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Events in May 2022
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May 28, 2022
“May the 4th Run with You: A Virtual 4K”: Epic Races.
May 1-31. This Star Wars themed event allows participants to complete a self-timed 4-km run/walk anytime and anywhere during the month. Mailed race packets include a T-shirt, medal, bib, and sticker decal. A portion of the proceeds is donated to the American Association for Cancer Research. Anytime in May. $50. Preregistration required at bit.ly/maythe4thrun2022. info@epicraces.com, 531-8747.
Garlic Mustard Weed Out Week: Ann Arbor Natural Area Preservation Division.
May 21-29. City-wide home participation event to eradicate this aggressive invasive plant that can quickly crowd out native plant species and decrease biodiversity. The AANAPD invites all to survey and pull this target species in your own yard or City nature areas. Go to a2gov.org/gmwow for information.
Museum Highlight Tours: U-M Museum of Natural History.
Every Sat. & Sun. 30-minute tour of the museum’s exhibits and galleries, as well as an introduction to some current U-M Biological Sciences research projects. 11 a.m. & 1 p.m., U-M MNH, 1105 North University. Check ummnh.org for the latest Covid protocols. Free. Limited capacity. Sign up at the welcome desk. 764–0478.
The Third Place Music Fest.
May 25-28. Performances by U-M students, local musicians, and others from across the Midwest in a range of genres from jazz and classical to folk and electronic. Performers TBA. Various times & locations. Small charge TBA (festival passes available) in advance at thirdplacemusic.org, thirdplaceconcertseries@gmail.com
U-M Museum of Natural History Planetarium & Dome Theater.
Fri.–Sun. Three different audiovisual planetarium shows suitable for all ages. Sea Monsters (Fri.–Sun., 11:30 a.m.) follows an adventurous Late Cretaceous dolichorhynchops (a kind of prehistoric marine reptile) as she travels through the ocean, encountering long-necked plesiosaurs, giant turtles, sharks, and the most dangerous sea monster of all, the mosasaur. The Sky Tonight (Fri.–Sun., 12:30 & 2:30 p.m.) is an exploration of the current night sky, with tips on how to find the cardinal directions, constellations, and planets on your own. Natural Selection (Fri.–Sun., 1:30 p.m.) joins Darwin on his voyage with HMS Beagle to the Galápagos Islands where he was inspired to develop his theory of transmutation by natural selection. Various times, U-M MNH, 1105 North University. Check ummnh.org for the latest Covid protocols. $8. Limited capacity. 764–0478.
'Celebrating the Last Frost,' an exhibition by Avery Williamson
Creal Microgallery presents 'Celebrating the Last Frost,' an exhibition of paintings and sculptures by Ypsilanti artist Avery Williamson. This collection of small works celebrates the last frost, an indicator of safe passage to the next season. These pieces explore the colors and textures of May and June-- a season of shedding, blooming, and emerging.
Williamson has worked in a wide range of media, including weavings, photography, collage, painting and drawing, but remaining constant in much of her work is her use of atmospheric color and lively mark-making. With these defining visual elements, her work feels both meditative and improvisational. Her use of color sets a stage or mood, and provides a context for the story to be told through her marks. The marks and lines then skip across the surface, or grow outward from a starting point. Her marks play around the edges of the canvas or are laid down across fields of color. Her images can feel like parts of a whole— just glimpses of a larger story or vignettes of a fuller world. In the works on view, she considers this moment in time, this transition from cold to warm, from dormancy to growth. This moment that Williamson captures is somehow both singular and infinite, and this transition between seasons upon which she reflects is at once unique and eternal.
parkrun USA.
Every Sat. All invited to join a timed 5-km run/walk. 8 a.m., Lillie Park South, 4365 Platt Rd. Free, but first-timers are requested to preregister at parkrun.US/lillie. lillie@parkrun.com.
Chime Concert: Kerrytown Market & Shops.
Every Wed., Fri., & Sat. All invited to play one of 200 songs, with melodies transcribed in numbers, on the 17-bell chime’s numbered keys. Ambitious players can add chords. Kids welcome. Noon–12:30 p.m. (Wed. & Fri.) & 10:30–11 a.m. (Sat.). Kerrytown Market. Free. ofGlobal@aol.com.
12th Annual Classic Car Show: Ann Arbor City Club.
Show of more than 80 classic, sporty, unusual, and rare cars, trucks, and motorcycles. Music. Food tent. Rain or shine. Noon-3 p.m., Ann Arbor City Club, 1830 Washtenaw. Free; small fee to show a car (reserve a spot at annarborcityclub.org/classics-at-the-city-club). greg@annarborcityclub.org, 662-3279, ext. 1.
“Creature Encounters”: The Creature Conservancy.
Every Sun. & Sat. Conservancy staffers show off some animals native to Eurasia (2 & 4 p.m.), including a reindeer, a Burmese python, and a legless lizard, which is not a snake. Also, a zookeeper talk with a surprise animal (3 p.m.) and a chance to see the conservancy’s other animals. 1–5 p.m., Creature Conservancy, 4950 Ann Arbor–Saline Rd. Mask encouraged. $11 (kids ages 2–12, $9; under age 2, free) at the door; $1 discount in advance. 929–9324.
“Pops in the Park!”: Ypsilanti Symphony Orchestra.
Adam C. Riccinto directs this volunteer community orchestra in a Memorial Day program featuring show tunes and patriotic music. Raindate: May 29. 2 p.m., Riverside Park Pavillion, 2 East Cross St., Ypsilanti. Free. ypsilantisymphony.org.
“Sherlock Holmes and the Adventure of the Ghost Machine”: Purple Rose Theatre Company.
Every Wed.-Sun, Apr. 15-Aug. 27. Angie Kane directs the world premiere of Livonia playwright David MacGregor’s drama that imagines the Victorian sleuth, aided by Dr. Watson and Irene Adler, solving the disappearance of world-changing inventions by clients Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison. Cast: David Bendena, Caitlin Cavannaugh, Mark Colson, Sarab Kamoo, Rusty Mewha, and Paul Strobili. 3 p.m. (Wed., Thurs., & Sat.), 8 p.m. (Thurs.–Sat.), & 2 p.m. (Sun.), Purple Rose Theatre, 137 Park St., Chelsea. Mask and proof of vaccination required. Tickets $25-51 in advance at PurpleRoseTheatre.org and by phone, and (if available) at the door. Discounts available for students, seniors, teachers, military personnel, and groups. 433–7673.
“Kids Open Mic”: Oz’s Music Environment.
All kids invited online to sing songs, make music, tell jokes, and more. For URL, go to ozmusic.com/events. Free. 662–8283.
“Ann Arbor Group Runs”: Running Fit.
Every Sat. & Tues. Runners of all abilities invited to join a run of 3–5 miles along varying routes from different Running Fit locations. Rain or shine. 8 a.m. (Sat.), 5700 Jackson Rd. & 6 p.m. (Tues.), 123 E. Liberty. Free. 929–9022 (Sat.) & 769–5016 (Tues.).
“Tuck Everlasting”: Light in the Dark Musical Theatre Company.
May 27-29. Stephen Visser & Joshua Bleu direct this Genesee County-based musical theater ensemble in a production of Chris Miller & Nathan Tysen’s 2014 musical adaptation of Natalie Babbitt’s 1975 novel about a family that has learned the secret of immortality and tries to persuade a young neighbor that living forever may not be such a good thing. 7:30 p.m. (Fri. & Sat.) & 2 p.m. (Sun.), Power Center. Tickets $20-22 in advance at mutotix.umich.edu and at the door. litdshows@gmail.com.
Adam Sokol: Ann Arbor Comedy Showcase.
May 27 & 28. A Michigan native who now lives in New York City, Sokol has an eccentric and mild-mannered stage presence, but pulls no punches. His smart and funny stories cover such topics as working undercover at a right-wing news blog, idiosyncratic units of measurement, and his mother’s passive-aggressive job-hunt help. Preceded by 2 opening acts TBA. Alcohol is served. 7:30 p.m. (Fri. & Sat.) & 10 p.m. (Sat.), 212 S. Fourth Ave. $15 reserved seating in advance at etix.com before 6 p.m. the night of the show; $17 general admission at the door. 996–9080.
Comedy Night: Bløm Meadworks.
Stand-up showcase featuring sets by area comic Andrew Yang & others, with jokes about everything from dating to mortality. 7:30–9 p.m., Bløm, 100 S. Fourth Ave. Mask and proof of vaccination required. Reservations required at bit.ly/blomcomedy052022. $10, includes a reserved seat and a 12 oz. pour.
“Relativity”: Theatre Nova.
Every Thurs.–Sun., May 20–June 12. Carla Milarch directs prolific contemporary playwright Mark St. Germain’s speculative 2017 historical comedy about Einstein’s missing daughter and a visiting reporter curious about his family history. The comic play, described in a Broadway World review as “seriously entertaining,” explores the old question of whether a great man must also be a good one. Featuring Anne Damman, Ellen Finch, and Phil Powers. 8 p.m. (Thurs.–Sat.) & 2 p.m. (Sun.), Theatre Nova, 410 W. Huron St. Tickets $22 in advance at theatre-nova.ticketleap.com & at the door. Mask & proof of vaccination (or negative Covid test within past 48 hours). 635–8450.
“Sherlock Holmes and the Adventure of the Ghost Machine”: Purple Rose Theatre Company.
Every Wed.-Sun, Apr. 15-Aug. 27. Angie Kane directs the world premiere of Livonia playwright David MacGregor’s drama that imagines the Victorian sleuth, aided by Dr. Watson and Irene Adler, solving the disappearance of world-changing inventions by clients Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison. Cast: David Bendena, Caitlin Cavannaugh, Mark Colson, Sarab Kamoo, Rusty Mewha, and Paul Strobili. 3 p.m. (Wed., Thurs., & Sat.), 8 p.m. (Thurs.–Sat.), & 2 p.m. (Sun.), Purple Rose Theatre, 137 Park St., Chelsea. Mask and proof of vaccination required. Tickets $25-51 in advance at PurpleRoseTheatre.org and by phone, and (if available) at the door. Discounts available for students, seniors, teachers, military personnel, and groups. 433–7673.
“Taxi Driver”: Michigan Theatre.
(Martin Scorsese, 1976). In a chilling and influential performance, Robert De Niro plays a disturbed loner who grows increasingly detached from reality and decides to save the world, first by plotting to assassinate a presidential candidate, then by trying to rescue a 12-year-old prostitute. Cybill Shepherd, Jodie Foster, Harvey Keitel. 8 p.m. Michigan Theater. Proof of vaccination (or negative Covid test within 72 hours) required for all patrons over the age of 12. Tickets $10.50 unless otherwise noted (children under 12, students, seniors age 65 & older, & U.S. veterans, $8.50; MTF members, $8) in advance online (recommended) & at the door. For updated schedule, see MichTheater.org.
Adam Sokol: Ann Arbor Comedy Showcase.
May 27 & 28. A Michigan native who now lives in New York City, Sokol has an eccentric and mild-mannered stage presence, but pulls no punches. His smart and funny stories cover such topics as working undercover at a right-wing news blog, idiosyncratic units of measurement, and his mother’s passive-aggressive job-hunt help. Preceded by 2 opening acts TBA. Alcohol is served. 7:30 p.m. (Fri. & Sat.) & 10 p.m. (Sat.), 212 S. Fourth Ave. $15 reserved seating in advance at etix.com before 6 p.m. the night of the show; $17 general admission at the door. 996–9080.
