Theater Critic Picks

Spanish puppets + Shakespeare under the stars: 16 DFW shows for June

Shakespeare Dallas presents The Importance of Being Earnest

Shakespeare Dallas kicks off its summer season with Oscar Wilde's "The Importance of Being Earnest."

Photo by Jordan Fraker

We have all sorts of creatures and characters roaming Dallas-Fort Worth this month, from dancing cats and lions to Greek muses, heavenly workers, and Spanish-speaking puppets. You also get the choice of glorious air conditioning or spreading out your picnic blanket at Samuell-Grand Amphitheater to see Shakespeare under the stars. Summer theater season has begun!

Here are the 16 shows, listed in order of start date:

Cats
Casa Mañana, through June 8
Casa Mañana's Cats will have magic, mystery, and a Texas twist on the Broadway classic. This production of Cats maintains the original script and score while reimagining the setting in the Fort Worth Stockyards.

The Lion King
Broadway Dallas, June 4-July 3
Giraffes strut. Birds swoop. Gazelles leap. The entire Serengeti comes to life as never before. And as the music soars, Pride Rock slowly emerges from the mist. More than 100 million people around the world have experienced the visual artistry, the music, and the uniquely theatrical storytelling of this Broadway spectacular. Right across the parking lot, the American American Museum is hosting a special — and free — exhibition of masks and puppets from The Lion King.

Ain't No Mo
Soul Rep Theatre Company, June 5-8
This is the North Texas premiere of Fort Worth native playwright Jordan E. Cooper's work, which premiered on Broadway in 2022 and was nominated for six Tony Awards, including Best Play. Through a blend of sketch, satire, avant-garde theatre and a dose of drag, Ain’t No Mo’ answers the incendiary question: What if the United States government offered Black Americans one-way plane tickets to Africa? This production kicks off Black Broadway Summer, a partnership between three DFW theaters to celebrate and promote recent Broadway plays by Black playwrights.

Xanadu
Theatre Three, June 5-July 6
This high-energy, roller-skating extravaganza brings the 1980 cult film to life on stage. Set in Venice Beach, California, the musical follows Sonny Malone, a struggling artist who encounters Kira, a beautiful Greek muse. With Kira's guidance and a touch of divine inspiration, they embark on a mission to revive a rundown roller disco and reignite Sonny's artistic passion.

The Fall of Heaven
Jubilee Theatre, June 6-July 13
Set in a captivating realm where celestial beings navigate the complexities of human existence, the enchanting The Fall of Heaven offers a fresh perspective on love, laughter, and the pursuit of happiness. As the heavenly bureaucracy faces a crisis of cosmic proportions, audiences are treated to a delightful blend of wit, wisdom, and wondrous imagination.

Open
Echo Theatre, June 6-21
Open is a one-woman show that asks the audience to believe in the magic of love. The Magician must perform the impossible to save the life of her partner, Jenny. The clock is ticking, the show must go on, and this magician’s act may offer our last hope against a world filled with intolerance and hate.

Moulin Rouge! The Musical
Broadway at the Bass, June 10-15
Baz Luhrmann’s revolutionary film comes to life onstage, remixed in a new musical mash-up extravaganza. The production is a theatrical celebration of truth, beauty, freedom, and — above all — love.

The Importance of Being Earnest
Shakespeare Dallas, June 11-July 18
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.

An Iliad
Undermain Theatre, June 12-29
This encore presentation of a modern-day retelling of Homer's classic revives the landmark production from 2012 and 2019, all starring Bruce DuBose. The setting is simple: the empty theater. The time is now: the present moment. The lone figure onstage is a storyteller, possibly Homer, possibly one of the many bards who followed in his footsteps. He is fated to tell this story throughout history.

Sherlock Holmes and the Adventure of the Fallen Soufflé
Stage West Theatre, June 12-29
It’s the eve of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, but her son, the playboy Prince of Wales, and French chef Auguste Escoffier have just turned up at 221B Baker Street in the thick of scandal and blackmail. Royal vice, priceless gems, and gourmet food abound in this new action-packed whodunit. Noted sleuth Sherlock Holmes reunites with his beloved Irene Adler and his partner Dr. Watson for their tastiest and most bizarre case yet.

SparkFest
Amphibian Stage, June 13-22
Amphibian Stage's SparkFest is annual celebration of live entertainment. This year, SparkFest shines a spotlight on the Native American and Indigenous community, offering an array of events, including theater, live music, storytelling, and poetry.

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
Dallas Theater Center, June 13-July 13
This classic Broadway musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice is based on the Bible’s Book of Genesis. It tells the journey of Joseph, son of Jacob, his 12 brothers, and his coat of many colors.

Othello
Shakespeare Dallas, June 18-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.

A Strange Loop
Circle Theatre, June 19-July 12
This is the regional premiere Michael R‭. ‬Jackson‭'s Pulitzer Prize-winning musical, which also took home the 2022‭ ‬Tony Award for Best Musical‭. It ‬offers a bold and exhilarating dive into the life of Usher‭, ‬a Black queer musical theater writer navigating his identity‭, ‬creativity‭, ‬and personal challenges as he crafts a show about his own complex journey‭.‬

The Billy Club Puppets
Hip Pocket Theatre, June 20-July 13
A mixture of commedia del arte, flamenco dancing, and puppetry, The Billy Club Puppets (Los títeres de cachiporra) is a poignant farce by Federico Garcia Lorca. Will Rosita marry her love, Cocoliche, or be whisked away by the miserly Don Cristobol? The broad tragicomedy is told in Lorca's original Spanish with English translations.

The Addams Family
Broadway at the Center, June 26-28
Wednesday Addams, the ultimate princess of darkness, has grown up and fallen in love with a sweet, smart young man from a respectable family. A man her parents have never met. And if that weren’t upsetting enough, she confides in her father and begs him not to tell her mother. Now, Gomez Addams must do something he’s never done before: keep a secret from his beloved wife, Morticia. Everything will change for the whole family on the fateful night they host a dinner for Wednesday’s “normal” boyfriend and his parents.

Dance Off

Texas ballet company turns Timothée Chalamet dig into genius promotion

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It was a shot fired from Austin that rang out around the art world: In a recent CNN/Variety Town Hall featuring actors Timothée Chalamet and Matthew McConaughey, Chalamet offered an assessment of ballet and opera that immediately went viral.

During the onstage conversation at the University of Texas at Austin, Chalamet said, "I don't want to be working in ballet or opera, or you know, things where it's like, 'hey, keep this thing alive, even though like no one cares about this anymore.' All respect to the ballet and opera people out there. I just lost 14 cents in viewership."

Chalamet immediately seemed to experience a twinge of regret, awkwardly adding, "But um...damn, I just took shots for no reason." He also sang a note and hid his face behind the cards he was holding.

Stars of the art forms, from Andrea Bocelli to Misty Copeland, immediately began to leap (jeté, if you will) to the the defense of opera and ballet.

In a genius marketing move, Austin's hometown ballet company is taking the unique opportunity to turn a hot topic into a promotion for its next production: Ballet Austin is inviting anyone named Timothée, Timothee, or Timothy to claim a free ticket to its upcoming world premiere of Marie Antoinette: Vampire Queen of Versailles, running March 27-29 at the Long Center for the Performing Arts.

"Timothée… you were in Austin? We were literally down the street," a Ballet Austin post says. "Austin has brisket. Austin has music. Austin also has ballet."

All Timothées and folks with similar names will have to do to claim a ticket is send a message to Ballet Austin on social media and show identification. Everyone else who wants to see the supernatural show where "the line between victim and villain blurs" will have to purchase a ticket ($25-$125) at balletaustin.org.

Ballet Austin Marie Antoinette: Vampire Queen of Versailles Ballet Austin isn't afraid to add some edge to classic stories. Photo courtesy of Ballet Austin

Even if Chalamet's words were dismissive, he's obviously not wrong about the relative distribution of public interest between the classical arts and major films like Marty Supreme, the late 2025 film he stars in and is busy promoting. The film's commercially successful release set a record for A24, an already renowned studio.

Chalamet brought up ballet and opera in service of a larger point about pacing in movies. He said he exists in a middle ground as a consumer between wanting to be drawn in early and being more patient as a film progresses. Ultimately, he juxtaposed Barbie and Oppenheimer with the classical arts, pointing out that if the masses want to go see a film, they will "be loud and proud about it" organically, without needing performers to advocate for the seriousness of the art form.

Coincidentally, there couldn't be a better counterpoint to this argument than Marie Antoinette: Vampire Queen of Versailles.

As the title suggests, the story follows historical figure Marie Antoinette as she chooses to become a vampire, seeking "power, immortality, and vengeance," according to a press release. It takes a somewhat silly premise and gives it dramatic gravitas, with an original score by Austin composer Graham Reynolds, who is known outside of classical circles and sometimes composes for movie soundtracks.

"For Ballet Austin, the moment is an opportunity to remind audiences that ballet isn’t fading away," says a release about the new promotion. "It’s evolving, drawing new audiences and continuing to thrive in creative cities like Austin."

If Chalamet really does fall in the middle of instant and delayed artistic gratification, this sounds like the perfect production to draw him in.

And perhaps Ballet Austin should add people named Matthew to their promotion, since McConaughey threw the younger star a bone after his momentary walk-back, saying, "That's not a shot — I hear what you're saying."

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Stephanie Allmon Merry contributed to this story.

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