Stage Notes: Review of TA's 'Curious Incident;' SheDFW Arts reveals festival lineup

SheDFW Arts, a division of the nationwide gender equity nonprofit SheNYC Arts, announced on Monday the official selections for its second annual SheDFW Summer Theater Festival. The festival, dedicated to amplifying the voices of women, trans and nonbinary playwrights and theater artists from Texas and the central U.S., will run from Aug. 2-10 this year at the University of Texas Arlington’s Studio Theatre.

“We are incredibly proud to present this diverse and thought-provoking lineup for our second SheDFW Summer Theater Festival,” Danielle DeMatteo, Artistic Director of SheNYC Arts said in a press release. “The talent in Texas is extraordinary, and these four shows are a testament to the powerful, innovative work being created by underrepresented voices in our industry. We’re also deeply grateful for the support of MusicalWriters.com in bringing our two new musicals to the stage. We can’t wait for audiences to experience all these stories at the UTA Studio Theatre this August.”

This year’s festival will showcase four new productions, including two musicals and two plays. This year’s selections include:

Omen: A new musical by Jocelyn Moen. Omen transports five of Shakespeare’s iconic heroines from their plays to a magical island. With only one day of freedom, they must decide whether to return to their predetermined stories or forge new paths, exploring the limits of imagination and creator.

Bl!nk: A new musical by Grace Ward and Elke Myers. This vibrant femme-powered musical comedy follows two best friends who create a revolutionary dating app, exploring the complexities of ambition, technology, and modern friendship.

Camp Contrition: A play by Hadley Shipley. Dive into the unsettling secrets of a Christian summer camp as four campers uncover truths that will challenge their beliefs and bonds.

First: A new play by Joey Banks and Vee Council. First follows the intertwined stories of Emily Bren and Thea Ross navigating their burgeoning relationship at a conservative university, and the student election committee grappling with the political and personal fallout when Emily unexpectedly emerges as the frontrunner for student body president.

Both musicals in this year’s SheDFW Festival are sponsored and co-produced by Rebecca Lowrey of MusicalWriters.com.

Tickets for the 2025 SheDFW Summer Theater Festival will go on sale June 16. That date is subject to change. For the latest updates and to purchase tickets, visit SHENYCArts.org/SHE-DFW.

LGBTQ Theater Critics Broadway nominations are out

FILE: Actor Michael Urie is among this year’s nominees for the LGBTQ Theater Critics’ Dorian Awards. (Courtesy photo)

Honestly, I didn’t even know this was a thing, but I’m totally here for it.

On Tuesday, GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics announced its latest shortlist of standout New York stage productions for the third annual Dorian Theater Awards. Honoring excellence across Broadway and Off-Broadway during the 2024–2025 season, the awards celebrate both mainstream achievements and works that reflect LGBTQ+ themes and perspectives.

Leading the Broadway categories with seven nominations is Death Becomes Her, including Outstanding Broadway Musical and Outstanding LGBTQ Broadway Musical and acting nominations for Megan Hilty, Jennifer Simard, and Christopher Sieber.

In the Off-Broadway categories, Cats: The Jellicle Ball leads with five nominations, including acting nods for André De Shields, Sydney James Harcourt, and ballroom icon “Tempress” Chastity Moore. DRAG: The Musical and its stars Alaska Thunderfuck and Jujubee, both of TV’s RuPaul’s Drag Race fame, all hold nominations. And the Manhattan Theatre Club’s We Had a World, by playwright Joshua Harmon, is in the running for Outstanding LGBTQ Off-Broadway Production World’s stars Joanna Gleason and Jeanine Serralles are nominated as well.

Two queer Texans (that I know of) were among this year’s nominees. Plano’s Michael Urie (Ugly Betty) received recognition for his featured performance in Once Upon a Mattress. Midland’s Michael Arden is among the nominees for LGBTQ Theater Artist of the Season. He directed the Broadway musical Maybe Happy Ending.

GALECA will kick off Pride Month by announcing the winners of the 2025 Dorian Theater Awards on Monday, June 2.

Full list of 2025 Dorian Theater Awards nominees:

Outstanding Broadway Musical

Death Becomes Her
Dead Outlaw
Just in Time
Maybe Happy Ending
Operation Mincemeat
Real Women Have Curves

Outstanding Broadway Play

English
The Hills of California
John Proctor is the Villain
The Picture of Dorian Gray
Purpose

Outstanding Broadway Musical Revival

Floyd Collins
Gypsy
Pirates! The Penzance Musical
Sunset Blvd.

Outstanding Broadway Play Revival

Eureka Day
Our Town
Romeo + Juliet
Yellow Face

Outstanding LGBTQ Broadway Production

Cult of Love
Death Becomes Her
Purpose
Redwood
SMASH

Outstanding Lead Performance in a Broadway Musical

Darren Criss, Maybe Happy Ending
Andrew Durand, Dead Outlaw
Tom Francis, Sunset Blvd.
Jonathan Groff, Just in Time
Megan Hilty, Death Becomes Her
Audra McDonald, Gypsy
Jasmine Amy Rogers, BOOP! The Musical
Nicole Scherzinger, Sunset Blvd.
Helen J. Shen, Maybe Happy Ending
Jennifer Simard, Death Becomes Her

Outstanding Lead Performance in a Broadway Play

Kit Connor, Romeo + Juliet
Laura Donnelly, The Hills of California
Mia Farrow, The Roommate
Daniel Dae Kim, Yellow Face
Sydney Lemmon, JOB
Louis McCartney, Stranger Things: The First Shadow
Jon Michael Hill, Purpose
LaTanya Richardson Jackson, Purpose
Sadie Sink, John Proctor is the Villain
Sarah Snook, The Picture of Dorian Gray

Outstanding Featured Performance in a Broadway Musical

Natalie Venetia Belcon, Buena Vista Social Club
Jeb Brown, Dead Outlaw
Gracie Lawrence, Just in Time
Justina Machado, Real Women Have Curves
Jak Malone, Operation Mincemeat
Jinkx Monsoon, Pirates! The Penzance Musical
Lea Salonga, Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends
Christopher Sieber, Death Becomes Her
Taylor Trensch, Floyd Collins
David Thaxton, Sunset Blvd.
Michael Urie, Once Upon a Mattress
Joy Woods, Gypsy

Outstanding Featured Performance in a Broadway Play

Alana Arenas, Purpose
Tala Ashe, English
Molly Bernard, Cult of Love
Jessica Hecht, Eureka Day
Francis Jue, Yellow Face
Marjan Neshat, English
Bob Odenkirk, Glengarry Glen Ross
Zachary Quinto, Cult of Love
Fina Strazza, John Proctor is the Villain
Amalia Yoo, John Proctor is the Villain
Kara Young, Purpose

Outstanding Broadway Ensemble

Cult of Love
Death Becomes Her
John Proctor is the Villain
Real Women Have Curves
Sunset Blvd.

Outstanding Off-Broadway Production

Cats: The Jellicle Ball
Grangeville
Liberation
Vanya
Wine in the Wilderness

Outstanding LGBTQ Off-Broadway Production

Cats: The Jellicle Ball
DRAG: The Musical
Grangeville
The Fires
We Had a World

Outstanding Lead Performance in an Off-Broadway Production

Patsy Ferran, A Streetcar Named Desire
Susannah Flood, Liberation
Brandon Flynn, Kowalski
Joanna Gleason, We Had a World
Marla Mindelle, The Big Gay Jamboree
Paul Mescal, A Streetcar Named Desire
Andrew Scott, Vanya
Paul Sparks, Grangeville
Alaska Thunderfuck, DRAG: The Musical
Olivia Washington, Wine in the Wilderness

Outstanding Featured Performance in an Off-Broadway Production

Betsy Aidem, Liberation
Billy Crudup, Henrik Ibsen’s Ghosts
André De Shields, Cats: The Jellicle Ball
Drew Elhamalawy, We Live in Cairo
Sydney James Harcourt, Cats: The Jellicle Ball
Jujubee, DRAG: The Musical
Ahmad Kamal, SUMO
Julia Lester, All Nighter
Paris Nix, The Big Gay Jamboree
Jeanine Serralles, We Had a World
Kyra Sedgwick, All of Me
“Tempress” Chastity Moore, Cats: The Jellicle Ball
Jenny Lee Stern, Forbidden Broadway: Merrily We Stole a Song
Jason Veasey, The Fires
Natalie Walker, The Big Gay Jamboree

LGBTQ Theater Artist of the Season

Michael Arden
Tommy Dorfman
Jonathan Groff
Branden Jacobs-Jenkins
Jinkx Monsoon

LGBTQ+ Theater Trailblazer

André De Shields
Branden Jacobs-Jenkins
Jinkx Monsoon
Andrew Scott
Paul Tazewell
George C. Wolfe

Review: Theatre Arlington’s Curious Incident is a technical delight but plays up the sentimentality

Theatre Arlington opened The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time last weekend. The play follows Christopher, a teen intent on solving the mystery of who killed Wellington, the neighbor’s dog. As he embarks on this crusade, he uncovers personal truths about his father and mother. His teacher Siobhan has her own understanding of Christopher who is neurodivergent and is easily abrupt and irrational at the slightest touch or surrounding noise.

Based on the Christopher Haddon 2003 book of the same name, the staging at Theatre Arlington was imaginatively devised. Co-director Bryan Stevenson conceived the set and lights into a magical spectacle of projections, light effects, doodles and maps with hidden compartments. Ryan Simon’s sound added to the modern and cosmic atmosphere of the set.

Incident was a showcase of Stvenson’s technical talents who also served as the show’s Technical Director. He directed the show with TA Executive Producer Steven D. Morris.

John Marshall did an exhaustive and impressive job as Christopher who the show centers on. Playing neurodivergent can be a slippery slope but Marshall’s portrayal worked well. Mixing that with elaborate dialogue and monologues of numbers and details, Marshall’s role was demanding but he stuck the landing on every aspect of Christopher.

Outside of Christopher, the show revolved around his parents Ed and Judy and his teacher Siobhan. Christopher lives with Ed and Judy has moved to London with the neighbor’s husband, Mr. Shears, while Mrs. Shears still lives next to Ed and Christopher.

The parents were confusing characters as they both rollover at any sign of a challenge but connect and calm Chritsopher through a special hand touch. Rodney Honecutt does well with Ed’s loving but ineffective parenting. His exasperated conveyal felt relatable but also appropriately frustrating. When we’re introduced to Judy, it was easy to expect the character to be endearing, but like Ed, she’s all over the place in taking care of her son. Elizabeth Kensek wrapped a maternal instinct with Judy’s own ineffective parenting into a heartfelt portrayal.

Ed and Judy aren’t bad parents – they just lack the emotional tools for their situation and both actors straddled that line convincingly.

As the teacher Siobhan, Megan Noble was the show’s center and her performance was touching in her chemistry with Marshall.

The remaining actors all orbited around Christopher through a roster of rotating peripheral characters. They add to the scenery in a bus station and classroom. Hannah Bell did so much with her characters, particularly as Mrs. Shears, Wellington’s owner. Laurel Lynn Collins was lovely as the sympathetic other neighbor willing to help Christopher. Clayton Younkin was a viable antagonist to Ed as Mr. Shears, Judy’s current lover.

Simon Stephens’ stage adaptation of the book, while faithful, does unnecessarily sentimentalize certain scenes. A significant and unsettling detail about Ed is introduced but felt unexplored, and Judy’s reunion with Christopher lacked impactful reaction. The play’s emotional depth felt somewhat imprecise and calculated.

Technically speaking, Incident was a marvel, boasting effective and impressive special effects. The narrative benefited from this slick, modern backdrop, which functioned as a fascinating representation of Christopher’s brain at work. Personally, the story had its bits of melodrama but they were clearly effective with the surrounding sounds of sniffles at last Saturday’s performance.

The show runs through May 25.

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—Rich Lopez