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Urban Planner: January 21, 2009
THEATRE: Week two of Jerry Springer: The Opera (the inevitable follow-up to Reefer Madness: The Musical) starts tonight, with a special midnight performance this Saturday (January 24). With character names like “God” and “Peaches,” the musical is designed to both entertain and offend. Cheers to Hart House Theatre for bringing the London west-end hit to Toronto. The play runs until January 31. Hart House Theatre (7 Hart House Circle), 8 p.m., $25 ($15 students and seniors).
FILM: Sexy dance flick or comic tragedy—you decide. The Rumba run at the Royal ends tomorrow night, with only two 7 p.m. screenings left to enjoy. The film was shown during Critics’ Week at Cannes 2008 and has been getting warm reviews everywhere it goes. It offers dance, tragedy, and physical comedy all in one—a reel pick-me-up. Royal Cinema (608 college Street), 7 p.m., $10.
ART: We’re beginning to see a pattern here: yet another free bus trip is planned from the Gladstone Hotel to a gallery outside the downtown core. This time the magic bus goes to the gala opening of “The Way I Are” at the Blackwood Gallery in Mississauga. The exhibition of artists working in multiple media has let slang, in particular the title of the Timbaland song, be the inspiration for an exploration of visual language. Blackwood Gallery (3359 Mississauga Road), Departure from Gladstone Hotel (1214 Queen Street West), 6–9 p.m., FREE.
LECTURE: Dr. Marion Nestle—New York University nutrition professor, author of What to Eat, and not a member of the Nestlé clan—is giving a talk on the subject of her new book Food Politics: Personal Responsibility vs. Social Responsibility. As an advocate of public health, Dr. Nestle argues strongly for government regulation of what goes into our food. For Dr. Nestle, and anyone else who cares about what goes into their mouths, food is political. Hart House Great Hall (7 Hart House Circle), 7 p.m., $10 (FREE for students).
MUSIC: We caution that we’re not convinced a tribute to the Beastie Boys is a good idea, even if we do appreciate the sentiment. Nevertheless, there’s more than enough material to cover—and our friends at Zoilus are giving tonight’s tribute the double-star thumbs up. Nick Flanagan is acting as host for the show, with contributions from D-Sisive, Matt Collins, The Mark Inside, Proposterous, The Grim Preachers, Pissed to the Eye, DJ Hajahbug, and more. Velvet Underground (510 Queen Street West), 9 p.m., $7.