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FILM
"Dueling Divas: Dietrich vs. Bankhead"
In a city full of ambiguous sexual orientation and gender, can you wrap your mind around the idea of a catfight between two androgynous, husky-voiced, campy bisexual icons — who may or may not have had "relations" with each other — taking place in a gay man's mecca? Well, sorry to disappoint, but the altercation is purely cinematic: it's part of the Castro Theatre's "Dueling Divas" series. This week, it's Marlene Dietrich in the visually lush The Scarlet Empress (1934) versus America's dah-ling, Tallulah Bankhead, in the bawdy, not-on-DVD farce A Royal Scandal (1945). (Ailene Sankur)
A Royal Scandal, 1:05, 5:05, and 9:05 p.m., and The Scarlet Empress, 3 and 7 p.m., $9.50
Castro Theatre
429 Castro, SF
(415) 621-6120
VISUAL ART
"Punks Git Cut"
Poop is so hot right now on the art scene. Gilbert and George's giant crap crucifixes at the de Young, the "Déjà Poo" art show, Fecal Face's new gallery space — shit is everywhere. But penises have never gone out of style: from Michelangelo's David to the public bathroom stall, phalluses remain de rigueur. It only seems natural that art-school dropout turned San Francisco zinester Jay Howell combines the two in his hilarious "doo-dles" on display at 111 Minna Gallery. The opening party promises "Paintings. Photos. Animation. And Raw Ass Dude Jammin' Fuck All Night." Nothing shitty 'bout that. (Sankur)
Through March 29
Reception 6 p.m.–2 a.m., free
111 Minna Gallery
111 Minna, SF
(415) 974-1719
DANCE
"A Tribute to Jerome Robbins"
Growing up, I was one of those hopeless tomboys who failed miserably at anything that involved dresses, dancing, and especially leotards. So I guess it comes as no surprise that I didn't know ballet dancers also sang. Yet singing is just one of the innovations in the San Francisco Ballet's upcoming tribute to Jerome Robbins: West Side Story has finally made it to the ballet by way of the West Side Story Suite. Don't worry, though. Everyone's favorite musical isn't spoiled by the sudden appearance of tight leotards: dancers are decked out in attire appropriate for Sharks and Jets games. The program also includes Fancy Free and In the Night. (Jamilah King)
Through March 20
8 p.m., $25–$235
War Memorial Opera House
301 Van Ness, SF
(415) 865-2000
VISUAL ART
Facial Deconstruction (after Michael Jackson)
The Resistance (Overlook Press, 1995), a brash book of pop music and film criticism by Armond White, features fractured close-ups of Michael Jackson's face on its cover. Inside, one essay casts a creative and critical eye on the mighty morphin' multicultural Mac Culkin power of the music video for Jackson's "Black and White," drawing unexpected and complicated conclusions about Jackson's "bleached" face, which the author interprets as an artistic gesture rather than evidence of a negation of self or ethnicity. Of course, this was way before Jackson's nose began looking like a cavern instead of a protrusion. The more recent developments figure in Tim Roseborough's new video piece, Facial Deconstruction (after Michael Jackson), on display as part of the group show "About Face." (Huston)
Through March 15
Opening reception 5:30–7:30 p.m., free
Artwork SF
49 Geary, suite 234, SF
(415) 673-3080
MUSIC
Other Minds Festival 13
Thirteen looks like a lucky number for Other Minds, San Francisco's fearless new music society, which presents a host of world and US premieres this week. Of course, the etiquette of unlucky numbers won't be the only piece of conventional wisdom turned on its head as the festival pushes gloriously imaginative performers and composers from the fringe into the spotlight: try playing a cello with two bows at once. The highlight of the opening program, which includes works for electronic media, piano, and double-bowed cello, is a composition by creative music pioneer Ishmael Wadada Leo Smith, performed by Smith, San Francisco's Del Sol String Quartet, and percussionist Anthony Brown. (Maccabee)
Discussion 7 p.m., concert 8 p.m.; $25–$35
Jewish Community Center of San Francisco
3200 California, SF
(415) 292-1233
MUSIC
American Steel
American Steel's self-titled debut (New Disorder, 1998) was one of my favorite punk albums ever, but I didn't see them live before they broke up to form Communiqué. So I was thrilled when they decided to reunite and play a house show in Oakland last year. There was just one problem: I had ruptured my eardrum on an airplane two days before the show and developed a staph infection inside my ear. I needed a quick fix, so I bought heavy-duty construction-grade earmuffs. I still couldn't hear out of the bad ear, but from what I could tell, they were fantastic. (Felsinger)
With Death of a Party and Olehole
9 p.m., $5
WC Warehouse
2519 San Pablo, Oakl.
www.myspace.com/ghosttowngallery
FILM/MUSIC
"Sabreteeth vs. Turkish Star Wars"
Maybe it's the gold-colored brain. Maybe it's the villain who drinks blood through crazy straws. Maybe it's the copious amount of anamorphically warped footage stolen from Star Wars. Or maybe it's the toilet paper zombies, or the rug monsters, or heroes Murat and Ali, whose whistles for female companionship instead incite the wrath of skeletons wearing conquistador helmets. Whatever the case, Turkish Star Wars offers proof — in a different manner than the gorgeous art films of Nuri Bilge Ceylan — that Turkey just might house the heart of world cinema. San Francisco noise group Sabreteeth recently blitzed movie maniacs with a live score to Dario Argento's Suspiria (1977), and now they're returning with live music for Çetin Inanç's 1982 one-of-a-kind epic, which declared war on George Lucas's copyrights long before the great Damon Packard snuck his space disco vision in and out of Universal City. (Huston)
8 p.m., $6
Artists' Television Access
992 Valencia, SF
(415) 824-3890
VISUAL ART
"Los Disappeared: Deporting the American Dream"
A product of the old Mission District — you know, before the million-dollar condos and ubiquitous fusion restaurants — graffiti artist and poet Josué Rojas comes full circle with his upcoming show, "Los Disappeared: Deporting the American Dream." In 2000, his illustrations and poignant writings on revisiting El Salvador appeared in Izote Vos (Pacific News), a compilation of stories and poems written by Salvadoran American youths. Eight years later, Rojas's collection of paintings and videos share knowledge about the "Salviaspora" as it relates to those whose circumstances have landed them back in the motherland, as well as Salvadorans who adopt US subcultures without ever having planted a foot north of El Rio Grande. (Iris Tablas-Mejia)
Through March 30
Reception 7–11 p.m., free
Twenty Goto 10
679 Geary St., SF
(415) 746-0884
twentygoto10.com
MUSIC
Kafana Balkan
Youth rebellion has often used dance as an expression of revolution — from the jitterbug to the pogo. And just as the subversive swing kids of yesteryear embraced the gypsy jazz of Django Reinhardt, so do the neo-nihilists of today cleave to the varietals of Balkan stomp emerging from the shadowy bloc across the pond. But don't expect an angry, muttering mob or shoplifting hoochie-mama YouTube starlets at Kafana Balkan's one-year anniversary show — this riot is all about the love. And about the joyous romping of Edessa and Pirate Cat Radio's DJ Zeljko. And about the nonpartisan clowns from the Hleb i Sir (Bread and Cheese) circus — a border-bending multinational troupe dedicated to giving free performances and workshops to refugee kids in Kosovo. (Nicole Gluckstern)
9 p.m., $12–$25 sliding scale
12 Galaxies
2565 Mission, SF
(415) 970-9777
MUSIC
Keith Jarrett Standards Trio
Pianist Keith Jarrett, bassist Gary Peacock, and drummer Jack DeJohnette are three dudes with music coming out of their pores. Their collective résumés include stints with everyone from Miles Davis to Bill Evans to Albert Ayler, which tells you they're not conservatives or die-hard traditionalists by any means. Their backgrounds are part of what makes the Standards Trio such an interesting and nonredundant take on jazz tradition. The other part is that they've played together for decades and can seemingly read one another's minds. Last year's two-CD live recording, My Foolish Heart (ECM), is the latest entry in what's become a lengthy, formidable discography. (Will York)
8 p.m., $30–$95
Nob Hill Masonic Center
1111 California, SF
(866) 920-JAZZ
OPERA
Orpheus in the Underworld
Fans of Christoph Willibald Gluck could only cluck-cluck about Jacques Offenbach's 1858 Orpheus in the Underworld, which takes a decidedly irreverent approach toward the antics of gods and goddesses. It was the debut performance of this operetta that saw the kickoff of the galop infernal, more commonly known as the cancan. Critical opinion might have initially damned Orpheus, but public opinion — which is given a capital P and a capital O, and turned into a character in Offenbach's comedy — has kept its cheating heart beating. Olympus is boring, Hades is appealing, and Pluto just might be in drag in this Pocket Opera production, a reliable highlight of artistic director Donald Pippin's witty work with the company. (Huston)
2 p.m., $20–$37
Also Sun/9 and March 15
Florence Gould Theater, California Palace of the Legion of Honor
Lincoln Park, near 34th Avenue and Clement
(415) 972-8930
MUSIC
Immortal Technique
I first saw Immortal Technique in the hip-hop tent at Warped Tour, an improbable oasis in a parking-lot Sahara of asymmetrical haircuts. He was sweating profusely in Chicago's August heat, rocking a pair of ancient Reeboks that were the antithesis of fly. When the beat dropped, though, and the first spindly violin sample squeaked out of the speakers, the crowd was transfixed. The Afro-Peruvian MC is combative on the mic, fusing the revolutionary rhetoric of a union activist with the panache of a battle rapper. Railing against poverty, government, and what he perceives as the minstrelsy of the hip-hop establishment, Technique comes furiously correct. (Ben Richardson)
8 p.m., $22.50
Fillmore
1805 Geary, SF
(415) 346-0600
MUSIC
Buxter Hoot'n
Despite a decidedly old-timey collection of instruments and songs that are inflected with nostalgia, Buxter Hoot'n just might offer a glimpse into the future of San Francisco's slightly psychedelic songwriting scene. This is a band to drink and reminisce to, swaying in your seat as you catch poignant snippets of Vince Dewald's amiable vocals — "the wind that blows" &ldots; "it's all been a waste" &ldots; "I hear voices in the night." Prospecting a territory situated west of the Kings of Leon and north of Calexico, their self-released recording, Here in America, is raw, to be sure, but manages to walk a rough trail between earnest country ballads and eager tango and blues borrowings without wandering into self-indulgence. (Maccabee)
With Blank Tapes and Campo Bravo
7:30 p.m., $10
Cafe Du Nord
2170 Market, SF
(415) 861-5016
MUSIC
Amp Fiddler
Sometimes it feels like the only thing left from Motown's glory years are bitter memories and Michael Jackson's Post-it covered face. Yet, rising from the ashes of the birthplace of some of the most influential soul and R&B is Detroit native Amp Fiddler, who kicks off his North American tour in San Francisco. With a sound that's unique even among the most imaginative R&B cats, he seems to slither through decades of musical innovation with a sound that is neither here nor there: it's rooted in the mythical horn riffs and melodies of the '50s, futuristic landscapes painted by George Clinton around '72, and bass lines compliments of J Dilla at Slum Village's finest. (King)
With Joyo Velarde and DJ Reuben
8 p.m., $15
Independent
628 Divisadero, SF
(415) 771-1422
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