Friday • 12
Vampire Lesbians of Sodom
BLOODSUCKING VAMPS? NO ...
Pitted against one another from their first meeting in ancient Sodom, two buxom (in theory only — they're fellahs in this version) and bloodsucking vamps catfight through the millennia. Ferndale's over-the-top Who Wants Cake troupe tackles this latest incarnation of the madly popular off-off-Broadway play. First performed in 1985, The New York Times once wrote of the play: "Outrageous lines, awful puns, sinister innocence, harmless depravity — it's all here." Shows run 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 8 p.m. Mondays until Oct. 29 at the Ringwald Theatre, 22742 Woodward Ave., Ferndale; 248-556-8581.
Saturday • 13
Have You Been Exposed?
DARWIN IN DREADS
Though better known for oils of the Joe Namath ilk, Wyandotte painter Amy Chenier is presenting work that's "closer to the edge of her consciousness." Indeed, in a departure from the athletics-inspired paintings that have earned Chenier local distinction (her artwork, for instance, decorates the walls of Comerica Park's offices), Albert Einstein, Sylvia Plath, Marilyn Manson and Charles Darwin (in dreads, no less) can be found in the surreal landscapes of her canvas. At the Crofoot, 1 S. Saginaw St., Pontiac. Call 248-858-9333 for more info. Of note: Indie popster Pinback is also performing that night.
Saturday • 13
Cyrano
BEAK SPEAK
Cyrano de Bergerac: the nose that launched a thousand careers. The wordsmith and soldier's overlarge proboscis has been featured in plays, films, television shows and — for the first time — in an opera. Composed by David DiChiera, founder and director of the Michigan Opera Theatre, the opera tells the classic tale of the lovelorn Cyrano de Bergerac, who, through love letters, woos the beautiful Roxanne on behalf of his handsome but inarticulate friend. At the Detroit Opera House, 1526 Broadway, Detroit; call 313-961-3500 or visit motopera.org for more info. The opera will be sung in French, with English supertitles displayed above
Saturday • 13
Unlucky 13 Calendar Release Party
BLOODSUCKING VAMPS? AGAIN?
A hearse is a hearse, of course, of course — and no one has fun with a hearse, of course. That is, of course, unless the hearse ... has a sexy vixen draped or spread-eagled across the hood. The ladies of Spag Burlesque pose in saucy lingerie against funerary backdrops for the Unlucky 13 calendar, which will be "released" at 9:13 p.m. at the Northern Lights Lounge, 660 W. Baltimore St., Detroit; 313-873-1739 for more info. The party will feature DJ Spag, Hearsemen, the GoGoGirls, 8 MM and more.
Sunday • 14
The "You Oughta Know" Tour
BRANDI WHO?
Don't get your hopes up. Hemp necklaces ain't all the rage; flannels are PJs. Crocs are the new Docs, jeans are crack-happy tight, and we haven't flashed back a decade — so, no. There's no Alanis Morissette scratching jagged fingernails down someone else's back. Rather, singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile is performing in this VH1-sponsored tour, but fear not — despite the gimmicky name, the Seattle-raised 25-year-old is the real deal (yes, we said "real deal"). Her voice is powerful, her songs lyrical and melodic — and edgy (and, yes, we said "edgy") enough to defy category. Joining Carlile is A Fine Frenzy, whispered by flacks to be the "next Tori Amos." Take the latter for what it's worth. Tickets are $20, and the show's at 7 p.m. at St. Andrew's Hall, 431 E. Congress, Detroit; 313-961-8137 for info.
Sunday • 14
Darwin
DARWIN IN NEON
Pushing the boundaries of modern dance — nay, exploring new frontiers entirely — is Darwin, the dinosaur. The great lizard leaps and spins to music, miming his life story — how he was created by a mad professor, how he fell in love with a fish. He'll perform at Music Hall Center for Performing Arts, 350 Madison ... OK ... That sounded strange. Let's restart this. Pushing the boundaries of modern dance — nay, exploring new frontiers entirely — are the dancers performing in Darwin. Donning electroluminescent wire on their costumes, the dancers mimic the shapes of various creatures on a blacked-out stage. The tale told is a sweet interspecies romance. OK, that still sounds strange. It is strange. But it's a great melding of engineering and lissome movement, and it certainly pushes boundaries in dance. Go see it. At Music Hall Center for Performing Arts, 350 Madison, Detroit; 313-887-8500 for more info.
Sunday • 14
A Drum Summit
BIG BEAT X 5
Drummer George Davidson remembers the day in 1963 or 1964 when he sat before a gathering of Detroit percussive heavy-weights. Freddie Waits, George Goldsmith, Duke Hyde, Bill Hyde and Bert Myrick took the stage at a now largely forgotten club, Mr. Kelly's, and dazzled the 21-year-old, who went on to be a major drummer himself, playing with local and national names from Lyman Woodard and Tad Weed to Paul Butterfield and Aretha Franklin. Now Davidson is restaging his 2007 drum summit, featuring himself, Spider Webb, Bill Higgins, Sean Dobbins and, if he's feeling up to it, Myrick, who may be the sole survivor of the '60s event. Each drummer will talk about his style and "demonstrate his spirit" with the band. Then the drummers will team up on tunes building to a five-drummer finale. "I've been thinking about it for years — I'm finally materializing my dream," says Davidson. At 6-9 p.m. at Bert's Warehouse Theatre, 2739 Russell; $6 students, $12 adults, $20 couples; ticket info at 248-543-7020.
Wednesday • 17
Wilco
In the midst of a pond-hopping world tour, Wilco brings its theft-deterrent Volkswagen rock to the Fox Theatre, 2211 Woodward Ave., Detroit; 313-471-6611. Neat! With Andrew Bird.
