The stage was the place to be

Theatre Frisco’s Something Rotten sold out before it opened, and deservedly so, above, and Terry Martin returned to acting in 2022, playing Big Daddy in Classics Theatre Project’s Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.

 

Theater came roaring back to life in DFW in 2022

RICH LOPEZ | Staff writer
rich@dallasvoice.com

“So much theater, so little time” could have been the motto for 2022 in DFW. Stages big and small were churning out incredible works, from classic theater pieces to inventive, eclectic ones with more than enough to fill in between.

If you made it to at least one performance over the year, you were a part of something bigger — the swelling return of the post(ish)-pandemic stage.

Looking back on 2022 recalls a year of big changes in the scene along with big performances

Welcome to the big show
This year it seemed like all the biggest shows on Broadway over the past few years hit North Texas. Jersey Boys kicked off the year, literally on Jan. 1, at The Music Hall at Fair Park. A few days later Dear Evan Hansen and Hamilton played Bass Hall in Fort Worth. And Hadestown opened at the Winspear. This was just January.
Of the touring shows, The Prom, Waitress, Six and Ain’t Too Proud were all glorious, while My Fair Lady, Jesus Christ Superstar and Summer: The Donna Summer Musical missed the mark. The new Oklahoma! production wasn’t a favorite for a lot of audiences wanting something more traditional, and walkouts were numerous. But after a second time around in Fort Worth (along with some added research), the show did prove to have compelling layers — but there were still walkouts by that crowd as well.

Making her way
In February, Dallas Theater Center opened Our Town/Nuestro Pueblo at the Kalita Humphreys. This version had a different flavor with its use of Spanish-language text and diverse casting, giving it a fresh new sheen. But it was also momentous for another reason: The show turned out to be longtime Dallas actor Liz Mikel’s last local performance for a while. After the show, Mikel went on to Broadway to star in the nonbinary, transgender and all-female cast of the revival of 1776 where she plays John Hancock among the founding father characters.

That show will tour in 2023.

Chorale went big
The Turtle Creek Chorale went big this year not only with a performance at Carnegie Hall in July of Dreamland: Tulsa 1921, which tells the largely unknown story of the Tulsa Race Massacre. Then the company also brought in Audra McDonald to headline its annual Rhapsody Gala in March. They did the Hustle this fall with its That ’70s Concert followed by Words which showcased its smaller ensembles but also served as a memorial to Black men who were victims of police brutality. And to finish off the year, TCC played to a sold-out crowd for its annual holiday concert.

Uptown makes a move
This past summer, Uptown Players announced a capital campaign to fund its move out of the Kalita Humphreys Theater where it has been based for a number of years. The building’s owners — Dallas Theater Center — announced plans to renovate and restore the building while also reconfiguring the land around it as well and then to lease space to area theater companies.

Staying at the Kalita would have increased Uptown Players’ rent, which pushed the company to move out of the space. Thanks to donors, Uptown raised the money quickly enough to move forward, and now, the company has its own administrative offices, rehearsal space and costume and scene shop in the Design District. Uptown Players will continue to lease theatrical space and perform at the Kalita for future productions.

In the latest Kalita Humphrey news, DTC revealed its plans in early December for the campus that moves parking underground, increases green space, adds buildings including a potential restaurant and an outdoor venue and will also connect to the Katy Trail. DTC worked with the Office of Cultural Affairs on its Equitable Access Plan to make rentals affordable to companies wanting to lease stage space at the Kalita.

Dream guys
Emerson Collins and Blake McIver Ewing swung through town this summer with their musical revue, I Dreamed a Dreamgirl. The cabaret-style show was added into Uptown Players season, and the husbands performed a plethora of showtunes, medleys and even TV show jingles. The touring show created entirely by the two turned out to be so much more than a revue — it was a love letter from these two actors and singers to musical theater.

Cry Woolf
Theatre Three had some growing pains in its renovated space in the Quadrangle. So much so, they had to delay the opening of  its summer production of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Then, soon after opening the show, they had to cancel remaining performances due to building issues. The production was outstanding which made its cancelation a real tragedy.

Dance, here
TITAS/Dance Unbound celebrated 40 years at its Command Performance this April. The event featured an incredible lineup of companies such as MOMIX, Pilobolus, Parsons Dance and NYC Ballet as well as a commissioned piece by queer choreographer Norbert De La Cruz. The event also honored director Charles Santos for his work in making Dallas a destination for national and international dance.

Suburban delights
Community theaters keep stepping up their game, and it paid off in 2022. MainStage Irving/Las Colinas delivered a beautiful production of Enchanted April and followed up with the deliciously quirky Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown. Theater Arlington was killing it all year but particularly with its hilarious summer musical The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and its heartwarming queer dramedy The Cake this fall. The entire run of Theatre Frisco’s Something Rotten sold out before it opened and deservedly so. WaterTower Theatre musicals Jesus Christ Superstar and A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder were carefully crafted, making them solid all around.

Southern charmer
The Classics Theatre Project lives up to its moniker with its curated seasons, but the company did more than bring an iconic show to the stage this summer. They brought a local icon back to the stage. Terry Martin returned to acting to star as Big Daddy in Tennessee Williams’ Cat on a Hot Tin Roof directed by Susan Sargeant. The result was high Southern drama meticulously acted and designed in the small confines of Addison’s StudioTheatre but big on talent.