Theater Critic Picks

These are the 7 can't-miss shows in Dallas-Fort Worth theater for September

Pageant returns — to your screens.

Photo by Mike Morgan

Now that we're several months into the pandemic, DFW companies are finding their groove with new ways to present theater. Not only does that include filmed and live-streamed works, but also drive-in theater. That last one was so popular after its June premiere that it's now coming to Fort Worth, giving more audiences the chance to experience this new art form.

Here are seven local shows to watch this month:

Everything Will Be Fine
Prism Movement Theatre and Stage West, drive-in at Texas Wesleyan University's Administration Building parking lot, September 3-27
Packed into 45 minutes and designed to be enjoyed from your car, Everything Will Be Fine by Zoe Kerr is about a woman learning how to deal with a new world and her well-meaning (if slightly clueless) friends after experiencing an unthinkable loss. Once guests arrive, they will be directed to their assigned parking spots and instructed to tune in to a specific radio station to hear the show's electronic/rock music underscoring. Tickets are $40 per car and can be purchased here.

Coppertone Jones' Amazing Traveling Sideshow Corker
Ochre House Theatre, streaming beginning September 4
Ochre House's original freaky green puppet, Coppertone Jones, is back with his very own variety talk show written and directed by artistic director Matthew Posey. Coppertone sits down with some of his favorite friends for a nice chat, a few songs here and there, and some crazy hijinx. This virtual theater project uses a Zoom platform and employs a diverse cast of Ochre regulars. Watch it on the Ochre House YouTube channel for free.

Hershey Felder as George Gershwin Alone – Live from Florence
Dallas Summer Musicals, live-streaming September 13
Meet one of America's greatest composers through some of his best-known songs, from "The Man I Love" to "Someone to Watch Over Me," through the hits of An American In Paris and Porgy and Bess, to a complete performance of Rhapsody In Blue. As the only actor-musician to create the role of George Gershwin on the stage, and with over 3,000 performances from California to Broadway to London's West End, Hershey Felder will bring George Gershwin to life on the stage of one of Europe's oldest and most famous theaters, Teatro della Pergola. Tickets are $55 per household and can be purchased here.

We Are Proud to Present a Presentation...
Undermain Theatre, September 16-October 4
The Deep Ellum company is reaching into its archives for the 2014 production of Jackie Sibblies Drury's play, which follows a troupe of young actors gearing up to portray the extermination of the Herero tribe of Namibia. They're passionate, energetic, and have piles of research — but what do they really know about being black Africans under German colonization? Tickets are $15 and can be purchased here.

The Impact of The Gadget on Civilization
Imprint Theatreworks, streaming September 17-26
Directed by Ashley H. White and written by Mark Oristano, this hybrid stage and film project questions morality and humanity through an immersive look inside Einstein's experiences surrounding the creation of the atom bomb. Tickets are $12 and can be purchased here.

ONE Addison
WaterTower Theatre, streaming September 17-30
In celebration of North Texas Giving Day, WTT filmed a Vimeo concert that's a love letter to the town of Addison, its donors, and ticket buyers. With music direction by Vonda K. Bowling, the concert features songs from The Bridges of Madison County performed by Christine Cornish Smith and Christopher J. Deaton, who were slated to star in the production before it was canceled by the pandemic. The concert also features performances by singers Feleceia Benton, Devin Berg, Ashley Puckett Gonzales, Brian Gonzales, Jamall Houston, and Denise Lee; musicians Sara Bollinger, Kat Glaze, Eric Jones, Jay Majernik, and Aaron Sutton; an original spoken word piece written and performed by Verb Kulture; and an original dance performance by Kellie Carroll and Ania Lyons. Tickets are $38 and can be purchased here.

Pageant
Uptown Players, streaming September 25-October 4
Filmed in 2014, this hilarious musical takes on the cutthroat world of beauty pageants ... with a twist. B.J. Cleveland is your emcee, and the lovely contestants include Peter DiCesare, Sergio Antonio Garcia, Micah Green, Drew Kelly, Walter Lee, and Ashton McKay Shawver. The show's interactive elements are just as enjoyable onscreen as they were live six years ago (the winner changed every night, for example). Tickets are $20 for an individual ticket and $30 for multi-viewer, and can be purchased here.

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.

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