east of Park Avenue. Tickets range from $48 to $60; call 621-3341 for reservations.
HEARTY HARMONIES. Lovely voices converge in a lunchtime performance by the UA Symphonic Choir.
As part of the UMC's Center Stage Series, this range-breaking group will belt out sacred, secular and spiritual tunes under the direction of Michael Culloton and Giselle Wyers.
The free performance runs from noon to 1 p.m. in the UMC DuVal Auditorium, 1501 N. Campbell Ave. Call 626-4828 for information.
Wednesday 19
PERSPECTIVES IN PAPER. The combined talents of three artists unfold in Las Papeleras, now on display in the G.A.S.P. (Great Art by Students and Professionals) Gallery.
Joyce Brodsky, Betsy Farmer and Mary Ann Walter have come together to celebrate their "common thread" -- the joy of handmade paper and its many expressions. While each shares a love of natural materials, textures and colors in their work, they pursue that affection in different, powerful directions.
Las Papeleras runs through February 11 in the G.A.S.P. Gallery, inside Utterback Middle School at 3233 S. Pinal Vista. Gallery hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Call 617-6100 for information.
