Events for the week

thursday
february 29
Ad-Libs Ninth Anniversary: Having any kind of business survive for nine years is an impressive accomplishment, but when you consider said enterprise is an improvisational comedy troupe, that's an even bigger deal. When Phil Larsson and his buddies started Ad-Libs in 1987, the live-comedy performance field was beginning to dry up. Back then, Larsson had to live in the back of the shop, washing himself in a tub with beer pitchers. Today, comedy venues across the nation are dropping like lame one-liners, but Larrson has his own shower and a more-successful-than-ever Ad-Libs. Come check out the 100 percent improv stylings of the troupe in its Ninth Anniversary Show. The performance happens at 8 p.m. at 2613 Ross in the Dallas Arts District. Tickets are the 1987 price: $5 per person. For more information call 754-7050.

Carlo Pezzimenti and Marta Urrea: All those Dallasites who complain that high ticket prices are what keep them from enjoying the finer art forms, meet Carlo Pezzimenti: world tourer, Spanish-music aficionado, disciple of Andres Segovia, and, perhaps most significantly, guy who plays free concerts because he loves music. Pezzimenti, a classical guitarist and sometime Texas Woman's University professor, is a first-class musical talent who will very soon be charging double-digit ticket prices for Carnegie Hall and Meyerson shows. Those who've heard Pezzimenti's spine-tinglingly beautiful music will gladly pay (but we don't mind the free shows). Pezzimenti shares the bill with another great talent, pianist Marta Urrea. The performance begins at 7 p.m. at the Meadows Museum, Southern Methodist University at Hillcrest and Mockingbird. It's free. Call 768-2740.

friday
march 1
The Next Millenium of International Ballet: It's not enough that The International Theatrical Arts Society (TITAS) provides Dallasites with season after season of world-class entertainment; Executive Producer Tom Adams wants to raise the standard even higher by importing the world's top ballet companies to the city. That takes money, and nobody at TITAS is getting wealthy off its endeavors. The solution? The second annual "The Next Millenium of International Ballet" benefit, a command performance that features the about-to-be-hottest ballet hoofers on the planet, including Vladimir "The Luscious Russian" Malakhov, Angel Corella, Tetsuya Kumakawa, Susan Jaffe, and Darcey Bussell.The performance happens at 7:30 p.m. at the Music Hall at Fair Park. Tickets are $10-$100. Call 528-5576.

Shelby Lee Adams' Appalachian Portraits: Award-winning photographer Shelby Lee Adams was born in Kentucky in the thick of the Southern Appalachians, which might explain why there isn't a trace of condescension in his photo exhibit, Appalachian Portraits. The pictures in this show are just a handful of the photos shot during a 15-year project that saw Adams, who says he developed his aesthetic eye as a reaction to the blindness which eventually overcame his grandmother, traveling down dirt roads most people wouldn't even recognize as road. The opening reception, on March 1 from 6 to 9 p.m., includes a lecture by the artist. The show is free and runs through April 13 at Photographs Do Not Bend, 3115 Routh St. Call 969-1852.

The 14th Annual North Texas Irish Festival: It would take an entire Calendar Events page to adequately list the variety of performers and events at the 14th Annual 1996 North Texas Irish Festival. Barring that, suffice to say there are more than 40 musicians and musical outfits from all over the world. Some specialize in traditional, some contemporary, some a hybrid of sounds, but they all share a genetic predisposition for green beer and blarney-lovin'. There's also a 3,000-square-foot Urchin St. Faire for the kids, and the Second Annual Texas State Championship of Irish Dance. The Festival begins with a three-stage preview Friday, 4-11 p.m., and continues Saturday, noon-midnight, and Sunday, noon-8 p.m., in Fair Park. Tickets are $3 for Friday night, and $10-$15 for other days. Call 821-4174.

saturday
march 2
Dallas in Wonderland: "Wonderland at Dallas Blooms," now in its 12th year, is designed to carry Dallas from late winter into spring, although with recent temperatures around 95, they might consider installing a giant water slide for heat-stricken patrons. "Wonderland at Dallas Blooms" features millions of tulips, daffodils, and azaleas surrounding greenery sculpted in the shape of Lewis Carroll's LSD-esque Wonderland characters. There are also plant and herbal demonstrations and lectures, musical entertainment, animals exhibits, and lotsa kid stuff. Activities start up this Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., and continue every weekend through April 7 at 8525 Garland Rd. Admission is $3-$6; children younger than 6 are admitted free. Parking is $2. Call 327-8263.

Mondrian and the Music of His Time: Dutch pianist Marcel Worms presents a special concert performance-discussion about one very famous painter and the musical peers who (indirectly) influenced his work. Mondrian and the Music of His Time is a program of compositions that include not only composers as disparate as Gershwin, Scott Joplin, and Stravinsky, but also contemporary works about or influenced by Mondrian commissioned by Worms. An institution in his Dutch homeland, Worms is regarded not only as a world-class pianist but also as a preeminent scholar of jazz piano. The performance begins at 3 p.m. in the Horchow Auditorium of the Dallas Museum of Art, 1717 N. Harwood. It's free. Call 922-1229.