September Events OPENERS

AVEDQN ROAMS THE WEST



For the past five years, Richard Avedon has been roaming the American West with an 8×10 Deardorf camera and a unique assignment. Back in 1979 the late Mitchell Wilder, founding director of the Amon Carter Museum, commissioned Avedon to photograph the modern West just as such pioneer 19th-century photographer-explorers as William Henry Jackson and Edward Curtis had documented the frontier.

It was an inspired idea. Avedon, a fashion photographer who is also known for austere but stylish portraits, took his camera to the expected rodeos and rattlesnake roundups, but he also haunted coal mines, drilling sites and jails from the Mexican border to Calgary, Canada.

Out of the 750 pictures made during this extraordinary survey, 120 images have been selected for an exhibit, “In the American West: Photographs by Richard Avedon,” opening September 14 at the Amon Carter.

A few of these works have been published in magazines: The first issue of the new Vanity Fair featured a foldout in which a group of Utah coal miners look like a band of stone-age hunters. But no magazine reproduction can convey the stunning impact of Avedon’s originals. Starkly posed against seamless white backgrounds and printed life-size-and larger than life- these are more than likenesses. They are encounters-astonishing, unsettling, illuminating-in which each subject was, in the photographer’s words, “willing to take part in a fiction he cannot possibly know about.” It is a fiction that reveals truth. The lines inscribed on a face, the nuances of posture are like a map to some strange, unexplored and ultimately mysterious territory. This is an American West that has never before been photographed, not the romantic realm of cowboys and Indians, but the gritty arena where men and women work at hard, uncelebrated jobs.

“In the American West” will continue at the Amon Carter Museum through November 17, and then begin a nationwide tour. Amon Carter Museum, 3501 Camp Bowie, Fort Worth. Tue-Sat 10-5; Sun 1-5:30. (817) 738-1933.

-Ken Barrow



ALBAN BERG CENTENNIAL



With all the attention paid to the tricentennials of Bach, Handel and Scarlatti, music lovers might easily forget that 1985 is also the centennial of Alban Berg. The Austrian composer is particularly noted for reconciling romanticism and modernism in his music and for finding warmth and expressiveness within the abstract, sometimes brutal musical idioms of the early 20th century.

But Voices of Change has not forgotten. The locally based chamber ensemble will celebrate the Berg Centennial on its season opener with the Dallas premiere of one of Berg’s most important works, the Chamber Concerto for violin, piano and winds. Voices of Change resident pianist Jo Boatright and Fort Worth Symphony concertmaster Robert Davidovici will be soloists for the performance, and Sydney Hodkinson will conduct.

The concert will also include the Hexachord for Harpsichord by Ross Lee Finney (one of Berg’s pupils) performed by Larry Palmer, Hodkinson’s “Chalumeau” for clarinet performed by Ross Powell and Stravinsky’s Octet for Winds. Sept 9 at 8:15 pm at Caruth Auditorium, Owen Arts Center, SMU. Tickets $6 & $4. 692-3189.

-Wayne Lee Gay



TRIBUTE TO GREER GARSON

On Sept 13 & 14, the Meadows School of the Arts of Southern Methodist University will present “A Tribute to Greer Garson: the MGM Years,” featuring the Academy Award-winning legendary screen star of the Forties in a historical retrospective about her life. The honorary chairperson for the event is Ruth Collins Sharp, a Dallas philanthropist and member of the SMU Board of Trustees. SMU’s salute to the actress, who won the Oscar for her role in Mrs. Miniver, will mark the first time in over 18 years that the celebrated actress has stepped directly into the public spotlight and the first time that such recognition has been given to her.

Greer Garson was born on Sept. 29, 1908, in County Down, Ireland, and was educated at the University of London and Grenoble University in France. In 1932, she made her professional debut with the Birmingham Repertory Theatre. Louis B. Mayer spotted her on a London stage and immediately signed her to an MGM contract. She arrived in Hollywood in 1938 and made her first film, Goodbye, Mr. Chips, that year. The role catapulted her to overnight stardom and resulted in her first Academy Award nomination. She was nominated seven times for Best Actress by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and shares the distinction with Bette Davis of having been nominated for Best Actress in five consecutive years.

Garson and her husband, part-time residents of Dallas, established the Greer Garson Awards for outstanding students in theater at SMU. The tribute will involve a gala performance that will be produced for television viewing as a one-hour special. For further information contact the Meadows School of the Arts. 692-3510.

-Alan Peppard



D’s Openers include this month’s theater, music, film, sports, art, dance, enlightenment and recreation events, as well as a list of the top nightlife establishments in Dallas. These listings are updated and supplemented each month. They have nothing whatsoever to do with paid advertising.

All events listings should be addressed to the Openers editor and must be received at least two months before publication.

Credit card notations: MC/MasterCard, V/Visa, AE/American Express, DC/Diners Club, CB/Carte Blanche. “All credit cards” indicates that all five cards are accepted.



ART



Maurice Prendergast. A pioneer American modernist, Prendergast loved holidays, picnics, circuses and celebrations of all kinds, and depicted them with vigor and verve in this collection of 55 monotypes, one-of-a-kind prints. Through Sept 8 at the Amon Carter Museum, 3501 Camp Bowie, Fort Worth. Tue-Sat 10-5; Sun 1-5:30.(817)738-1933.

Calder’s Animals. A perfect summer show for kids- and for adults who can still see with kids’ eyes-brings together the witty sketches and sculptures of zoo and circus animals by mobilist Alexander Calder. Through Sept 1 at the Fort Worth Art Museum, 1309 Montgomery St. Tue-Sat 10-5; Sun 1-5. (817) 738-9215.

Carl Mydans. Over the past half-century, this veteran Life photojournalist has photographed almost everywhere, from Mussolini’s Italy to wartime Finland and China, to Korea and Vietnam; here are 150 of his most memorable images. Through Sept 1 at the Amon Carter Museum, 3501 Camp Bowie, Fort Worth. Tue-Sat 10-5; Sun 1-5:30. (817) 738-1933.

“Primitivism” in 20th Century Art. The most interesting – and controversial – exhibit in years examines the links between tribal art of Africa, the South Seas and pre-Columbian America and the art of Picasso, Bran-cusi, Klee, Moore and other early modern masters. Through Sept 1 at the Dallas Museum of Art. 1717 North Harwood. Tickets $3 for adults. $1 for children; free Thur after 5 pm; DMA members get in free every day. Tue, Wed, Fri, Sat 10-5: Thur 10-9; Sun noon-5. 922-0220.



Onderdonk Landscapes



Julian Onderdonk is often remembered as the first and foremost of the “blue-bonnet painters.” But Onderdonk, who died in 1922, was much more-one of the Southwest’s leading landscape artists and a painter who deserves to be far better known. “Julian Onderdonk: A Texas Tradition,” at D-Art, an exhibit put together for next year’s Texas Ses-quicentennial, brings together 48 of Onderdonk’s paintings, beautiful, impressionistic works in which the subject is as much the mood as the look of the landscape. Through Oct 8 at D-Art, 2917 Swiss Ave. Mon, Fri, Sat 9-5; Tue-Thur 9-9; Sun 1:30-5. 821-2522.



The Horse’s Mouth. The popular mingles with the profound in these eight contemporary Texas artists whose works are influenced by folklore, myth and primitive art. Through Sept 5 at DW Gallery. 3200 Main St. Tue-Sat 11-5.939-0045.

Alexander Liberman. During the Forties. Liberman, an editorial director of Conde-Nast publications, became convinced that a heroic era in art was passing away, so he set out with his camera to photograph it in studios throughout France and New York. Through Sept 1 at Fort Worth Art Museum. 1309 Montgomery St Tue-Sat 10-5; Sun 1-5. (817) 738-9215.

Saints Preserve Us. What do Refugio. San Antonio and Saint Hedwig have in common? This exhibit of color reproductions of retablos-Mexican folk paintings of saints-explains all. Through Sept 22 at the Biblical Arts Center, 7500 Park Lane. Tue-Sat 10-9; Sun 1-5. 691-4661.

Freda French Smith. A Texas artist, Smith’s mixed-media and collage paintings of Indians and other figures vary from abstract to impressionistic. Sept 2-28 at Hummingbird Originals, 4319 Camp Bowie Blvd., Fort Worth. Mon-Fri 10-5; Sat 11-4. (817) 732-1549.

Cadillac. Corpus Christi artist Danny O’Dowdy has “enhanced” a 1961 Caddy with wood, screen wire, glass and heaven-knows-what-else for this unusual show. Sept 19-Oct 4 at the Lakeside Gallery, El Paso building, room EO-40, Richland College, 12800 Abrams Road. Mon & Wed 10-4; Tue noon-5:30; Thur noon-7:30; Fri 10-1; Sat 2-4. 238-6194.

Jane E. Goldman. Those intimate corners of a room and of a neighborhood where light plays with shadow are the subject of Goldman’s mysterious and beautiful watercolors and prints. Sept 12-Oct 12 at Clifford Gallery, 6610 Snider Plaza. Tue-Sat 10-5:30. 363-8223.

Recent Abstract Paintings. The trend may be toward figurative art, but abstract painting lives, and lives very well in the works of masters such as Helen Franken-thaler, Kenneth Noland, Al Held, Sam Francis, Joe Guy and Paul Rotterdam. Sept 12-Oct 12 at Adams-Middle-ton Gallery, 3000 Maple Ave. Tue-Fri 10-6; Sat 11-5. 871-7080.

Harry Caltahan. Restless experimentation and meticulous craftsmanship have made Callahan a photographer’s photographer and one of the masters of black-and-white print-making. Sept 7-Oct 13 at Allen Street Gallery, 4101 Commerce St. Wed-Fri noon-5; Sat 10-4; Sun 1-5. 821-8260.

Fritz Scholder. Though he splashes the paint around like an abstract expressionist, Scholder is really a realist at heart, painting – and recently sculpting – powerful images of the Indian chiefs and shamans and of the Western landscape. Sept 12-Oct 22 at Nimbus Gallery, 1135 Dragon St. Mon-Fri 10-5; Sat 11-4. 742-1348.

Joel Sternfeld. These witty and distinctive color photographs were made during cross-country journeys by a photographer who is represented in many major museums. Sept 3-Oct 26 at Afterimage, No. 151 in the Quadrangle, 2800 Routh. Mon-Sat 10-5:30. 871-9140.

American Anthem. From a gold nugget to an iron horse, from Custer’s jacket to FDR’s microphone, the Smithsonian Institution sends this exhibit of national songs and symbols to Dallas’ new Arts District, with love. Through Oct 31 in the Pavillion at LTV Center, 2001 Ross Ave. Tue, Wed, Fri, Sat 10-7; Thur 10-8; Sun noon-5. 979-6100.

Chinese Art. Some 50 of the best porcelains, bronzes and jades from the superb collection of the British Rail Pension Fund augment the Dallas Museum’s own modest Chinese collection. Continuing at Dallas Museum of Art, 1717 North Harwood. Tue, Wed, Fri, Sat 10-5; Thur 10-9; Sun noon-5. 922-0220.

Sid Richardson Collection. Here’s a prime collection of Remingtons and Russells in a prime location, amid the restored 19th-century splendors of Fort Worth’s Sundance Square. Permanent show at 309 Main St. Tue-Fri 10-5; Sat 11-6; Sun 1-5. (817)332-6554.

Praise Poems. One of the most discriminating private collections of African art is that assembled by the late Katherine White and, after her death, given to the Seattle Art Museum. Out of these 2,000-plus objects, representing a wide range of tribes and purposes, 50 of the best have been selected for “Praise Poems,” the exhibit at the Kimbell Art Museum. Through Nov 24 in the Kimbell Art Museum, 3333 Camp Bowie, Fort Worth. Tue-Sat 10-5; Sun 11-5. (817) 332-8451.



THEATER



A… My Name Is Alice. This successful off-Broadway revue about today’s women includes songs and sketches written by more than 20 authors. Aug 20-Sept 15 at Theatre Three, the Quadrangle, 2800 Routh. Tue-Sat at 8:15 pm; Sun at 2:30 & 7 pm. Tickets $14 Fri & Sat; $12.50 Tue-Thur; $13.50 Sun. 871-3300.

A Coupla White Chicks Sitting Around Talking. Another odd couple graces the stage of the Majestic Theatre in this affectionate comedy by John Ford Noonan about a wealthy suburban Connecticut housewife and her new neighbor, a loud-mouthed Texan with a tendency to give unsolicited advice, who barges her way into the other’s life. Marilu Henner and Elizabeth Ashley star in this West Coast import. Sept 19-29 at the Majestic Theatre, 1925 Elm. Tue-Sat at 8 pm; Sat at 2:30 & 8 pm, Sun at 2:30 & 7 pm. Tickets $26.50-$21.50 Fri & Sat; $21.50-S19.50 Wed.Thur and Sun; available at Rainbow Ticketmaster outlets. 787-2000.

Greater Tuna. Joe Sears and Jaston Williams’ sidesplitting satire of very-small-town (Tuna, Texas) life, with two men performing a score of roles and the fastest Velcro quick changes you’ll ever see. Through Sept 8 at Dallas Repertory Theatre, NorthPark Center (outside Joske’s), Park Lane at N Central Expwy. Tue-Sat at 8:15 pm; Sun at 3 pm & 7 pm. Tickets $14 Fri & Sat, $12.50 Sun; $11 Tue-Thur. 369-8966.



One-Woman Play

In A Woman of Independent Means, Dallas matriarch Bess Steed Garner is the woman Dallas author Elizabeth Forsythe Hailey imagines her own grandmother, Bess Jones, to have been. In this two-act monologue, which Hailey based on her own best-selling book, Bess reads aloud letters she has written to family and friends, dating from when she was 25 to her death at 78. Although Bess is a society woman steeped in traditional values, she emerges as a kind of pre-feminist- strong, outspoken and somewhat rebellious. Veteran film actress Barbara Rush recreates the role of Bess, which she originated on Broadway in 1984. Sept 18-Oct 27 at the Plaza Theatre, 6719 Snider Plaza. Tue-Sat at 8:15 pm, Sun at 2:30 & 7 pm. Tickets $19 & $17 Fri & Sat; $16 & $14 Tue-Thur; $13 & $11 Sun. 363-7000.



The Miss Firecracker Contest. This early play by Beth Henley, who proved her ability to get serious with comedy in the Pulitzer Prize-winning Crimes of the Heart, digs into the world of a small-town beauty pageant, Henley’s characters are believably beyond belief, impossibly familiar. Sept 18-Oct 13 at Stage #1, Greenville Avenue Theatre, 2914 Greenville. Tue-Fri at 8:15 pm; Sat at 5:30 & 9 pm; Sun at 7 pm. Tickets $15 Fri & Sat at 9; $12 Tue, Wed, Thur, Sat at 5:30 & Sun. 824-2552.

The Rocky Horror Show. This satirical British musical from the early Seventies about one Dr. Frank N. Furter, “just a sweet transvestite from Transsexual, Transylvania,” spawned the indefatigable cult film classic, The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Frank’s ghoulishly hip household is even more outrageous on stage. Brimming with very likable music by creator Richard O’Brien, it’s good-if not exactly clean-fun. Sept 12-Oct 13 at New Arts Theater, 702 Ross at Market in the West End Warehouse District. Wed & Thur at 8 pm; Fri at 8 & 11 pm; Sat at 5 & 9 pm; Sun at 2:30 pm. Tickets $14.25 Fri at 8 pm & Sat at 9 pm; $10 75 Wed, Thur, Sat at 5 pm and Sun; $10 Fri at 11. 761-9064.



MUSIC



Dallas Chamber Orchestra. The subscription season opens with Vivaldi’s Concerto for four violins, Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for strings and other works to be announced. Sept 22 at 7 pm at Caruth Auditorium, Owen Arts Center, SMU. Tickets $10. 826-6974.

Dallas Symphony Orchestra. Sept 6, 7 & 8: Eduardo Mata conducts Richard Strauss’ “Also Sprach Zarathustra” and Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto no. 3 in D minor (with soloist Horacio Gutierrez). Sept 12 & 14: The DSO Chorus joins with the orchestra under Mata to present Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloe Suites 1 & 2 on an all-French concert also including Honegger’s Pacific 231, Saint-Saens’ Piano Concerto no. 4 in E flat major (with soloist Aldo Ciccolini) and Debussy’s Nocturnes. Sept 20 &21: Mata conducts Mahler’s Sixth Symphony. Sept 26, 28 & 29: Young Uck Kim appears as soloist for Saint Saens’ Violin Concerto no. 3 in B minor in a concert also featuring Mozart’s Symphony no. 39 in E flat major and Elgar’s Enigma Variations, with Mata conducting. All concerts at Fair Park Music Hall. Tickets $18-$6.50 Thur-Sat; $12.50-$6 Sun. 692-0203.

Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra. Sept 21 & 22: John Giordano conducts the season opener, including Berlioz’s Roman Carnival Overture, Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto no. 3 in D minor (with soloist Horacio Gutierrez) and Respighi’s “Pines of Rome.” Sat at 8 pm; Sun at 3 pm. Tickets $15-$6 Sat; $12-$5 Sun. Sept 27 & 28: The Captain and Tennille join the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra Pops at 8 pm. Tickets $18-$10.50. All concerts at Tarrant County Convention Center, 1101 Houston, Fort Worth. 429-1181, (817) 335-9000.

Meadows School of the Arts. Sept 16: Herman Taylor, guest organist. Sept 23: Larry Palmer, faculty harpsichordist. Sept 30: Steven Girko, faculty clarinetist. All concerts at 8:15 pm at Caruth Auditorium, Owen Arts Center, SMU. Free. 692-3510.

Texas Christian University. Lew Williams, visiting organist, appears in recital, Sept 23 at 8 pm at Ed Lan-dreth Auditorium, University at Cantey, TCU, Fort Worth. Free. (817)921-7810.

Voices of Change. Dallas’ resident new music specialists open their subscription season with Berg’s Concerto for violin and piano (with violinist Robert Davidovici and pianist Jo Boatnght), Finney’s Hexachord for Harpsichord, Sydney Hodkinson’s Chalumeau for clarinet and Stravinsky’s Octet for winds. Sept 9 at 8:15 pm at Caruth Auditorium. Owen Arts Center, SMU. Tickets $4 & $6. 692-3189.



DANCE



Dallas Black Dance Theater and Dancer’s Unlimited Repertory Company. These two modern ballet companies will join together for four nights in September to present the “Dallas Dance Festival,” the first of what the companies hope will become a Dallas tradition. Families and picnic baskets are welcome at the free, open-air concert at Lee Park. Dancer’s Unlimited Repertory Company will perform the colorful “After the Fire,” “Icon” and “Tangent,” and the Dallas Black Dance Theater will present “Ode to Donny Hathaway,” “Road to Rio” and “Dance Forever.” Sept 11-14, 8:30 pm. 371-1170 or 742-7821.

Richardson Ballet Company. What more reason than a beautiful summer sunset could you need to enjoy an evening picnic in the park? Adding the finishing touch, the Richardson Ballet Company and friends will offer a free program of ballet and music, “September Sunset,” in Richardson’s Huffhines Park. Families can enjoy the Spanish dance “Ole” and, as the sun sets, a lively “Hoedown.” Also on the program will be music by the Richardson Community Band and a female barbershop quartet, the Rich-tones. Sept 28 at sunset.



ENLIGHTENMENT



Women’s Business Ownership Conference. “Promoting the Entrepreneurial Spirit” will be the theme of this year’s two-day conference sponsored by the Association of Women Entrepreneurs of Dallas. Inc. and the Small Business Administration. Lyn St. James, owner and president of Autodyne, an automotive parts store, will be the keynote speaker the first day. St. James is also a professional race car driver and a consumer advisor to Ford Motor Company. The keynote speaker the second day will be Jill Houghton Emery, the national director of the Office of Women’s Business Ownership for the SBA. The conference will be of interest to women who are owners of established businesses, owner/managers of beginning businesses and women executives considering starting a new business. Cost of the conference is $90. Sept 13-14 at UTD. 826-8590.

How to Analyze Real Estate Syndications Using Micro-Computers. The Costa Institute of Real Estate Finance of Southern Methodist University’s Edwin L Cox School of Business is sponsoring this two-day seminar providing hands-on training using microcomputers to evaluate real estate syndications. State-of-the-art analytical techniques will be established as part of the course, which is recommended to developers, lenders, syndicators, accountants, attorneys, financial planners and others involved in the formation or evaluation of real estate limited partnerships. For information and registration contact the Costa Institute at 692-2676 or 692-2470.



RECREATION



Cityfest. Downtown Dallas will once again host the annual autumn festival, Cityfest, for five weeks of daily entertainment and activities held in the plazas, hotels, streets and parks. Cityfest will feature an array of events encompassing opera, ballet, jazz concerts, exhibits, lectures, street dancing and more. The opening event will be Montage ’85, a street festival featuring the visual and performing arts of Dallas, taking place in the Arts District on Flora Street. Live, continuous entertainment begins on Sept 28 at 11 am-8 pm and ends on Sept 29, noon to 6 pm. The festival will run Sept 28-Oct 31. 720-2232.

A Weekend To Wipe Out Cancer. On Sept 15, a benefit to help support the childhood brain tumor research program at Children’s Medical Center in Dallas will be held at the Willow Bend Polo and Hunt Club. Sporting events will include 10K and one-mile fun runs and a regular season polo match in the evening. After the match, the Dallas “Pops” Orchestra will play under the stars. Tickets are $10; entrance fees for each of the runs are $8 before Sept 11 and $10 after that date. Registration forms for the runs are available at Athletic Attic in Caruth Plaza and at Willow Bend. Tickets for “Polo and Pops” are available at all Rainbow Ticket-master outlets and at Willow Bend. 248-6298.

Fort Worth Stockyard’s Pioneer Days. “It’s A Hoot” is the theme of this years festival, which will take place Sept 27-29 in the National Historic District. A first for the event is a livestock pageant celebrating the history of ranching in Texas. Cooking contests, arts and crafts, music, a parade and the “stockyard stampede” are just a few of the events planned for this year. Admission is $1 for everyone over the age of 12; children 12 and under will be admitted free. (817) 626-7921.

First Annual Lone Star State Chili Cook-Off. Carroll Shelby, chili cook, entrepreneur, sports car designer and cofounder of the International Chili Society, and Billy Bob Barnett, owner of the world’s largest honky-tonk, Billy Bob’s Texas in Fort Worth, are sponsoring this Texas-sized event to determine who makes the best chili in Texas. To compete, contestants must be winners of district or regional chili cook-offs sanctioned by the ICS. The first-place chili team will receive $10,000 in cash. On Sept 13, Eddie Rabbitt will perform at the club, and all cooks and teams will receive free admission to the concert. On Sept 14, the competition will be held. For applications and information, including applications for the show team competition, the Miss Chili Pepper Contest and the chili competition, call or write Jim West, Executive-Director, International Chili Society, P.O. Box 2966, Newport Beach, CA 92663, (714)631-1780; your local Stroh’s Beer Distributor; or Susan Fine at Billy Bob’s Texas. (817) 625-2706.



SPORTS



Manufacturers Hanover Corporate Challenge. More than 2,000 runners from North Texas businesses and corporations are expected for the 3.5-mile run through downtown Dallas, starting and finishing in front of City Hall. Winners will be awarded by teams, individuals and CEOs. The top teams will compete against winners of the 16 other Corporate Challenge races in the National Championship. Nov 24 in New York City. Firing the starting gun for the Dallas race will be Eamonn Coghlan, the world-class runner from Ireland and the only man to break 3:50 in the indoor mile. Sept 19 at 6:30 pm at Dallas City Hall.



NIGHTLIFE

ENTERTAINMENT/DANCING



Boardwalk Beach Club. You thought preppies were dying out? Head over in your BMW to the Boardwalk and you will find them all, hiding out from the real world. More than 1,000 of the prep set, from college kids to holdovers in their early 30s, jam the place every weekend night. The disc jockey plays good beach music, if you can hear it above the noise of the preppy talk. Dress is essential to a successful bar evening here, so button down tight. (6332 La Vista. 823-5340. Tue-Sat 7 pm-2 am, Fri 5 pm-2 am. Closed Sun & Mon. MC, V, AE.)

Bowley & Wilson’s. If you’re looking for a place to have your church social, don’t come here. Not a place for the faint of heart or timid of ear, Bowley and Wilson dish out hysterical music and humor that landed them in jail on one occasion. If you’re looking for a reasonably priced, humor-filled evening, Bowley & Wilson and the Blue Bathroom Humor Band are for you. Light food, including pizza, is prepared by their Peruvian chef, Juan Ortega. You can win free drinks by being a good sport when they ask you to join in the act. Win free Kamikazies by successfully singing, “Old Ben Lucas” in front of the audience. (4714 Greenville Ave. 692-6470. Tue-Sat 7:30 pm-2 am. Show starts at 9:30.)

Café Dallas. The club that was at one time the hottest disco in town (a title Cafe Dallas held back in 1980) has overhauled its image to bring back clientele. But Cafe Dallas has stuck with its dark decor and driving dance music and same drink specials -and amazingly has staged a sort of popular comeback on the always-changing Greenville strip. (5500 Greenville in Old Town Shopping Village. 987-0066. Mon-Fri 4 pm-2 am. Sat 8 pm-2 am. Closed Sun. MC. VAE.)

Cotton Candy Club. An old, Harlem-era jazz and rhythm and blues club, the Cotton Candy appeals to an older South Dallas crowd, and the atmosphere is reminiscent of a time when clubs were big and fancy south of the river. (2532 Martin Luther King Blvd. 428-5034. Tue-Sat 4 pm-2 am. Closed Sun & Mon. Cover on weekends. No credit cards.)

Court Five. This place could be one of your great discoveries. A hole in the wall hidden among the North Dallas apartment complexes, this little bar attracts non-swmgle-style partiers who have a roaring great time dancing to such decent little rock ’n’ roll bands as the Vinyl Tops and Silent Partners. There’s a large outdoor patio, hilarious photos on the wall of the owner with his friends and even bad pool tables in the back. (7108 Holly Hill. 363-0174. Tue-Fri 5 pm-2 am. Sat & Sun 7 pm-2 am. MC, V, AE.)

Dick’s Last Resort. The charm of this newest nightspot in downtown’s West End district comes from the owner himself. In this charmingly hectic, casual atmosphere, where everyone sits at long tables, presides loud-mouthed Dick – he teases you, roars happily at you from across the bar and puts together a terrific combination of drinks with a hefty chicken-ribs-crabs menu. Dixieland-style jazz groups nightly. (1701 N Market, at the corner of Ross and Record. 747-0001. Mon-Thur 11:30 am-midnight, Fri & Sat 11:30 am-2 am, Sun 5 pm-midnight. MC, V, AE, DC.)

Fast and Cool. This latest Shannon Wynne creation, located in the old Nick’s Uptown building, is a dance club with naked light bulbs hanging down from the ceiling and female dancers in cages. The diverse dance tunes include everything from the Animals to the Eurythmics to Motown hits. (3606 Greenville. 827-5544. Sun-Thur 7 pm-2 am, Fri & Sat 7-4. Cover: $3 Thur-Sat. MC, V, AE.)

Figaro’s. Another shot has been fired in the Addison nightclub wars. On the Addison strip off Belt Line, this high-tech bar presents live music from dance bands each night, along with large-screen TVs, cool-looking people and serious cover charges. The clientele averages in the early 30s. (5290 Belt Line, Suite 150. 960-1856. Mon-Sat 11 am-2 am, Sun 11:30am-2am. All credit cards.)

500 Cafe. Everyone likes to think they’re part of the eclectic crowd, but you can find the real thing at the 500 Cafe. A combination of the city’s intelligentsia, New Wavers and Deep Ellumites, this little bar near Fair Park offers live entertainment Thursday through Saturday and such unusual delights as poetry readings and short films during the week. (408 Exposition Ave. 821-4623 Tue-Sat 11 am-2 am. Closed Sun & Mon. AE only.)

Jazba at Ratcliffe’s. If we mention this place too loudly, will we have trouble getting a table when we want one? This small, elegant jazz bar in Ratcliffe’s seafood restaurant has what we like: clean lines, smooth music, Southern comfort and probably the most cushy chairs you’ll find in any bar in Dallas. (1901 McKinney. 748-7480. Tue-Sat 8 pm-1 am: live music beginning at 9 pm. Closed Sun & Mon. Weekend cover: $5. All credit cards.)

Jazz City. There are nightclubs galore that offer a sprinkling of jazz, but until now, none has tried so diligently to recreate New Orleans’ French Quarter atmosphere. Here, on far Lower Greenville, you’ll find a place that serves New Orleans food and drinks, and it plays pure, straight jazz. Every major jazz group in the area comes through, so you can get a taste of just about all Dallas has to offer. (1518 Greenville, south of Ross. 823-7474. Mon-Thur 11 am-midnight, Fri 11-2, Sat 4 pm-2. Live music Thur-Sat. Cover varies depending on act. MC, V, AE. )

Memphis. This is the best live music bar in Far North Dallas if you like large jazz ensembles, and everybody seems to. The little Addison bar is usually packed with jazz buffs listening to regulars such as Clairvoyance, Emerald City and Eddie Harrison and the Shortcuts. (Quorum Plaza, 5000 Belt Line, Suite 500. 386-9517. Mon-Fri 4 pm-2 am, Sat & Sun 7 pm-2 am. Cover: $3-$5. All credit cards.)

Mistral. This lavish dance and supper club is the product of a search across Europe to find all the elements of the perfect nightclub. The results: extravagant lighting, an enormous video screen, a state-of-the-art sound system, a Japanese chef and prominent entertainers who appear about once a month. (Loews An-atole Hotel, 2201 Stemmons Frwy. 760-9000. Mon-Thur 7 pm-2 am. Fri 5 pm-2 am. Sat 7 pm-2 am. Closed Sun. All credit cards.)

Nairobi Room. Are you adrift from reality, are you in touch with your true self, or are you just sticking safety pins through your ears because everyone else is doing it? Find out here, at the most well-known New Wave and punk bar in the city. Sometimes the Nairobi Room is a parody of itself: A lot of people there try exceedingly hard to make themselves look too cool. During the day, no doubt, they wear business suits. But, hey, dress any way you want and they’ll let you in. (Beer and wine only. BYOB 2914 Harry Hines. in the Town House Motor Lodge. 748-9567. Open 7 days a week, 7 pm-2 am. Bands and cover charge are sporadic. No credit cards.)

Razz Ma Tazz. The nightclub assault continues in the West End district of downtown Dallas. The latest, Razz Ma Tazz, offers one of the most intriguing interiors we’ve seen in a while: a combination of a Havana show room from the Fifties and a plain old Sixties rock ’n’ roll hang out. The live music you get, though, ranges from rock to R&B to dance-styled pop. Good local bands, ornate bar; hamburgers and sandwiches also available. (1714 Market. 748-7112. Mon-Fri 11 pm-2 am, Sat 5 pm-2 am. Closed Sun. MC, V. AE.)

Strictly TaBu. One of the longest-lasting |azz clubs in Dallas (with the best pizza you’ll ever find at a jazz club), Strictly TaBu continues to present, in its dark, badly decorated interior, some of the best contemporary jazz in town. Groups play every night, the most regular being Jeanette Brantley and Clockwork, which plays with such a unique style that it often takes a survey in the middle of a performance asking people what they think they’re listening to. (4111 Lomo Alto at Lemmon. 528-5200. Tue-Sun 6 pm-2 am. V, MC, AE.)

Studio 67. The hottest disco in South Dallas, Studio 67 is regularly packed, with everyone wanting to dance. Dance music is new and varied, not filled with the old disc jockey favorites. Membership required to buy liquor. (3939 S Polk. 374-1200. Wed-Fri 5 pm-2 am, Thur 6 pm-2 am, Sat 8 pm-3 am. Sun 8 pm-2 am. No creditcards.)

Top of the Dome. If you want to meet the tourist who comes to Dallas, come here. All the wide-eyed visitors, from small-town vacationers to conventioneers and traveling businessmen, mingle up here in the ball-Spectrum, a top 40 group, plays six nights a week. There’s a small dance floor, and the windows still provide the best view of downtown. (Hyatt Regency’s Reunion Tower on Reunion Blvd. 651-1234. Mon-Fri 2 pm-1:30 am, Sat noon-1:30 am, Sun noon-1:30 am. AE, DC, MC. V.)



NIGHTLIFE

DRINKING



Biff’s. If you’ve lived in Dallas longer than five years, you’ll recognize the unique thing about Biffs. It’s the only Greenville club north of Park Lane that has not changed its name. Since 1978, Biff’s has provided mingling at the bar, a menu of about any food you can name and upscale clientele. Now it adds another popular feature, an outdoor verandah looking upon a grove of trees, not a parking lot, (7402 Greenville. 696-1952. Tue-Sat 11 am-1 am. Sun-Mon 11 am-midmght. MC. V, AE.)

Cactus. Are you ready to get down in Richardson? At the end of the work day, it seems that everyone who must drive Central all the way from downtown stops here to unwind By Friday, the place is a madhouse, with Richardson residents packed two-deep at the bar talking mortgages and landscaping and sex, like all good suburbanites. (13929 N Central Expwy. Richardson, 234-1055. Daily 11 am-2 am. All credit cards.)

Cardinal Puffs. For too long this casual dining and drinking spot, with spacious outdoor seating, has taken a bad rap as an SMU student haven. Sure, there’s a big 20s crowd, but it’s not overloaded. (4615 Greenville. 369-1969. Sun-Thur 11 am-1 am, Fri & Sat 11 am-2 am. MC, V, AE. DC.)

Greenville Bar & Grill. This no-frills bar still remains the centerpiece of the Lower Greenville crowd. After you hit all the funky nightspots on the strip, you always seem to head back over to the Bar & Grill for one last drink or hamburger. Hal Baker’s Gloomchasers continue with Dixieland music on Sundays and Thursdays. (2821 Greenville. 823-6691. Mon-Sat 11:30 am-2 am, Sun noon-2 am. AE only.)

Joe Miller’s. Why does Joe Miller’s get more press than any other bar in the city? Because it’s the hangout of the middle-aged news media crowd. Ah, walk through the door and wait two minutes until your eyes adjust to the darkness. Sit on those simulated leather couches. Listen to John Anders and Blackie Sherrod talk about the good old days. Listen to Joe Miller tell 100 jokes in a half-hour. Actually, the bar is far from exclusive. The bartenders and waitresses make everyone feel welcome, even if you didn’t just finish a story on deadline. (3531 McKinney. 521-2261. Mon-Fn noon-2 am, Sat 6 pm-2 am. Closed Sunday. MC, V, AE, DC.)

Knox Street Pub. Here, across the street from such Yuppie delights as On the Border and Hoffbrau, is a bar still fighting to be laid back. And what is laid back these days? How about a varied jukebox with rock ’n’ roll, English New Wave, country and western and Sixties pop? How about terrible restrooms and old pool tables? How about a vast array of clientele? The pub is a classic neighborhood bar, a vanishing species. (3230 Knox. 526-9476. Mon-Sat 11 am-2 am. Sun 5 pm-2 am. No credit cards.)

Mimi’s. This is the perfect spot for European beer lovers. Also Asian beer lovers, Caribbean beer lovers and, if you must be boring, American beer lovers. At this quiet spot, in the heart of the noise-blasting Greenville clubs, you can play a game called “Around the World,” where you drink beer from dozens of countries – more than 130 brands. Mimi’s also has fine sandwiches and snacks. Bartender plays albums (not singles) and is open to any request. (5111 Greenville. 696-1993. Mon-Fri 11 am-2 am. Sat & Sun 3 pm-2 am. MC, V, AE, DC.)

TGI Friday’s. Remember how this was “the” singles place in the mid-Seventies? TGI Friday’s got a lot of national attention then, and the management hasn’t messed with the formula. This is practically the training school for all singles bar patrons in Dallas. Like clockwork, one group of singles replaces another: Whoever you saw hanging around the bar (still packed three-deep) six months ago probably won’t be there tonight. When you’re exhausted, you can take a table in the dining room where the sandwich food remains supreme. (5500 Greenville in Old Town Shopping Village, with locations in Addison and Piano. 363-5353. Mon-Sat 11:30 am-2 am, Sun 11 am-2 am. MC. V, AE, DC.)



FORT WORTH NIGHTLIFE



Billy Bob’s Texas. This huge country/western club in the Fort Worth Stockyards has a lot going for it: two restaurants, 42 bar stations, a real bull-riding arena and several shops. It’s bigger than Gilley’s, more citified than the Longhorn Ballroom and is a ’must-see” if you’re in Fort Worth. (2520 N Commerce in the Stockyards. Metro 429-5979. Mon-Sat 9:30 am-2 am, Sun noon-2 am. MC, V. AE.)

The Chateau Club. So you thought that John Dillinger had bit the big one. Wrong. He’s just been hiding out at the Chateau Club, an obscure establishment connected to the Jacksboro Highway via a winding driveway and lots of cover. The history of this club is just as obscure as its location, but the only thing you really need to know is that it’s been one of the few bright lights on the Fort Worth live music scene. We’re just glad that local R&B has a place to rock. Good luck finding this one. (5409 Jacksboro Highway. (817) 624-0597. Daily, except Sunday, noon-2 am. MC, V)