Night & Day

Thursday
February 4
Love, prison, and who's prettier--Sarah Vaughan or Lena Horne?--are all heatedly discussed in Jitney, August Wilson's 1979 play centered around the conversations of six cab drivers. But these guys have bigger worries than their next hot date. "Urban renewal," a.k.a. "Negro removal," is coming to their neighborhood--and the old warehouse that houses the cab station is one of the first buildings scheduled for the wrecking ball. Progress looks more like a threat than a promise. Should they stand up for themselves, or just pour another cup of bad coffee? They hash it out in an 8 p.m. performance of Jitney at Karamu Theatre, 2355 East 89th Street. Tickets are $15 and $17.50; call 216-795-7070. The show runs through February 21.

Friday
February 5
Punk bands who stay together more than a couple of years run the risk of actually learning how to play their instruments. One such outfit is Anti-Flag, which started out in 1988 as "the only punk rockers in Glenshaw, Pennsylvania." Later, they branched out to Pittsburgh, where they have a loyal following, and slogged through a couple of U.S. tours (including one that lasted only a week and a half). They don't deliver their anarchy too militantly, their aesthetic tending more toward "Let's play these three chords really fast and loud" than "Let's all chew on a bar of soap." The Flag men will perform at the Phantasy Nite Club, 11802 Detroit Avenue in Lakewood, starting at 8 p.m. Tickets are $5 ($8 for punks under 21) and are available at 216-241-5555.

Saturday
February 6
They've recorded with Tiny Tim and toured with Mojo Nixon. But the cheesiest gig for New Duncan Imperials, a cowpunk band whose singles include "Motel 666" and "Schizophrenic (No I'm Not)," was probably opening for Jerry Lee Lewis a few years back. "He was like a corpse with a motor," recalls guitarist Pigtail Dick. "You know, that dude is old, and he's had a hard life." (The Killer was apparently helped on stage by none other than Dr. Nick, Elvis's prescription writer.) Such glamour has thus far eluded the New Duncans, who first enjoyed wide popularity among homeless people in Memphis, and then made a name for themselves in Chicago, where they threw pigs' ears and Lucky Charms into the crowd. Drummer Goodtime started out by playing a cardboard box. "Actually, he was a pretty good box player," says Dick. The party starts at 8 p.m. at Wilbert's, 1360 West Ninth Street, 216-771-2583. Tickets are $8.

They stole Edgar Allan Poe's brain! Or thought about it, anyway, in Nightfall With Edgar Allan Poe, a new play by local writer Eric Coble that's part of the staged readings at the Next Stage Festival of New Plays. While Poe hovers at death's door, his doctor entertains the thought of cutting through his patient's skull and dissecting his brain. Meanwhile, Eddie drifts in and out of various dream states that include a kind of greatest hits compilation of his stories and poems, classically retold with the help of the sundry voices in his head. The bells start ringing at 4 p.m. at the Cleveland Play House, 8500 Euclid Avenue. Tickets are $5; call 216-795-7000.

Bands from as far away as Nigeria and Detroit (if you're smoking a big fat spliff, that's far, too) come to town tonight for the Winter Reggae Festival, a tribute to Bob Marley. The Mandators from Lagos, Nigeria--where they play in soccer stadiums, but never during a match--blend politically conscious lyrics with African and Jamaican rhythms. They be jammin' with the Motor City's Black Market Reggae Band, which concentrates on cover tunes. Things get rolling at 9 p.m. at the Odeon, 1295 Old River Road. Tickets are $10 in advance by calling 216-241-5555, $15 at the door.

Black holes are the astronomical version of office cubicles--matter compressed into extremely small spaces. "Even light can't escape," says Schuele Planetarium Director Bill Gerling, let alone Post-it Notes and ring binders. Gerling will talk about black holes--collapsed stars which actually have the mass of about twenty suns--in a family slide lecture called "I Fell Into a Black Hole (But It's Shrinking)." Gerling says that he, not Screaming Jay Hawkins, came up with the title. He'll show images of black holes in various stages of implosion and talk about how they got there and what they suck in. Showtimes are 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. today at Schuele Planetarium in the Lake Erie Nature and Science Center, 28728 Wolf Road in Bay Village. Evening visitors will also have a chance to view the night sky (now showing: Jupiter and Saturn). Admission is $5 adults, $3 kids; call 440-871-4792 for more information.