We’re back! 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:
Dallas Winds: New Mornings, A Star Spangled Spectacular, Friday.
American Chronicle Theatre Co.: King Kirby, Friday-July 12 at Cox Playhouse.
Art Centre Theatre: Girls Weekend, Friday-July 19.
The Core Theatre: Southlake, Friday-July 20.
AUDITION: Allen Contemporary Theatre: Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors, Saturday and Sunday.
Pocket Sandwich Theatre: Star Trip: A Tale of Two Captains, Saturday-Aug. 23.
Second Thought Theatre: Your Wife’s Dead Body, Wednesday-July 29, pictured.
Onstage now:
Broadway Dallas: Disney’s The Lion King, through today.
Sundown Collaborative Theatre: The Amphibians, through Sunday.
Theatre Three: Xanadu, through Sunday.
Circle Theatre: A Strange Loop, through July 12, pictured.
Allen Contemporary Theatre: Curtains, through July 13.
Dallas Theater Center: Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, through July 13.
The Firehouse Theatre: Oklahoma, through July 13.
Jubilee Theater: The Fall of Heaven, through July 13.
Shakespeare Dallas: The Importance of Being Earnest, through July 18 at Samuell-Grand Amphitheater.
Shakespeare Dallas: Othello, through July 20 at Samuell-Grand Amphitheater.
Echo Theatre commemorates its founder Linda Marie Ford England after her passing
In an email on Tuesday, Echo Theatre had sent its In Memoriam to one of its founders. Linda Marie Ford England died on June 21. She was locally famous for her window messages in the numerous panes of her Lakewood home. But she also helped establish a theater for and by women that has evolved over its tenure to become a theatrical voice for all women+ that has been inclusive of the LGBTQ+ community in its productions. Echo recently closed Open, a one-actor show about a female queer magician who must save her partner, Jenny.
From Echo:
Linda Marie Ford England passed away on Saturday, June 21, 2025 in Dallas, Texas. She was born in Queens, New York on August 25th, 1964 to her two loving parents, Timothy and Phyllis Ford, and was the oldest of 5 children. She attended the University of Oklahoma to pursue a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Drama. She was a loud and proud member of the Alphi Phi sorority where she made lifelong friendships. Upon graduating from OU, she remained in Tulsa where she met the love of her life, Andy England. Shortly thereafter, Andy followed her to New York while she pursued her acting and stand-up careers and he continued his work with American Airlines. The two eventually relocated to Dallas, Texas and were wed on June 9, 1990. Throughout the years in Dallas, the Englands started their incredible family of three sons; Tim, Matthew, and Christopher England. Their Echo Family sends them love and light.
In addition to her career in acting, Linda was the driving force behind the 1998 founding of Echo Theatre, Dallas’ esteemed Women’s Theatre. It was Linda who gathered the tribe of women who launched the mission. Alongside her colleagues Pam Myers-Morgan and Suzy Blaylock, a new kind of company was born, dedicated to performing works solely written by women playwrights and demanding gender parity in play production in order to break barriers and open eyes. Now in our 27th Season, with an expanded mission informed by our times, we continue to produce the works of Women and Women+ Playwrights. We miss our friend and are forever indebted to her bright, brash, brilliant vision. She remains an inspiration to continue the mission of the theater she sparked.
A Celebration of Linda’s Life in the Theater is being planned for this August.
Donations in her memory may be made to Echo Theatre and In My Shoes.
Lyric Stage announces its 32 season of shows
A bit of old news at this point, but during June, Lyric Stage revealed its new roster of shows for its upcoming season. The company will produce four shows at its Lyric Studio Space with one show at the Moody Performance Hall. The season kicks off this October.
“Lyric Stage’s season promises to be nothing short of extraordinary, so stay tuned for the announcement of our talented creative teams and audition dates. We encourage you to purchase season tickets, which will go on sale July 1 for these live and spirited performances,” Scott Guenther, Lyric Stage managing and co-artistic director, said in the mid-June announcement.
Lyric’s 32nd season includes:
Oct. 10-26: The Rocky Horror Show. In this cult classic, stranded sweethearts Brad and Janet discover the eerie mansion of Dr. Frank-N-Furter and the hunky, muscular Rocky. This 25th anniversary revival won’t be complete without its familiar shoutouts from the audience, cascading toilet paper and an array of other audience participation props.
Dec. 5-21. Forever Plaid: Plaid Tidings. Back for another holiday season, this classic by Stewart Ross will put everyone into the holiday spirit. Sprinkled among the Christmas offerings are audience favorites, like the trio’s three-minute-and-eleven-second version of The Ed Sullivan Show featuring the Rockettes, the Chipmunks and The Vienna Boys Choir among others.
Feb. 11: Dallas Divas. For one night only, just before Valentine’s Day, see this showcase of some of the most talented voices in Dallas. This Lyric Stage tradition features area singers performing songs ranging from Broadway to pop. There might even be a few surprise guests. Performance held at Moody Performance Hall.
April 17-May 3: Sweet Charity. This musical explores the turbulent love life of Charity Hope Valentine, a hopelessly romantic but comically unfortunate dance hall hostess in New York City. With amid-1960s score by Cy Coleman, lyrics by Dorothy Fields and a book by Neil Simon, this captures the energy, humor and heartbreak of Life in the Big City for an unfortunate but irrepressible optimist with signature showtunes like “Big Spender,” “If My Friends Could See Me Now,” “I’m a Brass Band” and “Baby, Dream Your Dream.”
July 17-Aug. 2: Little Women. This story is brought to life in this musical filled with personal discovery, heartache, hope and everlasting love. Based on Louisa May Alcott’s life and book, the story follows the adventures of sisters Jo, Meg, Beth and Amy March.
Tickets are availble now at LyricStage.org/season32.
Review: These ‘Curtains’ are well hung at Allen Contemporary Theatre
Despite never having heard of this show until its season’s inclusion by ACT and a couple other companies, I can confidently say that last Friday’s opening performance of this Kander and Ebb mystery musical is now unforgettable. This is largely thanks to Laura Jennings’ fast-paced directing and a talented cast that perfectly blends humor with beautiful voices and harmonies.
A murder-mystery musical, especially from the minds behind Cabaret collaborating with Rupert Holmes and Peter Stone, initially seemed like a questionable endeavor. Yet, these four delivered a hilariously entertaining and thrilling production from start to finish. It was, however, ACT’s creative team and cast who truly brought this wild show to life.
Jennings deserves much credit for skillfully directing over 20 actors onstage with precision. Their accurate staging provided a strong foundation for the show, while maintaining the energetic comedy. Becca Tischer’s choreography was also a delight, with her moves filling the stage, performed by the large cast.
Set behind stage at a theater in 1959 Boston, the star of Robbin’ Hood of the Old West, Jessica Cranshaw, dies at curtain call which is later determined to be a murder. Lieutenant Frank Cioffi is on the case and thrilled as a theater fan himself, but he has to determine who’s attempting to kill off more folks in the cast and crew. He sequesters the cast and crew for his investigation while they also rework the show for its next-day performance. Niki, the first understudy, is overlooked to take the part of Jessica which is given to the show’s songwriter and former actor Georgia. Her partner in music and life Aaron isn’t all that thrilled while producers Carmen and Sidney Bernstein scramble to save the show with the oblivious, eccentric and self-absorbed director Christopher.
Eddy Herring triumphed as the enthusiastic lieutenant leading the investigation. His comedic portrayal balanced being in the action while remaining central to the show. Emily Fabrega, as Niki, was a delightful understudy and romantic interest. While occasionally verging on Disney-princess-like, Fabrega ultimately conveyed the character with ideal innocence and compassion.
Shea McMillan, as the reluctant star Georgia, had a strong presence and voice, subtly commanding attention with her lovely, floating vocals. Blake Rice delivered a beautifully delicate performance as Aaron. Michael McMillan’s portrayal of Bobby, felt slightly disconnected despite his lean into the character’s cockiness. The intended love triangle among the three never fully materialized, and McMillan’s solid performance sometimes seemed to be playing catch-up to the energies of the other actors.
Scott Hickman was spot-on as the detestable Sidney Bernstein and as show investor Oscar. Beau Dameron was rich with his character’s excited vibes. Jennifer Grace, as the stage manager Jenny, was a lethal comic weapon; her timing and delivery were always an eye-catcher, giving so much to a role that could have been overlooked.
Amy Foster Parsons and Mario Estep were brilliantly cast as Carmen and Christopher. Parsons, as Carmen the show’s producer, was basically legendary. Her portrayal was an expert blend of beautifully bitchy authority, comic timing, maternal tenderness and some impeccable song and dance. Estep was a fabulous surprise as the flamboyant show director. His over-the-top, bleach-blonde Christopher, complete with affected voice, grand gesturing and self-indulgence, was consistently at a “10”—an impressive feat.
Every actor on stage was astonishingly ideal for their role which was a magical element. They did their homework and delivered a ridiculous tale of non-stop laughter and incredible show tunes. Curtains was a winning choice for this ACT.
The show runs through July 13.
–Rich Lopez