Weekend Event Planner

The Lion King and Cattle Baron's Ball top best weekend events in Dallas

After a slew of music-heavy weekends in the Dallas area, some balance has been restored, with theater, film, art and comedy all figuring prominently in this weekend's docket. If you live for music, don't worry — you'll still be taken care of.

Below are the best options for your precious free time Thursday through Sunday. Don't like what you see? Lucky for you, we have a much longer list of the city's best events.

Thursday, October 3

Patio Sessions: Somebody's Darling in concert with Ryan Thomas Becker
The AT&T Performing Arts Center started up its free Patio Sessions series in Sammons Park a few weeks ago, but we're just now getting to the time when the cool(er) weather can actually let you enjoy the music without sweating off half your body weight. This week, as usual, has two fantastic local acts performing — Somebody's Darling and Ryan Thomas Becker.

Dallas Summer Musicals presents The Lion King
Even though there are other shows coming later this year, The Lion King is technically the final show in Dallas Summer Musicals' 2013 season, and it's one that shouldn't be missed, even if you've seen it several times before. The Disney adaptation, which premiered on Broadway in 1997, is a big reason there are so many movies being made into musicals these days. It'll play at Music Hall at Fair Park through October 20.

Friday, October 4

Dallas Theater Center presents Clybourne Park
Dallas Theater Center started its 2013-2014 season several weeks ago with the fantastic A Raisin in the Sun, and now the vision will become complete with its companion piece, Clybourne Park. It's a must-see for anyone who saw the first play, as the themes, setting and several actors will make repeat appearances. Clybourne Park will alternate with A Raisin in the Sun at Wyly Theatre through October 27.

Dallas VideoFest 26: Expanded Cinema: MultipliCity
The 26th annual Dallas VideoFest doesn't officially get underway until October 9, but it's bringing back the popular Expanded Cinema, in which images are projected onto the side of the Omni Downtown Dallas Hotel, to drum up a little excitement. There's a watch party at Hickory House Barbecue off of Industrial Blvd. and then an after-party at the Texas Theatre.

Saturday, October 5

Crow Collection of Asian Art presents Garden Party and Street Festival
The Crow Collection of Asian Art will unveil its new Sculpture Garden with a Garden Party and Street Festival, featuring tours of the garden, a number of different art activities, live music, dancing, food trucks and more. The Sculpture Garden is the result of six years of planning and takes inspiration from a variety of Asian countries.

2013 Cattle Baron's Ball
The Cattle Baron's Ball is arguably the biggest event on the Dallas social calendar, as the movers and shakers get to go to Southfork Ranch to bust out their cowboy boots and hats, listen to some top notch music — this year's entertainment is country superstars Rascal Flatts — and help support a great cause, the American Cancer Society.

Dane Cook in concert
The popularity of Dane Cook has ebbed and flowed over the course of his career. In the mid-2000s, it was easy to make the case that he was probably the most popular comedian in the United States. But his momentum has slowed in recent years, to the point where he may be more popular with kids thanks to his starring voice role in Planes than he is with adults. He'll try to prove he's still got it at the Majestic Theatre.

Sunday, October 6

19th Annual Stevie Ray Vaughan Remembrance Ride & Concert
Dallas native Stevie Ray Vaughan has been gone for over 23 years now, but the impact he made during his relatively short career continues to reverberate to this day, as evidenced by the annual Stevie Ray Vaughan Remembrance Ride & Concert. Hundreds of motorcycles will caravan from downtown Dallas to Cowboys Dancehall in Arlington, where blues musicians will pay tribute the best way they know how.

The Mavericks in concert with the Michael Guerra Band
The Mavericks were one of the more popular country bands back in the 1990s, thanks to their fusion of different musical elements. But they went their separate ways in 2004, and are just now attempting a comeback. This is their second appearance at the Granada Theater in a year, but their first since their latest album, In Time, was released. The Michael Guerra Band will be the opening act.

The Lion King will play at Music Hall at Fair Park through October 20.

$Nancy, Lion King, Jelani Remy as \u201cSimba\u201d from THE LION KING National Tour$

Photo by Joan Marcus © Disney

The Lion King will play at Music Hall at Fair Park through October 20.

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Movie Review

Shaun the Sheep gets PG-spooky in new movie for the Halloween season

Photo courtesy of Aardman / Sky UK LTD / StudioCanal 2026

Shaun the Sheep in Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom.

Since his introduction over 30 years ago, the Aardman Animations character Shaun the Sheep has been almost as popular as the studio’s flagship characters, Wallace and Gromit. There is never a shortage of trouble Shaun can get into as he leads his flock and proves to be a thorn in the side of his farmer and Bitzer, the farmer’s loyal sheepdog.

His antics lead everyone down some slightly spooky roads in the new film, Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom. At first, things are only slightly awry as Shaun and the flock are growing a secret pumpkin patch to have their own jack-o-lanterns. But when the farmer accidentally destroys the pumpkin patch, Shaun tries to regrow it quickly with a Frankenstein-esque experiment.

However, disaster looms when Shaun uses an old bottle of Hair-Gro as the container for the serum he creates. Naturally, the balding farmer uses it on his head, and everyone soon discovers how truly successful it is, with pumpkins growing out of control and the farmer sprouting hair all over his body. Through a series of mishaps, the farmer becomes the titular beast, creating mayhem while Shaun and others try to stop him.

Directed by Steve Cox and Matthew Walker, and written by Mark Burton and Giles Pilbrow, the film goes down just as easy as every other Aardman project has. They get the Halloween vibes started from the opening credits, with things like the sheep doing the “Thriller” dance, and continue the fun throughout, referencing everything from Psycho to Friday the 13th in a nice, PG way.

With no script — every character is mute save for reaction noises — the movie relies on sight gags for its humor, and the Aardman team is endlessly inventive in that respect. Sometimes it’s small things like a sheep using toilet paper rolls as binoculars, and sometimes it’s something like forcing the Bigfoot-like farmer to be shaped into a rectangle as he escapes through a window. But there’s a never-ending stream of such moments, so even if one doesn’t tickle your funny bone, chances are the next one will.

The biggest benefit of the characters not talking is that there’s no need for deep character development. The filmmakers do a great job of giving the basic traits of each character, and then use those attributes to color everyone’s actions for the rest of the film. Shaun is the troublemaker, the farmer is a bumbling fool, Bitzer is preternaturally smart, and the town’s vet is empathetic, and the combination of those characters and others makes for a highly entertaining blend.

Like all Aardman creations, Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom is a fun lark that doesn’t make its audience think too hard. With just enough references to keep viewers engaged but not so many as to be overbearing, the film puts its well-worn characters to good use once again, delivering a Halloween season story that can be enjoyed by people of all ages.

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Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom is now playing in theaters.

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