OCTOBER 06 THURSDAY
DINER DRAMA American playwright Terrence McNally has always shown a special fondness for flamboyant personalities, from the Broadway-obsessed Buzz in Love! Valour! Compassion! to the imperious diva Maria Callas in Master Class. But two of his most well-known creations — the title characters in Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune — are considerably more down to earth: a failed actress who works as a waitress in a New York City diner and an ex-convict who is the diner’s recently hired short-order cook, who try to find a way to connect after a one-night stand. The play has been revived numerous times since its original staging in 1991, including a film adaptation featuring a way-too-glossy Michelle Pfeiffer and Al Pacino; the Jobsite Theater production opening this weekend features veteran actors Ami Sallee Corley and Paul J. Potenza, a casting choice that looks a lot more believable. 8 p.m. Thurs.-Sat., 4 p.m. Sun., Oct. 6-23. $16.50-$21.50. Shimberg Playhouse, 1010 N. MacInnes Place, Tampa, www.jobsitetheater.org or www.tbpac.org. —David Warner
ST. PETE’S BRITISH INVASION After almost five months of moving, reorganizing and revamping, the Florida International Museum opens the doors to its new location with The Beatles! Backstage and Behind the Scenes. This traveling Smithsonian exhibition focuses on the group’s landmark 1964 trip to the United States, and features 84 black-and-white photos from the unpublished archives of CBS and LIFE photographer Bill Eppridge. These images capture the youth and enthusiasm of a band at the peak of its popularity, and along with a range of memorabilia from Bill Haack’s extensive collection (which includes exact replicas of The Beatles’ instruments as seen on The Ed Sullivan Show), mark the dawning of a new era in America’s rock ’n’ roll history. Museum hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues.-Sat., noon-5 p.m. Sun.; The Beatles! is on display through Jan. 7. $10 adults/$8 seniors and military/$7 ages 7-18/free for children 6 and younger. SPC Downtown Center, 244 Second Ave. N., St. Petersburg, 727-341-7900, www.floridamuseum.org.
OCTOBER 07 FRIDAY
VENTURING OUTSIDE THE BOX Colorado, that perfect polygon nicknamed “the highest state” due to its Rocky Mountain-dominated western half, is an area rich with high-quality music, and you can see two of its most promising exports this weekend. Tonight in Clearwater, The Ethereal Plane performs two sets of driving, psychedelic rock flavored with a little bit of jazz and a whole lot of funk. In fact, it was the string tapping of bassist Edwin Hurwitz that initially caught my attention and held it. On Sunday, Green Lemon returns to St. Petersburg for its fourth show at Bank Nightclub and Concert Venue. Yes, I’ve seen the band there three times, but let me assure you that I wouldn’t be returning if I wasn’t impressed, and I wouldn’t be writing about the group if I didn’t think you’d be impressed by the music, which combines dub reggae with rockin’ rhythms, New Wave electronica, melodic vocals and wandering, intergalactic improvisations. The Ethereal Plane, 9 p.m. tonight, $5, Java Junction, 705 Franklin St., Clearwater, 727-799-1100, www.myjavajunction.com. Green Lemon, 8 p.m. Sun., Oct. 9, $7. 1919 Central Ave., St. Petersburg, 727-898-4488, www.atthebank.com.
DESIGN TIPS FOR THE MASSES Are you down with do-it-yourself projects? Grooving on Home & Garden Television? Just looking for new ways to spice up your lackluster living room without breaking the bank? Then the St. Petersburg/Suncoast Home and Remodeling Show is an appealing prospect. The event’s two biggest draws are special guest appearances by experts in the design field. Folk artist and former Trading Spaces designer Frank Bielec heads seminars on how to turn ordinary household items into extraordinary works of art, with a focus on recycling objects while decorating in style and under budget (noon, 3 and 7 p.m. Fri.-Sat., and noon, 3 and 5 p.m. Sun.). Mother-daughter team Kaye McMillan and Patricia Hart McMillan, authors of Home Decorating for Dummies, share decorating secrets, provide cost-cutting tips, and reveal how to prepare a floor plan, create focal points in each room, mix colors and patterns, make the most out of small spaces and much more (2, 4 and 6 p.m. Fri.-Sat., and 1, 2 and 4 p.m. Sun.). 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Fri.-Sat., 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sun., Oct. 7-9. $7 adults/$5 seniors/children 12 and younger enter for free. Tropicana Field, 1 Tropicana Drive, St. Petersburg, www.FloridaHomeShows.com.
OCTOBER 08 SATURDAY
RAISE THE ROOF RaiseUp is a cool art book that features 44 full-color pages of works by 27 up-and-coming local, national and international artists. From the strapping, Manga-esque fashion girls of UK illustrator Lumiere Solar, to the arresting collage photography of Los Angeles image maker Ted Newsome, to the vivid psychedelic work of Tampa painter Ken Echezabal, each creation adds something special to the publication, each artist displaying his or her unique sensibilities in this small, exclusive volume organized and published by UpSceneMagazine.com. The electronic- and print-based forum for artistic expression and collaboration is based right here in the Bay area, which means you can check out the works of RaiseUp artists in person at a one-night only group art show this evening in Ybor City. 8 p.m.-1 a.m. Free admission; the art book is $12 and the first 1,000 copies come with a limited edition silk-screen print by Brandon Dunlap. 15th Street and Seventh Avenue, in the parking lot next to Laughing Cat Café, Ybor City. For more information, visit www.upscenemagazine.com.
NO, REALLY, IT’S A PLANE Generally, residents of downtown St. Petersburg look forward to the Suncoast Air Fest as much as they look forward to any free display in the skies above their homes. A few area grumps, like my friend Danny, skip town for the weekend because they can’t deal with the noisy buzz of vintage aircraft. But generally, you won’t hear too many folks complaining about the event, which boasts a more manageable traffic situation and better scenery than the MacDill AirFest. This weekend’s third annual event features a range of nationally acclaimed aerobatic acts, including flying performances by three-time world aerobatic champion Patty Wagstaff, and renowned air show pilots Otto the Copter, John Mohr, Jim “Fang” Maroney and Bob Cox. Attendees can also see World War II vintage aircraft formation flights and static displays, antique cars, exhibits, food and live music. Proceeds benefit the Albert Whitted Airport Preservation Society. 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Sat.-Sun, Oct. 8-9. $12 adults/$10 seniors/children 12 and younger and active military officers enter for free. Albert Whitted Airport, 107 Eighth Ave. S.E., St. Petersburg, 727-822-1532, www.suncoastairfest.org.
OCTOBER 09 SUNDAY
NO LIONS, NO TIGERS, NO BEARS You won’t see any supposed-to-be wild animals balancing on balls or leaping through huge, burning rings. Nor will you find any PETA members aggressively protesting at the box office. For you see, the motto of the Moscow State Circus is “People entertaining people,” and its stars are entirely human, if a bit more theatrical and flexible than your average two-legged performer. The show stops in Tampa today and among an assortment of giant clown heads, strong men, jugglers and gold metal gymnasts, you’ll glimpse aerial artistry by The Wallendas, a mother-daughter high wire troupe; limb-bending performances by Elian, one of the world’s youngest contortionists; and a series of difficult, energetic feats — including a quintuple somersault — by the Moldovian Troupe acrobats. 1, 4 and 7 p.m. $20 general (ages 12 and younger enter free with a paying adult). USF Sun Dome, 4202 E. Fowler Ave., Tampa, 813-974-3002, www.moscowcircusstars.com.
This article appears in Oct 5-11, 2005.