This Weeks Day-By-Day Picks
Thursday, February 5, 2004
We’re glad we have an Evaporated Milk Society in this town. The integral nature of evaporated milk in many fantastic baking recipes cannot be underestimated. We would be a little more likely to join a society honoring sweetened condensed milk, but that’s just because it tastes so damned good in a refreshing glass of iced coffee. It is freezing outside, though, so we won’t be enjoying iced coffee for some time. Therefore, our attention to milk products will be undivided when we attend the Evaporated Milk Society’s new play, The Queen’s Story. It’s about an aging queen who holds a storytelling contest in her declining empire. The play opens at 8 tonight at the Ace Glass Building (1733 McGee) and runs Thursdays through Saturdays until March 6. Tonight, you get to absorb the opening-night energy, and you also get to take advantage of the fact that Thursday is “pay what you can” night. (On Fridays and Saturdays, admission is a fixed $12; students pay $8.) For information, call 816-444-3678.
Friday, February 6, 2004
Only in the past couple of years have we come to understand how many variations on the American flag are possible. We already knew the old red, white and blue could morph into a windsock. Oh, how we knew it. But now we’ve entered the era of two American flags flying from the hoods of trucks, the Stars and Stripes adorning dinnerware, and medicine capsules marked with Old Glory. Sean Kelley has curated a show called American X Press, in which he calls our attention to bizarre U.S. flag permutations. It’s on view at the Gallery at Village Shalom (5500 West 123rd Street in Leawood) from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. today. For information, call 913-266-8413.
Saturday, February 7, 2004
Being nice to your mom is commendable, which is why we have to give props to artist Robert E. Pearson, who is having an art show in celebration of his mom’s 99th birthday at the Ad Astra Eclectica Gallery (205 West 8th Street in Lawrence). The multimedia Pearson retrospective, titled Forces of Destiny, kicks off with an opening reception from 1 to 7 p.m. If there’s no birthday cake, though, we’re leaving. For information, call 785-218-9208.
Sunday, February 8, 2004
Today at 1 p.m., commentator Barry Speert presents his observations on caucuses and primaries in a national political update. And when he does, we hope he’ll mention the travesty that has befallen the pattern commonly known as argyle. How did Wes Clark’s timeless sense of style go unrewarded by the fine people in very cold states such as Iowa and New Hampshire, where argyle should be most appreciated? Answers to pressing questions like this can be found today at the Community of Reason’s Sunday School for Freethinkers at the Hogan College Preparatory Academy, 1221 East Myer Boulevard. For information, call 816-561-1866.
Monday, February 9, 2004
People who speak in rhyme sound like bad greeting cards. Yubba dubba doo, you’re turning two! You know? We appreciate the challenge involved, even though it seems like just not rhyming is a pretty good solution to the problem. However, if you are dead set on rhyming, there’s one guy who did it amazingly well, and his work is on display at Crown Center (2405 Grand) right now. Yes, we speak of Seuss. The man who once freaked us out by introducing the possibility of stubborn creatures called nooth grushes sitting on our tooth brushes. (This from the underappreciated There’s a Wocket in My Pocket, the fantastically paranoid book-o’-rhymes that we blame for our persistent fear of pests lurking in our abode.) For more examples of rhymes with frightening staying power, head to the 100 Years of Dr. Seuss exhibit between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. For information, call 816-274-8444.
Tuesday, February 10, 2004
Don’t you hate it when you’re having a dinner party and you just can’t turn those fucking napkins into swans? Tonight’s Art of Napkin Folding class will help put an end to this particular struggle. Head to the Blue Valley branch of the Johnson County Public Library (9000 West 151st Street in Overland Park) at 7. You might consider advanced registration; this napkin-folding dilemma is experienced by many in the greater metropolitan area, and the class could fill up before you know it. For information, call 913-495-3850.
Wednesday, February 11, 2004
The idea of Buzzard Beach hosting an event named for Cinderella is baffling. At first we thought, Well, maybe the event starts at midnight, when all the ordinary crap that fills Cinderella’s life stops looking like so many horse-drawn carriages and is, once again, nothing but mice and squishy produce. That’s kind of what it feels like when that witching hour rolls around and you’ve actually managed to drink yourself sober. But the event ends at midnight, which renders our clever little analogy null and void, so we will simply give you the 411. Some guy named T.J. plays the piano and is joined by special guests. Cinderella Wednesday —ladies night by any other name — begins at 8 p.m. Be sure you wear shoes that fit, or else the prince at the bar who doesn’t get your phone number but does manage to steal your slipper will never be able to find you again. And he totally wants to slip it in there. By “it” we mean “your foot,” and by “there” we mean “your shoe.” For information, call 816-753-4455.
Also tonight, Spike Lee speaks at UMKC. He was supposed to appear at a 600-seat venue, but because the event sold out within a week, it has been moved to Swinney Recreation Center (5100 Rockhill Road), capacity 2,500. We still recommend buying tickets quickly — in our humble estimation, it’s still bound to sell out. Lee, executive producer of KU professor Kevin Wilmott’s acclaimed satirical film The Confederate States of America, will discuss that movie and whatever else strikes his fancy. Admission to the 7 p.m. talk is $10. For information, call 816-235-1457.
