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    Actor Spotlight

    Dallas actress Janelle Lutz exposes her farm-girl past and intense love for TV

    Lindsey Wilson
    Sep 9, 2014 | 11:46 am

    She just won a DFW Theater Critics Forum Award for her stunning portrayal of Judy Garland in Uptown Players’ The Boy From Oz, but Janelle Lutz has been turning in exceptional performances since she hit the Dallas theater scene. With a resume built around playing strong, confident women, Lutz tries her hand at farce with the British comedy Out of Order, opening at Theatre Britain on September 12.

     

    Prior to the show’s opening, Lutz took the time to fill out our survey of serious, fun and sometimes ridiculous questions.

     

     Name: Janelle Lutz

     

     Role in Out of Order: Jane Worthington

     

     Previous work in the DFW area: Lyric Stage (Elsa Schreader, The Sound of Music; Claudia Nardi, Nine); Uptown Players (Marilyn Platt, Soho Cinders; Judy Garland, The Boy From Oz); MainStage Irving-Las Colinas (Little Becky Two-Shoes/ Mrs. Millenium, Urinetown) Stolen Shakespeare Guild (Marianne Dashwood, Sense and Sensibility)

     

     Hometown: Hollister, California

     

     Where you currently reside: Dallas

     

     First theater role: The first show I was ever in was at my church back home, and it was a musical adaptation of the story of the Good Samaritan. I played the doctor. My first community theater show was Fiddler on the Roof; I played Beilke, the youngest of the daughters. I was 16 playing a 12-year-old. So much fun.

     

     First stage show you ever saw: The first one that comes to mind is The Lion King. I saw it in San Francisco with friends, and it was so amazing. I would go and see that show again in an instant. Just magnificent.

     

     Moment you decided to pursue a career in theater: Well, I think it has been growing on me the last couple of years. Probably about a year or two ago I really started to think about it seriously.

     

     Most challenging role you’ve played: Judy Garland in The Boy from Oz

     

     Special skills: I don’t think this really counts as a “special skill,” but I’m really good at sleeping. I’m also pretty good at binge watching TV. I know it’s a terrible habit, but when I have time to sit and watch TV, by golly I do.

     

     Something you’re REALLY bad at: Sports. I would love to be good at them and be able to play them without hurting someone or falling on my face, but it doesn’t always work so well.

     

     Current pop culture obsession: Honestly, I just started watching TLC’s What Not to Wear again. Does that count?

     

     Last book you read: Get Happy: The Life of Judy Garland by Gerald Clark

     

     Favorite movie(s): I really like old movies. So I would have to say Roman Holiday, Operation Petticoat, The Thin Man Series, His Girl Friday and anything classic of the 1930s-1940s. I do also like more modern movies. One of my favorites is The Family Stone. Makes me cry every time.

     

     Favorite musician(s): Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland, Audra McDonald, Ramin Karimloo

     

     Favorite song: “The Man That Got Away” from A Star is Born and “Pretty Women” from Sweeney Todd. Both of those songs are just so hauntingly beautiful.

     

     Dream role: Christine in Phantom of the Opera. I know it’s a cliché, but it’s true. Of course, I have many dream roles, but I think I have wanted this one the longest.

     

     Favorite play(s): Wait Until Dark by Frederick Knott

     

     Favorite musical(s): Oy, that is too tough. All of them! I just love musicals.

     

     Favorite actors/actresses: Colin Firth, Cary Grant, Audrey Hepburn, Jimmy Stewart

     

     Favorite food: My Mom’s chicken casserole, chips and dip, and anything chocolate.

     

     Must-see TV show(s): Friends, The West Wing

     

     Something most people don’t know about you: Well, I grew up on a farm. From the age of 7 all the way through high school, I was in 4-H. My two main projects were sewing and sheep showing. Each year at the county fair, I would make an outfit out of wool, and a matching one for my sheep, and I would compete in a thing called “Lamb Lead.” We were judged on our outfit and how our lamb matched us. This is a true story. I have pictures to prove it.

     

     Place in the world you’d most like to visit: Italy

     

     Pre-show warm-up: Generally, it’s just getting to the theater nice and early, and drinking some throat coat tea or Dr Pepper. Oh, and I do hum to get my voice rolling.

     

     Favorite part about your current role: Getting to run around and have fun, while being awkward and goofy. This is such a wonderful cast, and we crack each other up all the time.

     

     Most challenging part about your current role: Honestly, it’s getting the comedic timing correct. This is my first British farce, so this show is most certainly stretching me as an actress. It’s a wonderful challenge.

     

     Most embarrassing onstage mishap: I think it probably would have been the opening night of Beauty and the Beast back in my hometown, Hollister. I was playing the part of Belle, and at this theater you had to go outside to get from one side of the stage to the other. Well, at the end of one scene, I was so nervous about making it to the other side of the stage for my next entrance that I left the stage early and ran to the other side. When I got to the other side the guy playing Maurice said, “Don’t worry about it. The orchestra just kept going. It’s okay.”

     

    Well, come to find out, I completely skipped a whole scene and song! And of course it was the scene where Belle finds out her father is missing. Glad it’s a well-known story and people could just figure it out. Yep, great opening night.

     

     Career you’d have if you weren’t a performer: I would be a teacher.

     

     Favorite post-show spot: Anywhere there is a good drink and mac and cheese or tacos.

     

     Favorite thing about Dallas-Forth Worth: Oh gracious, it’s the people. The people I have met here are beyond wonderful. They have accepted me, taken me under their wings and become my family here. I love them! My theater family is amazing to me. Truly.

     

     Most memorable theater moment: I have to say it would be the closing performance of The Boy from Oz. Those who were involved in that show will understand why I chose this moment because that final performance we were all a mess. We all wanted to soak in every possible moment before they all slipped away.

     

    One moment of that afternoon in particular was during “Quiet Please, There’s a Lady On Stage.” This is the song that Peter Allen wrote as a tribute to Judy Garland, and in the show Judy makes a little cameo appearance. It was always a special scene for me, but that afternoon it was ever so much more.

     

    At that moment, I realized that I wasn’t just portraying Judy saying goodbye to Peter and to her audience, but it was me personally saying goodbye. Saying goodbye to the cast, crew and to Judy herself. It was me saying thank you.

     

    I am eternally grateful and honored to have been involved with such a treasure of a show. There are not enough words to say how much The Boy from Oz meant to me, so that has to be my most memorable theater moment.

    Janelle Lutz and Alex Ross in The Boy From Oz at Uptown Players.

    The Boy From Oz
      
    Photo by Mike Morgan
    Janelle Lutz and Alex Ross in The Boy From Oz at Uptown Players.
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    Theater Critic Picks

    From Wilde to 'The Wiz': 8 unmissable July shows in North Texas

    Lindsey Wilson
    Jul 2, 2025 | 10:18 am
    Second Thought Theatre presents Your Wife’s Dead Body
    Photo courtesy of Second Thought Theatre
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    Your instinct during the summer might be to hide out in an air-conditioned theater, and there are plenty of options to do exactly this month. But we would be remiss if we didn't remind you about a North Texas tradition: Shakespeare under the stars. Pack a picnic, bring a blanket, and watch The Bard (and this year Oscar Wilde) at Samuell-Grand Amphitheater with Shakespeare Dallas. Both shows opened in June, but continue through most of July.

    Here are eight shows local shows, listed in order of start date:

    The Importance of Being Earnest
    Shakespeare Dallas, through July 18 extended to July 26
    This witty romantic comedy by Oscar Wilde, first performed in 1895, tells the story of two men who assume the identities of a fictional man named Ernest. This leads them to each fall in love and encounter an assortment of comical problems along the way.

    Othello
    Shakespeare Dallas, through July 20
    In this Shakespearean tragedy, Othello is at the peak of his powers: not only Venice's greatest general but also husband to the noble and beautiful Desdemona. But he does not know that in passing over his servant Iago for promotion, he has created a deadly but brilliant enemy. This production is set in an alternate-history version of the 1990s in which the Venetian empire is the predominant political, military, and economic power.

    King Kirby
    American Chronicle Theatre Co., July 4-12
    This is the story of Jack "King of Comics" Kirby. The play follows him from the tough Jewish ghetto of Hell’s Kitchen in New York, to the harrowing battlefields of Normandy during WWII, to tense Senate hearings in the 1950s. Watch as he creates some of the most iconic heroes in pop culture: Captain America, Thor, the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, Iron Man, the New Gods, and countless others.

    Your Wife’s Dead Body
    Second Thought Theatre, July 9-26
    Written by Second Though Theatre artistic associate Jenny Ledel in her playwriting premiere, the play takes place in the near future, as Jane takes advantage of a new AI technology that would extend her lifespan ... even if she's not around to see it for herself.

    The Wiz
    Broadway at the Bass, July 15-20
    This all-new production of the groundbreaking, Tony Award-winning musical returns “home” in an all-new pre-Broadway tour, the first one in 40 years. The groundbreaking twist on The Wizard of Oz changed the face of Broadway, from its iconic score packed with soul, gospel, rock, and finger-snapping '70s funk to its stirring tale of Dorothy’s journey to find her place in a contemporary world.

    Noises Off
    Mainstage Irving-Las Colinas, July 18-August 2
    This play-within-a-play captures a touring theater troupe’s production of Nothing On in three stages: dress rehearsal, the opening performance, and a performance towards the end of a debilitating run. Playwright Michael Frayn gives a window into the inner workings of theatre behind-the-scenes, progressing from flubbed lines and missed cues in the dress rehearsal to mounting friction between cast members in the final performance.

    Everybody's Talking About Jamie
    Uptown Players, July 18-August 3
    Inspired by true events, this musical tells the inspiring story of Jamie New, a 16-year-old boy from Sheffield who dreams of becoming a drag queen. His loving mom showers him with endless support but it's not all rainbows for Jamie as his deadbeat dad and some ignorant school kids attempt to rain on his sensational aspirations.

    Shucked
    Broadway at the Bass, July 29-August 3
    This Tony Award-winning musical comedy features a book by Tony Award winner Robert Horn, a score by the Grammy Award-winning songwriting team of Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally, and direction by Tony Award winner Jack O’Brien. The corn-fed, corn-bred American musical is sure to satisfy an appetite for great musical theater.

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