Our curated list of 15 unmissable events in the upcoming season of the arts
Theater, opera, dance, spoken word, art, music: There are endless options out there every year (heck, every week!) for people who consume culture… and we didn’t even mention comedy, film or performance art yet. So how do you choose? We’ve curated 15 events from now until this time next year, culled from across the Metroplex, highlighting the likely standouts. None of these catch your fancy? Well, go to Page 21 for a fuller lineup of arts seasons.
— Arnold Wayne Jones
AUTUMN 2017
Cedar Springs or Big Scary Animals at the Theatre Too space, Sept. 7–Oct. 1. Matt Lyle, one of North Texas’ cleverest scribes, wrote this world premiere comedy about a straight couple who move into the gayborhood. Presented by Theatre 3.
Fun Home at the Winspear Opera House, Sept. 13–24. The Tony Award-winning musical about a girl who grows up in a funeral parlor and comes to terms with her own sexuality … and that of her father. Presented by AT&T Performing Arts Center.
Chita and Tune: Two for the Road at the Eisemann Performing Arts Center, Sept. 22. Two of Broadway’s most legendary performers, Chita Rivera and Tommy Tune, unite for this concert performance. Presented by Eisemann Center.
Michael Chabon at the Dallas Museum of Art, Oct. 2. The Pulitzer Prize-winning bisexual novelist speaks about his latest novel. Presented by Arts & Letters Live.
Truth: 24 frames per second at the Dallas Museum of Art, Oct. 22–Jan. 28, 2018. The DMA presents its first-ever exhibit devoted to time-based media. Presented by the Dallas Museum of Art.
WINTER/SPRING 2018
Something Rotten! at Bass Performance Hall, Jan. 17–21. If you missed the national tour of this hilarious musical directed by Casey Nicholaw (The Book of Mormon), don’t miss your second bite at the apple when it returns to Fort Worth. Presented by Performing Arts Fort Worth.
Lucky Plush at Moody Performance Hall, March 9–10, pictured. TITAS’ upcoming season is exciting for many reasons, but we’re really looking forward to the Texas debut of this Chicago-based dance troupe with superhero ideas. Presented by TITAS.
Sunken Garden at Winspear Opera House, March 9–17. Composer Michel van der Aa’s contemporary opera involves 3-D projections, taking opera to the next technological level. Presented by Dallas Opera.
Waitress at Fair Park Music Hall, March 28–April 8 and Bass Performance Hall, June 19–24. Sara Bareilles wrote the score to this cult hit musical, based on the acclaimed indie film. Presented by Dallas Summer Musicals and Performing Arts Fort Worth.
Jaap van Sweden’s final three concerts at Myerson Symphony Center, April 20–May 26. The acclaimed maestro leaves as music director of the DSO at the end of the coming season, and his busy lineup culminates in three concerts we cannot wait to hear: Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 20 (April 26–28), Wagner’s Die Walkure (May 18–20) and Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony (May 24–26). Presented by the Dallas Symphony Orchestra.
SUMMER 2018
Hir at Stage West, May 17–June 17. Genre-bending playwright Taylor Mac wrote this acclaimed play about a genderqueer son, a stroke-afflicted father and the rest of a dysfunctional family in this terrifyingly hilarious twist on the family drama. A regional premiere. Presented by Stage West.
Swan Lake at Bass Performance Hall, May 25–27 and Winspear Opera House, June 1–3. Tchaikovsky’s powerful ballet — breathtaking music, heartfelt story and lovely choreography. Presented by Texas Ballet Theater.
White Rabbit Red Rabbit at the Wyly Theatre, May 30–July 1. A play performed by a different actor every night, who has never read the script nor seen a production — he (or she) experiences the play simultaneously with the audience. Intriguing, and already an international sensation. Presented by Dallas Theater Center.
Priscilla Queen of the Desert at the Kalita Humphreys Theater, July 13–29. The stage version of the hit movie, a jukebox musical with heart set in the Australian Outback. Presented by Uptown Players.
Hand to God at Addison Theatre Centre, Aug. 3–26. Joanie Schultz directs her version of this outrageous comedy about a puppet that make be an instrument of the devil. Presented by WaterTower Theatre.
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition August 11, 2017.