The best plays, musical performances, and exhibits in Texas are enjoyed by record-breaking crowds, with pandemic protocols in place, according to our cultural arts arbiter Leanne Raesener, who shares our favorite recommendations for what to enjoy this spring across the state.
AUSTIN
ENCHANTINGLY VIBRANT
In 1952, dancer and choreographer Amalia Hernández founded the Ballet Folklórico de México to preserve the dancing traditions of her country. Her goal was to share the beauty of Mexican dance with the nation and the world. April 4. At TheLongCenter.org.
ON IMAGE: Photo by Página oficial del Ballet Folklórico de México
FANTASTICALLY FRENCH
French printmakers combined ancient decorative motifs with newly invented ones to create everything from jewelry to architectural façades. Drawing primarily from the Blanton’s extensive holdings, Fantastically French! invites visitors to look closely at these exquisite details. March 5‒August 14. At BlantonMuseum.org.
ON MAGE: Jean Le Pautre, two church façades, plate six from Italianate Church Façades, 1640, etching, Blanton Museum of Art, The University of Texas at Austin, The Leo Steinberg Collection, 2002
REACH OUT AND BE THERE
This spring, two legendary Motown giants will co-headline an exclusive show at Bass Concert Hall for an evening of mega-hits, nostalgia, and fun. They were named one of the “100 Greatest Artists of All Time” by Rolling Stone Magazine. March 9. At TexasPerformingArts.org.
ON IMAGE: The Four Tops. Courtesy of Texas Performing Arts
DALLAS / FORT WORTH
DELIGHT IS IN THE HEART
For a look at high fashion at its most fun, the University of North Texas College of Visual Arts and Design presents Delight: Selections from the Texas Fashion Collection, which celebrates the curiosity, wonder, joy, and whimsy sparked by the collection’s unique artifacts. Through May 21. At TFC.CVAD.UNT.edu.
ON IMAGE: Designer, Patrick Kelly’s pinstripe skirt suit with novelty dice print and buttons (detail), Spring-Summer 1989, Museum Purchase, Texas Fashion Collection
THAT FLORAL FEELING
The Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden presents Dallas Blooms, the largest annual floral festival in the Southwest. Expect over 500,000 blooming blossoms, thousands of azaleas, and hundreds of Japanese cherry trees. Through April 10. At DallasArboretum.org.
ON IMAGE: Courtesy of the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden, Dallas, Texas
TIMELESS TCHAIKOVSKY
Texas Ballet Theater presents a trio of ballets in Tchaikovsky Evening. Tchaikovsky’s music is showcased and Balanchine’s iconic Serenade, paired with two world premieres, Star Crossed by Ben Stevenson, and Violin Concerto in D by Texas Ballet Theater’s Associate Artistic Director Tim O’Keefe are featured. February 11‒February 20. At TexasBalletTheater.org.
ON IMAGE: Photograph by Steven Visneau
HOUSTON
LIFE, LOVE, ART
Lighthouse Immersive, North America’s leading producer of ground-breaking, wildly successful, experiential exhibitions such as Immersive Van Gogh and Immersive Monet, along with Impact Museums, have set their sights on the art and life of Frida Kahlo with their newest art installation, FRIDA: Immersive Dream. Through April 17. At LighthouseImmersive.com.
ON IMAGE: Viva Frida Kahlo–Immersive Experience, Photographs by Andy Juchli
SURREAL SWISS
Meret Oppenheim: My Exhibition is the first major transatlantic retrospective on the Swiss artist and the first in the U.S. in more than twenty-five years. For over fifty years, Meret Oppenheim (1913–1985) produced witty, unconventional bodies of work that remain largely unknown in the U.S. March 25‒September 18. At Menil.org.
ON IMAGE: Meret Oppenheim, New Stars (Neue Sterne), 1977–82. Kunstmuseum Bern. Meret Oppenheim Bequest. © Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/Pro Litteris, Zurich
INCOMPARABLE IMPRESSIONS
For the first time, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston is lending approximately 100 of the most significant paintings and works on paper from its renowned Impressionist collection. This exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston is the only U.S. venue. Through March 27. At MFAH.org.
ON IMAGE: Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Woman with a Parasol and Small Child on a Sunlit Hillside, c. 1874–76, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. © Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
SAN ANTONIO
HOW OPERATIC
This spring, Giuseppe Verdi’s Rigoletto will take over the Tobin Center stage featuring large-scale sets, costumes, lighting, and incredible design. It has often been called the greatest of all operas. The famed opera is an epic testament to the power humans can wield over each other. May 5 and May 7. At OperaSA.org.
ON IMAGE: Courtesy of San Antonio Opera, San Antonio, Texas
AMERICA’S MODERNISM
The beginning of the 20th century was a period of profound change for America, demonstrated in the artistic movement known as American Modernism. O’Keeffe blurred the natural and man-made, focusing on individual elements with a wash of vibrant color. Through May 8. At McNayArt.org.
ON IMAGE: Georgia O’Keeffe, Pink and Yellow Hollyhocks, 1952. Collection of the McNay Art Museum, Bequest of Helen Miller Jones. © Georgia O’Keeffe Museum/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
SHE LOVES ME NOT, SHE LOVES ME SO
Set in a 1930s European perfumery, shop clerks, Amalia, and Georg, often do not see eye to eye. After both respond to a “lonely hearts advertisement,” they now live for the love letters they exchange. All the while, their identities remain unknown. March 25‒April 16. At ThePublicSA.org.
ON IMAGE: Courtesy of the Public Theater, San Antonio