The Alley Theatre’s 64th season mixes Picasso and Mozart with elves, fairies, Henry Higgins … even a severed hand or two. In the mood for a classic? Rediscover Pygmalion, Amadeus or Peter Pan, or the Boy Who Would Not Grow Up (J.M. Barrie’s original). Prefer a world premiere? Explore art with two: A Weekend With Pablo Picasso and The Medusa Body. Wish you’d seen Todd ...

Here’s your chance to make a difference: For one night only (Saturday, July 31), Main Street Theater – Chelsea Market is staging Bald in the Land of Big Hair, a one-woman show presented by Pink Ribbons Project that’s based on the autobiography of cancer survivor Joni Rodgers. Actress Lisa Hamilton (Royal Shakespeare Company, Alley Theatre) stars, and the author herself will...

If you’ve ever attended The Phantom of the Opera, you’ve probably seen the original direction (Harold Prince), the original costumes (Maria Björnson) and the original choreography (Gillian Lynne). You’ve seen the chandelier fall, the candles rise and the gondola drift across that “vast glassy lake” of our shared imagination. But come spring … Who knows...

Many years ago, the Alley Theatre staged a wonderful tour de force, Dracula: A Musical Nightmare. Now the undead are once again in the house (not to mention on TV and movie screens everywhere), this time in St. Nicholas, a narrative by Tony Award–winning Irish playwright Conor McPherson, performed here by James Black. When a theater critic falls in love with an actress, little does he ...

If you love seeing how different performers approach the same role, you might want to head to Houston to see the national tour of Wicked one more time. Newcomer Jackie Burns takes over as Elphaba (aka the Wicked Witch of the West) on Thursday, July 8. Burns brings New York credentials with her: She was in the original cast of the recent Broadway revival of Hair and the original compa...

If you love seeing how different performers approach the same role, buy a second ticket to the national tour of Wicked before it leaves Houston later this month. Newcomer Jackie Burns takes over as Elphaba (aka the Wicked Witch of the West) on Thursday, July 8. Burns brings New York credentials with her: She was in the original cast of the recent Broadway revival of Hair and the original com...

News flash: Theatre Under The Stars will stage cult classic Little Shop of Horrors at Miller Outdoor Theater from July 13 through 18 — and given that the carnivorous, R&B-spouting Audrey II is bent on global domination, it’s no surprise that all performances are free. How better to win over the people of Houston? There’s really no point resisting. This production wields...

Belle, the Beast, Gaston, Mrs. Potts, Lumière, Cogsworth … All your favorites from the Disney cartoon come to life in the musical Beauty & the Beast, playing at the Winspear Opera House July 13 through 25. All the songs written for the big screen by composer/lyricist team Alan Menken and Howard Ashman (The Little Mermaid, Little Shop of Horrors) are here, as well as new numbers...

Strange to think that an ebook reader can seem old school, but that's pretty much what happened when Apple launched the iPad this spring. Nonetheless, the ebook manufacturers are fighting back, with Borders launching its own Kobo and Libre devices in July, on the heels of Barnes & Noble's partnership that lands its cozily named Nook reader at Best Buy.Personally, I'm an Amazon Kindle fan. I s...

As I get ready for the Houston debut of Young Frankenstein this evening, I find myself contemplating Gexa Energy Broadway Across America’s 2010–2011 season. What a wonderful mix of old and new favorites, song and dance, tears and laughter. It all begins with Shrek The Musical (October 19 – 31, 2010). I must confess, I love the Broadway cast recording of this screen-to-...