Wednesday • 7
The English Beat
MUSIC
The English Beat was one of the first bands since Booker T. & the MG’s to unabashedly challenge pop music’s unspoken racial divide. Their punk/ska/reggae sound was among the best music to come out of the early ’80s, and their songs are as listenable today as they were the day they first came out. Experience the English Beat (featuring Dave Wakeling) for a rare metro Detroit show at the Royal Oak Music Theatre, 318 W. Fourth St., Royal Oak; 248-399-2980.
Thursday - Sunday • 8-11
Vanguard Voices Open Rehearsal
MUSIC
All interested singers are invited to attend an open rehearsal for the local chorus Vanguard Voices. Choir director G. Kevin Dewey welcomes new choristers in all voice parts to stop by — after the rehearsal, those wanting to audition may schedule an appointment. At Mackenzie Fine Arts Center, 5101 Evergreen, Dearborn; 313-317-6566, vangaurdvoices.org.
Friday • 9
Big River: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
THEATER
Spark the little one’s interest in theater this week with Big River: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. This musical by Roger Miller and William Hauptman is based on the Mark Twain masterpiece and is suitable for young and old alike. Runs Friday-Sunday, Sept. 9-Oct. 1, at Avon Players, 1185 Washington Rd., Rochester Hills; 248-673-8638.
Friday • 9
Two Men in a Box
THEATER
Local playwright Daniel Roth presents his new comedy, Two Men in a Box. The story melds existential theater with vaudevillian flare, as main characters Ralph and Esteban summon the mental moxie to triumph over adversity, while managing to go nowhere at all. Runs Thursday-Sunday, Sept. 9-Oct. 15, at the Planet Ant Theatre, 2357 Caniff Ave., Hamtramck; 313-365-4948.
Friday - Sunday • 9-11
You Can’t Take It with You
THEATER
This zany comedy by Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman tells the story of the Sycamores, a good-natured but eccentric family who are rocked to the core when their “normal” daughter falls for a straight-laced man. Winner of the 1936 Pulitzer Prize, You Can’t Take It with You is sentimental comedy at its cleverest. Friday and Saturday, 8 p.m.; Sunday, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. at the Community & Performing Arts Center, 15801 Michigan Ave., Dearborn; 313-943-2354.
Sunday • 11
Die Hunns
MUSIC
The neo-punk trend is at an all-time high. Skater legends like Tony Hawk and Bam Margera live in mansions. But Duane Peters, skate master/former front man from the U.S. Bombs, still kicks it hardcore. Thank God. Peters, along with Amazonian siren Corey Parks (formerly of Nashville Pussy) has formed die Hunns, a kick-you-in-the-face punk-rock outfit that ain’t afraid to break a few bones. At Alvin’s, 5756 Cass Ave., Detroit; 313-831-4577.
Sunday • 11
Run for Charity
FUND-RAISER
Riders and non-riders alike are welcome to join the 24th Annual Run for Charity. Sponsored by the F.O.P Lodge 124, Walkabout Cycle & Leather and others, this all-day event is a great excuse to jump on your Hog and do some good. The run starts at Walkabout Cycle (32519 Mound Rd., Warren) and ends at Salt River Park (Gratiot and 28 Mile) in Lenox Township. A live concert will take place at the park with performances from Elixir, Spider in a Jar, Soul Circus, Overloaded, and Animals of the Night. Registration ($20) begins at 10 a.m. and includes a memory pin and entrance to the park. Call Walkabout Cycles, 586-979-4900, for more info. Proceeds to benefit disabled veterans of the war in Iraq.
Monday • 12
Bocce
FUN FOR ALL
Don’t call it “bocce ball” — that’d be redundant. Bocce, derived from the Latin word for “ball,” is a fun outdoor game that was brought to America by Italian immigrants. The game has a dedicated and esoteric following, and metropolitan Detroit has one of the only bocce facilities in the Midwest. Palazzo di Bocce in Orion Township invites local men and women to join its fall bocce league, beginning Sept. 12. Participants don’t need a full team (four players) to play. 4291 S. Lapeer Rd., Orion Township; 248-371-9987. Side note: The 2005 World Bocce Championships take place at Palazzo, Sunday, Sept. 18 - Saturday, Sept. 24. Tickets are still available.
Wednesday • 14
Cornel West
ISSUES & LEARNING
Cornel West made the news a few years back when he jumped ship from Harvard to Princeton after a row with Harvard Prez Lawrence H. Summers. Seems Larry was bugged about all of West’s populist outreach efforts: the hip-hop discs, radio commentaries, writing for broad audiences and working the public speakers circuit when he could have be writing obscurely for his academic peers. Seems West is doing just what we’d expect from a voice of left, populist, Christian, multicultural reason. His latest book, Democracy Matters: Winning the Fight Against Imperialism, has just been reissued in paperback, so you can guess some of what’s on his mind. And no doubt he’ll have a few things to say about the Katrina debacle as well. West kicks off the free Authors @ Main book and lecture series. 6 p.m. in Friends Auditorium, Level A, Detroit Public Library Main Branch, 5201 Woodward, Detroit; 313-833-4042.
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