Dallas Takes the Lead With First Broadway Tour Since Start of Pandemic – NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth
North Texas took the lead with the very first Broadway tour to open in the country.
If you’ve ever wondered if Dallas was a summer destination, you might have won over the audience at the Music Hall in Fair Park on Tuesday night. It was the opening night of Wicked, the untold story of the witches of the land of Oz. It was not just any opening night, however. It was the very first personal Broadway production in the country since the pandemic began.
Lauren Mueller and Dustin Pashedag drove hours from St. Louis to be in Dallas for the first in-person show. For Mueller, this one up here was the cutest of them all.
“We left at 4pm yesterday, drove here, came here at 4am and crashed before we got to the show,” she said. “I’ve seen it 268 times in 38 cities so we had to be here. This was a moment to watch our favorite musical and get in touch with it again. “
The house was full and the energy was undeniable. Mike Richman is the VP of Dallas Summer Musicals. He said the performing arts tried to stay home-stay relevant while placing orders by putting on virtual shows. However, there is nothing like live theater.
“I hope you can see me smile through my eyes. It’s such a big deal, ”said Richman through his face mask. “It really is all of this pent up, pent up energy and excitement is really tangible.”
Richman believes the arts contribute to our overall quality of life. He said that great architecture, parks, restaurants and retail stores all contribute to a thriving city. In all of this, art must definitely be included.
It was a kind of homecoming. A sigh of relief and joy after a year without live theater.
“We spent a lot of our weekends and things planning trips, going around the country to see the show. When it’s snatched from you like that, you examine a lot of things and make it special, ”said Dustin Pashedag.
Even those who have had their first Wicked experience are ready to return again and again.
“Oh, I want more. I want to come to as many as possible, ”said Marquetta Threlkeld, who was there for the first time. “I hope I can get to the next one or the one after that. Because I’m kind of addicted to it now. “
Data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis shows that the arts and culture contributed around $ 800 billion to the U.S. economy prior to the pandemic.
Wicked will play at the Music Hall in Fair Park through September 5th. More information can be found at https://dalassummermusicals.org/
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