After The Storm

Art survives! How a wide range of Houston arts groups are already coming back from the storm

After the horrors of Harvey and the damage done to the Theater District, many in the Houston arts community spent this week accessing and starting the recovery process. They’ve also been checking their calendars and alternate venues in order to bring performing art back to the city.

We’ve kept you updated on news from the Alley Theatre and Houston Symphony. Now we cast our art gaze wider to view the latest changes inside and outside of downtown, and find ways Houston can support the art and artists they love.

Random Acts of Viewing: This weekend

Perhaps one of the easiest ways to help is to simply buy a ticket and see a show. Even as the largest organizations of the Theater District pause to take care of their artists and staff, and rebuild, many of the smaller companies need our support and applause. And we can begin as soon as this weekend.

Midtown Arts and Theater Center Houston (MATCH) lights up with the Houston Fringe Festival (yes Houston has a Fringe Fest) offering dance, music, innovative performance art, and multimedia shows to fill the entire weekend.

The 4th Wall Theatre begins a run of its penultimate production, Ayad Akhtar’s Disgraced (September 8-30). The company decided to close down at the end of this year and so Disgraced will be one of the last chances to see performances from the always remarkable actor-driven company.

One of Houston’s newest theater companies, Gravity Players, has put together an all-star Houston cast, including some of our best local talent, for Stephen Adly Guirgis' profound and profoundly funny play, Last Days Of Judas Iscariot. I saw the production a few weeks before the storm and highly recommend theater-philes catch the last performance on September 9.

In these “Crazy” times, we can still turn to Stages and Patsy Cline, as she continues to Always be there for us. But perhaps what we really need is arguably the silliest musical ever created.

Stages also presents two free performances of Xanadu at Miller Outdoor Theatre, September 8 and 9. Because sometimes the greatest tonic for our weary souls come in the form of a Greek muse with an awful Australian accent inspiring artists to open roller disco clubs.

In the District

The latest and biggest news from the Theater District comes from the Houston Ballet, which revealed that flooding damage to the Wortham Center was substantial enough that all performances though October 15 are canceled. Luckily a friendly neighbor, The Hobby Center, will lend them a stage.

The Ballet’s blockbuster production of Sir Kenneth MacMillan’s last full-length ballet Mayerling, which no North American ballet company has attempted, will find a dance home in Sarofim Hall from September 22-24. Mixed repertory program Poetry in Motion, which was to open the season, will also be performed at Sarofim Hall, October 26 and 27.

At this time, Houston Grand Opera has not announced any schedule changes with the exception of its Studio Showcase program. HGO’s power sources, internet, and website connectivity were badly damaged in the flood, but by mid-week they’d restored ticketing services.

Though the Houston Ballet and HGO are the biggest players sent adrift from Harvey’s damage to the Wortham, many other mid-sized Houston arts groups use the facility.

Houston’s literary arts organization Inprint had scheduled their season opening reading from award-winning novelists Nathan Englander and Nicole Krauss for September 18 at the Wortham’s Cullen Theater. That reading has now been moved to Stude Concert Hall at Rice University.

Jones Hall, which is home to the Houston Symphony and a number of Society for the Performing Arts performances, is faring better. Houston First officials, who manage the building, said it suffered minimal damages and should re-open to staff and performances by the end of the week.

Time to Heal and Rebuild

Harvey sent ripples across the performing arts community. Even if an organization or company had minimal damage to their space, many artists, casts, and crews had homes, cars, and lives damaged by the storm. This fact means that though the show will go on, it might go on a little later than expected while people regroup.

About a mile away from the theater district, at its home across from Minute Maid Park, the fun and funky Rec Room had to cancel or reschedule several events and shows. The latest installment of one of Rec Room’s biggest and longest running hits, the kids interactive show series Garbage Island from Houston playwright Abby Koenig, has been pushed back to September 23, but Rec will add an additional Garbage Island 4.0 performance every Saturday.

In Midtown, one of Houston’s oldest and beloved companies, Ensemble Theatre suffered water damage to the lower seating area of its main stage and dressing rooms. Even while they saw to their own injury, they company set out to help Houston, donating to Mayor Turner’s Hurricane Relief Fund and giving performances at shelters. Ensemble has decided to delay by a week the first show of its 41st season, Sassy Mamas, now slotted for September 27-October 22. Ensemble also will offer a free preview performance September 22. Reserved tickets are available online.

Though the nearby MATCH sustained no significant damage, Catastrophic Theatre, which calls MATCH home, plans to also delay its season opener, Wallace Shawn’s darkest comedy Evening at the Talk House, by a week in order to allow some of its artists and the whole city time to recover. The show now runs October 5-21.

A Bit of Beauty and Knowledge to Sustain Us

One of the truly bright spots in post-Harvey news has been how quickly the institutions of the Museum District have regrouped. The majority of the museums, from the Museum of Fine Arts to Houston Natural Science Museum (HMNS) to Asia Society to Buffalo Soldiers National Museum, have reopened and resumed normal or slightly changed operating hours.

Yes, the Houston Zoo is open and the animals safe and secure. Look for a pair of jaguar cubs to have their public debut in the next several weeks.

Check the individual museums and institutions websites and social media for any programming cancelations or special outreach. For example, the Children’s Museum offers free admission for families in shelters and HMNS is posting “Bringing the Museum to You” daily education videos on its social media for those adults, and especially kids, who cannot visit the museum in person.

Artful Help

Many of the individual performing arts companies and organizations have set up donation funds to assist their artists and employees who had major losses and to support the rebuilding and recovery process.

Also, look for fundraising events in the coming weeks. Friday, Apollo Chamber Players, in partnership with Musiqa Houston and Jazz Forever presents A Harvey Relief Concert, one of the CultureMap picks for this weekend.

On September 9, Fresh Arts delivers #TexasArtistsStrong, a pop-up exhibition and art sale at Spring Street Studios, with all proceeds benefiting the Immediate Disaster Relief Fund for Texas Artists. Houston and surrounding area artists created all the works on exhibition, which will all be available for purchase and to immediately take home.

Queensbury Theatre and Kirkwood Music Services just announced their own plans to raise funds for Mayor Turner’s Relief Fund with a Houston Artists for Harvey Relief show on September 21, and has a call out for performers.

Jones Hall, home to the Houston Symphony, should ready for performances by the end of this week, Houston First officials said.

theater opera museums dance

Best April Theater

The 9 best plays, musicals, and operas to see in Houston this month

Photo by Joan Marcus

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Houston theater companies seem to be feeling a bit nostalgic as they offer up some timeless and contemporary classics shows for audiences this month. Drama gets political, comedy gets historical, and an array of queens, knights, lunching ladies, and barbers sing. Celebrate the classics, and one world premiere, as theater blossoms across the city this month.

Brother Andrew at A.D. Players (now through April 26)
The family friendly and spiritual theater company's latest new work is this musical inspired by the New York Times Bestseller, God's Smuggler. The true story follows a young Dutch man who, after a dramatic conversion, takes on a new calling as Brother Andrew and risks his life to smuggle Bibles behind the iron curtain during the cold war. With music and lyrics by Christian rock star Neal Morse, Brother Andrew becomes an inspirational, thrilling musical, and Houston theater goers can be the first to see it.

Six presented by Broadway at the Hobby Center (April 7-12)
Let’s sing out “Yas, Queens!” as six divas take the Hobby stage once more to have (and belt) it out over who had a worst marriage to the king of bad husbands, Henry VIII. With those marriage outcomes being: divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived, they’ve got a lot to sing about. Coincidentally resembling some of the hottest pop stars of our age, the 16th century royals: Catherine, Anne, Jane, Anna, Katherine with aK, and the second Catherine with a C (Henry had a type for names), finally get to tell their own side of the story in this theatrical concert extravaganza. Six is one of those rare musicals that after many years is still going strong on Broadway, but you don’t have book a flight to seek an audiences with the queens, as Broadway at Hobby brings them back to Houston.

Company from Garden Theatre (April 10-19)
Garden continues to celebrate its fifth season by remounting some of its audience's favorite shows, and the final musical of the season is no exception. Stephen Sondheim’s exploration of New York marriages through the eyes of a single and singular man, Bobby, also gave us Sondheim fans some of our most adored songs, like “Ladies Who Lunch” and “Being Alive.” Through a series of dinner parties, first dates, and candid conversations, Bobby explores the highs, lows, and absurdities of modern relationships, gaining insight into marriage, commitment, and his own persistent bachelorhood. Garden Theatre’s founding artistic director Logan Vaden, plays Bobby, alongside a cast of Garden regulars.

The Designated Mourner from Catastrophic Theatre (April 10-25)
Because of scheduling and production issues, Catastrophic made some changes to its announced season and brought back this contemporary political classic by American playwright and actor Wallace Shawn. Unfolding in a series of monologues and short scenes, three characters, a husband, wife, and her father, talk us through a labyrinthine tale spanning the years before, during, and after a populist uprising in an unnamed country. Now teetering on the edge of authoritarianism, the government has targeted artists and intellectuals for imprisonment and execution. Catastrophic co-founder Jason Nodler, who will direct, says the power of Designated Mourner is that it pushes audiences to reflect on their own beliefs and ideals if confronted by such circumstances. Previous productions have left audiences thinking and questioning long after the final lines.

Spamalot presented by Theatre Under the Stars (April 15-26)
Clap your coconut shells together as the revival of the smash Broadway hit clops into Houston. As the original description so honestly stated, Spamalot is lovingly ripped from the film classic, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, but fans know the musical definitely expands on the film.

Follow King Arthur and his nights of the Round Table on a set of meandering adventures through ancient England, a land full of flying cows, killer rabbits, French taunters, dancing girls, shrubbery, and watery lake tarts dispensing swords. While this revival garnered critical acclaim on Broadway for its new design and staging, the original book, lyrics, and music by Python member Eric Idle still remain, so expect to sing along with knightly songs like “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life,” “The Song That Goes Like This,” and “Find Your Grail.”

Othello from Classical Theatre Company (April 16-May 2)
The Houston theater company that specializes in bringing new perspectives to theatrical masterpieces describes its 18th season as “sad plays for sad days.” In keeping with that theme, it brings the always complex and provocative Othello to the DeLuxe stage.

The play follows the heroic Moorish general in the Venetian army, Othello, whose life is destroyed by his insidious and conniving ensign, Iago. Calling Othello his favorite Shakespeare play, company founder John Johnston finds many parallels between the play and our current political landscape, especially Othello’s blight and Iago’s ability to manipulate others using fear and racism as a wedge.

Messiah from Houston Grand Opera (April 17-May 3)
As the music rises to the heavens, the Wortham stage will be filled with images reminiscent of fantastic dreams in this rare staging of Handel’s Messiah, arranged by Mozart, as a full operatic production. Though classical music lovers likely are more accustomed to hearing Handel’s Messiah as a holiday tradition in concert halls, Wilson’s acclaimed production becomes a surreal, transformative experience.

Performed by the HGO Orchestra and Chorus alongside soprano Ying Fang, countertenor Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen, tenor Benjamin Bliss, and bass-baritone Nicholas Newtona, as well as internationally celebrated dancer Alexis Fousekis, this Messiah production will be one audiences will not soon forget.

Fences at Alley Theatre (April 17-May 10)
It’s been some time since the Alley produced a work by August Wilson, one of the great American playwrights of the late 20th century, but this Pulitzer and Tony winner is certainly a momentous one to welcome Wilson’s work back to the Hubbard stage. Fences tells the story of a former baseball player, Troy Maxson, who struggles with the realities of life and the pursuit of happiness. The play explores themes of racial prejudice and unfulfilled dreams, while depicting the challenges of parenthood and the strength and bonds of family when they are tested.

The Barber of Seville from Houston Grand Opera (April 24-May 10)
One of the most beloved comic operas, Rossini’s The Barber of Seville gets a colorful and exhilarating new staging created and directed by Joan Font, founding director of the Barcelona-based company Comediants. The opera follows the story of the dashing Count Almaviva, who is captivated by the mysterious Rosina but thwarted in his pursuit by her pompous old guardian, Dr. Bartolo. In order to get close to the cloistered beauty, Almaviva enlists the help of the scheming barber Figaro and his clever tricks, leading to a series of elaborate disguises, intercepted letters, and outrageous mix-ups before true love triumphs at last.

Photo by Joan Marcus

Broadway at the Hobby Center presents Six.

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