Weekend Event Planner

These are the 10 best things to do in Dallas this weekend

One month down, 11 to go. January was gone in a flash, and now February brings in a nice variety of events, including two themed for the month itself. In addition, there will be a visit from a legendary musician, a new show from a Texas original, comedy and stories from a renowned actress, a new version of a horrifying story, and more.

Below are the best ways to spend your free time this weekend. Want more options? Lucky for you, we have a much longer list of the city's best events.

Thursday, February 1

Commemorative Air Force presents "Rise Above"
The Commemorative Air Force will bring its “Rise Above” Traveling Exhibit back to Dallas Executive Airport for a free Black History Month program. The “Rise Above” Traveling Exhibit is a mobile movie theater showing the original 30-minute film, Rise Above, which tells the inspirational story of the Tuskegee Airmen and their struggle for civil rights and equality. The exhibit will be in town through February 16.

Barry Manilow in concert
Neil Diamond has retired from touring and Elton John soon will, so it's important to take advantage of the opportunity to see living legends like Barry Manilow when you have the chance. Manilow will play at the Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory in Irving in support of his new album, This is My Town: Songs of New York. He'll also perform some of his greatest hits like "Copacabana" and “Mandy.”

Kitchen Dog Theater presents Six Characters in Search of a Play
Sordid Lives creator Del Shores returns to Dallas for a limited engagement with his new one-man show, Six Characters in Search of a Play. For this hilarious and provocative piece, Shores riffs on Pirandello’s classic play to bring audiences six characters inspired by his real-life encounters that haven’t quite made it into one of Shores’ plays, films, or TV shows. The production will run at Trinity River Arts Center through Sunday.

Friday, February 2

Dallas Symphony Orchestra presents The Labèque Sisters
The Dallas Symphony Orchestra will be joined by the French piano duo, the Labèque Sisters. Under the direction of Maestro Jaap van Zweden, the Labèque Sisters will play selections like Philip Glass’ Double Concerto for Two Pianos and Bruckner’s Symphony No. 8. There will be two performances — one Friday and one Saturday — at Meyerson Symphony Center.

Vicki Lawrence & Mama
Though only 68 years old, Vicki Lawrence has been a celebrity for over 50 years, coming to fame in 1967 as part of the original cast of The Carol Burnett Show. It was on that show that she created the character of "Mama," which she has been performing in one form or another ever since. This show, at Arlington Music Hall, will feature a mix of stand-up comedy, music, and Lawrence's observations about real life.

Dallas Theater Center presents Frankenstein
Mary Shelley’s 200-year-old horror story, widely regarded as the original science fiction novel, continues to challenge the modern imagination. When Dr. Frankenstein’s experiment goes horribly awry, he resolves to destroy the terrifying creature he has unleashed upon the world. But can he kill his own creation without becoming a monster himself? Dallas Theater Center will present the production at Kalita Humphreys Center through March 4.

Uptown Players presents A Chorus Line
A Chorus Line is a celebration of those unsung heroes of American musical theater as it takes the audience through the final grueling audition for a new Broadway musical. The classic musical provides a glimpse into the personalities of the performers and the choreographer as they describe the events that have shaped their lives and their decisions to become dancers. Uptown Players will put on three performances at Moody Performance Hall through Sunday.

Dua Lipa in concert
English singer Dua Lipa is already making history with her self-titled debut album. She is up for five Brit Awards, including Best Female Artist and Best Album, marking the first time a female artist has received five Brit Awards nominations. She also got two nominations for her hit, "New Rules," which was inescapable on both sides of the pond. She'll play at South Side Ballroom.

Saturday, February 3

Bruce Wood Dance presents Love, Bruce: A Valentine Cabaret
Bruce Wood Dance will present a romantic Valentine cabaret featuring Broadway's Brent Barrett and Joseph Thalken with the Bruce Wood dancers performing classic moonstruck favorites in sophisticated supper-club style. This performance, at Granada Theater, will help fund Bruce Wood Dance's 2018 community and education outreach initiatives.

Sunday, February 4

Nasher Sculpture Center presents "Paper Into Sculpture" closing day
Sunday is the final day to see Nasher Sculpture Center's exhibit, "Paper Into Sculpture." The artists in the exhibit treat paper as a material with a palpable three-dimensional presence, using processes ranging from tearing, crumpling, and cutting to scattering, binding, and adhering to create sculptural works that take a variety of forms, with a diverse range of expressive and conceptual implications.

Del Shores' one-man show, Six Characters in Search of a Play, will run at Trinity River Arts Center through February 4.

Photo by Jason Grindle

Del Shores' one-man show, Six Characters in Search of a Play, will run at Trinity River Arts Center through February 4.

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Movie Review

Bob Odenkirk is back as the everyman-turned-hero in new movie 'Normal'

Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures

Bob Odenkirk in Normal.

Screenwriter Derek Kolstad, who wrote the first three John Wick movies, has essentially had a blank check to do what he wants in the movie landscape since 2014. In recent years that has meant writing the action series Nobody for Bob Odenkirk, who has turned from a comedian into an unlikely action star in his sixties. Kolstad and Odenkirk are teaming up again in Normal.

A film that tries to evoke Fargo in multiple ways, Normal finds Ulysses Richardson (Odenkirk) serving as a temporary sheriff for the small town of Normal, Minnesota after the previous sheriff died. Knowing he’s just a steward until a new sheriff is elected, Ulysses takes a live-and-let-live approach to the job, letting the deputies (Ryan Allen and Billy MacLellan) do the grunt work and trying to stay out of everyone’s way, including Mayor Kibner (Henry Winkler).

A bank robbery attempt by two non-citizens upsets his best-laid plans in more ways than he can imagine. Not only is he forced to confront a crime not often seen in a town like Normal, but the robbery uncovers secrets that turn the film into an all-out bloodbath. Soon, almost everyone in town becomes involved in what comes to resemble a war, along with — you guessed it — Yakuza henchmen from Japan.

Directed by Ben Wheatley and written by Kolstad, the film is a slight twist on the everyman-turned-hero character Odenkirk played in the two Nobody films. While Ulysses is in law enforcement, he prefers to use words instead of weapons, and it’s only when he’s pushed to the brink that he crosses that line. Naturally, his skills are beyond what anyone would expect of him, allowing him to match up well with people half his age.

The film is not a comedy in the traditional sense, but instead aims for laughs by catching the audience off-guard with its ultraviolence. Some characters are dispatched in shockingly unexpected ways, with one of the only natural reactions to the jarring nature of their deaths being laughter. That’s not necessarily the case for other killings, which range from blasé to sadistic, and the only reason they count as entertainment is because the filmmakers have primed the audience to accept them as such.

After a relatively solid setup, where Wheatley and Kolstad seem to take their time getting to know the main characters, the second half of the film is pure action that dispenses with good storytelling. Like many action movies, there are double crosses, surprise revelations, and more, but the filmmakers don’t seem to care about making sense of any character arcs. All they care about is delivering mayhem, and they succeed on that front.

Odenkirk has perfected the mild-yet-intimidating nature of his action characters, and it is satisfying to see him get the better of those who have done him wrong. He doesn’t run or jump like fellow 63-year-old Tom Cruise, but — with the help of fast-paced editing — he still makes for a credible action hero. The only other actors of any note in the film are Winkler, who’s a nice presence with his sardonic personality, and Lena Headey, whose small role doesn't match up with her experience.

You have to have a certain mindset to enjoy a film like Normal, but if you can abide its over-the-top bloodiness, it’s a serviceable action film. Few would have expected Odenkirk to take on these kinds of roles at this late stage of his career, but he’s making the most of his opportunities.

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Normal opens in theaters on April 17.

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