Don't bore your fund-raising dinner guests with the same tired surf 'n' turf entrée: For your dining pleasure, we are pleased to suggest T-Bone 'n' Weasel. Since you are likely skilled at T-bone preparation, let us concentrate on that inimitable side dish, the weasel. After deboning the carcass, season the weasel loins with butter, thyme, fresh garlic and black pepper. Wrap each fillet in foil with slices of onion and tart apples and bake for 90 minutes. Garnish with herbed butter. One weasel serves one to two guests. Or, if all that sounds too complicated, fill up on The Pocket Sandwich Theatre's version of T-Bone N Weasel. This crime caper about two bumbling ex-cons features Dennis Millegan as Weasel, Kenneth Sparks as T-Bone and David Lugo as every other character. For a dose of beef and rodent, see T-Bone N Weasel at the Pocket Sandwich Theatre, 5400 E. Mockingbird Lane, Suite 119, 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays and 8 p.m. Sundays through June 28. Tickets are $6 to $14 and reservations are recommended. Call 214-821-1860. --Michelle Martinez
6/6
On the Road Again
George Jones holds on
The inimitable George Jones has come a long way since recording his first song, "There Ain't No Money in This Deal." An ironic song title considering the man has had more charted singles than any other artist in any format in the history of popular music. Starting in the mid-1950s, Jones worked the local honky-tonk circuit in East Texas. His style evolved over the years, from rockabilly to country and gospel. In the '70s, he recorded love ballads with then-wife Tammy Wynette. One of the biggest changes in his career came after a near-fatal car crash in 1998, after which he gave up liquor, coffee and smoking. The man who "lived to tell it all" has bounced back, though, winning a Grammy in 1999 and the National Medal of Arts in 2002. He continues his constant touring schedule with a national tour starting in Texas this week with a show at 8 p.m. Friday at the Bass Performance Hall, 525 Commerce St. in Fort Worth. Tickets are $35 to $57.50. Call 817-212-4280. --David Wilson
6/10
Just A-Swingin'
Boogie-woogie this
When we were little we took dance classes, and there was one girl who always seemed to outshine the group. So while the rest of us were wearing green leotards and tights and shuffling around to some Muppets tune at recital time, this chick was tapping her ass off to "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" in a coveted sparkly costume. We don't know whatever happened to the dancing queen, but we're pretty sure we still don't like her. So when the musical Swing! comes to town June 10 to June 15, and the performers get to the "Bugle Boy" portion of the show, we'll try to suppress our sequin envy. Tickets are $23 to $60. Bass Performance Hall, 525 Commerce St. in Fort Worth. Call 817-212-4280. --Rhonda Reinhart
6/6
Dandy Yankee
A tough-talking, pragmatic Yankee is dropped into the heart of British government, disrupting it with a combination of technical wizardry and flimflammery. No, we're not talking about the latest episode of When Dubya Met Tony; we mean Mark Twain's A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court. Hip Pocket Theatre presents Twain's satiric look at politics and manners--as adapted by Johnny Simmons--beginning 9 p.m. Friday and continuing weekends through June 29 at Oak Acres Amphitheatre, 1620 Las Vegas Trail, Fort Worth. Call 817-246-9775. --Patrick Williams
6/5
Shrew Stories
The Bard teaches the fine art of tantrums
There is something to be said for knowing how to pitch a good fit. Sure, some people call them bratty, even bitchy, but fact is that temper tantrums can be quite satisfying, even fun, for the thrower. Bad day at work? Why not let the plates fly? Fight with your boyfriend? Go ahead and raise the roof. Can't make your rent? Slam some doors. (Note: Careful where you let loose. Context is everything when it comes to the art of the tantrum.) As with any skill, some people are better fit-throwers than others. The tantrum-challenged are in luck, however. Shakespeare Festival of Dallas is opening its season with Taming of the Shrew, an ode to the temper tantrum, among other things. Of the show's sparring lovers Kate and Petruchio, it's Kate--a world-class fit-thrower--who is the one to watch. Ignore the fact that the great will of Kate, a.k.a. the Shrew, is ultimately broken. Everyone knows that those were the old days, and the old rules no longer apply. Just focus on the superb delivery of the Shrew's discontent, set to music in this version no less. Taming of the Shrew is known as one of Shakespeare's funniest plays. But on a serious note, observe how there is no mistaking when Kate is pissed. No messing with niceties. No pretending to be content when she actually feels disgruntled. Pure brilliance. Get the punching bags out. (Pillows work, too.) It's time for fit-throwing practice, so throw down. The Shakespeare Festival of Dallas begins this week with a preview of Taming of the Shrew Thursday through Saturday at 8:15 p.m. at Esplanade Park, 5044 Addison Circle Drive. Admission is $7. Call 214-559-2778 or check out www.shakespearedallas.org. --Cheryl Smith
6/7
If They Ask Me
You know what's become of Harry Connick Jr.: on Will & Grace, straight man among gay ones and the women who love them; recording, still trying out for the stage production of Sinatramania! years after he's given up auditioning for the role of Thelonious Monk; touring, because he thrives under the spotlight with audience in front and big band behind. No use at this point in lamenting what could have been when what is turns a nice profit; no use bemoaning the fact he could have been a great one, instead of just decent enough. Besides, no need to ac-cen-tu-ate the negative when Connick plays Saturday at Bass Performance Hall, 525 Commerce St. in Fort Worth, at a benefit for the Gladney Center for Adoption. Better to pat him on the back than knock him, even if I'm still convinced the very thing that broke him big (When Harry Met Sally... ) also bankrupted him in some small way. Call 817-212-4280. --Robert Wilonsky
6/5
Symphonic Boom
It's safe to assume that a Virgo woman lies awake nights double-checking every logistical detail for the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra's Concerts in the Garden series. Only a perfectionist could plan these events so flawlessly--the parking is easy and free with shuttles, the lawn is manicured, all fireworks are dud-free, even all bugs are removed (in tiny, humane crates) during the series' 21 spectacular concerts over five weekends spanning June 5 to July 6. Opening night is Thursday with the Texas Wind Symphony performing big-bang music, including Handel's "Music for Royal Fireworks." Gates open at 6:30 p.m.; the performance is at 8 p.m. Complicated ticket options and pricing--advance, door, lawn, table--require a phone call to 817-665-6000. --Annabelle Massey Helber
6/7
Heaven Sent
We're not sure what type of Hail Marys you do on a Saturday night, but we'd like to suggest one...with a California twist. The Saint Matthew's Cathedral Choir, along with the San Francisco Concert Chorale, will perform the church hits "Lux Aeterna," "Ave Maria" and "Te Deum" at 8 p.m. Saturday. Come on down, take a deep breath and let the music flow through the innermost areas of your being to create that heaven-true enlightened state. The Cathedral Church of Saint Matthew, founded in 1857, is the mother church of the Diocese of Dallas, located at 5100 Ross Ave. Call 214-823-8134 ext. 236. --Desirée Henry
