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| Super Bowl comes with art on the side | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| By Chris Page, Get Out | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| January 31, 2008 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Bowl visitors seeking out the artier sides of the Valley during their stay can easily succumb to tacky tourist-trap trappings: kokopelli, dream-catchers, the souvenir stuff of airport gift shops. But for those seeking a more authentic taste of metro Phoenix’s art offerings, here’s a depth chart of local favorites on stages and in galleries — including a record-breaking, lovably sassy nun, a massive art party and, OK, a genre-crossing gridiron show called “Football: The Musical.” Because, heck, that whole “living on football” thing: It’s still worth a try. First Fridays 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Friday, Feb. 1 It has to be seen to be believed: Thousands of Valley residents — art lovers, hipsters and folks young and old — flock to this monthly evening art party in and around downtown Phoenix’s Roosevelt Row. Galleries open their doors for free perusing, while sidewalks and empty lots fill up with urchin artisans selling their crafty creations on the cheap. You’re sure to find a cooler souvenir here. >> Free parking, map guide and shuttle service at Phoenix Public Library, 1221 N. Central Ave. Free. (602) 262-4636, (602) 256-7539 or www.artlinkphoenix.com. 'Late Nite Catechism I & II’ 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays Heading into her eighth anniversary playing the irreverently reverent Sister in the one-nun comedy “Late Nite Catechism,” Patti Hannon is nothing less than a Valley icon. Plus, she’s hilarious. Her goofy lessons in Catholicism (part one, Fridays, is about saints; its Saturday sequel covers the sticky nature of sins) are like spending an evening with the papal Don Rickles of audience riffing; woe to the gum-chewers among you. And yes, non-Catholics are welcome: “Heaven has many rooms,” Sister says. “Yours will be near the elevator and ice machine.” >> At the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, 7380 E. Second St., downtown. $34. (480) 994-2787 or www.scottsdaleperformingarts.org. 'As Bees in Honey Drown’ 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays, 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. Sundays, closing Feb. 16 Like your arts with a little kick? We’d suggest an evening with the saucy Scandalesque burlesque troupe, but they’re busy partying with Dave Navarro and Tommy Lee in Scottsdale. Ugh. Instead, check out the Valley’s reigning indie theater company, Nearly Naked Theatre, and its Arizona premiere of “As Bees in Honey Drown,” a black comedy about a young novelist hired to write the biographical screenplay of a mysterious and glamorous celebrity. Stray Cat Theatre’s Ron May directs. >> At Phoenix Theatre’s Little Theatre, 100 E. McDowell Road, Phoenix. $17-$20. (602) 254-2151 or www.nearlynakedtheatre.org. Tempe Center for the Arts Opens 10 a.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays, 9 a.m. Thursdays and 11 a.m. Saturdays The funky-shaped jewel of downtown Tempe, the $66.5 million Tempe Center for the Arts is an architectural must-see in the East Valley. Overlooking Tempe Town Lake and a surrounding park, it’s a perfect spot for a daytime stroll or sunset gazing. Grab a drink or nosh in the cool bar, view the gallery’s latest free exhibit, the rock retrospective “Mercy: A Roy Orbison Pilgrimage,” and, come Wednesday, Feb. 6, check out Cloris Leachman as she test-drives a new one-woman show, “Cloris!” >> 700 W. Rio Salado Parkway. (480) 350-2822 or www.tempe.gov/tca. 'Anything Goes’ 6 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays, 5:30 p.m. Sundays, select matinees, closing Feb. 9 Not everyone’s down for tailgating. Fans of old-school Broadway musicals would be wise to head to Mesa’s Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre, which is just finishing up a toe-tapping, funny and utterly charming staging of the Cole Porter musical “Anything Goes.” It’s a razzle-dazzle production, and the tasty buffet is sure to stuff your whole gang. >> Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre, 5247 E. Brown Road, Mesa. $20-$54. (480) 325-6700 or www.broadwaypalmwest.com. 'Football: The Musical’ 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 31, in Scottsdale; 6 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 2, in Peoria Fine. You’re here for football. So here’s the weirdest combo since Dennis Miller and “Monday Night Football”: Alexx Stuart’s musical spoof show “Football: The Musical,” playing at dinner theaters on both sides of the Valley. “FTM” is not great art — its low-budget lustre reminds one of arena football compared to the NFL — but it is as hammy as a pigskin, and there are plenty of audience participation antics to move the comedy chains. >> In Scottsdale, at Patsy Grimaldi’s Coal Brick Oven Pizzeria, 4000 N. Scottsdale Road. In Peoria, at Arizona Broadway Theatre, 7701 W. Paradise Lane. $40-$41.25. (480) 595-7346 or darknightproductions.tripod.com. Contact Chris Page by email, or phone (480) 898-5656 |
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