The Exes in my iPod

What’s a book club without wine? Next week, Lisa M. Mattson will be in town to discuss her new book, The Exes in my iPod, at Veritas Wine Room (2323 N. Henderson Ave.) – where else? Sit back, sip your wine, and listen to a reading from Mattson. Get your…

Rodgers & Hammerstein

Rodgers & Hammerstein From classics like “Shall we Dance?” from the King & I to stunning ballads like “Bali Hai” from South Pacific, the music writing duo Richard Rodgers & Oscar Hammerstein gave American theater some of its great songs. This weekend, the Dallas Symphony Orchestra pays tribute to the…

Modern Dialogues

Have you ever wondered about the history of Texas art? When artists started painting in this great state of ours, did they paint tumbleweeds, catci, and oil rigs? What exactly is Texas regionalism or modernism and why does it matter? These are the movements that Dr. Katie Robinson Edwards documents…

Orchestra of New Spain

Every concert should be like a fiesta. Lively music, drinks at the bar, and if you’re lucky, the vocal stylings of a Mexican mezzo-soprano like Elda Peralta. For its Dia de la Raza concert, the Orchestra of New Spain brings in Perata to perform alongside the orchestra in a baroque…

Beerfeast 2014

Hopefully I don’t have to explain this one to you. This portmanteau (a fancy word that means words smushed together) is clearly combining “Beer,” “Feast” and “Festival” to tell you, the potential attendee, exactly what to expect. If you didn’t attend enough Oktoberfest events in September (where were you?!), then…

Black on Black

One of the more popular Dallas Black Dance Theatre shows, Black on Black, returns for the company’s 38th season. It’s an intimate evening of dance that culminates in a lively cocktail party. They give the floor to some of the company’s fresh, young choreographers who choreograph works for the dynamic…

Xoxo

Prepare for an overload of pink when you step into the Cliff Gallery for Hugs & Kisses. The latest work from Dallas-based artists Erin Stafford and Heyd Fontenot is sure to combine with an electric chemistry, as the two artists have earned reputations for challenging notions of sexuality with a…

Emanuel Ax

We could make a pretty good case for the piano as the world’s most beloved instrument. It’s one of the few instruments that so easily transitions from jazz to classical, from group to soloist, and they a beautiful grand piano can be a marvelous work of art. But we’re not…

More Shakespeare and More Beer, Please!

This morning, KERA’s Jerome Weeks commented on my Facebook check-in at Shakespeare in the Bar last night with a link to a New Yorker article about Drunk Shakespeare, pointing out that New York did it first. I squinted at the screen, rubbed my aching head and thought, damn it, it’s…

The Modern’s Urban Theater Is a Must See Exhibition This Fall

Much of the art on display in The Modern’s newest exhibition doesn’t belong in a museum. The very title, Urban Theater: New York Art in the 1980s, implies the art’s original presence in the streets. Even today, after decades of moving the risky stuff off the streets and onto the…

Looking for Monday Night Plans? Try Shakespeare in the Bar

Some rebellious theater kids take over The Wild Detectives tonight for the first-ever rendition Shakespeare in a Bar. Well, we’re pretty sure we’ve heard some drunken actors (maybe even some of these guys) reciting lines of iambic pentameter over a double whisky on the rocks. Now it’s just a bit…

Five Random Arty Things That (Maybe) Deserve Best Ofs

Our Best of Dallas 2014 issue rolls out this week. While we can modestly say it’s the greatest, most comprehensive city guide ever created, Dallas is a pretty big place that’s filled to the brim with best-ness. To cover all the good stuff we might have left out, Mixmaster will…

Couture in Cusco

No stranger to celebrity, his own or that of Hollywood actresses, Mario Testino steps away from the glamour of supermodels and royalty to photograph something a little bit more personal in his new exhibition at the Dallas Contemporary. Presented in the United States for the first time in Dallas, Alta…

Like Sister, Like Brother

One of the 21st century’s greatest playwrights, Tarell Alvin McCraney earned a reputation for his well-spun characters and an overwhelming sense of urgency in his plays. Perhaps there is no better example of his work than the Brother/Sister Plays, a trilogy that takes a sharp look at family life. This…