Night & Day Events
1 Thursday
The Kudzu Kings, in addition to being an alliterative bunch, play what they call “improvisational rock and roll.” That’s not just a euphemism for “band that doesn’t practice.” In fact, they’ve played in a number of prominent music venues and shared the stage with such big-name bands as Widespread Panic. Classified as progressive country rock, the Kudzu Kings play an assortment of instruments, including the mandolin, the banjo and what one reviewer called a “boogie-woogie piano.” Tonight should prove to be a porch-swingin’ good time at the Grand Emporium, 3832 Main. For more information, call 816-531-1504.
2 Friday
In the Crossroads district, the unusual prevails. An exhibit called Animal Magnetism by Marie Mason is particularly evocative of the bizarre, as fliers for the exhibit at Blue Gallery depict a man sitting between two dogs, looking at a painted portrait of what appears to be the same man, this time unclothed, sitting between what appear to be the same two dogs, also unclothed. An artist’s reception takes place from 6 to 9 tonight at the Blue Gallery, 7 W. 19th Street, with doggie bags compliments of Three Dog Bakery in lieu of wine and cheese. Another new twist to this month’s art walk is a reception from 6 to 9 p.m. at La Movida, 217 W. 19th Terrace, which is now prepared to officially host shows and receptions. On display will be new multimedia pieces by Jesse Kaminsky, whose work tends to be big, engulfing and mazelike. One entire room is filled by an installation based on the evening’s star charts, so anyone who needs a quick reading might want to drop by. Meanwhile, 1,000 glazed tiles created by students and volunteers to promote AIDS awareness and raise money for AIDS Walk Kansas City are now on view in the lobby of the Chair Building, 2020 Baltimore. After tonight, the display, titled Mosaic, will move to Manor Square, 4050 Pennsylvania.
3 Saturday
Don Hertzfeldt, who regularly participates in Spike and Mike’s Sick and Twisted Festival of Animation, recently was nominated for an Academy Award for his animated short film, Rejected. Hertzfeldt says that upon receiving the nomination, he was “thrilled, honored and more than a little stunned,” adding, “I think this is the first time in the history of the Oscars that a film featuring a fish stick bleeding out of its ass has ever been nominated for anything.” Among the sixteen short animation films premiering during this weekend’s festival at the Fine Arts Theatre, 5909 Johnson Drive in Mission, is Nick Park’s newest creation, Angry Kid. Park’s previous creations involve disgruntled zoo animals, fugitive chickens and the ever-popular Wallace and Gromit duo responsible for stopping sheep rustlers, incarcerating a penguin jewel thief and going to the moon for cheese. Titles of other films included in the festival spark curiosity: The Hangnail, Wheelchair Rebecca and Rick and Steve: The Happiest Gay Couple in All the World. Today is the second day of the festival, which continues through tomorrow. For a detailed schedule, call 913-262-4466.
4 Sunday
Just when we thought threesomes were becoming old hat, the University Theatre at the University of Kansas brings Noel Coward’s Blithe Spirit, a play about a love triangle involving two people and a ghost. While it’s easy to make quick judgments — after all, who has a threesome without a visible third person? — it helps to hear the whole story. A writer and his second wife invite friends over for dinner and a séance. It is the writer’s secret hope that the medium he’s invited, Madame Arcati, will be an obvious fraud, providing material for his upcoming novel. But following the medium’s departure, the writer’s dead wife makes a visit, and she’s not coming for alimony. She may be dead, but she still likes a good time. This may be one of the only plays to be described as a “witty romp about death.” The show begins at 7:30 p.m. at the Crafton-Preyer Theatre, Murphy Hall, University of Kansas, 1530 Naismith Drive in Lawrence. For more information, call 785-864-2684.
5 Monday
Many tribute bands fit the profile of Thunderhead, the Rush doppelganger that recently dazzled a Hurricane crowd with its faithful re-creations of the prog-rock trio’s complex compositions. Largely anonymous individually, the talented musicians in these bands devote their energy to capturing the essence of their idols’ work, producing the equivalent of tracing-paper renderings of gallery pieces. However, the artists who compose The Gerry Mulligan Tribute Band are stars in their own right. Shining brightest is trumpeter Randy Brecker, whose Grammy-winning work with The Brecker Brothers Band elevated him to headlining status. Saxophonist Bob Berg, an alum of Miles Davis’ and Chick Correa’s bands, completes the horn section, while the rhythm section — pianist Ted Rosenthal, bassist Dean Johnson and drummer Ron Vincent — features standout members of Mulligan’s final bands. The Gerry Mulligan Tribute Band will play two sets (7:30 p.m. and 9 p.m.) at the Blue Room at 18th and Vine. For more information, call 816-474-2929.
6 Tuesday
It’s opening night for Tennessee Williams’ play The Glass Menagerie at the Coterie Theatre, 2450 Grand at Crown Center. Anyone who’s experienced a scarcity of gentleman callers — or who has a mother who’s taken note of the scarcity thereof — can relate to young Laura’s plight. Anyone who has run off to the movies as a bold act of escapism in times of crisis can relate to young Tom. Seeing such a varied cast, any audience member is bound to relate to someone on stage. The play has been reworked for contemporary audiences so that Tom, Laura and their mother, who have all been abandoned by the father of the family, are played by an African-American cast. For more information, call 816-474-6552.
7 Wednesday
Charity fundraisers don’t often include exciting headliners, and they rarely draw performers of international renown to Kansas City. That fact makes tonight a rare occasion, as Jay Leno appears at Kids’ Night Out for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Kansas City. He’ll perform at Starlight Theatre, 6601 Swope Parkway, which is normally an outdoor theater but now sports walls for the winter. Unlike some segments of the Tonight Show, which Leno has hosted since Johnny Carson retired in 1992, this evening’s humor will be appropriate for the entire family. For more information, call 816-361-3600.
