{"id":447184,"date":"2026-09-25T08:46:22","date_gmt":"2026-09-25T08:46:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/447184\/"},"modified":"2026-09-25T08:46:22","modified_gmt":"2026-09-25T08:46:22","slug":"stage-notes-join-undermain-for-dinner-review-of-t3s-spring-awakening","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/447184\/","title":{"rendered":"Stage Notes: Join Undermain for dinner; review of T3’s ‘Spring Awakening’"},"content":{"rendered":"

Stage Notes<\/a>\u00a0is a weekly aggregate post about theater, classical music, dance, comedy and stage news, events, reviews and other pertinent information.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Opening this week:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Dallas Symphony Orchestra: Scheherazade & Pablo Sainz-Villegas, today and Sunday<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Opera Arlington: The Magic Flute, Friday and Saturday at Arlington Museum of Art<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Eisemann Edge Initiative: Story Ballet by slowdanger, 3 p.m. Friday-Sunday<\/a>, pictured.<\/p>\n

Timeless Concerts: Music of the Spanish Language, 2 p.m. Saturday at The Modern<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Turtle Creek Chorale: Rhapsody at Turtle Manor, 6 p.m. Saturday at the Arts District Mansion<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Jonathan Van Ness: Hot & Healed, 8 p.m. Saturday at the Texas Theatre<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Dallas Symphony Orchestra: Gala Concert with Idina Menzel, 8:45 p.m. Saturday<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Cara M\u00eda Theatre: The 7th annual Latinidades Festival, Saturday-Oct. 11 at the Latino Cultural Center<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Totally Made-up Musical, 7 p.m. Sunday at The Firehouse Theatre<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Onstage now: <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Rover Dramawerks:\u00a0A Texas Romance, through Saturday<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Pocket Sandwich Theatre:\u00a0It\u2019s a Scream, through Saturday<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Stupid Sparrow:\u00a0Stupid F**king Bird, through Saturday at Mainstage 222<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Art Centre Theatre: Proof, through Sunday<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Dallas Theater Center:\u00a0Reykjavik86, through Sunday at the Wyly<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Grand Prairie Arts Council: Jekyll & Hyde: The Musical, through Sunday at the Uptown Theater<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Hip Pocket Theatre:\u00a0Soul Notes from the Velvet Elk, through Sunday<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Theatre Three:\u00a0Spring Awakening, through Sunday<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Second Thought Theatre: Dance Nation, through Oct. 3 at Bryant Hall<\/a>, pictured.<\/p>\n

Drunk Shakespeare Society:\u00a0Romeo and Juliet, through Oct. 4 at Deep Ellum Art Co<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Undermain Theatre: Evenings at the Talkhouse, through Oct. 4<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Shakespeare Dallas:\u00a0Titus Andronicus, through Oct. 18 at Samuell-Grand Amphitheater<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Undermain hosts pre-show dinner tie-in this Saturday<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Undermain opened Evening at the Talk House on Saturday. This week, the company hosts a special dinner event that ties in to the show as well as the playwright.<\/p>\n

According to Undermain:<\/p>\n

We will meet at a \u201cmystery location\u201d close to Undermain Theatre for dinner and a mystery game. This will be a fun introduction to Wallace Shawn\u2019s (co-creator and co-star of the classic film My Dinner with Andre) play Evening at the Talk House being performed at Undermain Theatre<\/p>\n

Enjoy a pre-show, interactive dinner and mystery. Mix, mingle, and be a part of an exciting game where you and your fellow players change the course of an Undermain evening.<\/p>\n

Tickets and more information here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Broadway Dallas will host Whitman on Walls! for State Fair\u2019s \u201cTexas America 250\u201d <\/p>\n

As part of the State Fair of Texas\u2019s \u201cTexas America 250\u201d celebrations, Broadway Dallas will host during the Fair in the Music Hall at Fair Park four daily screenings of New York-based theater collective Compagnia de\u2019 Colombari\u2019s short film series entitled\u00a0Whitman on Walls!, featuring over 50 actors and musicians performing the gay poet\u2019s celebrated work \u201cSong of Myself,\u201d in its\u00a0entirety.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Praised as \u201cthe greatest American poem ever written\u201d and touted by Ralph Waldo Emerson as \u201cthe most extraordinary piece of wit and\u00a0wisdom that America has yet contributed,\u201d this quintessentially American poem has been\u00a0studied, celebrated, and reflected upon by generations of Americans.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are thrilled to host\u00a0Whitman on Walls!\u00a0at the Music Hall during the State Fair of Texas to help celebrate America 250,\u201d said Ken Novice, Broadway Dallas president and CEO. \u201cThere may be no more fitting words to reflect on and\u00a0celebrate our country\u2019s history than those of \u2018Song of Myself.\u2019\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The four daily screenings (at 11 a.m., 1, 4 and 7 p.m.) are free of charge to all visitors at the State Fair of Texas (Fair admission is required to access the screenings). Walk-in\u00a0attendance is welcome, but RSVPs are recommended, as seating is limited. More information and an\u00a0RSVP link\u00a0are available at\u00a0BroadwayDallas.org\/shows\/Wow\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Whitman on Walls!\u00a0brings further opportunity to showcase local artists from across the state.\u00a0 In addition to the daily screenings, New York City-based\u00a0Whitman on Walls!producer Cindy Sibilsky is returning to her North Texas roots to produce and curate three special live events to bring poetic responses of Texas-based artists to Whitman\u2019s seminal work.<\/p>\n

Review: T3 launches its new season with UTA for an electrifying Spring Awakening<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Writing this in the wake of Duncan Sheik\u2019s passing is a challenge. Not that I was a big fan beyond his popular songs, but because his shift into musicals felt so brilliant and that was always a compelling career move that he thrived in. Alice By Heart, American Psycho and, of course, Spring Awakening were all prime examples of his innovative musical perspective for the stage. Seeing Theatre Three\u2019s Spring Awakening (just before his passing) was a dynamic experience thanks to the cast of UT Arlington students in this co-production. But now, we can see it as a fitting tribute to the singer-songwriter who passed Sept. 17, a week after this show opened.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Despite some opening night sound issues, Spring Awakening was filled with the right youthful energy by the UTA theater students. And also, so glad we didn\u2019t have to endure adults as adolescents discovering sex, romance and their bodies.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Based on Frank Wedekind\u2019s 1891 play, Spring Awakening is a modern rock musical with music by Sheik and book and lyrics by Steven Sater. The story follows a group of teenage students in a repressive society as they navigate their journeys into adulthood and encountering their desires, identities and self-discovery despite their rigid authoritative figures and society.<\/p>\n

With academic training and early life experience, this cast strongly conveyed each characters\u2019 pubescent discoveries with conviction and enthusiasm.<\/p>\n

While an ensemble, the primary leads of Gisela Garcia and Dominic Norris as Wendla and Melchior respectively carried the brunt of the show with ease through their effortless portrayals as young lovers. Garcia had an ethereal presence both in voice and performance that brought a delicate touch to Wendla. Equally, Norris held his role with gravitas and movie star charisma that anchored the show\u2019s narrative.\u00a0<\/p>\n

As the story\u2019s queer duo, Ernst and Hanschen, Gabe Minh Tuan Beach and Benjamin Rodriguez were a charming coupling albeit having pretty much one scene with \u201cThe Word of Your Body.\u201d\u00a0 The two had a charming chemistry that was sensual but still layered with innocence. Beach\u2019s sensitive performance was an ideal contrast to Rodriguez\u2019s more boisterous vibe as the conceited Hanschen.<\/p>\n

Jeffrey Schmidt\u2019s set design felt like a dream which matched the show\u2019s softer songs. Choreographer J. Austin Eyer\u2019s choreography was all original and punctuated the show with innovative touches but also served up some exciting and explosive movement in the show\u2019s anthemic numbers.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Vicky Nooe\u2019s music direction and conducting provided the ideal soundscape for the show\u2019s bleak air. Her control of the tone helped the show float along while also bringing a layered score with her string section paired alongside the rock and roll band that all made up her orchestra.<\/p>\n

With prime direction and a look at a new generation of actors, Spring Awakening succeeded with vitality through all its emotional states. This isn\u2019t the cheeriest of musicals, but with T3\u2019s and UTA\u2019s commitment to the story, the result was a glorious journey of youth and humanity.<\/p>\n

The show runs through Sunday.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u2013Rich Lopez<\/p>\n

\n\tRelated<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Stage Notes\u00a0is a weekly aggregate post about theater, classical music, dance, comedy and stage news, events, reviews and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":447185,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[11432,102,104,103,6523,2039,154151,37845,2040,9340,18360,154152],"class_list":["post-447184","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-dallas","tag-broadway-dallas","tag-dallas","tag-dallas-headlines","tag-dallas-news","tag-musical","tag-rich-lopez","tag-spring-awakening","tag-stage-calendar","tag-stage-notes","tag-theater-review","tag-theatre-three","tag-undermain-theater"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/447184","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=447184"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/447184\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/447185"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=447184"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=447184"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=447184"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}