Curtain Up

Top reasons to see a Broadway show in Dallas this holiday season

There's no need to go to New York when Broadway Dallas is bringing big-name musicals directly to you.

Two major national tours are headed to Big D this holiday season, giving theater fans the chance to experience onstage favorites right here at the Music Hall at Fair Park.

MJ, the multi-Tony Award-winning new musical about Michael Jackson, arrives November 21 and runs through December 3.

The unparalleled artistry of the greatest entertainer of all time is explored in this musical that centers around the creation of Jackson's "Dangerous" world tour in 1992. Many believe this period was an artistic peak for Jackson, who played 69 shows across 3 continents.

MJ includes more than 25 Michael Jackson songs and is directed and choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon and written by two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage.

Wheeldon won the 2022 Tony Award for Best Choreography, and MJ creative team members Rich + Tone Talauega worked with Jackson as back-up dancers on the "HIStory" world tour and on other projects.

Photo by Matthew Murphy

Roman Banks and the cast of the first national tour of MJ.

Soon after MJ moonwalks out of Dallas, the world's most popular musical returns. Les Misérables is here December 20-31, with a brilliant new staging from Cameron Mackintosh for this Tony Award-winning musical phenomenon.

Set against the backdrop of 19th century France, Les Misérables tells an enthralling story of broken dreams and unrequited love, passion, sacrifice and redemption — a timeless testament to the survival of the human spirit.

Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg’s magnificent score of Les Misérables includes the songs “I Dreamed a Dream,” “On My Own,” “Bring Him Home,” “One Day More,” “Master of the House” and many more.

Seen by over 130 million people worldwide in 53 countries and 22 languages, Les Misérables is undisputedly one of the world’s most popular musicals.

But if you think you've seen Les Misérables before, here are some facts to make you reconsider what you know:

The show uses approximately 1,200 costumes and they take up one entire tractor trailer. There are eight wedding ball gowns on stage for less than five minutes, and each dress requires 15 yards of fabric and 50 hours to construct.
Over 88 wigs travel with Les Misérables, and about 40 wigs are used in the show every night.
There are 14 musicians in the pit who play 23 instruments throughout the show.
The production is an audio/visual spectacle. There are 76 moving lights, four separate theatrical fog systems to produce the atmospheric effects, 16 scenic pieces or props that automate on and off stage, and scenic towers that take up an entire tractor trailer and build in two hours with a crew of 16 using four lifting service hoists.
The show takes approximately 21 hours to load in and approximately eight hours to load out, with 11 total trucks moving the production from city to city.
Two-time Broadway Dallas High School Musical Theatre Award winner Haley Dortch (representing Guyer High School in 2019 and 2020) makes her national tour debut as Fantine in this production.

Whether you're looking for an event that the whole family can enjoy together or are simply excited to experience the magic of Broadway here in Dallas, you'll want to buy your tickets now.

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Music and Fashion

Miranda Lambert's 'Velvet Rodeo' wardrobe stars in new DFW exhibition

“Miranda Lambert: Velvet Rodeo” at National Cowgirl Museum & Hall of Fame

Photo by Tyler Conrad

“Miranda Lambert: Velvet Rodeo” will open on November 7 at the National Cowgirl Museum & Hall of Fame.

Country star Miranda Lambert is bringing a bit of Las Vegas glamour and bling to North Texas. Her one-of-a-kind wardrobe from her "Velvet Rodeo" residency will go on display at the National Cowgirl Museum & Hall of Fame in Fort Worth when its new Icons Gallery opens November 7.

According to a release, the exhibition, called "Miranda Lambert: Velvet Rodeo," was created in collaboration with Lambert, and will feature costumes from the singer's Las Vegas residency, which ran from September 2022 to April 2024.

Lambert said her inspiration came from an earlier visit to the Fort Worth museum, where she spotted historic Western pieces that she photographed and sent to her stylist, Tiffany Gifford. They combined those influences with the glitz of Elvis Presley's heyday to create the "Velvet Rodeo" wardrobe.

“Seeing these pieces now have a life beyond the stage as part of the Museum’s new Icons Gallery feels really full circle and special,” Lambert said in a statement.

Visitors will now have the opportunity to study garments usually seen in motion and under stage lights, appreciating the details that help transform clothing into an essential part of a performance.

The Icons Gallery is part of the Museum’s 16,000-square-foot expansion, which introduces new galleries and experiences that explore the accomplishments and influence of women of the West. The $19 million expansion features a new entrance facing Dickies Arena, new galleries including a photography gallery, an event space accommodating up to 250, and the new Cowgirl Carousel.

Miranda Lambert, right, with rodeo queens onstage at the 45th Cowgirl Hall of Fame Induction Luncheon at Dickies Arena. Photo by Ashley Gongora

Lambert, who was inducted into the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame in 2021, is an active mounted shooting competitor and horsewoman, giving her a connection to the West that reaches beyond her music. "Velvet Rodeo" brings together Lambert's identity as a cowgirl and her creative expression as a performer.

“Miranda’s confidence, determination and independence make her a wonderful representative of the women we honor,” says Pat Riley, executive director of the National Cowgirl Museum & Hall of Fame, in the release. “Opening our Icons Gallery with this collaboration celebrates her accomplishments while giving visitors a new way to connect with a cowgirl they know and admire.”

According to a museum spokesperson, the temporary exhibition will remain on display for at least one year; no specific end date was given.

In preparation for the expansion grand opening, the Cowgirl will be closed to the public beginning October 19 and will reopen November 7, with a members-only preview at 10 am and a public opening at noon.

celebrities country music exhibitions-visual-arts fashion miranda lambert museums music national cowgirl museum temporary exhibition