Theater Critic Picks

The 16 can't-miss shows in Dallas-Fort Worth theater for October

Circle Theatre presents "The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity."

Photo by TayStan Photography

There's almost too much great theater happening right now in DFW. From big musical tours like Company and Beetlejuice to local shows about wrestling, the Constitution, and the unusual folks you encounter during late-night grocery runs, there's a lot going on. And this isn't even the end of it: We'll have another round-up that's strictly spooky, coming soon.

In order of start date, here are 16 local shows to watch this month:

Home
Jubilee Theatre, through October 27
Set in the rural South during the civil rights era, the play follows Cephus Miles, a young African American man who leaves his hometown in search of adventure and opportunity, only to discover that home is where the heart truly lies.

Company
Broadway at the Bass, October 1-6
It’s Bobbie’s 35th birthday party, and all her friends keep asking, “Why isn’t she married? Why can’t she find the right man, and isn’t it time to settle down and start a family?” As Bobbie searches for answers in this Stephen Sondheim and George Furth musical, she discovers why being single, being married, and being alive in the 21st-century could drive a person crazy.

The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity
Circle Theatre, October 3-26
Macedonio Guerra (“Mace”), a Puerto Rican wrestling fanatic (and “jobber” in the ring), finds himself teamed up with Vigneshwar Paduar (“VP”), a Brooklynite of Indian descent. The two have found a unique bond and ambition to fight together, wrestling for fun and for funds. In an electrifying turn of events, they are picked up and cast as “terrorists” in the ring. The crowd revels in this narrative, forcing audience members to pick up the pieces.

Carrie the Musical
Theatre Three, October 3-November 3
Based on the novel by Stephen King and adapted from the cult classic film of the same name, Carrie the Musical features a powerful score and dramatic storytelling in its exploration of vengeance, empowerment, and the supernatural. A co-production with SMU Meadows School of the Arts.

Hazards
ATTPAC Elevator Project, October 11-13
Artists Sans Frontières unveils the harrowing journeys of refugees, asylum-seekers, and individuals forcibly displaced by conflict, violence, and natural disasters through filmic vignettes of compelling choreography, dynamic visual projection, and cinematic music composition.

Tales from Late Night Kroger
Pegasus Theatre, October 11-26
Based on a series of Facebook posts by the late Bruce R. Coleman, this play is about his encounters with a motley bunch of characters when he would shop late at night at the Oak Lawn Kroger.

Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella
Casa Mañana, October 11-27
The musical adaptation of the classic fairy tale includes music, an enchanted pumpkin, and a glass slipper or two. When her wicked stepmother forbids it, Cinderella must find a way to attend the ball and meet Prince Charming; luckily, her Fairy Godmother has plenty of spells up her sleeve.

The Amazing, Fabulous, and Spectacular Untruths of Juan Garcia
Amphibian Stage, October 11-November 3
He’s got looks that kill, charm for days, and absolutely no grip on reality. Juan Garcia has returned to his hometown of Oaxaca, armed with grand tales and big dreams of becoming the city’s biggest celebrity. Watch as he weaves a tapestry of tall tales and misadventures, aiming to impress (and possibly confuse) everyone, particularly the lady of his misguided affections. As bills pile up and tired servants reach their limit, the stage is set for a comedy of errors that even Juan can’t lie his way out of.

Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors
Dallas Theater Center, October 11-November 3
This laugh-out-loud, gender-bending romp is what happens when you take Bram Stoker’s legendary story and put it into a blender with Mel Brooks, Monty Python, and The 39 Steps.

Metamorphosis
Hip Pocket Theatre, October 11-November 3
The theater's season ends with a true classic from the mind of Franz Kafka. Break free from your stone-built sarcophagus, crawl amongst the carcasses, and watch restless dreams turn to waking nightmares.

Hang
Second Thought Theatre, October 16-November 2
A crime has been committed. The victim has a choice to make. The criminal is waiting. Hang is a shattering new play about one woman’s unspeakable decision.

What the Constitution Means to Me
Stage West, October 17-November 3
Earnest and polite high-schooler Heidi put herself through college by winning debates about the Constitution. Now an adult, she revisits her teenage self to trace the generational impact America’s founding document has had on her life. Civic duty is on full display as this witty and interactive new play builds to a live debate between Heidi and an actual teen, allowing “we the people” to decide how to move forward.

Patches: A Black Gay Man's Journey to the Moon
Bishop Arts Theatre Center, October 18-27
This captivating theatrical experience seamlessly blends poetry, music, performance, and storytelling to take audiences through a day-long date between two black men, exploring deep and heartfelt conversations about race, identity, sexual orientation, love, and intimacy.

Khan!!! The Musical! A Parody Trek-tacular
MusicalWriters.com, October 24-November 3
In 2366, Data the android presents his musical comedy version of The Wrath of Khan with a cast of virtual actors on the Holodeck. A campy show-within-a-show ensues where the bloodthirsty Khan vows revenge on a washed-up James T. Kirk, and Data, portraying multiple roles, learns a thing or two about life along the way.

Reunion '85
AT&T Performing Arts Center, October 23-27
Welcome to your reunion: Choose a name tag, grab a drink, and let the good times rock ‘n’ roll as you reunite with old "classmates" in a nostalgic celebration filled with comedy, scrunchies, dancing, shoulder pads, and a bodacious live band playing the gnarliest chart-topping hits of the 1980s.

Beetlejuice
Broadway at the Bass, October 29-November 3
Based on Tim Burton’s dearly beloved film, this hilarious musical tells the story of Lydia Deetz, a strange and unusual teenager whose whole life changes when she meets a recently deceased couple and a demon with a thing for stripes.

musicals national tour beetlejuice carrie dracula cinderella star trek 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.

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