Events for the week

thursday
may 9
And the Light Shineth in Darkness: Texas-based painter Calvin Davis is up-front about the agenda behind his series of gorgeously detailed paintings. Exhibited as And the Light Shineth in Darkness, the pictures are designed so "people will come away from it with a greater desire to seek God in His Word," he explains. Don't worry--the Biblical Arts Center has a strictly no-laying-on-of-hands policy, and Davis himself doesn't stalk the premises with an emergency baptism kit. What makes the show impressive, besides the extraordinary grace of the brushwork, is the artist's recognition of the power of allegory--sort of the truth behind the lie. It's a subtle, persuasive power all these dreary fundamentalist activists would do well to adopt. The exhibit runs through June 23 at the Biblical Arts Center, 7500 Park Lane. It's free. For more information call 691-4661.

Kiss of the Spider Woman: Those who still yearn for the exclusive glamour of the footlights should know that venerable institution Broadway is kept (barely) alive on the kind of revivals that regularly grace the schedules of community theaters. (Witness the newest multimillion-dollar reanimation of A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to the Forum.) Kiss of the Spider Woman is a revival of sorts, an exotic musical version of a middling feature film that won Oscars. Chita Rivera, the New York production's original star (and a 1994 Tony Award winner), has joined the national tour. Performances happen Tuesday-Friday at 8 p.m.; Saturday at 2 and 8 p.m.; and Sunday at 2 and 7:30 p.m. through May 12 at the Music Hall at Fair Park. Tickets are $13-$48. Call 373-8000.

friday
may 10
Tales From the Mist: Mexico-based writer-director Abraham Oceransky has made it his mission to combine the aesthetic and dramatic sensibilities of two cultures that don't often mix--Latin-American and Japanese. The Latino stage is often broad and brimming with passion, while Japanese productions are subdued, but beyond that distinction the two share much thematic territory--specifically, obsessions with fate, honor, and betrayal. Tales From the Mist is Oceransky's latest collaboration with Teatro Dallas, a haunted look at the repercussions of a violent act committed under cover of midnight mist. Performances happen Wednesday-Saturday at 8:15 p.m. through June 8 at Teatro Dallas, 2204 Commerce. Tickets are $12. (Wednesdays are "pay what you can.") For information call 741-6833.

Conte de Loyo Flamenco Theatre: Conte de Loyo has performed flamenco dance to huge festival crowds and tiny theater audiences all over the world, always with the integrity of the medium held uppermost in her mind. But Dallas is her home base, the city she really wants to entertain and educate. The Conto de Loyo Flamenco Theatre presents its latest offering, Fuego Y Alma. Subtitled An Evening of Flamenco Dance, the show includes a matinee designed for kids. Performances are May 10 at 8 p.m. and May 11 at 1 and 8 p.m. at the Bath House Cultural Center, 521 E. Lawther. Tickets are $5-$18. Call 871-2787.

Sports, Words, City: An Evening with Sportswriters: No doubt about it, Dallas is one of the top sports cities in America. Indeed, fans are so passionate here that our fair city has suffered from a kind of homogenized-cheerleading approach to the craft of sportswriting: Too many people are too afraid to alienate readers with blunt coverage of their favorite teams. Wordspace presents an evening by three North Texas-based, nationally renowned sportswriters who've been anything but timid--and sometimes suffered for it. Sports Illustrated contributor Jennifer Briggs (formerly of the Observer) discusses being a gal in a boy's club; Mike Shropshire of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram compares the raucous '70s to the prim, proper (on the surface) '90s; and Steve Pate of the Star-Telegram and the New York Post discusses regional differences. The evening kicks off at 8 p.m. at Paperbacks Plus, 6115 La Vista. The event is $5. For more information call 942-7012.

Tommy Chong and the Amazing Jonathon: Tommy Chong is the antithesis of the "baked potato" cliche that surrounds pot smokers--an ultraprolific writer-actor-director-musician-stand-up-comic. But he does smoke pot. Regularly. And he continues to incorporate the topic of pot-smoking--along with politics, sex, and pop culture--into his live material, although he refuses to outright advocate it the way Cheech and Chong did by example during the mid-'70s height of their popularity. Chong comes to Dallas for three performances with the Amazing Jonathon, a prop comic who's sort of a cross between Laugh-In and the Friday the 13th film series. Performances happen May 10 at 8 p.m. and May 11 at 7 and 10 p.m. at the Arts District Theater next to the Meyerson Symphony Center. Call 373-8000.

saturday
may 11
Fear Itself: Fort Worth's Jubilee Theatre presents the Southwest premiere of a drama by Eugene Lee, a Fort Worth native who has worked with the likes of Denzel Washington, Alfre Woodard, and Charles Fuller. Fear Itself is the title of Lee's latest drama, which draws heavily from influences as disparate as Homer's Odyssey and the machismo cult of professional football. Fear Itself concerns a family torn apart by the conflict between a father and son, each of whom has a personal dilemma they must solve through their relationship. Performances happen Friday at 8:15 p.m.; Saturday at 3:15 and 8:15 p.m.; and Sunday at 3:15 p.m. through June 9 at the Jubilee Theatre in downtown Fort Worth. Tickets are $8-$14. Call (817) 338-4411.