Theater Critic Picks

These are the 12 can't-miss shows in Dallas-Fort Worth theater for April

For some, April is only about one show: Hamilton. But there are 11 other offerings opening this month, plenty of them regional premieres and two even world premieres. If you've already paid your respects to A. Ham, there's plenty else to check out.

Here are the 12 shows to see, in order by start date:

Hamilton
Dallas Summer Musicals, April 2-May 5
It's finally here. The blockbuster musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda that tells the story of founding father Alexander Hamilton through rap, pop, and other musical styles comes to the Music Hall at Fair Park, and people are more than a little excited about it. Come early to check out the rare documents that will be on display in the lobby.

The Father
Stage West, April 4-27
David Coffee plays 80-year-old André, a retired tap dancer living with his daughter and her husband, and…or, no wait, is he a retired engineer whose daughter is visiting from London? And who are those people who keep turning up in his flat, and where does his furniture keep disappearing to, and why is he still in his pajamas?

Lela & Co.
Second Thought Theatre, April 4-27
Set against the backdrop of a refugee crisis in an unnamed foreign country, this regional premiere by Cordelia Lynn charts Lela's eventful journey from girlhood to womanhood. Separated from her childhood by the soldiers at the border of her country and the soldiers in the bedroom of her new home, Lela gains strength and wisdom that are hard-won and far beyond her years.

On Your Feet!
Broadway at the Bass, April 10-14
Based on the life story of seven-time Grammy-winning international superstar Gloria Estefan and her husband, 19-time Grammy-winning producer-musician-entrepreneur Emilio Estefan, this musical is a catalog of their chart-topping hits. If you feel like doing the conga to "Rhythm Is Gonna Get You," "1-2-3," "Get On Your Feet," "Mi Tierra," "Don't Want To Lose You Now," and, yes, "Conga," there will be no judgment here.

so go the ghosts of méxico, part three
Undermain Theatre, April 11-May 5
The centerpiece production of the Whither Goest Thou America Festival is this final installment in the three-play cycle exploring the U.S./Mexico drug wars. A young Maxican couple gets caught up in the web of the drug trade between the two countries, changing their lives forever — but is their ordeal what it seems, or a mirage of disinformation created by unseen forces? The festival also includes staged readings of Red Chariot, Vox Humana, so go the ghosts of méxico parts 1 and 2, and He Brought Her Heart Back in a Box.

Wolf at the Door
Kitchen Dog Theater, April 11-May 5
Marisela Treviño Orta's dark fairy tale follows Isadora, who finds the strength to stand up to her abusive husband Septimo when he forces the very pregnant Yolot to stay against her will. While Septimo makes plans for the baby, Isadora and Yolot devise one of their own.

Teatro en Fuga
Cara Mía Theatre Co., April 12-28
This festival features new works-in-progress by members of Cara Mía's resident ensemble, with the goal of developing for world premiere productions in future seasons.

Office Hour
Circle Theatre, April 18-May 11
A troubled student hides behind dark glasses and writes disturbing and provoking literature. Is he venting or really troubled? His professor is the only one willing to get close enough to understand. Will the day end in tragedy, hope ... or somewhere in between?

Everything Is Wonderful
WaterTower Theatre, April 19-May 12
Following a tragic car accident that killed her two brothers, Miri, the excommunicated daughter of an Amish family, returns home to find that her parents have taken in the wayward driver of the car. Quickly learning that time has not healed old wounds, Miri struggles with the contradictions of the culture she left behind, while being forced to confront Abram, the young Amish man whose actions drove her away.

Pastry King
Elevator Project April 23-May 5
A husband and wife open a pastry shop in the North End, making the best cannoli in Boston. But upon meeting their neighbor, the Pastry King, one of the city's most established restaurateurs, odd and terrible things start to happen. It's a play about blame, the strength of relationships, and the perfect ricotta recipe.

Raptured: A Sex Farce at the End of the World
Theatre Three, April 25-May 19
The congregants of the Third Baptist Church of Uncertain, Texas are only certain about two things; the rapture is definitely happening sometime in the next two hours (the Bible Math checks out), and two hours is not enough time to squeeze every single drop of life from this wicked, wonderful world. But some of them will try. Matt Lyle's fresh farce is full of love triangles, mistaken identities, a puckish youth pastor, a Preacher on a dubious mission, lots of doors, and, of course, deeply irrevocable existential longing.

Real Women Have Curves
Dallas Theater Center, April 26-May 19
Ana just graduated from high school, and though she dreams of going to college and becoming a writer, for now she is stuck working in her sister's garment factory in East L.A. The hours are long and the pay is low, but Ana grows to appreciate the strength, passion, and dedication of the women she works beside.

David Coffee stars in The Father at Stage West.

Photo by Evan Michael Woods

David Coffee stars in The Father at Stage West.

openings theater

Ancient Sculpture News

Fort Worth museum one of only 3 in U.S. to get rare sculpture exhibit

Lorenzo di Masi/Torlonia Collection

The Torlonia Nile

A major exhibition of ancient Roman masterworks is coming to the U.S. for the first time to be viewed at only three museums — including the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth.

Called Myth and Marble: Ancient Roman Sculpture from the Torlonia Collection, it's an assemblage of works stewarded by the Torlonia Family beginning in the early-19th century, and will be installed at the Kimbell from September 14, 2025 – January 25, 2026.

As part of the Foundation’s mission to showcase these historical works to the public, the exhibition will premiere at the Art Institute of Chicago on March 15 through June 29, before traveling to the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth. Its third stop will be at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, from March 14 - July 19, 2026.

The Torlonia Collection was established during the course of the 19th century by the Franco-Italian banker Prince Giovanni Torlonia and his son Alessandro, then handed down over generations, eventually growing into the largest private collection of ancient Roman sculptures.

Today, the Torlonia Foundation represents the culmination of the Family’s continued passion for art. Created at the behest of Prince Alessandro Torlonia (1925–2017), the Foundation’s mission is to preserve and promote the Torlonia Collection and Villa Albani Torlonia.

In 1876, Prince Alessandro Torlonia (1800-1886) created a museum to house and exhibit the Family’s holdings, which was open to small groups until its closure at the onset of World War II. The sculptures remained unseen by the public from that time until the Foundation’s first exhibition at the Musei Capitolini in Rome in 2020. That was followed by a stint at the Louvre, the first presentation of the collection outside of Rome, where it has drawn more than 600,000 visitors to date, an unprecedented feat.

The exhibit
The curators of Myth & Marble: Ancient Roman Sculpture from the Torlonia Collection are Lisa Ayla Çakmak and Katharine A. Raff of the Art Institute of Chicago. The exhibition is co-organized by the Art Institute of Chicago and the Torlonia Foundation, in collaboration with the Kimbell Art Museum, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, and The Museum Box. All of the sculptures in the exhibition have been restored by the Foundation with the support of Bvlgari.

The exhibition is accompanied by a catalogue co-published by the Art Institute of Chicago and the Torlonia Foundation, edited by Lisa Ayla Çakmak and Katharine A. Raff, with essays by Silvia Beltrametti and Salvatore Settis.

The North American presentation will feature 58 highlights from the Torlonia Collection, including 24 newly restored works that have not been on view in nearly a century. The sculptures date from approximately the 5th century BCE to the early 4th century CE, with the majority of the works dating to the High Imperial period (1st–2nd centuries CE). Highlights include examples of the most emblematic genres of ancient marble sculpture, acquired by the Torlonia Family from the most prominent collections of Rome’s patrician families, as well as from excavations made on the Family’s own estates throughout Italy.

“The Foundation is excited to be sharing the Torlonia Collection with audiences in North America for the first time. This exceptional group of ancient sculptures is a testament to the enduring cultural legacy of ancient Rome, as well as the vision and passion of multiple generations of the Torlonia Family,” said Alessandro Poma Murialdo, President of the Torlonia Foundation.

The presentation is organized thematically in six sections, featuring sculptures found on the Torlonia Family’s properties in Rome and the surrounding suburbs and their estate in Porto, Portugal, as well as a number of exceptional sarcophagi (stone coffins), among the largest sculpted works in marble to survive from ancient Rome.

The tour reinforces the work of the Foundation to advance the appreciation and understanding of this unparalleled collection and the rich cultural heritage it represents. The Foundation’s mission is carried out through a continuous joint effort between the public and private sectors, including with the cooperation of the Italian Ministry of Culture. The Foundation is supported by a longstanding collaboration with Bvlgari as the principal sponsor of the restoration project since its inception in Rome and throughout the global tour, and Chiomenti, who has lent invaluable support to the Foundation’s core activities.

galleries

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