Music will be ever-present around Fort Worth this weekend, with productions of two classic musicals, a series of outdoor concerts, a concert from a country music mainstay, a musical theater revue, and a tribute to a music legend. You can also see an SNL alumnus, local ballet, movies both new and old, and the closing and opening of art exhibitions.
Below are the best ways to spend your precious free time this weekend. Want more options? Lucky for you, we have a much longer list of the city's best events.
Thursday, June 23
Broadway at the Bass: Rodgers & Hammerstein's Oklahoma!
Over 75 years after Rodgers & Hammerstein reinvented the American musical, this version of Oklahoma! is something audiences have never seen or heard before, as it's been reimagined for the 21st century. Stripped down to reveal the darker psychological truths at its core, Daniel Fish’s production tells a story of a community circling its wagons against an outsider, and the frontier life that shaped America. The production will run at Bass Performance Hall through Sunday.
Improv Arlington presents Finesse Mitchell
Finesse Mitchell is a multi-faceted actor, author, and stand-up comedian who entered the comedy scene with appearances on BET’s Comic View and Comedy Central. In 2003, he joined the cast of Saturday Night Live. Mitchell has three one-hour comedy specials under his belt, and he is currently in production on his fourth while also producing a weekly podcast, Understand This with Finesse Mitchell. He'll perform six times through Sunday at Improv Arlington.
Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra presents Concerts in the Garden
The second weekend of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra's summer series Concerts in the Garden will be a trip back to the 1960s and '70s. Classical Mystery Tour, playing on Thursday, pays homage to The Beatles, while the orchestra will be joined by another full rock band for The Music of Pink Floyd on Friday. On Saturday and Sunday, audiences will experience Star Wars and Beyond, complete with a laser light show. All concerts are at Fort Worth Botanic Garden. (Note: The new start time for concerts is 8:30 pm to accommodate extreme heat conditions, FWSO says.)
Ballet Concerto presents 40th Annual Summer Dance Concert
For their 40th annual Summer Dance Concert, Ballet Concerto has engaged choreographers of national and international renown, and favorite professional dancers from the area and throughout the United States will return to perform. Spanish dance master Luis Montero returns to restage his Bolero, joining other works like the classic Les Sylphides with choreography by Michel Fokine and a new work with choreography by Ballet Concerto resident choreographer Elise Lavallee. Nightly performances will take place through Sunday at The Shops at Clearfork.
Friday, June 24
Magnolia at the Modern: The Phantom of the Open
Sports movies love a classic underdog story, and the new film The Phantom of the Open has a good one. In it, amateur golfer Maurice Flitcroft (Mark Rylance) achieves his late-in-life goal of participating in the British Open Golf Championship, much to the ire of the staid golfing community. The film, also starring Sally Hawkins, will have seven screenings through Sunday at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth.
John Wayne: An American Experience Museum presents The Cowboys’ 50th Anniversary Weekend
When The Cowboys premiered in 1972, it was one of the biggest hits of the year. It is remembered for being one of only a small handful of movies in which John Wayne’s character dies. The 50th anniversary celebration of the film will feature three days of events, including two outdoor screenings of the movie. Cast members from the film and Wayne family members will be on hand, and there will also be musical performances. Events take place through Sunday in and around the John Wayne: An American Experience Museum.
Artisan Center Theater presents Mary Poppins
Young Jane and Michael have sent many a nanny packing before Mary Poppins arrives on their doorstep. Using a combination of magic and common sense, she must teach the family members how to value each other again. Mary Poppins takes the children on many magical and memorable adventures, but Jane and Michael aren't the only ones upon whom she has a profound effect. The production runs through July 30 at Artisan Center Theater in Hurst.
Billy Currington in concert
Country singer Billy Currington must be doing something right, as he continues to be at or near the top of charts seven albums into his relatively short career. He's chalked up 11 No. 1 Country Airplay songs since 2006, although none yet from his latest album, 2021's Intuition. He'll play a late night show at Billy Bob's Texas.
Saturday, June 25
KWC Performing Arts presents June PAC Production Showcase
KWC — aka Kids Who Care — is a performing arts group focused on getting kids interested in musical theater. Their annual summer production at Fort Worth Community Arts Center is a musical revue, featuring numbers from The Greatest Showman, Urinetown, Wicked, 13, Beauty & the Beast, West Side Story, Dear Evan Hansen, Six, Shrek, Chicago, Rent, Finding Neverland, and Newsies. There will be performances on both Saturday and Sunday.
Downtown Cowtown at the Isis presents Memories: A Tribute to 50 Years of Barbara Streisand
Sharon Owens started performing her tribute to Barbra Streisand when she moved to LA in 1992 and shortly thereafter became a headliner for Legends in Concert and has toured with the production in Las Vegas, Atlantic City, Myrtle Beach, Germany, Italy, and Israel. She'll perform a one-night-only show at Downtown Cowtown at the Isis.
Sunday, June 26
Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth presents Focus: Jamal Cyrus closing day
Sunday will be the final day to view Focus: Jamal Cyrus at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth. The Houston-based artist's sculpture, assemblages, performances, and paintings examine Black American histories and social movements, as well as cultural traditions within the African diaspora. Seeking self-education and historical rectification, the artist focuses on the forgotten, ignored, or fragmentary histories related to Black American culture.
Amon Carter Museum of American Art presents "Sargent, Whistler, and Venetian Glass: American Artists and the Magic of Murano"
The Amon Carter Museum of American Art will present the nationally touring "Sargent, Whistler, and Venetian Glass: American Artists and the Magic of Murano," which brings to life the Venetian glass revival of the late 19th century and the artistic experimentation the city inspired for visiting artists. It is the first comprehensive examination of American tourism, artmaking, and art collecting in Venice, revealing the glass furnaces and their new creative boom as a vibrant facet of the city’s allure. To complement the exhibition, Texas-based artist Justin Ginsberg will set up a glass kiln on the Museum’s lawn, where he will create a new site-specific work over the course of the summer. The exhibition will remain on display through September 11.
The national tour of Oklahoma will be at Bass Performance Hall through June 26.
