Stage Notes is a weekly aggregate post about theater, classical music, dance, comedy and stage news, events, reviews and other pertinent information.
Opening this week:
Dallas Symphony Orchestra: Scheherazade & Pablo Sainz-Villegas, today and Sunday.
Opera Arlington: The Magic Flute, Friday and Saturday at Arlington Museum of Art.
Eisemann Edge Initiative: Story Ballet by slowdanger, 3 p.m. Friday-Sunday, pictured.
Timeless Concerts: Music of the Spanish Language, 2 p.m. Saturday at The Modern.
Turtle Creek Chorale: Rhapsody at Turtle Manor, 6 p.m. Saturday at the Arts District Mansion.
Jonathan Van Ness: Hot & Healed, 8 p.m. Saturday at the Texas Theatre.
Dallas Symphony Orchestra: Gala Concert with Idina Menzel, 8:45 p.m. Saturday.
Totally Made-up Musical, 7 p.m. Sunday at The Firehouse Theatre.
Onstage now:
Rover Dramawerks: A Texas Romance, through Saturday.
Pocket Sandwich Theatre: It’s a Scream, through Saturday.
Stupid Sparrow: Stupid F**king Bird, through Saturday at Mainstage 222.
Art Centre Theatre: Proof, through Sunday.
Dallas Theater Center: Reykjavik86, through Sunday at the Wyly.
Grand Prairie Arts Council: Jekyll & Hyde: The Musical, through Sunday at the Uptown Theater.
Hip Pocket Theatre: Soul Notes from the Velvet Elk, through Sunday.
Theatre Three: Spring Awakening, through Sunday.
Second Thought Theatre: Dance Nation, through Oct. 3 at Bryant Hall, pictured.
Drunk Shakespeare Society: Romeo and Juliet, through Oct. 4 at Deep Ellum Art Co.
Undermain Theatre: Evenings at the Talkhouse, through Oct. 4.
Shakespeare Dallas: Titus Andronicus, through Oct. 18 at Samuell-Grand Amphitheater.
Undermain hosts pre-show dinner tie-in this Saturday
Undermain opened Evening at the Talk House on Saturday. This week, the company hosts a special dinner event that ties in to the show as well as the playwright.
According to Undermain:
We will meet at a “mystery location” close to Undermain Theatre for dinner and a mystery game. This will be a fun introduction to Wallace Shawn’s (co-creator and co-star of the classic film My Dinner with Andre) play Evening at the Talk House being performed at Undermain Theatre
Enjoy a pre-show, interactive dinner and mystery. Mix, mingle, and be a part of an exciting game where you and your fellow players change the course of an Undermain evening.
Tickets and more information here.
Broadway Dallas will host Whitman on Walls! for State Fair’s “Texas America 250”
As part of the State Fair of Texas’s “Texas America 250” celebrations, Broadway Dallas will host during the Fair in the Music Hall at Fair Park four daily screenings of New York-based theater collective Compagnia de’ Colombari’s short film series entitled Whitman on Walls!, featuring over 50 actors and musicians performing the gay poet’s celebrated work “Song of Myself,” in its entirety.
Praised as “the greatest American poem ever written” and touted by Ralph Waldo Emerson as “the most extraordinary piece of wit and wisdom that America has yet contributed,” this quintessentially American poem has been studied, celebrated, and reflected upon by generations of Americans.
“We are thrilled to host Whitman on Walls! at the Music Hall during the State Fair of Texas to help celebrate America 250,” said Ken Novice, Broadway Dallas president and CEO. “There may be no more fitting words to reflect on and celebrate our country’s history than those of ‘Song of Myself.’”
The four daily screenings (at 11 a.m., 1, 4 and 7 p.m.) are free of charge to all visitors at the State Fair of Texas (Fair admission is required to access the screenings). Walk-in attendance is welcome, but RSVPs are recommended, as seating is limited. More information and an RSVP link are available at BroadwayDallas.org/shows/Wow/.
Whitman on Walls! brings further opportunity to showcase local artists from across the state. In addition to the daily screenings, New York City-based Whitman on Walls!producer Cindy Sibilsky is returning to her North Texas roots to produce and curate three special live events to bring poetic responses of Texas-based artists to Whitman’s seminal work.
Review: T3 launches its new season with UTA for an electrifying Spring Awakening
Writing this in the wake of Duncan Sheik’s passing is a challenge. Not that I was a big fan beyond his popular songs, but because his shift into musicals felt so brilliant and that was always a compelling career move that he thrived in. Alice By Heart, American Psycho and, of course, Spring Awakening were all prime examples of his innovative musical perspective for the stage. Seeing Theatre Three’s Spring Awakening (just before his passing) was a dynamic experience thanks to the cast of UT Arlington students in this co-production. But now, we can see it as a fitting tribute to the singer-songwriter who passed Sept. 17, a week after this show opened.
Despite some opening night sound issues, Spring Awakening was filled with the right youthful energy by the UTA theater students. And also, so glad we didn’t have to endure adults as adolescents discovering sex, romance and their bodies.
Based on Frank Wedekind’s 1891 play, Spring Awakening is a modern rock musical with music by Sheik and book and lyrics by Steven Sater. The story follows a group of teenage students in a repressive society as they navigate their journeys into adulthood and encountering their desires, identities and self-discovery despite their rigid authoritative figures and society.
With academic training and early life experience, this cast strongly conveyed each characters’ pubescent discoveries with conviction and enthusiasm.
While an ensemble, the primary leads of Gisela Garcia and Dominic Norris as Wendla and Melchior respectively carried the brunt of the show with ease through their effortless portrayals as young lovers. Garcia had an ethereal presence both in voice and performance that brought a delicate touch to Wendla. Equally, Norris held his role with gravitas and movie star charisma that anchored the show’s narrative.
As the story’s queer duo, Ernst and Hanschen, Gabe Minh Tuan Beach and Benjamin Rodriguez were a charming coupling albeit having pretty much one scene with “The Word of Your Body.” The two had a charming chemistry that was sensual but still layered with innocence. Beach’s sensitive performance was an ideal contrast to Rodriguez’s more boisterous vibe as the conceited Hanschen.
Jeffrey Schmidt’s set design felt like a dream which matched the show’s softer songs. Choreographer J. Austin Eyer’s choreography was all original and punctuated the show with innovative touches but also served up some exciting and explosive movement in the show’s anthemic numbers.
Vicky Nooe’s music direction and conducting provided the ideal soundscape for the show’s bleak air. Her control of the tone helped the show float along while also bringing a layered score with her string section paired alongside the rock and roll band that all made up her orchestra.
With prime direction and a look at a new generation of actors, Spring Awakening succeeded with vitality through all its emotional states. This isn’t the cheeriest of musicals, but with T3’s and UTA’s commitment to the story, the result was a glorious journey of youth and humanity.
The show runs through Sunday.
–Rich Lopez