Actor Spotlight

Why this fire-eating Broadway star loves being back in Dallas

Back in 2012, the UK's National Theatre brought to Broadway a groovy update of the commedia dell'arte play The Servant of Two Masters. Called One Man, Two Guvnors, the laugh-out-loud comedy starred a then-little-known actor named James Corden. Understudying Corden was an actor from Dallas: Brian Gonzales.

In the years since, Corden has gone on to late-night hosting fame and Gonzales has continued his Broadway streak, currently appearing in Disney's Aladdin. But now Gonzales is taking a short break from the Great White Way to return to his hometown. He's starring in WaterTower Theatre's regional premiere of One Man, Two Guvnors, along with his wife, Ashley Puckett Gonzales.

Before the show opens on August 8 (running through August 28), Gonzales took the time to fill out our survey of serious, fun, and sometimes ridiculous questions.

Name: Brian Gonzales

Role in One Man, Two Guvnors: Francis

Previous work in the DFW area: Actor at WaterTower Theatre, Dallas Theater Center, Lyric Stage

Hometown: Dallas

Where you currently reside: New York

First theater role: A Christmas Carol

First stage show you ever saw: The Nutcracker

Moment you decided to pursue a career in theater: When I saw Jerry Haynes onstage. [Haynes was a Dallas actor who starred for 30 years as the host of one of the longest-running local children's shows on television, Mr. Peppermint.]

Most challenging role you’ve played: Leaf Coneybear in The 25th Annual Putnam Spelling Bee.

Special skills: Fire-eating, puppetry

Something you’re REALLY bad at: Soccer, being tall

Current pop culture obsession: Star Trek

Last book you read: Over the Top and Back: The Autobiography by Tom Jones

Favorite movie(s): Night of the Hunter, Patton, To Kill a Mockingbird, Shaft

Favorite musician(s): Lyle Lovett, Michael Kiwanuka, Dolly Parton, Paul Weller, Tina Turner

Favorite song: The theme from Mission: Impossible

Dream role: John Adams in 1776 [Gonzales played the role at Lyric Stage in 2012], Georges Seurat in Sunday in the Park with George [he played the role in 2001 at Plano Repertory Theatre].

Favorite play(s): Equus; One Man, Two Guvors

Favorite musical(s): 1776, Sunday in the Park with George, Ragtime

Favorite actors/actresses: My wife, Roscoe Lee Brown, Dame Judi Dench, Peter O'Toole, Angela Bassett

Favorite food: All of it.

Must-see TV show(s): River on Netflix

Something most people don’t know about you: I'm terrified of water and swimming.

Place in the world you’d most like to visit: New Zealand

Pre-show warm-up: Rolling and stretching, iTunes on the mp3 player.

Favorite part about your current role: The audience interaction.

Most challenging part about your current project: The audience interaction. And the physical comedy.

Most embarrassing onstage mishap: It involved vomit, and we'll leave it at that.

Career you’d have if you weren’t in theater: A chef

Favorite post-show spot: Home

Favorite thing about Dallas-Forth Worth: My friends and family are here.

Most memorable theater moment: Going on for James Corden.

Gonzales, David Coffee, and the cast of 1776 at Lyric Stage.

Photo by Steve Riley

Gonzales, David Coffee, and the cast of 1776 at Lyric Stage.

interview qa theater

History on Display

Landmark Nelson Mandela exhibition to kick off in Dallas during World Cup

Photo courtesy of Lawrence Jenkins

Mandela: The Official Exhibition will open at The African American Museum, Dallas on June 13.

The African American Museum in Dallas will capitalize on an expected influx of global tourists by hosting Mandela: The Official Exhibition, opening on June 13 to coincide with the start of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The exhibition will offer an attraction in Fair Park, which will also host a Fan Festival for the World Cup.

The World Cup will take place June 11-July 19 in locations throughout North America. Nine World Cup games will be played at AT&T Stadium in Arlington between June 14 and July 14.

Making its debut in Texas, Mandela: The Official Exhibition explores the life of late South African president Nelson Mandela, one of the world’s most recognizable champions of freedom and justice.

Mandela also had strong ties to soccer, embracing the sport as a tool for unity and hope in post-apartheid South Africa. From organizing matches while imprisoned to championing the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Mandela demonstrated how soccer could bridge deep divisions.

His appearance at the tournament’s closing match, when he donned South Africa’s national team jersey, became an enduring symbol of sport’s power to unite a nation and inspire the world. Mandela died in December 2013.

“Nelson Mandela devoted his life to justice and to the fight against apartheid, enduring 27 years in prison before becoming South Africa’s first democratically elected president,” said Lisa Brown Ross, president and CEO of the African American Museum, Dallas, in a statement. “This exhibition tells the full arc of his life and affirms the Museum’s role as a vital cultural destination for North Texas and for visitors from around the world.”

According to the release, the exhibition will span all four galleries and unfold through multisensory experiences, tracing Mandela’s extraordinary journey from his rural childhood in the Eastern Cape to his decades of resistance against apartheid and his election as South Africa’s first democratically elected president.

His journey to becoming the “Father of South Africa” and a globally revered figure is presented in personal and revealing ways. Through his own reflections and stories shared by his family and those who knew him best, visitors will see Mandela - respectfully called Madiba - in a new light. Madiba is his Thembu clan name and is used as a sign of respect and affection.

One gallery will be transformed into a fully immersive, multimedia environment that places visitors within defining chapters of Mandela’s life. Guests will encounter rarely seen films, photographs and personal artifacts on loan from the Mandela family, as well as museums and archives worldwide, illuminating the people, places and pivotal experiences that shaped one of the 20th century’s most remarkable leaders.

The exhibition will remain on display through November 1. Admission to the museum is free, and it is open Tuesdays through Fridays from 11 am-5 pm and Saturdays from 10 am-5 pm, with special summer hours to be announced. Free self-parking is available in nearby lots.

exhibitions-visual-arts galleries history museums nelson mandela soccer sports world cup