For a while there, it looked like the "you too" and "take luck" phrases were really going to take off. With Brian Regan back on the road, there's still a chance that everyone will give an understanding chuckle when they hear them. Coined by Regan on his 1997 CD, Brian Regan Live, these bits showcase his style of quirky observational humor. Regan debunks the theory that all comedy has to be at someone's expense. A rarity in comedy, Regan manages to retell stories from his past and inject witty oft-overlooked observances while keeping it clean, thus keeping the joke accessible to audiences of all ages. The most unusual part of all of this is that it is extremely funny. Since getting his first break on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, Regan has gone on to release the aforementioned comedy CD, host his own special on Comedy Central and make appearances on every late-night talk show worth mentioning. His recent appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman (his 12th appearance on the show) can be viewed on his Web site (www.brianregan.com) and features a hilarious bit about the iron and ironing board, the deadliest household appliances ever. On a nationwide tour that lasts all year, Regan performs at the Addison Improv, 4980 Belt Line Road, from July 24 through July 27. Call 972-404-8501. --David Wilson
7/27
Aria Ready?
These ladies are
How many opera singers does it take to pack the Mesquite Arts Center? Four Sopranos & a Mezzo. These lauded ladies return for their sixth year of medicating Mesquite with a dose of serious singing culture. Sopranos Lucy Tamez Creech, Joneva Kaylen, Kathleen Terbeek, Julie Pruett and mezzo Natalie Arduino belt out the works of famed opera composers Mozart, Puccini, Strauss, Verdi and others. And they've traveled from as far as Germany to do it. But the effort should be no surprise, as dedication and devotion are no strangers to an opera singer. Grueling rehearsal, meticulous care of the chords and occasional jet lag all go into one of the most demanding and beautiful forms of art. On Sunday at 3:15 p.m., dedicate yourself, and five measly bucks (they're crazy to charge so little), to a show that Maria Callas would be proud of...oh, and bring some tissue as there's always the chance that this music will move one to tears. Call 972-216-6444. --Merritt Martin
7/24
Home on the Range
Wagner trades viking hats and
braids for cowboy hats and spurs
Pardnah, you don't need to be a dad-burned opera buff to like this 'un. Addison's WaterTower Theatre will close out its season with the rootin'-tootin', big-finish musical comedy Das Barbecü, opening July 24. An off-Broadway sensation, this revise of Richard Wagner's epic opera quartet Der Ring des Nibelungen is relocated to a Texas cattle drive and has everything from gun-totin' and guitar-pickin' to star-crossed lovers and family fuedin,' featuring performers Jenny Thurman and Jim Johnson. Hell, there's even a loving ode to the joys of guacamole thrown in for good measure. The production is scheduled to run through August 17. Call 972-450-6232 or log on to www.watertowertheatre.org. --Carlton Stowers
7/24
Zirconian Dave
David Lee Roth sputters into NextStage in Grand Prairie tonight peddling a new album that mocks the old band--thus, the sleazy-queasy "Ice Cream Man" that lounge-lizards its way onto Diamond Dave's finale, after Beatles and Hendrix and Steve Miller and Doors and, good Christ, Savoy Brown covers that suggest a cranky old man who pines for good old days that were never so great. Better him than Sammy, suppose, but better a punch in the balls than Sammy. Roth's set begins at 8 p.m. Tickets range from $11 to $43.50. Call 214-373-8000. --Robert Wilonsky