5 Best Things to Do in Metro Phoenix This Week

Blackesque

Vixen Noir is a multihyphenate artist so multi that she’s based out of both San Francisco and Los Angeles. The singer, songwriter, recording artist, erotic performance artist, producer, and director is dropping a megaton bomb of black queer sensuality in downtown with Blackesque on Monday, June 8. The mix of burlesque, music, and performance boasts an eclectic lineup with Noir herself doing it up with L.A.’s Kim Tillman, Kaoz from Minneapolis, and Phoenix’s own Joy Young, among others.

Blackesque: The Queerotic Music Tour sashays to {9} The Gallery, 1229 Grand Avenue. Doors open at 7 p.m., and the show starts at 7:30. Admission is $20 at the door. For advance tickets and more info, visit www.vixennoir.com. Jose Gonzalez

Mallecho

Mallecho’s an old word for mischief, and it’s an appropriate title for James Garcia’s new play based on William Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Mallecho takes place in the present, centering on a well-off Latino oil family with political aspirations. Complete with murder, a ghost, and doomed love affairs, it will satisfy your need for brooding tragedy.

New Carpa Theater Company presents the play as part of Herberger Theater’s Lunch Time Theater series in a preview Monday, June 8, at 7 p.m. on the Herberger’s Kax Stage, 222 East Monroe Street. Tickets are $3; call 602-252-8497 or visit www.herbergertheater.org for details. Midday performances ($6) continue through Thursday, June 18. Mallecho also runs at Arizona Opera Center, 1636 North Central Avenue, Friday, June 19, through Sunday, June 21. Call 623-252-2772. Julie Peterson

Phoenix Sparks

Join Local First Arizona as they bring 10 of the state’s most diverse, innovative, and passionate leaders of local communities together for Phoenix Sparks on Wednesday, June 10, at 6 p.m. at Orpheum Theatre, 203 West Adams Street. Speakers will each have five minutes and twenty slides in which they will share what inspires them to continue to grow and build their community. The lineup includes Kade Twist of Postcommodity, Silvana Salcido Esparza of Barrio Café, Miguel Jardine of the Local Soil Company, Joe Johnston of Agritopia, and more.

Stick around for the after-party until 10 p.m. in the Orpheum courtyard for live music, entertainment, and food trucks. Tickets are $10 in advance or $12 at the door. For more information, visit the event’s Facebook page. Evie Carpenter

Tom Segura

Tom Segura's laid-back delivery is perfectly suited to his musings that start out observational but then often take a left toward the absurd. The comic's easy going charm makes him a natural for hitting up podcasts, radio shows, and TV talk shows like Conan. Segura doesn't just dish out the funny for others; he records the Your Mom's House podcast with his wife and fellow comedian, Christina Pazsitzky. 

Segura's dulcet and hilarious tones land in the Valley for just one night when he stops by Stand Up Live, 50 West Jefferson Street, on Thursday, June 11. The show starts at 8 p.m., and tickets are $17. To purchase tickets and for more info, visit www.standuplive.com.  Jose Gonzalez

Move Live

Okay, Dancing with the Stars fans, we don’t have to tell you what’s going to be launching out of Phoenix Friday, June 12. For everyone else, we’ll catch you up real quick. Brother-and-sister dancing duo Derek and Julianne Hough will start Move Live on Tour 2015 at Comerica Theatre, 400 West Washington Street, at 8 p.m. Though the two are most known for their choreography and dance skills, Move Live on Tour promises to be so much more, including singing, a little motivational speaking, and all around entertainment. Based on the teaser performances they’ve been doing recently, the show is going to be a high-energy, adrenaline-pumping experience for both the dancers and the audience. Tickets start at $38.50 and can be purchased at comericatheatre.com. Evie Carpenter

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