Theater Critic Picks

These are the 12 must-see shows in Dallas-Fort Worth theater for January

Lyric Stage presents "The Producers."

Photo courtesy of Lyric Stage

The holiday shows are over, but that doesn't mean theaters aren't still gifting us with great shows.

Refresh your theatergoing palate with new works, Broadway concerts, big musicals, and beloved classics — after all, is it even January in Dallas without the return of I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change at Theatre Three?

In order of start date, here are 12 local shows to watch this month:

Death Express!
Pegasus Theatre, through January 21
It’s “all aboard!” for murder in Harry Hunsacker's latest Living Black & White adventure from Kurt Kleinmann. The action occurs on the Trans-Continental Express from Los Angeles to New York. Inept but endearing detective Harry Hunsacker and his paid-by-the-hour friend and assistant, Nigel Grouse (along with Lt. Foster of the real police) find themselves trapped on a train headed for murder.

Ann Hampton Callaway Sings the '70s and Inspired Originals
Irving Arts Center, January 5
The Tony-nominated Broadway star leads a night of rousing and beautiful classics, including songs from Carole King, James Taylor, Joni Mitchell, and John Lennon.

Elm Thicket
Soul Rep Theatre Company, January 11-20
Soul Rep Theatre Company co-founder and noted Dallas playwright Anyika McMillan-Herod presents her newest play as part of the ATTPAC Elevator Project. A serio-comedy set in 2020 in Dallas’ Elm Thicket community, where McMillan-Herod grew up, centers around two middle aged neighbors’ attempt to explore love and friendship while facing a complicated history, world pandemic, social unrest, and neighborhood gentrification.

The Producers
Lyric Stage, January 11-20
A down-on-his-luck Broadway producer and his mild-mannered accountant come up with a scheme to produce the most notorious flop in history, thereby bilking their backers (all “little old ladies”) out of millions of dollars. Only one thing goes awry: The show is a smash hit.

Dog Man: The Musical
TheaterWorksUSA, January 11-28
This heartwarming and hysterical production is based on the worldwide bestselling book series by Dav Pilkey. It follows the chronicles of a canine superhero who loves to fight crime and chew on the furniture. But while trying his best to be a good boy, can he save the city from Flippy the cyborg fish and his army of Beasty Buildings? Can he catch Petey, the world’s most evil cat, who has cloned himself to exact revenge on the doggy do-gooder? And will George and Harold finish their show before lunchtime?

Jagged Little Pill
AT&T Performing Arts Center, January 12-15
This new musical is based on Alanis Morissette’s world-changing music, and is an electrifying production about a perfectly imperfect American family.

Marjorie Prime
Stage West, January 18-February 11
In the near future, Marjorie and her daughter are worried that her memory may be fading. That is, until the appearance of Walter, a mysterious and charming young visitor who arrives to help Marjorie uncover the intricacies of her own past. But a secret truth is about to blur the lines between human and machine in this 2015 Pulitzer Prize finalist.

I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change
Theatre Three, January 18-February 25
Presented as a series of vignettes, this touching musical comedy is about all of love’s greatest challenges: dating, sex, marriage, and family. The production will take place in the Theatre Too space.

The 39 Steps
MainStage Irving-Las Colinas, January 19-February 3
London, 1935. The rather dull Richard Hannay encounters a woman who claims to be a spy. But when she’s suddenly murdered, Richard finds himself the focus of a nationwide manhunt led by a mysterious organization called “The 39 Steps.” Over 150 zany characters are played by a ridiculously talented cast of four) in this Hitchcockian whodunit.

Tina: The Tina Turner Musical
Broadway Dallas, January 23-February 4
An uplifting comeback story like no other, this is the inspiring journey of a woman who broke barriers and became the Queen of Rock n’ Roll, featuring her much-love songs.

Golden Girls: The Laughs Continue
Wyly Theatre, January 30-February 4
An all-male cast brings Miami’s sassiest seniors to the stage for one more hurrah. Sophia is out on bail after being busted by the DEA for running a drug ring for retirees. Blanche and Rose have founded CreakN, a thriving sex app for seniors. And Dorothy is trying to hold it all together with help from a new (much) younger sex-crazed lover.

Disney's Aladdin
Broadway at the Bass, January 31-February 4
Discover a whole new world at Disney's Aladdin, the hit Broadway musical. From the producer of The Lion King comes the timeless story of Aladdin, a thrilling new production filled with unforgettable beauty, magic, comedy, and breathtaking spectacle.

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Theater News

Dallas' Kitchen Dog Theater unveils powerful 2026-2027 season lineup

Photo by Cameron Cobb

Kitchen Dog Theater in Dallas will put on three mainstage productions for their 2026-2027 season.

Kitchen Dog Theater in Dallas has revealed the lineup for the 2026-2027 season, featuring a slate of plays that boasts power players like kings, prime ministers, space force commanders, and would-be presidents.

According to a release, the theater company's 36th season — their "most powerful yet" — will consist of three mainstage productions at its new permanent home in the Design District, as well as the annual New Works Festival, featuring a readings series and the 26th annual D-PAC PUP (Playwrights Under Progress) Fest.

The season will start with The Absentee by Julia Doolittle, running September 10-October 4, 2026. The play was the winner of the 2019-2020 Woodward/Newman Drama Award.

Far out in the Milky Way, “Beacons” serve as lighthouses for warping spaceships around the galaxy. When a U.S. Space Force ship explodes in the galaxy, the Operator finds herself alone in deep space, with only her ship’s AI for companionship. That is, until a persistent canvasser calls, desperate to convince her to vote absentee in the 2088 election.

As the Operator waits for the clean up to be over, she finds she has to come to terms with her isolation, grief, and her political voice.

The season's second production comes four months later, with Equivocation by Bill Cain, running February 4-28, 2027. In 1605 England, a terrorist plots to assassinate King James I and blow Parliament to kingdom come. Shagspeare (after a contemporary spelling of the Bard's name) is commissioned by the prime minister, to write the “true historie” of the plot. And it must have witches — the king wants witches.

But as Shag and the acting company of the Globe investigate the plot, they discover that the king's version of the story might, in fact, be a coverup. Shag and his actors are confronted with the ultimate moral and artistic dilemma. Speak truth to power and perhaps lose their heads? Or take the money and lie? Is there a third option? Equivocation?

A high-stakes political thriller with contemporary resonances, Equivocation gallops from the great Globe to the Tower of London to the halls of Parliament to the heart of Judith, Shag's younger daughter, who finds herself unexpectedly at the very heart of the political, dramatic and — ultimately — human mystery.

The final mainstage production of the season comes at the 2027 New Works Festival with Black Republican by KDT Artistic Company Member Jamal Gibran Sterling, running June 3-27, 2027.

Originally featured as a Staged Reading in the 2026 New Works Festival, the ambitious first play by Sterling centers on a Black Republican candidate on the national stage who finds his campaign threatened by an activist who challenges everything he claims to stand for. Their battle exposes uncomfortable truths about race, politics, and the stories we tell ourselves.

In addition to Black Republican, the 2027 New Works Festival will showcase four staged readings of some of the newest and most exciting Texas-based playwrights. Each reading will feature accomplished Dallas-Fort Worth actors and directors to highlight the breadth of talent in the area.

The final part of the festival is D-PAC PUP (Playwrights Under Progress) Fest, featuring six staged readings of jury-selected plays written by Dallas-Fort Worth high school students and featuring student actors directed by area professionals. PUP Fest is the culmination of Dallas Playwriting Arts Collective (D-PAC), a partnership with Dallas ISD and Junior Players.

Kitchen Dog Theater offers two season subscription packages for their inaugural season in their new facility. The Kitchen Dog package includes a ticket to all three mainstage productions for any performance date for $90+ $8 fees for adults and $75 +$8 fees for students and seniors (ages 65+). The Saver Dog package includes a ticket to all three mainstage productions for Thursdays, Fridays, and Sundays only. It is $60 + $8 fees for adults and $45 + $8 fees for students and seniors.

Both packages grant full access to the Staged Reading Series and PUP Fest. Subscribers also receive premium reserved seating for in-person performances, as well as subscriber-only discounts on additional single tickets, 2026 special events, and KDT merchandise.

Subscription packages are on sale now, and single tickets for each show will go on sale on Monday, August 24, at kitchendogtheater.org.

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