Dallas-Fort Worth audiences always have a lot for which to be thankful, and the theater companies do not disappoint this time of year. Whether you're looking for holiday fare or works that aren't tied to any one season, there's a variety available this month.
Here are the nine shows to see, in order by start date:
Graceland
L.I.P. Service, November 2-18
The regional premiere of Ellen Fairey's family drama stars in-demand actor and director Emily Scott Banks as Sara, a woman who's trying to reconnect with her brother, make sense of her father's recent suicide, and understand why she had a one-night stand with an aging lothario. Guaranteed to make your family look a little more tame by comparison.
Evita
Casa Mañana, November 4-12
Former Elphaba in Wicked Dee Roscioli stars as Eva Peron, the scrappy and ambitious street girl who ascends to icon status as the first lady of Argentina. Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber's score includes such hits as "Don't Cry For Me, Argentina" and "Another Suitcase in Another Hall," and the cast is rounded out by Michael Hunsaker as Che, Enrique Acevedo as Juan Peron, and Seth Womack as Magaldi.
John
Undermain Theatre, November 11-December 3
Recent MacArthur "Genius" Grant fellow and Pulitzer Prize recipient Annie Baker returns to Undermain with this haunting play set near a Gettysburg battle site. A young couple (Olivia de Guzman and Scott Zenreich) struggling to stay together are welcomed to an eerie bed and breakfast by an eccentric innkeeper on the weekend after Thanksgiving. When the innkeeper's even more eccentric friend stops by for a visit, things veer into the supernatural.
Irving Berlin's White Christmas
Performing Arts Fort Worth, November 14-19
Sometimes the closest North Texas gets to snow is this stage adaptation of the cinematic classic, where a pair of Army buddies flirt with two sisters while staging a show at a picturesque Vermont inn. Tony Award-winner Karen Ziemba joins the tour straight from Prince of Broadway on the Great White Way, playing the busybody housekeeper Martha Watson.
A Charlie Brown Christmas and Frosty & Friends
Dallas Children's Theater, November 17-December 23
The Peanuts gang is back by popular demand, and so is the custom rink that allows them to skate out into the audience. A live combo band plays Vince Guaraldi's beloved score while Charlie Brown discovers the true meaning of Christmas. Meanwhile, Kathy Burks' puppet troupe returns to enact a Frosty the Snowman story that'll make your heart melt.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Lyric Stage, November 17-19
For its first fully staged production of the new season, Lyric Stage's new producer Shane Peterman has chosen Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz's stage adaptation of Disney's animated film (which was based on Victor Hugo's novel). It's also Lyric's big move to the Majestic Theatre from its former home at the Irving Arts Center, so Quasimodo and crew get a new stage to play on.
A Christmas Carol
Dallas Theater Center, November 22-December 28
Friday Night Lights alum Brad Leland is playing Scrooge this year, and he's joined by Brierley Resident Acting Company members Ace Anderson, Chamblee Ferguson, Alex Organ, Tiana Kaye Johnson, and Liz Mikel. For the 10th consecutive year, DTC is working alongside North Texas Food Bank to collect canned goods and monetary donations to aid in the fight against hunger.
Solstice: Stories and Songs for the Holidays
Theatre Three, November 24-December 17
An all-new holiday show is being created by the cast, its musicians, and several other special collaborators, all centered around the centuries-old tradition of storytelling. It's part of artistic director Jeffrey Schmidt's commitment to nurturing new work, and adds another holiday option to the winter landscape.
An Act of God
Stage West, November 30-December 31
B.J. Cleveland embodies the Almighty in this regular season add-on by David Javerbaum, in which God decides to answer our deepest questions and delivers a new set of Commandments.
