A test of strength: When it comes to bending metal, Stanless Steel, the protagonist of Zachary Levy's documentary Strongman, is one of the most powerful men in the world. He can break steel rods, lift three people with just a finger and bend coins with his hands. But all that strength and an occasional spotlight isn't enough to make him happy. As he faces middle age, a relationship that's going south and the decline of his power, Stanless—Stanley to his friends and family—must ask the same tragedy-of-the-human-condition questions all mortals must face, even those of us who can't pick up a pickup. Strongman, which opens Friday, March 25, at Reading Gaslamp Cinemas, is strange, funny and touching, another strong entry in the current climate of powerful documentaries. strongmanfilm.com, readingcinemasus.com
Theater
Break from tradition: Tevye is a simple dairyman in a fictional Russian enclave in 1905, but his problems are far from simple—his three eldest daughters (Tzeitel, Hodel and Chava) are bent on choosing husbands out of love rather than the customary arrangement, and the Tsar is booting Jews from villages around the country. Yep, it's Fiddler on the Roof, one of the greatest musicals ever staged, featuring classic songs like “Tradition,” “Matchmaker,” “If I Were a Rich Man” and “Sunrise, Sunset.” Lyric at the Birch will mount the show from Friday, March 25, through Sunday, April 3, at the Birch North Park Theatre, 2891 University Ave. $32- $52. Go to lyricoperasandiego.org for tickets, dates and times.
Art
Fresh works, no 'tude: You have to admire grass-roots activists, who don't sit on their tails waiting for things to happen. Arte Fresca is one such group, rounding up local artists and setting up shows around town. The group's mission? To showcase local artists' work in no-attitude, low-pressure environments. From 7 to 11 p.m. Saturday, March 26, Jessica Rose, Ciomara Franco, Maria Christina Anulao and others will show their stuff at Mosaic Wine Bar (3422 30th St. in North Park). Kethro will play an acoustic set, and DJ Rob Sarin will provide the beats. Complimentary appetizers and Mosaic's extensive wine selection should help create the no-attitude vibe. artefresca.webs.com
So Sumi: Ponder this: Japan, a nation known for building walls of paper, is also the country that invented the word “tsunami.” Japan embraces impermanence as a spiritual principle perhaps because impermanence, to the island nation, is also a hard, seismological fact. Nowhere are these delicate aesthetics more apparent than in Japanese art. The Friends of Taka Sumi-e Society's Annual Art Show runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, March 26 and 27, at Casa del Prado in Balboa Park. The event features more than 100 artists and will include Japanese dancers and musicians, a tea ceremony, ikebana flower arrangements and a fashion show. Admission is free; a portion of sales proceeds will go toward relief efforts in Japan.
Street worn: Throughout the 1990s, San Diego-based Tribal Streetwear was the hub of a new style and subculture rooted in Latino street life, but not exclusive to it. The Tribal Clique bridged graffiti and tattoos, hip-hop and metal, low-riders and skateboards and propelled the careers of dozens of artists. Tribal co-founder Carl Arellano (who manages The Tribal Store at Fifth Avenue and Broadway, Downtown) helped bring street art to the masses through fashion, but he also collected art himself. From 6 to 11 p.m. Saturday, March 26, Voz Alta Project (1754 National Ave. in Barrio Logan) will exhibit selections from The Private Collection of Carl Arellano, which includes pieces by world-renowned tattooist Mike Giant, British graffiti patriarch Mode 2 and local artist Sergio “Surge” hernandez. vozaltaprojectgallery.com
Discussion
No nudes?: CityBeat arts editor Kinsee Morlan recently broke the news on her blog that an exhibition of nude paintings by San Diego artist Anna Stump had been cancelled. The paintings were to be hanged in the hallways and lobby area that make up the Martha Pace Swift Gallery, a public-space venue at Point Loma's Liberty Station. The gallery is owned by the NTC Foundation but run by the Expressive Arts Institute. The curator of the gallery, Wes Chester, thought the show was appropriate, but NTC Foundation executive director Alan Ziter disagreed, partly because the building houses nonprofits catering to children and families. In response, artist Katherine Sweetman and arts writer Kevin Freitas organized Under Wraps: Controversy and Art in Public Spaces, a forum at the Expressive Arts Institute (2820 Roosevelt Road, Suite 204, in Point Loma) at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 30. Panelists include Morlan, Chester, Ziter, Stump, Anne Berchtold, Robert Pincus and others. Click here for event details.
Spoken Word
Death of a poet: Jihmye Collins died earlier this month, but he left quite a legacy behind. Not only did Collins help make San Diego pretty—he was involved with five public-art projects—he also helped build its still-growing literary scene. As a founding board member of San Diego Writers, Ink, and the man behind a new spoken-word night in La Mesa, Collins made an impact. Deservedly, there'll be two Tributes to Jihmye Collins—one at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 24, at Space Bar (7454 Univesity Ave. in La Mesa) and another at 7 p.m. Saturday, March 26, at the City Heights Performance Annex (2745 Fairmount Ave.). sandiegowriters.org
Special Events
Japan's Maneki Neko cats: If you've ever owned a cat, you can probably guess what Maneki Neko, aka the “waving cat,” was really up to with that raised paw—not waving, just doing a little face washing. Still, legend has it that a wealthy nobleman thought a cat was beckoning to him and, in walking over to the cat, avoided being killed by a falling tree branch—which is why Maneki Neko translates literally to “beckoning cat”; the cats are thought to bring good luck. Balboa Park's Mingei Museum opened Japan's Beckoning Cats: From Talisman to Pop Icon, an exhibition of 155 Maneki Nekos on March 13. From 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Friday, March 25, see the cats up close at Early Evening @ Mingei while sipping on beer or wine and listening to live jazz. $10. mingei.org