Calendar

CALENDAR CALENDAR

BY PAUL FRISWOLD BY PAUL FRISWOLD

Jean-François Millet, French, 1814–1875; Starry Night, c. 1850-1865; oil on canvas; 25 3/4 x 32 inches; Yale University Art Gallery, Leonard C. Hanna, Jr., Class of 1913, Fund 2020.44

Winslow Homer, American, 1836–1910; e Bright Side, 1865; oil on canvas; 12 3/4 × 17 inches; Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, Gi of Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd 2020.55

THURSDAY 02/13

Hong Kong Beauty

Hark Tsui’s martial arts comedy Peking Opera Blues was the first of his films to hit the American arthouse circuit back in the 190s, but it’s not an easy film for a :esterner to follow unless you’re a keen historian of the Chinese 5evolution. Still, there’s a great deal of visual appeal and action to tide you over. Brigitte /in, Sally <eh and Cherie Chung are three strangers thrown together by the rising chaos of 1920s China. Sun <at-Sen is waging war against the empire in hopes of establishing a new republic, and various warlords are trying to grab as much power as they can. Brigitte /in plays the cross-dressing 7sao :an, whose father is a general. Sally <eh is aspiring opera star 3at 1eil, whose ambition is thwarted by the long-standing tradition of men playing women’s roles on stage, while Cherie Chung is a petty thief. 7ogether they run from the palace to BeiMing 7heater, trying to do what they think is best. 7here’s much footage of the ȵamboyant Chinese 2pera, as well as rooftop fights, narrow escapes and some slapstick comedy. ,t’s a visual feast. Peking Opera Blues

is shown by the :ebster )ilm Series at  p.m. 7hursday, )ebruary 13, at :ebster 8niversity’s 0oore Auditorium 0 (ast /ockwood Avenue www.webster.edufilmseries. 7ickets are 5 to .

FRIDAY 02/14

Love in Motion

,f you’re tired of the dinner-anda-movie route for 9alentine’s Day, maybe it’s time to step up to dinner and a ballet. 7he Saint /ouis Ballet Moins forces with the Arianna String 4uartet to present a romantic evening titled “Could This Be Love?” 7he centerpiece is the ballet The American, which was choreographed by Christopher :heeldon for the Broadway musical An American in Paris. 7he piece is set to Dvorak’s String Quartet No. 12 in F Major, which is set to the climactic ballet performance at the end of the musical. ,t should set an appropriately romantic mood. Also on the program are new ballets by company artistic director *en +oriuchi and (mery /eCrone. “Could 7his Be /ove?ȋ is performed at  p.m. )riday and Saturday and 230 p.m. Sunday )ebruary 1 to 1 at the 7ouhill 3erforming Arts Center on the 8niversity of 0issouri-St. /ouis campus 1 8niversity Drive at 1atural Bridge 5oad www.stlouisballet.org. 7ickets are 3 to 59.

Peaks and Valleys

WEEK OF FEBRUARY 13-19 WEEK OF FEBRUARY 13-19

endary haunted house will be open for business from  to 10 p.m. Saturday, )ebruary 15, with gruesome grooms and blood-spattered lurking throughout. 7he entirety of the Darkness has been rethemed for 9alentine’s Day, with a lovelorn soul named 9icky at the center of it. 9icky never had a date, and now she’s coming back with demons in tow to seek her revenge on the male gender. ,f you really want to test yourself, there’s a new coffin-escape challenge, during which you have five minutes to get out of a coffin. 7ickets for 0y Bloody 9alentine are 25, and only 1,000 will be released, so don’t dawdle.

Jean-François Millet, French, 1814–1875; Summer, e Gleaners, 1853; oil on canvas; 15 1/16 × 11 9/16 inches; Yamanashi Prefectural Museum of Art 2020.80

witnesses — until his one-time wife (mma shows up. 2nce he was a poet and college professor with a wife and a son, but now he has only his oxygen tank and his filth. 5eunited after two decades apart, (mma and 8lysses rehash their broken past and why she ultimately abandoned him in the middle of the night, taking their son with her. Sharr :hite’s drama Annapurna charts a course into the unsteady territory of love and loss, and what’s on the other side of both. St. /ouis Actors’ Studio presents Annapurna at  p.m. 7hursday through Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday )ebruary 1 to 0arch 1 at the *aslight 7heatre 35 1orth Boyle Avenue www. stlas.org. 7ickets are 30 to 35.

SATURDAY 02/15

Valentine’s Fright

,f you forgot to book a restaurant for 9alentine’s Day and you’re worried it’s too late to have a special evening with that special someone, fear not. 7he Darkness 1525 South (ighth Street www. scarefest.com is once again celebrating the holiday of love with My Bloody Valentine. 7he leg

A Mystery Is Afoot

,rma 9ep is the new bride of /ord (dgar +illcrest, who may not be entirely over the mysterious death of his first wife, /ady (nid. ,rma attempts to settle in to the stately 0andacrest estate, but both the housekeeper, Jane, and the houseboy, 1icodemus, mourn their former mistress too much for ,rma to be comfortable. By the time the werewolves are howling on the moor and the portrait of /ady (nid is spewing fog, even /ord (dgar feels he has to investigate. So off he pops to (gypt to resume his work in ancient tombs, and then things at home really go pear-shaped. Charles /udlam’s 9ictorian-horror-comedy spoof The Mystery of Irma Vep creates supernatural amounts of laughter from nothing more than two actors and a sharp eye for the cliches and coincidences of B-movies. 7he 5epertory 7heatre of St. /ouis presents The Mystery of Irma Vep 7uesday through Sunday )ebruary 1 to 0arch  at the /oretto-+ilton Center 130 (dgar 5oad www.repstl.org. 7ickets are 20 to 9.50.

SUNDAY 02/16

Dog Dash

7he costume traditions of 0ardi *ras are not Must for humans, and the Purina Pet Parade is the proof. 2n Sunday, )ebruary 1, beloved dogs who are comfortable wearing clothes, costumes or exSaint Louis Ballet dances to the song of love this weekend. | COURTESY OF SAINT LOUIS BALLET, PHOTO BY PRATT KREIDICH

otic outfits gather with their people at South 12th Street and Allen Avenue www.stlmardigras.org for the 1 p.m. parade of pooches. ,t’s free to watch, and if you believe your dog has the charisma and “wowȋ factor to be named one of the best-dressed pets in the parade, it’s only 10 to register a single canine the Mudges will select the most gloriously attired pups for the Court of the 0ystical Krewe of Barkus at the Coronation 3ageant, where the King and 4ueen of Barkus will be anointed with their crowns. 5egistration fees help the 2pen Door Animal Sanctuary. And don’t forget the wiener dogs Starting at 2 p.m. at Soulard 0arket 3ark /afayette Avenue and South (ighth Street, those dashing dachshunds will be separated into four categories and then race in six-dog heats to determine who is the fastest frank-shaped dog during 7ito’s :iener Dog Derby. ,t costs 10 to enter your dog in the race, and admission is free for spectators, although 9,3 watching options are available.

Father of Modern Art

Jean-)ran©ois 0illet’s fingerprints are all over the works of 9an *ogh, 0onet, Camille 3issarro and 0unch, but his inȵuence on modern painting is not well known. By the time of his death in 15 he was one of the best-known modern painters, revered both for his skill and his pioneering subMect matter. 0illet was at the forefront of using rural laborers, landscapes and nudes as his subMects, and indeed many of his individual paintings were later recreated or at least reimagined by his successors. 9an *ogh’s famous Starry Night over the 5hone 5iver bears more than a passing resemblance to 0illet’s earlier Starry Night, which depicts a night sky over the countryside. 9an *ogh’s devotion to 0illet was complete, calling the elder painter “)ather 0illet.ȋ Millet and Modern Art: From Van Gogh to Dalí, the new exhibition at the Saint /ouis Art 0useum 1 )ine Arts Drive www.slam.org, features an astonishing number of 0illet’s paintings paired with those of the artists he inȵuenced. 7he exhibition resets Jean-)ran©ois 0illet at the forefront of modern art as an innovator and radical who pushed painting into a new era. Millet and Modern Art is on display from Sunday, )ebruary 1, to Sunday, 0ay 1. 7he gallery is open 7uesday through Sunday, and admission is  to 15 but free on )riday. n

ALL LADIES RECEIVE A COMPLEMENTARY FLOWER ON VALENTINE’S DAY!

FEB 13-16 JOE MACHI Last Comic Standing Live at Gotham

1/26- 3/1

FEB 20-23 GREG WARREN Late Night with Seth Meyers Dry Bar Comedy

FEB 23 3 PM GREG WARREN FAMILY FRIENDLY SHOW! Appropriate for All Ages Treats for the Kids!

MICHAEL PALASCAK Late Late Show with James Corden, Late Show with Stephen Colbert

MAR 7 PUMP & DUMP Parentally Incorrect Night Out for Any Mom! 2-Shows only!!

BILLY PEEK SATURDAY FEB. 29