Robert Bradford Smith as The Man in Pegasus Theatres’ ‘Tales From Late Night Kroger’ by Bruce R. Coleman. (Photo by Natalia Borja.)
Stage Notes is a weekly aggregate post about theater, classical music and stage news, events, reviews and other pertinent information. Season announcements came in hot and heavy this week.
Stage Notes Calendar
Opening this week:
Dallas Black Dance Theatre: DanceAfrica Festival, Friday and Saturday at Moody Performance Hall.
The Elevator Project: Hazards by Artists Sans Frontieres, Friday-Sunday at the Wyly Studio Theatre.
Pegasus Theatre: Tales from a Late Night Kroger, Friday-Oct. 26 at the Bath House Cultural Center.
Casa Manana: Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella, Friday-Oct. 27.
Mesquite Arts Theatre: Frankenstein, Friday-Oct. 27.
Repertory Company Theatre: Little Shop of Horrors, Friday-Oct. 27.
Amphibian Stage: The Amazing, Fabulous and Spectacular Untruths of Juan Garcia, Friday-Nov. 3, pictured.
Dallas Theater Center: Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors, Friday-Nov. 3.
Hip Pocket Theatre: Metamorphosis, Friday-Nov. 3.
Irving Symphony Orchestra: ISO with Clayton Stephenson, Saturdayat the Irving Arts Center.
Allegro Guitar Society: Hao Yang, 7:30 p.m. Saturday at St. Monica Catholic Church.
Dallas Symphony Orchestra: Ring Cycle: Das Rheingold, 2 p.m. Sunday.
Allegro Guitar Society: Hao Yang, 2:30 p.m. Sunday at Kimbell Art Museum.
Lamplight Theater Company: Frankenstein: A Staged Reading, 3 p.m. at Harvest House.
Dallas Symphony Orchestra: Ring Cycle: Die Walküre, 5 p.m. Tuesday.
Second Thought Theatre: hang, Wednesday-Nov. 2.
Onstage now:
The Fleetwood Project:The Big White Lie, through Sunday.
McKinney Repertory Theatre: The Game’s Afoot, through Sunday.
Runway Theatre: Agatha Christie’s Go Back for Murder, through Sunday.
Shakespeare Dallas: Julius Caesar, through Sunday at Samuell-Grand Amphitheater.
Stolen Shakespeare Guild: The Great Gatsby, through Sunday at Arts Fort Worth.
Sundown Collaborative Theatre: The Haunting of Hill House, Friday-Oct. 13.
Rover Dramawerks: Go Back for Murder, through Oct. 19 at the Cox Playhouse.
Allen Contemporary Theatre: Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, Friday-Oct. 20.
Cirque du Soleil: Songblazers, through Oct. 20 at the Music Hall at Fair Park.
Theatre Three: Venus in Fur, through Oct. 20 in Theatre Too.
Circle Theatre: The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity, through Oct. 26.
Lakeside Community Theatre: Lend Me a Chainsaw, through Oct. 26.
Upright Theatre: Amityville ‘74, through Nov. 2, pictured.
Theatre Three: Carrie: The Musical, through Nov. 3.
Pocket Sandwich Theatre: Sweeney Todd the Fiend of Fleet Street, through Nov. 16.
Second Chance Players readies for its Next production
The cast in rehearsal for Second Chance Players’ ‘Next to Normal.’ (Photo by Jeff Roberson)
For its upcoming production, the new company will present the musical Next to Normal. Directed by Bill Shea, the story centers on a family in crisis that is confronting mental illness. The show will be presented at Frisco Discovery Center’s Black Box Theater Oct. 17-26.
“Second Chance Players is thrilled to present Next to Normal to the North Texas community,” Shea said in a press release. “The phenomenal storytelling and music have captivated audiences around the world since it first debuted and our cast is second to none in their unique, compelling performance.”
The company debuted earlier this year with Bill W. and Dr. Bob staged at the Cox Playhouse in Plano.
Second Chance approaches theater with a specific perspective.
“Our goal is to provide a platform for individuals in recovery to share their stories, heal through artistic expression and break down stigmas surrounding addiction,” Shea stated.
But also, it creates a welcoming a supportive environment for creatives in recovery to have a safe place. Individuals in recovery and their allies can channel their emotions and experiences into the art of theater.
The cast includes Caroline Rivera, Jim Lindsay, Mary Ridenour, Caleb Ross, Efren Paredes and Martin Guerra-West.
Tickets are available here. Opening night is pay-what-you-can.
Upright Theatre announces its new season
The Euless-based company is in the middle of its horror era with Amityville ’74 right now, but took the time to announce its 2025 season of shows on Wednesday. The season includes eight shows total, three geared toward junior audiences. The theater’s five shows for all ages range from big hit musicals to a Shakespeare favorite. The season kicks off in February.
See the season below (from Upright):
Feb. 21-March 23: Shrek the Musical. Dive into the hilarious and heartwarming journey of everyone’s favorite ogre in this musical adventure filled with laughter and love.
April 4-May 4: Romeo + Juliet. Experience Shakespeare’s iconic tale of star-crossed lovers brought to life that will captivate both new and seasoned theatergoers.
May 16-June 14: Ghost the Musical. Be moved by this hauntingly beautiful story of love and loss, complete with mesmerizing music and unforgettable performances.
Aug. 22-Sept. 21: City of Angels. Step into the jazzy, film-noir world of this Tony Award-winning musical, where the lines between reality and fiction blur in a dazzling display of wit and style.
Oct. 3-Nov. 2: Young Frankenstein. Relish in the monstrous fun of Mel Brooks’ wickedly funny musical, guaranteed to leave you in stitches with its zany humor and catchy tunes.
Season and individual tickets are now on sale. Packaged include flexible exchange options and special discounts.
Bruce R. Coleman gets the Pegasus Theatre treatment this weekend
Pegasus Theatre, now in its 40th year, will present Tales From Late Night Kroger by Bruce R. Coleman, at the Bath House Cultural Center. The show opens Friday and runs through Oct. 26 at the Bath House Cultural Center at White Rock.
From Pegasus:
Come be a part of this light-hearted and touching one-man show! It’s based on a series of Facebook posts Bruce R. Coleman made about his encounters with a motley bunch of characters when he would shop late at night at the Oak Lawn Kroger. In Bruce’s words, “There I have found humanity in all of its gaudy, crazy glory – uncovering the chaos of the world in microcosm and shining a light on it.”
The show is directed by Ashley Puckett Gonzales and stars Robert Bradford Smith as The Man with Gerald Taylor II serving as assistant director and understudy. An understudy performance will be presented on Oct. 19.
Coleman was a highly-acclaimed director and designer in the North Texas theater scene who worked with area companies such as Uptown Players, MainStage ILC and served as acting artistic director at Theatre Three. He passed in August 2023.
For tickets, click here.
ICYMI
Review: Rover Dramawerks’ Go Back for Murder
Review: Lakeside Community Theatre’s Lend Me a Chainsaw
Feature: Body-ody-ody slam: Director Alejandro Saucedo finds the drag of wrestling at Circle Theatre
–Rich Lopez