Trock 'N Roll

 4/25
The motto of Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo seems to be "anything you can do, I can do better." Except, replace "you" with "girls" and "better" with "funnier." The Trocks--as the all-male, ethnically diverse troupe is wont to be called--take stuffy, classical ballet with its prima roles portrayed by pale-skinned, lithe, willowy girls in buns, and dance those parts themselves with pointe shoes, tutus, extravagant makeup and all. Each dancer has both a female and male persona and alternates depending on the shows' requirements, making the Trocks part drag show, part parody and all really good dancing. It takes talent to so well nail the genre (or any of those twirls or leaps, for that matter). It's true: Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery. Dallas' own TITAS brings the Trocks to wrap up its dance program for the 2002-2003 season. And this performance includes selections from Act 2 of Swan Lake with several of the "girls" in white, feathery costumes. Then, one of the feathered friends sticks around for Fokine's Dying Swan, a solo dance created for prima ballerina Anna Pavlova in the 1900s during which the Trocks present their "own distinctive interpretation of the terminal fowl." Other selections include Humpback Horse and Go for Barocco, an all-lady routine with music by Bach, original choreography by Balanchine and black and white contrasting outfits that really showcase the unshaven chests. The Trocks have been around for nearly three decades now, and have performed all over the States, Europe and have quite a following in Japan, which is the group's next stop after Dallas. Give the gents (and TITAS' season) a warm farewell when they perform at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday in McFarlin Auditorium, 6400 Hillcrest on the campus of Southern Methodist University. Tickets are $10 to $55. Call the TITAS box office at 214-528-5576. --Shannon Sutlief

4/24
Gone Batty
Apparently, Johnny Depp was right in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas when he exclaimed as a drug-addled and paranoid Hunter S. Thompson clutching the side of a convertible, "This is Bat Country!" Thanks to the Weekly World News, Bat Boy mania continues to sweep the nation since the not-so-credible rag published its first installment of the bat-saga, "Bat Boy Found in W. Virginia Cave," in February 2001. Since then the public has gone mad for the half human/half bat, buying up T-shirts adorned with his photo, claims of Bat Boy capture and even a way to send the amber-eyed enigma a get-well card (or e-card, rather). Weekly World News has undoubtedly made a killing with headlines like "Bat Boy Endorses Gore" and "Escaped Bat Boy Sighted in Texas." Add to that the latest installment of the craze, Bat Boy: The Musical. Based on the "discovery" and subsequent "documentation," the musical became a hit off-Broadway and has made its way, presumably using sonar, to Theater Three, 2800 Routh St., for performances April 24 through May 31. The regular run plays Thursdays at 7:30 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and matinees on Saturdays and Sundays at 2:30 p.m. Tickets range from $20 to $35. Call 214-871-3300. --Merritt Martin

4/25
Everything but the Sink
Lyric Stage launches a shanty ship
Our version of Titanic: The Musical (the one we write in our minds during long meetings) features Jane Fonda as a third-class passenger and the original songs "Look Where Your Stupid Hubris Got Us," "O Captain (Thanks a Pantload)" and the spectacular finale, "It's Gettin' Cold (and Wet) in Herre." The whole production revolves around people in 1912 costumes doing jazz hands. Unfortunately, or rather fortunately, Maury Yeston and Peter Stone's Tony award-winning Titanic, now playing at Lyric Stage, doesn't encompass any of our ideas. According to producer Steven Jones, "[Director Drew Scott Harris] focuses on the people aboard the ship rather than the spectacle of the sinking." The production depicts actual officers and passengers, such as Isidor Straus and third-class traveler Jim Farrell. Though they boast "a glorious score with thrilling choral anthems," we still know it would be better with jazz hands. Titanic runs through May 10 at 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays and weekend matinees at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $15 to $28. Call 972-252-2787. --Michelle Martinez