“There’s just no point in fighting me over it, that’s all. Want some coffee?” “Your birthday’s coming up, Jessie. Don’t you want to know what we got you?” You wouldn’t guess from those lines that Jessie and Mama, the lone characters in Marsha Norman’s tragedy (or dark comedy, depending on…
London native John van der Put became a world-renowned magician despite suffering from an incurable and socially crippling malady. “Many of us are afflicted with resting grumpy face,” says van der Put, who’s better known as the gruff, fire-breathing illusionist Piff the Magic Dragon. Piff doesn’t seem to care whether his…
This month, North Texas lost a theater icon. Rose Pearson, founder of Fort Worth’s Circle Theatre, died on Aug. 19 after quietly battling cancer for several years. She was 69. Pearson and her husband, Bill Newberry, founded Circle in 1981. What was once a small room in the back of…
Think about someone who scares you. Imagine their face, the way they walk and the sounds they make to announce their presence while hiding around corners or in pitch black darkness. Robert Keith, the director of Six Flags Over Texas’ annual Fright Fest celebration, knows exactly what you’re imagining and…
Constellations at first appears to be a complex, cerebral drama. British playwright Nick Payne’s two-hander about a theoretical physicist and a beekeeper in love doesn’t immediately scream “must-see,” but there’s something about this play that’s almost magical. It first appeared on Broadway in early 2015, starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Ruth…
The champion of Dallas theater festivals is at it again. Bishop Arts Theatre Center will present its third annual PlayPride LGBTQ Festival with a twist: six playwrights competing for cash prizes, American Idol-style. Winners are determined by audience vote. First prize receives $500, second is $250, with each place going home with…
Stephen Gilchrist Glover, better known as Steve-O, knows a lot about pain. The comic stuntman, who found fame on MTV’s slapstick sideshow Jackass , says it’s hard for him to rank the most dangerous or painful stunts he’s done for the show, his DVDs and his YouTube channel because there are so…
If you’ve ever braved the trek out to Fort Worth’s Amphibian Stage Productions, you know the drive is worth it. A sleek, modern lobby with tallboys peppered throughout set the tone as you enter the space. Signature drinks, like The South Main Mule, local craft beer (buy a Martin House…
In 2012, Brian Gonzales got the role of a lifetime: Francis Henshall in the Broadway production of One Man, Two Guvnors. The play, Richard Bean’s reinterpretation of Carlo Goldoni’s 1743 Italian comedy Servant of Two Masters, was a smash success, and the portrayal of Francis earned a Tony that year…
This year, the Tony awards introduced the world to something most had never seen before: a musical told entirely through sign language. Deaf West’s revival of Spring Awakening was performed by Deaf and Hard of Hearing performers, with some accompaniment for hearing audiences. The combination of signed and spoken words…
House Party Theatre wasn’t joking about the whole “theater in a house” thing: Their next show is going up at the residence of the CEO’s mother. “Coming back to its roots,” says CEO Chris McCreary, “House Party Theatre is returning to the very place where it had its first Dallas…
There’s a widely held belief that comedians are socially awkward and insanely jealous when their fellows find success. All you have to do is hang out at a bar after a show in Dallas to learn neither is true; at least not here. In comedy hubs such as New York…
In May, WaterTower Theatre announced big news: Longtime artistic director Terry Martin would be leaving to accept a new position as the head of fine arts at the Greenhill School in Addison. In February, the school announced plans to open a $28 million facility for performing and fine arts, the…
Justin Locklear is on the threshold of turning 30, and he’s thinking about ambition. His new musical on the subject, Dreamless, will have its world premiere at Ochre House Theatre, where he’s the Artist in Residence. Dreamless traces the story of a brother and sister who have inherited their father’s restaurant…
Different cultures find different things funny. Or do they? At least one comedian, Vir Das, doesn’t think so. He’s on a mission to prove that humor is more universal than it’s often thought to be. “Funny is funny anywhere you are,” Das says. “Indian audiences take a little time to…
The term “Gal Friday,” slang for a female office secretary, originated in the ’40s. But on Saturday Dark Circles Contemporary Dance (DCCD) will place it in an entirely new context. The company’s artist director, Joshua L. Peugh has given that name to a collaboration with Girls Inc., a nonprofit that…
A comedy album typically offers fans an opportunity to enjoy a stand-up set without interruption by hecklers or a table of yammering morons. Comics can cut out the moments that didn’t go as planned before the CD or MP3 goes to press, or have the hecklers removed during the recording,…
Putting together a comedy festival requires time, dedication and patience. Or if you’re comedian Dan Danzy, all you have to do is joke with one of your fans to make it happen, and watch them take it seriously. Danzy was performing at Andy’s Basement Bar and Grill on Denton’s North Locust…
Last week when Live Nation and Funny or Die announced the lineup for Oddball’s fourth tour, it was a disappointment to say the least. The next tour will kick off at the end of August and return to Dallas’ Gexa Energy Pavilion on Friday, September 23, with Dane Cook and…
In the past century, theater practitioners have engaged in a campaign to retranslate the Bard’s work from a traditional Elizabethan context into increasingly innovative settings: the Wild West, the Roaring Twenties, post nuclear holocaust, even the moon. This week, the high school artists in Junior Players’ The Taming of the Shrew…
Most comedians were inspired to pursue comedy as a career because they enjoyed the feeling of being the funny person in their family or friend group. Comedian Shawn Wayans didn’t have that luxury; he grew up in one of the biggest comedy families in American comedy history. “It’s actually easy…
Comedian and musician Craig Robinson probably doesn’t have to do stand-up comedy anymore. He’s been a recognizable name since his breakout role as warehouse foreman Darryl Philbin on NBC’s American remake of The Office. That led to memorable roles in hit movies such as Knocked Up, Pineapple Express and This is the End…
