THURSDAY-SUNDAY MAY 13-16
The Secret Garden
MAGICAL MYSTERY EDEN
A stage adaptation of the classic children's novel, The Secret Garden tells the story of mischievous Mary Lennox, a wealthy orphan sent to live with her reclusive uncle at his country estate. While exploring the grounds of her new home, Mary stumbles upon both a walled garden and the key that opens its sole gate. It's this discovery and Mary's growing love of the natural world that eventually helps transform her from a petulant, lonely child into a loving and happy girl. Heartwarming, ain't it? Presented by Ann Arbor Civic Theatre's Junior Theatre at 7 p.m. Thursday and Friday and 1 and 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday outdoors at the Matthaei Botanical Gardens, 1800 N. Dixboro Rd., Ann Arbor; tickets $5, call 734-971-2228.
FRIDAY MAY 14
College for Creative Studies' Student Exhibition
STARVING STUDENT DEPT.
This annual exhibition of student artwork gives collectors the chance to purchase works by up-and-coming artists at bargain-basement prices. Students, in turn, get to make some dough to jump-start their artistic careers. More than 3,500 pieces in a variety of mediums are displayed, including, for the first time, more than 50 pieces created by sixth-, seventh- and ninth-grade students from Henry Ford Academy: School for Creative Studies. The ticketed opening, in addition to granting first access to the panoply of art, also includes performances by local bands and hors d'oeuvres and drinks from local eateries. From 7 to 10 p.m. at CCS' A. Alfred Taubman Center for Design Education, 460 W. Baltimore St., Detroit; 313-664-7464; general admission tickets $50; collectors' tickets, which allow entry at 5:30 p.m., $350; alumni tickets two for $60.
FRIDAY MAY 14
Nocturnal Translations
DREAMY DRAW
It seems like just last month that Hamtramck's Public Pool space launched a new show, and now here comes another? Yup. The exhibition, titled Nocturnal Translations, takes subconscious inspiration to a new level. Show organizers asked eight local worthies to write down their dreams, and then gave them to eight local artists for artistic exploration. So you'll have a dream from rocker Muffy Kroha painted by Glenn Barr, or one from artist Mitch Cope inspiring work by Clint Snider, or one from Slows Bar-B-Q owner Phillip Cooley drawn up by Adult.'s Nicola Kuperus. Given the roster of creatives who've dreamed and drawn, this promises to be a fascinating glimpse into the psyche. Oh, and plenty of free beer from Traffic Jam won't hurt either. Opening runs from 6:30 to 11 p.m., and the show stays up until June 26. At 3309 Caniff St., Hamtramck.
FRIDAY MAY 14
Pat Metheny — The Orchestrion Tour
WHEN THE MACHINES ROCKED
Forget the lowly one-man band with his kick-drum, sock-cymbal, harmonica rack, guitar and such. Pat Metheny takes it to the next level with his computerized one-man orchestra. Think of him as playing his lead guitar along with a player-piano, player-drums, player-cymbals, player-vibes, player-guitars, etc., etc. — a wall of sound-makers. Metheny has always leveraged the mass success of his Pat Metheny Group to pursue riskier propositions — from his noise freak-out disc (Zero Tolerance for Silence) to work with Ornette Coleman, Derek Bailey and Steve Reich. The other night for a hometown show in Kansas City, Mo., he described his contraption assembly as "my actual strangeness ... here on display." At 8 p.m. at Music Hall, 350 Madison Ave., Detroit; 313-887-8501; $49.50 and $99.
FRIDAY-SATURDAY MAY 14-15
TeaseTown Correctional Facility for Women
JAILHOUSE BABES
This all-female variety show sees the tough-yet-talented inmates of the TeaseTown Correctional Facility ditching their balls and chains and taking to the stage, performing burlesque, stand-up, contortion and sundry other sideshow acts. The retro jailhouse-styled extravaganza is spearheaded by the multitalented Hayley Jane and Casey Miller, director of Wonderland and the Squared Circle Revue, and features some of Detroit's most notable ladies, including Audra Kubat, Jen House, Rachel Rampage and Hayley Jane herself. Doors at 9 p.m. at the Motor City Movie House inside the Russell Industrial Center, 1600 Clay St., Detroit; $10 at the door; with after show performances by Catfish Mafia each night.
FRIDAY-SUNDAY MAY 14-16
Honky-Tonk Throwdown
CAN WE GET A YEE-HAW?
Think of it as the anti-Downtown Hoedown: more than 25 rough-and-tumble honky-tonk, bluegrass, rockabilly and country musicians from near and far channeling the grit and soul of their musical forebears for three days of genuine, old-school, countrified jamming. The highlight? Sunday's performance by Wayne "The Train" Hancock, the critically acclaimed alt-country impresario who plays traditional country, Western swing, blues and rockabilly with equal aplomb. The weekend's lineup also includes Whitey Morgan & the 78's, Doop & the Inside Outlaws, and Nashville's Ned Van Go on Friday; Deadstring Brothers, the Muggs, Scarlet Oaks, Dirt Road Logic and Catfish Mafia on Saturday; and the Orbitsuns, Rachel Brooke, Texas Paul Sutherland and Nashville's Billy Don Burns on Sunday. Doors at 6 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday at PJ's Lager House, 1254 Michigan Ave., Detroit; 313-961-4668; $10 per day, $25 advance for three-day wristband; visit pjslagerhouse.com for a complete schedule.
FRIDAY-MONDAY MAY 14-17
Die! Mommie! Die!
DADDY DEAREST
Celebrated playwright and skirt-donning actor Charles Busch provides a hilarious spoof of 1960s psycho-diva thrillers in this 1999 melodrama. Recalling the latter-day films of actresses such as Joan Crawford, Lana Turner and Bette Davis, Die! Mommie! Die! tells the story of Angela Arden, a fading starlet with a stalled singing career, unhappily married to a mid-rate movie producer and saddled with a resentful daughter and disturbed son. Craving more time to spend with her young TV-star lover, Angela takes the murderous route out, slipping hubby a poison-laced suppository. But, freed of her husband, can she escape the revenge of her daddy-loving daughter? At 8 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays and Mondays and at 3 p.m. Sundays through June 7, at the Ringwald Theatre, 22742 Woodward Ave., Ferndale; 248-545-5545; whowantscaketheatre.com; $10-$20.
SATURDAY MAY 15
Processional of the Not So Ordinary
EXTRAORDINARY FACES
Eminent poster artist Mark Arminksi returns to his fine art beginnings with Processional of the Not So Ordinary, the first exhibition to focus solely on his paintings. On display are a series of dream-like and colorful portraits with "not so ordinary" subjects, including Swiss scientist Albert Hoffman, sideshow staple Jo Jo the Dog Faced Boy, actor Paul Reubens (aka PeeWee Herman) and local artist Audrey Pongrancz. Limited-edition prints of some of the works will be available for sale, and the first 30 to arrive at the opening will receive a free, signed print. The reception runs from 6 to 11 p.m. at 323East, 323 E. Fourth St., Royal Oak; 248-246-9544; exhibit stays up through June 10.
SATURDAY MAY 15
Sword of My Mouth Launch Party
THE POST-APOCALYPTIC D
In his graphic novel Therefore Repent!, Canadian author Jim Munroe introduced a post-Rapture America of magic, mutating survivors and machine-gun wielding angels. The story continues in Sword of My Mouth, a stand-alone tale set in Detroit, where those left behind are surviving thanks to urban farming savvy, and a single mother struggles with isolation and the oddities exhibited by her post-Rapture baby. Munroe and illustrator Shannon Gerard will be in attendance at the launch, which will also feature a presentation by Gayla Trail, author of Grow Great Grub, a guide to gardening in small city spaces. 7 p.m. at Leopold's Books, 15 E. Kirby St., Detroit; 313-875-4677.
SATURDAY MAY 15
$50 for 5e
INVEST IN NEW BEGINNINGS
More than 50 artists, including T3, Miz Korona, jessica Care moore, John Arnold and Invincible, will perform at $50 for 5e, a fundraiser for, and celebration of, hip-hop cultural hot spot 5e Gallery. The 12-hour event is the finale for 5e's current location and offers 5e patrons the chance to participate in a one-of-a-kind presale promotion — cough up $50 and receive 5 drink tickets and 10 admission tickets for use at the gallery's new, not-yet-opened locale, formerly the site of the Zeitgeist Gallery. Proceeds from these advance sales will bankroll needed renovations at the new space, which will include a raw juice bar and backyard garden. Purchasers also receive free entry into the music marathon, which takes place from 5 p.m. to 5 a.m. at 5e Gallery, 2125 Michigan Ave., Detroit; $5 donation without $50 purchase.
SATURDAY MAY 15
Riding and Rhythm Fest
CRANKS, CHAINS & ROCK 'N' ROLL?
Bands and bikes join forces in the Riding and Rhythm Fest, a combo of ass-kicking bike rides and kick-ass music. The fest includes three rides of varying lengths and difficulties followed by a concert featuring Americana acts the Steel Wheels, Wayward Roots and the Pickin' Bubs. The shindig is the celebratory culmination of a 400-mile bicycle tour undertaken by musicians Trent Wagler and Jay Lapp of Virginia's the Steel Wheels, who pedaled and performed across the state, from Ann Arbor to Kalamazoo to Lansing. They'll finish off the tour at the Riding and Rhythm Fest, which also features bike-centric door prizes and raffles courtesy of Ypsi's Tree Fort Bikes. Rides depart at 3:30 p.m., doors open for the event at 7 p.m. at the Savoy, 23 N. Washington, Ypsilanti; 734-485-4444; $10, $5 with bike.
SATURDAY-SUNDAY MAY 15-16
Detroit Folk Festival & Craft Fair
GATHER 'ROUND THE CAMPFIRE
Twenty-two bands and musicians take to the Trumbullplex stage for the first annual Detroit Folk Festival, which features musicians that span the folkie continuum from gentle guitar-strumming warblers to foot-stompin', accordion-humping rabble-rousers. The lineup includes local faves Audra Kubat, Matt Jones, Lac La Belle, Chris Bathgate, Orpheum Bell, Daniel Kahn and Petal Shop, as well as out-of-towners such as Georgia's the Back Pockets and Kentucky's Egret. The fest also includes local crafters, a bike raffle on Sunday and outdoor space for grilling and impromptu open mic sessions. Music goes from noon to midnight, the crafts end at 6 p.m. at the Trumbullplex, 4210 Trumbull St., Detroit; $10 for one day, $15 for both; detroitfolkfest2010.wordpress.com.
