9/8
Dallas is a multi-faceted city containing a variety of neighborhoods and even independent towns, each with its own distinct personality. Whatever might tickle your fancy, it's available here in our fair city. Into muggings and bad metal bands? Try Deep Ellum. Prefer shallow materialism and big, bad hair? Highland Park's that-a-way. Need to pick up a yuppie with a cute dog and an accounting degree? Exit Lovers Lane and find the Village. Jonesing for progressive idealism, open minds and a fabulous martini? Head on over to Queertown, one of Dallas' smaller and more temporal provinces located in the West End Comedy Theater, 603 Munger St. Under the direction of WECT's Doug Ewart, Queertown is a satirical production centered around gay life in the United States. Thursday, the Queertown gang will bring their unabashed social commentary to the WECT stage for a "gayla" (get it?) benefiting the AIDS Interfaith Network. The show features local comedy bigwigs exploring Abraham Lincoln's more flamboyant side and dancing while sporting Lucy Liu masks. Somehow, this makes for brilliant, conscious comedy--we promise. There's a mixer beforehand at 7:30 p.m., and the show starts at 9 p.m., featuring a guest stand-up routine from Karen Crowell. Tickets are $25. Call 214-880-9990. --Andrea Grimes
Bad to the Bone
9/10
Radio station 93.3 The Bone couldn't have contrived a lamer lineup for its Bone Bash. There's Night Ranger, the band that begs the question, "What else do they sing?" You can say this about the low-power ballad auteurs: At least they don't ignite deadly fireworks. That distinction belongs to the Bash's other attraction--the otherwise forgettable Great White, whose onstage pyrotechnics led to a nightclub inferno in Rhode Island that killed nearly 100 people. Oddly, this concert is held in support of the local police and firefighters unions. Other acts at the Bone Bash include Jackyl and Back In Black, an AC/DC tribute band. We imagine that if they added a few Led covers, they'd call themselves Stairway to Hell. Which would be a good way to portray this music festival, which takes place Saturday at LaGrave Field, 301 N.E. Sixth St. in Fort Worth. Call 817-226-CATS. --Matt Pulle
Not Lost in Translation
9/14
Called the "Charlie Chaplin of Mexico," actor Mario Moreno Reyes (known as "Cantinflas") made an art out of manipulating the Spanish language in addition to doing slapstick comedy. He mixed Spanish with English, lower class speech with folkloric language, until he had an almost incoherent gumbo--and he still managed to reach fans. Martice Enterprises and the Latino Cultural Center presents CANTINFLAS!, a comedy dedicated to his life that was written and is performed by Culture Clash member Herbert Sigüenza, at 8 p.m. September 14 and September 15 and 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. September 17 and September 18 at the Latino Cultural Center, 2600 Live Oak St. The production is mostly in Spanish with some English. Tickets are $15 to $20. Call 214-750-7435 or visit www.martice.com. --Jenice Johnson
Sad but True
9/11
Moods are already somber after Hurricane Katrina; now we must face another reminder of destruction and loss: the fourth anniversary of September 11, which WaterTower Theatre and De Facto Theatre Group commemorate with And Crown Thy Good: A True Story of 9/11, which follows a man's journey to New York after the attacks to attempt to make sense of what happened. Performances are 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. September 11 in the Studio Theatre of the Addison Theatre Centre, 15650 Addison Road. Tickets are $15. Call 972-450-6232. --Kelsey Guy
