Onstage NTX Writers 2025 ‘Bests & Faves’ (Rickey)
—Rickey Wax
My Favorite Shows of the Year
(a.k.a. Please Don’t Make Me Choose)
I was fortunate (and slightly exhausted, in the best way) to see 34 productions this year across Dallas–Fort Worth. That’s a whole lot of curtain calls, late-night parking garages, and “just one more show” optimism. Narrowing it down felt borderline cruel, but here we are, folks. These are the shows that had me whispering “damn, that was good” on the drive home.
In no particular order (because ranking art is a trap):
Jet Fuel – Bishop Arts Theatre Center
This world premiere came in with purpose and theatrical invention. Athletic bodies, political stakes, and messy storytelling that refused to let the audience sit comfortably. (It was basically housewives in tracksuits.)
Ain’t No Mo’ – Soul Rep Theatre
Chaotic. Hilarious. Devastating. Jordan Cooper’s show laughed in the face of respectability politics. A communal experience that felt part revival, part protest, part group therapy. (Bring a bag. Emotionally.)
Life of Pi – tour, Broadway at the Bass (Performing Arts Fort Worth)
Pure theatrical sorcery. Puppetry felt unreal! A survival story that asked big questions about belief without pretending to have neat answers. (Also, if Pi can survive that, I can survive one more tech rehearsal.)
Incarnate – Second Thought Theatre
This play by Parker Davis Gray was my favorite surprise of 2025! Beautifully terrifying. A slow-burn psychological spiral that trusted silence as much as dialogue. Grief, faith, and control weaved together until you couldn’t tell where one ended and the other began. Horror that didn’t rely on jump scares.
The Fall of Heaven – Jubilee Theatre
The direction of this show by Calvin Walker was remarkable to say the least. Heaven gets audited, Harlem gets holy, and bureaucracy is our villain. Smart, funny, and philosophically sly. A show that asked whether systems, divine or otherwise are actually built for nuance. (Spoiler: probably not, by hey they tried.)
Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill – Lyric Stage
I’m convinced Lady Day visited the Earth realm briefly. An evening that felt intimate, raw, and almost uncomfortably close. Jazz, memory, and the cutest puppy!
Glengarry Glen Ross – The Classics Theatre Project
A masterclass in tension and testosterone. They made the “F word” sound so poetic.
Odysseus and Penelope – Evil Eye Productions
Myth stripped to muscle and music. A reminder that storytelling doesn’t need spectacle to feel epic. Ancient and immediate all at once.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream – The Classics Theatre Project
Shakespeare, but make it Woodstock. Psychedelic, playful, and surprisingly sincere. Proof that you can honor the text and still have a little fun while you’re at it. (I need each of those costumes in my closet by the end of 2026.)
Honorable Mentions
Some shows don’t need commentary to justify their place in the year, they know what they did. Productions that reminded me why live theatre still matters in a scrolling world.
Favorite Performances
Nikka Morton as Billie Holiday — Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill
Robert San Juan as Oberon — A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Whitney LaTrice Coulter as Blue — Ain’t No Mo’
Favorite World Premieres
Jet Fuel — Bishop Arts Theatre Center
Incarnate — Second Thought Theatre
Favorite Direction
Calvin Walker — The Fall of Heaven
Favorite Ensembles
Glengarry Glen Ross — The Classics Theatre Project
A Midsummer Night’s Dream — The Classics Theatre Project
Odysseus and Penelope — Evil Eye Productions
Life of Pi — tour, Broadway at the Bass (Performing Arts Fort Worth)
If this year proved anything, it’s that DFW theatre is alive, ambitious, and deeply unafraid. And if seeing 34 shows taught me one thing, it’s this: I’ll still complain about parking, but I’ll keep showing up.
