To our readers: We apologize for the lapse in our weekly Places! column. It will return next week. But there's a lot going on this weekend in the performing arts, so we thought we'd offer the Big 12 and other highlights of weekend happenings.
WEEKEND BIG 12
FRIDAY MARCH 24 thru SUNDAY MARCH 26
1 David Carl's One-Man Hamlet
Kitchen Dog Theater | Trinity River Arts Center, Dallas
David Carl was born and raised in Dallas, and ended up in New York where he created this show, originally called Gary Busey's One-Man Hamlet. Carl plays Busey, performing the roles in Shakespeare's greatest drama with finger puppets. It has been performed at Edinburgh Festival Fringe and around the country. The first performance in Dallas is for Kitchen Dog's annual Hooch & Pooch gala, which will benefit KDT programs such as its high school playwriting program (PUP Fest), and the new Admit:ALL initiative, which offers free tickets to performances. There are two more public performances on Sunday. | The Hooch & Pooch gala is 7 p.m. Saturday, March 25; and there are additional performances at 2 and 7:30 p.m. Sunday, March 26
» Read an interview with Carl in the Dallas Voice
2 It Shoulda Been You
Uptown Players | Kalita Humphreys Theater, Dallas
David Hyde Pierce made his Broadway directorial debut in 2015 with this musical by Brian Hargrove (book and lyrics) and Barbara Anselmi (music), and it starred Tyne Daly and Harriet Harris as battling mothers at their kids' wedding, where secrets are revealed. For its regional premiere, Ann Nieman directs, with music direction by Adam C. Wright, and Linda Leonard and Wendy Welch playing the monster-in-laws. The cast also includes Mikey Abrams, Matt Clark, Steve Golin, Jacob Grant, Bob Hess, Noelle Mason, Kimberly Oliver, Chris Ramirez, Dan Servetnick, Jodi Wright and Katie Moyes Williams. | March 24-April 9
3 Master Class
Brick Road Theatre | Courtyard Theatre, Plano
This might be Terrence McNally's best play; an examination of the great opera singer and famous diva Maria Callas as she teaches master classes to three vocal students. Brick Road Theatre is a rising company in town, and all you need to know is that Terry Martin directs and Diana Sheehan plays Callas. This group means business. | 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, March 24-25; and 2:30 p.m. Sunday, March 26
4 Parade in Concert
WaterTower Theatre | Addison Theatre and Conference Center, Addison
Kelsey Leigh Ervi directs this one-night benefit concert staging of one of Jason Robert Brown's greatest musicals (book by Alfred Uhry), based on the true story of a Jewish man accused of murder in 1913 in Atlanta, Georgia. Seth Womack plays Leo Frank, with Sarah Elizabeth Price as Lucille Frank, Winston Daniels as Jim Conley and Jad Saxton as Mary Phagan. Scott Eckert is the musical director. | 8 p.m. Saturday, March 25
5 21st Century Women Composers
Voices of Change | Southern Methodist University, Caruth Auditorium
Voices of Change, which is one of the area's most important chamber music groups, does something immensely important: A concert devoted to living women composers. It will include works by Joan Tower, Gabriela Lena Frank, Anne Guzzo, Libby Larsen and guest composer Augusta Read Thomas. | 3 p.m. Saturday, March 25
6 Tomás and the Library Lady
Dallas Children's Theater | Rosewood Center for Family Arts
Dallas Children's Theater presents the area premiere of this bilingual play about a young boy and his migrant work family, and what happens with Tomás visits the library. | March 24-April 2
7 Dallas Comedy Festival
Dallas Comedy House, Deep Ellum
The Dallas Comedy House's eighth annual festival, full of sketch and improv comedy from here and around the country. Don't miss Saturday night headliners The Improvised Shakespeare Company. | Multiple times Friday and Saturday, March 24-25
8 The Other Mozart
Eisemann Center for the Performing Arts, Richardson
Sylvia Milo returns to town to perform her one-woman show about Mozart's sister, Nannerl. Directed by Isaac Byrne, The Other Mozart is based on facts, stories and lines pulled directly from the Mozart family’s humorous and heartbreaking letters. 8 p.m. Friday; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday, March 24-26
9 Two Trains Running
Jubilee Theatre, Fort Worth
Jubilee Theatre presents August Wilson's play, his 1960s entry in his 20th Century Cycle. William "Bill" Earl Ray directs, and the cast includes Marcus Mauldin, Laurence Pete and Alonso Waller. | March 24-April 16
10 White Rabbit Red Rabbit
Amphibian Stage Productions, Fort Worth
You might have read much about this work by Iranian writer Nassim Soleimanpour, in which one actor steps on the stage and is handed the script, and can never perform the show again. And if you've seen it, don't spoil anything. Then again, it is different at every performance. For Amphibian Stage Productions, Christopher Blay performs Friday night, Cameron Smith on Saturday, and Christie Vela on Sunday. (The performances with TV actors Xander Berkeley and Sarah Clarke have already happened as of publication.) | 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday
» Our review of Xander Berkeley
11 Robot Planet Rising
AT&T Performing Arts Center Off-Broadway on Flora | Wyly Theatre
The Intergalactic Nemesis returns to Dallas, with a sequel to the last comic book live action extravaganza, presented here last year. | March 23-25
» Our 2016 interview with the co-founder of The Intergalactic Nemesis
12 The Trinity River Plays
Soul Rep Theatre Company | South Dallas Cultural Center
Soul Rep Theatre Company does two of the three plays in Regina Taylor's triptych, which had its world premiere in 2010 at the Dallas Theater Center in a co-production with Chicago's Goodman Theatre. | March 24-April 2
» Our artist to artist conversation, in which playwright Jonathan Norton talks to Regina Taylor
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS OPENING MARCH 24-26
All's Well That Ends Well
Shakespeare Dallas' Complete Works series has a reading of this play at the Wyly Theatre, Sixth Floor Studio. | 3 p.m. Sunday, March 26 and 7 p.m. Monday, March 27
Brahms Trio
Presented in the Fine Arts Chamber Players season at Dallas Museum of Art. | 3 p.m. Saturday, March 25
Jesus Christ Superstar
Presented by Greater Lewisville Communty Theatre. | March 24-April 9
Kreutzer Sonate
A performance by Blue Candlelight Music Series in a private home in Dallas. | 7 p.m. Friday, March 24
One Slight Hitch
Runway Theatre in Grapevine presents the Lewis Black comedy. | March 24-April 9
On the Edge
Lone Star Wind Orchestra performs at Dallas City Performance Hall. | 2:30 p.m. Sunday, March 26
The Pirate Queen
Presented by Artisan Center Theater, Hurst. | March 24-April 15
This Is Our Youth
The Basement, which is the new group consisting of the teenagers who group performing at Fun House Theatre and Film, present their first production, of Kenneth Longergan's play, directed by 16-year-old Kennedy Waterman. | March 23-25
Thomas Trotter
The organist performs in the Dallas Symphony's organ recital series, at the Meyerson Symphony Center. | 2:30 p.m. Sunday, March 26
Topsy Turvy: Songs You Thought You Knew
Turtle Creek Chorale puts a fab spin on songs by One Republic, Queen, Whitney Houston, Barbra Streisand, Britney Spears and others. Gershwin too. B.J. Cleveland guest stars. at Dallas City Performance Hall. | 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, March 24-25
LAST CHANCE
These productions close this weekend
Dr. Bobaganush
Presented by the Ochre House in Exposition Park. | Closes Saturday
Grace and Glorie
Presented by One Thirty Productions at the Bath House Cultural Center. | Closes Saturday
Kurios: Cabinet of Curiosities
Presented by Cirque du Soleil under the tent in the parking lot of Lone Star Park, Grand Prairie. | Closes Sunday
Let It Be
The national tour presented by Performing Arts Fort Worth at Bass Performance Hall. | Closes Sunday
» Our review of the performance in Dallas two weeks earlier
Madame Butterfly
Presented by The Dallas Opera at Winspear Opera House. | Closes Sunday
Passing Strange
Presented by Theatre Three. | Closes Sunday
» Our interview with Calvin Scott Roberts
Jack and the Beanstalk
Presented by Kathy Burks Theatre of Puppetry Arts and Dallas Children's Theater. | Closes Sunday
» Our interview with two of the puppeteers
The Turn of the Screw
Presented by The Dallas Opera at Winspear Opera House. | Closes Saturday
» For complete listings of what's happening on North Texas stages, click on the calendar icon at the top right of the page. Once there, you can click the red "Search the Calendar" box, and search for listings by dates, performance type, the presenting company, titles or descriptions. For instance, type "Shakespeare" into the description field, click SEARCH and you'll find a host of performances (theater, dance, music, etc.) by, adapted from or about the Bard. 
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