Perhaps you have heretofore avoided the Mai-Kai Restaurant (3599 N. Federal Hwy., Fort Lauderdale), thinking it a tourist trap. Perhaps you were afraid you'd have to spend a wad to eat dinner and catch the show of Polynesian dancers and flamethrowers. Perhaps, then, you have been missing out. It's perfectly acceptable to chill in the lounge and enjoy lovely, hula-skirted bartenders and tropical drink concoctions. During the monthly-or-so Tiki Torch Nights, organizer Tiki Kiliki makes the place even more enticing by bringing in a rockabilly band (Slip and the Spinouts) and a dancer named Monkeyzuma (part of the Atlanta-based burlesque troupe Dames A'Flame). Kiliki says she hopes to attract "a younger, hipper, tattooed crowd." The party starts at 7 p.m. with free appetizers from 8 to 9:30. Admission is $5. Visit www.tikikiliki.com. (DF)
FRI 15
"Nobody really does the codpiece-and-tights thing anymore," explains Elizabeth Dashiell, spokesperson for the Shakespeare-by-the-Sea festival. This year, Bard lovers are putting on free outdoor performances of The Merry Wives of Windsor -- with a '70s twist. The plot, Dashiell says, goes something like this: "This creepy dude Falstaff tries to seduce two different women using the same letter. Well, the women are friends, so they talk, and they're like, 'God, what a loser.' So they insult everything about him... Then they plot this great revenge and stick it to their husbands as well... But it all ends well!" Dashiell says you are "definitely!" welcome to bring blankets, picnic baskets, beer, wine, daiquiris, or pitchers of margaritas. Or you can buy drinks from the beer garden to benefit A Very Special Arts, which provides free art classes for the disabled. So, is it possible to understand Shakespeare when you have a buzz? "Definitely!" Dashiell says. "The best way to understand Shakespeare is to see it live with people who know how to perform it." Shows take place at 8 nightly from Thursday, July 14, through Sunday, July 17, and again July 21 through 24. It's all at Carlin Park (400 S. State Rd. A1A, Jupiter). Call 561-575-7336, or visit www.pbshakespeare.org. (DF)
SAT 16
"What if someone decided to make a movie without a script -- totally improvised? What if the movie was a mixture of classic Russ Meyer's Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! and Girls Gone Wild?" More interesting, what if you were featured in this movie? The casting call for Girls on the Loose explains, "In an era where the seven capital sins are displayed daily on television and reality shows are king, why not a reality movie?" Wild Cinema productions hopes to capture "behavior patterns that shock society" and "bewildering episodes." If you're ready for the big screen and between the ages of 18 and 45, hit the Holiday Inn at the corner of Sunrise Boulevard and A1A in Fort Lauderdale between noon and 5 p.m. today. Males and females are needed. Call 954-494-8800, or visit www.wildcinema.net. (DF)
SUN 17
After performing at the July 2 Live 8 concert in Philadelphia, what else is left for Destiny's Child to do but break up? Now that Sir Bob Geldof has rid the world of poverty and disease, what's the point? OK, so that's probably not why the trio is returning to Splitsville after its current reunion tour, but it sounds better than the common assumption -- that lead Child Beyoncé Knowles is too big for her group's britches. The group's official reason is that it wants to leave "on a high note, united in our friendship," according to its website. Besides, if the three ladies continue with solo careers, that's three different cities to cover at Geldof's next save-the-planet event. Destiny's Child performs tonight at 7 at the Office Depot Center (1 Panthers Pkwy., Sunrise). Tickets cost $43.75 to $63.75. Visit www.ticketmaster.com, or call 954-523-3309. (JB)
MON 18
Here's a new one for you -- a British rock band that isn't trying to be Coldplay or Franz Ferdinand. And best of all, the mainstream music press hasn't already blown its load trying to pass this band off as the next big thing. So if you check out the Dead 60s tonight at the Culture Room (3045 N. Federal Hwy., Fort Lauderdale), you're in for a truly inspired set of tunes that haven't been marred by the hype. That inspiration comes from reggae, punk, and, well... being British. But the Dead 60s avoid the overly obscure Englandisms that doomed earlier Brit bands like the Jam from translating across the Atlantic. While the Liverpool-based foursome lacks the revolutionary zeal of the Clash (the 60s' obvious idols), it's a welcome relief from the fashion victims of the dance-punk scene. The Dead 60s open for the Bravery tonight at 8. Tickets cost $12. Call 954-564-1074. (JB)
TUE 19
Now that the perverts masquerading as Catholic priests have been caught with their robes up, isn't it about time a few nuns got caught venturing outside the convent? Maybe a trip to Vegas? While that sounds about as likely as the pope's embracing a modern agenda (Gay marriage? To the stockades!), it's Sin City all the way for the sisters in Nunsensations! The Nunsense Vegas Revue. In this Broward Center-managed production, of course, the nuns aren't going there just for kicks; they're doing it for the kids. A parishioner from the sisters' hometown has promised to donate a heap of money if the singing nuns take their show to a seedy Vegas venue. The swingin' sisters bring their revue tonight to the Miniaci Performing Arts Center at Nova Southeastern University (3625 College Ave., Fort Lauderdale). Performances run through July 24. Tonight's show starts at 7:30. Tickets cost $32. Call 954-462-0222. (JB)
WED 20
"Slowly but surely, it has happened... there is now a tight-knit community of focused artists of all genres hanging out together on a weekly basis. It's a beautiful thing." says Renda, host of open-mic night at the Funky Buddha Lounge (2621 N. Federal Hwy., Boca Raton). This evening, Renda suggests, you can "hang out with rappers... Network with rock bands... Talk record talk with DJs. Or maybe you wanna wax poetic with poets... And who's gonna be the next big guitar/singer solo act to come out and represent Palm Beach County?" Find out. Signup starts at 9 p.m. While you listen, you can drink sake, smoke 20 kinds of tobacco from a hookah, and sample the lounge's organic wines and microbrews. Call 561-368-4643. (DF)
