Stage Notes is a weekly aggregate post about theater, classical music and stage news, events, reviews and other pertinent information.
Opening this week:
Lyric Stage: Tarzan, today-Sunday at the Majestic Theatre, pictured.
Dallas Black Dance Theatre: Spring Celebration, Friday and Saturday at the Wyly Theatre.
Miss B’s Very Silly Playland Zirkus!, Friday and Saturday at Arts Mission Oak Cliff.
Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra: Haydn: The Creation, Friday-Sunday at Bass Hall.
Texas Ballet Theater: Alice in Wonderland, Friday-Sunday at the Winspear.
Echo Theatre: I and You, Friday-June 3 at the Bath House Cultural Center.
Art Centre Theatre: The SpongeBob Musical, Friday-June 4.
The Classics Theatre Project: Long Day’s Journey Into Night, Friday-June 11 at the Stone Cottage.
Jubilee Theatre: Praise The Lord and Raise the Roof, Friday-June 17.
Pocket Sandwich Theatre: How the Other Half Loves, Friday-June 17.
Artisan Center Theatre: Brigadoon, Friday-June 24.
6 O’Clock Dance Theatre: Visions of Blue, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday at Addison Theater Centre.
Dallas Chamber Society: Beethoven’s Eroica, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Moody Performance Hall.
TITAS/DANCE UNBOUND: Pilobolus in the Garden, Tuesday-May 26 at Nasher Sculpture Garden.
Onstage now:
The touring cast of ‘To Kill a Mockingbird.’ (Coutesy photo by Julieta Cervantes)
Ochre House Theatre: Darkness: Less a Light On, through Saturday.
Allen Contemporary Theatre: Something’s Afoot, through Sunday.
Bishop Arts Theatre Center: World Classic, through Sunday.
Stage West: Cruel Intentions: the 90s Musical, through Sunday.
Theatre Arlington: On Golden Pond, through Sunday.
Broadway Dallas: To Kill a Mockingbird, through May 28 at the Music Hall at Fair Park.
Firehouse Theatre: Saturday Night Fever, through May 28.
Rockwall Community Playhouse: The Wizard of Oz, through May 28.
Teatro Dallas: The 22+ Weddings of Hugo Multiple, through May 28 at the Latino Cultural Center.
Theatre Frisco: Rounding Third, through May 28.
The Core Theatre: Our Town, through June 4.
Hip Pocket Theatre: Riders of the Purple Sage, through June 11.
Channing Tatum’s Magic Mike Live: The Tour made its Texas premiere in Frisco
Pecs and abs were in abundance last night and it wasn’t even the Purple Party. The Las Vegas stage show conceived and directed by Channing Tatum debut Wednesday night in Frisco with a spectacular launch party. The Texas premiere drew a full house to the multi-million-dollar production’s 600-seat, custom-built venue at Stonebriar Centre.
“From Las Vegas to London and Berlin to Australia, we have brought this incredible show around the world, and we couldn’t be more excited to make our Texas premiere right here in Frisco,” Katie Zanca, producing team member for Magic Mike Live said at the event. “Everyone we’ve worked with to bring this show to you tonight has given us the warmest welcome we could’ve asked for, so on behalf of Channing and the entire Magic Mike Live team, thank you for letting us bring a bit more magic to North Texas and thank you for celebrating with us tonight!”
Before the performance, guests were treated to champagne, souvenir photos and music performance by vocalist Christopher Watson, winner of The Bachelor Presents: Listen to Your Heart. Post-show festivities included local food trucks, a 360-viceo booth with music by DJ McCrae.
is a 90-minute show that runs through June 11. Tickets are available here.
Review: MainStage delights again with The Light in the Piazza
The cast of MainStage ILC’s ‘The Light in the Piazza.’ (Courtesy photo)
Directed by Bruce R. Coleman, MainStage delivered another charming show with The Light in the Piazza. Although it does close this weekend, the musical is worth squeezing in one of its three final performances. Besides, the cast and crew created a sweeping show that will tug at all the rom-com heartstrings.
Set in 1950s Florence, Italy, the show centers on wealthy Southerner Margaret Johnson (Sarah Powell) and her daughter Clara (Samantha Snow) on holiday while Mr. Johnson (Corey Whaley) is back home. Clara meets and falls in love with Fabrizio Naccarelli (Karl Martin) and when they decide to marry, secrets about Clara cause discord among Fabrizio’s father Signor (Robert San Juan) and the rest of the family.
With soft lighting by Mia Lindemann and its versatile set by Joseph Cumming with Florence always in the background, the show created a dreamy view of Italy that worked with the show’s romance and music led by Vicky Nooe.
Written by Craig Lucas and music and lyrics by Adam Guettel, the story itself is simple and sometimes conveniently wrapped up, but the cast elevated all the material. Powell gave her character proper maternal fortitude to Snow’s Clara. The two related so well as parent and child. Snow packed in many layers to her performance which was often exuberant lending to Clara’s background story, but also tender and even distressing. San Juan served up a suave and distinguished patriarch which was a complete 180 from his disheveled character in Uptown Players Silver Foxes earlier this spring.
Karl Martin, though. Initially, we saw Fabrizio as a mild-mannered youth interested in a girl, but when he sang, Martin’s voice just soared. The result was breathaking and matched by Snow when their two characters duetted.
As the rest of the Nacarelli family, Krista Seid amped up her fourth-wall breaking number as Signora while Nolan Shaver’s Guiseppe was the ideal annoying big brother to Fabrizio and oblivious husband to Arianna Movassagh’s glamorous Franca.
MainStage knows how to transport audiences to another place and time as they have done recently with Enchanted April and Intimate Apparel. They do that again here with distinct allure.
RELATED: Review: To Kill A Mockingbird is superb
Season announcements
Stage West reveals lineup for its 45th season
Stage West announced this week, its produtions for its 2023/24 landmark season. The season will feature six shows with one co-production. Five plays and one musical make up the new season for the Fort Worth theater.
The season includes (from SW):
Oct. 19-Nov. 5: Once Upon a Mattress. When a bold and undeniably charming new princess makes a splash at court, it seems the Queen has met her match. Music and mischief reign in a tale where happily ever after has never been more ap-PEA-ling. A co-production with Theatre TCU.
Nov. 30-Dec. 17. Poor Clare by Chiara Atik. This regional premiere is the surprising story of Saint Clare of Assisi comes to vivid life in this modern parable of generosity, perfect for the holiday season.
Jan. 18-Feb. 11: Marjorie Prime by Jordan Harrison. In the near future, Marjorie and her daughter are worried that her memory may be fading. That is, until the appearance of Walter, a mysterious and charming young visitor who arrives to help Marjorie uncover the intricacies of her own past. In this regional premiere, profound questions emerge about the limits of technology and whether or not memory is an exclusively human invention.
March 7-24: POTUS: or, Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive by Selina Fillinger. It all starts with a little four-letter word that the President blurts out and what starts as a PR nightmare, turns into a complete global crisis in this regional premiere.
June 6-23: Sherlock Holmes and the Adventure of the Elusive Ear by David MacGregor. The as-yet-undiscovered genius, Vincent Van Gogh, presents a most peculiar case to noted detective Sherlock Holmes, his partner Dr. Watson, and his paramour Irene Adler. With a helping hand from Oscar Wilde, the world’s greatest detective attempts to uncover a Post-Impressionist conspiracy in this regional premiere.
Sept. 5-22: The Importance of Being Earnest. This classic comedy of courtship and manners is a masterpiece of social satire for all who appreciate the humbling folly of falling in love.
Season tickets are on sale now here, and will include, the Premium Season Ticket.
–Rich Lopez
