With something to do Monday through Friday, here are your plans in and around Phoenix this week.
Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Chicago Cubs @ Chase Field If it seems like an eternity since the Arizona Diamondbacks hoisted the coveted commissioners trophy in 2001, imagine being a Chicago Cubs fan. The Windy City's most storied sports franchise has had nothing but unhappy endings for more than a century. In fact, the last time the Cubbies won the whole shebang there were all of 16 teams in the big leagues, and Teddy Roosevelt was in the Oval Office. Yet despite being perennial losers, the Cubs are one of the most beloved franchises in all of sports and their fans are fiercely loyal.
See also: New Times Calendar of Events
So when the Cubs roll into to town to take on an overachieving Diamondbacks club, it will come as no surprise to see the seats of Chase Field, 401 East Jefferson Street, littered with blue and red. It will also come as no surprise if the Cubs lose. Today's game starts at 6:40 p.m. Tickets are $12 and up via www.ticketmaster.com or 602-462-6500. -- Rob Kroehler
"From House Calls to Hospitals" @ Tempe History Museum The key to staycation days is going deep, not broad, for that quirky untold story about your own town. One of Tempe History Museum's current exhibits, "From House Calls to Hospitals," continuing through Saturday, August 25, is a real conversation starter.
Since the late 19th century, being treated for illness or injury in Tempe (and, by extension, just about anywhere) has become much more high-tech and specialized and at least a little less perilous. But the old days were fun and exciting -- check the leech jar and big ol' bone saw on display. Plenty of photos, intriguing doctor bios, and other artifacts lead up to Tempe getting its own hospital in 1944 and the services that residents "enjoy" today. Admission to the museum, which is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday, July 23, is free. -- Julie Peterson
Afternoon Delight @ Herberger Theater A twist ending alone does not a masterpiece make, but if you shoehorn a couple of twists into one Herberger Lunch Time Theater show, you can enter your initials into the list of high scorers. (If there was one.) Class 6 Theatre's current production, Afternoon Delight, showcasing one-act comedies from A.R. Gurney and Samara Siskind, demonstrates that a first date and a quiet evening at home with a long-married couple can be equally surprising.
The weekday laughs continue through Thursday, August 1, at the Kax Stage at Herberger Theater Center, 222 East Monroe Street. Curtain time Wednesday, July 24, is 12:10 p.m. For advance $6 tickets and more info, including more dates and times and how to order a catered box lunch, visit www.herbergertheater.org/lunch_time_theater or call 602-252-8497. -- Julie Peterson
Joke Off @ Stand Up Scottsdale The crowd was rowdy, restless, and drinking cheap beer when the wannabe comic steps up on stage: "So, there was this astronaut." Silence. "He files to a distant planet and meets this stunning maiden stirring a large pot. Every so often she removes a baby and puts it in a crib." Silence. "The astronaut sees an opportunity: 'Want to learn how we make babies on earth?'" The crowd leans forward slightly. "They proceed to make love and once finished the maiden asks, 'Well, where's the baby?' 'Oh, that takes nine months,' the astronaut replies. 'Then, why'd you stop stirring?'" Silence, glaring silence... the comic slinks off stage. A true event. Such tragedy (that joke sucked anyway) -- but more likely triumph -- awaits modern day jokesters at the Stand Up Scottsdale's Joke Off. The weekly event offers young comics a chance to hone their monologue, try a few one-liners, and burn down the house in a friendly, non-threatening atmosphere.
The jokes fly beginning at 8 p.m. Thursday, July 25, at Stand Up Scottsdale, 6820 East Fifth Avenue. There's no cover. Visit www.standupscottsdale.com. -- Glenn BurnSilver
"Dream Season" @ Arizona Latino Arts and Culture Center Mexican and Mexican-American culture engulfs the Southwest region with various forms of expression. Murals, music, and even the food evoke passion and endurance of a people influencing the world around them. While keeping one eye on the future and the other on the past, many artists strive to spur reflection and change in hopes of preserving and establishing an identity in our Big Brother society.
Painter AztecSmurf, 33, is one such artist who uses bright acrylics and thought provoking images on the canvas to convey culture, beauty, mystery, and heartache. Many of his works resemble a mix between Frida Kahlo and Salvador Dali that demand your attention by playing with your sense of perception and reality in bold color schemes.
The Arizona Latino Arts and Cultural Center hosts his "Dream Season" exhibition through August 30 at 147 East Adams Street. Hours Friday, July 26, are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission is free. Call 602-254-9817 or see www.alacaz.org. -- Craig Smith
