Just Wonderin'

FRI 8/13
Edward Gorey's book The Curious Sofa is a bit like Alice in Wonderland. But rather than meeting queens and caterpillars, Gorey's ingenue mixes with "exceptionally well-made youths," a husband and wife with wooden legs, and the said couch, among others. All fine and good in a picture book, but when staged, a playfully pornographic piece such as Sofa comes with a set of prop-related dilemmas. Can the mannequin withstand having holes drilled in it? Will the "violet ray generator" (a 1920s electric medical device) interfere with the sound system?

We'll find out at 9 p.m. Friday at the Stray Cat (1319 Grand), where director Dafe Hughes' adaptation will be, um, mounted. For attendees who are dressed nicely, admission is $10; for those dressed not nicely (as in, street attire), tickets are $15. However, for anyone dressed not nicely at all, i.e., wearing fetish gear, the ticket price drops to $5. But vinyl? In this heat? Call 816-283-3338 for information. -- Nadia Pflaum

Kingdom Come

FRI 8/13
The city's annual commemoration of Elvis Presley¹s death takes place Friday at Barney Allis Plaza (Central and Wyandotte streets), with a noontime parade of imitators competing for prizes. We hope they take their inspiration from the early years when Elvis was at his most crushworthy. Call 913-677-8013 for information. -- Annie Fischer

Sew What?

ONGOING

In a recent attempt to fuse fashion and finances, we checked around for affordable sewing lessons and discovered that Kaplan's Fabrics (438 Ward Parkway) offers six 2-1/2-hour lessons for $75. That works out to five bucks an hour. In the name of style, we figure that's doable. Call 816-531-4818 for times. -- Fischer