THURSDAY 1/6

Stuff & Nonsense

(THEATER) Much has been written about Victorian limerick writer and world traveler Edward Lear, best known for his whimsical, surreptitiously filthy poem, "The Owl and the Pussycat." In contrast, hardly anything has been written about the author of the new play about Lear, currently being produced at Theater Babylon. The press release for Stuff & Nonsense informs us this "visit with Edward Lear" was developed in Susy Schneider's Original Performance workshop, by a fellow identified only as "Eric." Is Eric the victim of a shoddy press release-writing producer, or is he a one-named superstar in the grand tradition of Cher, Madonna, and God? Check out this world premiere show and find out. DAVID SCHMADER

Union Garage, 1418 10th Ave between Pike and Union on Capitol Hill. Pay-what-you-will preview tonight at 8 pm, regular run Thurs-Sat at 8, through Jan 29. Regular run tickets are $9.99, pay-what-you-will on Thursdays.

Distant Echoes

(ART) Greg Kucera moves forward into the new year with a show of artists who look backward. John Dugdale's cyanotype photographs share a 19th-century feel with the photogravures of McDermott and McGough, an eccentric artist team living as Victorians. Also showing photogravures is Tracy Moffatt, whose Laudanum suite recasts a crew of 20th-century decadents as 19th-century ones. Ross Palmer Beecher's junk-metal wall pieces draw from traditional American quilt forms, while Darren Waterston's swampy landscapes draw from Old Master painting techniques. A blast from the past as the future approaches. ERIC FREDERICKSEN

Greg Kucera Gallery, 212 Third Ave S, 624-0770. Opens Thurs Jan 6, 6-8 pm. Through Jan 29.

FRIDAY 1/7

Karl Krogstad

(FILM) Self-made Seattle icon Karl Krogstad returns to the Seattle Art Museum with Stained Glass Masters: Heaton, Butler, and Bayne. I wish other adventurous filmmakers experimented with the documentary form like Krogstad, because the result is always much more interesting than the standard PBS puff piece, as he himself proved with his earlier documentary on surrealism. Even if you think stained glass is the paint-by-numbers of the last several centuries, attend this screening-if only to see one man's obsession (with other men's obsessions) put onscreen. ANDY SPLETZER

Seattle Art Museum, 100 University St, 625-8900, 7:30 pm, $10.

14/48 Theater Festival

(THEATER EXTRAVAGANZA) The freakishly ambitious contemporary arts center Consolidated Works continues their quest for world domination by hosting 14/48, the celebrated "world's shortest theater festival." Over 48 hours a collection of Seattle's finest fringe and alternative theater artists will gather to conceive, write, rehearse, and perform for the public 14 new short plays (seven on Friday, seven on Saturday), and ConWorks has wisely conscripted more than enough talent to make the gimmick pay off big. There are too many names to list 'em all here, so I'll just drop a few of the splashiest: Derek Horton, Dan Savage, Mark Murphy, Kristin Newbom, Eddie Levi Lee, Tonia Pettiford-Waites, John Longenbaugh, Shawn Belyea, Sarah Harlett, Charles Smith, Kevin Joyce, Mik Kuhlman, Ian Bell.... Truly, the last time this much talent was packed into one room was at USA for Africa. Don't miss it. DAVID SCHMADER

Consolidated Works, 410 Terry Ave N, 8 pm and 10:30 pm, tickets are $10 and available on a first come/first served basis; also on Saturday (with a different line-up of plays) at 8 and 10:30.

SATURDAY 1/8

Capella Romana

(ORTHODOX CHRISTMAS MUSIC) Why the Hell would anyone be performing Christmas music in January? Well, for one thing, Capella Romana's "Star in the East" concert corresponds with the Russian Old-Calendar Christmas; for another, only after the hubbub of the commercial Christmas season has died down can audiences devote proper attention to this collection of "mystical ancient and modern Orthodox music," performed by the acclaimed vocal chamber ensemble and featuring Alexander Kastalsky's "Three Youths in a Fiery Furnace"! DAVID SCHMADER

Greek Orthodox Church of the Assumption, 1804 13th Ave, 523-6100, $10/$15.

SUNDAY 1/9

The David Cassidy Story

(TV MOVIE) When considering the great historical figures that have shaped the modern world, who better to devote a two-hour TV movie to than '70s pop star David Cassidy? As the shaggy-haired dreamboat Keith on The Partridge Family, David exuded a vain, dopey sensuality that unsurprisingly leaked over into his private life. He is well known in interviews for bemoaning his immense popularity, so you can expect this movie to showcase his talent for whining about how hard it is to be so rich, so famous, and to fuck so many teenage girls. Have something soft on hand to throw at the tube. WM. STEVEN HUMPHREY

NBC, Channel 5, 9:00 pm, free.

MONDAY 1/10

A Virtual Safari

(WEBSITE) While most of us can't afford an African safari, we can, at least, feel closer to all the exotic action by visiting www.africam.com. This "virtual game reserve"-packed with photos, animal bios, educational info about poaching and environmental issues, maps, and news-lets you watch animals roam over huge tracts of land as dozens of hidden webcams (located in various spots all over the continent) film 24 hours a day. Be patient, since the scenes are in real time; but once you catch your first glimpse of giraffes at a watering hole, you'll become an instant wildlife junkie. MIN LIAO

www.africam.com, whenever you want, free.

TUESDAY 1/11

Show Me Love

(FILM) What better way to spend an adult Tuesday evening than by watching a movie about high school-particularly one without the John Hughes sugarcoating? Agnes just turned 16 and she's got a secret crush on Elin, a popular girl with a slutty reputation. Elin's boredom with the little town they live in drives her to drink booze and to pop whatever's in the medicine cabinet, often nothing more than antacids. The characters are strong, but it's the details that make Show Me Love so believable-the posters in the bedrooms, the impossible crushes, the high school social politics, and everybody's inability to say what they're really feeling. This movie will take you back to high school, but-like the best high school movies-will leave you feeling good. ANDY SPLETZER

Broadway Market, Broadway and Harrison, 323-0231, opens Fri Jan 7.

WEDNESDAY 1/12

Texarkana Waltz

(THEATER) If you can resist an original comedy that features Lauren Weedman, you're made of stronger stuff than I am. Comic force Weedman, along with fellow Seattle favorite Burton Curtis, is first among many reasons to check out Louis Broome's Texarkana Waltz over at the Empty Space. The quirky, dizzying family saga-mixing heartbreak and ebullience like a twangy country tune-comes complete with many of the original players (including Curtis) from its award-winning Los Angeles production, and is directed by returning former Annex artistic director Allison Narver. STEVE WIECKING