Cirque du Soleil Conjures Roma Magic

The Winter Olympics might be in full swing on the other side of the planet, but on Wednesday Cirque du Soleil brings a little bit of Eastern Europe to Frisco. We’re not talking about unfinished hotels and captured orca whales, or anything else that might jump to your mind at…

Story Time for Grown-Ups

Not everybody’s love life should be put onstage, and there are plenty of sordid stories better left untold. But if they were, Oral Fixation wouldn’t be quite such a smashing success. The monthly storytelling series thrives on the intimate, unsavory details local writers are willing to share with the world…

Hello to You, Fair Spanish Ladies

Imagine you’re in a small Andalusian mountain town in Spain at the turn of the 20th century. You hold hands with your lover as the Spanish guitars fill the air and the flamenco dancers sweep across the stage in front of you. Open your eyes. You’re in the City Performance…

Flappy Bird: In Memoriam

We hardly knew you, Flappy Bird. It’s been just over a week since you first began to pump your little wings on my iPhone, and just like that your creator has returned you to a cage, calling you “addictive” and “a problem.” I know why the caged bird sings, Maya…

Delilah Buitron on The Rise of Flamenco, Her Career and Dallas’ DNA

Valentine’s Day aside, The Rise of Flamenco would be a sexy way to spend any Friday night. Lucky for romantics, Orchestra of New Spain, Dallas Flamenco Festival and Danielle Georgiou Dance Group collaborated on a show for this weekend, just in time to save your previously lackluster dinner plans. This…

I Went to the Theater and Left With Blood On My Pants

My sister and I are standing in line at the bar just outside the theater when across the room a pay phone rang. I remember whispering something to her like, “You go answer it.” Of course, she refuses. Because she’s a spoilsport and because we are almost at the front…

Slaying It Old School

It’s a little known fact that before cellphones, vampire slayers relied on pagers. When the original Buffy the Vampire Slayer faced Lothos, she couldn’t text anyone “Help!” with an emoji of a demon. She fought solo. This female independence earned her a huge fan base. What eventually became the quirky…

Taste Some Prime Comedy

Named after a slice of meat found on a cow’s hindquarters, The Tenderloins thrive on self-deprecating punch lines. With sketches like “The Comedy Roast of Jesus Christ” and “The Slutty Mermaid,” this comedy troupe earned viral appeal on Internet sites like YouTube and Myspace. What started as four best friends…

The New Kitchen LTO Debuts in Trinity Groves Tonight

It’s hard to believe it’s already been four months since Trinity Groves launched its gastro-friendly strip mall. But it must be true, because tonight Kitchen LTO’s new chef, menu, and restaurant design debut. A few weeks ago, the permanent pop-up kitchen announced Chef Eric Shelton would be developing the new…

Hacienda on Henderson Has Closed

Hacienda on Henderson, a staple on Henderson Avenue for five years, shuttered over the weekend. CultureMap broke the story. When Hacienda opened across the street from Capitol Pub in 2009, our food critic at the time noted it had mediocre food, bad service and a great, but very empty patio…

Texas Theatre Screens Tarantino’s Favorite New Film, Big, Bad Wolves

Quentin Tarantino named Big, Bad Wolves his favorite movie of the year. Certainly this film’s quiet, playful treatment of torture and its excessively bloody denouement is in the Tarantino vein. But Wolves derives its rampant ick factor from darker, less self-aware sensibilities than Tarantino. After debuting on the festival circuit…

Top Chef Will Cast for Chefs in Dallas Next Month

In not-so-shocking news, Bravo announced that it will pick up Top Chef for a dozenth season. This is great news, because that means we’re only a few months away from watching re-runs of the current season at the gym. Season 11’s winner will be announced next week during the season…

But It Was Still Whoopi’s Body…

The undead of today’s films don’t hold a candle to those of yesteryear. In the 1990 film Ghost, Swayze’s portrayal of ectoplasm haunted film audiences, inspiring sexual fantasies that weirdly involved pottery wheels. In 2012, Broadway saw songwriters Dave Stewart and Glen Ballard resurrect the story of a man stuck…

Not That Kind Of Donkey Show

You have to choose your level of jackass when you buy a ticket to The Donkey Show. This is not a snarky stab at the third annual fundraiser for the Far North Dallas Richardson Democrats. The various ticket levels actually include “Shrek Donkey,” “Eeyore” and the highest, “Pegasus Donkey.” Either…

Is the Mexican Martini Really Texas’ Signature Cocktail?

Last week Buzzfeed unilaterally matched cocktails with US states, giving just a vague description of its research — “a combination of state of origin, popularity, and exclusivity.” Some of them made sense, earning their names from the state’s university, an infamous citizen or a major city. The Sazerac went to…