Friday, March 29, 2024 Mar 29, 2024
70° F Dallas, TX
Advertisement
Theater & Dance

Is Dallas Home To the Most Important Theater In Texas?

In the wake of the Giant opening at New York's Public Theater, Texas Monthly's Christopher Kelly shines the stage lights on the theater company that originated the production, the Dallas Theater Center.
By Peter Simek |

In the wake of the Giant opening at New York’s Public Theater, Texas Monthly‘s Christopher Kelly shines the stage lights on the theater company that collaborated on the production, the Dallas Theater Center, and wonders if it has now eclipsed Houston’s Alley Theater as the most important theater in Texas.

More than impressing the New York tastemakers with new work, though, the company also continues to do solid work for local audiences: The 2011-2012 season finished on an especially high note, with a moving and intimate mounting of Geoffrey Nauffts Next Fall and a glittery revival of Joseph and the Amazing Technical Dreamcoat.

And here’s the highlight of the piece: when Kelly needed some expert critical opinion on the DTC’s success, he turned to our resident theater maven Liz Johnstone:

“A collaboration with a large, entrenched New York theater like the Public on a show about Texas—that makes total sense,” said Liz Johnstone, a theater critic for D Magazine who panned Giant in its Dallas run. “Taking these risks could pay off for them.”

In truth, Liz didn’t exactly “pan” Giant. Her review was more “meh” than “ugh.”

 Update: Edited to clarify that the DTC did not originally premiere the musical Giant; the Signature Theatre in Arlington, Virginia, did.

Related Articles

Image
Arts & Entertainment

Here’s Who Is Coming to Dallas This Weekend: March 28-31

It's going to be a gorgeous weekend. Pencil in some live music in between those egg hunts and brunches.
Image
Arts & Entertainment

Arlington Museum of Art Debuts Two Must-See Nature-Inspired Additions

The chill of the Arctic Circle and a futuristic digital archive mark the grand opening of the Arlington Museum of Art’s new location.
By Brett Grega
Image
Arts & Entertainment

An Award-Winning SXSW Short Gave a Dallas Filmmaker an Outlet for Her Grief

Sara Nimeh balances humor and poignancy in a coming-of-age drama inspired by her childhood memories.
By Todd Jorgenson
Advertisement