See These Shows

'Back to the Future' and Tony Award winners lead Houston's best shows in March

Spring blooms a wild diversity of shows on Houston stages this March. Houstonians can do some time traveling at the Hobby Center, going back to the past for some 1920s and 30s set big Broadway musicals before heading Back to the Future. Theater companies are also inviting us to some delicious onstage comic teas and dinner parties. Emotional dramas bring us stories of life’s devastations and survivals, and the Houston Ballet joins the Frida Kahlo fanfare with the soaring Broken Wings.

The Great Gatsby presented by Broadway at the Hobby Center (March 3-8)
Travel back in time to the Roaring Twenties for this glitzy, glamorous musical based on the classic American novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald. The show takes us into Gatsby’s jazz-age world filled with wealth and nonstop parties. But that ritzy facade hides stories of lost love, failed relationships, and tragedy. Director Marc Bruni (Beautiful: The Carole King Musical) brings this story of extravagance and longing to life onstage set to a jazz- and pop-influenced original score that might just leave audiences partying on after the curtain falls.

The Importance of Being Earnest at Alley Theatre (March 6-29)
The Alley gets witty and Wilde with one of the great classical comedies filled with friendship, romance, and much spilling of tea, both literal and figurative. No one is earnest but practically everyone is called Ernest when two friends create alternate egos in order to lead one life in the city and one in the country. Mix in two lovely society ladies, a judgmental grand dame who gets all the best lines, a ditzy but aging governess, a confused parish rector, and life changing piece of lost luggage. Oscar Wilde brewed this all together to give audiences a satire that’s retained its sparkle for over a century. Alley artistic director Rob Melrose conducts the chaos with a cast of Alley resident actors and Houston stage veterans.

Broken Wings from Houston Ballet (March 12-22)
One Houston institution is not enough to hold our love for Frida Kahlo. Houston Ballet adds to the Museum of Fine Arts Fridamania with this mixed-rep production. The title work is choreographer Annabelle Lopez Ochoa’s celebrated ballet depicting the drama of Kahlo’s life and beauty of her art and self-creation. Taking audiences into the mind and imagination of Kahlo, Broken Wings features three human characters, with male dancers representing Kahlo’s self-portraits, symbolizing her strength and grounded nature.

Along with Ochao’s ballet portrait of Kahlo, each performance will also feature Jiří Kylián’s Petite Mort, a danced contemplation on life and death that's set to two of Mozart’s most beloved piano concertos. Rounding out the program, HB artistic director Stanton Welch has created a world premiere ballet set to composer Mason Bates’ “Stereo is King" composition, which features cultural instruments like Thai gongs and Tibetan prayer-bowls amid tribal grooves and surreal ambience.

Mrs Krishnan's Party presented by Performing Arts Houston (March 12-22)
Immersive and interactive theater gets joyous with this production from New Zealand’s Indian Ink Theatre Company and brought to Houston by PAH in partnership with the Asia Society Texas. Mrs Krishnan is throwing a party, and we’re all invited. What starts as a small gathering in the back room of her convenience store quickly becomes a full-blown celebration when dozens of unexpected guests (that’s us) turn up.

Garlands decorate the ceiling, music flows, and food simmers on the stove as Mrs Krishnan and her tenant, a wannabe DJ named James, cook up dhal and rice right in front of her guests. The party celebrates Onam, a beloved South Indian harvest festival — think Diwali, Holi, or Easter. Ticketed seating for the show allows the audience to choose whether they’d like to participate, and maybe help cook, or hang back and just observe, but everyone is invited to taste the dhal at the end.

Of Mice and Men from Houston Grand Opera (March 13 and 15)
HGO continues its showcase of American opera with this new and special production of Carlisle Floyd’s 20th century classic. Based on John Steinbeck’s great American novel, the influential 1970 opera was composed by Floyd to his own libretto and blends folk tunes and blues melodies to create a haunting score. Set during the Great Depression, the opera depicts the lives of two laborers looking for farm work: George (bass-baritone Sam Dhobhany) and Lennie (tenor Demetrious Sampson Jr.). Together, the friends set out to pursue their piece of the American Dream, but their story ends in tragedy.

Choir Boy at Ensemble Theatre (March 20-April 12)
Ensemble introduces audiences to this play that was a critical darling in London and on Broadway in 2019. Though a play, Choir Boy uses occasional bursts of soaring music to tell the story of Pharus, the star singer in the choir of an elite prep school for boys. As we follow Pharus’s school days, always steeped with music, we meet his fellow choir members, antagonists, and teachers in a rehearsal halls and classrooms filled with pride but also hypocrisy. As the characters navigate issues of bullying, identity, and sexuality, Choir Boy unfolds a coming-of-age story that highlights human difference and multifaceted characters whose lives hold together through the humanity they share and the beautiful music they make.

Some Like It Hot presented by Broadway at the Hobby Center (March 24-29)
People who like musicals with lots of big dance productions, this Tony winner for best choreography is the show to see. Based on the gender-bending, beloved Marilyn Monroe film, the Prohibition set story gives chase to Joe and Jerry, two club musicians who are forced to flee Chicago after witnessing a mob hit. To escape with their lives, they join an all-women jazz band headed to California. Joining the band, of course, requires some changes in outfits and outlooks. The music and spectacular dance numbers give Some Like It Hot an old-Broadway, retro feel, while the bold, updated lyrics and book deliver a 21st century sensibility.

Red Maple from Mighty Acorn Productions (March 26-April 4)
The plot of two married couples airing dirty laundry during a disastrous dinner party has been a theater staple for decades, but in this contemporary comedy by David Bunce, the dinner devastation is taken to deadly extremes. Facing dueling midlife crisis, two couples, who are long time friends, meet for a dinner to lend each other support. As they dig in, secrets are revealed, and then a surprise party crasher throws their lives into greater disarray. The comedy holds lots of dramatic emotional moments while exploring the importance of connection and shared humanity. Fittingly, Red Maple grows from Mighty Acorn, an actor producing company that’s given us several outstanding, thoughtful shows at MATCH over the seasons.

Tiny Beautiful Things at Stages (March 27-April 19)
Based on the Cheryl Strayed’s best-selling book chronicling her time as the advice columnist “Sugar,” the play brings to life the stories of the women and men struggling with challenges and seeking guidance from a stranger. This is theater from creators with lots of film cred, as Things was adapted for the stage by Nia Vardalos (My Big Fat Greek Wedding) and of course the Reese Witherspoon’s film Wild brought to the screen another of Strayed's memoirs depicting her own journey of self-discovery on a 1,000 mile hike.

Leopoldstadt at Main Street Theater (March 28-April 26)
Last year, the world lost one of the most acclaimed and beloved contemporary playwrights with the death of Tom Stoppard. With its sprawling chronicle of the lives and generations of one Jewish family in Vienna from the late 19th century to post World War II, Leopoldstadt would have likely been considered one of Stoppard’s best works, even if it hadn’t been his last. Leopoldstadt garnered almost every award possible, including the Tony for best play when it was produced on Broadway. While other theater companies in Houston have staged Stoppard’s plays, MST has been a devotee, tackling some of his most expansive works over the years, so their production of Leopoldstadt has been on our must-see list even before Stoppard’s passing. We can’t wait to see this epic and shattering play performed by some of Houston’s best character actors in the intimate MST space.

Back to the Future: The Musical presented by Theatre Under the Stars (March 31-April 5)
TUTS invites us to hop into their DeLorean to travel back to the 50s with a pitstop in the 80s as they present the Broadway musical sensation based on the iconic Robert Zemeckis movie. Bob Gale, who wrote the original screenplay with Zemeckis writes the book for the musical. But for this live onstage version, Marty McFly, Doc, and even bully Biff sing.

The show includes both original music and songs featured in the film, like "The Power of Love,” "Earth Angel,” "Johnny B. Goode,” and "Back in Time.” To save the present and future, teen Marty must travel back in time to his parents’ past. Stranded in the alien land of 1950s suburbia, he must team up with the younger version of his mentor, Doc Brown. When the show first premiered to raves from audiences, it was said to have some of the most impressive theatrical effects ever seen on London’s West End and then Broadway. Strap in and prepare to break the musical time barrier.

Photo by Matthew Murphy

Broadway at the Hobby Center presents Some Like It Hot.

performing-arts

Best May Art

MFAH's blockbuster modern art exhibit and 7 more openings in Houston this month

as Pablo Picasso, Woman in a Multicolored Hat, part of the MFAH's upcoming Picasso–Klee–Matisse: Masterpieces from the Museum Berggruen exhibit, opening May 20

Image courtesy MFAH

Museum of Fine Arts, Houston presents Picasso–Klee–Matisse: Masterpieces from the Museum Berggruen (Pablo Picasso, Woman in a Multicolored Hat, 1939, oil on canvas, Museum Berggruen, Neue Nationalgalerie, Berlin. © 2026 Estate of Pablo Picasso / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York)

May brings some of the biggest art shows and museum exhibitions of the year to town. Some fly in with patriotic fanfare, while others give us a rare opportunity to gaze at European masterworks. Whether someone is looking for irreverent performance art at the CAMH, wants to get in touch with whimsical spirits at Moody Art Center, buy art for a good cause at Silver Street, or get ready for the World Cup at Sawyer Yards, Houston artists, galleries, and museums have a show for all tastes.

“Freedom Plane National Tour: Documents That Forged a Nation” at Houston Museum of Natural Science (now through May 25)
We’ll call this one the art of democracy. This exhibition 250 years in the making might not fit the usual definition of "art," but this touring presentation of Founding-era documents at HMNS has to make this month's must-see list. The National Archives and Records Administration, in partnership with the National Archives Foundation, set aloft this flying tour of some of the nation’s most historical documents, complete with their own plane. Houston is one of only eight U.S. cities where the Freedom Plane will land. The original National Archives records featured in the exhibition are traveling together for the first time. Just some of the historic documents included in the exhibition are an original engraving of the Declaration of Independence; George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, and Aaron Burr’s Oaths of Allegiance, 1778; and the Secret Printing of the Constitution in Draft Form, 1787.

“As our nation approaches its 250th anniversary, there is no more fitting tribute than bringing these original documents, leaving the National Archives together for the very first time, directly to the American people,” says Joel Bartsch, president and CEO of HMNS. “From George Washington’s oath as a Continental Army officer to the Treaty of Paris that secured our independence, these are not replicas or reproductions. They are the genuine records, and Houston will have the rare privilege of experiencing them in person this May.”

“20th Annual Empty Bowls” at Silver Street Studios (May 15 and 16)
For two decades this beloved grassroots fundraising event has given art lovers the chance to pick up one of a kind, handcrafted ceramic bowl-shaped artworks for just $25 dollars each and helped to serve up millions of meals to the hungry. Over the years, Empty Bowls Houston has raised over $1.2 million for the Houston Food Bank. The lunch fundraiser is a collaboration between Houston-area ceramists, woodturners, and artists working in all media and Houston Center for Contemporary Craft. A special ticketed preview party on May 15 will feature light bites, beer and wine, live music, a pottery throw down event with local potters, and a chance to purchase a bowl early before the main event on May 16. Archway Gallery will also host its own annual Empty Bowls exhibition throughout May.

“No Longer, Not Yet” at Art League (May 15-July 19)
This exhibition of mixed media and fiber sculptures from Houston-based artist Marisol Valencia is the culmination of Valencia volunteering at a Houston-area shelter serving migrant women and children. To create the works in the show, Valencia uses material imbued with meaning, including fibers sourced from rural Mexican communities where migration often shapes daily life; bedsheets and pillows gathered from the shelter; and porcelain pieces inscribed with collected definitions of “home.” At the center of the exhibition will be a large cascading crochet sculpture made in collaboration with women and volunteers at the shelter.

“Picasso–Klee–Matisse: Masterpieces from the Museum Berggruen” at Museum of Fine Arts (May 20-September 13)
Houston claims another first as the MFAH hosts the U.S. debut of this monumental touring exhibition of masterworks by Pablo Picasso, Paul Klee, Henri Matisse, Alberto Giacometti, and other major artists of postwar Europe. The exhibition will also tell the story of influential gallerist Heinz Berggruen and his relationship with the artists and collecting world. From the 1940s into the 1990s, Heinz Berggruen assembled a singular collection of hundreds of modern masterworks, many directly from the artists, and then in 2000, Berggruen placed the collection with the German state. The collection is now housed in the Museum Berggruen in Berlin-Charlottenburg as part of the Berlin State Museums/Foundation of Prussian Cultural Heritage.

“It is especially rewarding to introduce our audiences to the life and legacy of Heinz Berggruen — a pioneering art dealer, publisher, and collector whom I was privileged to know and work with for more than two decades,” remarks MFAH director Gary Tinterow on bringing the exhibition to Houston.

“Ballet of the Masses” at Sawyer Yards (May 21-July 25)
As Houston gets ready for the World Cup, local artists score their own kind of goals with this exhibition of artful soccer balls. Over 40 Houston artists have put a unique spin on a regulation sized fútbol — turning them into sculptural pieces. Organizers will suspend the works from the ceiling of Sabine Street Studios' North Gallery to create a kind of celestial soccer constellation. Together, these works will celebrate the dynamism and joy within sports and art.

“Never Forgotten” at Sabine Street Studios (May 21-July 25)
This powerful exhibition comes from a unique collaboration between Texas Center for the Missing, Houston Police Department Forensic Artists, and Sabine Street Studios, all dedicated to bringing the missing home. Three local forensic artists: Thurston Johnson, Bryan Bradley, and Kristen Aloysius have created age-progression portraits of missing persons in the hopes of reuniting families. Beyond showcasing real art, “Never Forgotten” was organized to shine a light on each individual case and continue raising awareness of the missing in our community. Sabine Street Studios will also host special programming in conjunction with the show, including a workshop on forensic drawing and drawing portraits based on memories.

“Mary Ellen Carroll: How To Talk Dirty and Influence People” at Contemporary Arts Museum (May 22-November 1)
Acclaimed New York-based conceptual artist Mary Ellen Carroll has spent over four decades crossing disciplines of performance art, photography, architecture, writing, video making, and public art to explore issues of environmentalism, architectural and technological infrastructure, immigration, urban legislation, and identity, as well as tackling fundamental questions of the nature of art. And some of this exploration has taken place in Houston with Carroll’s continual transformation and documentation of a post-war home in the city’s Sharpstown neighborhood.

This first major museum survey of Carroll’s work takes inspiration from legendary comic Lenny Bruce’s 1965 autobiography of the same name, and emphasizes the irreverent and honest nature of Carroll’s work. The exhibition will bring renewed focus onto some of Carroll’s larger series, for example, “prototype 180,” the Sharpstown project, and “My Death Is Pending… Because,” consisting of separate pieces like video documentation of the artist driving and destroying a 1985 Buick in a demolition derby in 2017 and video of Carroll in a polar bear suit climbing a defunct smokestack in Memphis.

“Carroll is that unique kind of artist who continually reminds you of the power of art and artists to inspire radical change, in ourselves and the world,” notes senior curator Rebecca Matalon.

"Shapeshifters, Sprites, and Spirits” at Rice Moody Center for the Arts (May 29 - August 15)
Delve into a world of whimsical wonder in this new exhibition and the first Texas solo show of acclaimed Japanese artist Masako Miki’s sculptural work and installations. Influenced by diverse artistic movements from European Surrealism to Japanese manga, Miki creates sculptures from felt layered over wood armatures. Once completed, they resemble animated and large scale forms of everyday objects infused with personality and character.

Miki’s work is also inspired by folkloric traditions, especially Shinto animism and its belief that all beings and things contain a spirit. For the site specific Moody exhibition, Miki has also created works with a focus on yōkai, supernatural entities taking the form of beings, objects, and apparitions, and particularly those that appear in the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons (Hyakki Yagyō), a legend dating to medieval Japan.

“My characters are ordinary but have extraordinary powers,” describes Miki of her sculptures. “They are secular but are attuned to sacred traditions. As a collective, they advocate for both individual and collective agency, and the importance of stories as unifying systems in today’s complex world.”

$as Pablo Picasso, Woman in a Multicolored Hat, part of the MFAH's upcoming Picasso\u2013Klee\u2013Matisse: Masterpieces from the Museum Berggruen exhibit, opening May 20$

Image courtesy MFAH

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