8 Days a Week

June 4-11, 2003

IDA ACTON HAS been the voice of scraggly, working-class butchness around these parts for a while now, hefting her tragic-romantic stories, rants, and poetry from dive bar to dive bar. Acton gives a liquor-sweet voice to the various longings, aches, and triumphs of broke-ass genderqueers. With the debut of Hair-trigger Heart, she busts out of her one-man sideshow and brings us a bursting multimedia extravaganza. Based on a novel in progress, Hair-trigger Heart tracks the gritty roadside adventures of gender-dysmorphic antihero Haskal J. Lonesome, who details the melancholy and hilarious dramas of his raggedy quest for comfort in letters to the girl he left behind. As Haskal reckons with his Southern homeland, we get to meet his relations – the darling and tipsy Aunt Carlene, performed by the multitalented Shar Rednour, and wise Uncle Rabbit, embodied by porn star-artiste Jule Wilt. Dreamy-beautiful Super 8 projections by Riley Richards bring us the dirty glamour of a traveling carnival, where we meet Tammy Jean (actor-poet Shoshanna Von Blanckensee), a lonely teenage carny looking for love in all the wrong places. Acton ransacked the queer arts community, and works by Alicia McCarthy, Rhonda Winter, Sahar Khoury, and others illustrate Haskal's adventures. Hot damn, you just don't want to miss this. Through June 14. Fri.-Sat., 7:30 p.m., Spanganga, 3376 19th St., S.F. $8-$20. (415) 841-8817. (Michelle Tea)

June 4
Wednesday

Curtain up In its San Francisco debut, the Moscow Stanislavsky Ballet performs two classics, the more intriguing of which is the idiosyncratic Swan Lake. Choreographed in 1953 by Vladimir Burmeister, the ballet is replete with a prologue (during the overture) and that must-have of Soviet drama: a happy ending. The second weekend of the group's 11-day local run will be dedicated to Giselle (no happy ending there). The company, which grew out of Konstantin Stanislavsky's theories of theater, comes to town bearing 165 dancers, its own orchestra, and the reputation of being the most exciting ballet company working in Moscow today. Through June 15. Swan Lake: Wed/4-Sat/7 and June 10-11, 8 p.m. (also Sat/7, 2 p.m.); Sun/8, 2 p.m. Giselle: June 13-14, 8 p.m. (also June 14, 2 p.m.); June 15, 2 p.m., Orpheum Theater, 1192 Market, S.F. $45-$85. (415) 512-7770. (Rita Felciano)

June 5
Thursday

Global warning Though the play staggered the begrudging critics of New York and whipped up acclaim and controversy in London – and despite its playwright's worldwide reputation as being a kind of sledgehammer in the fist of the left – David Hare's Map of the World has, strangely, never had its Bay Area premiere until now. But it's just as well, since there could hardly be a better time for a piece set at a United Nations conference on poverty that lobs arguments from both sides on the global division between rich and poor. And there could hardly be a better company to do it than TheatreFIRST, a truly international group that not only shows an affinity for Hare's work but also conceives of its mission as "flinging open doors and windows onto other cultures." Through June 29. Previews tonight, 8 p.m. Opens Fri/6, 8 p.m. Runs Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 3 p.m., Oakland YWCA, Ehmann Hall, 1515 Webster, Oakl. $16-$19 (preview $5). (510) 436-5085. (Amir Baghdachi)

June 6
Friday

American idol If the gods (and the city of San Francisco) have any sense at all, then someday the International Museum of GLBT History will be a permanent and fabulous institution. In the meantime, it's landed a respectable gallery space opening today with the inaugural exhibit 'Saint Harvey: The Life and Afterlife of a Modern Gay Martyr.' This year marks the 25th anniversary of the tragic assassination of San Francisco supervisor Harvey Milk, whose significance in queer history transcends the fact that he was a political trailblazer – he was the first openly gay high public official in any large American city. He was also a heroic populist and Castro community member, and since his death his legacy has grown. "Saint Harvey" features an altar to Milk that includes the clothes he was wearing when he was murdered, as well as personal relics (photographs, Navy memorabilia, Popeye knickknacks), political campaign materials, and a collection of postmortem Harvey paraphernalia. Through April 2004. Opens today, 1 p.m. (free open house Sun/8, noon-5 p.m.; gallery hours Tues.-Sun., 1-5 p.m.), Museum of GLBT History, 657 Mission, Gallery 300, S.F. $2-$4. (415) 777-5455, www.glbthistory.org. (Kerry Rodgers)

Rising The history of Eli's Mile High Club reads like the lyrics to a blues song. In 1978 the club's original owner, Eli Thorton, was shot in the establishment by a jealous lover, and Troyce Key, the guitarist and house-band leader, took over ownership of the joint. A regular venue for such area stars as Jimmy McCracklin, Sonny Rhodes, and Mark Hummel, the club also played host to such luminaries as Ray Charles, Etta James, and B.B. King. After 30 years and a few more changes of ownership, the "Home of the West Coast Blues" closed its doors last year, slated for demolition and to become a new crop of live-work lofts. Happily, however, the new owner changed course and decided to keep the musical landmark alive. Frank Klein of San Francisco's Biscuits and Blues reopens the newly refurbished classic with a gallery opening featuring San Francisco blues legend Joe Louis Walker and 11 other stellar acts. 9 p.m., 3629 MLK Jr. Way, Oakl. $10. (510) 655-6661, www.elisblues.com. (Adam Martin)

Beats go on Tip your hat – er, beret? – to City Lights when the bookstore-cultural touchstone-historical landmark celebrates its 50th anniversary this weekend with a pair of events. The Poetry Dance, a benefit for the City Lights Foundation – a literary arts advocacy group – goes down tonight, with store founder Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Anne Waldman, Jack Hirschman, Michael McClure, Diane di Prima, Guillermo Gomez-Peña, members of Youth Speaks, and others weaving the words; music by the Marcus Shelby Orchestra; a silent auction; and more. Sunday, North Beach teems with City Lights supporters, including devorah major, Dave Eggers, and Youth Speaks director James Kass. 8 p.m.-midnight, Italian Athletic Club, 1630 Stockton, S.F. $40. (415) 362-8193. (Anniversary celebration Sun/8, 2-4 p.m., City Lights, 261 Columbus, S.F. Free.) (Cheryl Eddy)

June 7

Saturday

Take a bite Last year's demise of A Magazine didn't leave too many people lamenting the loss of light, low-calorie, easy-to-swallow coverage of Asian American issues. It did, however, challenge Asian American journalists and writers to cook up something juicier, tastier, and more satisfying – and that's exactly what the folks at Hyphen Magazine did. The debut issue takes a cutting-edge view on arts, culture, and politics, with a four-article series on activism, interviews with filmmakers Justin Lin and Jon Moritsugu, an exposé on the deportation of Cambodian Americans, and yes, even a how-to on turning your Honda Civic into an AZN rice rocket. At last there's an Asian American magazine you can really sink your teeth into. Join the staff as they celebrate the launch of Asian America unabridged. Doboy, Derrick D, Mike Nice, Panty Robber, and DJ Arrow spin. 9 p.m., Club Bas, 383 Bay, S.F. $10. (510) 325-1573, sarah@hyphenmagazine.com. (Jean Chen)

Framing history What to do when you want to house a collection too big for your own museum? Call up your friends, of course. The spirit of collaboration brings three Oakland museums together to exhibit 'Reflections in Black: Smithsonian African American Photography,' which opens today. To view vintage daguerreotypes, head over to the African American Museum and Library at Oakland (AAMLO) for "The First 100 Years: 1842-1942." To check out photos from the civil rights and black power movements, mosey on down to the Oakland Museum of California for "Art and Activism." And for the postmodern perspective, visit the Mills College Art Museum for "A History Deconstructed." Through Aug. 31 (through Aug. 10 at Mills College). AAMLO: Tues.-Sat., noon-5:30 p.m., 659 14th St., Oakl. Free. (510) 637-0200, www.oaklandlibrary.org/aamlo. Oakland Museum of California: Wed.-Sat., 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sun., noon-5 p.m., 1000 Oak, Oakl. $6. (510) 238-2200, www.museumca.org. Mills College Art Museum: Tues.-Sat., 11 a.m.-4 p.m.; Sun., 1-4 p.m.; Wed., 11 a.m-7:30 p.m., 5000 MacArthur, Oakl. Free. (510) 430-2164, www.mills.edu/mcam. (Rodgers)

World beat "Ethnic dance" – the label should really be outlawed, because isn't all dance ethnic? – allows its many aficionados to connect with cultures often vastly different from their own. Its practitioners, however, consider their dancing more than a tool for self-affirmation; like other artists, they are often intrigued by the balance between tradition and innovation. For its 25th anniversary, the San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival has commissioned two of ethnic dance's most intriguing innovators to choreograph a piece that brings together the past and present: Patrick Makuakane, of Na Lei Hulu I Ka Wekiu, and the Lily Cai Chinese Dance Company. The festival also finally reaches a goal it has been striving toward for many years: live music for all performances. Through June 22. Sat.-Sun., 2 p.m. (also Sat., 8 p.m.), Palace of Fine Arts, 3301 Lyon, S.F. $22-$36. (415) 392-4400, www.ethnicdancefestival.org. (Felciano)

June 8

Sunday

Love, sex, and vitriol How many punk-pop groups – from the Descendents to blink-182 – owe a debt of gratitude to Manchester's punk grandpops the Buzzcocks? The Ramones may have outlasted them at the time, but the Buzzcocks were just as hard-edged, if not harder – roaring through their magnificently minimal and melodic songs with hairpin-turn precision and taut buzz saw guitars. You could count on Pete Shelley, Steve Diggle, Howard Devoto, and John Maher to never go soft and sentimental and cover something as drippy and derivative as "Needles and Pins" – love and sex were always on their minds, but they were much more likely to turn on you snarling, wanting first "Autonomy," then "Just Lust," while promising to "Love You More." No wonder these single-minded singles excelled at the short, sharp blast of the 7-inch, compiled on 1979's Singles Going Steady (IRS). Add Shelley's drop-dead dry wit, adenoidal churlishness, and inimitable timing, and consider yourself just another conquest of singles like "Boredom," "Orgasm Addict," "Promises," "Ever Fallen in Love (With Someone You Shouldn't've)" – and oh, the list just goes on. They're all there on the Inventory singles box set (Capitol), to be released this week, and if that's not enough to sate you, the recent Buzzcocks (Merge) should satisfy a little of your jones to hear the live 'Cocks, who now include bassist Tony Barber and drummer Phil Barker. Billy Talent opens. 9 p.m., Fillmore, 1805 Geary, S.F. $22.50. (415) 421-TIXS or (415) 346-6000. (Kimberly Chun)

June 9
Monday

Be mine We will never tire of looking at Rudolph Valentino: that perfect profile, that Apollonian physique, that squint that seemed to speak at the same time of unquenchable lust and cruelty – in short, everything about him destined him to become the silver screen's perfect matinee idol. Discover the truth behind the beauty tonight, as Emily Leider (author of the excellent Becoming Mae West) talks about her new biography, Dark Lover: The Life and Death of Rudolph Valentino. The first fully documented life of the star ever written, the book addresses his androgynous sexuality and the pomp and pressure of his Jazz Age opulence, and uncovers little-known details (that squint may have been from myopia!) 7 p.m., A Clean Well-Lighted Place for Books, 601 Van Ness, S.F. Free. (415) 441-6670, www.bookstore.com. (Baghdachi)

June 10
Tuesday

Shooting spree The recent Iraq war will forever conjure up scenes of a city dissolving into chaos, people in uproar, and the forces of government descending and acting without logic or justice. And that was just on Market Street. From the San Francisco Video Activists' Network comes 'We Interrupt This Empire ...,' a program highlighting war resistance on the Bay Area front. Videographers Jino Choi and Jessica Lawrence cover the resounding direct actions of March 20; David Martinez exposes the new imperialism in "The Logic of Empire"; Natalia Vekic, Monica Nolan, and Christian Bruno skewer the Pentagon-licking media in "War American Style"; and Miles Montalbano diagnoses the military-industrial complex in "The War Profiteers." The event's second half features selections from "Shutdown Downtown Fogtown," a collection of on-the-scene videos shot at protests in San Francisco and Oakland. Through June 11. 7:15 and 9:15 p.m. (also Wed., 2 p.m.), Red Vic, 1727 Haight, S.F. $3-$6.50. (415) 789-8484, www.videoactivism.org. (Baghdachi)

June 11

Wednesday

Trafficking jam Now that the new Asian Art Museum is finally open, offshoot group Monsoon can further its goal of exciting the younger generations about Asian art, culture, and current events. Sounds like Monsoon is on the right track by hosting the West Coast premiere of the intriguing-sounding Trading Women, a film investigating the Thai sex industry – specifically, the trade's increased population of minority girls hailing from tribes in Burma, Laos, and China. Director David A. Feingold, who's an anthropologist as well as a filmmaker, is on hand to take questions about the doc, which involved five years of research and investigation and features narration by Angelina Jolie (who donated her voice-over services, gratis) to boot. 7 p.m., Civic State Court Building Auditorium, 455 Golden Gate, S.F. $10-$15. (415) 581-3793. (Eddy)