If you fancy yourself a crackerjack with a pool cue, consider joining a weekly pool tournament at Harry David’s Bar, 2700 Paxson St. Ste. H, which runs this and every Sun. starting with a sign up at 4:30 PM and the game starting at 5. $5 buy-in with a minimum of eight players, includes one free drink per player. Call 830-3277.
nightlife Lend a hand to a hurting youngster during a pizza/salad buffet benefit for Zane Goicovich, who suffers from epilepsy and Aspberger’s Syndrome, which runs from 5–8 PM at Biga Pizza, 241 W. Main St. $10/$7 kids under 12. Fifty percent of the proceeds go to Zane’s fund. Visit zanesworld.org. An informational/volunteer party occurs earlier in the day at Biga Pizza at 3:30 PM. Call Noreen at 544-5588.
Women celebrate their womanhood with cheap libations during Ladies’ Night at Harry David’s Bar, 2700 Paxson St. Ste. H, this and every Sun. at 9:30 PM. Free to attend. Call 830-3277. Impress your friends, significant other, or anyone who will listen when you rock the karaoke mic at Harry David’s, 2700 Paxson St. Ste. H, which is back in action with free karaoke at 9:30 PM, Sun.–Thu. each week. Call 830-3277.
Those looking to control their eating habits can get support from others during a meeting of Overeaters Anonymous, which meets this and every Mon. at 5:30 PM on the second floor of St. Paul Lutheran Church, 202 Brooks St. Free. Visit www.oa.org.
else’s drinking, get support with others by joining the Alateen 12Step Support Group, which meets this and every Monday at 7 PM at First United Methodist Church, 300 E. Main St. Free, use alley entrance. Call 728-5818 or visit www.al-anon.alateen.org. Spend Monday night getting tranquil and learning the intricacies of Buddhism during the class Finding Happiness in a Difficult World: An Introduction to Tibetan Buddhism and Meditation, which runs this and every Mon. from 7–8:30 PM at the Unitarian Universalist
SPOTLIGHT
When it comes to character, actor Barret O’Brien prefers kindness and understanding. “What I’m attracted to most in characters right now is heart,” he says. “Human beings that have an excess of heart…less shield, and more joy and love.”
“He’s got such an open heart, and he’s so open to the world,” he says.
Two curmudgeonly coots reunite for song, dance and cantankerous antics during the MCT Community Theatre’s rendition of Neil Simon’s The Sunshine Boys, with a performance at 6:30 PM at the MCT Center for the Performing Arts, 200 N. Adams St. $18/$15 children ages 18 and u n d e r . C a l l 7 2 8 - P L AY o r v i s i t mctinc.org for tickets.
WHAT: Ken Ludwig’s Leading Ladies
Bow down at the altar of a lost dog, not Bob Dobbs, when Reverend Craig and Sister Debby celebrate ritual and “do what we want, until we change our minds,” during the Third Annual Church of the Lost Dog, which starts at 7 PM at Free Cycles Missoula, 732 S. First St. W. Free to attend. Call Craig at 550-3033.
WHO: Montana Repertory Theatre WHEN: 7:30 PM Tue., Jan. 26–Sat., Jan. 30 with additional shows Feb. 2—4, 6 and a gala opening performance Sat., Jan. 23 WHERE: Montana Theatre, UM’s PARTV Center
Kick off the latter hours of your day of rest when the Badlander’s Jazz Martini Night welcomes saints and sinners alike with jazz DJs and jazz bands starting at 7:30 PM. Free. This week: jazz from Donna Smith, the Front Street Jazz Group, and DJs Gary Stein and Ryan Wendel.
HOW MUCH: $25 for the gala performance/ $18 general/$14 students and seniors/$8 children 12 and under
MONDAY
25
January
The weekend isn’t over ‘til you wrap it up with Jam Night at the Finish Line, 153 Meridian Road in Kalispell, with host Landslide at 8 PM. Free. Call 257-0248.
Veterans can find support with trained facilitator Chris Poloynis every Mon. at 2 PM, when PTSD group Spartans Honour meets at the Missoula Veterans Affairs Clinic, 2687 Palmer St. Free. Call 829-5400.
Bellow out your favorite pop tune so you can impress your friends and perhaps win a prize during a karaoke contest this and every Sun. at the Lucky Strike Casino, 1515 Dearborn Ave., at 9 PM. Free. Call 721-1798.
Two sessions of World Rhythm Youth Hand Drumming Class hits Tangled Tones Music Studio, 2005 South Ave. W. every Mon. At 4:30 PM, kids aged 5–7 can get their grooves on, and a class for those 8 and above begins at 5. $30/month,
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Photo courtesy of Terry Cyr
Leading Ladies features, from left, Barret O’Brien and Bret Tuomi. can try to pass themselves off as her “nieces” and score the loot. “I think Jack totally believes in Leo and will follow him to the end of the Earth,” O’Brien says. “And this particular scheme that Leo gets him into this time, it kind of pushes Jack’s limits.” The production marks O’Brien’s return trip to the Garden City. You might recognize him as the author of Eating Round the Bruise and Breach, two plays which were produced by Montana Rep Missoula in 2005 and 2006, respectively. After his stint in Missoula, O’Brien enrolled at Yale’s School of Drama, where he received his MFA in acting last summer. Although he was too consumed with his studies to write any new material during that time, a handful of his plays did grace the stage in places like New York City and Seattle. Seeing O’Brien back on the local stage will, no doubt, be a treat for Missoula audiences.
Get this: Every Mon., Lolo’s Square Dance Center, 9555 Hwy. 12, begins with beginners’ lessons at 6:30 PM and then moves into full square dance party mode at 8. First two beginners’ sessions free/$4 thereafter. Call 273-0141. Missoulians who suffer from Alzheimer’s can find help and support from others at an Alzheimer’s Support Group, which meets this and every fourth Mon. of the month from 6:30–8:30 PM in Conference Room B of St. Patrick’s Hospital, 500 W. Broadway St. Free to attend. Call Gale at 273-2429. You’ve got another chance to connect the dots this evening when the VFW hosts bingo at 7 PM. Free. If you’re 18 or under and your life has been affected by someone
January 21–January 28, 2010
At Be Here Now Sangha you can learn the basics of meditation every Mon. night at 7:30 PM at the Open Way Mindfulness Center, 702 Brooks St. Open to all religions and levels of practice. Free, but donations appreciated. Bingo is no longer in the domain of the geriatric when Colin Hickey leads Rawk ‘n Roll Bingo at 8:30 PM at the Badlander with the first bingo card for free, subsequent cards for $1. Free. Also includes a free nacho bar.
Alcohol and bowling go hand over foot during Monday Madness at Five Valley’s Bowl, 1515 Dearborn Ave., which features $1 bowling after 9 PM as well as $1.25 Coors Light cans this and every Mon. at the bowling center. Free to attend. Call 549-4158.
O’Brien says Jack, the character he plays in the Montana Repertory Theatre’s rendition of Ken Ludwig’s Leading Ladies, fits that mold perfectly.
Still, Jack’s warmness won’t translate into total seriousness when the play opens this week. Ludwig’s story is a full-on farce, which O’Brien describes as fast, furious and funny. The story follows Jack and his buddy Leo (Bret Tuomi), two actors who try to eke out a living by performing scenes from Shakespeare in Pennsylvania’s Amish country. At one point, the duo gets word that a woman in York, Pa., named Florence is about to kick the can and plans to leave a wad of cash for her nieces to inherit. So, of course, Jack and Leo dress the part in drag so they
Chad Fadely and Bill Neeves let deep musical hues of indigo waft in the air when they sling bluegrass while you sip fermented grape juice at 7 PM at the Red Bird Wine Bar, 111 N. Higgins Ave. Ste. 100. Free.
Who says America never invented a pub sport? Beer Pong proves them all wrong at the Office Bar, 109 W. Main St. in Hamilton, where alcohol and performance anxiety climax into a thing of beauty at 9 PM. Free. Call 363-6969.
hearty lads
Improvisational movement with others takes on an extemporaneous vibe during contact dance improv, this and every Sun. from 6:30–8:30 PM at the Downtown Dance Collective, 121 W. Main St. $5. Musicians are welcome and encouraged. E-mail missoulacontactimprov@gmail.com.
Missoula Independent
nightlife
What reason have you got for lying around the house watching the tube when Florence’s High Spirits offers Free Pool at 6 PM? Free. Call 273-9992.
Whet your kayaking whistle in more ways than you can handle during a whitewater kayak pool session hosted by the Montana River Association, which runs from 6–8 PM at Currents Aquatic Center, 600 Cregg Lane. $7/$5 students with ID. Call Kevin Brown at 370-4436.
Euchre is one of those games that goes great with beer because you can tell what the cards look like even if your vision is a little blurry. See what I mean, or try to anyway, tonight at Sean Kelly’s just-for-fun Euchre Tournament at 8 PM. Free.
drum rental available. RSVP 3963352 or visit tangledtones.com.
—Ira Sather-Olson Fellowship of Missoula, 102 McLeod Ave. Suggested Donation: $10 per class. Call 961-5131 or e-mail info@tibetanlanguage.org. Get centered with a meditation group at Osel Shen Phen Ling Tibetan Buddhist Center, 441 Woodworth Ave., where sadhana practice, visualization and mantra recitation cleanse the doors of perception at 7 PM. Call 543-2207. If voice imitations and energetic storytelling wins out over dark sarcasm, comedian Gabriel Iglesias is your go-to man when he commands guffaws during a stop in Missoula for his Fluffy Shop Tour, which starts at 7 PM at the Wilma Theatre. $32.50, with tickets available at Rockin Rudy’s and ticketfly.com.
Kick off your week with a drink, some free pool and an array of electronic DJs and styles for das booty during Milkcrate Mondays with the Milkcrate Mechanic at 9 PM every week, at the Palace. Free. This week: the Zookeeperz keep party animals in check with sets by Mankiisi, Lui, Hase and the Milkcrate Mechanic. See if you can become a star under the spotlight at Sean Kelly’s open mic night, hosted by Mike Avery at 9:30 PM. Free. Men drink on the cheap and can enjoy a game of pigskin, as well as karaoke, during men’s night at Harry David’s Bar, 2700 Paxson St. Ste. H, this and every Mon. at 9:30 PM. Free to attend. Call 830-3277.
TUESDAY
26
January
Sorry buddy, your hangover headaches don’t apply: the Montana Caregivers Network presents a doctor patient clinic/class for medical marijuana that runs from 8 AM–10 PM at the Hilton Garden Inn, 3720 N. Reserve St. $150–$100 or lower. Includes a free class about Montana’s medical marijuana program from noon–6 PM. To register all 207-7078 and visit montanacaregivers.net. Put your friendly hands to good use as a volunteer for the 2010 Winter Special Olympics, which occurs at the Lost Trail Powder Mountain ski area, off Hwy. 93 near the Montana/Idaho border, all of today and tomorrow. No winter sports skills are required, just an eagerness to help. Call Carla Christofferson at 3633028 to sign up. If you can’t read this, you may be a baby below the age of 36 months, in which case the Missoula Public Library wants you for Tiny Tales, a