Theater Critic Picks

These are the 8 can't-miss shows in Dallas-Fort Worth theater for May

They're trying to make "fetch" happen at the Music Hall.

Photo courtesy of Broadway Dallas

There's a nice mix of classic big Broadway and shows with international flair this month, touching on Mexico, Russia, and Africa (beyond Mean Girls).

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

Mean Girls
Broadway Dallas, through May 15
Do you even go here? Cady Heron may have grown up on an African savanna, but nothing prepared her for the vicious ways of her strange new home: suburban Illinois. Soon, this naïve newbie falls prey to a trio of lionized frenemies led by the charming but ruthless Regina George. But when Cady devises a plan to end Regina’s reign, she learns the hard way that you can’t cross a Queen Bee without getting stung.

Orígenes/Origins
Cara Mía Theatre, May 5-7
A collab with Mexico City’s Laboratorio de la Máscara, this workshop production focuses on youth immigration and will be performed mostly in Spanish with English supertitles. After each performance, audiences are invited to contribute ideas to further flesh out the play in a discussion with the actors and creators.

Macbeth
Fair Assembly, May 5-15
This interdisciplinary performance at Arts Mission Oak Cliff uses live sound, original music, and dance to tell Shakespeare's story of power, greed, and hauntingly bad decisions.

Michael Cavanaugh: The Music of Billy Joel & Elton John
Eismann Center for the Performing Arts, May 6
Michael Cavanaugh scored his big break when Billy Joel handpicked him for the lead in Broadway’s smash hit Movin’ Out. The role garnered him rave reviews and accolades, culminating with Grammy and Tony Award nominations. In this one-night-only concert, he will lead his band through the biggest hits by Joel and Elton John.

A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum
Lyric Stage, May 12-15
Set in Ancient Rome, this musical laugh-fest combines the 2000-year-old comedies of Roman playwright Plautus with the infectious energy of classic vaudeville, all backed by an 18-piece orchestra directed by Vonda K. Bowling.

Waitress
AT&T Performing Arts Center, May 10-15
Meet Jenna, a waitress and expert pie-maker who dreams of a way out of her small town and rocky marriage. When a baking contest in a nearby county — and a satisfying encounter with someone new — show Jenna a chance at a fresh start, she must find the courage to seize it. Featuring an all-female creative team and original music and lyrics by eight-time Grammy nominee Sara Bareilles.

Sex, Guns & Vodka
The Classics Theatre Project, May 20-June 11
In a work that remained untitled and went undiscovered until 1923, two decades after his death, Anton Chekhov turns a farcical eye to a Russian retelling of the story of Don Juan. It wouldn't be Chekhov without parties, suicide attempts, and affairs, blended together in a tragi-comedy.

If Pretty Hurts, Ugly Must Be a “MF”: An African Folktale
Jubilee Theatre, May 27-June 26
Combining West African folklore and contemporary American culture, this show follows four teenage girls — Kaya, Massassi, Adama and Akim — all in their respective internal wars with the societal definitions of beauty and how it makes them feel. Set in the fictional village of Affreakah-Amirrorkah, the young women are given an opportunity to live in a society where their individual beauty can reign supreme. But that high stature also brings heart-wrenching pitfalls they must deal with to keep their souls sacred.

theater

Music and Fashion

Miranda Lambert's 'Velvet Rodeo' wardrobe stars in new DFW exhibition

“Miranda Lambert: Velvet Rodeo” at National Cowgirl Museum & Hall of Fame

Photo by Tyler Conrad

“Miranda Lambert: Velvet Rodeo” will open on November 7 at the National Cowgirl Museum & Hall of Fame.

Country star Miranda Lambert is bringing a bit of Las Vegas glamour and bling to North Texas. Her one-of-a-kind wardrobe from her "Velvet Rodeo" residency will go on display at the National Cowgirl Museum & Hall of Fame in Fort Worth when its new Icons Gallery opens November 7.

According to a release, the exhibition, called "Miranda Lambert: Velvet Rodeo," was created in collaboration with Lambert, and will feature costumes from the singer's Las Vegas residency, which ran from September 2022 to April 2024.

Lambert said her inspiration came from an earlier visit to the Fort Worth museum, where she spotted historic Western pieces that she photographed and sent to her stylist, Tiffany Gifford. They combined those influences with the glitz of Elvis Presley's heyday to create the "Velvet Rodeo" wardrobe.

“Seeing these pieces now have a life beyond the stage as part of the Museum’s new Icons Gallery feels really full circle and special,” Lambert said in a statement.

Visitors will now have the opportunity to study garments usually seen in motion and under stage lights, appreciating the details that help transform clothing into an essential part of a performance.

The Icons Gallery is part of the Museum’s 16,000-square-foot expansion, which introduces new galleries and experiences that explore the accomplishments and influence of women of the West. The $19 million expansion features a new entrance facing Dickies Arena, new galleries including a photography gallery, an event space accommodating up to 250, and the new Cowgirl Carousel.

Miranda Lambert, right, with rodeo queens onstage at the 45th Cowgirl Hall of Fame Induction Luncheon at Dickies Arena. Photo by Ashley Gongora

Lambert, who was inducted into the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame in 2021, is an active mounted shooting competitor and horsewoman, giving her a connection to the West that reaches beyond her music. "Velvet Rodeo" brings together Lambert's identity as a cowgirl and her creative expression as a performer.

“Miranda’s confidence, determination and independence make her a wonderful representative of the women we honor,” says Pat Riley, executive director of the National Cowgirl Museum & Hall of Fame, in the release. “Opening our Icons Gallery with this collaboration celebrates her accomplishments while giving visitors a new way to connect with a cowgirl they know and admire.”

According to a museum spokesperson, the temporary exhibition will remain on display for at least one year; no specific end date was given.

In preparation for the expansion grand opening, the Cowgirl will be closed to the public beginning October 19 and will reopen November 7, with a members-only preview at 10 am and a public opening at noon.

celebrities country music exhibitions-visual-arts fashion miranda lambert museums music national cowgirl museum temporary exhibition