Don't waste your weekend, Phoenix. Yeah, we know, the new season of Arrested Development is alllmost here and you just really want to re-watch all the other episodes like three times before May 26. But! That would be a huge mistake, because you'd miss out on the slew of cool things to do these weekend. Here are some of your top options.
Season Opening Reception @ Mesa Contemporary Arts Get your fine art fix when Mesa Contemporary Arts throws a bash in celebration of its most recent exhibitions -- including the brand-spankin'-new show, "Arizona Catalyst: Artists Working in and Beyond The State," on view in the North Gallery.
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The free reception takes place from 7 to 10 p.m. Friday, May 10.
Silence: Comedians on Storytelling @ Space 55 Comedians Jamie Sanderson and Steve Marek present an evening of storytelling, along with Dan Hull, Myke Dehu, Kirk Buckhout, Joy Young, Genevieve Rice, Sam Haldiman. The show gives the Phoenix-based jokesters a chance to ditch the classic setup and punchline in favor of delivering true, well-crafted tales that aren't constructed to get chuckles. Listen in on Friday, May 10, at Space 55. Admission is $5.
National Public Gardens Day @ Desert Botanical Garden Get your garden on for free Friday, May 10, during National Public Gardens Day. All you have to do is bring along one of these handy vouchers to Desert Botanical Garden, and you'll get free access to the grounds -- as well as the Spring Butterfly Exhibit, which closes on May 12.
LepreCon 39 @ Phoenix Marriott Mesa Get your sci-fi and fantasy frak on with artists, panel discussions, and gaming galore at LepreCon 39. The geekery goes down all weekend at Phoenix Mariott Mesa. Daily tickets are available at the door and cost $15 for Friday, $30 for Saturday, and $15 for Sunday.
Thoroughly Modern Millie @ Dorrance Auditorium Giddy with Gatsby fever, are we? Yes, indeed. That's thanks to this week's release of Baz Luhrmann's film adaptation of the classic, starring Leonardo DiCapio as the dandy Jay and Carrie Mulligan in the role of Daisy Buchanan. Instead of confining yourself to the movie theater to take in 1920s grandeur, we suggest sitting through another spin on the roaring decade.
Less brooding and gloomy than F. Scott Fitzgerald's take on the Gilded Age is Thoroughly Modern Millie, presented by Scottsdale Musical Theater Company (and accompanied by a full, live orchestra) through Sunday, May 12. The fringe-tinged musical comedy finds Kansas-bred Millie Dillmount in New York City, where she hunts for a wealthy hubby, finds flapper-dom, rents a room from a super-shady hotel owner, and becomes a stenographer.
Performances take place at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, May 10 and 11, and the show closes Sunday, May 12, with a 2 p.m. matinee at Dorrance Auditorium on the Phoenix Country Day School campus. General admission is $26.
