Have you recovered from October yet? If you're still craving culture, November doesn't disappoint. Everything from cats to kids and ghosts to actors will be onstage, as local favorites return and national tours stop by.
Here are the 8 shows to see in order by start date:
Annie
Casa Mañana, November 2-10
This show has some of the greatest musical theater hits ever written, including "Tomorrow" and "It's a Hard-Knock Life." With equal measures of pluck and positivity, little orphan Annie charms everyone's hearts despite a next-to-nothing start in 1930s New York City. Determined to find the parents who abandoned her years ago on the doorstep of a New York City orphanage, Annie escapes the cruel Miss Hannigan to the wondrous world of NYC, where adventures await.
Cats
Dallas Summer Musicals, November 5-17
This record-breaking musical spectacular by Andrew Lloyd Webber has captivated audiences in over 30 countries and 15 languages. It tells the story of one magical night when an extraordinary tribe of cats gathers for its annual ball to rejoice and decide which cat will be reborn.
The Thanksgiving Play
Undermain Theatre, November 6-December 1
Good intentions collide with absurd assumptions in Larissa FastHorse's wickedly funny satire, as a troupe of terminally "woke" teaching artists scrambles to create a pageant that somehow manages to celebrate both Turkey Day and Native American Heritage Month.
Queen of Basel
Kitchen Dog Theater, November 21-December 15
It’s Art Basel, Miami's weeklong party for the rich and famous, where real estate heiress Julie reigns over the blowout her mogul father is throwing at his South Beach hotel. But after tangling with her father and a run-in with a tray of cocktails, Julie plots her next move in the hotel's barely used storage kitchen in this play by Hilary Bettis.
A Christmas Carol
Dallas Theater Center, November 21-December 29
Written by Charles Dickens, adapted by Kevin Moriarty, and directed by Joel Ferrell, this adaptation of Dickens' classic has three spirits coming to visit the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge (Brandon Potter) and take him on a fantastic journey through Christmases past, present, and future.
Dear Evan Hansen
Dallas Summer Musicals, November 26-December 8
A letter that was never meant to be seen, a lie that was never meant to be told, a life he never dreamed he could have. Evan Hansen is about to get the one thing he's always wanted: a chance to finally fit in. Dear Evan Hansen features a book by Tony Award winner Steven Levenson; a score by Academy Award, Golden Globe, and Tony Award winners Benj Pasek and Justin Paul; and direction by four-time Tony Award nominee Michael Greif.
Swimming While Drowning
Cara Mía Theatre Co., November 29-December 15
Angelo and Mila are fifteen and homeless. Angelo is a dreamer, Mila is a street-wise hustler, but when they become roommates at a shelter for LGBTQ teens, they build a fragile bond that inspires them to reach for understanding and self-acceptance. Emilio Rodriguez's poetic coming-of-age story celebrates the healing power of hope and the beautiful mystery of being a teenager.
Noises Off
Theatre Three, November 29-December 22
They say all the world is a stage, but perhaps the drama behind-the-scenes is where the real story is at. This play by Michael Frayn provides a sneak peek onstage and backstage of an amateur traveling theater production, from final rehearsals through opening night and the subsequent touring season. But can this troupe keep their offstage antics behind the curtain, or will the drama waiting in the wings find its way center stage?
Larissa FastHorse's The Thanksgiving Play comes to Undermain Theatre.
Former President George W. Bush painting in his Dallas studio.Photo courtesy of Crown Publishing