Holiday Theater Roundup

13 naughty and nice shows to jingle your bells this holiday season

We get it: The Nutcracker is awesome, but perhaps you've already seen it? Don't stress, because there are other holidays stage offerings out there — lots of them — and they're not all sugar-plum sweet either.

Here are 12 shows guaranteed to put you in the holiday spirit, no matter what your definition of that is.

Dr. Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas
Performing Arts Fort Worth
November 19-24
You may have seen a green and rather shifty-looking character slithering and slinking around Dallas-Fort Worth lately, but there's no reason to hide your roast beast. The Grinch, at Bass Performance Hall for only 10 performances, is in town with a whole slew of singing Whos, turning Fort Worth into Whoville and officially marking the beginning of the holiday season.

Ultimate Thanksgiving Experience
Fun House Theatre and Film
November 20-24
There is a turkey, of course, but this holiday offering from Plano's favorite purveyor of adult-like children's theater also includes Dan Quayle, Bill O'Reilly, Lady Gaga, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, the Easter Bunny (head of the Illuminati, of course) and a trio of Russian immigrants. It could only come from the mind of Jeff Swearingen, and that's why we love it.

A Christmas Carol
Dallas Theater Center
November 21-December 24
New home, new adaptation, new attitude. Dallas Theater Center is shaking up tradition this year by reimagining its holiday staple, Charles Dickens' surprisingly dark and spooky tale of Ebenezer Scrooge and his time-bending trip to self-discovery. Artistic director Kevin Moriarty is behind the reboot, so expect lots of untraditional touches (we hear there will be flying) mixed in with feel-good holiday cheer.

'Twas the Night Before Christmas
Dallas Children's Theater
November 22-December 22
Giving us a behind-the-scenes peek at Clement Moore's classic Christmas poem, Dallas Children's Theater brings to life the sugarplums, toys and, of course, Santa Claus. Although it's rumored that Moore composed the verse while on a wintery sleigh ride (and some question his authorship entirely, because the poem was first published anonymously), in this version he's under pressure because the president is planning to read the poem at the White House.

Other Desert Cities
Theatre Three
November 25-December 15
What's a holiday season without family dysfunction? In Jon Robin Baitz's play, which was a finalist for the 2012 Pulitzer Prize, the Wyeth family is reunited right before Christmas, and daughter Brooke announces she's planning to publish her memoirs, which happen to detail a long-held and heavily guarded family secret. There's politics, a relative visiting from rehab and lots of squabbling. Feels just like home, right?

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, The Musical
Majestic Theatre
November 29-December 29

Do you look forward to your yearly viewing of the stop-motion animated special about a certain left-out reindeer whose glowing nose saves Christmas? If so, this production is probably for you. In conjunction with AT&T Performing Arts Center, the newly formed Wishing Star Productions is mounting a stage adaptation of the 1964 TV special that comes complete with "incredible costumes and amazing puppetry." In case you've forgotten, this story was the original source of the Island of Misfit Toys and also features an elf who longs to be a dentist, the Abominable Snow Man and a prospector names Yukon Cornelius. Because why not?

Frosty the Snowman
Casa Manana
November 29-December 22
You might find the idea of a pile of frozen water coming to life massively creepy, but I bet your kids think it's awesome. No matter your views on frozen rights, this musical version of the famous book about a snowman who suddenly comes to life and cavorts with the town's children is probably going to be charming. And it's at Casa Manana, so you know the production values will be stunning.

Jubilation: The Christmas Musical
Jubilee Theatre
December 6-29
Jubilee Theatre's mascot, Lee Roy, comes to life in this holiday collection of jazzy, gospel-flavored tunes and tales. Tre Garrett recently scored a massive creative coup with his stirring direction of A Raisin in the Sun at Dallas Theater Center, so his guiding hand (collaborating with Geno Young) paired with the promise of all Lee Roy's "favorite friends and performers" pretty much guarantees an amazing time.

Sweater Curse: A Yarn About Love
Our Productions Theatre Co.
December 12-15
Our own Elaine Liner wrote a play and took it to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland. People kind of went wild for it. Now she's mounting the one-woman show again in Lewisville during Dallas' time of sweater weather and encouraging knitters to bring their skeins and clack away during the show. You’d just better not be knitting anything for a significant other — that's where the curse comes from.

The Santaland Diaries
WaterTower Theatre
December 13-29
If you couldn't catch David Sedaris when he was in town earlier this month, this is the next best thing. One of his most famous essays from the collection Holidays on Ice, The Santaland Diaries details Sedaris' excruciating stint as a Macy's elf. The story is crass, vulgar and every bit as hilarious as you think it would be, and it plays out like a nutmeg-tinged fever dream. Garrett Storms will step into Crumpet the Elf's curly shoes.

A Very Nouveau Family!
Nouveau 47 Productions
December 13-29
Continuing with the notion of Anti-Claus, Nouveau 47 is offering up 10-minute plays with a holiday theme that skew on the side of the avant garde. New voices are the focus, so expect to hear some fresh stories and explore the holidays from a different perspective.

The Game's Afoot (Holmes for the Holiday)
WaterTower Theatre
December 13-January 5, 2014
Ken Ludwig, the pen behind Lend Me a Tenor and Crazy for You, dips back into the 1930s for a madcap murder mystery that can only be solved by Sherlock Holmes — or an actor who's used to playing him. The show begins with an actor getting shot onstage, but it is followed immediately by a house party. You know, typical ugly sweater shindig. But then one of the guests turns up dead, and it's up to the host to channel his Sherlock skills and catch the killer.

Irving Berlin's White Christmas
Dallas Summer Musicals
December 17-29
Try reading this show's title without hearing Irving Berlin's iconic tune in your head. It can't be done. Better to just give in to the music, tap your feet when the dancers start tapping theirs and say "oooh" when the snow starts falling. Because you will. Can't be helped. Surrender to the live stage version of one of your favorite holiday movies and just enjoy it. Merry Christmas. You're welcome.

Frosty the Snowman at Casa Manana November 29-December 22.

Frosty the Snowman at Casa Manana in Fort Worth

Photo courtesy of Casa Manana

Frosty the Snowman at Casa Manana November 29-December 22.

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Theater Critic Picks

DFW theater heats up with 14 must-see shows this February

Photo by Jordan Fraker

Kitchen Dog Theater is opening its new performance space with a remounting of 'Pompeii!!'

It's cold outside but hot onstage, as evidenced by this extra-large list of plays and musicals opening in Dallas-Fort Worth this month. From theater festivals to one-night-only concerts, world premieres and returns to old favorites, there truly is something for everyone in February.

Here are 14 shows appearing in Dallas-Fort Worth theaters in January, listed in order of start date:

Hype Man: A Break Beat Play
Jubilee Theatre, through February 28
A pulse-pounding, thought-provoking work by Idris Goodwin that explores friendship, accountability, and the often-unseen creative forces shaping hip-hop culture. It follows three artists on the brink of a breakthrough: a rising rap star, his longtime hype man, and a gifted woman beat maker whose sound fuels their success. When an unexpected crisis erupts on the eve of a career-defining performance, all three must confront difficult truths about loyalty, responsibility, and whose voices are truly heard when the spotlight hits.

Gem of the Ocean
Soul Rep Theatre Company, February 5-22
Set in 1904, August Wilson's Gem of the Ocean begins the playwright's legendary Century Cycle with a spiritual journey toward freedom and redemption. Through the mystical presence of Aunt Ester, a 285-year-old spiritual guide, Wilson weaves a powerful meditation on memory, responsibility, and Black survival.

Pompeii!!
Kitchen Dog Theater, February 11-March 8
Opening their brand-new home in the Design District, Kitchen Dog Theater co-artistic directors Christopher Carlos and Tina Parker will direct a remounting of the company's first-ever company-created musical. Under the shadow of a volcano, the citizens of Pompeii sing, dance, and tell jokes in this zany vaudeville show. It's togas and tap shoes, centurions and sing-alongs in the timely satire of nationalistic hubris and narcissistic excess.

Medea/Liturgia
Cara Mía Theatre, February 12-22
This world premiere of a contemporary, multimedia adaptation of the Greek tragedy Medea is written and directed by Diego Fernando Montoya, Colombia’s 2025 National Playwriting Award winner. The production reimagines Medea through a modern lens that confronts imperialism, immigration, and rebellion.

22nd International Theatre Festival
Teatro Dallas, February 7, 14, 21
The festival takes place over three weeks, featuring three separate productions from Portugal, England, and Argentina.

Six
Broadway at the Bass, February 10-15
Divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived. From Tudor queens to pop icons, the six wives of Henry VIII take the microphone to remix 50 years of historical heartbreak into a euphoric celebration of 21st-century girl power.

Dallas Divas
Lyric Stage, February 11
This one-night-only event serves as a fundraiser for Lyric Stage, with some of Dallas' most talented voices singing songs that run the gamut from Broadway to pop.

Bull in a China Shop
Amphibian Stage, February 11-March 1
This is an explosive queer romantic comedy set amidst the fight for women’s rights. Galloping across four decades at Mount Holyoke, Mary Woolley and Jeannette Marks light fires in the classroom and in the bedroom. As their ambitions grow bolder, so do the cracks in their relationship.

The Skin of Our Teeth
Undermain Theatre, February 12-March 8
Thornton Wilder’s classic three-part allegory about the resilience of mankind centers on the Antrobus family of the fictional town of Excelsior, New Jersey. The epic comedy-drama follows the family through an impending Ice Age, a world war, and a devastating flood, all of which they survive by the skin of their teeth.

The Great Gatsby
Broadway Dallas, February 17-March 1
Based on the classic American novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald, this musical is an unforgettable journey of love, wealth, and tragedy that brings the Roaring Twenties to life onstage.

Penelope
Theatre Three, February 19-March 22
What’s Penelope been up to since Odysseus went off to war? She’s had a few drinks and started a band! So go ahead and grab a drink too, and listen to this ancient tale made new with a beautiful folk-inflected pop score about a woman wondering who she is if she’s alone, and discovering that she has, is, and will always be complete, with her husband by her side or otherwise.

Where We Stand
Dallas Theater Center, February 25-March 22
Your town stands at a crossroads. A neighbor, desperate and out of options, has struck a dangerous bargain. Now their fate lies in your hands. In this interactive play presented as a town hall gathering, the audience must choose: mercy or justice? Broadway actor and Dallas legend Liz Mikel plays a lone storyteller who weaves a world through music and magic. The play, making its regional premiere, is a co-production with Stage West.

You Must Wear a Hat
Echo Theatre, February 26-March 14
Two survivors of a climate apocalypse strive to preserve their humanity, and community.

Hairspray
Casa Mañana, February 27-March 8
Set in 1962 Baltimore, the musical follows Tracy Turnblad, a big-hearted teen with dreams of dancing on The Corny Collins Show. As she fights for a chance to shine, Tracy challenges outdated norms and pushes for a more inclusive future. RuPaul's Drag Race star Nina West plays Edna Turnblad.

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