Night+Day

wednesday
may 10
Rebel Without a Cause To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Nicholas Ray classic starring James Dean, the Castro Theatre presents a new 35mm print in Cinemascope and Dolby stereo. Feel for Plato (Sal Mineo), whose love for Jim Stark (Dean) is more than platonic; feel for Judy (Natalie Wood), when she whimpers, "I thought he would rub off my lips!" (about her abusive father); most of all, feel for Jim, the new boy in town with Mr. McGoo (Jim Backus) for a father. Jokes aside, there's a timeless sadness beneath Rebel's hokiness: Through film, the late Mineo, Dean and Wood are forever young, beautiful and too sensitive for this world. And Ray's screenplay eerily prefigures the anti-Mom rebellion that later galvanized both the Beat generation and rock and roll. Rebel screens at the Castro (Castro & Market), S.F., at 2, 4:30, 7 & 9 pm (through Tues, May 16). Tickets are $7; call 621-6120.

June Jordan Political activist, award-winning poet, playwright and essayist June Jordan brings her talents to a new milieu with I Was Looking at the Ceiling and Then I Saw the Sky, an urban opera written with John Adams that recently debuted at Cal Performances and will soon move on to New York's Lincoln Center. See Jordan perform and sign her libretto at 7:30 pm at A Clean Well-Lighted Place for Books, 601 Van Ness, S.F. Call 441-6670.

You Gotta Give 'Em Hope In You Gotta Give 'Em Hope actor-writer James Patrick Kennedy explores the public and private lives of Harvey Milk. Through interviews (with Milk's friends), tape recordings, diaries and news reports, Kennedy follows the journey of "The Mayor of Castro Street" from closeted New York investment broker to leader of San Francisco's progressive gay community. Directed by Danny Scheie -- who recently helmed the all-male production of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night at Theatre Rhinoceros -- Kennedy's solo performance plays Wed-Sun 8 pm at Josie's Cabaret & Juice Joint, 3583 16th St, S.F. Tickets are $12; call 861-7933.

thursday
may 11
Beyond Bagdad Is there a difference between politics and theater? If so, Beyond Bagdad -- featuring cameo appearances by Frank Jordan, Angela Alioto and Carole Migden -- blurs the boundaries. The latest farce at Theatre Rhinoceros fuses musicals like The Wizard of Oz and West Side Story to lesbian life in contemporary San Francisco. It also gives Migden a chance to belt out a rendition of "Everlasting Love." Beyond Bagdad opens at 8 pm at Theatre Rhinoceros, 2926 16th St, S.F., and continues through June 10. Tickets are $12-18; call 861-5079.

Hip Hop Don't Stop Local hip-hop shows are currently few and far between, which means a number of independent crews have little chance to play live. Thankfully, Bottom of the Hill -- a venue better known for rock shows -- is helping to fill the void with a quadruple bill featuring Brand X, Mystik Journeymen, the Marginal Prophets and WAMMY-winners 10 Bass T. Hear tracks from the Journeymen's upcoming EP 4001, and listen to the stoopid-smart Prophets, a musical outlet for the pun-packed, hyper-referential humor of Keith Knight, the creative goofus behind The K Chronicles. Show starts 9:30 pm at Bottom of the Hill, 1233 17th St, S.F. Tickets are $5; call 621-4455.

Henri Marie-Rose Originally from Martinique, Henri Marie-Rose began sculpting at the age of seven, when he saw the outline of a dog in a stone on the ground. For the past 30 years, Rose has lived and worked in San Francisco, where his largely organic work has been exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art. A retrospective spanning those past three decades, Pulling Dogs From Stone, features paintings along with works in metal, stone and wood. Join the artist in an opening reception, 6-9 pm, at the Alliance Française de San Francisco, 1345 Bush, S.F. Pulling Dogs From Stone runs through May 31; call 775-7755.

Singing Myself a Lullaby Dancer/actor John Henry uses AIDS as a catalyst for an examination of life and death. As Henry -- a former member of the Margaret Jenkins Dance Company -- performs vignettes that honor significant events from his artistic past, media artist Douglas Rosenberg videotapes them, so later performances will include footage Henry's weakening body can no longer perform. Considering the recent controversy over New Yorker critic Arlene Croce's attack on "victim art," this swan song is likely to inspire debate. Singing Myself a Lullaby plays 8 pm, then Fri-Sat 8 pm and Sun 7 pm, at New Performance Gallery, 3153 17th St, S.F. Tickets are $10-15; call 863-9834.

friday
may 12
Sick and Twisted San Francisco's Palace of Fine Arts Theatre plays host to some not-so-fine art as Spike & Mike's Sick and Twisted Festival of Animation hits the second weekend of a four-week run. In case you're unfamiliar with the fest's short fare, a brief sample of titles -- Dirdy Birdy, I Never Ho'd For My Father and Lloyd Loses His Lunch, for example -- should clue you in. The program screens 9:30 pm and midnight at Bay & Lyon, S.F., also Sat 7 & 9:30 pm and midnight (through May 27). Tickets are $7 (ages 18 and over only); call 567-6642.

Techno-Fund Performance Benefit Fresh from a highly praised New York dance collaboration with Ishmael Houston-Jones, the tireless Keith Hennessy returns to S.F. for a Techno-Fund Performance Benefit, with appearances by Nao Bustamante, Julie Kane, Jules Beckman, Ray Chung, Patty Cachapero and the talk-show hostess-with-the-mostest, Joan Jett Blakk. Proceeds go to 848 Community Space, where Hennessy will also present Box, "a hardcore, improvised performance questioning color, punishment and love," Sat-Sun 8:30 pm (tickets are $10). Techno-Fund Performance Benefit begins at 8:30 pm at 848 Community Space, 848 Divisadero, S.F. Tickets are $10-100 (pay what you want); call 922-2385.