Thursday May 12 Good sports: Sports buffs and collectors will have the opportunity to bid on autographed items--including Joe Montana's jersey, Gordie Howe's hockey stick and Willie Mays's bat--at the Easter Seal Sports Memorabilia Auction, taking place this evening from 6 to 9 at Brooklyn's, 2644 W. Colfax Ave. Among those auctioning off the goodies will be broadcasters Jeff Kingery and Jerry Schemmel; celebrities like Red Miller and Haven Moses will also make appearances. All proceeds from the auction, including the $10 door charge, will benefit the Colorado Easter Seal Society. For details call 233-1666.
Silent running: At first look, the Murder Incorporated production Lorelei--billed as a story of love, loathing and revenge--would appear to be a campy melodrama. But the play, inspired by Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, is a bit more avant-garde in concept. Primarily a visual story, Lorelei is something like a "live" silent movie, with music, sound effects and voice-overs taking the place of dialogue. A final performance takes place this evening at 8 at The Bug, 3654 Navajo St. Admission is $6; call the Bugline at 477-5977 for reservations.
Friday May 13 A mid-spring afternoon's dream: You're never too young for a bit of the Bard--a fact well proven today by the Denver Public Schools Shakespeare Festival, in which elementary, middle and high school students take the stage--actually, several stages--in downtown Denver. Festivities start at 10 a.m. with a parade of costumed kids and teachers, winding from the Denver Center for the Performing Arts to opening ceremonies at the newly proclaimed Old Globe Stage at Skyline Park, 16th and Arapahoe. From 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., performances both formal and informal will take place at Skyline, the Tabor Center, Writer Square and other points between 15th and 18th sts. from Lawrence to Arapahoe. The fun continues with a 3:40 p.m. Tabor Center cake cutting honoring Shakespeare's birthday and a 4 p.m. Shakespearean trivia bowl back at the Old Globe featuring students and celebrities. Come on down and give these kids a hand--all events are free.
The hills are alive: You can safely head for the hills--without giving up those big-city amenities--during the Estes Park Art Walk and Jazz Fest, a weekend event offering a double dose of culture. Beginning this evening and continuing through Sunday, more than twenty Estes galleries will feature special exhibits, openings and artist demonstrations. Additionally--and simultaneously--jazz concerts are slated for 1 to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday at the Riverside Plaza, smack in the middle of Estes Park; performers include local favorites Dotsero, Images, Hot Tomatoes and more. For additional information about all events call 1-800-443-7837.
Saturday May 14 Saddle scores: The rootin'-tootin' Colorado Ballet will rein in and tie up at the Auditorium Theatre--beginning tonight at 8 p.m. and continuing through May 22--for six performances of Billy the Kid, featuring original choreography by Eugene Loring and set to Aaron Copland's landmark score. Rounding out the Western-eclectic bill are short works Centennial Suite and Winter Moons. Tickets for all shows can be purchased by calling 290-TIXS; the Auditorium Theatre is located at 13th and Curtis.
Just folks: Seasoned songwriter Greg Brown got his start early in life--his musical Iowa upbringing (mama played electric guitar and papa was a preacher) is surely responsible for his rootsy career as an adult. Brown, who pals around with folks like New Englander Bill Morrissey, will bring his funny yet scathing observations to the Mercury Cafe, 2199 California, tonight at 8. For tickets, $13 ($11 members), call the Swallow Hill Music Association, host of the event, at 777-1003.
Red-hot and humid: Look out! Bobby Mack & Night Train, direct from the Austin blues wellspring, will chug into the Billy Blues Barbecue Restaurant, 695 Kipling in Lakewood, tonight for a bit of bidness involving a wicked Stratocaster and a bucket of sweat. You get all that--and opening act Mother Pearl as well--for a five-buck cover charge at the door. Call 274-2534 for additional information.
Armed Forche: You can forgive the Tattered Cover just this once for holding its Second Monday Poetry Series on a Saturday--tonight's featured poet is Carolyn Forche, known as one of our most important contemporary scribes. Forche will read from her new work, The Angel of History, a celebration of the human spirit, at 7:30 p.m. For details call 322-7727; the Tattered Cover is at 2955 E. 1st Ave. in Cherry Creek.
Sunday May 15 When in roam: The Denver Art Museum will be transformed into a landscape through which visitors may wander during Landscape as Metaphor, an ambitious new exhibit dealing with personal views and natural imagery. Featuring works by thirteen major artists including Ed Ruscha, Mark Tansey, Judy Pfaff and Richard Misrach, the show can be viewed in the first-floor galleries, on the museum grounds, up on the roof and across the street in Civic Center Park. In conjunction with the newly opened exhibit, which runs through September, there will be a free panel discussion with guest artists Mel Chin, Lewis De Soto and Ursula Van Rydingsvard today at 1 p.m. (If you'd like a pre-discussion peek, the museum, 100 W. 14th Ave. Pkwy., opens at noon.) For reservations call 839-4814.
Northern exposure: Director Percy Adlon, best known for the offbeat Bagdad Cafe, continues to boldly traverse the less-traveled road with the intriguing Salmonberries. Starring pop chanteuse k.d. lang, moonlighting in her role as an androgynous Alaskan Eskimo pipeline worker, as well as Veronika Voss actress Rosel Zech, the new film is an unusual gender-bending love story. Salmonberries continues a short run at the Mayan Theatre, located at 1st and Broadway, through Monday. For showtimes and other information, call 744-6796.
Monday May 16 Cherry blossoms: No demure Japanese maidens need apply for a berth in Shonen Knife, the irrepressible pop trio whose music is rooted in the Ronettes but laced with the seminal punk sounds of the Buzzcocks and the Jam. They're cute as a button--a leather-covered button--and count members of Nirvana, Sonic Youth and Red Kross among their legion fans. You can find out why when Shonen Knife appears at the Fox Theatre, 1135 13th St. in Boulder, tonight at 8. Tickets to the show, which also features opening acts the Dentists and Grimace, are $8.50; call 290-TIXS to purchase yours.
Spiked punch: Japanese females of another ilk will show off against the United States Women's Volleyball Team at the Stars and Spikes Volleyball Tour, making its final stop tonight at the DU Ice Arena, 2250 E. Jewell, on the DU campus. Guided by ten-year head coach Terry Liskevych, who led them to an Olympic bronze medal in Barcelona, the U.S. team meets Japan at the net at 7 p.m. Admission ranges from $5 to $12; for additional information and tickets, call 871-2336.
Tuesday May 17 Girl at her volcano: Throughout her career, Rickie Lee Jones has been identified with laid-back, Beat-inflected vocals that have either pleased or infuriated listeners. At her zenith with breezy, classic tunes like Chuck E.'s in Love, Rickie Lee has had many ups and downs, branching out into duets with Dr. John and producing for Leo Kottke, along with her continuing solo efforts. Jones ought to be at her best tonight at the Paramount Theatre, 1621 Glenarm Pl., where she appears at 7:30. If you're among the adorers, get your $20 tickets now by calling 290-
