june 27
Mark Curry A while back, Mark Curry was working in a drugstore, keeping the customers in stitches. No, he wasn't tending their wounds; he was making them laugh. And he was compelled to try it on a larger scale, taking his standup act to comedy clubs in his native California, then to the rest of the country via outlets such as Showtime at the Apollo and his own HBO special (there's a second one on the way). Now, he's a nice-guy basketball enthusiast from Oakland who, on the hit television sitcom Hangin' with Mr. Cooper, plays a nice-guy basketball enthusiast from Oakland. The role-model/actor/comedian performs at 7:30 and 10 p.m. tonight and 8 and 10:30 p.m. Friday. Laff Stop, 1952-A West Gray, 524-2333. $18.
National HIV Testing Day Since the mid-'80s, AIDS has been a concern to many in this nation, yet this is only the second annual National HIV Testing Day -- a promotional tool that comes not a minute too soon. Folks at the Montrose Clinic say that, because of new medicines and better health programs, HIV is becoming more manageable, but potentially life prolonging treatments can only start after the disease has been identified. Get tested, both for yourself and the ones you love. Testing from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Montrose Clinic, 215 Westheimer, 520-2000. Testing is free, but the clinic suggests a donation of $20 for those who can afford it.
KRBE Twi-Lite Fun Run Despite the cute "lite" spelling in the name, don't expect this evening run through Memorial Park to be a breezy 5K. Get real: at the appointed hour of 7:30 p.m., the Houston heat will still be coming at ya full on. On the plus side, however, a party with munchies and music starts as soon as the runners make their way around the track, and proceeds benefit the Tomjanovich Foundation. Pick up entry forms at the KRBE studio, 9801 Westheimer, or the Memorial Park Tennis Center, 1500 Memorial Loop. For info, call 266-1000. $15, which includes a 100 percent cotton T-shirt; watching fit people sweat is free.
Texas Music Festival Orchestra For four weeks, gifted young musicians have studied their crafts under professors with the University of Houston's Moores School of Music and members of the Houston Symphony; tonight, in a free public performance, they show off what they've learned. A family affair makes this concert extra special: conductor Maxim Shostakovich will lead the students in selections written by his father, Dmitri Shostakovich, the preeminent Russian composer of the Soviet generation, in honor of what would have been the elder Shostakovich's 90th birthday. Plus, Maxim's son Dmitri will perform a piano tribute to the grandfather he's named for. Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, 363-3000. Free.
friday
june 28
Houston Symphony Chorus auditions The all-volunteer chorus needs new voices for its 50th anniversary season. The test for admission into this, the official chorus of the Houston Symphony, includes vocalization, sight-singing and performing a two-minute prepared solo in the language of your choice. (Obviously, the gig requires more experience than having sung in the shower.) Those who make the cut will sing Mozart's Requiem, Ravel's Daphnis and Chloe and Brahms' German Requiem during the golden anniversary season. To request an audition information packet, call Marilyn Dyess at 238-1443. Auditions held today and Saturday.
The Uninvited The title seems wasted: it would've been perfect for a play about a pushy co-worker who always butts in on your lunch plans. But what we have here is a comedic yet classic ghost story presented with special effects. A brother and sister buy a house, find their new home occupied by spirits, then hold a seance to find out who's doing the haunting. Shows through July 14. Pasadena Little Theatre, 4318 Allen Genoa Road, 941-4636. $9.
An American in Paris Vincente Minnelli's 1951 Oscar-winner is considered the pinnacle of the Hollywood musical genre. George and Ira Gershwin provided the score; Gene Kelly choreographed and starred. In this simple, romantic tale, Kelly plays an ex-GI who falls for Leslie Caron's gamine. Shown as it was meant to be seen, on the big screen, as part of a double feature with Anchors Aweigh. 7:30 p.m. Rice Media Center, Rice University (entrance No. 8 off University), 527-4853. $4.50.
Bayou Bash It's a little bit country / It's a little bit zy-de-co. Well, Donny Osmond won't be there, but Joe "King" Carrasco, Kevin Eagan and Joe Douglas will. And there's plenty more music where that comes from during this so-called "Best Fest West of Louisiana." And where there's a fest, there's food; expect plenty of tasty boudin. 2 p.m. to midnight. Astrohall, Kirby at Loop 610. For tickets, call 629-3700. $4; $1 if you have a ticket to that night's Astros game against the Mets; free, children 12 and under.
