Theater can be pretty inaccessible. It can be too expensive or too intellectual. But now, there are plenty of affordable theater performances so that those of us who are too broke can broaden our intellectual horizons. And God knows we could all use broader horizons.
These six performances all have ticket options starting at around $20, which means that you can see one of the city's most exciting theater for less than your weekly latte allowance. Whether your theater preferences are totally mainstream or a little more avant garde, one of these performances will satisfy your need for good, live theatre.
Kinky Boots The Music Hall At Fair Park February 24-March 8, 2015 $25-$108
Following in the shoes of Wicked and Rent and other smash-hit Broadway musicals is Kinky Boots, a charming story about a struggling shoe factory that gets a little divine inspiration from a drag queen named Lola. Based on a film of the same title, Kinky Boots won an armful of Tony Awards after its debut in 2013, including Best Musical. The Cyndi Lauper-written score is particularly infectious, and everyone can appreciate the fun (if occasionally gaudy) good time of a musical like Kinky Boots.
Dallas Theater Center Presents The School For Wives Kalita Humphreys Theatre February 20-March 29, 2015 $18-$70 This seventeenth-century Moliere farce gets a high-energy update from Dallas Theater Center director Kevin Moriarty. The School For Wives tells the story of Arnolphe, who is basically a seventeenth century version of a pick-up artist or men's rights activist, who concocts a truly terrible plan to trick a young and naive woman into marriage. The plan, of course, goes awry, and humor ensues. Everyone can appreciate the bumbling goofiness of a lead like Arnolphe, especially when given a snarky, 21st century update.
Gilligan's Fire Island The Rose Room February 13, 2015 - March 15, 2015 $25
In the latest installation of Jamie Morris' spoofs on classic TV shows, Gilligan's Fire Island is a hilarious take on everyone's favorite childhood show. Described by our own theatre critic as "a fast two hours of Gilligan's Island reached via detour through RuPaul's Drag Race," you'll appreciate this entirely silly comedy. Besides, where else are you going to see a theatre production in the middle of a bustling nightclub?
Mississippi Goddamn South Dallas Cultural Center February 19-March 8, 2015 $15 This new play from Jonathan Norton explores the tense relationships in African-American families in the years that led up to the assassination of civil rights leader Medgar Evers in 1963. After the show, the playwright and cast will join the audience in a discussion of the themes and history behind Mississippi Goddamn, named for the controversial civil rights anthem penned by activist and musician Nina Simone.
Mike Daisey's The Great Tragedies Winspear Opera House February 26-28, 2015 $39 It isn't often that you see one of the best living monologuists in Dallas, and Mike Daisey's examination of our "theatrical genetics" and Shakespeare is a theatre experience like none other. In examinations of four major Shakespeare works, including Romeo & Juilet, Macbeth, and Hamlet, Daisey puts his chops as storyteller and historian to work as he imagines the process of writing each play. In typical Mike Daisey fashion, this fast and furious series will cover a lot of ground in just four days.
References To Salvador Dali Make Me Hot Latino Cultural Center February 20-March 8, 2015 $17 This Cara Mia Theatre Company presentation will take place in the Latino Cultural Center's large, 300-person theatre, but only after it's been scaled down to mimic an intimate black box experience. This often weird and always fanciful play by award-winning playwright Jose Rivera explores all kinds of relationships, including those that you wouldn't exactly expect in a way that would please Salvador Dali's trippy sensibilities.
