In the 1950s, real men could sing and dance. Real men appeared in musicals about saving inns for their former bosses by performing revues. And they even got the girls before the credits rolled. Danny Kaye was a real man--a funny man--who cracked the jokes while straight man Bing Crosby kept the story on track despite his pal's mugging. Kaye's well-known for White Christmas, but his stage work is legendary. He was like Bugs Bunny, a blur of a figure that changed outfits, voices, personalities in a cartoonish hurry. Theatre Three's Spotlight Series pays tribute to Kaye, whom most people these days know about from that Christmas classic, with Songs of the Redhead: The Music of Danny Kaye. The play, performed by compiler Don Alan Croll, will be staged in Theatre Too!, downstairs from the main theater, from July 14 through July 24. This week's performances are 7:30 p.m. Thursday, 8 p.m. Saturday and 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $15 to $30. Theatre Three is at 2800 Routh St. Call 214-871-3300.
Friday, July 15
The word "goblet" has prissy connotations. Hold the goblet by the stem, be careful with the goblet, the goblet is fragile. Those things may be true of the drinking vessels in Kittrell/Riffkind Art Glass' 11th Annual Goblet Invitational, but not all the goblets on display are prissy. There are manly goblets, hip goblets, kitschy goblets. There's even a goblet for comic-book fans called "Captain Blammo" by artist David Schnuckel that features a series of cartoon panels on a blue blown-glass goblet; the stem even says "Pow." (You still have to be careful with it.) The goblet exhibit opens with a reception featuring beverages from Kiepersol Estates Winery and cheeses from the Mozzarella Company from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Friday. The exhibit runs through August 13. Kittrell/Riffkind is located at 5100 Belt Line Road. Call 972-239-7957.
Saturday, July 16
Horses, country music and Miller Lite. Sounds like a lot of parties we went to in high school. Of course, those took place in stables rather than the fancier digs of Lone Star Park, which closes its Spring Thoroughbred Season this weekend with a party. The gates open at 11:30 a.m., the first of 11 races starts at 1:35 p.m. and live music starts at 6:30 p.m. following the final race. The season-closing concert features Charlie Robison, The Randy Rogers Band and Jack Ingram in front of the Courtyard of Champions near the racing surface. General admission is $3 until 5 p.m. and $15 after. Lone Star Park at Grand Prairie, 1000 Lone Star Parkway. Call 972-263-PONY.
Sunday, July 17
Next up for Walter Mosley: slapstick comedy and fairy tales. OK, not really, but those seem like the only genres he hasn't tackled yet. He started his Easy Rawlins mysteries series with Devil in a Blue Dress about the seedy bars of L.A. where French dames get messed up with gangsters, and his latest is 47, a children's book that combines slavery and science fiction into a story that kids enjoy reading and adults appreciate on another level. Mosley jumps from mystery to historical fiction and back while managing to avoid the "black fiction" pigeonhole. He discusses his career during an appearance at the Writer's Garret's The Writers Studio when a live audience watches an author interview that will be recorded and played on KERA 90.1 at a later date. The event is 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Theatre Three, 2800 Routh St. in the Quadrangle. Admission is $34. Call 817-871-3300.
Monday, July 18
Bless Cooking Light. Just because the magazine uses the dreaded L-word doesn't mean it forgot how to have fun. Check the online recipe index: 67 entries for "fried," 348 for "cake," 2,127 for "cheese" and 150 for "creamy." See how their chefs make good things less bad when the Cooking Light On the Move tour visits Kroger, 9700 Coit Road in Plano, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday and Tuesday with free samples, recipe cards, coupons and brochures on healthy living. Don't worry; the H-word means you can still have pancakes and ice cream--just maybe not in the same meal. The tour travels to the Kroger in Crowley on July 20 and July 21 and the one on Mockingbird Lane at Greenville Avenue on July 23 and July 24. Visit www.cookinglight.com.
Tuesday, July 19
Unless your parents regularly dragged you to church Sunday mornings still tripping from the night before, we can assure you this will be the most psychedelic version of the Gospel of St. Matthew you've ever seen. Casa Mañana presents a new version of Godspell that portrays the teachings of Jesus Christ through singing and dancing, plus "clowning, pantomime, charades, acrobatics and vaudeville"--all under a big-top circus setting. This one also includes some contemporary cultural references to keep things as timely as it was when Godspell first hit Broadway in 1976. Godspell opens July 19 and runs through July 24 with performances at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday; 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Sunday at Bass Hall, 525 Commerce St., Fort Worth. Tickets are $20 to $65. Call 817-212-4280.
Wednesday, July 20
Only in a Hollywood movie would John Cusack and Diane Lane need an online dating service. But that's the premise of the new movie Must Love Dogs, which uses the real site PerfectMatch.com as the virtual Cupid that brings Cusack and Lane together. Singles, in the 30 to 42 range for men and 30 to 40 range for women--just like the movie's stars (sorry, ladies, it's true: John Cusack is almost 40!)--can win pairs of tickets and get a date for the screening during the 8minuteDating Must Love Dogs Movie Party at 7 p.m. at Manhattan's, 2501 E. Lamar Blvd. in Arlington. (Or you can pay the $8.50 next week and go with your sympathetic girlfriends.) The movie party will include a session of 8minuteDating--eight one-on-one, eight-minute dates, plus an intermission to meet everyone at the party. The cost is $35, which includes appetizers, drink specials and prize drawings. Visit www.8minutedating.com.
