Broadway On the Road

AT&T's 2018-19 Dallas season is stocked with sizable Broadway and West End hits

Recent and enduring Broadway hits, along with some West End showstoppers, are on the bill for AT&T Performing Arts Center's 2018-19 season. Between them are 19 Tony Awards, two Grammys, two Olivier Awards, and one Meat Loaf, along with a first-ever co-production between ATTPAC and Dallas Theater Center.

"This season is our biggest yet," says ATTPAC president and CEO Doug Curtis. "It's interesting, diverse, and combines Broadway favorites, unexpected new shows, and an exciting collaboration, all in the stunning Winspear Opera House."

First up is Hairspray, the stage musical version of John Waters' film about a plus-size white girl in 1962 Baltimore who tries to integrate the local TV station through its popular teen dance show. A score by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman is matched with a book by Mark O'Donnell and Thomas Meehan. This is the collaboration with Dallas Theater Center, running July 7-15, 2018.

The next two shows are season add-ons, and each has played Dallas before. A Christmas Story, another movie brought to musical life onstage, stops by for a quick holiday run December 12-16, 2018. Set in 1940s Indiana, a young and bespectacled Ralphie Parker schemes his way toward the holiday gift of his dreams, surrounded by an infamous leg lamp, outrageous pink bunny pajamas, a maniacal department store Santa, and a triple-dog-dare to lick a freezing flagpole.

Chicago, the longest-running musical in American Broadway history, slinks in right after, from December 18-23, 2018. Wannabe starlet Roxie Hart may or may not have committed murder, but why let facts get in the way when it becomes clear that scandal is the ticket to fame? A sly commentary on celebrity culture with knockout choreography inspired by Bob Fosse, this razzle-dazzle show is one of America's most iconic.

Still currently running on Broadway, A Bronx Tale is the musical version of the play and movie — are you sensing a theme here? — originally written by Chazz Palminteri. Directed by Robert De Niro and Jerry Zaks, with songs by eight-time Academy Award winner Alan Menken and three-time Tony Award nominee Glenn Slater, the show brings audiences to 1960s New York, where a young man is caught between the father he loves and the mob boss he'd love to be. It runs December 26, 2018-January 6, 2019.

Last summer, a live-filmed versin of the acclaimed Broadway revival of Falsettos was shown in movie theaters, selling out screenings across the country and introducing many to William Finn and James Lapine's groundbreaking musical. If you missed it, February 12-17, 2019, is your chance. The show revolves around Marvin, his ex-wife Trina, his psychiatrist Mendel, his son Jason, his gay lover Whizzer, and Cordelia and Dr. Charlotte, the lesbians next door.

Still selling strong in London and New York, The Play That Goes Wrong has been described as the illegitimate Broadway baby of Sherlock Holmes and Monty Python. A classic murder mystery that's chock-full of mishaps and madcap mania, the play takes place during opening night for The Murder at Haversham Manor, where things are quickly going from bad to utterly disastrous. It runs June 11-16, 2019.

Another Broadway box-office titan that's returning to Dallas is Beautiful — The Carole King Musical. From being part of a hit songwriting team with her husband Gerry Goffin, to her relationship with fellow writers and best friends Cynthia Weil and Barry Mann, to becoming one of the most successful solo acts in popular music history, King's story is accompanied by several of her biggest hits:"I Feel The Earth Move," "One Fine Day," "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman," "You've Got A Friend" and the title song. It plays June 18-23, 2019, and is a season add-on.

There isn't much info out there on the next show, but most audiences will only need to know one thing: the music of Meat Loaf. Bat Out of Hell is an "exhilarating tale of star-crossed lovers, with boundary-pushing spectacle, thrilling performances, and Jim Steinman and Meat Loaf's legendary hits." It begins performances in London's West End in April 2018, but Dallas gets to experience it June 27-July 7, 2019.

The season comes full circle with another of Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman's musicals, this one a snazzy Broadway version of a children's classic. Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory combines new songs with ones from the beloved original film version, as Charlie Bucket and other Golden Ticket-holders venture inside the mysterious candy man's factory. Expect Oompa-Loompas, incredible inventions, the great glass elevator, and much more when this confection hits Dallas August 22-September 1, 2019.

Six-show subscription packages range from $149 to $546, with the option to order A Christmas Story for $27 to $85, Chicago for $27 to $96, and Beautiful — The Carole King Musical for $27 to $96. Subscriptions are available online at www.attpac.org/broadway, by phone at 214-880-0202, or in person at the box office at 2403 Flora St.

A childhood classic comes to life onstage in Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Touring cast of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Photo by Jeremy Daniel

A childhood classic comes to life onstage in Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

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Elon News

Dallas bookstore and publisher gets federal arts funding axed

Deep Vellum

Stack of books at Deep Vellum

A Dallas arts organization got its budget chopped by the federal government: Deep Vellum, the bookstore and publisher at 3000 Commerce St., lost a National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) grant due to federal government budget cuts.

According to owner Will Evans, the award, which is granted annually, has been terminated as of May 31. The bookstore had received $20,000 for the past six years.

Deep Ellum started as a publisher in 2013 and opened their bookstore in Deep Ellum in 2015. Since then, they have become a center for literature lovers. Evans is a translator whose mission has been to translate the world’s best novels into English for American audiences.

Evans was notified on May 2 via an email that was reportedly sent to grant recipients nationwide. The note read:

"The NEA is updating its grantmaking policy priorities to focus funding on projects that reflect the nation's rich artistic heritage and creativity as prioritized by the President. Consequently, we are terminating awards that fall outside these new priorities."

The new priorities included projects that elevate the Nation's HBCUs and Hispanic Serving Institutions, celebrate the 250th anniversary of American independence, foster AI competency, empower houses of worship to serve communities, assist with disaster recovery, foster skilled trade jobs, make America healthy again, support military and veterans, support Tribal communities, make the District of Columbia safe and beautiful, and support the economic development of Asian American communities.

The Grants and Public Affairs departments at NEA did not respond to a request for comment. On Monday May 5, the Literary Staff was laid off, and the agency is facing possible elimination entirely, as part of the 2026 Discretionary Budget Request presented to Congress on May 2.

This year's grant to Deep Vellum was earmarked to fund the translation, publishing, and marketing costs of four books:

Carapace Dancer by Natalia Toledo, translated from Zapotec, published trilingually with Spanish and English translations alongside the original, translated by Clare Sullivan
Juvenilia by Hera Lindsay Bird of New Zealand, making her US debut, illustrated by Dallas artist Gino Dal Cin
Schattenfroh by Michael Lentz, translated from the German by Max Lawton, a 1001-page masterpiece and English-language debut
The Ruins by Ye Hui, translated from Chinese by Dong Li, the English-language debut from one of China's most distinguished and independent poets

The National Endowment for the Arts is an independent federal agency established by Congress in 1965 as a funder of the arts and arts education in communities nationwide anxd a catalyst of public and private support for the arts with the goal of advancing opportunities for arts participation and practice, according to their website.

In their last stats document updated in November 2024, their FY’24 budget was outlined as $207M (representing 0.03 percent of the total federal budget), with 80 percent of their budget supporting grants and awards to organizations and individuals across the country. They typically offer over 2,000 grants each year.

"It’s been a strange few days for us, and for countless other nonprofit publishers, magazines, and arts organizations," Evans said.

Despite the cut, Deep Vellum plans to continue to promote literacy through unique books translated to the English language.

“This is not going to imperil our future but it’s something we need to consider as we move forward. These books are extraordinary, and they add so much for readers and culture. We just need to find additional revenue to fund them," Evans said.

Evans was first to reveal the funding cut but a number of organizations across Dallas and Texas have seen similar cuts including Ballet North Texas, Flamenco Fever, Dallas Theater Center, and Bishop Arts Theatre Center, as well as a number of groups in Austin.

closings books