HUMOR ON THE DRY SIDE In his nine-year run as a Saturday Night Live cast member, Kevin Nealon deadpanned fake newscasts as the "Weekend Update" anchor, planted subconscious barbs as Mr. Subliminal, and prevented muscle-headed jocks from becoming "girliemen" as Franz, the Austrian bodybuilder. On the new Showtime comedy series Weeds, Nealon plays a perpetually pot-smoking accountant and city council representative for the covertly dysfunctional California township of Agrestic. He's also been solicited to take part in the ABC series Dancing with the Stars, and in the midst of numerous guest appearances and a September wedding to actress Susan Yeagley, the former SNL star continues to perform stand-up at comedy clubs across the country. You can see him this weekend at The Tampa Improv. 8 p.m. Thurs., 8 and 10:30 p.m. Fri.-Sat., and 7 p.m. Sun., Dec. 1-4. $20-$22. 1600 E. Eighth Ave., Ybor City, 813-864-4000, www.tampaimprov.com.
MODERN METAMORPHOSES The HCC-Ybor Theatre Department produces Naomi Iizuka's Polaroid Stories, a drama that fuses the stories from Ovid's Metamorphoses with contemporary tales of homeless youths in a poetic, almost lyrical style. The setting is an abandoned pier and the characters are all troubled individuals who share certain attributes or patterns of behavior with their mythological counterparts: Narcissus is a self-enamored male prostitute who craves attention and preens endlessly; Echo hangs on to Narcissus' every word and burns with unrequited desire; and Dionysus ("D") is the leader of them all, passing out drugs and life lessons to those who dare to embrace his hedonistic principles. Dan Khoury directs. For further information, visit polaroidstories.blogspot.com, a blog launched specifically for the production and featuring examinations of the characters by the actors who play them, along with snapshots of all those involved. 7:30 p.m. Thurs.-Sat. and 2 p.m. Sun., Dec. 1-4; and 7:30 p.m. Fri.-Sat. and 2 p.m. Sun., Dec. 9-11. $12 general/$7 students, and HCC faculty and staff. HCC-Ybor Black Box Theater, Performing Arts Building, 14th Street and Palm Avenue, Ybor City, 813-451-3689.
CHRISTMAS WITH A BANG When Tchaikovsky composed music for The Nutcracker, he probably didn't anticipate its creative evolution from classic Christmas ballet to cheeky contemporary dance production. Nut/Cracked is the recent adaptation presented by David Parker and The Bang Group, who've made the children's tale darker, funnier and generally more appealing to mature audiences. The performers utilize various forms of dance — from tap and disco to swing and hip-hop — without removing the classical ballet elements, and the vaudeville-inspired routines are set to untraditional and sometimes kitschy interpretations of the Tchaikovsky score by Duke Ellington, Fred Waring, Glenn Miller, Shorty Rogers and the Pennsylvanians. If you feel like trying something different this season, have a laugh while getting your nuts cracked at this gender-liberal adaptation of a holiday favorite. 8 p.m. Fri., 2 and 8 p.m. Sat. and 4 p.m. Sun., Dec. 2-4. $21.50. 1010 N. MacInnes Place, Tampa, 813-222-1000, www.tbpac.org.
MIND OVER MIND Schizophrenia may be one of the most complex of all mental health disorders, but despite involving a severe, chronic and disabling disturbance of the brain, there are those sufferers who reach beyond the madness to create, and further, to share their experiences with the world. People Say I'm Crazy is one such endeavor, the first-ever documentary photographed and directed by someone with schizophrenia. Diagnosed with the disorder in 1992, John Cadigan enlisted the help of his documentarian sister, Katie Cadigan, and began chronicling the intimate details of his decade-long battle. From his preliminary struggles through catatonia, electro-convulsive therapy and the ineffectiveness of various medical treatments, and finally, to his eventual recovery and communication of personal demons via art and woodworking, we see how one man with schizophrenia came to learn to live a fulfilling and relatively normal life. USF hosts two back-to-back screenings of People Say I'm Crazy as part of its Friends and Film series; a talkback with the Cadigans occurs after both. For more information about the documentary, visit www.peoplesayimcrazy.org. 3 and 7:30 p.m. Free admission. Gibbons Alumni Center, USF-Tampa, 4202 E. Fowler Ave., Tampa, 813-974-5468.
MUSEUM FORMS The Gulf Coast Museum of Art opens two new exhibitions featuring women who share a contemporary perspective and a fascination with form, but with very different approaches. With a range of artsy materials and found objects, New York artist Sandy Winters produces complicated images that suggest a merging of organic shapes with industrial machines. In Pretexts & Subtexts, Winters displays a site-specific installation and several oil paintings on both wood and metal. Carolina Sardi — an Argentinean sculptor established in Miami since the mid-1990s — uses steel to express her minimalist ideals of space and form, and her acute interest in life's simple interactions. In Exquisite Tension, Sardi's architectonic sculptures communicate the beauty of the form and the tension of the arrangement. At 6:30 p.m. tonight, artist Sandy Winters leads a gallery walk-through; the opening reception occurs after from 7 to 9 p.m. (free admission for museum members and $10 for guests). Regular hours are 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tues.-Sat., and noon-4 p.m. Sun.; the works are on display through Jan. 29. $5 adults/$4 seniors/$3 students with I.D./free admission children 10 and younger. Pinewood Cultural Park, 12211 Walsingham Road, Largo, 727-518-6833.
SOUTHERN FLAVORED SOIREE Wayne "The Train" Hancock is a genuine Southern twanger whose music fuses all things country, from Texas-style honky-tonk to rockabilly, the blues and big band music he likes to call "juke joint swing." The roots renaissance man headlines tonight's Third Annual Sagittarian Soiree, a fundraiser for All Children's Hospital that also features performances by The Human Condition, badwithnames and Natural Blend, as well as spins by the Knowmatic Tribe Soundsystem and DJ Paul Mallett; live painting and art creation by Thomas Murray; a silent art auction; and drawings for prizes like Dalí Museum gift certificates and an acoustic guitar donated by Al Havener's Custom Guitars of Bradenton. 6 p.m.-2 a.m. $12 ages 18 and over before 10 p.m./$6 ages 21 and older after 10 p.m.; donations of toys and nonperishable food items are also accepted at the door. The Bank Nightclub and Concert Venue, 1919 Central Ave., St. Petersburg, 727-898-4488, www.atthebank.com.
DECKING THE HALLS OF DUNEDIN The Holiday Tour of Homes has been a Dunedin tradition for the past 36 years. Hosted by the Dunedin Youth Guild, the event gives Bay-area folks the chance to peek inside the beautifully decorated dwellings of a handful of Dunedin residents for inspiration and ideas, or simply for fun. While we can't give you details about the houses that are featured or how exactly each is bedecked, we can tell you that this year's design theme is "A Scottish Christmas Celebration." Further information is available once you pick up a ticket, which is actually a booklet with descriptions and addresses of each participating location. You can also enjoy complimentary tea and the Olde Christmas Shoppe at the First Presbyterian Church of Dunedin (455 Scotland St.). Proceeds help fund scholarships for Dunedin youths. 11 a.m.-4 p.m. $15 in advance/$18 day of tour. Tickets can be picked up at the City Hall, Chamber of Commerce, Historical Society and the First Presbyterian Church. For further inquiries, call 727-734-0394.
This article appears in Nov 30 – Dec 6, 2005.