This past weekend, Dallas was host to several celebrities, many of whom were here for the sole purpose of performing in Del Shores’ “Southern Baptist Sissies.” Some of these stars included: Delta Burke, Newell Alexander, Levi Kreis, Dales Dickey and the oh-so-funny Leslie Jordan.

Thursday, prior to the weekend of shows, Delta Burke celebrated her 50th birthday. Like all divas of her status, Delta and her friends threw one heck of a party at Station 4 (a hot spot in the Oak Lawn area).

The evening was dotted with performances by a mixture of drag-queen performers and cameos by some of the personalities previously stated. It is safe to say that for one night, the club was jam-packed and no one was dancing. All attention was focused on the VIPs and their party.

The performance on Saturday afternoon, at the Majestic theatre in Dallas, was sensational. Having seen the same play a few times before in a more intimate theatre, I was skeptical how well such a moving piece of theatre could be preformed in a venue that size. My doubts were completely erased within the first 10 minutes of the performance. The entire cast gave a phenomenal portrayal of life in the south and made the conflict between sexual diversity and fundamentalist religious beliefs jump off the stage and into our hearts.

Burke added the perfect amount of humor and wit to her performance, all the time not stealing too much of the limelight, showing a tremendous level of professionalism and restraint. Jordan was a prefect fit for his comedic role as “Peanut,” and yet retained the ability to make us cry.

Shores’ capture of moments in time and use of such specific details, gave the audience tangible places and things easily relatable to the audience. The vivid description of conservative and generally unaccepting society was the picture perfect setting for his story of inner conflict and self-discovery. In the end, the audience is left with a feeling of love for one another and an appreciation of social diversity.

The show was a sold-out hit and it didn’t miss a beat. For a three-hour show, it captivated everyone.