A dynamic figure emerged onto the Fair Park stage from a plume of smoke Wednesday night, backed by the turn-of-the-century boy band hit “Larger Than Life.” This wasn’t a blast from the past Backstreet Boys concert, however, and the pop icon at the center of it all never had frosted tips. Instead, William Shakespeare emerged to kickstart the energetic and entertaining “& Juliet,” running through February 9 in Dallas.

The jukebox musical-comedy is a creative twist on “Romeo and Juliet” that wonders what might have happened if Juliet had not taken her life like her star-crossed lover. Backed by reworkings of familiar chart toppers from the 90s and 2000s like “Oops!… I Did It Again” and “Since U Been Gone,” the show is half pop concert extravaganza and half empowering rewrite in the vein of shows like “SIX.”

In the show, the rewrites are all thanks to Shakespeare’s wife, Anne Hathaway, who enters the scene shortly after her husband to demand the famous playwright come up with a better ending for his “debuting” production. A rather controlling and smug Shakespeare reluctantly agrees after an argument with Hathaway and his actors to the tune of “I Want It That Way,” setting the tone for the evening.

“& Juliet” typically keeps it light, witty and almost bubbly, even while confronting some very weighty topics. Unfortunately, what follows Hathaway’s introduction is almost as much of a whirlwind as the famous romance “& Juliet” is based on.

We begin with Juliet’s realization that Romeo is dead, set to a stirring and heartfelt rendition of “…Baby One More Time,” before discovering that Romeo had more than a few recent lovers who he used the same poetic verses on as he did Juliet. In short order, Juliet then finds out her parents want to send her to a nunnery and thus decides to run away to Paris with her best friend May, Hathaway herself playing her friend April and her nurse/beloved parental figure Angelique. Soon after, they sneak into a luxurious party held by the former French soldier Lance to help his son Francois find a wife. If his son doesn’t find a suitor soon, Lance makes it abundantly clear he plans to ship Francois to the army.

The whole plot is wrapped in a growing dispute between Hathaway and Shakespeare that reveals how the latter tends to value his plays more than his family. It’s an onslaught of characters and storylines, with the elaborate numbers in-between serving almost as opportunities to catch your breath.

Luckily, the songs and performances save some of these earlier scenes from derailing. In particular, Rachel Simone Webb shines as Juliet as does Nick Drake as May. Drake’s performance grounds the otherwise breakneck storytelling with an emotional internal struggle about May’s nonbinary identity.

All the breathless exposition does pay off once the party concludes. Each character soon finds themselves tangled in a messy mix of love interests. Francois bumps into May at the party, causing sparks to fly, but he also quickly connects with Juliet due to their similarly overbearing parents. Meanwhile, Angelique and Lance have to decide if they want to rekindle a long-lost romance, while Shakespeare and Hathaway’s dispute begins to spiral out of control.

Some of the show’s best moments follow, punctuated by a couple of properly dramatic twists. Whether it’s the strongly French-accented Lance, played by Paul-Jodan Jansen, crushing a comedic rendition of “Teenage Dream,” May’s emotionally rewarding path to finding inner strength and confidence or the over-the-top presentation of the first act cliffhanger, “& Juliet” finds its stride almost as quickly as it starts.

“& Juliet” largely carries that momentum into the second act in the form of show-stopping versions of songs like “Backstreet’s Back” and “Roar.” The show is simply at its best when its quick laughs and soaring musical numbers pair together.

The sheer number of love stories going into the second act does hurt some of the emotional payoffs at the show’s finale, many of which are more than a little predictable. Nonetheless, it’s hard not to find yourself swept away by its powerful pop renditions and sharp humor.

“& Juliet” may not always make poetry out of its plotlines, but that doesn’t stop its superb performances and captivating visuals from making for a thoroughly entertaining night at Fair Park.

“& Juliet” runs through February 9 at Music Hall at Fair Park as part of Broadway Dallas’ 24-25 Broadway series.

Reprinted with permission from Arts and Culture Texas

D. Wambui Richardson wants to create one big theater family. As the artistic director for Fort Worth-based Jubilee Theatre, Richardson appears in front of the audience before each show to introduce them to the space or welcome them back. “I say, ‘The rules for the house of Jubilee: if this is your very first time here with us, welcome. This is the beginning of a friendship,” Richardson explains. “If this is your second time, we’ve elevated in relationship status and now we move into companionship. And if this is your third time, you are family.”

Jubilee Theatre has been inviting North Texas theatergoers into its family since 1981. Founded by husband-and-wife Rudy and Marian Eastman, Jubilee is dedicated to providing a year-round space for celebrating and promoting African American artists and their works. “We are a theater where we’re telling great stories, but most importantly, we are bringing the community together for like-minded conversation and engagement,” Richardson says, emphasizing the theater’s goal of fostering “a deeper understanding with each other” while simultaneously “creating a space for artists of color to grow and to be more.”

Richardson joined the theater in 2018 after nearly two decades working in theater and education in Baltimore. At one point, Richardson held three jobs at the same time as resident teaching artist at Baltimore Center Stage, executive director of academies for the National Academy Foundation School of Baltimore and the artist-in-residence at Coppin State University, all while raising his two sons. With his sons’ encouragement, Richardson eventually pursued his dream of becoming an artistic director and became Jubilee’s sixth artistic director. 

The storied theater is currently amid its 44th season of shows and working on additional community outreach programming. “Season 44 for us is the season of being rooted,” Richardson says. “You have to be grounded before you can walk forward, and so it’s really important for us to establish those roots.”

A show like The Movement embodies that approach. Written by Kathy D. Harrison and directed by Richardson, The Movement is the theater’s first production for 2025, running Jan. 31-March 2. The acapella musical takes inspiration from the 1963 Children’s Crusade and focuses on the role children played in the Civil Rights Movement. “It’s about how they’re going to use their voice,” Richardson says, describing how the show takes around 20 songs from the era and weaves them through a story of how children came to participate in the movement. He hopes to bring local students to see the show, emphasizing how it can teach younger generations about the early civil rights protests. “It is just a riveting piece of work that we’re looking forward to bringing a lot of students and college students to,” Richardson says.

The following show, Thunder Knocking on the Door, focuses on the roots of today’s popular music. Infused with myth and magic, this “bluesical” tells the tale of a mystical guitar duel entwined with a love story. Directed by Charles Jackson Jr. and written by Keith Glover, the show features music from multi-time Grammy Award-winning blues artist Keb’ Mo’ and runs April 4-May 11. “I love the fact that it’s blues. I don’t think we get enough blues,” Richardson says, adding his excitement for spotlighting the genre’s rhythmic and storytelling influence.

The Fall of Heaven by Walker Mosley is the theater’s next production, running June 6-July 13. The dramatic comedy is about a man who died too soon and is sent back from heaven with an angel that “basically sits in judgment of him,” according to Richardson. The artistic director says he’s been looking to bring the show to Jubilee for several years now as he’s intrigued by the dynamic of an angel learning the human feelings of love, anger, lust and frustration. Richardson says he picked a director in Calvin J. Walker “who would approach the show with the level of sincerity and sensitivity that the show deserves.” 

“The purpose of the show is to ask questions,” Richardson says. 

The season’s final show is Bob Marley’s Three Little Birds by Marley’s daughter, Cedella. The family-friendly musical, running Aug. 15-24, uses Marley’s hit songs to tell the story of a little boy overcoming his fears. Richardson, who also directs the show, notes that the theater prefers to take at least one show each year outside of its regular performing space and into a different venue. He hopes to bring this production into a space where Jubilee can engage with more families in the community through a show that helps celebrate the importance of fatherhood.

Each show in the 44th season goes toward Richardson’s goal of presenting Jubilee Theater as “a community, cultural hub for everybody, for every walk of life throughout DFW and beyond.” Richardson says, “What I hope to achieve every night is that we walk into the space as strangers, and when the lights go down and come back up again, we see each other in a different vein. We see each other in one another.”

An original play by two North Texans heads to the Lakeside Community Theatre stage in “The Ashes of Aquitaine” by Rusty Harding and Leigh Wyatt Moore, running through December 21. The show promises both drama and laughter in its fictional telling of the final days of King Henry II of England as he appeals to his estranged and previously imprisoned wife, Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine, for assistance in arranging peace between his kingdom and his rebelling son, Richard the Lionheart.

The creative process for the show dates back to 2017, after Moore played Queen Eleanor in an Allen Contemporary Theatre production of “The Lion in Winter.” Moore says she “fell in love with the characters” and approached Harding, a fellow actor as well as an author and playwright, with the idea of continuing to explore the lives of the historical figures in a new production. Harding came up with the concept to center the show on the tumultuous end to Henry’s life, albeit with a focus on Eleanor’s story. “She has the first word and the last word,” Moore says.

Harding emphasizes that “The Ashes of Aquitaine” is not a sequel to “The Lion in Winter.” Instead, it’s formed from the desire to create a new cohesive vision based around these historical figures. “We tried to incorporate as much historical accuracy as we could,” Harding says. While the play incorporates fictional elements like Eleanor’s release from prison, he says it also explores the “tremendously interesting backstories” of figures like Eleanor’s sister and Henry’s mistresses.

The play debuted in Ennis at Theatre Rocks! last year after winning the organization’s National Playwright Competition in 2022. Now, the play heads to Lakeside Community Theatre under the direction of Robyn Mead for its second run.

This time, Moore herself will play the role of Eleanor. She explains that her primary contributions to the play’s script, beyond the initial spark of inspiration, involved creating dialog and exchanges between Eleanor and Henry. Harding adds that they wrote the dialog “in such a way that it would sound historical” without sacrificing accessibility for the audience. “It’s very conversational,” Moore says, noting that several actors have approached her to praise that element of the play.

Both Moore and Harding praise the talents of the cast assembled at Lakeside for the production. The rehearsal process for the production has led to the play itself evolving as different cast members have come up with their own suggestions and takes on the characters, which Moore then passes along to Harding.

Likewise, Moore says she has “truly enjoyed” having the opportunity to explore the dynamics between Henry and Eleanor from inside a production of the play she helped create. She stars opposite Robert San Juan as Henry, who she praises for his “brilliant” and captivating acting. “He’s just so much fun to work with,” Moore says, explaining how her co-star experiments and digs into different elements of the show during rehearsals.

Moore and Harding hope the end result of the production is an entertaining show that brings a wow factor to Lakeside Community Theatre audiences and creates a buzz in the theater community. Moore says, “the greatest form of praise is telling other people,” as both she and Harding hope the play continues to entertain more and more audiences.

“The Ashes of Aquitaine” runs through December 21 at Lakeside Community Theatre in The Colony. For more information, including how to purchase tickets, visit https://www.lctthecolony.com/.

These interviews were edited for clarity.

“SHUCKED” isn’t a shy show. That much should have been clear to the Wednesday night audience at Music Hall at Fair Park straight from its opening number. The Tony Award-winning Broadway comedy musical kicked off the evening with a full song-and-dance about the greatness of the show’s namesake crop in the aptly titled “Corn.” Filled with a sharp variety of appropriately corny comedy that kept the audience laughing throughout, it sets the tone for an enjoyable evening that brought a little something for everybody, even if it doesn’t exactly break new ground.

Written by Robert Horn, “SHUCKED” follows Maizy, a plucky small-town protagonist who’s getting married to her longtime lover, Beau. The wedding takes a tumble when the townspeople of Cob County notice their prized corn is dying off. We quickly learn that no one has ever left Cob County, especially since it’s uniquely enclosed by walls of giant corn stalks. The determined and headstrong Maizy soon finds herself at odds with Beau’s stubbornness and distrust of outsiders after she decides to become the first person to leave Cob County in order to find help in the outside world.

If you happened to see “Moana” recently, Maizy’s motivations might sound more than a little familiar. Similar comparisons to shows like “The Music Man” are readily available to make during the course of the evening as well. The show’s narration team, simply referred to as Storyteller 1 (Maya Lagerstam) and Storyteller 2 (Tyler Joseph Ellis), excel at keeping the story rolling and punctuating scenes with clever punchlines, however, helping the show retain its own feel despite the many familiar plot points.

Comedy is really where “SHUCKED” shines. While some of its corny humor can evoke the occasional eyeroll, it’s creative and laugh-out-loud funny much more often than not. “SHUCKED” just seems to have a knack for catching audiences off guard with a well-timed innuendo or pun, particularly when Beau’s less-than-bright brother, Peanut (Mike Nappi), is involved.

In the early scenes of the first act, audiences also have a chance to hear the show’s musical range. With songs and lyrics from Grammy Award-winning country music singer-songwriters Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally, “SHUCKED” spins country and folk sensibilities into more traditional musical numbers. Ballads like Maizy’s first solo number, “Walls,” feel poised for an ACM moment, while later upbeat numbers like the standout “Best Man Wins” give the genres a Broadway spin to similar success.

Understudy Carly Caviglia took on the role of Maizy for this particular performance, bringing strong vocals and a solid sense of comedic timing to her performance. The same is true for Beau, played by Jake Odmark. Unfortunately, the show doesn’t do much to establish their relationship beyond showing how alike they are when arguing. Maizy’s actions after departing Cob County and meeting smooth-talking wannabe conman Gordy (Quinn VanAntwerp) quickly make her a bit harder to cheer for, too.

Gordy is posing as a podiatrist, or “corn doctor” as his neon sign declares. His opening number, “Bad,” establishes his underhanded pursuits, even though a hint of underlying heartache motivates his actions. VanAntwerp successfully balances both sides of his character, despite the plot moving too fast for its own good in developing his dynamic with Maizy. Maizy is almost instantly swept off her feet by Gordy’s grandiose promises to fix her corn problem. Her and Gordy’s return to Cob County leads to a tangled web of arguments and romantic trappings with Beau and Maizy’s similarly strong-willed cousin, Lulu (Miki Abraham).

Lulu almost feels better suited to be the show’s protagonist, with the sharpest wit of any character and a bit more edge to her personality than the wide-eyed Maizy. Lulu’s solo, “Independently Owned,” marks one of the show’s most memorable musical highlights, thanks in large part to Abraham’s show-stopping vocals.

As “SHUCKED” plows towards its finale, the production’s broader messages of acceptance and community kinship become even clearer. It leads to a mostly predictable second act, but the show stays fresh thanks to a quick comedic pace paired with crowd-pleasing songs and performances. In other words, if you’re looking for a crop of amusing jokes mixed with great country-infused music, “SHUCKED” is the show for you.

“SHUCKED” runs through December 15 at Music Hall at Fair Park as part of Broadway Dallas’ 24-25 season

Maya Lagerstam has been singing about corn since 2021, and she wouldn’t have it any other way. That’s when she began auditioning for “SHUCKED,” the Tony Award-winning musical comedy now on tour at Fair Park’s Music Hall through December 15 as part of Broadway Dallas’ 2024-25 season. Written by Tony Award-winner Robert Horn, the musical features music and lyrics by Grammy Award winners Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally. In fact, “Corn” is the name of the song she performed at that first audition, and it’s very much the topic at hand in the show.

“SHUCKED” follows Maizy, the aptly named protagonist from the even more appropriately named Cob County. After her small town’s signature corn crop starts dying off, she sets off in search of the big city to find a cure. Her journey leads her to Gordy, a so-called “corn doctor” who isn’t quite what he seems.

Don’t let all the corny names fool you. As Storyteller 1, part of the show’s two-person narrator team, Lagerstam says “SHUCKED” is about so much more than its punny premise. “It’s about love. It’s about community. It’s about getting out of your comfort zone,” Lagerstam says.

“SHUCKED” has taken Lagerstam outside of her own comfort zone, too. The show marks her first national tour, including her first trip to Texas. The actor, who grew up in Champaign, Illinois, recalls her parents’ enthusiasm once they saw her audition for the hilarious, distinctly Midwestern production. “They were, of course, obsessed with the idea of me being in a corn musical,” Lagerstam says.

Likewise, Lagerstam was “enamored” with the show. “It was just the most exciting opportunity, and just to even audition for it always made me really happy and excited,” Lagerstam says. By her estimate, after at least nine auditions or callbacks, she became Storyteller 1.

In the role, Lagerstam is on stage for “almost the entire show.” She serves as a guide for the audience and “liaison” for the show’s fast-paced humor while also playing small side roles throughout. “I definitely have a couple jokes of my own, but I am more leading the story for everyone else to be their little goofy selves,” Lagerstam says, noting that audiences “don’t go 10 seconds without laughing” while simultaneously “falling in love” with the characters along the way. “It’s always fun.”

She credits her fellow storyteller, Tyler Joseph Ellis, with helping her juggle all the responsibilities their roles entail. “We’re like a two-for-one package deal,” Lagerstam says, detailing how they help support one another and problem-solve if needed. She says she feels “very lucky” to have a great scene partner like Ellis.

Lagerstam calls it a “mind-boggling and beautiful” experience to bring “SHUCKED” to audiences around the country, a feeling she still has even months after the tour began. “There’s so much magic sprinkled into this little, very-high-functioning machine that has me in awe,” Lagerstam says.

She hopes “SHUCKED” brings a “communal joy” to the audiences who attend each night. “To laugh out loud is so vulnerable and such a huge release, and to hear thousands of voices do it collectively because they are having fun is such a cool thing,” Lagerstam says. “I hope that people take away from it a new sense of community and a sense of joy and levity. I hope it makes people’s days just that much easier.”

“SHUCKED” runs through December 15 at Music Hall at Fair Park as part of Broadway Dallas’ 2024-25 season. For more information, including how to purchase tickets, visit https://broadwaydallas.org/shows/shucked/.

This interview has been edited for clarity.

Polly Maynard remembers the first time she saw Ochre House Theater Artistic Director Matthew Posey onstage over four decades ago. She was 14, and Posey was starring in “The Importance of Being Earnest.” “I don’t think I’d ever seen a straight play before. I’d seen a lot of musicals and a lot of opera, and I was just really blown away,” Maynard recalls.

Later, they got to know one another through theater classes at Coronado High School in Lubbock. They went on to work together in the 80s at The Deep Ellum Theatre Garage, the first theater space Posey opened in Dallas. “The work that we started there was very unique, and it gathered a lot of attention because it was kind of renegade work,” Posey says of the theatre garage. “We practically lived in this grimy, little space in Deep Ellum on Main Street. It was actually a brake and clutch shop that we converted into a theater.”

Maynard played Alice in the theater’s opening production, a version of “Alice in Wonderland.” Posey says they sharpened and honed their skills working on innovative productions during long, intensive rehearsals at the theatre garage. “We really did find new forms and techniques of acting that became unique,” Posey says of their work during that time.

Posey and Maynard’s paths onstage split once the theatre garage closed. Maynard, an experienced guitarist with a master’s in classical guitar performance from UNT, became the owner and director of The Denton Childbloom Guitar Program dedicated to teaching young children guitar. After moving to Los Angeles to further his acting career, Posey eventually returned to Dallas and opened Ochre House Theater, an award-winning theater known for its uniquely creative avant-garde works.

Last spring, however, the two would find themselves sharing the stage once again at Ochre House Theater in its original production “Patti & Theo.” “Believe it or not, I wrote this play for Polly and I,” Posey, who also stars as Theo and directs the show, says. He calls it a “real gift” to have been able to work closely with Maynard once again.

The new collaboration between longtime friends was clearly a success as Posey saw “Patti & Theo” as “such an important breakthrough in terms of the kind of theater” that Ochre House is known for that he decided to restage a new version of the production. The show is now running at Ochre House Theater through November 23.

“Patti & Theo” is the story of a struggling artistic couple caught in a cycle of drinking, abuse and oppression. “Patti is stuck, and she’s the one that really has the talent,” Posey says, explaining that the show winds up following her journey trying to break free of these vicious cycles. “It’s about a study of people who are at a deficit in life and who try to make it as best they can,” Posey says.

Now in its second run, “Patti & Theo” has retained most of its original cast and features additions to the show’s second act. It also includes plenty of the theater’s signature humor and artistic creativity that helped make the show’s first run such a success. “I think my understanding of the work has grown too,” Maynard, who stars as Patti, says.

She describes how her work on the show originally began early last year when Posey would send her pieces of the script and ask her for help with songs to fit the show. Maynard, who’s credited for the show’s lyrics, says the process helped her develop a deeper understanding of her character and the broader production itself.

Posey notes that the music helps “move the plot forward” to convey what acting sometimes cannot. He credits the collaborative environment working with Maynard, music director Matthew McNabb, who also performs in the show, and fellow performers/musicians Trey Pendergrass and Aaron Gonzales with helping craft the “organic” musical stylings heard throughout “Patti & Theo.”

“It really does run the gamut,” Posey says, noting the production includes ballads, a rumba, spoken word and deconstructed songs played against the melody. The musicians even play ambient noises throughout the show to help bring the world of “Patti & Theo” to life.

A backdrop of shadows adds depth to that word. Shadow artist Janet Dodd creates the show’s shadow play, an extension of the theater’s use of projections that creates new meaning through intricate shadow imagery. Posey says Ochre House Theater previously experimented with shadow play, but “Patti & Theo” represents its most expansive usage in storytelling yet. He calls it “a chaotic ballet” backstage to create the “very fluid and very dynamic” shadows. “It’s like clockwork,” Maynard says of watching the creation of the shadows. “Everybody’s working together. It’s really beautiful.”

The end result of all of the creative energy going into “Patti & Theo” is a show that Posey says audiences can take something different from each time they see it. “It’s kind of a smorgasbord of art,” Posey says. “There’s a lot to take in.”

It’s all centered around the show’s titular characters in a production that’s brought two friends back together onstage after decades apart. “Even though we haven’t worked together for a long time, it’s just like we picked up where we left off,” Maynard says.

She remembers her and Posey’s original goal for audiences was simple and something that still rings true today. “We just want to blow their minds,” Maynard says.

“Patti & Theo” runs through November 23 at Dallas’ Ochre House Theater. For more information, including how to purchase tickets, visit https://ochrehousetheater.org/.

These interviews were edited for clarity.

Between Snow White costumes, voodoo dolls and movie stars, Allen Contemporary Theatre takes an increasingly absurd sibling rivalry to the stage in its latest production, “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike.”

Written by Christopher Durang, the show takes place in a family home currently occupied by two middle-aged siblings, Vanya and Sonia. They’ve spent years looking after their now-deceased parents and currently spend their days debating their lot in life while their movie star sister, Masha, pays the bills. When Masha returns home, with her much-younger new boyfriend, Spike, in tow, tensions quickly escalate between the trio, and a threat to sell the home looms in the air.

“It’s a very lively, very funny, heartfelt type of play,” Allen Contemporary Theatre Director Chris Berthelot says. “Durang’s style was to capture absurdism but grounded in humanity. All the characters are deeply human, but they just do absolutely absurd things.”

As a fan of Durang’s since he first performed one of the playwright’s scenes in college, Berthelot “jumped at the opportunity” to direct the Allen Contemporary Theatre production. Although the show is known for referencing the works of famed playwright Anton Chekhov, the director is quick to note the contemporary “light and fresh” energy Durang’s show brings.

He emphasizes the importance of the “fine balance of everything” in Durang’s work, from the heartfelt to the hilarious and everything in between. “The biggest thing I told the actors was to go as far as they could go, and I’ll bring them back if they hit a point where I thought it was too much,” Berthelot says, adding that the siblings almost argue like children throughout the play.

Even when bickering like children in their roles, the cast has “really bonded together as a family” both onstage and off, according to Berthelot. The director assembled what he calls “a dream cast” of actors from across DFW to bring “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike” to life at Allen Contemporary Theatre.

The six-member cast includes Robert San Juan as Vanya, Molly Bower as Sonia, Kelly Moore Clarkson as Masha, Benjamin McElroy as Spike, Maxine Frauenheim as the soothsaying cleaning lady, Cassandra, and Caitlyn Cole as an aspiring young actress named Nina. “The show requires chops from everybody,” Berthelot says, noting moments like the more than four-page monologue San Juan delivers as Vanya.

Berthelot hopes the efforts of the talented team working on the production delivers audiences “an unexpectedly upbeat, enjoyable show” that leaves them with “something that they haven’t seen before.” “I hope, really, that they’re entertained,” Berthelot says.

The Allen Contemporary Theatre production of “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike” runs from October 4-20. For more information, including how to purchase tickets, visit https://allencontemporarytheatre.net/.

At the turn of the 20th century, actor William Gillette helped create the iconic image we share in our heads of the literary sleuth Sherlock Holmes. Gillette co-wrote the original stage adaptation of Sherlock Holmes with the character’s author, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. In a series of more than 1,000 performances onstage as the detective, Gillette would then popularize Holmes’ curved smoking pipe, traveling jacket and iconic deerstalker hat in a role that would help make him famous. He even developed the precursor to Holmes’ famous catchphrase, “Elementary, my dear Watson,” by delivering the line “Oh, this is elementary, my dear fellow.”

Audiences should expect anything but the elementary, however, when it comes to the latest McKinney Repertory Theatre production, “The Game’s Afoot,” running October 4-12 at the McKinney Performing Arts Center. The Ken Ludwig-written comedy follows an over-the-top fictionalized rendition of William Gillette as he adopts his Holmes persona to attempt to solve a murder at a dinner party gone wrong in his own Connecticut castle.

Directed by Tatum Love, the production stars Sam Jack as the eccentric William Gillette. “Gillette is very larger than life, and I think Sam embodies that so perfectly,” Love says, praising the actor’s “very natural comedic ability onstage.”

The director and actor are both recent UNT graduates, with Jack having starred as the lead in Love’s directorial debut at the university. Now working together at McKinney Repertory Theatre, the two have set about creating a hilarious whodunnit led by Gillette’s less-than-capable investigative abilities.

“He does not have the rationale to be the world’s great detective,” Jack says, explaining the humor in finding the different nuances within Gillette. “He has the finances, the castle and the costuming, but the beautiful balance of William is that he can play it off with sheer charisma and that sheer flamboyant-type energy he just brings to every aspect of his life.”

Unlike the real-life Gillette who found celebrity through his impressive performances as Sherlock Holmes, Jack wants to ensure audiences never feel as if they’re watching someone capable of being Holmes in the comedy. “This is like a Shakespearean actor finding his spotlight,” Jack says, detailing how he references the “bigger than life” Shakespearean actors of the 20th century like Laurence Olivier who add “a lot of bravado” to their performances. “Whenever (Gillette) does melt into this Sherlock Holmes-type character, it’s less of ‘I’m portraying a character of pure intellect’ and more ‘This is my chance to portray a hero and the modern-day knight in shining armor.’”

Every knight needs a castle, and McKinney Repertory Theatre has helped create Love’s vision for her rendition of Gillette’s true-to-life castle onstage. Love says the show calls for “extravagance everywhere” and thus envisioned a set that’s as “extravagant as (Gillette) is.” “It’s really colorful, very gaudy furniture,” Love says. There’s even a portrait of Gillette that Jack painted himself on the set. She adds that the castle also contains some unexpected surprises one might suspect from an actor known for playing a genius detective.

Those surprises extend to the reference-filled, laugh-out-loud script. Love describes how the script was the first to make her laugh while she was just reading it alone. She says that she and Jack are still “finding new things every rehearsal” working on the show.

“I would say maybe one out of every 10 lines is a direct pull, either from Shakespeare or from one of Sherlock Holmes’ mysteries,” Jack says, recalling a specific phrasing he recently discovered came from a Holmes story. He adds that both the crimes and sleuthing also often involve specific references to different Holmes stories. “This is definitely a love letter to all the classic works of Conan Doyle,” Jack says.

When audiences have a chance to experience the show for themselves, Love hopes the McKinney Repertory Theatre production of “The Game’s Afoot” provides “a sense of escapism” as they enjoy the comedy, mystery-solving and references to past Holmes stories throughout the show.

“Speaking from my end, I hope (audiences) come and enjoy a mystery the likes of which they’ve never seen before,” Jack says of his own hopes for “The Game’s Afoot.”

The McKinney Repertory Theatre production of “The Game’s Afoot” runs from October 4-12 at the McKinney Performing Arts Center. For more information, including how to purchase tickets, visit the McKinney Performing Arts Center ticketing page here.

These interviews were edited for clarity. McKinney Repertory Theatre is an official advertiser with the Collin-Denton Spotlighter. Advertising does not guarantee coverage, nor does it affect the content of any coverage on the Spotlighter.

Back in 2021, James Earl Jones II took the Bass Performance Hall stage as Bob in the national tour of the musical, “Come From Away.” The show was the first Broadway series tour at the Bass Performance Hall since the pandemic began.

Based on a true story of how the residents of Gander in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador came together to take in diverted air travelers during 9/11, Jones says the musical “was about community and helping people, like it was a love letter to humanity.” Those sentiments felt particularly impactful in the post-pandemic times, and the performances brought “such a sense of relief” to Jones.

He recalls how it felt to act again alongside “people that I had grown to love because we were a theatre family” and see that “people still needed theater.” “They still felt a sense of joy coming to theater and escaping their lives and what was going on for two hours,” Jones says of the post-pandemic audiences.

Now, Jones is looking to spread some more good feelings onstage when he returns to the DFW area as Harry in the national tour of “COMPANY.” The show opens at the AT&T Performing Arts Center in Dallas from September 26-29 before heading to Bass Performance Hall from October 1-6.

This tour of “COMPANY” is a production of the 2022 Tony Award-winning revival of the classic Stephen Sondheim musical. The revival most notably changes the gender of the show’s lead from male to female as it follows Bobbie, a single New Yorker who’s turning 35 and has become the subject of many relationship-driven conversations among her friends. Bobbie, played by Britney Coleman, gets a firsthand glimpse of the different trappings of her friends’ relationships throughout the show via a string of vignettes spotlighting each of them.

Jones, a distant cousin of the recently deceased James Earl Jones, first starred as Harry in a production of “COMPANY” back in 2016 at Chicago’s Writers Theatre prior to the show’s revival. He says it’s been interesting to see how changing Bobbie’s gender resonates with audiences throughout the ongoing tour compared to his past experience performing the material. “I think that it is a very interesting aspect that is necessary, especially during these times where you find that the conversations around women’s rights and bodily autonomy are more prevalent than ever,” Jones says, describing how changing the character’s gender allows the show to speak to the societal pressures women often face to marry and have kids.

Jones says that Bobbie’s journey through the show takes her on “this ‘Alice in Wonderland’ kind of fever dream” as she sees the successes and failings in her friend’s relationships, often in insightful and hilarious ways. That’s where Jones’ character, Harry, comes in.

Unlike some of the other characters in the revival who also saw their relationships or dynamics change, Jones feels Harry’s relationship with his wife, Sarah, and how they interact with Bobbie remains the most similar to the original production. “The thing is that Harry and Bobbie were bosom buddies when he was a guy, and Harry and Bobbie are bosom buddies now that she’s a woman,” Jones says.

He explains that Harry and Sarah’s arc sees the characters “trying to find healthy ways to deal with our own vices.” “They don’t have an effect on our scene with Bobbie because Sarah is trying different things to make herself feel younger, vibrant and eat more healthily,” Jones says. “I’m someone who is dealing with my vice of maybe having a little too much bourbon from time to time.”

Jones calls his scene with Bobbie and Sarah a “hilarious journey” for the characters to navigate. He credits the hard work of Jessie Hooker-Bailey in preparing to play Sarah and bringing “a light to the scene and to her character.”

According to Jones, Hooker-Bailey had a “crash course” on “COMPANY” after the show’s previous Sarah, Kathryn Allison, finished on the tour roughly seven weeks ago. “When she left, we had a two-week break and then picked up the show in Portland, and it was so wild,” Jones says, explaining the quick turnaround to prepare Hooker-Bailey to join the production.

Jones and Hooker-Bailey decided to have a meal together to get to know each other and have the perspective on one another’s personalities necessary to build chemistry onstage. Jones says the end result of their efforts has been great. “I think that people would never know that she didn’t start the show at the very beginning,” Jones says.

Jones says he loves his scene with Hooker-Bailey’s Sarah and Britney Coleman’s Bobbie. “It’s an opportunity for people to see three successful, well-to-do young Black people on the stage,” Jones says. “Secondly, I think our scene, without giving it away, is hands down probably the most physical scene in such a short period of time.” He also singles out his opportunity to sing the number “Sorry-Grateful” with co-stars Derrick Davis (Larry) and Matt Bittner (David) as another highlight of his time on the show.

Jones says he hopes audiences “find uproarious laughter” during the show, along with an opportunity to “reflect on what your relationships mean to you.” “Ultimately, the show is about connection and how that makes us feel, how that brings us true joy,” Jones says, adding that audiences can interpret those connections as ones you make with friends just as much as romantic connections. He feels that each audience member will have an opportunity to find a character or couple whose story resonates with them. “Ultimately, this show is about company.”

“COMPANY” runs from September 26-29 at the AT&T Performing Arts Center before moving to Bass Performance Hall from October 1-6. For more information, go to https://companymusical.com/.

This interview has been edited for clarity.

T.A. Taylor is no stranger to the Shakespeare Dallas stage. The actor has starred as Richard III, King Lear, Cymbeline and many other iconic characters for the company at the Samuell-Grand Amphitheater. Now, Taylor’s taking on a role that finds his familiarity with the Shakespeare Dallas audience used to create divisions between himself and his fellow actors on stage when he stars as Julius Caesar in the company’s latest production.

Directed by Katie Ibrahim, “Julius Caesar” runs through October 13. One of The Bard’s classic works, the play looks at the infamous assassination of Julius Caesar on The Ides of March and the personal and political aftermaths that follow. The Shakespeare Dallas production is set in a post-apocalyptic future of sorts, with plenty of dramatic spectacle throughout. “This is an exciting play. It’s highly dramatic. It’s going to have impactful music, lights, action, all of this going on,” Taylor says.

Taylor describes how his decades of experience performing in front of Shakespeare Dallas audiences, combined with a generational gap between himself and the rest of the cast, draws out some of the play’s themes and tensions. “There is a very obvious generational difference on our stage,” Taylor says. “The oldest person in our cast, other than me, is the age of my youngest child.”

He says those aspects help portray the political and social divides between Caesar and those plotting against him as well as the “patriarchal, father-type relationship” Caesar has with Brutus, Decius and Mark Antony. He explains the historical context of Caesar promoting those around him he favored, even when they went against his wishes, and how that contributed to the situation the play finds him in. “He’s left his enemies around him, and I think there’s an arrogance because of his success,” Taylor says, explaining that he views the conspirators as not motivated by who Caesar is “but because of what he might be.”

Taylor’s co-stars Caleb Mosley and Kat Lozano see their character’s unique relationships with Caesar come to a head in some of the play’s most famous scenes. As Brutus, Mosley delivers the final blow in the assassination as Caesar utters the famous line “Et tu, Brute?” with his dying breaths. It’s a moment Mosely feels represents the culmination of a deep struggle within his character, one that he and Ibrahim have developed so audiences see Brutus as more than simply the “backstabbing friend.”

From the show’s onset, Mosley says Brutus feels troubled by the cheering crowds for Caesar. It’s a representation of something Brutus’ ancestors had fought against. “I think that’s one of the most beautiful things about Brutus that I love is how much he cares about where he comes from and about his ancestors,” Mosley says. “Honestly, as a Black actor, I connect to that so much because it’s such a historically Black thing to be so connected to your ancestors and know where you come from.”

Mosley says the appeals to Brutus’ lineage help sway him to join the conspirators, despite his personal relationship with Caesar. “I think it’s so evident because of the direction that we’re going with this play and the direction me and Katie are going with Brutus that this isn’t just a vile, backstabbing and betraying thing that he did,” Mosley says of Brutus.

He views Ibrahim’s approach to the show’s message as investigating “what questions the play is asking” rather than instructing the audience on a particular message. He says the Shakespeare Dallas production of “Julius Caesar” “comes from a place of having fun in the rehearsal rooms and creating a show that’s incredibly entertaining while also still keeping the integrity of what Shakespeare wrote.”

Similar to Mosley, Kat Lozano’s role as Mark Antony includes the famous “Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears” speech that hinges on their character’s relationship with Caesar. “My Antony, at his core, is loyal,” Lozano says. “I think he starts out from a place of just intense loyalty for his country and for Caesar, but I do think he gets a little taste of power, and that starts getting to his head.”

Lozano also worked with Ibrahim to develop the role of Mark Antony through their own perspective. “I’ve had a lot of fun exploring Antony and kind of coming at it through a genderqueer lens,” Lozano, who’s genderqueer says. They add that they didn’t want to approach their performance as necessarily playing the role in drag. “I really want to embody this character as a man, and Katie (Ibrahim) has been great about giving me the space to explore with that.”

Lozano says exploring the complexities of the roles and the decisions each character makes have been “really fun to play with.” “Also, the cast jokes that Antony has just become like the frat daddy of the cast, so that is the energy I am serving, and we love it,” Lozano says with a laugh.

Despite the complexities of the different characters’ motivations, each actor sees the role of the everyday people of Rome as perhaps the most crucial within the show. Lozano says Ibrahim has “found intrigue in the people outside of powerful positions.” “These are the people that are actually going to be affected the most by the decisions that the people in power make, and I feel like she’s done a really good job of speaking to that in our version,” Lozano says. It’s a sentiment echoed by Taylor and Mosley as each of their characters becomes heavily influenced by the public.

As far as the theatergoing public is concerned, the actors hope attendees feel entertained by the production while also contemplating some of the deeper messaging throughout the show and how it reflects on ourselves and our world. “I think it’s going to leave a lot of people thinking…but also, at the end of the day, I just hope they have fun,” Lozano says.

The Shakespeare Dallas production of “Julius Caesar” runs through October 13 at the Samuell-Grand Amphitheater. For more information, including how to purchase tickets, visit https://www.shakespearedallas.org/.

These interviews were edited for clarity.