Aida Uptown Players present the Elton John/Tim Rice musical loosely based on the Verdi opera about a beautiful princess enslaved by an Egyptian pharaoh. When naval hero Radames (Gary Floyd) dumps the pharaoh's daughter Amneris (Patty Breckenridge) to pursue Aida (Kia Dawn Fulton), it's a classic love triangle. The syrupy tunes and spotty script keep this Disney product from achieving anything close to the big moments of a Lion King or even Beauty and the Beast. One minute it's a campy comedy among the pyramids, the next it's trying for serious messages about love, war and racial equality. The production suffers from less-than-stellar performances from all but Breckenridge, who's hilarious, and Cedric Neal, playing Radames' slave Mereb. Through March 5 at Trinity River Arts Center, 2600 Stemmons Freeway at Motor St., Suite 180, 214-219-2718. Reviewed February 16. (Elaine Liner)
Dangerous Liaisons Christopher Hampton's stage version of the French novel gets a stylish update to the 1930s in director-designer Regan Adair's elegant staging at Richardson Theatre Centre. Mark Shum is Valmont, the roué who's always ready for a romp. He takes a bet from his former mistress (Meridith Morton) that he can bed a pretty virgin (Kayla Carlyle) before she weds another noble. That he does, but he's more interested in wooing a pious married lady (Paige Reynolds). The 18 scene changes slow down the proceedings a bit, but the acting never flags. Amazing to see the cast tease the sex scenes (you don't really see what you think you're seeing) while making the archaic language sound fresh and contemporary. Good show, but at three hours, it's too much of a good thing. Through March 4 at Richardson Theatre Centre, 718 Canyon Creek Square (on Custer Parkway), Richardson, 972-699-1130. Reviewed February 9. (E.L.)
The Devil's Disciple Theatre Three rejoins the living with this George Bernard Shaw satire set in New England during the Revolutionary War. Shaw sends up the empty piety of the Puritans and the empty heads of the Redcoats in a comedy about mistaken identities and sinful passions. Actor Ashley Wood plays the title role, a wealthy wag named Dick Dudgeon who seduces a pastor's wife (Lynn Blackburn) just before the Brits arrest him, thinking he's the rebel minister. He might face the gallows unless the wife clears his name. But will she do it if it means her real husband dies instead? It's a comedy, so a happy ending is expected. The courtroom scene in the second act is the gem, pitting the crafty Dudgeon against an exhausted and rather bitchy General Burgoyne (Terry Vandivort, who also appears as Shaw himself). Director Rene Moreno poses his cast in the hot clenches of Harlequin romance covers. Through March 4 at Theatre Three, 2800 Routh St., Suite 168, 214-871-3300. Reviewed February 9. (E.L.)
