Christopher West News

The Entertainment Series of Irving is thrilled to be opening its 2019-2020 season on Saturday, October 5 at 7:30 p.m. with the Pecos River Brass Band. The concert will be held at the Irving Arts Center (3333 N. MacArthur Blvd., Irving). Tickets are $26.50 and can be purchased by visiting www.irvingartscenter.org or calling 972-252-ARTS.

Back by popular demand, the runaway international hit is coming back to the states! Known across the globe as a?oethe ultimate-feel good show, THE CHOIR OF MAN offers up 90 minutes of indisputable joy! It's a party. It's a concert. It's a pint-filled good time that combines hair-raising harmonies, high-energy dance, and foot-stomping choreography. The multi-talented cast of nine handsome blokes sings everything a?' pub tunes, pop, Broadway, classic rock a?' all to roof-raising heights. It's the best singing, dancing, stomping, concert pub-crawl you'll ever attend.

As previously announced, MainStage Irving*Las Colinas has recently leased the former Texas Musicians Museum (222 E. Irving Blvd, Irving TX 75060), with the newly-titled MainStage 222 building set to officially open on October 3rd. But marking the inaugural performance in the new space with be the MainStage 222 Live Blues Revue, featuring DFW's most requested Blues bands on Saturday, September 7, 2019 from 6:00PM to 12:00AM. $10 general admission tickets are now available online at tickets.irvingartscenter.com/milc222. Tickets at the door will be $12 as available.

It's almost show time in downtown Irving! The Heritage District will soon be abuzz with song, dance and more with new stages recently leased by the city's premier theater group - MainStage Irving-Las Colinas. Adopting the former Texas Musicians Museum at 222 East Irving Blvd, MainStage Irving-Las Colinas will now manage the venue as MainStage 222. The non-profit organization's new home will feature indoor and outdoor stages as well as rehearsal space, storage, and a scenic-building facility. The theater company will continue its traditional production series at the Irving Arts Center. The new space will allow the organization to increase its production offerings with a variety of performances to be presented in downtown Irving.

I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I received an invitation to a Wine & Magic show located under an artsy Dallas apartment building. But being a sucker for live theatre, dinner and drinks (where's the dinner theatre, DFW?), I accepted with an open mind and empty stomach. And while I may not have left the captivating event with the secrets to the show, I did succeed in making some incredible eats disappear. And I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

How do you celebrate an expansion eighteen years in the making? You throw a swanky, "Not So Casual Affair"!

As previously announced, Theatre Three will kick off its 2019-20 season with a new spin on the classic tale, DRACULA (October 3 through October 27). You've long heard the story of DRACULA, everyone's favorite blood-sucking Transylvanian; but what stories might we learn through the eyes of his mysterious mistress Mina? This fresh adaptation of the Bram Stoker Gothic horror novel takes a deeper look into the Romanian folklore with an update on the undead. Be prepared for plenty of bloody plot twists and turns!

MainStage Irving-Las Colinas has announced their 2019-2020 season to be produced at their award-winning theatre in the heart of the metroplex located at Irving Arts Center (3333 N MacArthur Blvd., Irving TX). This season is to be presented from September 2019 to August 2020 including five main-stage productions plus two special season add-ons.

Texas-born Brooke Singer is no stranger to the stage. In fact, she's been performing professionally since before most of her peers had picked their first extra-curricular activity. And now, after years of sailing the world playing famous Disney characters like Belle and performing in the world premiere of the stage version of TANGLED, she's got an opportunity to show off her less family-friendly skills by taking the new stage musical version of the nostalgic 90's film Cruel Intentions on the road. We caught up between shows while the tour was stopped in sunny Washington DC. Read more, below:

From one of musical theatre's most exciting new composers comes ORDINARY DAYS, a refreshingly honest and funny musical about making real connections in the city that never sleeps (but probably should at some point.) ORDINARY DAYS tells the story of four young New Yorkers whose lives intersect as they search for fulfillment, happiness, love, and cabs. Lakeside Community Theatre presents the title now through May 18. Tickets and more information can be found at www.lctthecolony.com.

This weekend in Fort Worth, Texas, actress Molly Franco took the stage as Dorothy in Casa Mañana's production of THE WIZARD OF OZ. When Franco learned that members of the deaf community were in the audience on Thursday evening, she sought permission to adjust the blocking of the show's iconic song "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" to incorporate American Sign Language into her performance.

The 2019 Ritz Theatre season will open with 'John & Jen' at 7:35 p.m. April 4-6 and at 2 p.m., April 7 at the Ritz Theatre, 111 W. Third St., Sheffield. Tickets are $20 for adults and $15 for students. 'John & Jen' is a musical with music by Andrew Lippa, lyrics by Tom Greenwald, and book by Lippa and Greenwald. Lippa went on to write the music and lyrics for the stage musicals 'Wild Party', 'The Addams Family' and 'Big Fish.'

Plaza Theatre Company is pleased to announce auditions for its upcoming production of Elton John and Tim Rice's AIDA. The production will be directed by JaceSon P. Barrus with assistant direction by Kimberly Billins-Oliver and Jay Cornils, stage management by Lindsay Batt, choreography by Tabitha Ibarra and assistant choreography by Eden Barrus and Alina Jennings.

Plaza Theatre Company is proud to announce the opening of JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT on March 8th, 2019. The production will play at PlazaCo's Dudley Hall location at 305 S. Anglin Street in Cleburne, TX opening on March 8th and playing thru April 13th, 2019. The show will be the 128th produced by Plaza Theatre Company since its inception in November of 2006.

Dallas' newest musical, The Manufactured Myth of Eveline Flynn debuts tonight on the mainstage at Theatre Three. The musical is written by locals Ian Ferguson (music and lyrics) and Michael Federico (book) and runs January 31st-February 24th. The official opening night is scheduled for Monday, February 4th, but preview performances are open to the public. Tickets and more information can be found at www.Theatre3Dallas.com.

This Friday, February 1st, Plaza Theatre Company opens DISNEY'S NEWSIES THE MUSICAL at PlazaCo's Dudley Hall location at 305 S. Anglin Street in Cleburne, TX opening on February 1st and playing thru March 2nd, 2019. Tickets are more information at www.plaza-theatre.com

This Friday, February 1st, Plaza Theatre Company opens DISNEY'S NEWSIES THE MUSICAL at PlazaCo's Dudley Hall location at 305 S. Anglin Street in Cleburne, TX opening on February 1st and playing thru March 2nd, 2019. The show will be the 126th produced by Plaza Theatre Company since its inception in November of 2006.

As part of a continued effort of inclusion, and to improve the theatre experience for DFW patrons of all needs, Theatre Three is excited to announce an advanced assisted listening system, which replaces the group's decade-old system. This state-of-the-art equipment has been paid for by an anonymous donor and debuted during Theatre Three's December production of Solstice. The system will now be available for all Theatre Three mainstage productions.

Music Theatre of Denton announces supplemental auditions for several roles in RAGTIME, the Broadway musical based on E.L. Doctorow's distinguished 1975 novel. With a book by Terrence McNally and music by Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens, RAGTIME is considered one of the best musicals on the past several decades. For Music Theatre of Denton, Kyle Christopher West directs with John Norine Jr. serving as musical director and Elizabeth Cantrell as stage manager. RAGTIME runs February 22nd - March 3rd.

The weather outside was indeed frightful, a 70 degree day followed by fitful storms, but White Christmas inside the Firehouse Theatre was, exactly as their curtain speech quipped, simply delightful.