Valley Girls

11/25-12/30
To honor 10 years of squeezing man feet into sparkly pumps, Ron Megee's Late Night Theatre (1531 Grand, 816-235-6222) celebrates its past. This is either charming (think teenage moppets paging through old yearbooks) or unsettling (like Norma Desmond mainlining past glories in Sunset Boulevard). Either way, we can promise this: The boys will be dolled to the nines when Megee and Late Night mainstays Gary Campbell and Jon "Piggy" Cupit get to stuffing that most estimable of turkeys, Valley of the Dolls, Jacqueline Susann's pill-popping, young-gals-on-the-make extravaganza. The drag treatment's original run was one of the theater's most popular, and this second serving (which premieres at 8 p.m. Friday) looks good for a couple of key reasons, namely Megee's script and direction. He's the heart of LNT, and his shows tend to be the meatiest. But the company also makes a promise so delightful that we'll just crib straight from the press release: "Special appearance by Damron Russell Armstrong as Dionne Warwick." Sounds more fresh gravy than fridge-cooled leftovers. — Alan Scherstuhl No Escape
This band might have miscalculated the loyalty of its other fans, but we still like them. TUE 11/29
Dillinger Escape Plan's 2001 debut, Calculating Infinity, earned a cult following for its staggering complexity, the way it combined free jazz's obtuse virtuosity with death metal's velocity and volume. For its follow-up, the group could have fused technically daunting snippets, called it an album and still pleased its flock. Instead, it started writing melodically plausible songs and picked up a vocalist (Greg Puciato) who actually sings instead of screams. Extreme-music fans express displeasure in extreme ways, so jilted chaos cravers likened Miss Machine to everything from Limp Bizkit to frilly little-sister music. In reality, this release buttresses the band's trademark speed-spiraling guitars and sporadic stop-start drums with aggressive hooks and heavy grooves. Anyone who questions the band's spazz-metal prowess should witness the believer-making madness that is a Dillinger Escape Plan show at 7 p.m. Tuesday at El Torreon (3101 Gillham Plaza). See eltorreon.com for more information. — Andrew Miller Go West
The Donkey Show ambles through Lawrence. SUN 11/27
Bill Sundahl's peripatetic Donkey Showhas given good face all over Kansas City — Davey's, the Brick, the Record Bar. But for its Wild, Wild West installment, the bands behind Spice of Life Productions mosey on over to Lawrence's Jackpot Saloon and Music Hall (943 Massachusetts, 785-832-1085). The ninth showing of Sundahl's brainchild — born to provide an alternative to the three-band bill — is outfitted with performances by Honeybaby, OK Jones, Massive Tassel and It's Over; count on appearances by the Independent Filmmakers Coalition and those ever-present burlesque acts. Admission is $6, but cowboy wear secures a discount. We recommend chaps. — Annie Fischer