Rhythm Method

SAT 4/24

As their eyes lock in an erotic stare-down, Joe Celej’s fingers grip Marlana
Walsh’s delicate hands, their bodies mirroring each other as their muscles tense
and release in a throbbing rhythm. It’s the sign of a good contemporary dance
performance: The human form becomes the central character. Here, the slow curve
of a woman’s neck and the subtle, sheer movement of her body line become a show
stealer. Celej, Walsh and the Houston Metropolitan Dance Company will showcase
this artistic foreplay at their Spring 2004 Concert. Ripe with an eclectic,
contemporary mix of musical dance numbers, the performance should satisfy both
highbrow dance enthusiasts and casual fans. “There’s a piece called Slip
of the Tongue that I think is going to be especially fun to watch,” says
Celej. “It’s a lovers’ quarrel — I think everyone’s gone through that kind
of moment.”

Those moments are what make Met Dance’s performances shine, says Celej. “I’d
say we definitely bring a lot of passion to the stage, which I think is lacking
a lot in local dance today.” And so far, local dance fans seem to agree. “I’ve
been in a lot of pieces where my motivation was very nonsexual,” he says, “but
people have come up to me afterward and told me that that was the most sensual
experience they’d ever seen.” 8 p.m. Saturday, April 24. Cullen Theater, 550
Prairie, 713-522-6375. $18 to $35. — Steven Devadanam

A Little Off the Top
HGO gives Barber a new look

FRI 4/23

Raise your hand if you’ve ever belted out the Figaro, Figaro, Figaro, Feee-gah-rooh lines from The Barber of Seville while in the shower. Keep it raised
if you remember the Bugs Bunny take on the opera, with Bugs as the barber, massaging
Elmer’s scalp with his ears and giving poor Fudd a pedicure with garden shears.
And wave it around if you recall the setting of this Gioacchino Rossini classic.
Right answer, if you said Seville, circa early ’60s — at least in the case
of the current HGO production. The 19th-century comedy has been updated to a
dandy Roman Holiday-esque romp. In this version, the swanky Count Almaviva
pops on stage in a 1964 Buick Electra convertible and the barber Figaro jets
around on a Vespa scooter. That wascally Bugs only wishes he had it this good.
7:30 p.m. Friday, April 23. Through May 15. Brown Theater at Wortham Center,
500 Texas. For a full schedule, call 713-228-6737 or visit www.houstongrandopera.org.
$15 to $30. — Steven Devadanam

Classic Beauty

TUE 4/27

Few would deny that the ladies of the Eroica Trio look damn fine in their sheer
evening gowns, and some critics have gone so far as to give them the Anna Kournikova
treatment. But don’t judge so quickly by appearances, ’cause there’s a
subtle difference between these classical babes and the Russian tennis hottie:
Pianist Erika Nickrenz, violinist Adela Pena and cellist Sara Sant’Ambrogio
are actually proficient at their chosen crafts. The trio will perform the music
of Beethoven, Shostakovich and Dvorak at 8 p.m. Tuesday, April 27. Stude Concert
Hall, Rice University campus, entrance no. 8 (off University Boulevard). For
information, call 713-348-5400 or visit www.eroicatrio.com.
$30 to $51.– Greg Barr

Hyde the Voices

THU 4/22

Sinister voices inside your head are no laughing matter (they’re hilarious!), especially in the case of good Dr. Jekyll (jerk-off). TUTS’s Jekyll & Hyde examines the schizophrenia in all of us, as Jekyll morphs between good-natured physician (puss) and murderous beast (badass). Catch it (go screw yourself) at 8 p.m. Thursday, April 22. Through May 9. Hobby Center for the Performing Arts, 800 Bagby. For a full schedule, call 713-558-8887 or visit www.tuts.com. $25 to $68. — Steven Devadanam