The curtain might be coming down on Houston’s theater and performing arts 2025-2026 seasons, but before taking the final bow, they’ll give audiences laughs, thrills, earth-moving music, and some ultimate family dramas. This month offers world premieres from the Houston Ballet, Stages, and the Alley and a trip to New Orleans from Dirt Dogs. 4th Wall hams up Hamlet. Ensemble invites us to an awkward family dinner. TUTS makes some Beautiful music. Then the Ally closes May taking Stephen King fans on a wild ride.
Bonnie & Clyde from Open Dance Project (now through May 8)
To celebrate their 10th anniversary, Houston’s home for immersive dance, ODP, has brought back some of its most provocative works from past seasons. Next up, is a complex look at the Texas outlaw legends, Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow. Original music by Garreth Broesche, Hunter Perrin, and Paul Beebe and a stunning, immersive, multimedia set turn the MATCH theater into 1920s and 30s landscapes.
Audiences can wander through these set pieces as they watch the dancers move around them. The company always does its research when creating new work and recreating moments in history through dance. This new vision into the Bonnie and Clyde story delves into the tragic beginnings that turned teens with nothing to lose into the infamous killer lovers that still fascinate us a century later.
Fat Ham from 4th Wall Theatre (now-May 23)
What if Prince Hamlet was a Black, thicc, queer heir to a barbecue restaurant empire, just trying to break the cycle of generational trauma and violence? In other words, what if Hamlet the play was a comedy with some juicy drama? That is the question answered in James Ijames’s Pulitzer Prize0winning play, getting its Houston premiere at 4th Wall Theatre.
Like Hamlet, our hero, Juicy, just wants to go back to online college after the death of his father and quick remarriage of his mother to his father’s brother. But the hot and spicy truth from a ghost might send him on a quest for revenge, if he can just get through one family barbecue. Sorrowful, profound, and hilarious, sometimes in the same moment, the show became the ultimate Bard party on Broadway, but we can’t wait to see it on the intimate Studio 101 stage. Stages Theatre artistic director, Derek Livingston, directs a cast of some of our favorite Houston actors. Come for the tragedy comedy, but stay for the rave.
Dear Alien at Alley Theatre (May 8-31)
In this existential comedy, an isolated advice columnist races the clock to make one last deadline before facing financial ruin. Alley resident actor, Dylan Godwin showcases his versatility again in a lead role.
Who All Over There at Ensemble Theatre (May 8-31)
Inspired by the classic 1960s Sidney Poitier and Katharine Hepburn film Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, with some modernizing and table turning, this dramedy looks at love, family, and culture clashes in the21st century. When Dean, a young professional, and Danya, an aspiring singer, go on a refreshingly candid first date, they keep it real about the dynamics of a potential interracial relationship. As they grow comfortable nestled in the cocoon of their budding love, the real world brings a whirlwind of inflammatory race relations, opinionated family and friends, and troublesome pasts.
that drive thru monterey at Stages (May 8-June 7)
Stages groundbreaking Sin Muros Festival play reading festival has been nurturing new work from Latinx theater artists for nearly a decade, but this dreamy drama of memory by Matthew Paul Olmos will be the first time the company brings one of those recent works to full production. Set in 1971 East Los Angeles, the play follows Monterey, a young Mexican-American woman navigating first love, identity, and ambition against a shifting cultural backdrop. Inspired by the playwright’s mother, the story explores Monterey’s life filled with love, loss, family conflict, and the realities of being a Mexican-American woman in the United States.
Beautiful: The Carole King Musical from Theatre Under the Stars (May 19-31)
This Tony and Grammy winning musical bio has made Houston stops on national tours, but for the first time Theatre Under the Stars will bring its own production to the stage. Depicting the dramatic life of one of the most successful songwriters in music history, Beautiful portrays Carole King’s musical gifts, including her early days as a writer of chart-topping hits for artists like The Shirelles, The Drifters, and Aretha Franklin, and then her move into the spotlight to sing her own Tapestry. The show features some of King’s greatest music, including “It’s Too Late,” “You’ve Got a Friend,” “So Far Away,” "I Feel the Earth Move,” and “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman.”
Airline Highway from Dirt Dogs Theatre (May 21-June 6)
At a dilapidated motel off Airline Highway, a found family of misfits parties in the parking lot to celebrate the life of one of their own. The larger-than-life Miss Ruby, a beloved community figure and former burlesque dancer, wants to hold court at her own funeral as she nears the end of her days. With both humor and realism, Airline Highway captures a New Orleans not often seen on stage or screen, while portraying life on the fringes of society with honesty and empathy.
An Evening with the Stars from Houston Ballet (May 28-June 7)
For their final mix rep production of the season, Houston Ballet offers a rare, classic Jerome Robbins piece, an audience favorite from company artistic director Stanton Welch, and a world premiere from acclaimed Australian choreographer Alice Topps. While it might not tell a set story, Robbins’ Dances at a Gathering holds themes of community and joy in a work that showcases the HB company with beautiful solos, duets, and ensemble moments. Welch makes connections between the art of dance and weaving in Tapestry, set to Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 5, a composition known for its joyful melodies and moments of warmth, serenity, and depth. Meanwhile Topp’s world premiere will explore themes of resilience with a work that asks how we continue forward in the face of adversity and keep that human inner spark alive.
Misery at Alley Theatre (May 29-June 21)
The Alley is sure to break a leg with this twisty season ender. Oscar winning screenwriter William Goldman adapted this stage version of Stephen King’s thriller about a novelist and his “biggest fan.” Goldman and King never let audiences forget that “fan” is just the abbreviated version of fanatic, as famous romance author Paul is rescued from a car crash by the lonely Annie, who nurses him back to health. But when Annie gets a very sneaky peek at Paul’s latest novel, she becomes obsessed with taking total control of Paul and the narrative. What begins as a rescue quickly turns into a dangerous entrapment as Paul writes for his life. Long time Alley resident actors, Elizabeth Bunch and Chris Hutchison, who happen to be married in real life, battle it out as Annie and Paul.
Photo courtesy of 4th Wall Theatre Company
