Theater Preview

These are the 9 can't-miss shows in Dallas-Fort Worth theater for November

November can be a weird time in the theater world: Spooky Halloween shows are waning but it might seem a little too soon for Christmas and holiday fare. Luckily that makes this month like a grab-bag, with a little something for everyone.

Picnic, November 2-22
Theatre Three

If you're longing for some repressed sexual tension, 1950s style, then this Pulitzer Prize-winning dramedy is for you. Haulston Mann plays a drifter (William Holden in the movie) who upends a small Kansas town with his pecs and biceps and aversion to shirt-wearing. It's a sultry, steamy slice of Americana and gives Dallas-Fort Worth actor Amber Devlin the chance to steal the show as a spinster schoolteacher who's desperate to marry.

The Sound of Music, November 3-22
Dallas Summer Musicals

Think you're Alp'ed out by this Rodgers and Hammerstein classic? Though there was a widely mocked live telecast on NBC in 2013, and Lyric Stage mounted a lovely production that same year, this brand-new tour is promising to "tear off the varnish of the past and reveal one of the great, fresh glories of musical theater." Tony-winning director Jack O'Brien — who's also currently behind the helm of Dallas Opera's Great Scott — has grand plans, and the original Mary Poppins from Broadway, Ashley Brown, is featured as Mother Superior.

J. M. Barrie's Peter Pan, November 11-December 6
Theatre Threesixty

Much like last year's Cavalia, this larger-than-life production is building its own theater wherever it goes. When it's in Dallas, the tented structure known as The Spire will be erected at 2450 San Jacinto St., and within it will be a truly in-the-round retelling of that famous boy who refuses to grow up. Overhead surround CGI projection, actors flying 40 feet in the air, and puppets are just a few of the tricks in store for audiences.

Death of a Salesman, November 13-21
Fun House Theatre and Film

Continuing with its non-traditional casting, the wonderfully warped minds at Fun House are populating Arthur Miller's 1949 drama with an "age-blind" cast. Jeff Swearingen will slump into the role of Willy Loman, while little rising star Kennedy Waterman will play his wife, Linda. Other 14- to 18-year-olds familiar to Fun House audiences will join them, while Susan Sargeant directs.

The Night Alive, November 18-December 12
Undermain Theatre

Four modern Dubliners find solace in each other as they try to stay ahead of their past in Conor McPherson's latest play, which picked up a few awards Off-Broadway recently. Undermain company members Bruce DuBose, Katherine Bourne, and Teddy Davey will be directed by Dylan Key, whose guiding hand just seems to keep getting better and better.

The Show About Men, November 19-22
Danielle Georgiou Dance Group

The hit of the FIT festival returns for a limited engagement, this time at Eastfield College. DGDG's incisive, multidisciplinary look at the trials and triumphs men face every day charmed critics its first time around, and now hopefully more people will get to experience this unique piece of performance dance/theater.

The Totalitarians, November 20-December 19
Kitchen Dog Theater

Talk about timing: Peter Sinn Nachtrieb's political satire about a charismatic candidate who relies on a speech writer to keep her foot out of her mouth comes just as election hysteria is ramping up. This will be the show's regional premiere, and the last time KDT staged one of Nachtrieb's plays (Boom, in 2010), it was very well received. Tina Parker, Drew Wall, Leah Spillman, and Max Hartman star.

Blood Wedding, November 21-December 13
Cara Mia Theatre Co.

Federico García Lorca's tale of forbidden love sounds even sexier in the playwright's native Spanish, which is how Cara Mia is presenting it (at least partially). There's a runaway bride and a passion-driven hunt through the forest, as well as a handsome stranger. Sounds exciting, right?

A Christmas Carol, November 25-December 26
Dallas Theater Center

Fresh off his acclaimed turn as Dr. Martin Luther King in The Mountaintop, Hassad El-Amin is stepping into the stingy Scrooge's slippers in this DTC annual classic. He'll be joined by Cameron Cobb, who's making the transition from tempted scientist Dr. Faust to the hardworking Bob Cratchit. Every year the DTC team makes tweaks to help this show feel fresh — this year's changes include Christie Vela as the show's first-ever female director — so there are sure to be some fun surprises in store.

Love, lust, and longing in Picnic at Theatre Three.

Photo by Lois Leftwich

Love, lust, and longing in Picnic at Theatre Three.

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Music and Fashion

Miranda Lambert's 'Velvet Rodeo' wardrobe stars in new DFW exhibition

“Miranda Lambert: Velvet Rodeo” at National Cowgirl Museum & Hall of Fame

Photo by Tyler Conrad

“Miranda Lambert: Velvet Rodeo” will open on November 7 at the National Cowgirl Museum & Hall of Fame.

Country star Miranda Lambert is bringing a bit of Las Vegas glamour and bling to North Texas. Her one-of-a-kind wardrobe from her "Velvet Rodeo" residency will go on display at the National Cowgirl Museum & Hall of Fame in Fort Worth when its new Icons Gallery opens November 7.

According to a release, the exhibition, called "Miranda Lambert: Velvet Rodeo," was created in collaboration with Lambert, and will feature costumes from the singer's Las Vegas residency, which ran from September 2022 to April 2024.

Lambert said her inspiration came from an earlier visit to the Fort Worth museum, where she spotted historic Western pieces that she photographed and sent to her stylist, Tiffany Gifford. They combined those influences with the glitz of Elvis Presley's heyday to create the "Velvet Rodeo" wardrobe.

“Seeing these pieces now have a life beyond the stage as part of the Museum’s new Icons Gallery feels really full circle and special,” Lambert said in a statement.

Visitors will now have the opportunity to study garments usually seen in motion and under stage lights, appreciating the details that help transform clothing into an essential part of a performance.

The Icons Gallery is part of the Museum’s 16,000-square-foot expansion, which introduces new galleries and experiences that explore the accomplishments and influence of women of the West. The $19 million expansion features a new entrance facing Dickies Arena, new galleries including a photography gallery, an event space accommodating up to 250, and the new Cowgirl Carousel.

Miranda Lambert, right, with rodeo queens onstage at the 45th Cowgirl Hall of Fame Induction Luncheon at Dickies Arena. Photo by Ashley Gongora

Lambert, who was inducted into the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame in 2021, is an active mounted shooting competitor and horsewoman, giving her a connection to the West that reaches beyond her music. "Velvet Rodeo" brings together Lambert's identity as a cowgirl and her creative expression as a performer.

“Miranda’s confidence, determination and independence make her a wonderful representative of the women we honor,” says Pat Riley, executive director of the National Cowgirl Museum & Hall of Fame, in the release. “Opening our Icons Gallery with this collaboration celebrates her accomplishments while giving visitors a new way to connect with a cowgirl they know and admire.”

According to a museum spokesperson, the temporary exhibition will remain on display for at least one year; no specific end date was given.

In preparation for the expansion grand opening, the Cowgirl will be closed to the public beginning October 19 and will reopen November 7, with a members-only preview at 10 am and a public opening at noon.

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