Dance music chanteuse CeCe Peniston doesn't stand a chance against the androgynous evil of the legendary Grace Jones, or so you would think. In Barry Singer's version of The Wiz -- an urban, booty-shaking rendition of The Wizard of Oz -- Jones plays Evillene, the Wicked Witch of the West; Peniston plays that goody-goody Glinda (Good Witch of the North); Grammy winner Peabo Bryson plays the Wiz, a street hustler turned evangelist/pimp/politician; and Tasha Scott of TV's South Central plays Dorothy Gale, little miss color me lost. This stage production promises state-of-the-art effects that will conjure tornadoes, flying monkeys, and a dazzling Emerald City. Of course, there's nothing more dazzling than Jones' fantastical bone structure and wicked-hard body. The Wiz plays at the Paramount Theater Wednesday through Sunday, June 11-15; call (510) 465-6400 for ticket prices and show times.
According to the rest of the country, San Francisco is home to the nation's pre-eminent "sexpert." In 1981, Susie Bright began working at Good Vibrations, where she created the first progressive, feminist, erotic video library in the country. Her work there led her to become a critic of porn -- a genre most people thought was fairly self-explanatory. Bright gained national attention with On Our Backs, the first female-published sex mag, and published a number of critically acclaimed lesbian erotica anthologies (she also co-wrote the script for Erotique and worked as a sex consultant during the filming of Bound). Her latest work, Susie Bright's Sexual State of the Union, is a collection of 24 essays that answers some of the questions on America's mind: Is cybersex a hoax? Should you draw the line somewhere? Does Susie Bright draw the line? What is the most common sexual complaint for women? For men? The answers are: Yes, unless fantasies are all you need; no, unless you're offending your partner; yes, but not publicly; how to get off; and how not to get off. Now you don't have to buy the book, but you can still see her read. The Erotic Salon also includes the carnal drones of Lydia Lunch, Jane Handel, and Bana Witt. Check them out at Slim's on Thursday, June 12, at 8 p.m. Tickets are $10.50-12; call 522-0333.
This is a night custom-made for Herb Caen: four new martinis introduced by Stolichnaya; the sounds of Gershwin, Cole Porter, and Rodgers and Hart as performed by the Martini Brothers; and swing and fox trot lessons taught by the city's premier dance hostess, Cynthia Glinka. Both Glinka and the Martini Brothers made it into Caen's column before he passed, and every bartender in town knows how he felt about martinis. The Martini Brothers celebrate their CD release party at the Top of the Mark on Friday, June 13, at 6 p.m. Tickets are $10; call 616-6916. A dance contest will be held at 7 p.m., with lessons and more music to follow.
The Martini Brothers are putting out a CD, why can't you? The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences presents "Grammy in the Streets," a six-hour symposium for up-and-coming bands, artists, managers, and songwriters. Learn about music publishing, indie releases, and booking. Panelists include Anthony Bonet of KALX and the Bottom of the Hill, Carol Bruno of Reggae on the River, Toni Isabella of the Paradise Lounge, Stephanie LeBeau of Vision Trust radio promotion, and Sydney Sudai of On the Under CD distribution. "Grammy in the Streets" will be held at the Transmission Theater on Saturday, June 14, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tickets are $10-15; call 749-0779.
-- Silke Tudor
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