Theater Critic Picks

These are the 10 can't-miss shows in Dallas-Fort Worth theater for October

Theatre Three and Danielle Georgiou Dance Group presents The Bippy Bobby Boo Show

The Bippy Bobby Boo Show returns — to your living room.

Photo by Jeffrey Schmidt

Anxious to get out of the house and experience something live? Then hop in your car and partake of drive-in theater. Still enjoying the opportunity to watch shows from your couch? Buy a streaming ticket and settle in. Dallas-Fort Worth theater companies have settled into a groove, offering several different ways to watch new and classic productions.

Here are 10 local shows to watch this month:

Daddy Long Legs
The Firehouse Theatre, streaming through October 11
Real-life engaged couple Caitlin Martelle Jone and Preston Lee Isham star as Jerusha Abbott and Jervis Pendleton, two lonely souls brought together through letter-writing. Based on the classic novel, which inspired the 1955 movie starring Fred Astaire, this filmed musical follows Jerusha Abbott, the "Oldest Orphan in the John Grier Home" until a mysterious benefactor sends her to college to be educated as a writer. Required to write him a letter once a month, she is never to know the benefactor’s identity – so she invents one for him: Daddy Long Legs. Tickets are $20 for a single viewer and $30 for a group, and can be purchased here.

Dear Elizabeth
MainStage-Irving Las Colinas, streaming on-demand October 3-10
Based on the compiled letters between poets Robert Lowell and Elizabeth Bishop, Sarah Ruhl's play maps the relationship of the two poets from first meeting to an abbreviated affair and the turmoil of their lives in between. Michael Serrecchia directs Kristin McCollum and Rob McCollum in a piece that explores the beauty and importance of simple communication. Tickets are $19 for a single viewer and $29 for a group, and can be purchased here.

St. Nicholas
Undermain Theatre, streaming October 7-25
Conor McPherson's one-man play is performed by DuBose as a cynical and jaded drama critic who falls for a beautiful young actress. On a drunken bender one weekend he pursues her to London, where he falls in with a coven of modern-day vampires. Is it a drunken fairytale or his own vision of a higher truth? Tickets are $15 and can be purchased here.

October Playlets
Stage West, live-streaming October 8-18
Three short plays written specifically to be live-streamed make up an entertaining evening (or afternoon) of semi-live theater. Hey Stranger by Steph Del Rosso; Intro to Fiction by Ken Urban; and Boredom, Fear and Wine by Craig Pospisil are all directed by Tiffany Nichole Green, who recently directed the national tour of Hamilton. Tickets are per household and cost $25 for early bird buyers through October 1, then $30 after that. There are also be VIP tickets available for $35, which include a link for a separate, moderated 20-minute pre-show talkback with the director or one of the playwrights. All options can be purchased here.

Festival of Independent Theatres
Streaming October 8-31
The 22nd year of this beloved festival is going online, and includes original works, dance, comedy, drama, and more, all performed by some of FIT audiences' favorite artists. Two-show blocks are still available for one low ticket price, so viewers can try out something new. Tickets are $12 for a two-show block and $30 for a festival pass, and can be purchased here.

Nothing Rhymes with Juneteenth
Dallas Children's Theater, streaming October 16-25
To help spark important conversations about race, DCT is producing a series of plays by award-winning playwright, poet, and change-maker Idris Goodwin. These three short shows, dubbed the "Social Justice Play Series," started in September with The Water Gun Song. In this month's show, a parent and child try to complete a rap for a school presentation. There will also be two opportunities for a talkback, on October 17 and 23. Tickets are free and can be obtained here.

Get Up, Stand Up!
Kitchen Dog Theater, October 17, 24, 31, and November 3
This drive-in celebration of democracy kicks off KDT's 30th season as an outdoor cabaret series held behind the group's new compound at 4774 Algiers St. A rotating cast performs protest and freedom songs throughout America's history, culminating in a "greatest hits" show for the final performance. Tickers are $30 per car/single occupant, then $15 per each additional car occupant. A "Vote, Dawg" pass to all four events is $100 per car/single occupant, plus $40 per additional car occupant. All options can be purchased here.

Endlings
Cry Havoc Theatre Company, audio-streaming October 19-November 1
This is the second original audio play from the young persons-oriented group, which builds its shows around verbatim experiences collected from the community. This audio play weaves together first-person interviews with experts, activists, and individuals living on the front lines of climate change, along with conversations between the teens of Cry Havoc and artistic director, playwright, and director Mara Richards Bim on the topics of COVID-19, grief, art, and ecological disruption.

Endlings is being released alongside several original short films of dance inspired by the play and choreographed by Bombshell Dance Project's Emily Bernet. The project will feature its own interactive website to engage audiences in the ongoing conversations generated by the play. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased here.

It Came From Theatre Three
Theatre Three, streaming October 19-November 1
Four local playwrights — Jonathan Norton, Blake Hackler, Nicole Neely, and The Drama Club — were commissioned to write short, frightening pieces filmed at Theatre Three. Hosted by artistic director Jeffrey Schmidt and associate artistic director Christie Vela, the plays The Loss of Jane, Bloody Mary, The Old Woman in the Wood, and Dr. Diablo star Lydia Mackay, Benjamin Stegmair, Gerald Taylor, and Francine Gonzalez. Tickets are $15 for a single viewer and $25 for a group viewing ticket, and can be purchased here.

The Bippy Bobby Boo Show: 2020 Call-In Special
Danielle Georgiou Dance Group and Theatre Three, live-streaming October 23-November 3
The award-winning variety show previously announced its return to the Theatre Too basement, but now you can have Bippy Bobby and his gaggle of glamorous ghosts in your own house. Each of the six live shows will be different, and viewers are encouraged to call in and chat with the debonair (and dead) hosts. There will also be an Election Night special that promises to be a howl. Tickets are $15 for a single viewer and $25 for a group viewing ticket, and can be purchased here.

theater dance

Drama kings

Dallas theater lures new leaders away from Hollywood and Broadway

Photo courtesy of Lyric Stage

Malcolm Goodwin is an actor, director, and producer familiar for roles in Reacher, iZombie, and The Fall of the House of Usher.

Dallas theater company Lyric Stage has looked to Hollywood and Broadway for new leadership, hiring film and television actor and director Malcolm Goodwin and Broadway veteran Victor Hawks as the theater company's new co-artistic directors.

The appointments mark a new chapter for the company, which was founded in 1993 by Steven Jones, executive director Catherine Carpenter Cox says in a November 2 announcement.

Goodwin and Hawks are the co-founders of Team Vision Entertainment, a production company developing and producing film, television, and theater projects.

Their longstanding creative partnership will now extend to Lyric Stage, where they will work alongside Cox to develop programming, support new works, and strengthen the organization's connections to the broader entertainment industry, a press release says.

Goodwin is an actor, director, and producer best known for roles in Amazon Prime Video's Reacher and The CW's iZombie. Other credits include The Fall of the House of Usher, American Gangster, and Spike Lee's Miracle at St. Anna.

His new role at Lyric Stage brings him back to the art form that first inspired his career.

"Theater is where I first learned how to tell stories and where I discovered that I loved every part of the creative process, not just performing," Goodwin says in the release. "I was building theaters, working with lighting and sound, and learning how everything comes together to create something special for an audience. Being able to return to that world and help create opportunities for other artists is incredibly meaningful to me."

Hawks brings an extensive Broadway background to his new position, having appeared in the original Broadway company of Urinetown the Musical, the 2006 Broadway revival of Les Misérables, South Pacific at Lincoln Center, and The Producers national tour.

Victor Hawks, Lyric Stage Victor Hawks.Photo courtesy of Lyric Stage

"Musical theater changed the direction of my life," Hawks says in a statement. "I know firsthand what happens when someone gives a young performer an opportunity to learn, grow and be part of something bigger than themselves. That's what makes this next chapter so exciting. Lyric Stage already has an incredible history, and we want to build on that by creating great theater and opening doors for artists who are just beginning their journeys."

Over the past three decades, Lyric Stage has earned a reputation for its professional productions, world premieres, and restoration of classic Broadway works, with a big focus on musicals.

For Cox, the appointments are about bringing together artists who understand the importance of theater while offering the experience and relationships to help the organization grow.

"Steven Jones built something truly special with Lyric Stage, and we have a responsibility to honor what he created while continuing to move the organization forward," Cox says. "Malcolm and Victor have built remarkable careers in entertainment, but what I love most is that theatre is where both of their journeys began. They understand what the stage can mean to an artist, and they share my passion for creating opportunities for the next generation."

Cox also recently moved into a new role as director, making her directorial debut with Lyric Stage's production of the musical Godspell, which finished its run on October 25.

Upcoming Lyric Stage productions include A Very Lyric Christmas, A Chorus Line, Newsies, and Once.

Future planned endeavors for the company include Lyric Stage Academy, an educational program designed to introduce young people to the performing arts, as well as Children's Theatre, Summer Stock, professional training opportunities, a New Works Lab, and master classes.

lyric stage performing-arts theater