For such a short month, February sure packs in the shows. From glittery national tours to lesser-known works with small casts, this month's lineup is the very definition of variety.
Here are the 11 shows to see, in order by start date:
Thurgood
Jubilee Theatre, February 2-26
This timely production examines the life of civil rights activist Thurgood Marshall, who prior to his appointment to the Supreme Court worked as a lawyer for the NAACP. We'll say it again: timely.
Hedwig and the Angry Inch
AT&T Performing Arts Center, February 7-12
Tony nominee Euan Morton is stepping into John Cameron Mitchell's platforms to play Hedwig, the charismatic East German singer who's the victim of a botched sex-change operation. Mitchell and Stephen Trask premiered the rock musical Off Broadway in 1998, where it quickly developed a cult following and was made into a movie. Morton is no stranger to outrageous costumes, by the way — his Tony nom was for playing Boy George in the musical Taboo.
Galileo
Undermain Theatre, February 8-March 5
In Bertolt Brecht's play, Galileo is abandoned by his friends and colleagues for teaching the radical notion that the earth moves around the sun and the moon reflects the sun's light. The setting may be the early 17th century, but science being considered dangerous and heretical — when it opposes an institution that claims the truth as its own commodity — is all too familiar a theme. Bruce DuBose stars as the titular character.
Big Enough: The Musings and Misadventures of a Bumblef*ck
Proper Hijinx, February 9-19
Artistic director Stefany Cambra steps into the spotlight with her newest one-woman show, which weaves together stories about love, food, relationships, and self-confidence. The show will be staged in the Studio Theatre at the Addison Theatre Center.
Her Song
Echo Theatre, February 10-25
New songs, new story, new cast members — Echo Theatre's annual trip back in time to a 1930s supper club has been revamped and refashioned for its fourth year, just in time for Valentine's Day. The revue uses only songs written by female composers in the early 20th century, creating a floor show while the audience enjoys food and drinks from the onstage bar. But bring your cash, because they didn't accept credit cards in the '30s.
Northside Hollow
Amphibian Stage Productions, February 10-March 5
If two men are trapped in a cave, can anyone hear their soul-searching? That's the premise of Jonathan Fielding and Brenda Withers' play, which sticks Gene and Marshall (Jim Jorgensen and Jordan Sobel) underground and has them examine their lives while they await rescue.
Stomp
Dallas Summer Musicals, February 14-19
This endlessly innovative percussion and movement show takes what your toddler does — crash a bunch of household objects together — and turns it into performance art. Now why didn't you think of that first?
Who Am I This Time? (& Other Conundrums of Love)
Circle Theatre, February 16-March 11
Three Kurt Vonnegut stories form the basis for this Aaron Posner play, which focuses on "love, pure and complicated." It's the 36th season opener for Circle Theatre, and lets seven versatile actors explore several different characters and relationships.
Paper Flowers
Kitchen Dog Theater, February 17-March 11
KDT is giving this rarely performed play by Égon Wolff a fun spin: Christopher Carlos and Christie Vela are not only co-starring, but co-directing. The Chilean playwright won the Casa de Las Americas Prize for this work, which pits a man and a woman against each other amid disruption of the social order.
Kurios: Cabinet of Curiosities
Cirque du Soleil, February 17-March 26
"Seeing is disbelieving" for this Cirque show about an ambitious inventor who defies the laws of time, space, and dimension in order to reinvent everything around him. Expect gravity-defying acrobatics, colorful costumes, and just a tinge of weird — you know, typical Cirque fare.
The 24-Hour Plays
WaterTower Theatre, February 25
A handful of playwrights, directors, and actors have just 24 hours to create four brand-new plays, but no pressure or anything. Playwrights Shelby-Allison Hibbs, Janielle Kastner, Brigham Mosley, and Steven Young will churn out the scripts for the 15-minute plays, then directors Abigail Birkett, Jeff Colangelo, Anastasia Munoz, and Joanie Schultz will lead actors Kia Boyer, Magdiel Carmona, Shawn Gann, Steph Garrett, Gelacio Gibson, Jeremiah Johnson, Alexandra Lawrence, Doak Rapp, Garrett Reeves, Kelly Stewart, Nicholas Wanjohi, and Kennedy Waterman in the final performances.
Thurgood Marshall's life and career are put onstage at Jubilee Theatre.
Ballet Austin isn't afraid to add some edge to classic stories. Photo courtesy of Ballet Austin