07:21 AM CST on Thursday, March 16, 2006

1 FIVE-WORD ANSWER: R. Kelly, vaulting from sex-scandal notoriety to Trapped in the Closet pop-culture celebrity, does what he does best, sing R&B, at Nokia Theatre. The show starts at 8 p.m. at 1001 Performance Place, Grand Prairie. $49.50 to $85. Ticketmaster.

2 MOZART MOMENTS: Conductor Claus Peter Flor and pianist Robert Levin continue a Mozart minifestival by the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. This weekend's program is the Piano Concerto No. 24 and Symphony No. 41. The concert starts at 8 p.m. at the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center, 2301 Flora St. $8 to $102. Call 214-692-0203 or go to www.dallassymphony.com.

3 HOOFBEATS OF HISTORY: The Cirque du Soleil-like spectacle of Cavalia charts the relationship of horses and humanity. It continues at 8 p.m. in the tent at 14675 Dallas Parkway (west side between Belt Line and Spring Valley). $49 to $175, with discounts for seniors, students and children. Call 1-866-999-8111 or go to www.cavalia.net.

4 VOICE OF EXPERIENCE: Believe it or not, the sonorous sound of CNN and Darth Vader suffered from stuttering as a youth. James Earl Jones talks about his memoir, Voices and Silences, at 7 p.m. in the O'Hara Exhibit Hall of the J. Erik Jonsson Central Library, 1515 Young St. $30 for talk and book signing; $50 includes reception. Call 214-670-7800 or go to www.ticketweb.com.

5 THE LOWDOWN ON DOWNTOWN: Two Dallas Morning News staffers, assistant managing editor Mark Miller and architecture critic David Dillon, will kick off a new "Art of Urban Living" series at the Nasher Sculpture Center, 2001 Flora St. Mr. Miller will talk about buying a place and settling in downtown, and Mr. Dillon will raise the question, "How urban can Dallas really be?" Doors opens at 6 p.m. The salon begins at 8 p.m. Free. Call 214-242-5100.

1 JUST FOR THEE: Self-interest squares off against love in a staged reading of Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice. The 8 p.m. performance is presented by Shakespeare Dallas and the Bath House Cultural Center at the center, 521 E. Lawther. $7. 214-559-2778. www.shakespearedallas.org.

2 A WAY WITH WORDS: Every third Friday, spoken word artists (professionals and amateurs) converge at an art studio downtown to put down their poetic lyrics. The open mike performances, which include live music from the fusion jam band Faint Image, start at 9 p.m., with doors at 8. Admission is $5 donation. 1700 Routh St.

3 MURDER OVER DINNER: Aching to solve a good mystery? Lone Star Murder Mysteries presents the interactive comedy Suffering Suffragettes at 7 p.m. at the Riverwalk Cafe at the Gaylord Texan Resort, 1501 Gaylord Trail, Grapevine. $50. 817-778-2215. www.lonestar murder mysteries.com. www.gaylordhotels.com.