Seasoned Right

You can't trust short people with your jewelry—at least not your special power ring that controls the universe. I got one in a cereal box when I was a kid and put my parents under a spell where they were late everywhere and couldn't remember people's names. It hasn't worn off yet. You shouldn't flex your power around a Texas barbecue pit either. (Ever squeezed a can of charcoal starter too hard over a pile of glowing briquets?) Apparently Theatre Arlington wants to stir up trouble this summer. They're staging the craziest spoof of Wagner's Ring Cycle since Peter Jackson's hairy-footed, Kiwi tri-cycle. Das Barbecu has the obligatory dwarf, the power ring at a shotgun wedding, singin' and a-dancin' and a synchronized swimming revue...wait, run that by me again? Yep, this comic adaptation written by Jim Luigs and Scott Warrender has a Western ring to it: five gifted actors doing 30 outrageous Texas characters—which wouldn't be complete without a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader, lariat tricks and guacamole-inspired Texas shuffles, leaving audiences across the country laughing and loving C&W all over again. Das Barbecu opens its month-long run Friday at Theatre Arlington. Call 817-275-7661 or visit theatrearlington.org.
Fridays, Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 2 p.m.; Thursdays, 7:30 p.m. Starts: June 15. Continues through July 15