1. The Fortress of Solitude, Dallas Theater Center, through April 6.
Named for Superman’s secret Artic headquarters, Jonathan Lethem’s semi-autiographical novel-turned-musical concerns two boyhood friends who grow up together in Brooklyn’s newly-christened Boerum Hill in the 1970s. The narrative follows the boys as their lives diverge on different paths. Read FrontRow’s full review here.
2. We Are Proud to Present a Presentation…, Undermain Theatre, through April 19.
Jackie Sibblies Drury’s play concerns a troupe of actors attempting to stage their own play about a somewhat lesser-known genocide perpetrated by German soldiers in the early 20th century against the African tribe Herero. We, the audience, never actually see the finished presentation. Instead, we play intimate witness when trouble arises during the rehearsal process. Digging into the one-sided source material (history is written by the victors, as the saying goes) proves more emotionally fraught than the actors are equipped to handle.
3. Dancing Beyond Borders, Dallas Black Dance Theatre at W.E. Scott Theatre, Mar. 21.
The dynamic Dallas Black Dance Theatre presents a showcase of new and original works choreographed by company members Katricia Eaglin, Richard A. Freeman, Jr., and Nycole Ray. Both professional companies, DBDT and DBDT II, will perform. The program also includes a reprisal of repertory piece …And Now Marvin, choreographer Darryl Sneed’s tribute to the activist music of singer Marvin Gaye.
4. Die tote Stadt, Winspear Opera House, Mar. 21 & 23.
Erich Wolfgang Korngold was just 23 when he composed Die tote Stadt, German for The Dead City, a sweeping work of that explores the hallucinatory experience of memory and the pain of lost love in a society ravaged by the first World War. It’s generally considered a forgotten gem from the 20th century, though its beauty has prompted favorable comparisons to the orchestrations of the Italian master Puccini and fellow German Richard Strauss.
5. Ain’t Misbehavin’, Jubilee Theatre, being performances Mar. 21.
The exuberant life of Thomas ‘Fats’ Waller, a pioneering jazz pianist at the height of the Harlem Renaissance, offers a soulful foundation for this raucous musical revue celebrating black musicians of the era as well as that new form of entertainment: swing. The title is taken from one of Waller’s songs, though you’ll hear compositions by other influential artists sprinkled throughout.
