Updated to add Broadway Dallas announcement
Stage Notes is a weekly aggregate post about theater, classical music and stage news, events, reviews and other pertinent information.
Stage Notes Calendar
Opening this week:
Theatre Three: Debbie Does Dallas, today-Feb. 23 in Theatre Too.
FWSO Pops: Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark in Concert, Friday and Saturday.
TITAS/DANCE UNBOUND: CARMEN.maquia by Ballet Hispanico, Friday and Saturday at the Winspear.
Art Centre Theatre: Old Age Ain’t for Sissies: A One Man Show-off, Friday-Sunday.
Dallas Symphony Orchestra: Symphonie Fantastique, Friday-Sunday.
The Elevator Project: The Parlor Room by B. Moore Dance, Friday-Sunday at Wyly Studio Theatre.
Shen Yun, Jan. Friday-Sunday at Music Hall at Fair Park.
The Core Theatre: A Life in the Theater, Friday-Feb. 2.
Allen Contemporary Theatre: Almost, Maine, Friday-Feb. 9.
Runway Theatre: Savannah Sipping Society, Friday-Feb. 9.
Broadway Dallas: & Juliet, Tuesday-Feb. 9, pictured.
Cliburn Concerts: Sir Steven Hough, piano, 8 p.m. Wednesday at Tannahill’s Tavern and Music Hall.
Onstage now:
Rover Dramawerks: The Shakespeare Conspiracy, through Saturday.
Shakespeare Dallas: Measure for Measure, through Sunday at Theatre Three.
MainStage ILC: Deathtrap, Friday-Feb. 1, pictured.
Pocket Sandwich Theatre: Camp Death, through Feb. 15.
Get a line dance lesson with Bruce Wood Dance Dallas
Ahead of its 15th anniversary gala, the company will host a line dancing class on Saturday. This is perfect for those going to BWDD’s western-themed gala Country Songs which will be held at Gilley’s Dallas on March 29. And this lesson is legit.
The class will be led by 14-time Country Dance World Champion Tony New who will teach registrants the latest and greatest social line dances.
“Nothing gives me greater joy than to share my love of dance with others,” New said in an email announcement.
Whether you’re getting ready for the gala or a Saturday night at the Round-Up, BWDD has you covered with this one-time lesson.
The class will be held Saturday, Jan. 25 from 2:30-4 p.m. at the BWDD studios, 101 Howell St. Registration is $25 and all levels welcome. Doors at 2 p.m.
For more information about BWDD’s 15th anniversary performance and gala Cowboy Songs, or to purchase tickets, click here.
Soul Rep kicks off 30th anniversary season with Richard III (not the Shakespeare one)
(Photo by Walter Johnson, Jr.)
Founded in 1995 by Guinea Bennett-Price, Anyika McMillan-Herod and Tonya Holloway, Soul Rep Theatre will celebrate 30 years with its new season. The company has become a cornerstone of amplifying the voices of the African Diaspora in the landsape of North Texas arts.
This landmark season begins on Jan. 30 with the revival of The African Company presents Richard III by Carlyle Brown, that will run Jan. 30-Feb. 8 at Bryant Hall. Directed by Lisa Cote, this production reimagines the first Black theater company in America as they perform Shakespeare’s Richard III in the face of systemic oppression.
The cast includes Jerrold Trice, Kelley Smith, Emir Price, Zariyah Perry, Sinclair Freeman with Stephen Miller and Michael Michel.
“As we celebrate three decades of creating transformative art as Dallas’ longest operating Black theater company, we are reminded of the countless stories that remain untold and the voices that deserve to be heard,” Bennett-Price said in a press release. “This season is a tribute to our ancestors, our audiences, and our community, whose support has sustained us through the years.”
Since its inception, Soul Rep has been committed to telling stories that reflect the diversity and complexity of the Black experience. Over the past 30 years, which included a 10-year hiatus while the co-founders focused on family, the company has premiered more than 50 original works, collaborated with local, national and international artists, successfully pivoted to film during the pandemic era, cultivated young artists through its arts education programs and nurtured emerging talents.
“Soul Rep was founded to fill a void in Dallas’ artistic community, and we are humbled to see
how far we’ve come,” McMillan-Herod mentioned. “This season isn’t just about looking back—it’s about looking forward to the next 30 years.”
The entire season is as follows:
Jan. 30-Feb. 8: The African Company presents Richard III.
April 11-19: Pretty Fire by Charlayne Woodard. This one woman show explores beautiful, funny, dark, and exhilarating vignettes tracing Woodard’s life from a premature birth to a joyous maturity at eleven years old. This play is a “rare autobiographical tour de fource” painting one of the most positive pictures of the Black experience on stage. It is a powerful exploration of three generations of family love, struggle and triumph. Directed by Tonya Holloway.
April 26: Staged reading of Madam Queen by Dianne Tucker. Playwright, storyteller, lyricist; the fascinating life of Dianne Tucker began in Marshall, Texas on April 3, 1951. She was the third child born to Azrie and Ellean Tucker. Dianne loved entertaining from the jump. Who else would spend their Saturday mornings recruiting nonunion neighborhood kids to perform her original songs and dances? In the early ’60s, the Tucker family packed up and left the piney woods of East Texas and headed West to Fort Worth.
June 5-8: Ain’t No Mo’ by Jordan E. Cooper. This Tony-nominated play answers the incendiary question: What if the United States government offered Black Americans one-way plane tickets to Africa? This unpredictable comedy speeds through the turbulent skies of being Black in today’s America. A kaleidoscope of moments surrounding this great exodus are told by an ensemble cast featuring Peaches, a larger-than-life flight agent boarding the final plane leaving the United States. Directed by Guinea Bennett-Price and Ashley Oliver with performances held at the Kalita Humphreys Theater.
Season subscriptions and tickets to Richard III are now available here.
Broadway Dallas announce the full lineup of the 2025/2026 Broadway Series
On Friday, BD and Broadway Across America (BAA) announced the 2025/2026 season that includes six Dallas premieres and the return of audience favorites.
“Our 2025/2026 season is stacked with fantastic shows that are sure to please! With a mix of fresh new Broadway productions, classics, and family friendly shows, there’s something for everyone to enjoy,” Ken Novice, President and CEO of Broadway Dallas said in the press release. “We’re proud to deliver yet another wonderful season of Broadway to North Texas.”
All performances will be held at the Music Hall at Fair Park unless otherwise noted. The season will launch in November and includes the following shows:
Nov. 4-16: The Outsiders. The winner of the 2024 Tony Award for Best Musical is the adaptation of S.E. Hinton’s seminal novel and Francis Ford Coppola’s film with book by Adam Rapp with Justin Levine, music and lyrics by Jamestown Revival (Jonathan Clay and Zach Chance) and Levine. In Tulsa, Oklahoma, 1967, Ponyboy Curtis, his best friend Johnny Cade and their Greaser family of ‘outsiders’ battle with their affluent rivals, the Socs. The musical navigates the complexities of self-discovery as the Greasers dream about who they want to become in a world that may never accept them.
Dec. 16-Jan. 4: Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. The 30th anniversary production has been brought to life with new sets and costumes. Reuniting to create this new production are members of the original Tony Award-winning artistic team, including composer Alan Menken, lyricist Tim Rice, book writer Linda Woolverton, with direction and choreography by Matt West, scenic design by Stanley A. Meyer, costume design by Ann Hould-Ward and lighting design by Natasha Katz.
Jan. 6-18: Kimberly Akimbo. Winner of five 2023 Tony Awards, this new musical about growing up and growing old (in no particular order), centers on Kimberly who is about to turn 16 and recently moved with her family to a new town in suburban New Jersey. Kim is forced to navigate family dysfunction, a rare genetic condition, her first crush … and possible felony charges. Ever the optimist, she is determined to find happiness against all odds and embark on a great adventure. Performances held at the Winspear Opera House.
Feb. 17-March 1: The Great Gatsby. Based on the classic American novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the Tony Award-winning new musical is an unforgettable journey of love, wealth and tragedy that brings the Roaring Twenties to life on stage. Directed by Marc Bruni (Beautiful: The Carole King Musical), this story of extravagance and longing features choreography by Dominique Kelley (So You Think You Can Dance), a book by Kait Kerrigan (The Mad Ones) and a jazz- and pop-influenced original score by Jason Howland (Little Women) and Nathan Tysen (Paradise Square).
March 10-22: A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical. Created in collaboration with Diamond himself, this is the uplifting true story of how a kid from Brooklyn became a chart-busting, show-stopping American rock icon. Like Jersey Boys and Beautiful: The Carole King Musical before it, this is an inspiring, energy-filled musical memoir, that tells the untold true story of how America’s greatest hitmaker became a star, set to the songs that defined his career.
March 31–April 12. Some Like it Hot. Set in Chicago when Prohibition has everyone thirsty for a little excitement, this story of two musicians forced to flee the Windy City after witnessing a mob hit. With gangsters hot on their heels, they catch a cross-country train for the life-chasing, life-changing trip of a lifetime.
May 6–June 14: Wicked. Immerse yourself in the wonderful Land of Oz, where there is a young woman, born with emerald-green skin—smart, fiery, misunderstood and possessing an extraordinary talent. When she meets a bubbly blonde who is exceptionally popular, their initial rivalry turns into the unlikeliest of friendships…until the world decides to call one good and the other one wicked.
June 16-28. Clue. Murder and blackmail are on the menu when six mysterious guests assemble at Boddy Manor for a night they’ll never forget! Was it Mrs. Peacock in the study with the knife? Or was it Colonel Mustard in the library with the wrench? Based on the fan-favorite 1985 Paramount Pictures movie and inspired by the classic Hasbro board game, Clue is the ultimate whodunit that will leave you dying of laughter and keep you guessing until the final twist. Performances held at the Winspear.
Jan.27-Feb. 1: Six. From Tudor Queens to pop music icons, the six wives of Henry VIII take the microphone to remix 500 years of historical heartbreak into a Euphoric Celebration of 21st century girl power. This new original musical is the global sensation that everyone is losing their head over.
Season tickets are available now. All current subscribers will be automatically renewed into the 2025/2026 season. Single tickets to individual shows will go on sale at a later date. Group pricing is available now for parties of 10 or more. For more information, click here.
Broadway Dallas strives to impact the lives of children and families through community outreach and education. Broadway Dallas offers year-round performances for diverse audiences of all ages and provides a wide array of arts-driven, equitable programs, such as ConnecTix, Community Spotlight, Dallas ISD Day, and Broadway Dallas’ annual High School Musical Theatre Awards, all of which have been uniquely created to help us share the spirit of Broadway and will continue in the 2025/2026 season.
–Rich Lopez