Thursday 10
STRANGE BEDFELLOWS. Two men--Valentin, a political prisoner, and Molina, a gay man accused of "gross indecency"--share a cell in a South American prison.
The strangers must learn to depend on and care for each other despite their differences and beliefs. As they struggle to understand each other, they discover the liberating power of the imagination and escape to a place of healing.
This non-musical version of The Kiss of the Spider Woman was adapted from the 1979 novel by Manuel Puig, an Argentinian native who went into self-imposed exile the year Juan Domingo Peron came into power.
Unlike the musical and the film, this Borderlands Theatre version of Spider Woman, which runs through January 27, is a two-man production, directed by Dan Foote, with a set by local designer John Longhoffer.
The play previews at 7:30 tonight in a "pay what you can" performance at Zuzi Little Theater, 738 N. Fifth Ave. There is a $5 per ticket minimum to reserve tickets for tonight's show. The opening celebration starts at 7:30 p.m. Friday. Tickets are $17 and include a post-performance reception. Tickets for all shows are available at Antigone Books, 411 N. Fourth Ave. (cash only), and the Borderlands office, 373 S. Meyer Ave. For show times, reservations and more information, call 882-7406.
Friday 11
A POET'S SWAN SONG. The Old Pueblo's poet laureate is bidding us adieu.
William Pitt Root and wife Pamela Uschuk, herself a terrific poet, are leaving Tucson for North Carolina later this month.
To mark the bittersweet occasion, there will be a farewell party and reading at 7 tonight at Reader's Oasis, 3400 E. Speedway Blvd. Guests may bring a poem to read at this adios to Tucson's first couple of verse. For more information, call 881-5825.
BACK IN THE BUCKSKIN. Glenda Young as Miss Crystal stars in a Western musical theater revue that's so popular it'll dance on through March.
Buckskin, Satin and Song, which ended its last run November 4, features tunes from the Great White Way (Oklahoma, Annie Get Your Gun and Roadside) to the more traditional Western melodies to Puccini's La Fanciulla del West. Other titles include "Whoopie-Ti-Yi-Yo," "Walkin' the Floor Over You" and "Don't Call Me Trailer Trash."
Crystal Palace Players include Erin Booth as the hard-to-tame Sally, Katherine Byrnes as dance hall hostess Pearl, and Drew Humphrey as a bragging cowboy named Tex.
The show starts at 7 tonight and runs through March 30 at Hidden Valley Inn, 4825 N. Sabino Canyon Road. Doors open at 5:30 for an optional dinner (entrées start at $7.95). Tickets for the show cost $13.95 adults; children 12 and under are $8.95. For more information, or to make reservations, call 299-4941.
ON THE ROCKS. More than 100 dealers are expected to turn out for a rough and tumble event in Tempe.
Arizona Rockfest and Earth Science Fair is the largest Phoenix-area gem, mineral and fossil show.
On tap are lots of great activities including gold panning, the Lost Dutchman with storytelling, a rock climbing wall, geode cracking and much more. Oh, and there's a $1,000 gem and mineral giveaway.
The event is today through Sunday at Tempe's Diablo Stadium. Tickets cost $4 adults, $3 ages 12-18, free under 12. For more information, call 602-923-7802 or 602-684-7381.
Saturday 12
BIG SCREEN, WIDE RANGE. The Silberstein family will steal your heart.
They are a wonderful mélange of characters, many of whom, no doubt, could have been found in your own family. Sadly, the patriarch of the family believed, as many did in that era, that honesty, decency and tolerance would overcome the Nazi threat.
The cinematography of All My Loved Ones, the opening film of the 11th annual Tucson Jewish Film Festival, is nothing short of gorgeous. The directing and the performances are sensitive and true. You will be caught up in the lives of the Silbersteins and not want to let go.
The film fest is the only one of its kind in the community and attracts more that 5,000 patrons annually. The event boasts a proud tradition of bringing Jewish and non-Jewish audiences the best local and international films and provides accessibility to Jewish culture and heritage.
Tonight's film begins at 7:30. Other films and times include:
· Ballad of Ramblin' Jack at 1:30 p.m. Sunday. The Sundance Film Festival Special Jury Prize for Artistic Achievement was awarded to Aiyana Elliot for her extraordinary portrait of her father, Ramblin' Jack Elliot, an American folk legend. The son of a Jewish doctor from Brooklyn, Jack ran away at 15 to join the rodeo. Although he did return home for a while he went on to become the last of the singing cowboys. He traveled and sang with Woody Guthrie and became mentor and friend to the then young Bob Dylan. His music influenced some of the most popular musicians and performers of our time, and helped spark the folk phenomenon of the '60s.
· In Search of Peace at 7:30 p.m. Sunday. This film chronicles the first two decades of Israel's existence, offering new insights into the origins of the Middle East conflict. The film weaves together historical narrative, anecdotes and dramatic personal stories, drawing on interviews with the leaders who helped make that history.
· Combining a rich tapestry of rare archival film and photos, In Search of Peace not only examines events in Israel, but their impact on other places as well--the Arab refugee camps, the General Assembly of the United Nations and, from there, to the world capitals of Moscow, Paris, London, Buenos Aires, Cairo and Washington, D.C. The film offers a unique global perspective on one of the most important events of the 20th century and one of the seminal events in the 3,500-year history of the Jewish people.
· Trembling before G-d at 5 p.m. Monday. This unprecedented feature documentary shatters assumptions about faith, sexuality and religious fundamentalism. Built around intimately-told personal stories of Hasidic and Orthodox Jews who are gay or lesbian, the film portrays a group of people who face a profound dilemma--how to reconcile their passionate love of Judaism and the divine with the drastic Biblical prohibitions against homosexuality. As the film unfolds, we meet a range of complex individuals--some hidden, some out--from the world's first openly gay Orthodox rabbi to closeted, married Hasidic gays and lesbians and Orthodox lesbian high-school sweethearts.
The festival runs through January 20. Tickets and passes are currently on sale at the JCC. For more information and a complete film schedule, call the Film Festival Hotline at 299-3000, ext. 300.
CAJUN CLASH. America's premier Cajun band, BeauSoleil, is ready to rock Tucson.
For 20 years and more than 20 albums, BeauSoleil, led by Michael Doucet, has played both traditional Cajun and music that expands Cajun roots. After seven nominations, BeauSoleil won the Grammy award for L'Amour ou la folie (Love or Folly) in l997.
Starting with Cajun music basics--hot fiddle licks, soulful lyrics in French and irresistible accordion--BeauSoleil adds decades of bayou musical influences including Caribbean, New Orleans jazz, Tin Pan Alley, ballads and a hefty measure of blues. Doucet and BeauSoleil began playing traditional songs and music learned from Dennis McGee, Dewey Balfa and others, and they now also add music of their own that fits into the Cajun tradition. Their latest album, released a year ago, is BeauSoleil: Live: Looking Back Tomorrow.
Show starts at 8 p.m. at the Rialto Theatre, 318 E. Congress St. Doors open by 7 p.m., when Cajun food prepared by French Quarter restaurant will be available for purchase, plus a full bar. General admission tickets cost $16 in advance, $20 at the door. Tickets are available at Hear's Music, 2508 N. Campbell Ave.; CD City, 2980 N. Campbell Ave.; Antigone Books, 411 N. Fourth Ave.; and all three Zia Records locations. Online, get your tickets at www.dotucson.com Charge by phone at In Concert! by calling 327-4809.
ABOVE, BELOW AND BEYOND. Art lovers get a double dose tonight.
Turn out for an artists' reception at HazMat to meet Ken Shorr and Mark Murray, whose works are on display through February 23.
The combined show, sponsored by the Museum of Contemporary Art is Ken Shorr: Slap Happy and Mark Murray: Toys in the Basement, the latter in HazMat's basement gallery.
Slap Happy is an exhibition of video, installation and photography by Shorr, a University of Arizona professor. Known for his disturbing, manipulated photographs and cutting, sarcastic performances, Shorr will also be exhibiting new video works. He has had numerous exhibitions, including at the New Museum and the California Museum of Photography, and has pieces in the collections of the Tucson Museum of Art and the Center for Creative Photography.
Murray is a local artist who works out of Tucson's Solar Culture studios. Murray describes his work as a combination of two ideas: Dada's concept of using found objects and the Surrealists' idea of everyday objects in non-everyday situations. His sculptures combine plastics and mixed media as wall and floor works. With a degree in printmaking from San Diego State University, Murray recently created an installation for Halloween at the Hotel Congress.
A reception is from 7 to 9 tonight. HazMat Galleries is located at 191 E. Toole Ave. Gallery hours are noon to 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays. For more information about the shows, call Elizabeth Cherry at 624-5019. For more information about Shorr, visit www.weeklywire.com/tw/02-06-97/review1.htm and www.bignoise.com/tw/05-06-99/review2.htm.
ROCKY POINT PRIMER. Perhaps it's time you learned that Puerto Peñasco is much more than margaritas, mariachis and mariscos.
"Estero Excursions" and "Piñacate Peregrination" are a couple of tours that will help you see another side of Rocky Point.
The Intercultural Center for the Study of Deserts and Oceans, or CEDO, is offering the two exciting eco-adventures as an educational part of its mission to protect the Sea of Cortez and surrounding ecosystems of the Sonoran Desert. The conservation group has been working in the region for more than 20 years.
"Estero Excursions" is a walking tour to provide visitors with the opportunity to experience the natural beauty of a pristine upper Gulf of California wetland as well as understand the dynamic nature of the geological processes involved in its formation. See oyster farms, fiddler crabs and the "shrimp dance."
"Piñacate Peregrination" is a full-day excursion to El Piñacate and Gran Desierto Biosphere Reserve and takes visitors into the heart of the Piñacate volcanic range to learn about the geologic processes involved in the formation of the basin, the craters and the diversity of life that surrounds them.
"Estero Excursions" is from 8 to 11 a.m. today. It starts at CEDO Intercultural in Puerto Peñasco. The cost is $20 adults, $10 kids. "Piñacate Peregrination" is 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. January 19. Make reservations one week in advance. It also starts at CEDO Intercultural. Cost is $65 adults and includes lunch.
For more information about either tour, call 520-795-7960 or e-mail info@cedointercultural.org. To make a reservation, contact CEDO in one of the following ways: phone or fax 011-52-638-382-0113, phone or fax 520-320-5473, or write to CEDO, P.O. Box 44208, Tucson, AZ 85733.
AWAKE AT THE WHEEL. Digging around for something to do today? If you dig pottery, you are in luck.
Works of Clay at Gallery 410, a show of new items by regional clay artists, opens today. Artists include Marcy Wrenn, Margo Martinez, Jashio Pei, Maurice Grossman, Susan Stokes, Jada Ahern, Jan Bell, Alex McGlammery, Gerrie Young, Monika Dalken and Marilyn Cleavinger.
Southern Arizona Clay Artists, Inc. is a non-profit group of over 200 members, devoted to fostering appreciation of clay art in its many forms and to providing workshops, lectures, shows and informal events for members and the public.
An opening reception is from 5 to 9 p.m. today. The exhibition runs through February 23 at the gallery at 410 E. Fort Lowell Road. Regular hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays. For more information, call 740-1947.
Sunday 13
JUST PASSING BY. The Olympic Torch will pass through Tucson today as part of its nationwide trek to Salt Lake City, Utah for the 2002 Winter Olympics.
The torch will arrive by train at 10 a.m. today at the historic Downtown Depot, 400 E. Toole Ave.
A succession of 58 runners will transport the torch from downtown to Reid Park. A family-oriented celebration will take place at the park from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Inspirational speakers, musical entertainment, food and games are scheduled.
The exact route and a list of the runners are available at www.saltlake2002.com.
Monday 14
DIVE RIGHT IN. Chuck Clayton is an avid diver and photographer, so it's little wonder he eventually would be drawn by the majesty of the Galapagos Islands.
Located some 600 miles west of Ecuador, the archipelago was created about 5 million years ago through volcanic action. The islands became famous as a result of their role in Darwin's development of the theory of evolution.
Learn more about this exciting place as Clayton presents a slide show about his travels and experiences. Described as a picture safari, Clayton's presentation, Galapagos: Land and Sea, illustrates the biodiversity of the islands, from dense forests to desert lowlands. He'll introduce the audience to colorful parrot fish, giant sea turtles and marine iguanas.
The free talk, presented by Tucson Audubon Society, begins at 7 tonight in Duval Auditorium at University Medical Center, 1501 N. Campbell Ave. For more information, call 622-5622.
Tuesday 15
THE OTHER DARK BEVERAGE. Coffee, tea or chai?
Chai, the flavorful tea of India, often wins for those in the know.
The word "chai" means tea in India. But this fascinating beverage is not your ordinary cup of tea. It reflects the deep richness of Assam black tea, and the spices and herbs of the East.
Join others tonight at the Epic Cafe for an evening of tasting while Lhasha Tizer talks tea with you. Have a savory dessert, bring a friend and enjoy a cool winter's night keeping warm sipping tea.
The event is from 7:30 to 9 tonight at Epic, 745 N. Fourth Ave. Cost is $15 and includes scones and tea. For more information, call 321-3670.
Wednesday 16
HOW D'ART THOU? More than 150 artists have donated pieces to raise cash for the Tucson Museum of Art.
The museum's most popular fundraiser, Ready ... Set ... D'Art, sponsored by the Tucson Museum of Art League, starts today as the donated works are unveiled in the main gallery for 10 days.
Nancy Tokar Miller, Howard Terpning, Jim Waid and Paul Magoon are among the artists who have given work to the event.
After the show, during a gala on January 26, random drawings determine the recipients of the art.
Just 150 pairs of tickets will be sold for the gala. Each pair costs $350 so it's a fair bet that most Tucson Weekly workers won't be able to attend. (Know you're bummed.) The tickets do include a buffet, hosted wine bar and of course a piece of art. (Nice door prize, huh?)
The museum is located at 140 Main Ave. For more information or to buy tickets, call 229-0276 or 877-8078.
