Largest pickleball tournament is coming to Rockwall with coverage on TV

Pickleball News

USA Pickleball Association/Facebook

A pickleball tournament is coming to town that will draw some of the biggest names in the field, as well as coverage on TV.

It's the Selkirk Texas Open, a professional and amateur pickleball tournament hosted by the Carvana PPA Tour that'll feature more than 1,500 registered athletes and welcome thousands of spectators and fans.

The tournament takes place at the Oasis Pickleball Club in Rockwall, at 5757 State Hwy 205, on June 1-4 from 10 am-6 pm. The 2023 event marks the fourth year PPA Tour returns to Rockwall.

The Selkirk Texas Open is positioned not only as the largest PPA Tour event in the history of pickleball, but also the largest pickleball tournament ever held in Texas. Much large.

This event is the first time that the PPA Tour has partnered with USA Pickleball, pickleball’s governing body, on a Golden Ticket Event.

Golden Tickets provide entry to the USA Pickleball National Championships, the crown jewel of pickleball competition, which will take place in Texas November 4-12, 2023 and host nearly 5,000 registered players.

Texas is practically Pickleball Central; it's home to more professional players than any other state, including Ben Johns, Riley Newman, Collin Johns, Lea Jansen, Vivienne David, Julian Arnold, Lauren Stratman, Dekel Bar, DJ Young, Zane Navratil, Lina Padegimaite, and Thomas Wilson.

Some of those players including world’s top male and female pros, including Ben Johns (Men’s No. 1), and Anna Leigh Waters (Women’s No. 1), Riley Newman (Men’s No. 2), and Anna Bright (Women’s No. 2), will be competing in this event.

They'll face off against pros from Russia, Slovakia, France, Germany, Israel, Mexico, and Canada. This pickleball thing has gone international.

They'll be competing for a total of $238,314 in prize money.

Aside from the massive influx of pickleball players and the sheer pickleball momentum, the tournament will also be covered on ESPN and CBS Sports. Major big deal. Also an opportunity to get yourself on TV even if it would only be a tiny speck in the audience sea.

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New touring pop-up bar hitting Dallas will have Peter Pan pirate theme

Pop-Up News

Ahoy matey, who remembers pop-up bars? There's a new one coming to Dallas with a Peter Pan theme. Called Neverland, it'll open on an undisclosed location on Knox Street for two weeks in September.

That may seem like a long way off, but it's never too soon to start buying tickets, which will be $47 per person, and they're on sale now.

Neverland is a national touring concept from Viral Ventures, an event management company based in Sydney, Australia, with themed pop-up experience: Prior tours include The Alice Cocktail Experience and The Wizard's Den.

It will be an "immersive" experience, IE Instagrammable, summoning the characters and milieu of Peter Pan, the century-old fable about a boy who never grows up. Roomlets will include:

the Blue Lagoon
the Jolly Roger
the Lost Boys Hideout
the bedroom of Wendy, John, & Michael
the Island of Neverland

There will also be sports: hook toss, archery, walking the plank to collect gold coins, and saving Tinkerbell.

You can stand in front of neon wings and take your picture; pose with guys in costumes; raise a toast to guys in swashbuckling shirts; or sit in a hanging basket chair and pray that the combined weight of you and your beloved does not exceed its legal capacity.

A Tiki Bar will serve themed drinks including pixie dust shots and Mai Tais.

Dallas is but the latest city for the tour, which has previously hit towns such as Atlanta, Vancouver, Denver, San Francisco, and Columbus, Ohio.

The Dallas run will extend from September 6-17. It's a 90-minute experience and the $47 cover includes one welcome drink and two cocktails. Saving Tinkerbell is free.

Organizers aren't divulging the exact address other than Knox Street, stating that "we're unable to release the venue name yet." Such intrigue, where could it be? Maybe the Z Gallerie space, though technically that is on McKinney Avenue. Maybe the La Duni space but that's listed for rent. Maybe the little Highland Park Pharmacy building but that would surely be sacrilege.

Neverland will not be the only campy themed pop-up bar landing in Dallas in September: There's Karen's Diner, a "sassy" diner in which servers give customers lip, also from Australia, quite the coinkydinky, coming to Deep Ellum for two nights, September 16-17.

Toastique

DC toast concept Toastique pops first Texas location in Dallas

Toast News

There's a toast concept opening its very first location in Texas and that location will be in Dallas: Called Toastique, it's a fast-casual gourmet toast and juice bar concept, and it's opening in the new Work/Shop development at 5455 Belt Line Rd., on the Dallas/Addison border.

According to a a release, it'll open in fall 2023.

Toastique was founded in Washington DC in 2018 by entrepreneur and former college athlete Brianna Keefe, a lifelong health buff who began making smoothies and juice as early as high school, and who developed a menu of toasts including her original avocado toast.

There are currently 16 locations in DC, Colorado, New Jersey, Utah, Pennsylvania, Florida, and Virginia, with more in the wings.

The menu features gourmet toasts, cold-pressed juices, smoothies, and acai bowls, for consumption on site or to go.

The toasts include:

Avocado Smash - Avocado / Marinated Tomatoes / Watermelon Radish / Micro Greens / on a Multigrain Toast
3 Cheese Italian - Prosciutto / Jarlsberg / Fontina / Onion Jam / Arugula / Micro Greens on a Jalapeño Cheddar
Tuscan Tuna - Sundried Tomato Tuna / Bibb Lettuce / Kalamata Olive / Capers / Tomato on Rustico Toast
Spicy Crab - Lump Crab / Melted Swiss and Fontina / Sriracha Oil / Tomato / Bibb Lettuce / Jalapeño / Microgreens on a Rustico Toast
Tomato Buratta - Herbed Ricotta / Tomato / Buratta/ Basil / on Rustico Toast
PB Crunch - Honey Roasted Peanut Butter / Bananas / Strawberries / Granola / Chia Seeds / Honey / Mint - on Raisin Walnut Toast
Smoked Salmon - Smoked Pastrami Salmon / Herb Cream Cheese Spread / Thinly Sliced Cucumbers / on Sourdough Toast
Greek - Hummus / Arugula / Feta / Cherry Tomato / Cucumber / Red Onion / Parsley / Greek Dressing / Kalamata Olives on Rustico Toast

There's also bowls like PB + Banana with acai, blueberry, peanuts, granola, dates, and honey-roasted peanut butter drizzle; and Blue Mystique with blue spirulina, banana, pineapple, mango, almond milk, granola, coconut, and honey drizzle. Plus smoothies and juices.

Venture Commercial Real Estate brokers Amanda Welles, Amy Pjetrovic, and Mia Urena negotiated the 1,112-square-foot lease on behalf of Work/Shop owners Triten Real Estate Partners. Toastique was represented by Jake Sherrington and Rachel Tomlison of Shop Companies.

“Toastique’s focus on quality ingredients and health are a great pairing for the lifestyle that enhances our mixed-use development,” says Triten Real Estate Partners' John Hardaway. “The newly developed retail, 30,000 square feet of added green space specifically developed for health, wellness and events will create a vibrant sense of place for visitors, office tenants and consumers.”

The Work/Shop address has undergone a renovation, with retail and creative office space on 12 acres neighboring Prestonwood Country Club and White Rock Creek.

Scheduled to open in late spring/early summer, Work/Shop will be filled with retail shops, restaurants, entertainment venues, and offices. Toastique will join tenants that include EVO Entertainment, San Martin Bakery, My Eye Dr., Crisp & Green, and Mesero.

Saint Rocco's

Speakeasy named for Bonnie & Clyde hangout opens at Dallas' Trinity Groves

Speakeasy News

West Dallas eatertainment complex Trinity Groves has a little of everything but now it has the missing piece: a speakeasy.

Called Devil's Back Porch, it's a Prohibition bar concept which will be located in an unexpected site: the second floor of Saint Rocco’s, the New York-inspired Italian restaurant with red sauce pastas, chicken parmesan, and pizza founded by Phil Romano.

According to a release, the bar located at 3011 Gulden Ln. has become one of the best spots in town to gather for a drink and gaze at the downtown skyline. Saint Rocco executive chef and co-owner Jay Valley decided to give the second-floor space a a little mystery, a little intrigue, a little extra pizzazz, and voila, Devil’s Back Porch was born.

“This Prohibition-era speakeasy is the perfect complement to Saint Rocco’s and our New York Italian roots,” Valley says.

It's slated to open on May 25.

The bar is named for Devil’s Back Porch, the infamous nickname for a West Dallas escape route during the Great Depression for gangsters running from the law. What's now called Singleton Boulevard used to be known as Eagle Ford Road, and provided a getaway over the West Fork of the Trinity River.

The area hosted many notorious characters over the years, including Bonnie and Clyde, who grew up nearby and had family in West Dallas during their 1930s crime spree.

Devil's Back Porch will serve a menu of classic cocktails, like the Godfather (scotch, amaretto, lemon); a mezcal-laced riff on the Corpse Reviver No. 2; and the Bee Sting, a spicy version of the Bee’s Knees.

They'll also serve food courtesy of Jay Valley and the Saint Rocco’s team, including chicken wings, spicy chicken sandwich, cheeseburger, lobster quesadillas, and cannoli.

Speakeasy bars have surfaced as a trend in recent years, which CultureMap isolated and documented in 2021 with this ground-breaking roundup.

Since that was published, more speakeasy bars have emerged including Room 520 at the Sova boutique hotel; Magnum Room at the Hotel Vin in Grapevine; The Branca Room inside Chimichurri restaurant; Red Phone Booth in the Grotto at Grandscape; and The Wilfred at Lakeside Market in Plano.

One of the key traits of the speakeasy bar is a complicated entry, and Devil's Back Porch has that covered: Patrons will enter through a separate back entrance into a room awash in red and black, with gangster photos displayed on the walls.

Bar staff will be outfitted in black vests and newsboy caps and the space will boast a dart board, pool table, and poker table. They'll also host events, such as birthday parties, casino nights, and parties. They'll be open Thursday-Saturday from 5 pm-12 am, with a happy hour from 5-7 pm.

"We can’t wait to serve good food and classic drinks in a fun, throwback atmosphere where our guests can live it up like the old days," Valley says.

Kathy Tran

Ice House beer garden and golf lounge swing into PGA Frisco Resort

Duffer News

PGA Frisco, the golf-themed entertainment district located in, yes, Frisco, is welcoming two new dining concepts, including a buzzy Austin-style beer garden and a lounge.

Located at 3255 PGA Pkwy., they offer a casual, indoor/outdoor venue, to as well as indoor space featuring simulated golf.

PGA Frisco is the public/private partnership between the PGA of America, Omni Hotels & Resorts, the City of Frisco, and the Frisco Independent School District. The campus includes golf courses, Omni hotel, and the Monument Realty PGA District, an entertainment and retail zone.

On to the new venues!

Ice House
Ice House is a casual indoor/outdoor beer garden open for lunch and dinner daily with frozen drinks, draft beers, BBQ, and burgers.

Monument Realty PGA District executive chef Adam Solowitz describes it as "a space meant for families and friends to kick back and relax, play games, sip on cold drinks and enjoy delicious food meant to be shared."

They have an in-house pitmaster, along with frozen margaritas, spiked iced tea, and lemonade. Menu highlights include

Smoked meat plate - half pound of smoked ribs, sausage, brisket, or chicken
Smothered fries with choice of smoked meat, brazos gouda, fennel slaw, sour pickle, chipotle-pineapple kewpie
Pitmaster Burger with slaw, bacon jam, fried onion, pepper jack, kewpie, on brioche bun

Chopped Salad contains iceberg, Romaine, avocado, river whey bleu, cherry tomato, pickled onion, charred corn, and blackberry vinaigrette. Dessert is a Peanut Butter Ice Cream Sandwich.

"Texas-sized" frozen drinks include the Frozen Transfusion with Tito's Handmade Vodka, Owen's Transfusion mix, and concord grape juice; and the Frozen Palmer with Deep Eddy Lemon Vodka and Kelvin Slush Citrus plus tea mix.

Regular cocktails include the Dirty Shirley with Tito's Handmade Vodka, Liber & Co. grenadine syrup, lemon-lime soda, and cherry popsicle.

There's seating for 300 inside and outside, overlooking the Toptracer driving ranch and The Swing short course; yard games including cornhole and connect four; and six hitting bays with Toptracer technology and stunning views.

Lounge by Topgolf
The Lounge by Topgolf is an indoor elevated sports bar equipped with Topgolf Swing Suite technology and a library of virtual games. The menu includes craft cocktails, chef-driven fare, in a atmosphere designed to be fun for golfers and non-golfers alike.

The menu features salads, pizzas, local draft beer, and elevated cocktails. According to chef Solowitz, they pulled inspiration for the menu from popular foods where golf courses are located around the world.

Standouts include:

Deviled Eggs with pickled beets, pork belly and harissa remoulade
Queso Fundido - chorizo, heirloom tomato, pickled onion, pepitas
Green Pea Hummus - labneh, spring vegetables, dukkha, served with grilled naan
Smokehouse Pizza - house BBQ sauce, brisket, brazos smoked gouda, escabeche
SmashBurger - brazos cheddar, LTO, pub sauce, on a brioche bun
Salmon - served with couscous, pea puree, vadouvan, tzatziki

Cocktails include the Rabbit Hole in One, with Rabbit Hole Boxer Grail Rye, Amaro Montenegro, Liber & Co. Caramelized Fig Syrup, black walnut bitters, and Filthy Black Cherry.

Games offered include hockey, golf, and bowling with simulation bays for small gatherings with friends and family.

The space seats 200 people and features modern interpretations of traditional golf elements. It's also open daily for lunch and dinner.

PGA Frisco
The restaurants are part of PGA Frisco's 660-acre campus, combining playability, practice, and fun programming, centered on The Home of the PGA, and which includes:

Fields Ranch, with two 18-hole championship golf courses and a state-of-the-art clubhouse
Omni PGA Frisco Resort, with 500 guest rooms, suites, 10 four-bedroom villa-style Ranch Houses, three pools, a spa, and a meeting/event space
Monument Realty PGA District, which features The Swing, a lighted 10-hole short course; The Dance Floor, a lighted 2-acre putting course; and a retail and entertainment district, including outdoor area for concerts and events.
The Jerry J. Ransom Northern Texas PGA Golf House.

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Restaurant in Lewisville will do a highly original omakase take on Italian

Pasta News

An innovative new Italian restaurant is coming to Lewisville with unexpected credentials: Called Moonglow, it's an Italian restaurant created by a Japanese chef! Go figure — and will open in the Castle Hills Village Shops & Plaza at 2540 King Arthur Blvd. in May.

Moonglow is from Akira Imamura, a native of Japan who already runs a traditional ramen restaurant called Ramen Izakaya Akira, which he opened in Lewisville in 2018, where he's been serving up his acclaimed ramen and dumplings.

But Imamura has history with Italian food; he once owned an Italian restaurant in Japan and loves the cuisine. When a chiropractor office next door to his ramen spot moved to another location, he seized the space to open this spin-off.

"I run a ramen restaurant, and I love ramen," Imamura says. "But I also love making pasta — making it for customers and making it for staff."

He's also bringing a one-of-a-kind twist to the category: An Italian restaurant with an omakase style menu, says his partner and manager Yoshi Kawakami. At Asian restaurants, omakase is where you leave everything up to the chef.

"It's going to be Italian fine dining, but we'll offer set course menus — an omakase experience," Kawakami says. "Akira owned an Italian restaurant for 20 years in Nagoya, Japan, and it was the same concept: an omakase experience but with Italian food."

"His initial plan was always to do an Italian restaurant, and now he's finally achieving his dream," Kawakami says.

MoonGlow / Ramen Akira MoonGlow and Ramen Akira, two restaurant siblings side by side.Akira Imamura

In preparation for the opening, Imamura is currently creating an "inventory" of 50 to 60 dishes including classics such as Bolognese, carbonara, pasta puttanesca, aglio olio peperoncino (garlic, olive oil, and chile pepper), and foccaccia studded with grape tomatoes and olives.

"The plan is to change the menu bi-weekly," Kawakami says. "It'll be a six-course menu that changes every other week, where customers can choose from three options."

With Imamaura, even a dish that may appear to be a simple preparation, such as spaghetti con la colatura di alici, is layered with ingredients: clams, scallops, anchovies, capers, olives, garlic, tomatoes, olive oil, chiles, parmagiano reggiano, Italian parsley, and vegetable broth.

The chef has been testing the waters at Ramen Izakaya by offering some of these as specials in a cool-and-crazy Japanese-Italian fusion.

"A lot of our regular customers at Ramen Izakaya are already fans of his Italian food, since they've been able to order it as a special," Kawakami says. "They tell me that they'd eat anything he does. They don't order, they sit at bar and wait for whatever Akira brings out."

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Endless creativity of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse keeps superhero story in overdrive

Movie Review

The blast of pure fun that was 2018’s Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse accomplished several goals, but none more important than reclaiming the character from being part of just the Marvel Cinematic Universe. By not participating in the never-ending connecting stories of the MCU, the filmmakers could do whatever they wanted, first and foremost using Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) instead of Peter Parker as its main character.

It was also at the forefront of multiversal storytelling that has become the rage in the MCU and elsewhere. Given the multitude of Spider characters that have existed in the comics over the years, it was uniquely suited to telling a story with people from multiple universes. That concept is taken to the nth degree with Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, a film that has seemingly limitless levels of creativity.

Miles, having separated from Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld), Peter B. Parker (Jake Johnson), and other Spider-people at the end of the first film, is doing well as the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, casually protecting people from threats big and small. But when a highly unusual villain named The Spot (Jason Schwartzman) proves especially tricky, a series of events has Miles follow Gwen into a portal where he encounters every other Spider character in existence.

Lest you think that’s hyperbole, among the people he meets are Jessica Drew/Spider-Woman (Issa Rae), Miguel O’Hara/Spider-Man 2099 (Oscar Isaac), Hobie Brown/Spider-Punk (Daniel Kaluuya), Ben Reilly/Scarlet Spider (Andy Samberg), and Spider-Man India (Karan Soni), and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Revelations made while meeting all of them lead Miles to a whole new understanding of himself and the multiverse in general, with far-reaching consequences.

The filmmakers, once again led by writers/producers Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, fill the screen with so many visual elements that at times it can be overwhelming, but in the best possible way. Unlike most animated films, there are multiple different styles employed throughout, and never knowing what to expect gives the film a kineticism that borders on manic, although it always stops short of being incomprehensible.

The storytelling is much more complex this time around, no surprise since it involves so many more characters. But the personal stories of each of the Spider characters, especially Miles and Gwen, maintain a grounded nature that keeps the plot anchored even while delving into increasingly fantastical territory.

Although this film deals with some darker themes, there is still plenty of humor to be had. The intersection of so many Spider characters highlights their differences, and the way they interact can’t help but be entertaining. Miles is still a 15-year-old kid, and the way he navigates the world(s) has a lightness to it that is a sharp contrast to the various adults in his life.

Moore, who’s not as well-known as some of his co-stars, has proven to be the perfect voice for Miles, making him relatable and powerful at the same time. Everyone else gives similarly great performances, although the fact that many of them are famous for their non-voicework doesn’t really play a factor in how well they come across here.

A third film, Beyond the Spider-Verse, is teased with a cliffhanger, and unlike other franchises where multiple films are unnecessary, there are no such reservations here. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse equals the success of the first film, and there is no doubt that the filmmakers will bring the same level of attention to detail to the end of the trilogy.

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Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse opens in theaters on June 2.

Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures Animation

Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.

Gourmet 'better' burger fast-food restaurant in North Dallas says bye

Burger News

An innovative Dallas restaurant that tried to make a better fast-food burger has closed: Bizzy Burger, which opened by the Galleria at 13251 Montfort Dr. in November, closed its doors at the end of May.

The concept was founded by restaurant mastermind Mark Brezinski to embrace the "better burger" trend but in a fast-food setting, founded by restaurant mastermind Mark Brezinski, who said in an email that they were unable to make a go of it.

"We had an incredibly loyal following that was growing slowly and mirrored our most recent reviews, just not enough," he said.

"It is a brutal fact for all new businesses that it takes time to build a new brand and that success is always measured in revenue first and foremost," he said. "We simply could not get the traction we needed despite stellar ratings on Google and Yelp. Not that all ratings determine success, but reading reviews helps others get an idea and that idea being shared was that Bizzy could have become the 'disrupter' of the fast food burger world."

Brezinski's idea was to do a quick-serve restaurant like a McDonald's or Wendy's, with premium burgers but at an affordable price, and he recruited credentialed chef John Franke to help devise the menu, which definitely had gourmet elements, including burgers made from HeartBrand Premium Akaushi Beef, from Harwood, Texas; and buns from foodie favorite King's Hawaiian, known for their fluffy texture and sweet taste.

Its veggie burger was particularly unique, with thinly sliced eggplant, red pepper, mushroom, and squash that formed an irresistible "stack."

The biggest and perhaps most welcome distinction was that Bizzy departed from the current trend of obscenely large burgers (half-pound and up) by featuring smaller patties a la White Castle, the Ohio-based chain known for its petite burgers.

Bizzy was a participant in the Burger Throwdown at CultureMap's 2023 Tastemaker Awards, and also recently hosted a clever promotion where they challenged people to compare their burgers to a Big Mac.

After efforts to renegotiate the lease stalled, the decision was made to vacate the space immediately.

Brezinski says he has faith in the concept and hopes to continue to operate the location at Sky Harbor Airport as well as make use of the Bizzy food truck in Dallas.

"My team executed the brand perfectly, the food quality and hospitality were always given great reviews, and I think the brand still has a future," he said. "Our concept of 'better fast food' has a future but unfortunately not on Montfort any longer."

These are the 18 must-see shows in Dallas-Fort Worth theater for June

Theater Critic Picks

It's a joke in the news industry that things more or less slow down in the summer, but theater apparently never got that note.

This summery month sees 18 — one more than last month! — shows opening in Dallas-Fort Worth, plus the return of Shakespeare in the Park, a special role reprisal, and concerts by two absolute Broadway legends.

In order of start date, here are 18 local shows to watch this month:

Cruel Intentions: The '90s Musical
Uptown Players, through June 11
In an epic game of cat and mouse, two diabolically charming step-siblings place a bet and vow to destroy anyone who gets in their way. Seduced by passion and revenge, this devious duo spins a web of dangerous liaisons and find themselves entangled in the cruelest game of all: love. Based on the cult classic film and featuring favorite '90s hits, this new jukebox musical is utterly intoxicating. This is a co-production with Fort Worth's Stage West.

The Last Flapper
Belle Sauvage, through June 11
Is she mad… or just angry? Alone in a mental hospital, Zelda Fitzgerald, icon of the Jazz age, asks the questions her doctor should have. Did F. Scott steal her words? Did he claim she was insane just to gain his freedom? Can a woman decide her own fate? In this poignant, playful, and truthful one-woman show, Zelda finally gets to tell her side of the story. Adapted and performed by award-winning Dallas actress Catherine D. DuBord and directed by award-winning Texan Lydia Mackay, the historical play wrestles with issues that are not at all a thing of the past.

SparkFest
Amphibian Stage, through June 14
SparkFest features a variety of events, workshops, performances, staged readings, and parties over a two-week period. See the link for full schedule.

Tiny Beautiful Things
Circle Theatre, through June 17
The play is based on Cheryl Strayed’s journey as the beloved anonymous advice columnist for “Dear Sugar.” Over the years, thousands of people turned to “Sugar” for words of wisdom, compassion, and hope. Reluctant to claim that she has all the answers, Sugar looks to her own past and draws on her life experiences to bring light, laughter, and humanity to others.

The Way She Spoke
Undermain Theatre, through June 18
This haunting and theatrical one-woman play travels from the stage to the treacherous streets of Juárez, Mexico, where thousands of women have been murdered in an epidemic of violence that has yet to stop. Written by Isaac Gómez based on his intimate interviews, the play is a raw and riveting exploration of responsibility: one playwright's journey to give voice to a city of women silenced by violence, fear, and a world that has turned a deaf ear to their stories.

Next to Normal
Theatre Three, through July 2
The Goodman family is just a “normal” family: Dad's an architect, mom packs lunches and makes birthday cakes, and their daughter and son are bright, wise-cracking teens. Under the surface, their family is anything but. Next to Normal is an emotionally charged, Tony Award-winning musical that explores a family’s raw and emotional journey with a mother struggling with chronic bipolar disorder as they navigate a world of therapists and medication.

Praise the Lord and Raise the Roof
Jubilee Theatre, June 2-18
Written by Celeste B. Walker, this light-hearted comedy is set in the fictional town of Rule Hill County, Virginia, where an African American church takes in a friendly white drifter amidst fear and suspicion about a rash of local church burnings. When tragedy strikes, they must reconcile their own prejudice with their Christianity.

Miss Saigon
Casa Mañana, June 3-11
In the turmoil of the Vietnam War, Chris, an American soldier, and Kim, a Vietnamese girl, fall in love and marry but are distressingly separated when Saigon falls. As years pass, Chris, remarries and attempts to move on with his life. Kim, however, gives birth to Chris’ son and waits faithfully for Chris’ return. When circumstances bring Chris back to Vietnam, he learns the truth. Legendary actor Lou Diamond Phillips stars as The Engineer.

Much Ado About Nothing
Shakespeare Dallas, June 7-July 16
For some in Much Ado About Nothing, love begins at first sight. For others, love has been forsworn. The war is over. Pedro Prince of Aragon, with his followers Benedick and Claudio, visits Leonato, Duke of Messina, father of Hero and uncle of Beatrice. Claudio fights for his love for Hero, and Benedick has forsworn women until his friends make him believe that he has caught the eye of Lady Beatrice. It plays in repertory with Two Gentlemen of Verona.

The Last Truck Stop
Kitchen Dog Theater, June 8-25
The Mainstage production of the 25th annual New Works Festival, The Last Truck Stop is a world-premiere production that centers on a tenacious trucker-turned-truck-stop-owner and her poetic, gun-toting postal carrier, who debate staying or going when their desert town becomes a no-go zone. Should they trust the colorful stranger who arrives with a story they desperately want to believe? A journey into a not-so-distant dystopian future; with blistering heat, resilient heart, and dreams of the open road.

New Works Festival
Kitchen Dog Theater, June 10-24
The 25th annual edition includes a Staged Reading Series and the 22nd year of Playwrights Under Progress (PUP) Fest, co-produced with D-PAC (Dallas - Playwriting Arts Collective), an alliance between KDT, Dallas ISD, and local youth organization Junior Players. See link for the full schedule.

Two Gentlemen of Verona
Shakespeare Dallas, June 14-July 14
Two Gentlemen of Verona is one of Shakespeare's earliest plays and also one of the most rarely performed. It's about betrayal, love, and disguise. When two best friends fall in love with the same woman, chaos ensues. Proteus is determined to destroy the betrothal of his friend, Valentine, and the lovely Silvia, but he also forgets his own beloved Julia in the midst. Resolved to win back his love, Julia travels to Milan to find Proteus. It runs in repertory with Much Ado About Nothing.

I Wanna F*cking Tear You Apart
Stage West, June 15-July 9
Best friends and roommates Sam and Leo are an unbreakable team. United by their cozy co-dependent diet of mutual self-loathing and Grey’s Anatomy marathons, this "us-against-the-world" pair loves each other to absolute death. But when a new friend enters the scene, doubt creeps in and a shattering secret is about to be dragged kicking and screaming into the light.

Fly By Night
Theatre Arlington, June 16-July 2
In this darkly comic rock-fable, a melancholy sandwich maker’s humdrum life is intersected by two entrancing sisters. A sweeping ode to young love set against the backdrop of the Northeast blackout of 1965, Fly By Night is a tale about making your way and discovering hope in a world beset by darkness. David Coffee reprises his role as Mr. McClam, which he originated in the world premiere at Dallas Theater Center.

Lea Salonga In Concert
AT&T Performing Arts Center, June 17
Multiple award-winning actress and singer Lea Salonga is best known for her Tony Award-winning role in Miss Saigon. She was also the first Asian to play Eponine in the musical Les Misérables on Broadway and returned to the beloved show as Fantine in the 2006 revival. Many fans of all ages recognize Lea as the singing voice of Princess Jasmine from Aladdin and Fa Mulan for Mulan and Mulan II.

Chita Rivera In Concert
The Eisemann Center, June 23
A theatrical icon and one of Broadway's greatest triple-threat talents, Rivera is one of the most nominated performers in Tony Award history, having earned 10 nominations, two wins, and the 2018 Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre. She will recreate signature moments from her legendary Broadway career, from West Side Story, Sweet Charity, and Bye Bye Birdie to Chicago, Kiss of the Spider Woman, The Visit, and more.

The Butterfly's Evil Spell (El Maleficio De La Mariposa)
Hip Pocket Theatre, June 23-July 16
Written by Federico Garcia Lorca and last produced at Hip Pocket in 2011, Lorca's poetic world of beetles, fireflies, and other magical creatures is disrupted when a hypnotic, wounded butterfly enters their dewdrop paradise. Boy beetle is cast under the spell of love, and Scorpy is sure to shake things up in this timeless tale of longing and beauty.

Hadestown
Broadway at the Bass, June 27-July 2
Winner of eight 2019 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Hadestown intertwines two mythic tales — that of young dreamers Orpheus and Eurydice, and King Hades and his wife, Persephone — as it invites the audience on a hell-raising journey to the underworld and back. Singer-songwriter Anaïs Mitchell’s beguiling melodies and director Rachel Chavkin’s poetic imagination pit industry against nature, doubt against faith, and fear against love.

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