The Princess Rules

You tried so hard to keep those damn princesses out of your house: blanket Disney bans, female-empowerment board books, pretend lab coats instead of tiaras. But when your daughter leaves your house, she’s confronted with propaganda for the princess industrial complex at every turn. Her friends have princess sneakers, princess backpacks and even princess yogurt. You’re screwed and you know it. You can’t keep it out — but even as you’re reluctantly buying tickets for the Dallas Summer Musicals production of Disney’s The Little Mermaid, you can drive home the fact that Ariel would be waaaay cooler if she hadn’t literally given up her voice for some dude she just met. Your little girl will roll her eyes and change the subject to underwater-themed merch, but your words of wisdom lodged in her brain somewhere, I promise. Besides, you’ll make her day by planning a date to see that blasted marine minx and her girl-power-undermining accomplices during the previews from Thursday through Sunday at the Music Hall at Fair Park, 909 1st Ave. Show times are at 7:30 p.m. with additional performances at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are $30.25 to $96.75. Visit dallassummermusicals.org for more.
Thu., Feb. 13, 7:30 p.m.; Fri., Feb. 14, 1:30 & 7:30 p.m.; Sat., Feb. 15, 1:30 & 7:30 p.m.; Sun., Feb. 16, 1:30 & 7:30 p.m.; Tue., Feb. 18, 7:30 p.m.; Wed., Feb. 19, 7:30 p.m.; Thu., Feb. 20, 7:30 p.m.; Fri., Feb. 21, 7:30 p.m.; Sat., Feb. 22, 1:30 & 7:30 p.m.; Sun., Feb. 23, 1:30 & 7:30 p.m.; Tue., Feb. 25, 7:30 p.m.; Wed., Feb. 26, 7:30 p.m.; Thu., Feb. 27, 1:30 & 7:30 p.m.; Fri., Feb. 28, 7:30 p.m.; Sat., March 1, 1:30 & 7:30 p.m.; Sun., March 2, 1:30 p.m., 2014