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These are the 12 can't-miss shows in Dallas-Fort Worth theater for July

There's a little bit of everything for the Dallas-Fort Worth theatergoer this month, what with the annual Festival of Independent Theatres, a Broadway tour, the premiere of a new series, and the farewell performance of a North Texas icon. It all starts early too, so hop to it and get your tickets fast.

Here are the 12 shows in order by start date:

Red, White & Broadway
The Firehouse Theatre, June 30-July 3
The DFW theater community is getting patriotic on our country's 240th birthday. Noelle Mason, Gregory Hullett, Elisa Danielle James, Peter DiCesare, and special guest Babakayode Ipaye will join an ensemble of 30-plus singers and dancers, plus a 10-piece live band, for this original tribute. Rumor has it that Janelle Lutz will be reviving her acclaimed Judy Garland character, so don't dawdle.

Stacy Has a Thing For Black Guys
The Tribe, July 1-10
The artist collective known as The Tribe specializes in new works, and this one from Ruben Carrazana (making his professional playwriting debut) definitely sounds provocative. A generic couple has their ideas challenged and pasts uncovered when a guest joins them for lemonade, setting the groundwork for a comedy about sex, race, and the illusions of intimacy. It plays at the Latino Cultural Center.

A Kid Like Jake
Second Thought Theatre, July 1-23
The kids of Second Thought Theatre have certainly been having a challenging year, from the teenage religious zealot in Martyr to the men revealing their childhood abuse in The Great God Pan. Now a gender-fluid toddler is making his parents question prestigious Manhattan schools in A Kid Like Jake, starring Jenny Ledel, Ian Ferguson, Christie Vela, and Kia Boyer.

Festival of Independent Theatres
Bath House Cultural Center, July 8-July 30
FIT is back with a strong lineup from theater groups that include WingSpan, Echo, Proper Hijinx, House Party, Cry Havoc, L.I.P. Service, and Fun House Theatre and Film. Just a sample: Lulu Ward performing Samuel Beckett and a 12-year-old playing Rush Limbaugh.

42nd Street
Performing Arts Fort Worth, July 12-17
Those dancing feet are tapping straight from Dallas Summer Musicals over to Bass Hall in Fort Worth. The national tour includes quite a few Texas faces, from Arlington's Sarah Fagan to Mady Modic of Coppell, and even Peggy Sawyer herself, played by Houston's Caitlin Ehlinger.

Crossing the Line
Amphibian Stage Productions, July 14-August 7
Imagine you and your SO are out for a lovely walk, when suddenly a new policy turns the outing into a ridiculous situation of bureaucratic absurdity. That's the premise of this play by Kieran Lynn, starring Kelsey Milbourn, Matthew Minor, and Justin Lemieux at the acclaimed Fort Worth theater.

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Murder!
Pegasus Theatre, July 15-August 7
Kurt Kleinmann pioneered Dallas' iconic Living Black & White plays, writing the scripts for the comic mystery thrillers and starring as the inept wannabe detective Harry Hunsacker for years. This new play will mark his final performance in the role, as longtime understudy Scott Nixon prepares to take over. See Kleinmann July 14-17 and again August 4-7, and see Nixon July 21-31. If you save your ticket stub from the first show, call the box office and tell them you'd like a "return trip" ticket — and see the other Harry for half-price.

It's Only a Play
Uptown Players, July 15-31
Can't get enough Terrence McNally? On the heels of his somber Mothers and Sons, Uptown Players is mounting his dishy backstage comedy It's Only a Play. B.J. Cleveland is taking on — you guessed it — the role that originated on Broadway with Nathan Lane, with Chamblee Ferguson is playing the part of Matthew Broderick.

Romeo & Juliet
Shakespeare in the Bar, July 18 and July 25
This seems an appropriate choice of plays, since intense, short-lived romances tend to blossom in bars. The first immersive showing of the Bard's tragic love story will be at Eight Bells Alehouse in Expo Park, and the second a week later at the Wild Detectives in Oak Cliff. As always with these wildly popular productions, get your tickets now.

Dallas Cabaret Festival
Denise Lee Onstage and Fair Park Dallas, July 28-30
Denise Lee has been cultivating a cabaret presence in Dallas for a while, but now she's taking it up a notch with the first-ever Dallas Cabaret Festival. It's part of the ongoing "Life Is a Cabaret" series Lee has been presenting at the Women's Building in Fair Park, and it will kick off with an all-star Dallas version of Jim Caruso's Cast Party. The Manhattanite will return to Big D with pianist Billy Stritch. Other performers on tap for the festival include Julie Johnson, Linda Petty, and Marisa Diotalevi.

Billy Elliot
The Firehouse Theatre, July 28-August 14
This Farmer's Branch theater landed the regional premiere of the British movie-turned-musical, and eight choreographers to go with it. That's because (spoiler) there's quite a lot of dancing in this show, which is about a young lad from a tough background who just wants to dance.

Smokey Joe's Cafe
Jubilee Theatre, July 29-August 28
The classic Leiber and Stoller songbook musical is a treat for even those who don't know much about music. That's because from "Love Potion No. 9" to "Poison Ivy" to "On Broadway," chances are you're familiar with at least one of these songs.

Cabaret queen Denise Lee.

Photo by Mark Oristano

Cabaret queen Denise Lee.

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Theater Critic Picks

DFW theater heats up with 14 must-see shows this February

Photo by Jordan Fraker

Kitchen Dog Theater is opening its new performance space with a remounting of 'Pompeii!!'

It's cold outside but hot onstage, as evidenced by this extra-large list of plays and musicals opening in Dallas-Fort Worth this month. From theater festivals to one-night-only concerts, world premieres and returns to old favorites, there truly is something for everyone in February.

Here are 14 shows appearing in Dallas-Fort Worth theaters in January, listed in order of start date:

Hype Man: A Break Beat Play
Jubilee Theatre, through February 28
A pulse-pounding, thought-provoking work by Idris Goodwin that explores friendship, accountability, and the often-unseen creative forces shaping hip-hop culture. It follows three artists on the brink of a breakthrough: a rising rap star, his longtime hype man, and a gifted woman beat maker whose sound fuels their success. When an unexpected crisis erupts on the eve of a career-defining performance, all three must confront difficult truths about loyalty, responsibility, and whose voices are truly heard when the spotlight hits.

Gem of the Ocean
Soul Rep Theatre Company, February 5-22
Set in 1904, August Wilson's Gem of the Ocean begins the playwright's legendary Century Cycle with a spiritual journey toward freedom and redemption. Through the mystical presence of Aunt Ester, a 285-year-old spiritual guide, Wilson weaves a powerful meditation on memory, responsibility, and Black survival.

Pompeii!!
Kitchen Dog Theater, February 11-March 8
Opening their brand-new home in the Design District, Kitchen Dog Theater co-artistic directors Christopher Carlos and Tina Parker will direct a remounting of the company's first-ever company-created musical. Under the shadow of a volcano, the citizens of Pompeii sing, dance, and tell jokes in this zany vaudeville show. It's togas and tap shoes, centurions and sing-alongs in the timely satire of nationalistic hubris and narcissistic excess.

Medea/Liturgia
Cara Mía Theatre, February 12-22
This world premiere of a contemporary, multimedia adaptation of the Greek tragedy Medea is written and directed by Diego Fernando Montoya, Colombia’s 2025 National Playwriting Award winner. The production reimagines Medea through a modern lens that confronts imperialism, immigration, and rebellion.

22nd International Theatre Festival
Teatro Dallas, February 7, 14, 21
The festival takes place over three weeks, featuring three separate productions from Portugal, England, and Argentina.

Six
Broadway at the Bass, February 10-15
Divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived. From Tudor queens to pop icons, the six wives of Henry VIII take the microphone to remix 50 years of historical heartbreak into a euphoric celebration of 21st-century girl power.

Dallas Divas
Lyric Stage, February 11
This one-night-only event serves as a fundraiser for Lyric Stage, with some of Dallas' most talented voices singing songs that run the gamut from Broadway to pop.

Bull in a China Shop
Amphibian Stage, February 11-March 1
This is an explosive queer romantic comedy set amidst the fight for women’s rights. Galloping across four decades at Mount Holyoke, Mary Woolley and Jeannette Marks light fires in the classroom and in the bedroom. As their ambitions grow bolder, so do the cracks in their relationship.

The Skin of Our Teeth
Undermain Theatre, February 12-March 8
Thornton Wilder’s classic three-part allegory about the resilience of mankind centers on the Antrobus family of the fictional town of Excelsior, New Jersey. The epic comedy-drama follows the family through an impending Ice Age, a world war, and a devastating flood, all of which they survive by the skin of their teeth.

The Great Gatsby
Broadway Dallas, February 17-March 1
Based on the classic American novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald, this musical is an unforgettable journey of love, wealth, and tragedy that brings the Roaring Twenties to life onstage.

Penelope
Theatre Three, February 19-March 22
What’s Penelope been up to since Odysseus went off to war? She’s had a few drinks and started a band! So go ahead and grab a drink too, and listen to this ancient tale made new with a beautiful folk-inflected pop score about a woman wondering who she is if she’s alone, and discovering that she has, is, and will always be complete, with her husband by her side or otherwise.

Where We Stand
Dallas Theater Center, February 25-March 22
Your town stands at a crossroads. A neighbor, desperate and out of options, has struck a dangerous bargain. Now their fate lies in your hands. In this interactive play presented as a town hall gathering, the audience must choose: mercy or justice? Broadway actor and Dallas legend Liz Mikel plays a lone storyteller who weaves a world through music and magic. The play, making its regional premiere, is a co-production with Stage West.

You Must Wear a Hat
Echo Theatre, February 26-March 14
Two survivors of a climate apocalypse strive to preserve their humanity, and community.

Hairspray
Casa Mañana, February 27-March 8
Set in 1962 Baltimore, the musical follows Tracy Turnblad, a big-hearted teen with dreams of dancing on The Corny Collins Show. As she fights for a chance to shine, Tracy challenges outdated norms and pushes for a more inclusive future. RuPaul's Drag Race star Nina West plays Edna Turnblad.

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