Top 12 Plays & Arts Performances This Month: April 2019

top-plays-and-performances-houston-april-2019
Ragtime | Photo courtesy of Theatre Under The Stars

Grab your tickets to the top 12 theatrical shows and arts performances happening around the Greater Houston area in April 2019.

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Top 12 Plays & Arts Performances

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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 12 Plays & Arts Performances This Month: April 2019

  • The Hunchback of Seville at the Alley Theatre | Through Friday, April 6 – Mildred’s Umbrella sets up shop on the Alley’s Neuhaus Theatre to share this story that takes place in Spain after Columbus returns from the New World. The Seattle Stranger called it “16th-Century Spanish History as Written by Quentin Tarantino.” Tickets are pay-what-you-can with a suggested donation of $25. Showtimes vary.
  • Freeda Peoples at the Ensemble Theatre | Through Sunday, April 14 – Gospel sounds highlight this story of a church community and its new pastor. Written by Joyce Sylvester, who created the popular Women in the Pit, the show looks at how people are rarely what they appear to be. Tickets start at $23. Showtimes vary.
  • Little Shop of Horrors at Stages Repertory Company | Through Sunday, April 28 – The beloved, slightly twisted musical showcases the lives of a flower shop clerk named Seymour and his fellow denizens of Skid Row. Ingenious lyrics and music by Alan Menken and a book by Howard Ashman that’s packed with crazy characters belie the show’s core theme: what would you do to get all you wanted? Tickets start at $25. Showtimes vary.
  • Better Together at the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts | Friday, April 12 and Saturday, April 13 – METdance presents this evening filled with the group’s special brand of energy and enthusiasm for modern dance. The performance includes a world premiere by Katarzyna Skarpetowska, along with selections from Robbie Moore, DUO, IMEE and METdance’s MET Two Youth Company. Tickets start at $21. 8pm.
  • Crimes of the Heart at The Alley Theatre | Friday, April 12 through Sunday, May 5 – Beth Henley’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play tells the story of three sisters who reunite at their grandfather’s Mississippi home after one of them shoots her husband. Theresa Rebeck directs the all-local cast which includes Alley company members Dylan Godwin, Melissa Pritchett, and Jay Sullivan, as well as Skylar Sinclair, Bree Welch and Chelsea Ryan McCurdy. Tickets start at $26. Showtimes vary.
  • Toast at the MATCH | Friday, April 12 through Sunday, May 5 – Catastrophic Theatre presents this world premiere by Brian Jucha, a skewed adventure through Dante’s nine circles of hell that incorporates alien abduction, mock trials, texts ripped from the headlines and group psychosis. The absurdist dance piece reunites Jucha and many of Infernal Bridegroom Productions artists that created Last Rites and We Have Some Planes. Tickets are pay-what-you-can. Showtimes vary.
  • Ragtime at The Hobby Center for the Performing Arts | Tuesday, April 16 through Sunday, April 28 – TUTS continues its season with this musical that tells an epic story of three intertwined families in turn-of-the-20th-century New York. Facing the whirlwind of change that was the dawn of the new century, the blended stories tackle the scars of racism, the hope of the immigrant dream and the eternal promise of what America means. Tickets start at $30, but you may find cheaper or better seats on TicketNetwork’s online resale market. Showtimes vary.
  • Dance Salad at the Wortham Theater Center | Thursday, April 18 to Saturday, April 20 – The popular celebration of dance returns for the 2019 festival. Featuring a range of styles and performance troupes, this is must-see for dance lovers. Tickets start at $25. 7:30pm nightly; guest should note there are different groups that perform each night.
  • Don Giovanni at the Wortham Theater Center | Saturday, April 20 through Sunday, May 5 – Mozart’s classic opera tells the story of the womanizing Don Giovanni, who carouses all over Europe, with his faithful servant Leporello at his side. What happens when his luck finally runs out? The new production incorporates a rotating set and stunning projections that are guaranteed to show the story in a brand new light. HGO studio alumnus Ryan McKinny sings the title role. Tickets start at $20. Showtimes vary.
  • Murder for Two at Stages Repertory Company | Friday, April 26 through Sunday, June 16 – This madcap musical murder mystery features a two-person cast. One of them plays the inspector on the trail of a killer; the other portrays all 13 suspects. Both play piano in what’s apt to be a humor-filled riff on the tradition crime genre. The New York Observer called it “a hilarious musical whodunit.” Tickets start at $25. Showtimes vary.
  • Cirque de la Symphonie at Jones Hall for the Performing Arts | Friday, April 26 through Sunday, April 28 – The Houston Symphony performs the score that acts as a backdrop for the fearless artistry and acrobatics that define Cirque de Soleil. The one-weekend production promises to be a dazzling display of sights and sounds suitable for the whole family. Tickets start at $56, but you may find cheaper or better seats on TicketNetwork’s online resale market. Showtimes vary.
  • Madama Butterfly at Opera in the Heights | Friday, April 26 through Saturday, May 4 – The classic Puccini opera that inspired Broadway mega-hit Miss Saigon is the story of a Japanese Geisha and her affair with a British naval officer. Presented in partnership with Pacific Opera Project, the production is performed with a new bilingual Japanese-English libretto. Tickets start at $40.50. Showtimes vary.

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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.