Anything that bills itself as "meta" runs the risk of being too clever for its own good. Same goes for something that declares it's aiming to be a "new form of art," a groundbreaking event that audiences have never experienced before. In other words, don't give us Chekhov's gun if you don't intend to fire it.
Though Aaron Posner makes all these claims within his "sort of" adaptation of Anton Chekhov's The Seagull, he does indeed pull the trigger. Retitled Stupid Fucking Bird, the play pulls Chekhov's characters out of 19th-century Russia and plants them firmly in contemporary America. But it seems ennui and angst are not bound by time or geography, as these seven individuals are still pining for what they can't have, chasing what they shouldn't have, and ignoring what they've already got.
Director Emily Scott Banks keeps their twisted love lives straight over three acts at Stage West, which more or less mirror the action of Chekhov's source material. Twitchy young artist Conrad (Garret Storms) is prepping for a performance of his experimental work Here We Are, starring his neighbor and crush Nina (Alexandra Lawrence). It's on the same stage in the same forest at the same country house where his mother used to perform little plays, on breaks from building her career as a famous actress.
Now his mother (Laurel Whitsett) is visiting with her new boy-toy, the famous novelist Doyle Trigorin (Christ Hury, always dependable as the charming slimeball). Conrad's friends Dev (Matthew Grondin) and Mash (Kelsey Milbourn) are on hand to make sure the show goes off without a hitch, while Uncle Eugene (Randy Pearlman) calmly observes his brood's bad behavior.
Everyone there is a terrible person, at least to varying degrees. Whitsett relishes the haughty, snotty self-absorbtion that defines her as the aging actress, Emma, and isn't afraid to pull out the claws when her territory is threatened. That would be by Nina, as both an actress on the rise and a pretty young thing who's throwing herself at Trigorin. Lawrence seems more at home with Nina's tragedy than her seduction, which makes her status as a girl two men are fighting over a bit hard to swallow.
It's also hard to see why Milbourn's Mash is so in love with Storms' Conrad — she states it several times, but there's zero indication of her longing when she's around him. So when she ends up happily coupled with Dev, it's no great surprise. Milbourn and Grondin play a delightful guitar and ukulele duet, one of the several songs sprinkled throughout the production that give it a bit of hipster flair. Milbourn's strumming skills are utilized throughout, and when paired with Dana Shultes' coffee house-esque sound design, it establishes the right mood of wistful, quirky melancholy.
Luke Atkison's lighting and Brian Clinnin's set also deserve nods, as they playfully conjure a magical forest and quaint country cottage while remaining slightly unsettling. When the house is cracked open for act two, the Pinterest-worthy kitchen feels exactly right for this bunch. And the surprised "oohs" from the audience when Storms blends a smoothie onstage are classic.
Posner might not have created the singular artform his characters so earnestly reference — breaking the fourth wall isn't exactly new — but as a sassy riff on a well-known classic, his play is mighty entertaining. And anytime there's a chance for Checkhov to be told through crop tops, ukuleles, and stupid fucking dessert, I'm there.
---
Stupid Fucking Bird runs through February 19 at Stage West.
Laurel Whitsett, Chris Hury, Kelsey Milbourn, Randy Pearlman, and Matthew Grondin in Stupid Fucking Bird.
Photo by Buddy Myers
Laurel Whitsett, Chris Hury, Kelsey Milbourn, Randy Pearlman, and Matthew Grondin in Stupid Fucking Bird.
Yanjun Chen, 23, of China is one of the 30 competitors in the 2025 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition.
There's no such thing as a summer break for the arts in Fort Worth - at least, not this year. The most important piano competition in the world gets started in late May, art museums present blockbuster exhibitions, and marquee-worthy plays and musicals take to local stages throughout the season. Here's a preview of the biggest arts and culture events around Fort Worth this summer.
Music
Seventeenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition The quadrennial "Olympics of the piano world" (and one of Fort Worth's most important cultural events) will feature 29 of the best pianists from around the globe to perform on the world stage in hopes of winning a gold medal, cash prize, and launching an international career. Preliminary and quarterfinal rounds, taking place May 21-25, will be at the Van Cliburn Concert Hall at TCU. The semifinal and final rounds, taking place May 28-June 7, will be at Bass Performance Hall. The final-round concerts on June 6-7 will be simulcast at a free watch party in Sundance Square Plaza. A Grand Finale celebration on June 7 will include an introduction of the winners, food trucks, and fireworks. Tickets are available for all rounds. Learn more about the competitors here.
Outdoor concert series Dallas-Fort Worth has several outdoor concert series in beautiful locations where you can pack a picnic and enjoy some music as the sun sets. Of note:
While the Fort Worth Symphony is not staging Concerts in the Garden this year, they are presenting a Sounds of the Summer Series inside the Fort Worth Botanic Garden Lecture Hall throughout June (June 13), (June 20) (June 27). Also included in the series a big community concert on the lawn of the Amon Carter Museum (June 21 ) featuring Sousa marches and Broadway tunes.
Levitt Pavilion in Arlington hosts free concerts each weekend through early July; check the website for full schedule and details.
The Fort Worth Symphony will present an evening concert on the lawn of the Amon Carter Museum on June 21.Photo courtesy of FWSO
Opera Arlington presents Don Giovanni, June 6-7 at Trinity United Methodist Church, Arlington Conducted by Jason Lim of the McKinney Philharmonic and accompanied by chamber orchestra, Don Giovanni will showcase a world of glamour, betrayal, and hair-raising drama.
PianoTexas International Festival at TCU, May 27-June 30 at Van Cliburn Concert Hall at TCU The all-ages PianoTexas International Festival is an academy and festival will include piano recitals, masterclasses, and several ticketed concerto performances with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra.
Mimir Chamber Music Festival,June 30-July 11 at TCU The annual Mimir Chamber Music Festival will present a series of concerts by professional musicians and emerging artists. Since its beginning in 1998, Mimir has presented over 200 exceptional concerts by renowned Mimir Artists, and has mentored some 500 talented young emerging artists worldwide. More information is here, and tickets will go on sale in June.
Theater and Musicals Plays and musicals - both local productions and touring shows - aren't slowing down this summer. Click the links for full show descriptions and ticket information.
Broadway at the Bass presents Moulin Rouge! The Musical
Photo by Matthew Murphy for MurphyMade
Dance
Ballet Concerto: Summer Dance Concert, June 19-22 at The Shops at Clearfork Now in its 43rd year, the annual summer showcase is once again being staged on the lawn of The Shops at Clearfork in Fort Worth. Three pieces are planned for each night of performances - a combination of classical and modern ballets. Performances begin at 8:30 pm and are free to attend on the lawn, or $70 and up for reserved table seating. More information here.
Museums
"Richard Avedon at the Carter," through August 10 at the Amon Carter Museum of American Art This "Richard Avedon" exhibition is presented four decades after Avedon’s "In the American West" and features 40 works from the series accompanied by behind-the-scenes archival material of Avedon’s acclaimed portraits. It also includes archival photographs captured by artist Laura Wilson. Commissioned in 1979 by the Carter, Avedon spent six years traveling to 189 towns across 17 states documenting his view of the American West through a series of portraits of people he encountered along the way. His works were first presented at the Carter in 1985, the large portraits have remained a cornerstone in the museum's photography collection and are some of the most important and influential portraits of the 20th century.
The Cinematic West, The Art That Made The Movies, now at the Sid Richardson Museum The new exhibition examines the connection among artists Frederic Remington, Charles Russell, and other artists at the birth of the Western film genre i Hollywood. Their depictions of the American West helped to shape visual language and narrative conventions of early Western films. The presentation places paintings, sculptures, and illustrations alongside clips from silent Westerns, vintage movie posters, and more.
Kimbell Art Museum presents "Modern Art and Politics in Germany 1910–1945: Masterworks from The Neue Nationalgalerie, Berlin", through June 22 The exhibition brings together more than 70 paintings and sculptures from the collection of the Neue Nationalgalerie, Germany’s distinguished modern art museum. It traces the German experience in the visual arts from the last years of the German Empire, World War I, and the liberal Weimar Republic that followed to the rise of National Socialism and Adolf Hitler, the Holocaust, and World War II.
Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth presents David-Jeremiah: "The Fire This Time"
Photo courtesy of David-Jeremiah
Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth presents David-Jeremiah: "The Fire This Time", August 16-November 2 The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth will present David-Jeremiah: "The Fire This Time," organized by guest curator Christopher Blay. The exhibition’s title, derived from that of James Baldwin’s novel The Fire Next Time (1963), refers to a stanza of the spiritual hymn "Mary Don’t You Weep: God gave Noah the rainbow sign, / No more water, the fire next time."