If you're a theater fan, then this weekend in and around Dallas will be heaven, as it features the start of no fewer than nine separate local theater productions — plays, musicals, children's theater, decidedly adult theater, and more. Other choices include performances of one of the most famous classical music compositions of all time, a visit from a famous comedian, an opera production, and the final days of an art exhibition.
Below are the best ways to spend your free time this weekend. Want more options? Lucky for you, we have a much longer list of the city's best events.
Thursday, February 6
The Firehouse Theatre presents Million Dollar Quartet
Million Dollar Quartet transports audiences to December 4, 1956, when an extraordinary twist of fate united four music legends - Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Elvis Presley - at the iconic Sun Records studio in Memphis for an unforgettable jam session that made history. The production runs through February 23 at The Firehouse Theatre in Farmers Branch.
Dallas Symphony Orchestra presents "Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony"
No other symphony has such instant recognition as Beethoven’s Fifth. Rising from its four powerful opening chords, it follows a euphoric path from tragedy to triumph, from darkness into the light, uplifting spirits on the journey. Conductor Fabio Luisi will also lead the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and Concertmaster Alexander Kerr in Bruch’s romantic Violin Concerto and the world premiere of Pulitzer Prize-winning Native American composer Raven Chacon’s first major work for orchestra. There will be four performances through Sunday at Meyerson Symphony Center.
Kitchen Dog Theater presents Wakey, Wakey
The first words in Will Eno's play Wakey, Wakey are spoken by Guy, a man who knows, like all of us on some level, that he is about to die. The play questions why we are here and the journeys that everyone takes to eventually get to the same place. Eno challenges what is worth celebrating in life and what is worth treasuring in this moving and funny play. The production runs through February 23 at Beau Bumpas Media in Dallas.
Friday, February 7
Improv Arlington presents Jeremy Piven
You probably know Jeremy Piven from his role as Ari Gold on the HBO series Entourage or from any number of TV and movie parts over his nearly 40-year career. But what you might not know is that he is also on a quest to introduce his fans to an even funnier side with his stand-up comedy show. He'll perform four times through Saturday at Improv Arlington.
Art Centre Theatre presents The Vagina Monologues
An Obie Award-winning whirlwind tour of a forbidden zone, The Vagina Monologues introduces a wildly divergent gathering of female voices, including a six-year-old girl, a septuagenarian New Yorker, a vagina workshop participant, a woman who witnesses the birth of her granddaughter, a Bosnian survivor of rape, and a feminist happy to have found a man who "liked to look at it." The production runs through February 22 at Art Centre Theatre in Plano.
The Dallas Opera presents Orpheus and Eurydice
How far would you go to save your one true love? In this classic myth of unwavering love that celebrates the transcendent power of music, Orpheus descends to the land of shadows to rescue his bride Eurydice. His music charms its gatekeepers, and the gods allow Eurydice to return - on the condition that Orpheus lead her back to the world of the living without gazing upon her face. The opera will have four performances through February 15 at Winspear Opera House.
Richardson Theatre Centre presents The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
In this thrilling stage adaptation of Agatha Christie’s ingenious 1926 novel, the tiny village of King’s Abbot is rocked by scandal when Roger Ackroyd, the wealthiest man in town, is found dead shortly after the apparent suicide of his fiancée. The production runs through March 2 at Richardson Theatre Centre.
Theatre Coppell presents You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown
Based on the beloved Charles Schulz comic strip, You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown finds Charlie Brown and the entire Peanuts bunch exploring life's great questions as they play baseball, struggle with homework, sing songs, swoon over their crushes, and celebrate the joy of friendship. The production runs through February 23 at Coppell Arts Center.
Lewisville Playhouse presents Tigers Be Still
In this family comedy, Sherry Wickman, armed with a new art therapy degree, moves back home, seeking work but facing rejections. Struggling with unemployment, she retreats to her childhood bed until a job offer sparks hope. Now if only her mother would come downstairs, her sister would get off the couch, her very first therapy patient would do just one of his take-home assignments, her new boss would leave his gun at home, and someone would catch the tiger that escaped from the local zoo, everything would be just perfect. The production runs through February 23 at Lewisville Playhouse.
Uptown Players presents we are continuous
The deeply personal story of we are continuous delves into the dynamics between a mother, her son, and his husband as they navigate the perplexities of their interconnected lives. Simon, a gay Black man, and his devout Christian mother, Ora, have always been close. Despite knowing Simon is gay, Ora has avoided discussing his sexuality since he came out at 16. The play illustrates the difficult journey of acceptance and the immense strength needed to mend what is shattered. The production runs through February 23 at Theatre Three.
Saturday, February 8
Cara Mia Theatre presents Tina's Journey
Tina’s Journey (El Viaje de Tina) is about a young girl, her family, and her ancestors who hope to cross the U.S.-Mexico border before the Day of the Dead holidays. Performed in contemporary and Mexican folk masks, the play is a whimsical yet heartfelt production that is an accessible way for young people to learn about the migration of children into the United States. The production runs through February 23 at Latino Cultural Center.
Ochre House Theater presents Fate Complete
Set in the 1960s, Fate Complete follows Evelyn Forsyth, a war child who made it big in the movie industry then gave up her rocketing career to be with the love of her life, William Forsyth, a well-established movie executive. By all appearances, William and Evelyn had the ideal life; however, all is not what it appears to be. Beneath the surface, an abusive cycle is exposed, and Evelyn is left with difficult choices. The production runs through March 1 at Ochre House Theater.
Sunday, February 9
Dallas Museum of Art presents Cecily Brown: "Themes and Variations" closing day
Sunday will be the final day to see "Themes and Variations," a major mid-career retrospective of pioneering British-American painter Cecily Brown, at the Dallas Museum of Art. It is the first exhibition to fully explore Brown's work through the lens of its groundbreaking reconfiguration of cultural politics, bringing together nearly 30 large-scale paintings and drawings from across almost 30 years of her career.
