11 FRI • ART Paint Creek By Number — For many, seeing the “Mona Lisa” for the first time is a bit of an upset; to the surprise of legions of Louvre-goers, the smirking diva is only 21 inches wide by 30.5 inches tall. But at the Paint Creek Center for the Arts, she’s all kinds of sizes — and shapes, and colors and textures, for that matter. This multi-part homage to the famed portrait features highlights from the campy Skip Davis collection of vintage paint-by-number artworks, including the “Mega Mona,” the world’s largest paint-by-number replication of the “Mona Lisa,” and many other unique interpretations of the iconic painting. See it at the Paint Creek Center for the Arts (407 Pine St., Rochester); call 248-651-4110 for more information.
11-27 FRI-SUN • THEATER The Colored Museum — Yes, you could jet off to see Puffy in A Raisin in the Sun on Broadway. Or you could see Detroit’s Buku Productions lacerate Raisin and its theatrical offspring in “The Last Mama on the Couch,” one of 11 wickedly satirical exhibitions in The Colored Museum. Controversial when it debuted nearly 20 years ago, still thought-provoking today, playwright George C. Wolfe’s Museum satirizes black theater and addresses the foibles and frustrations of black America through settings as surreal as a celebrity slave ship. Weekends through June (Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., Sundays at 3) at the Paul Robeson Theatre at the Northwest Activities Center, 18100 Meyers at Curtis, Detroit. Call 248-559-3358.
11-12 FRI-SAT • FILM Fight Club — OK, so we’re breaking the first rule of Fight Club; we’re talking about Fight Club … for good reason, though. It’s showing on the big screen this weekend as part of the Main Art Theatre’s Midnight Movies series. If you are a lover of this box office hit-cum-cult classic, or you just dig the kind of entertainment that sociopathic malaise and man boobs can give, then check it out. At the Main Art Theatre (118 N. Main, Royal Oak); call 248-263-2111 for further information. Show time is at midnight, duh.
12 SAT • MUSIC Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival — In an attempt to bring the soothing sounds of classical music to the masses, the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival has expanded its performance schedule to include a variety of unusual venues. This music series, which begins this Saturday at the Seligman Performing Arts Center (Detroit Country Day School; 22305 W. 13 Mile Road, Beverly Hills) will continue all summer long with more than over 20 performances across southeast Michigan. Don’t miss the apex of this series, Snapshots, a multimedia performance that has been described as “the liveliest new-music concert … heard in ages!” Visit greatlakeschambermusic.com
or call 248-559-2097 for venue and
ticket information.
12-13 SAT-SUN • MUSIC PraiseFest — Hallelujah, the 22nd annual downtown PraiseFest is back! Got nothing but love and need to shout it? Or maybe you are just in need of a little inspiration. Either way, get yourself to Hart Plaza’s annual PraiseFest, a weekend of worship, song and family fun. This year’s lineup includes Stellar Award-winner, Karen Clark Sheard (pictured), Fred Hammond, LaShun Place, Witness and newbies on the Gospel circuit, New Direction, Israel and New Breed and more. At Hart Plaza (at the foot of Woodward Avenue, Detroit).
14 MON • MUSIC John Doe — Spawned from the underbelly of the Los Angeles’ miry punk scene in the early ’80s, it never ceases to amaze how thoughtful and serene John Doe’s solo work can be. From one-of-a-kind rock ’n’ roll with sonic poet Exene Cervenka to alt-country boy wonder to respected Hollywood actor, Doe has managed to cover a lot of artistic ground. See him at the Magic Bag (22920 Woodward Ave., Ferndale) with Grant Lee Phillips; call 248-544-3030 for more information.
15 TUE • MUSIC Glenn Tilbrook — Though he flinched at the opportunity to reunite with his old band, Squeeze, on VH1’s stab at reality television, “Bands Reunited,” Glenn Tilbrook is still a performer at heart. As the owner of one of the most identifiable pop music voices in the world, this velvet-throated crooner penned such gems as “Tempted,” “Another Nail In My Heart” and “Black Coffee in Bed,” and will be giving an intimate performance at the Ark (316 S. Main, Ann Arbor); call 734-763-TKTS for ticket information.
