In case Comicon didn't meet your yearly quota of geekery, here are a few events to nerd out over this weekend -- from theater and horror fandom to a celebration of Ulysses. No, really.
If meeting Kane Hodder, the man behind the hockey mask as Jason Vorhees of the Friday the 13th film series, is on your bucket list, consider this Friday the 13th your lucky day. The Mad Monster Party and its slew of horror, sci-fi, and fantasy celebs is up your darkened alley this weekend.
See also: The Full Monty from Mesa Encore Drops More Than Trou
Mad Monster magazine's love for classic monster movies and modern horror flicks guides its slate of fan conventions around the country. John Schneider (The Dukes of Hazzard, Smothered), Cassandra Peterson (Elvira, Mistress of the Dark), Rowdy Roddy Piper (WWE, John Carpenter's They Live!), Butch Patrick (The Munsters), Brad Dourif (Chuckie, Lord of the Rings), and even rockers Lita Ford and Cherie Currie are among dozens of guests. Besides requisite panels and screenings, the party includes the Miss Mad Monster pageant, Scaraoke, and Mad Mixer speed dating where spooky guys and girls can connect.
Mad Monster Party Phoenix gets ghoulish at the Sheraton Phoenix Downtown Hotel, 340 North Third Street, on Friday from 6 to 11 p.m. with $30 admission at the door. For Saturday and Sunday's hours, advance tickets, and more information, visit www.madmonsterphoenix.com. -- Jose Gonzalez
Nearly Naked Theatre's Wonderful 100 Season 15 Celebration
Ordinarily, we'd be using this space to remind you to attend the opening of Nearly Naked Theatre's Falsettos. Said opening has been postponed, however, and this weekend offers a once-in-a-lifetime event in its place: Nearly Naked Theatre's Wonderful 100 Season 15 Celebration, a concert benefitting season 16 that's a star-studded cornucopia of showtune stylings by performers who've appeared in the troupe's productions of Tommy, Rocky Horror Show, Spring Awakening, Reefer Madness, and more. The fabulous music draws from the scores of upcoming (but not yet announced) hits such as American Idiot, Next to Normal -- and William Finn's Falsettos, which we still hotly anticipate.
The Wonderful 100 are NNT's season-ticketholders and most loyal, devoted supporters. They automatically get in, but you also have a chance to attend by scurrying to www.phoenixtheatre.com/tickets or calling 602-254-2151. Admission's $18.50 to the 8 p.m. performances Friday, June 13, and Saturday, June 14, at 100 East McDowell Road. -- Julie Peterson
Nearly a century ago, Irish author James Joyce penned what would become a classic of modernist literature in Ulysses. So much so that an unofficial holiday would be spawned in honor of the novel's endearing protagonist, Leopold Bloom. Bloom, who is sort of a refitted Odysseyus (the protagonist from Homer's epic poem) possesses such a great deal of pathos that Joyce fans the world over have dedicated June 16 as a day of remembrance for the literary character. From Dublin to Des Moines, Joyce fans will gather to reflect on Bloom's peregrinations and encounters, drain a few pints and -- if tongues get loose enough -- dust off a few of the infamous "dirty letters" that Joyce wrote to his wife, Nora Barnacle, the contents of which are as delightfully lewd as they are crude.
Phoenix's Irish Cultural Center, 1106 North Central Avenue, will commemorate Bloomsday with its 8th Annual Bloomin' Beerfest at 7 p.m. Saturday, June 14. Tickets start at $10. Visit www.azirish.org or call 602-258-0109 for details. -- Rob Kroehler
2000's The Full Monty did well on Broadway, overshadowed by The Producers' opening that season. The script, by lauded Terrence McNally (Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune, Love! Valour! Compassion!, and the libretti of Kiss of the Spider Woman and Ragtime), joins 13 numbers by David Yazbek, who, besides other big musical credits, composed the theme to Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? The partial? stripping (stage magic makes it hard to say, so to speak) of beloved local actors will make downtown Mesa a happy, happy place. And a character named Horse is featured in "Big Black Man." And humor, true love, character development, life lessons, yada yada yada.
Mesa Encore Theatre presents the show at 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, June 14, at One East Main Street. It closes Sunday, June 15. Hurry. Tickets are $22 to $25 at www.mesaencoretheatre.com or 480-644-6500. -- Julie Peterson
Namaste, night owls. Looking to take your yoga practice to the moon and back? Look no further than Sutra Midtown's Lunar Flow. This summer series of vinyasa flow classes is led under the night sky with the purpose of charging your body and mind through the power of the full moon. The moon, or Guru Purnima, is considered to be a beacon of wisdom, emotion, creativity, sensitivity, and feminine power.
Sutra's Lunar Flow Series is scheduled on the full moon of each month on the rooftop at the Clarendon Hotel, 401 West
don Avenue. Classes are scheduled for 8 p.m. Sunday, June 15, and Saturday, July 13. The June class will be taught by Angie Hall and the July class will be taught by Mary Canisales. Admission is a $10 donation benefiting the Karma Sutra Initiative. Space is limited. For details, visit www.sutramidtown.com or call 602-253-9525. -- Katie Johnson
