Theater Critic Picks

These are the 8 can't-miss shows in Dallas-Fort Worth theater for November

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.

Undermain Theatre presents The Thanksgiving Play

Photo by Stephen Webster

Larissa FastHorse's The Thanksgiving Play comes to Undermain Theatre.

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Theater Critic Picks

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

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.

broadway at the bass musicals national tour plays second thought theatre uptown players shakespeare under stars shakespeare in the park theater