Theater Critic Picks

These are the 13 can't-miss shows in Dallas-Fort Worth theater for April

Theatre Three presents Stede Bonnet: A F*cking Pirate Musical

Meet the worst pirate in the world: Stede Bonnet: A F*cking Pirate Musical gets its world premiere at Theatre Three.

Photo by Jeffrey Schmidt

Lots of new works this month — five, in fact! — so do yourself a favor and see something no one else has ever seen before.

Looking for a little familiarity? Try out Jesus Christ Superstar, Summer: The Donna Summer Musical, Torch Song, and The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe.

In order of start date, here are 13 local shows to watch this month:

Rage
AT&T Elevator Project, through April 9
This one-act play by Janelle Gray explores the stories of Black women throughout the history of the United States. Ten women take their place onstage at the Wyly's Studio Theatre to share their stories of strength, resilience, perseverance and struggle across the history of the nation.

No Child...
Amphibian Stage, through April 17
Kymbali Craig plays all 16 characters in this tour-de-force exploration of the New York City public school system.

Freedom Gardening
Cara Mía Theatre, April 2
This public performance event and installation was created in an empty lot in Pleasant Grove by cohort participants, including Alexandra Hernandez, Anita Sanchez, Ajua Powell, Classi Nance, Cocoatlicue, J Davis- Jones, Judah Agbonkhina, Kirschen Wolford, Lyrique Jaye, Nora Soto, Priscilla Rice, Priscilla Solis Ybarra, Tamitha Barbosa Curiel, and Victoria Ferrell Ortiz.

The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe
Dallas Children's Theater, April 2-May 15
Young adventurers Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy step through the not-so-ordinary wardrobe and into the mythical land of C.S. Lewis' Narnia. Facing fantastic creatures and fierce battles in the heart and on the land, the four siblings must find the courage to battle the treacherous White Witch in order to end the deadly eternal winter in the beautiful forest.

Jesus Christ Superstar
Broadway Dallas, April 5-17
The North American tour celebrates 50 epic years since the original rock opera concept album release. Jesus Christ Superstar is 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.

Stede Bonnet: A F*cking Pirate Musical
Theatre Three, April 7-May 1
The world premiere of this swashbuckling musical is a hilarious, touching tale based on the true story of the Gentleman Pirate. Stede, depressed and exhausted of his luxurious life, chooses to leave everything behind and become the best pirate in the world. One problem … he doesn't know what he's doing.

Ten Arguments
Leos Ensemble Theatre, April 8-9
This world premiere is by Oak Cliff-based playwright A. Emmanuel Leadon, conceived by Nick Leos, and loosely framed by technology activist Jaron Lanier's Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts. Ten sketches set over the last decade are all about the ways social media is undermining our lives. It's MadTV crossed with The Colored Museum wrapped up in uncle's conspiracy Twitter rants.

Torch Song
Uptown Players, April 8-17
This new and shortened revival of Harvey Fierstein's original 1983 Torch Song Trilogy follows Arnold Beckoff, a Jewish drag queen who makes it his life's journey to find happiness in 1970s New York in the midst of homophobia and intolerance, even by his own family and partners.

Dry Powder
Second Thought Theatre, April 14-30
The same week KMM Capital Management private equity firm forced massive layoffs at a national grocery chain, the founder and president threw himself an extravagant engagement party, setting off a publicity nightmare. Fortunately, one of the partners has a dream of a deal that will rescue his boss from the PR disaster. But are they willing to maximize returns, no matter the consequences? The game is on in this gripping, razor-sharp play about the price of success and the real cost of getting the deal done.

Bars and Measures
Bishop Arts Theatre Center, April 14-May 1
Commissioned by B Street Theatre, Bars and Measures is the fascinating tale of two brothers, one a classical pianist, the other a jazz bass player. One is Christian, and the other a Muslim. One living in freedom. The other in jail. Separated by bars, the brothers try to reconcile their differences through the language they know best: music.

What to Send Up When It Goes Down
Stage West, April 14-May 8
This play-pageant-ritual-homegoing-celebration blurs the lines between actors and audience. In a series of vignettes, it builds to a moment in which performance and reality collide, a unifying theatrical response to the physical and spiritual loss of Black lives.

Pressure Makes Diamonds
Circle Theatre, April 21-30
This original production will shine a bright light on a diamond's similarities to life. Denise Lee, with the help of her band, will touch audiences' souls with a collection of songs from many classic artists. This new production is both a collaboration with and directed by Monique Midgette.

Summer: The Donna Summer Musical
AT&T Performing Arts Center, April 26-May 1
She was a girl from Boston with a voice from heaven, who shot through the stars from gospel choir to dance floor diva. But what the world didn't know was how Donna Summer risked it all to break through every barrier, becoming the icon of an era and the inspiration for every music diva who followed. From Janet Jackson to Beyoncé, they all began with Donna.

theater

Museum News

2 Dallas museums partner on landmark Roy Lichtenstein acquisition

Courtesy

Roy Lichtenstein

The Dallas Museum of Art (DMA) and the Nasher Sculpture Center will present works from the joint acquisition of more than 50 artworks generously gifted by the Roy Lichtenstein Foundation in 2024, showing prints, drawings, and sculptures by the groundbreaking American artist at the two neighboring institutions in the Dallas Arts District.

According to a release, the installations will be on view from January 31 to August 16, 2026 at the Nasher and from January 1 to July 5, 2026 at the DMA.

The joint gift made by the Roy Lichtenstein Foundation to the DMA and the Nasher in Celebration of the Centennial of Roy Lichtenstein is comprised of a selection of prints, drawings, maquettes, and sculptures by Roy Lichtenstein (1923–1997), a leading figure in twentieth-century American art and a pioneer of the Pop Art movement.

The works were specifically selected by the curatorial staff of both institutions and relate to objects already in their respective collections including sculptures, works on paper, and maquettes, along with tools and study objects.

Organized by the Nasher Sculpture Center’s Senior Curator Dr. Catherine Craft, The Nancy and Tim Hanley Assistant Curator of Contemporary Art at the DMA Ade Omotosho, and The Allen and Kelli Questrom Assistant Curator of Prints and Drawings at the DMA Dr. Emily Friedman, the presentation is divided according to each institution’s strengths and will be shown in combination with objects by Lichtenstein already in their respective permanent collections.

At the Nasher, works relating to three sculptures from the Raymond and Patsy Nasher Collection—Head with Blue Shadow, Peace through Chemistry, and Double Glass—will be accompanied by a selection from the Foundation's gift of more than two dozen drawings and maquettes associated with Lichtenstein’s Brushstroke sculptures.

At the Dallas Museum of Art, the presentation features a set of Brushstroke sculptures carved from wood alongside various prints and studies that reveal the artist’s eclectic imagery.

Events
In addition to the exhibition, the DMA and the Nasher will co-host a Study Day focused on the artist on March 28, 2026, sponsored by the Roy Lichtenstein Foundation. This scholarly event will bring together a variety of curators, academics, and conservators to discuss Lichtenstein’s studio practice and the fabrication and conservation of his sculptures.

Concluding the Study Day will be a public conversation held at the DMA between Nasher Director Carlos Basualdo and artist Alex Da Corte, regarding Da Corte’s work on the forthcoming Lichtenstein retrospective at the Whitney Museum of American Art.

“In bestowing this generous gift, the Roy Lichtenstein Foundation established Dallas as a center for the study and display of Lichtenstein’s work,” Basualdo says in a statement. “This collaborative presentation of the gift and the corresponding programming is an important step in the direction of pursuing that goal, deepening the understanding of an artist who remains immensely influential to contemporary art and its relationship with mass media and today’s culture.”

Roy Lichtenstein is made possible by support from the Roy Lichtenstein Foundation and the Dallas Tourism Public Improvement District (DTPID).

openings museums