Salome Look, there's a lot of sex in the Bible. Chances are, you didn't talk about any of it in Sunday school. Salome, for example, the seductress who set her sights on the unattainable John the Baptist. When he denied her advances she had her daddy, Herod II behead him. OK OK, OK, it's not all written exactly like that in Bible. But no one actually pays attention to exact phrasing in religious texts. It's all about the subtext. Anyway, Salome has become a legendary femme fatale, thanks in large part to Richard Strauss' opera based on a story by Oscar Wilde. It's the sexiest thing that's ever been written in German. You can see it onstage at the Winspear Opera House (2403 Flora St.) at 7:30 p.m. Thursday or through November 8. Tickets start at $29. More information at dallasopera.org.
Five Art exhibitions for your weekend here.
Garrison Keillor Last week, I received a phone call from my mother that she had happened upon Garrison Keillor in a restaurant off the Hudson River in New York, just an hour or so from her home in Connecticut. My inner English-major nerd grew pea green with envy. As a longtime fan or Prairie Home Companion (no, it's NOT boring, thank you very much), and an occasional poet, he's one of those bastions of culture I fawn over. Enough about me. He's in Fort Worth Thursday night for a one man show at 7:30 p.m. Tickets range from $33-$88 and are available at basshall.com.
Nick Swardson Nick Swardson is in town Thursday, funny fart jokes in tow. He's at The Majestic Theatre (1925 Elm St.,) at 8 p.m. Thursday. Tickets are available at Ticketmaster.com.
Portrait Night at Kettle Art Been wanting to snag a Polaroid picture of you and your honey, but don't have a camera? Tonight's the night. The final event of Kettle Art's photography month happens in conduction with Instafilm DFW. See the photography of Justin Terveen and Richard Andrew Sharum and pose in front of it. 7-10 p.m. Thursday. Prints are $5.
Speed Killed My Cousin Knoxville's The Carpetbag Theatre Company will be in town this weekend to perform the new play by Linda Parris Bailey about a female veteran's experiences with PTSD, who struggles toward healing, while also dealing with familial secrets. See it at the South Dallas Cultural Center at 8 p.m. Thursday - Saturday. Tickets are $5-15 in advance and $20 at the door.
Friday, October 31 Halloween
Seven Halloween parties/performances here.
Director's Choice When the director chooses at Dallas Black Dance Theatre, it seems they tend to stack the deck. The official season opener for the company will be a new series titled, Director's Choice, which will include works from contemporary choreographers like Alvin Ailey, Gene Hill Sagan, and a new piece from former DBDT dancer, Garfield Lemonius. See it all at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, or 2:30 p.m. Sunday at the Wyly Theatre (2400 Flora St.). Tickets run $25-55 and are available at attpac.org or by phone, 214-954-9925. More information at dbdt.com.
Three Halloween concerts here.
Teotl: The Sand Show It's your last chance to see the Cara Mia Theatre/ Prism Co. collaboration on Teotl: The Sand Show, a dynamic piece of physical theater. Performances at 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, plus an Aztec Halloween after-party on Friday. Tickets.
Saturday, November 1
Mark Twain Tonight Long before Val Kilmer found himself interested in the person, Mark Twain, there was Hal Holbrook. Like a long time before. Holbrook's show, Mark Twain Tonight, has been touring the country since 1954. That's sixty years for anyone who's worse at math than I am. Talk about dedication. Of course, Twain was a man worth impersonating, if not for his surprisingly open-minded political views, than for his sharp wit. As Holbrook once said in an interview, Twain was the first American stand-up comic. Oh, and if you were wondering, he changes the show every year, just to keep an old thing fresh. See it at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Bass Performance Hall (525 Commerce St., Fort Worth). Tickets are selling fast, but what's still available starts at $60. More information at basshall.com.
Muscle Memory Dance Theatre See the newest show from the company that just turned 10 at Life in Deep Ellu, 2803 Taylor St., this weekend. "Wrapped and Uncovered: An Evening of Dance Unraveling and Unveiling," presents the work of choreographers Megan Odom, from the University of Colorado Boulder, and Randee Paufve, from Oakland, California. See it at 8 p.m. Saturday or 5 p.m. Sunday. $12-$15. More information at musclememorydancetheatre.org.
Art for Advocacy 2014 Philanthropists love to hold art auctions for a good cause. And the Dallas Children's Advocacy Center is certainly worthy. The annual gala happens at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Fashion Industry Gallery, 1807 Ross Avenue. There will be music from James Gabriano, DJ S.O.U.L.Jah and the Polyphonic Spree while you nosh on Texas tapas plates and sip on tequila. Tickets start at $150; visit dcac.org to purchase.
Sunday, November 2 Los Muertos Bishop Bishop Art District comes alive to celebrate the dead on Sunday, with its annual Dia de Los Muertos block party. From 6-10 p.m. Sunday, there will be beer, street food and performance on Bishop Avenue. Build up some good karma for your afterlife by bringing canned goods to place upon the ofrenda (Day of the Dead altar) benefitting North Texas Food Bank. More info at facebook.com/LosMuertosBishopArts.
