Weekend Preview: beats and vajay-jays

The mission of this column is not so much to list all the fun things Tacomans can do with their spare time and dollars, but to illustrate the depth of options they face. Wow, is there a diverse list of good times this weekend. There are subtitles, stomping feet and vajay-jays — lots and lots of talk about vajay-jays, in a chapel no less.

The first fun thing out of the box this week is the continuing funness that is the annual Tacoma Sister Cities International Film Festival, which runs Thursday nights through April 8 at the Blue Mouse Theatre. The festival features films from all the countries Tacoma has formal “sister” relationships with and often plays to sell out crowds. Tonight’s film is “Faith Like Potatoes,” a film from South Africa that apparently has little to do with vegetable gardens. Tickets are $10 or $90 for a season pass and can be purchased at the Blue Mouse, the Pacific NW Shop, or online.

For something a bit more artsy fartsy, the black turtleneck crowd will likely be at the Mad Hat Tea Co. tonight pre-funk for Valentine’s Day in “A Little Thing Called Love,” a show offering prints and drawings by Mirka Hokkanen. The party starts at 7 and runs to 10 p.m. and comes complete with performances by reggae-bent Good Vibes and the techno-retro branded Aphrodisiacs. The Mad Hat is located at 1130 Commerce St.

Tomorrow night, Soul Street Dance Co. will take to the stage at the Rialto Theater with its indescribable dance style and energy that mixes hip-hop and World music beats and a dash of break dancing that seems more gymnastics than dance. The show starts at 7:30 p.m. and costs $19 to $29. Tickets are available at Broadway Center.

And now the the vajay-jays. Pacific Lutheran University is staging “The Vagina Monologues” at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday in Estvold Chapel. Anyone who wants to know more about their vajay-jay or that of the one they love might want to give this show a try. Tickets are $5 to $12. Contact (253) 535-8759 for tickets.

This is also the last weekend to see Tacoma Musical Playhouse’s production of “Rent,” a rock opera set in New York City’s artists community as it deals with AIDS, poverty, the complications of live and all things Bohemian. The show runs at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and at 2 p.m. on Sunday. “Tacoma Musical Playhouse”: www.tmp.org is located at 7108 Sixth Ave.

Faced with reruns of Matlock or a night of culture in Tacoma, the decision should be obvious.