DAVID BYRNE NOT INCLUDED The Gorilla Theatre stages four of Alan Bennett's celebrated Talking Heads monologues, which were first written for BBC-TV in 1988. The characters are "ordinary people" and their seemingly mundane problems range from lower-middle class pretensions to cleanliness, propriety and sexual repression. The monologues presented by Gorilla Theatre are: "Bed Among the Lentils," which reveals the scandalous private world of a troubled vicar's wife; "Her Big Chance," about an earnest actress in search of her big break; "Nights in the Gardens of Spain," in which a woman is befriended by a neighbor with a dark past; and "The Outside Dog," a surprising story about a stinking mutt, a grubby husband and the wife who's fed up with both of them. Nancy Cole directs. 7 p.m. Thurs., 8 p.m. Fri.-Sat., and 3 p.m. Sun., Oct. 27-Nov. 13. $25 general/$20 seniors, students and military (with valid I.D.)/$8 children 12 and younger/$5 discount on Thursdays. Gorilla Theatre, 4419 N. Hubert Ave., Tampa, 813-879-2914, www.gorilla-theatre.com.
A GATHERING OF THE SCI-FI MINDED This weekend, the Stone Hill Science Fiction Association hosts its 24th annual sci-fi, horror and fantasy convention, Necronomicon. The convention's namesake is a book referenced in the fiction of H.P. Lovecraft, which outlines death rituals and other creepy things. Held the weekend before Halloween, the convention invades the swanky but potentially spooky Hyatt Regency in downtown Tampa. Expect the usual happenings, such as panels and guest speakers, including Toxic Avenger creator Lloyd Kaufman. Go for the costume parade, dances and masquerade ball, but stay for the Filk. Filking is a performance of sci-fi-themed folk songs, several sessions of which are interspersed throughout the weekend. Twenty-four-hour screening rooms feature old and new favorites, as well as The Plea, a movie produced by local filmmakers. For more information or a complete schedule of events, visit www.stonehill.org. 10 a.m.-1 a.m. Fri., 10 a.m.-2:30 a.m. Sat., and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sun., Oct. 28-30. Admission: $15 Friday, $20 Saturday, $15 Sunday, or $35 for the entire weekend. 211 N. Tampa St., Tampa, 813-225-1234. Matthew Pleasant
CELTS IN KILTS Leave your cabers in the parking lot and come inside Peggy O'Neill's Irish Pub for a night of Celtic celebration ("Celt-abration"? Oh man, that was cheesy). Called the "New World Celts Kilt Night," it's one of a handful of non-Halloween parties worth attending this weekend. Predictions: the Guinness flows. The Highland dancers dance. Some commando-going smartass lifts his kilt. And a good time is had by all. Give it a try. Because really, what the hell else are you going to do in Palm Harbor on a Friday night? 8 p.m. 1026 Florida Ave., Palm Harbor, 727-787-7734. Mark Sanders
STAGING THE MACABRE Macabaret is a campy collection of songs that spoof a range of topics on the morbid side. Murderous spouses, horror flicks, Madonna's "Vogue" video, evil cows, supermodels and O.J. Simpson are just a few subjects parodied during the hour-long, 21-song revue that's delivered by a "Corpse de Cabaret" of undead personalities like Helena Handbasket, Phil Graves, Paul Bearer, Donna Shroud and Victoria Bledsoe. Musical highlights include "Obsession #1," pronouncements of lust for Dr. Kevorkian; "Obsession #2," pronouncements of lust for Stephen King; and "Broadway Elegy," an ode to the resurrection of old (dead) musicals by means of revivals. Since its Porchlight Music Theatre premiere in 1995, Macabaret has enjoyed plenty of Halloween performances; Keven Renken directs the Palladium Theater's Lyric Theater Conservatory production, which opens tonight and is followed by a talk-back session with Macabaret composer Scott Keys. 3 and 7:30 p.m. Sat. and Sun., 7:30 p.m. Mon., Oct. 29-31. $8-$18. Palladium Theater, 253 Fifth Ave. N., St. Petersburg, 727-822-3590, www.mypalladium.org.
THERE BOOS THE NEIGHBORHOOD Halloween-related events usually fall into one of two categories: those that aim to scare the hell out of you, and those that … don't. The PC police have been out in force over the past few years, aiming to whitewash this, our favorite of all Druid celebrations. Halloween has, forgive the vampire pun, begun to suck. But how about a family-friendly Halloween celebration that bucks the trend? Here's one — the Haunted Hike, held in the historic Euclid/St. Paul's neighborhood. This one-mile guided tour, held in one of St. Pete's oldest neighborhoods, features in-character storytellers. Among them are Al Capone's "Cosmortician" (portrayed by Frank Chapman) and Leslie L'Amour, the neighborhood's Black Widow (portrayed by Wendy Wesley), who join displays with such appropriate titles as "The Mad Gardener of Jackson Street" and "The Mansion with Bones in its Walls." 7-9 p.m. $5 general/free admission for kids 12 and younger with a paying adult. Tours leave the intersection of 13th Street and 13th Avenue N. every 15 minutes. Tickets can be purchased in advance by calling 727-823-0393 or visiting www.espna.org. MS
SHAKE YOUR POMP-OUS ASSES Bogus Pomp proved it wasn't a fluke early in its 10-year history. Even so, you have to wonder what keeps the group going. Is it the fanatical devotion to detail? The enigmatic stage presence? Or the plain fact that no one else covers Zappa like this band does? The guys just returned from a three-day Frank Zappa festival in Germany, in time to head the Bay area's only Zappa-themed Halloween bash, affectionately dubbed Zappaween and featuring all the songs you know and love. That is, if you covet your copy of Weasels Ripped My Flesh as much as we do. 8 p.m. $15. Bourbon Street Concert Club, 4331 U.S. 19 N., New Port Richey, 727-843-0686, www.clubbourbonstreet.com. MS
IN THE PINK With its 1979 release and subsequent movie adaptation in 1982, Pink Floyd's The Wall served as the soundtrack to a large number of disaffected youth with its relevant explorations of war and loss, the importance of self and the consequences of mental isolation. The talented dancers of the Beijing Modern Dance Company explore these ideas — in addition to concepts of idealism, rebellion, conformity and change — in Rear Light, a fusion of tradition and modernism performed to the turbulent tunes that make up The Wall. Set against a futuristic landscape and choreographed by husband-and-wife team Li Han-Zhong and Ma Bo, Rear Light articulates the struggles of a young Chinese generation yearning to reconcile its traditional culture with influences from abroad. It also hopes to serve as a metaphorical journey toward a "light" that is blinding and ultimately enlightening. Don't know about that last part, but we're betting the dancing will be damn cool. 8 p.m. $22.50-$45.50. Ferguson Hall, Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, 1010 N. MacInnes Place, Tampa, 813-229-7827, www.tbpac.org.
This article appears in Oct 26 – Nov 1, 2005.