Top 16 Plays & Arts Performances This Month: February 2019

top-plays-performances-houston-february-2019
The Carpenter | Photo courtesy of Alley Theatre

Grab your tickets to the top 16 theatrical shows and arts performances happening around the Greater Houston area in February 2019.

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Still looking for more entertainment this month? Visit our Event Calendar for a more comprehensive list.

Shows are listed in chronological order and are not ranked numerically from most to least recommended.

Top 16 Plays & Arts Performances This Month: February 2019

  • Hattie’s Big Night at MATCH | Friday, February 1 through Sunday, February 10 – Vincent Victoria Presents has made a name for itself by mounting plays that recreate moments in African American history. This one is the story of Hattie McDaniel, winner of the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Mammy in Gone With the Wind – the first African American to win the gold statue. Taking place on the evening of the awards in 1940, this is the story of McDaniel’s angst and frustration in the face on racism on what should’ve been one of the happiest nights of her life. Tickets are $20. Showtimes vary.
  • Wakey Wakey at the Quintero Theatre | Through Sunday, February 3 – Catastrophic Theatre presents what the Austin American-Statesman called an “outright celebration of what it means to live a worthwhile life.” It’s about Guy, a man who’s dying but still fighting to express himself right up to the very end. Tickets are pay-what-you-can. Showtimes vary.
  • The Pearl Fishers at the Wortham Theater Center | Through Friday, February 8 – This rarely performed opera by George Bizet is the story of best friends who see their world upended when a priestess arrives to bless the pearl harvest on the island of Ceylon. Two great opera voices, Mariusz Kwiecień and Lawrence Brownlee, lead the international cast. Tickets start at $35, but you may find cheaper or better seats on Ticketnetwork’s online resale market. Showtimes vary.
  • The Carpenter at the Alley Theatre | Through Sunday, February 10 – From the writer of Hand to God comes this world premiere story about the clash of cultures between a self-made blue-collar Houston guy and his rich, Highland Park fiancé. When the couple travel to Dallas to meet her family, all hell breaks loose. Tickets start at $26, but you may find cheaper or better seats on TicketNetwork’s online resale market. Showtimes vary.
  • The River Bride at Stages Repertory Theatre | Through Sunday, February 10 – Rooted in traditions of Brazilian folklore, the play is the story of two sisters in a fishing village struggling to find happiness and honor family traditions. The play wowed critics and is hailed as moving and seductive. Tickets start at $25. Showtimes vary.
  • Tuesdays with Morrie at the George Theatre | Through Sunday, February 10 – A.D. Players presents this play, based on the best-selling book by Mitch Albom, this is the heartwarming story of sportswriter Albom, who makes a visit to the ailing profession Morrie Schwartz, and how one meeting can change everything. Tickets start at $15. Showtimes vary.
  • Too Heavy for Your Pocket at the Ensemble Theatre | Through Sunday, February 24 – Set in rural Tennessee at the height of the Civil Rights movement, this family drama follows the story of Bowzie, who gets a scholarship to the prestigious Fisk University. The chance can change his life – and that of his family’s. But what happens when the pull of forces outside the classroom proves too powerful to ignore? Tickets start at $30. Showtimes vary.
  • I Could Write a Book at the Ballroom at Bayou Place | Sunday, February 3 – Houston Chamber Choir presents an evening of jazz vocals in cabaret style, with options for food and drink. Featuring Kim Nazarian from New York Voices, the concert is a chronicle through jazz favorites and lesser-known gems. Tickets are $40. 4pm.
  • Fair Maid of the West at Queensbury Theatre | Wednesday, February 6 through Sunday, February 24 – Classical Theatre Company sets up shop in Memorial City to present this Elizabethan drama on the high seas. Philip Lehl directs this local premiere that tells the story of tavern maid Bess Bridges, who loses her lover in the Anglo-Spanish War, inherits his fortune, and buys a ship and sets sail determined to bring his body home. Lovers who Shakespeare seeking another voice and seekers of adventure should be thoroughly entertained. Tickets are $25, but you may find limited discounted tickets for $15. Showtimes vary.
  • Uncharted at 1520 Rutland Street | Thursday, February 7 through Sunday, February 17 – Landing Theatre Company presents this newly commissioned work, part of its micro theatre project. It’s the story of Alyssa, who discovers after her father’s death that he was a sperm donor – and what happens when her newly discovered half-sister turns up, wanting to know more about her father. Guests should note these performances take place in a private residence and seating is limited. Tickets are $20. Showtimes vary.
  • Moonlight and Magnolias at the Evelyn Rubenstein JCC | Thursday, February 14 through Sunday, February 24 – Set in 1939, Hollywood mogul David Selznick has stopped production on his epic adaptation of Gone With the Wind. He pulls director Victor Flemming off the set of The Wizard of Oz and corrals script doctor Ben Hecht into an office, where the trio has five days to rewrite the disastrous script into a movie masterpiece. This hilarious behind-the-scenes play is adapted from the Hecht’s memoirs. Tickets are $30; $20 for JCC members. Showtimes vary.
  • For Tonight at Queensbury Theatre | Thursday, February 14 through Sunday, March 3 – A finalist at the 2015 New Horizons Music Festival, this musical is the story of siblings Thomas, Hayden, and Nettie, forced to fend for themselves after the death of their parents. Hayden heads off to Liverpool, guitar in hand, to make his way, where he meets a Romani woman who speaks to his soul. Inspired by the journals of the author’s great-great-great-grandfather, and backed with an indie/folk rock score, this show challenges prejudices and explores the twin powers of love and home. Tickets start at $21. Showtimes vary.
  • Mamma Mia! at the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts | Tuesday, February 19 through Sunday, March 3 – TUTS presents this hilarious, heartfelt romp of a musical set to the music of ABBA. Set on a Greek island, it’s the story of a young woman about to marry the man of her dreams, who wants her father to give her away at her wedding. The only problem: she has no idea who he is. Three men might be him. Chaos ensues when she invites all of them to the event. Tickets start at $30, but you may find cheaper or better seats on TicketNetwork’s online resale market. Showtimes vary.
  • On the Exhale at the Rec Room | Wednesday, February 20 through Saturday, March 9 –This regional premiere is the story of an instant in one mother’s life that sends her down a rabbit hole of grief in the aftermath of gun violence. Timely, riveting, and important, The Observer called it “remarkable” with “emotional power.” Tickets are $30. Showtimes vary.
  • Sylvia at the Wortham Theatre Center | Thursday, February 21 through Sunday, March 3 – The Houston Ballet presents Stanton Welch’s production of this dramatic myth, the story of the huntress Sylvia and her love for a mortal shepherd. With stunning costumes, music, sets, and projections, the ballet follows Sylvia on her journey, torn between love and duty. Tickets start at $25, but you may be able to find cheaper or better seats on TicketNetwork’s online resale market. Showtimes vary.
  • Reel Forces at MATCH | Friday, February 22 – MUSIQA offers this look at humanity, memory, and conflict through Beyond Zero: 1914-1918, a moving, mesmerizing film of rare WWI archival footage by auteur-director Bill Morrison, and scored for string quartet. Tickets are pay-what-you-can. 7pm for the pre-concert discussion, 7:30pm performance.

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Holly Beretto
Holly Beretto writes about food and wine, the arts and interesting people for a variety of local and regional publications. In addition to 365 Things to Do in Houston, her work has appeared in the Arizona State University Alumni Magazine, Arts + Culture Texas, Bayou City Magazine, Downtown, Galveston Monthly and Houston Woman. She is also a regular contributor to Eater.com's Houston site. She earned her B.A. in mass communication with a minor in professional writing from Franklin Pierce College (now Franklin Pierce University) and her M.A. in communication studies with an emphasis in journalism from St. Louis University. She has worked in television news production, public relations and marketing in Rhode Island, Maine, New York and Texas. A native Rhode Islander, she has lived in Texas since 1997. She is the author of Christ as the Cornerstone: Fifty Years of Worship at St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church, published by Bright Sky Press.