The University City Public Library (6701 Delmar Boulevard, University City; 314-727-3150) brings back Anime Night owing to popular demand. Hear, hear. Mr. Night has been on a steady diet of anime lately, watching entire runs of the uncut Gatchaman and the ridiculously funny Cromartie High School in recent weeks. The hyperkinetic Japanese animation is an acquired taste, as the stories are actual stories, with deep characterization, complex plots and, yes, more violence than the average American cartoon. Anime Night is recommended for young teens (seventh graders and beyond), so the scheduled anime will most likely not be too bloody or racy. Which is fine by Mr. Night -- he gets enough of that in the office. Admission is free, and the show begins at 7 p.m.
Thursday, August 25
Up until a couple days ago, the Night & Day team had never heard of a "lingerie travel bag." We're not sophisticated folks; we just throw our unmentionables in our suitcases along with everything else and call it a day. But we do understand that sometimes people feel the need to protect these undergarments from the horror that is the rough inside of their suitcases -- they need to give their teeny-tiny sexy clothes their own mini-suitcase. But where to find a pretty enough little bag? At the Fit for the Cure events held Thursday and Friday, August 25 and 26, at two Famous Barr stores (Westfield West County, Manchester Road and I-270, Des Peres, on Thursday from 3 to 7 p.m.; Saint Louis Galleria, Brentwood Boulevard and Clayton Road, Richmond Heights, on Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.), of course! All you have to do to walk away with a free embroidered lingerie travel bag is get fitted for a bra -- that's easy enough! And not only do you (and your dainty things) benefit from this free event, but so does the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation: The undergarment company Wacoal America Inc. donates $2 to the charity for every fitting.
Friday, August 26
Not to get all political on you, but if you're working for a living right now, you might feel like The Man always has one foot on your throat and one hand in your pocket. It may sound like cold comfort, but you're not alone in those feelings. If you'd like to reach out and meet some folks who share your concerns, head over to the Regional Arts Commission (6128 Delmar Boulevard; 314-863-5811) for the opening of the Bread & Roses art exhibition. Local artists and workers joined forces to create visual art, poetry and musical pieces that explored the theme of "Crossing Borders: St. Louis Workers and Jobs in the Global Economy." You can meet the artists and enjoy the debut of the "Voices of Solidarity" theater piece crafted by St. Louis Area Workers. The reception begins at 7 p.m., and admission is $5 to $10.
Saturday, August 27
Union Avenue Opera Theatre opens its final production of the season this evening, and they're going out with a bang: Giuseppi Verdi's Falstaff. Falstaff is a character for whom Mr. Night feels a certain rapport. Go figure. Fat, drunk and broke, Falstaff plots to woo two women in hopes of improving his fortune by way of theirs. Alas, his entourage of Pistola and Bardolfo decide they'll have more fun in punking Falstaff than in helping him, and so they work against his plot. What follows is humiliation for Falstaff, comedy for the audience and a fairy-tale wedding at the end to wrap things up sweetly. Falstaff is performed at 8 p.m. at the Union Avenue Christian Church (733 North Union Boulevard; 314-361-2881 or www.union-avenue.org), and again at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday (September 2 and 3). Tickets are $22 to $50.
Sunday, August 28
You know, there's just not enough smiling in the world. Maybe it's because there's not much to smile about. Except for today. See, today's the day that the Anti-Defamation League presents the first installment of its "Families of Distinction" Series at 3 p.m. at Congregation Shaare Emeth (11645 Ladue Road, Creve Coeur), and boy, have the ADLers booked some happy folks. First on the lineup of smile is Bobby Norfolk; this storyteller extraordinaire is quite possibly the most cheery person anyone has ever seen (the photos on his Web site, www.folktale.com, even made the previously uncrackable faces of Mr. Night & Ms. Day smile a tiny bit). And as if Bobby wasn't enough, this day of fun also features world-beat percussion ensemble Joia, a colorful band of merry music-makers who are sure to change that grimace to a grin. However, all this smiling and happiness and stuff comes at a price ($5 to $18), but it'll be so worth it to be gleeful for a while.
Monday, August 29
Left Bank Books (399 North Euclid Avenue; 314-367-6731 or www.left-bank.com) has come up with a hell of a way to boost the travel-book sales. Don't believe us? Just see if you don't want to start planning a trip to Paris after checking out the exhibit Harriet Stone: Paris Photos now hanging in the bookstore until September 11. This lucky photographer gets to travel to the romantic city often, but don't resent her! Travel to the City of Lights yourself! Eat your weight in fresh bread and cheese at an outdoor café! Visit a petite restaurant off the beaten path! Live life to the fullest! (Sorry, Paris really inspires us.) And before you go, take a trip of the mind (legally, of course) to the Left Bank at Left Bank, and see what you have to look forward to. Now, if only the bookstore booked plane tickets....
Tuesday, August 30
Mr. Night has a dream: Someday, the sing-along will make a comeback. If people will fawn over lip-synching "performers," they'll go ga-ga for a return to the elementary-school classic of everyone in the room singing the same song, regardless of each individual's vocal talent. The Kevin Kurth Show is a first step in this healing process. Kurth performs a 6 to 9 p.m. show at SPOT nightclub (4146 Manchester Street; call 314-371-1330 or visit www.spotbar.net for cover charge information) involving Broadway classics, standards and customer requests (all performed solo), as well as the throwback group songfest. After a few drinks and a few rounds of "Get Happy," your week is going to look so good you won't even believe it.
