Season Announcement

Addison's WaterTower Theatre goes Hollywood for big 27th season

A scene from The Play That Goes Wrong on Broadway.

Photo by Jeremy Daniel

For its first fully produced season back onstage since the pandemic, WaterTower Theatre has four big shows on tap.

First up is perhaps the biggest, especially when you consider that it's the first time in decades this hit show has been produced locally in North Texas, featuring an all-local cast and team. It's Jesus Christ Superstar, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's iconic rock opera that also happens to have just celebrated its 50th anniversary.

Set against the backdrop of an extraordinary series of events during the final weeks in the life of Jesus Christ, as seen through the eyes of Judas, the show reflects the rock roots that defined a generation and includes the songs "I Don't Know How to Love Him," "Gethsemane," and "Superstar." Directed by Natalie King, music directed by Cody Dry, and choreographed by Kelly McCain, it runs November 30-December 11, 2022.

The regional premiere of The Play That Goes Wrong is next, an Olivier Award-winning comedy that's a hilarious hybrid of Sherlock Holmes and Monty Python. This co-production with Stage West is written by Henry Lewis, Henry Shields, and Jonathan Sayer and directed by Harry Parker. Welcome to opening night of The Murder at Haversham Manor, where things are quickly going from bad to utterly disastrous with an unconscious leading lady, a corpse that can't play dead, and actors who trip over everything (including their lines). It runs February 1-12, 2023.

Created By Zachary Burton and Elisa Hofmeister and directed by Ashley Puckett Gonzales, The Manic Monologues is having its regional premiere, as well. When creator Zack had his first psychotic break and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in May 2017, he was just finishing his PhD at Stanford University — and his world imploded. Would mental illness dictate his whole life? Would everything change?

Zack was underwater, and his then-girlfriend Elisa (and future co-creator) had no way of knowing whether her happy, gregarious partner-in-crime would ever resurface. One of the hardest parts about those early days was the absence of relatable, lived experiences. Zack and Elisa decided to create a play based on true stories to disrupt the stigma around mental illness. It runs April 19-30, 2023.

The world premiere musical Goin' Hollywood closes out the season, with book and lyrics by Stephen Cole and music by David Krane. Have you ever wished you were born in a different time? Alice Chandler did. Alice does not feel like she belongs in the 21st century, but she never dreamed that while at lunch with her best friend and writing partner, Garson Stein, a magical birthday wish would find them both instantly transported back in time to 1949 Hollywood.

Alice and Garson arrive smack in the golden age of movie musicals, where they land their dream job writing for L. B. Mayer at MGM and are surrounded by glittering stars of Hollywood, but they soon see that under all the glamour lies a studio system crumbling while the blacklist threatens their closest allies, and their eyes are opened to Hollywood's darker side. It runs July 19-30, 2023.

"Season 27 brings forth new voices, new works, and new light indeed," says producing artistic director Shane Peterman, who programmed the season with associate artistic director Elizabeth Kensek. "Two stunning pieces of musical theater, one classic and one world premiere, and two plays, one comedic and an enlightening and educational piece that is very close to my heart. With this season, I think you will agree, WaterTower Theatre is making a thrilling comeback."

WaterTower is also committed to the development of musical theater and will be workshopping two brand-new musicals during its 27th season, beginning with Donald Fowler's Oregon in the Fall. WaterTower Theatre had been planning the workshop of this new musical before Fowler's unexpected death in 2020, and now it has been posthumously completed.

Individual tickets go on sale in summer 2022, but season tickets are currently on sale now, with prices increasing after June 1, 2022. New or renewed season tickets are available for purchase by calling 972-450-6232 or emailing boxoffice@watertowertheatre.org.

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Dance Off

Texas ballet company turns Timothée Chalamet dig into genius promotion

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It was a shot fired from Austin that rang out around the art world: In a recent CNN/Variety Town Hall featuring actors Timothée Chalamet and Matthew McConaughey, Chalamet offered an assessment of ballet and opera that immediately went viral.

During the onstage conversation at the University of Texas at Austin, Chalamet said, "I don't want to be working in ballet or opera, or you know, things where it's like, 'hey, keep this thing alive, even though like no one cares about this anymore.' All respect to the ballet and opera people out there. I just lost 14 cents in viewership."

Chalamet immediately seemed to experience a twinge of regret, awkwardly adding, "But um...damn, I just took shots for no reason." He also sang a note and hid his face behind the cards he was holding.

Stars of the art forms, from Andrea Bocelli to Misty Copeland, immediately began to leap (jeté, if you will) to the the defense of opera and ballet.

In a genius marketing move, Austin's hometown ballet company is taking the unique opportunity to turn a hot topic into a promotion for its next production: Ballet Austin is inviting anyone named Timothée, Timothee, or Timothy to claim a free ticket to its upcoming world premiere of Marie Antoinette: Vampire Queen of Versailles, running March 27-29 at the Long Center for the Performing Arts.

"Timothée… you were in Austin? We were literally down the street," a Ballet Austin post says. "Austin has brisket. Austin has music. Austin also has ballet."

All Timothées and folks with similar names will have to do to claim a ticket is send a message to Ballet Austin on social media and show identification. Everyone else who wants to see the supernatural show where "the line between victim and villain blurs" will have to purchase a ticket ($25-$125) at balletaustin.org.

Ballet Austin Marie Antoinette: Vampire Queen of Versailles Ballet Austin isn't afraid to add some edge to classic stories. Photo courtesy of Ballet Austin

Even if Chalamet's words were dismissive, he's obviously not wrong about the relative distribution of public interest between the classical arts and major films like Marty Supreme, the late 2025 film he stars in and is busy promoting. The film's commercially successful release set a record for A24, an already renowned studio.

Chalamet brought up ballet and opera in service of a larger point about pacing in movies. He said he exists in a middle ground as a consumer between wanting to be drawn in early and being more patient as a film progresses. Ultimately, he juxtaposed Barbie and Oppenheimer with the classical arts, pointing out that if the masses want to go see a film, they will "be loud and proud about it" organically, without needing performers to advocate for the seriousness of the art form.

Coincidentally, there couldn't be a better counterpoint to this argument than Marie Antoinette: Vampire Queen of Versailles.

As the title suggests, the story follows historical figure Marie Antoinette as she chooses to become a vampire, seeking "power, immortality, and vengeance," according to a press release. It takes a somewhat silly premise and gives it dramatic gravitas, with an original score by Austin composer Graham Reynolds, who is known outside of classical circles and sometimes composes for movie soundtracks.

"For Ballet Austin, the moment is an opportunity to remind audiences that ballet isn’t fading away," says a release about the new promotion. "It’s evolving, drawing new audiences and continuing to thrive in creative cities like Austin."

If Chalamet really does fall in the middle of instant and delayed artistic gratification, this sounds like the perfect production to draw him in.

And perhaps Ballet Austin should add people named Matthew to their promotion, since McConaughey threw the younger star a bone after his momentary walk-back, saying, "That's not a shot — I hear what you're saying."

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Stephanie Allmon Merry contributed to this story.

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