Thursday March 10 Pop goes the weasel: Decadent rocker Iggy Pop is partially responsible for several major music trends--his seminal Sixties act with the Stooges foreshadowed glitter, punk and speed metal. One look at him today and it's clear that Pop is a survivor whose music has transcended into a jaded look at the hard life. With that in mind, consider the crowd that will gather to hear him tonight at the Ogden Theatre--the tattooed conglomeration of generations and leather (which never goes out of style) should astound. Get your tickets, $18.50, by calling 290-TIXS or 830-2525. The Ogden is at 935 E. Colfax; the show gets started at 8 with the roarin' Chainsaw Kittens.
Friday March 11 Stella performance: Film antiheroes John Garfield and Monty Clift notwithstanding, if Marlon Brando didn't invent the category, we don't know who did. Witness Brando as brutish Stanley Kowalski in the rereleased A Streetcar Named Desire, a brand-new director's cut that remains more true to the intentions, way back in 1950, of filmmaker Elia Kazan and writer Tennessee Williams. Key portions of the script denounced as sordid and perverse have been restored, while the marvelous ensemble cast shines on--including, along with Brando, Vivien Leigh, Kim Hunter and Karl Malden. Streetcar opens tonight at the Mayan Theatre, at 1st and Broadway, for a two-week run; for showtimes and ticket information call 744-6796.
Teach your children: Educators, parents and sprouts of all ages will find something of interest at this year's Education Expo, taking place today through Sunday at the Colorado Convention Center, 700 14th St. When the doors open at 9 a.m., you'll be ushered into a maze of exhibits, workshops and hands-on education areas, including a Wet'n Electric Environmental Pavilion exploring the properties of water and other energy resources, a Deep Space Learning Pavilion provided by the Denver Museum of Natural History, a Children's Health Awareness Pavilion and more. Expo hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. today, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. tomorrow and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday; admission is $3.50 ($2.50 for students ages 3 to 18). For further information call the Expo hotline at 830-6354.
Furey friends: Lookin' for an Irish music fix, are ye? 'Tis the season, after all--you won't be disappointed. The music doesn't get more authentic than when it's being performed by The Fureys, a family affair helmed by brother Finbar, Ireland's indelible master of the Uilleann pipes. Called the "Beatles of folk music" by the Irish Voice, the Fureys remain true to the traditional, yet aren't beyond a little contemporization--and whatever they play, it's all in good fun. They perform tonight at 8 at the Paramount Theatre, 1621 Glenarm Pl. Tickets are $14.50 and $17.50; call 290-TIXS.
Saturday March 12 Blood, Soweto and tears: African popular music takes many turns--and one of the most joyful is Mahlathini and the Mahotella Queens from South Africa, who perform the Zulu township jive known as mbaqanga with an abandon and enthusiasm that never fail to get crowds on their feet. The gruff-voiced Mahlathini (known as the "Lion of Soweto") and his backup trio of brilliantly clad Queens put on a review that would make James Brown proud, replete with traditional headdresses, fringed skirts and sneakers, and a repertoire ranging from traditional folk tunes to Bob Dylan's "I Shall Be Released." They'll appear as guests of the Westminster Community Artist Series tonight in the Ranum High School Community Theatre, 80th and Zuni St., where things get shaking at 8. For tickets, $8 to $12, call 429-1999.
Sunday March 13 Leprechaun colony: There's more to St. Paddy's Day than Irish stew and a fountain of green beer. It's the spirit of the thing, too--that mischievous spark spawned by tales of little people and four-leaf clovers. Which, in a roundabout way, is why the annual Runnin' of the Green is more than just another run. The festive 7K event, taking place in the streets of LoDo and featuring wave starts for a smoother, roomier race, begins and ends at St. Pat's central--McCormick's Fish House and Bar at 17th and Wazee, where a big street party with food and drink will greet runners at the finish. Register before noon on March 12 and your fee is $16; race-day registration goes up to $20. Call 322-9342.
Jane's addiction: Songwriter Jane Siberry has a thing for being smart. She's received kudos from critics and even from intellectual Brian Eno, who calls her carefully crafted songs "overwhelmingly lovely." And they are--the tunes ring out with introspection, eccentricity and deep artistry. Siberry appears on stage tonight at Boulder's Fox Theatre, 1135 13th St., for an "it ain't a concert" concert beginning at 10 p.m. To purchase tickets, $16.80 in advance ($17.85 day of show), buzz the Fox at 447-0095 or call 290-TIXS.
Faithful Conrad: Orson Welles toyed with it for years, as did John Huston, and Francis Ford Coppola wove it into his Vietnam war saga Apocalypse Now, but up to now, the real Heart of Darkness still hadn't materialized. Until tonight, that is--Joseph Conrad's epic journey through the deepest jungles of Africa is now preserved in a made-for-television extravanganza directed by Nicholas Roeg and starring Tim Roth as Marlow and John Malkovich as the deranged Kurtz. The program premieres this evening on cable's TNT, with repeats scheduled throughout March. Check local listings for times.
Monday March 14 Read on: Poetry is always the hardest sell in the literary world, but Denver rhymesmiths are doing all they can to document and preserve new works with the Denver Poets Audio Tape Series, 90-minute cassettes featuring readings by local poets. And to celebrate the March release of the second such endeavor, a group of the Denver Poets 1 & 2 will perform at the Tattered Cover, 2955 E. 1st Ave., tonight as part of the bookstore's monthly poetry session. Readers include NEA Poetry Award winner Jack Collom, high school student Devin Scheimberg, Rebecca Bush of Boulder's Slack Magazine and others. Readings begin at 7:30; call 322-7727 for details.
Tuesday March 15 Tenor of the times: The image of the bridge signifies many things when you're talking about saxophonist Sonny Rollins--he bridged the gap in jazz that occurred between his early hero Coleman Hawkins and the hard bop stylings of Charlie Parker; he gained a reputation for practicing under the Williamsburg Bridge in New York City; and his career has spanned generations, evolving, diverging and always improving. Even on a bad night, this master improviser will blow the house down with his smooth/hard tone and highly personalized versions of standards, laced with snippets of anything from nursery rhymes to sunny West Indian rhythms. Rollins performs with his quintet--including, at this writing, trombonist Clifton Anderson, electric guitarist Jerome Harris, bassist Russell Blake and drummer Bruce Cox--tonight at 8 at Macky Auditorium, located on the CU-Boulder campus. To fill out the musical experience, jazz musicologist Dr. Willie Hill Jr. will present a preconcert lecture on Rollins at 7 p.m. in Old Main chapel. Tickets to the auspicious concert range from $6 to $25; call 492-8008.