Holidays in houston ... sans the humbug

• Bah Humbug ... Not!Musically joyful & theatrically fun, the Alley Theatre’s A Christmas Carol is a holiday pleaser with its timeless theme of redemption. And this year, the Alley is offering a $5 discount on tickets for those individuals who donate new toys to the 6th annual Red Ribbon Toy Drive, which benefits local children affected or infected by HIV/AIDS. The toys must be dropped off at the Alley at 615 Texas Ave. by Dec. 14. • A Christmas Carol plays through December 31 @ the Alley Theatre, 615 Texas Ave. Tickets ($32—$49) can be purchased at the box office or at 713/228-8421. • Toys for the Red Ribbon Toy Drive may be donated through December 14 at AIDS Foundation Houston, the Alley Theatre, and areas throughout Houston. Call 713/623-6796 for more details.

• From Toys to Food. It’s a food drive benefiting AIDS Foundation’s Stone Soup Project. Besides food, the basic necessities and toiletries are also needed. Please take your donations to Soundwaves, 3509 Montrose, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, December 9. For more info, contact Laura Gammell at the AIDS Foundation, 713/623-6796. If Dec. 9 is not doable, donations can be taken to AFH.

• Frosty the Snowman. The children of Glenville have a unique, new friend. His name is Frosty, and he is a snowman who can walk, talk, dance, & even sing! Saturdays at 11 a.m. & 1:30 p.m., through December 30 (no performances on Dec. 23) @ The Company Onstage, 536 Westbury Square, 713/726-1219. Tickets $6 (reservations recommended).

• The Christmas Revels focuses on the windswept northwest corner of France known as Brittany and explores life in the rural village by creating a community celebration. Incorporating music, dance, poetry, children’s songs and games, and instruments unique to the Breton Celts, audiences will experience some of the traditional dances and ancient folklore of the region that have been performed for centuries by the Celts of Brittany. December 9 & 10 and 16 & 17 at U of H’s Moore’s Opera House. Tickets ($22 adults & $12 children under 12) available through Ticketmaster. For more info, call 713/668-3303.

• Black Nativity. Langston Hughes conceived two stories in Black Nativity–a gospel play to celebrate the Nativity in Bethlehem, and a contemporary story fueled by the powerful testimony of believers generations later. This adaptation is consistent with Hughes’s concept. The first act recreates the splendor of the Nativity and the birth of Christ; the second act is set in a contemporary urban setting, where the congregation has gathered for a Christmas Eve service at the Harlem River Drive Full-Gospel Church. Through December 30 @ The Ensemble Theatre, 3535 Main St., 713/520-0055.

• Season’s Readings is a free book drive event featuring local celebrities who will read popular holiday-themed stories. During each Saturday event, the Houston READ Commission will be collecting new or gently-used books. Noon—4 p.m. on December 2, 9, & 16 @ Uptown Park, Post Oak Blvd. at Loop 610. For more information or a listing of confirmed celebrities, visit www.uptownparkhouston.com or call 713/297-6282.

• Houston Ballet rings in the holiday season with Ben Stevenson’s staging of The Nutcracker. In the ballet, a little girl named Clara receives a magical nutcracker on Christmas Eve, and sets out on a wondrous journey to the Land of the Snow and the Kingdom of the Sweets. Through December 30 @ the Wortham Center. Tickets $11.50—$67.50 can be purchased by calling 713/227-ARTS (2787). (The "Nutty" Nutcracker, a spoof of The Nutcracker, caps the run with a 7:30 p.m. performance on Dec. 30; for this performance, tickets are $11.50—$76.50.)

• The Toys Take Over Christmas. Pre-K through 4th graders can experience the power of loyalty, love, & compassion in this story of a very special rag doll; entertaining & educational. Tickets are $8; $6 a ticket for groups of 10 or more. Through December 23 @ Stages Repertory Theatre, Allen Parkway at Waugh, 713/52-STAGE.

• ComedySportz presents two Santa Send-Off matches, which will easily be the answer for what to do with those hard-to-please relatives in town for the holidays. Or you might just send the kids to the show so you can put together the red wagon that has a thousand parts and instructions in Chinese. Either way, these two holiday-themed shows are sure to fill you with cheer. And if you bring a childhood photo of yourself on Santa’s lap, we’ll take $2 off your $10 admission. The matches kick off at 7:30 & 10 p.m. on Friday, December 22, @ Lambert Hall, 1703 Heights Blvd (at 17th St.). For more information, call 713/868-1444.

• A Fertle Holiday chronicles the Fertle family’s trouble-ridden reunion as they attempt to entertain their rich relatives from San Diego. This comedy is suitable for friends and family of all ages. Thursdays—Saturdays, through January 13 @ Radio Music Theatre, 2623 Colquitt. Tickets ($15) must be purchased in advance at the theater or by calling 713/522-7722. Reservations required.

OTHER CALENDAR EVENTS FOR DECEMBER

3 (Sun.)

PFLAG (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) meets for their holiday party. 2 pm @ Christ Church Cathedral, 1117 Texas. PFLAG Helpline: 713/867-9020.

3 (Sun.)

Merry & Bright. The Houston Lesbian & Gay Community Center puts on holiday drag at a festive tree-trimming and decorating party. A 50/50 raffle (tickets $2) conducted during the evening will result in some lucky elf receiving half the holiday pot. Cookies, eggnog, and holiday punch will be served. $5 donation to support center programming encouraged. 7 pm @ the center, 803 Hawthorne, 713/524-3818.

6 (Wed.)

Free Pap Smears. Planned Parenthood of Houston/Southeast Houston is celebrating its Free Pap Smear Day at its 10 clinics. All women are welcome and encouraged to make an appointment for a free pap test: 713/831-6556.

6, 9, 13, 20, 27 (Wed.)

HIV Testing. The Montrose Clinic offers free confidential HIV testing and counseling every Wednesday, 6-9 pm @ the Houston Lesbian & Gay Community Center, 803 Hawthorne. Center: 713/524-3818. Clinic: 713/830-3000. Please note: Free & confidential HIV/AIDS testing is also available from 2—4 pm on the 13th & 27th in Conroe at Northwoods AIDS Coalition, 1414 South Frazier, Ste. 106. More info: 936/441-1614.

7 (Thu.)

Colors & Dreams. Pamala Oslie, the author of LifeColors and Make Your Dreams Come True, travels from Santa Barbara to do a book signing at 7 pm @ Bookstop, 2922 Shepherd at Alabama, 713/529-2345.

9 (Sat.)

Develop Confidence and self-esteem through personal boundaries & effective confrontation. This class will not only explain step-by-step methods of how to confront someone effectively but also will identify ways to overcome being manipulated, controlled, & intimidated due to differences in personality styles. Also discussed will be the importance of personal boundaries & how they are essential to healthy relationships, confidence, & personal integrity. $22 for the 2-hour class, 10 am—noon. To register: 713/529-4414. More info: Denise O’Doherty at 713/524-9525.

10 (Sun.)

Five Easy Pieces. One of the great films of the ‘70s, Five Easy Pieces stars Jack Nicholson as a one-time classical pianist now disenchanted with his bourgeois background. A lonely man, adrift in the world and unable to find self-understanding, Nicholson’s character takes to the road and wanders from job to job and woman to woman. The film features the famous coffee-shop scene where Nicholson places a "special order." Karen Black and Susan Anspach co-star. 7 pm in the Museum of Fine Arts’ Brown Auditorium, 1001 Bissonnet. $5 admission ($4 students/seniors). More info: 713/639-7531.

10 (Sun.)

Jingle Bell Run & Walk. More than 7,000 runners and 3,000 participants, many sporting holiday costumes, will make Sam Houston Park very colorful for this fun-filled affair. Participants of all fitness levels are sure to find their niche in one of the four races that will take place. The one-mile kids’ run, for those 13 & under, will kick off the event at 2:30 pm; the five-mile wheelchair event starts at 2:55; the five-mile adult run starts at 3:00; the three-mile family walk (strollers & wagons welcome) starts at 3:05. All events begin in front of the Downtown YMCA at 1600 Louisiana. Info/registration: www.jinglebellrun.org.

10 (Sun.)

Voices Breaking Boundaries 2000 (VBB2000) is a collective forum for writers from a diversity of perspectives, backgrounds, and countries. It hosts literary readings and open mikes on the second Sunday of each month and its goal is to offer Houston’s diverse community regular events filled with poetry, prose, music, and global thinking. VBB2000 will hold an open mike literary reading, featuring young writers Anthony Francis, Julie Levy, Maya Marshall, and Radames Ortiz. Lance Johnson will perform opening music. 7 pm @ Borders Books, 570 Meyerland Plaza.

10 (Sun.)

Journey to the Promise. Participate in this Christmas cantata. 9 & 11 am @ Resurrection MCC, 2025 W. 11th St. at T.C. Jester. More info: 713/861-9149.

11 & 12 (Mon. & Tue.)

GayDAR and For Mature Audiences Only, both part of Bering Support Network, are celebrating the holidays. • GayDAR (Dream*Affirm *Restore) is a wellness community of 22—35-year-old GLBT persons interested in making healthy connections & personal growth. They meet on Mondays, and the 11th is their holiday celebration. • For Mature Audiences Only is an inclusive multi-issue health & wellness community of persons over age 35 to celebrate the successes and share the challenges of midlife changes. Their potluck dinner takes place on the 12th. • For more info on either event: Russ Robinett, 713/526-1017, ext. 206, or e-mail to rbmumc@clearsail.net.

14, 21, 28 (Thu.)

Bi Now. Bi-Net Bisexual Network of Houston now holds topic discussion meetings on three Thursdays of every month. A topic discussion group for women meets on the second Thursday of the month. A mixed-gender group meets on the third Thursday. A men’s group meets on the 4th Thursday. Because of the holidays, call to confirm December meetings. 7:30 pm @ the Houston Lesbian & Gay Community Center, 803 Hawthorne. More info: 713/524-3818 (the center) or 713/467-4380 (Bi-Net).

15 & 16 (Fri. & Sat.)

The Boat (Das Boot) and Mad Max. Winning huge audiences and six Oscar nominations, Wolfgang Petersen’s (The Perfect Storm) docudrama Das Boot depicts World War II from a German perspective. Crew members of a U-boat are ordered to torpedo Allied ships in the North Atlantic. With a German submarine as the centerpiece, the patriotic element of U.S. audiences is removed, and the suspense is increased. According to the film, the dimensions of a German U-boat are 10 feet by 150 feet; the claustrophobic conditions and reactions of the soldiers to the war outside allow viewers to identify with the human element, not the mission. The director’s cut of the film features more than an hour of extra footage than the original release. Plays Friday, December 15. • In the cult favorite Mad Max, set sometime in the near future, Max (Mel Gibson) is an enthusiastic young police officer who considers resigning after a tragic car chase with a motorcycle. When a nomadic biker gang member kills a close friend, Max does leave the force. He takes his family on the road, leading to a fateful, face-to-face encounter with the renegade band of bikers. Plays Saturday, December 16. • $5 each ($4 students/seniors). Both films screened at 7:30 pm in the Brown Auditorium of the Museum of Fine Arts, 1001 Bissonnet. More info: 713/639-7531.

16 (Sat.)

Breakfast & Gingerbread. First enjoy breakfast with Santa at 8:30 & 10:30 am, then build a gingerbread house at 10:30 am & noon, both @ Resurrection MCC, 2025 W. 11th St. at T.C. Jester. Info: 713/861-9149.

16 & 17 (Sat. & Sun.)

The Beaver Trilogy. Comprised of three different films featuring then-unknowns Sean Penn and Crispin Glover, The Beaver Trilogy was inspired by noted cult fimmaker Trent Harris’s chance encounter with a gawky young man from Beaver, Utah, who unexpectedly performs impersonations of celebrities such as Sylvester Stallone, John Wayne, and Barry Manilow. However, his prized talent above all is his "dead-on" impersonation of Olivia Newton-John, an act he will later perform for Harris’s camera in the hopes of being seen on TV. Equal parts documentary, slapstick comedy, and compelling coming-of-age drama with a trio of drag renditions of Newton-John’s "Please Don’t Keep Me Waiting," Trilogy defies all categorization. • Saturday, December 16 at 7:30 & 9:30 p.m.; Sunday, December 17 at 7 & 9 p.m. @ Rice Media Center, University Blvd. & Stockton. $5 (students/seniors $4). For more info, call 713/348-4853 or visit www.ruf.rice.edu/~cinema.

24 (Sun.)

Christmas Eve Services can be attended at 9 or 11 am and at 6 or 10:30 pm @ Resurrection MCC, 2025 W. 11th St. at T.C. Jester. More info: 713/861-9149.

PLANNING AHEAD FOR JANUARY

5 (Fri.)

Movie Time. Family Movie Night returns with a surprise double bill to kick off the new year. Nosh on complimentary popcorn! $3 admission includes one free beverage. 7 pm @ the Houston Lesbian & Gay Community Center, 803 Hawthorne. For more info: 713/524-3818.

6—9 (Sat.—Tue.)

Bible Abuse. Dr. Rembert Truluck, author of Steps to Recovery from Bible Abuse, will present a workshop on the book title, Saturday, 10 am—3 pm; preach at 9 & 11 am services on Sunday; and present a seminar on "Why Religion Has Failed" on Tuesday, 7—8:30 pm. Truluck has a doctor of theology from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and was a Southern Baptist pastor for 20 years. He was also a professor of religion at Baptist College in Charleston, South Carolina, for eight years. He has MCC clergy credentials. All programs will be held at Resurrection MCC Church, 2025 West 11th Street. Copies of Truluck’s book may be ordered from Resurrection Inspirations bookstore by callling 713/861-9149, ext. 116.

PERFORMING ARTS

• 1940s Radio Hour. In a small seedy radio station on Dec. 21, 1942, a group of radio personalities prepare for their show. In the half hour before the broadcast and during the show itself, the audience is treated to such old favorite tunes as "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy From Company B" and "That Ol’ Black Magic," to name a few. Fridays & Saturdays at 8 pm, through Jan. 6 (no performances Dec. 22 & 23) @ The Company Onstage, 536 Westbury Square, 713/726-1219. Tickets $12 (reservations recommended).

• And the World Goes ’Round is a review of the works of Kander and Ebb, who wrote the music & lyrics for such shows as Cabaret, Chicago, The Rink, 70 Girls 70, Kiss of the Spider Woman, & many other classic American musicals. The show features songs & musical numbers from these shows, as well as many others, and includes songs they wrote prior to joining the world of musical theater. Fridays, Saturdays, & Sundays, through Dec. 16, @ the Country Playhouse, 12802 Queensbury, 713/467-4497.

• Annie Get Your Gun is the highly fictionalized story of Annie Oakley, one of the world’s most famous sharpshooters. The musical celebrates her stormy, competitive relationship with Frank Butler, a dashing vaudeville marksman, as they tour the country as the stars of "Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show." Annie Get Your Gun was the Tony winner for Best Musical Revival in 1999. Marilu Henner, a Broadway, television, and film star, plays the role of Annie Oakley, and Tom Wopat re-creates his Tony-nominated role of Frank Butler. Dec. 19—24 @ Jones Hall. Tickets ($31.25—$56.25) can be purchased at all Ticketmaster outlets and online at Ticketmaster.com; to charge by phone, call 713/629-3700. SPECIAL TO OUTSMART PRIDE CARD HOLDERS: As a holiday treat for the Friday, Dec. 22 matinee at 2 pm, you can purchase a "Family Four Pack" for $100 (plus facility fees & Ticketmaster charges). That’s over 50% off regular ticket prices! Additional seats can be purchased for $25. Available by phone at 713/629-3700 or at all Ticketmaster outlets. Please mention code words "OutSmart Pride Card" to receive discount. (Click here for an interview with Susann Fletcher, the openly gay co-star of Annie Get Your Gun.)

• A Bad Night’s Sleep is all about the agony of suffering through a bad night’s sleep. It’s loaded with original music, bogus commercials, & several of Radio Music Theatre’s most hilarious pieces from their nationally syndicated radio comedy ... plus a one-act featuring "The Singing Fertle Family." $15 admission & reservations required; food & drink are available throughout the show. Thursdays—Saturdays @ Radio Music Theatre, 2623 Colquitt, 713/522-7722.

• Buber Malone. A special holiday offering, this touching drama explores the memories of an elderly widow & the mysterious "gentleman caller" she receives on dark Christmas Eve. Through Dec. 9 @ The Little Room Downstairs Studio, 2326 Bissonnet, 713/522-LRDS (5737).

• Company. Stephen Sondheim, considered one of Broadway’s greatest composers, examines life, love, & relationships in this groundbreaking musical about a bachelor named Robert and his friends, all of whom are in various stages of coupledom. Tickets $19—$42. Through Dec. 31 @ Stages Repertory Theatre, 3201 Allen Parkway, 713/52-STAGE.

• The Kathy & Mo Show—Parallel Lives by Kathy Najimy & Mo Gaffney. This hilarious & biting comedy explores the plight of women & men and the pandmonium that ensues when the two sexes try to get together for more than a drink. Tickets $18 & $20. Fridays, Saturdays, & Sundays, through Dec. 10 @ Theater LaB Houston, 1706 Alamo, 713/868-7516.

• The Last Night of Ballyhoo. Romance blossoms between a young couple from different worlds: Sunny Freitag, the Southern girl home from college for the holidays, and Joe Farkas, her uncle’s Yankee employee. Meanwhile, Sunny’s cousin LaLa has no date for Ballyhoo, only the single most important social event in Atlanta’s Jewish community. Even though Joe finds it incomprehensible that this Jewish family has a Christmas tree in the living room but doesn’t celebrate Chanukah, he has issues about his place in their lives. Through Dec. 17 @ Main Street Theater, 2540 Times Blvd., 713/524-6706.

• Release Yearning delves deeply into the issue of separation, both personal & institutional. Setting the scene are characters Emma, visiting a man on death row as a political statement, and Cam, the inmate. Emma falls in love with Cam which leads her through a series of actions including smuggling contraband to her imprisoned lover and providing Cam with the means to end his life before the state does it for him. 8 pm, through Dec. 16 @ DiverseWorks, 1117 East Freeway, 713/355-3445.

• Sin. From the writer of The House of Yes comes a devilishly funny contemporary morality play set in San Francisco on the eve of the 1989 earthquake. The story centers on helicopter traffic reporter "Avery Bly on High" who is trying to keep herself above life’s messiness. Her soon-to-be-ex-husband is an alcoholic, her roommate is a glutton, she’s trapped in a helicopter with an envious co-worker, and her blind dates are disasters. It takes the death of her brother to teach her that pride is the deadliest of all sins, and it takes an act of God to bring her down to earth. Tickets $14 (students/seniors $10). Fridays & Saturdays at 8 pm, Sundays at 2 pm, through Dec. 31 @ Actors Theatre of Houston, 2506 South Boulevard, 713/529-6606.

• The Wiz. Winner of seven Tony Awards, this version of L. Frank Baum’s The Wizard of Oz has a jazzy rock score, colorful, eye-popping visual spectacle, & dialogue that brings this fairy tale down to earth for modern audiences with pounding excitement & several suprising twists. Presented by Theatre Under The Stars, Dec. 5—17 @ the Arena Theatre, 7326 Southwest Frwy @ Fondren, 713/558-TUTS (8887). Tickets ($15—$57) are available online at www.tuts.com, by phone at 800/678-5440, or in person at the TUTS box office (2600 Southwest Frwy).

PERFORMING ARTS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE

• Frosty the Snowman. See the holiday section at the beginning of Calendar.

• Shakespeare, Rattle & Role. Doth Shakespeare giveth you the willies? Hath poetry become a plague unto thee? Then this one’s for you! InterActive Theater Company continues the 2000-2001 season with a brand-spankin’-new look at some really old plays. So for everyone whoever thought Shakespeare was difficult or outdated, here’s an hour-long revue of his best comedies, tragedies, & histories presented especially for children. Tuesdays—Fridays at 9 & 11 am, Saturdays at 11 am, through Dec. 16 @ Lambert Hall Performing Arts Center, 1703 Heights Blvd. at W. 17th St. Tickets $5 for children & adults. More info: 713/862-7112.

• The Toys Take Over Christmas. See the holiday section at the beginning of Calendar.

RADIO

• After Hours. Saturdays, midnight to 3 am. Featuring the QMZ (Queer Music Zone) with Jimmy Carper. KPFT 90.1 FM.

• Lesbian & Gay Voices. Mondays, 8-10 pm. Features, news, music, interviews, reviews, and commentary. KPFT 90.1 FM, 713/526-4000.

ART/PHOTOGRAPHY

• Art Classes for People With HIV: The Art League of Houston is offering free art classes for people with HIV. The ongoing course meets every Thursday & Friday from 1-4 pm at the Art League, 1953 Montrose. Mixed media projects for the artist and non-artist. Constructive art-making in a relaxed atmosphere. Focus is on the healing power of art. More info: 713/523-9530. The Museum of Fine Arts Houston is offering free art classes for those with HIV/AIDS. Patrick Palmer begins his 9th year offering art instruction. Abstract painting, linoleum-cut greeting cards, & ceramics are some of the media offerings for the fall semester. Class is limited to 16. Everything is free, even lunch! The classes meet at the Glassell School of Art every Friday, 1—4 pm, 5101 Montrose Blvd., room 202. For more info: 713/639-7500 or 713/526-1118.

• Art-o-mat. DiverseWorks joins a network of sites throughout the U.S. serving as hosts for a national project known as Art-o-mat. Artists T. Clark Whittington and George Doles III, residents of the tobacco town of Winston-Salem, founded the Art-o-mat project in 1997. Their mission was to create an outlet where artists can expose their names & works to people who would otherwise not see it. They worked under the premise that art should be progressive, yet personal & approachable. What better way to do this than with a heavy cold steel machine? Whittington has refurbished an old cigarette vending machine specifically for DiverseWorks. The group Artists In Cellophane, as well as Houston-based artists, have filled the machine with original works of art that can be yours to keep for a mere $3—$5. The machine will be refilled with new art monthly. DiverseWorks will keep it filled to meet your demand. Through June 2001 @ DiverseWorks, 1117 East Freeway, 713/223-8346.

• Changing Genders? New York-based artist Martha Burgess will transform the Rice Art Gallery into a giant world of brightly colored stripes for her new interactive installation Manly on the Plaid. The exhibition is the latest chapter in Burgess’ ongoing multimedia series, Ignatz’ Nose Travels in Still Life. • Ignatz mouse, the character named in the series title, is a reference and homage to renowned cartoonist George Herriman and his cartoon strip Krazy Kat. "What really drew me to it," she says, "was that Krazy Kat himself, or herself, was constantly changing genders." • Ambiguous sexuality–and a wry sense of humor–are also evident in the objects Burgess chooses for her color-saturated photographic still lifes, which come to life on her CD ROM. At offbeat computer stations, visitors can relax and glide the mouse over pictures that dissolve into new images, whose surprising meanings are revealed through animated sequences, soundtracks, video clips, poems, jokes, and interactive stories. • Drawing on diverse sources ranging from art history, Chinese history, linguistics, feminist and queer studies, and popular culture, Burgess describes her work as "treading somewhere between the archive and the kitchen sink." • Through December 17 @ Rice University Art Gallery, 713/348-6069. Because of the subject matter, parental guidance is recommended.

• Deborah Kass: The Warhol Project. In 1992 Kass began the Warhol Project, appropriating the style & images of pop culture icon Andy Warhol. Thirty years after Warhol completed his first silkscreened image, Kass substitued her own likeness for Warhol’s. And by replacing Warhol’s treasured celebrities with her own cultural & personal heroes, Kass goes to the very heart of questions about originality, celebrity, & representation. The exhibition features 28 large-scale silkscreen images and is accompanied by a 100-page catalog. Through Dec. 17 @ Blaffer Gallery, which is located on the University of Houston’s main campus, entrance # 16 off Cullen Blvd. Info: 713/743-9528.

• From Above. Twenty-five views of the city of Houston, taken from the perspective of Alex MacLean’s single-engine Cessna. From the Ship Channel to the suburban prairie, his photos reveal landscapes as abstract compositions, providing a vital perspective on the relationship between natural & manmade environments. Through Jan. 7, 2001 @ the Menil Collection, 1511 Branard, 713/525-9400.

• Palace marks the U.S. premiere of new work by three Swedish artists. The exhibition features a parallel & partially intertwined presentation of works about the passage of time & the impermanent nature of life. Through Dec. 16 @ DiverseWorks, 1117 East Freeway, 713/223-8346.