Calendar for the week

thursday
september 26
Curdled: Miramax Films' most recent flick, Curdled, is one of a number of films shot in Miami and set against the backdrop of our various and vibrant cultures (The Birdcage and Miami Rhapsody come to mind). So what better town in which to present the national premiere than Miami? The screening of the film -- a black comedy produced by Quentin Tarantino and starring Angela Jones as a murder-obsessed woman who works on a crime-scene clean-up crew and William Baldwin as a charming possible serial killer -- takes place at AMC CocoWalk Theatres (3015 Grand Ave., Coconut Grove) at 8:00, followed by a star-studded champagne party at the Forge (432 41st St., Miami Beach) at 10:00. Tickets for the movie cost $20; tickets to both events cost $75, with all proceeds benefiting the Film Society of Miami (the folks responsible for the Miami Film Festival). Call 377-3456.

The World Goes 'Round: The songwriting team of John Kander and Fred Ebb has produced some of the greatest hits of American musical theater of the past four decades, including Cabaret, Funny Lady, and Kiss of the Spider Woman. The University of Miami's Jerry Herman Ring Theatre (1380 Miller Dr., Coral Gables) pays tribute to the tuneful duo by opening its new Second Stage Series with the musical revue The World Goes 'Round, conceived by Scott Ellis, Susan Stroman, and David Thompson. Unlike the typical revue, World tells a story by incorporating well-known songs like "New York, New York" and "All That Jazz" into a loose narrative. Performances continue through Sunday at 8:00, with a 2:00 matinee on Sunday. Tickets cost eight dollars. Call 284-3355.

Festival Miami: Classical music rules as the University of Miami School of Music continues Festival Miami tonight at 8:00 with pianists Roberta Rust and Ivan Davis, performing a Brazilian-theme concert featuring Brazilian pianist Guiomar Novaes's Jardim da Infancia, plus Heitor Villa-Lobos's Alma Brasileira and Rudepoema, and Louis Moreau Gottschalk's Grand Triumphal Fantasy on the Brazilian National Anthem. Admission is ten dollars. On Saturday at 8:00, pianist Arnaldo Cohen joins guest conductor Roberto Tibirica and the Florida Philharmonic Orchestra for the centenary celebration of the birth of Novaes, featuring Villa-Lobos's Bachianas Brasileiras no. 4, Grieg's Piano Concerto in A minor, and Beethoven's Piano Concerto no. 5 (Emperor). Admission is free. And Sunday at 4:00, the festival celebrates Miami's centennial and the University of Miami's 70th anniversary with works by Strauss, Wolf, the Gershwins, Kern, Weill, and Berlin, performed by soprano Barbara Martin and pianist Paul Posnak. Admission is eight dollars. The festival runs through October 26. All concerts take place at the Maurice Gusman Concert Hall (1314 Miller Dr., Coral Gables), unless otherwise noted. Call 284-4940.

friday
september 27
Miami City Ballet: After a summer that included a performance at the Olympic Art Festival in Atlanta, Miami's stellar classical dance company launches its second decade with a season full of sparkling-new works and old favorites. The season kicks off tonight at 8:00 at the Jackie Gleason Theater of the Performing Arts (1700 Washington Ave., Miami Beach) with George Balanchine's Concerto Barocco, Jose Limon's The Moor's Pavane, resident choreographer Jimmy Gamonet De Los Heros's Purple Bend #2, and the company's premiere performance of Paul Taylor's Esplanade. Performances are tomorrow at 8:00 and Sunday at 2:00 at the Jackie Gleason Theater; additional performances begin on Wednesday at 3:00 at Bailey Hall (3501 SW Davie Rd., Davie). Tickets range from $17 to $46. Call 930-32623.

Roberto Perera: Uruguayan contemporary jazz harpist Roberto Perera takes his ancient instrument into the 21st Century on his latest disc, Harp and Soul. The enhanced CD is a multimedia CD-ROM package that includes not only an hour of music, but also two music videos, concert footage, and an interview with the artist. Musically speaking, though, Perera is paring down, using a traditional, unmodified Paraguayan folk harp almost exclusively. Listeners can still expect Perera's blend of jazz, Latin, and pop elements when he performs a free concert tonight at 8:00 at Borders Book Shop (9205 S. Dixie Hwy., 665-8800), a preview of his concert tomorrow at 8:00 at Rezurrection Hall at Club Nu (245 22nd St., Miami Beach). Tickets to the Club Nu concert cost ten dollars. Call 535-9016.

Strange Snow: The Florida Shakespeare Theatre finds a new home at the Biltmore Hotel (1200 Anastasia Ave., Coral Gables) and unveils its new Americas Theatre Group in the inaugural production of Stephen Metcalfe's dramatic comedy Strange Snow. The play focuses on a Vietnam vet and his sister, a high school teacher, who are forced to examine their pasts when an army buddy shows up. The troupe's old digs were destroyed by Hurricane Andrew four years ago; after a peripatetic spell, they have a base in this state-of-the-art facility. Preceding the play tonight is a gala reception at 7:00; performances take place every Wednesday through Saturday at 8:00 and every Sunday at 2:00 and 7:00 p.m. through October 20. Tickets cost $22 and $26. Call 446-1116.

The World Goes 'Round: See Thursday.

saturday
september 28
Acoustic Alchemy/Bob James and Kirk Whalum: The Love 94 (WLVE-FM 93.9) Smooth Jazz Series opens with a two-act evening of liquidy sounds tonight at 8:00 at the James L. Knight Center (400 SE Second Ave.). The British guitar duo of Nick Webb and Greg Carmichael, known as Acoustic Alchemy, perform delicate, moving arrangements from their ninth album arcan'um. Grammy Award-winning keyboardist-composer Bob James (who wrote the theme for the Seventies hit television series Taxi) and saxman Kirk Whalum join forces to perform selections from their Warner Bros. collaboration, Joined at the Hip, as well as tunes off their recent solo albums. Tickets cost $25.75, $29.75, and $35.75. Call 372-0929.