Dallas’ Texas Theatre to host potentially carthartic screenings of Dallas

Beginning Sunday March 27, we'll revisit the stereotypes we've worked so hard to forget.

TV series Dallas

DALLAS — After decades of trying to put it behind us, Dallas is poised to embrace the nefarious piece of pop culture for which it is best known: the Dallas series.

TNT got the ball rolling last week with its announcement that it will start filming the pilot for the reincarnated series here in the city. In a case of "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em," The Texas Theatre and Southfork Ranch, the '80s TV show's setpiece, have announced a weekly interactive series of Dallas screenings, beginning Sunday, March 27.

Every Sunday, two full episodes will be screened back-to-back until the entire 16-season series is complete. By "interactive," they mean costumes and speakers: Guests are encouraged to dress up as their favorite Dallas character and vie for prizes that include free tours and a hotel stay at Southfork Ranch and Southfork Hotel.

Members of the original cast and crew will be in attendance each week to participate in trivia and Q-and-A's with the audience. Serving as host will be "Jock Ewing," portrayed by celebrity impersonator Bryan Campbell, the man behind Faux Fox and George Quartz.

As the place where Lee Harvey Oswald hid out after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, the Texas Theatre seems equipped to poke old wounds. Entry to the Dallas series is free, which will surely help guarantee a turnout, though the theater slyly suggests attendees patronize its new bar. Adding to the critical mass is the fact that residents of nearby Oak Cliff have shown a predilection for dressing up in costumes.

Regional Director of Marketing for Southfork Ranch Janna Timm quips, "I can’t wait to see the big hair, shoulder pads, and cowboy hats!" before adding that "it's not what Dallas is like, but that's the fun part of it."

Dallas' urban sophisticates may feel distaste for J.R. and his gang, but all that denial gets tiring after a while, says Texas Theatre creative director Jason Reimer.

"The idea came out of a conversation I had with one of the younger guys who works at the theater," Reimer says. "He said, half-jokingly, that he'd never seen the series. I said, It's time for us to go ahead and see it. As I posted on Facebook, they've never made a show called Austin. Why not embrace it? With everything we're doing at the theater, the thing we're saying is to quit being embarrassed and be you. I think it's time to own it!"