Weekend Event Planner

These are the 12 best things to do in Dallas this weekend

The singer thanked his fans for their support over his career.

Photo by Jacob Power

It's been a long time, maybe since before the start of the pandemic, since a weekend in and around Dallas has been this packed with big events. The next four days will include a touring Broadway musical, the return of three music superstars, a concert featuring a Hamilton actor, St. Patrick's Day celebrations, standup comedy from two well-known stars, and more.

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

Thursday, March 10

Dallas Summer Musicals presents Come From Away
Come from Away had just started its first run in Dallas when the pandemic shut it down. Now, two years later, audiences will finally get to experience a full run of the Tony Award-winning production. The musical tells the remarkable true story of 7,000 stranded passengers and the small town in Newfoundland that welcomed them on 9/11. Cultures clashed and nerves ran high, but uneasiness turned into trust, music soared into the night, and gratitude grew into enduring friendships. It will play at the Music Hall at Fair Park through March 20.

Soul Rep Theatre Company presents Do No Harm
Do No Harm, Soul Rep co-founder Anyika McMillan-Herod’s newest play, explores the story of three enslaved women — Anarcha, Betsey, and Lucy — who were experimented on without anesthesia by Dr. J. Marion Sims, credited as “The Father of Modern Gynecology.” This is a story not only of pain, but of sisterhood and survival. The production, part of AT&T Performing Arts Center's Elevator Project, will run at Wyly Theatre through March 19.

Elton John in concert
It's been a long road for Elton John to get back to performing in front of his Dallas fans. His final two dates were supposed to be in June 2020, but, you know, pandemic. Those dates were rescheduled twice more for COVID reasons, but the Rocketman will finally reach the end of the yellow brick road in Dallas with two shows — one Thursday and one Friday — at American Airlines Center. But, wait, there's more — he'll be back again at Globe Life Field in Arlington in September.

Bob Dylan in concert
There are few musicians who work harder than Bob Dylan. The 80-year-old folk singer, who released his first album almost exactly 60 years ago, has been on the road in one form of another since 1988, with only the pandemic stopping him from performing live. He'll play at the Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory in Irving as part of his latest tour, named after his 2020 album, Rough and Rowdy Ways.

Friday, March 11

Mainstage Irving - Las Colinas presents Sherwood: The Adventures of Robin Hood
Sherwood: The Adventures of Robin Hood is a new take on the legend of Robin Hood. Ken Ludwig’s retelling of the beloved classic is a moving tale of a young man’s discovery that everyone has a responsibility to care for his fellow man. Packed with thrills, romance, laughs, and great characters like Little John, Friar Tuck, and Maid Marian, Sherwood tells the timeless story of a hero of the people who takes on the powers that be. The production will run through March 26 at Irving Arts Center.

Dallas Symphony Orchestra presents An Evening with Renée Elise Goldsberry
Renée Elise Goldsberry, the original “Angelica Schuyler” from Broadway’s megahit Hamilton, will bring her engaging stage presence and amazing voice to a program of Broadway, pop, and soul. The Tony Award winner will perform selections from Broadway hits like Hamilton, Rent, and The Lion King, along with songs by Aretha Franklin, Curtis Mayfield, Bob Dylan, and more. There will be three performances through Sunday at Meyerson Symphony Center.

Felipe Esparza: The Unmasked Tour
Felipe Esparza is a comedian and actor known for winning Last Comic Standing and for his stand-up specials, They’re Not Gonna Laugh at You, Translate This, and his latest dual-release on Netflix, Bad Decisions/Malas Decisiones. He also had recurring appearances on Netflix’s Gentefied, NBC’s Superstore, and Adultswim’s The Eric Andre Show, and has a popular podcast, What’s Up Fool? He'll perform at Majestic Theatre.

Saturday, March 12

St. Patrick's Day celebrations
Yes, St. Patrick's Day isn't until March 17, but no one likes to celebrate on a weekday. Revelers can party all day long all along Greenville Avenue, from the 41st annual Dallas St. Patrick’s Parade & Festival featuring No. 41 himself, Dirk Nowitzki, as Grand Marshal; to the Dallas St. Patrick’s Parade Official Concert featuring Toadies at Energy Square; to the St. Patrick’s Day Block Party throughout Lower Greenville.

David Spade: Catch Me Inside
David Spade became a household favorite during his five-year stint as a cast member on NBC’s Saturday Night Live and his Emmy-nominated run on Just Shoot Me. Spade recently starred in the Netflix original comedy The Wrong Missy, and is executive producer and co-host on The Netflix Afterparty, a weekly comedy panel with London Hughes and Fortune Feimster. He'll perform at Majestic Theatre.

Grand Funk Railroad in concert with Jefferson Starship
The '70s will come alive again at Annette Strauss Square when Grand Funk Railroad and Jefferson Starship team up for this special concert. Grand Funk Railroad is known for iconic hits like "We're an American Band," "Some Kind of Wonderful," and "Bad Time," while Jefferson Starship gave us such memorable songs as "With Your Love," "Count On Me," and "Runaway."

Sunday, March 13

Dallas Museum of Art presents "Spirit Lodge: Mississippian Art from Spiro" opening day
"Spirit Lodge: Mississippian Art from Spiro" is the first major exhibition dedicated to the art and culture of Mississippian peoples. The exhibition of nearly 200 ancient and contemporary works explores Mississippian ceremonial centers, the discovery of the Spiro site, cultural continuity, and the active power of Mississippian art. The exhibition will remain on display at the Dallas Museum of Art through August 7.

Dua Lipa in concert
Few artists had a more successful time during the pandemic than Dua Lipa. Already well-known thanks to No. 1 hits like "New Rules" and "One Kiss," she reached superstardom with her sophomore album, Future Nostalgia (released March 27, 2020), thanks to hits like "Don't Start Now," "Physical," and "Levitating." She'll perform at American Airlines Center, joined by opening acts Caroline Polacheck and Lolo Zouai.

Elton John will play at American Airlines Center on March 10 and 11.

Elton John - Houston Toyota Center - Farewell Yellow Brick

Photo by Jacob Power

Elton John will play at American Airlines Center on March 10 and 11.

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Movie Review

Film sequel Avatar: Fire and Ash is a technical and visual feast

Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios

Oona Chaplin in Avatar: Fire and Ash.

For a series whose first two films made over $5 billion combined worldwide, Avatar has a curious lack of widespread cultural impact. The films seem to exist in a sort of vacuum, popping up for their run in theaters and then almost as quickly disappearing from the larger movie landscape. The third of five planned movies, Avatar: Fire and Ash, is finally being released three years after its predecessor, Avatar: The Way of Water.

The new film finds the main duo, human-turned-Na’vi Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and his native Na’vi wife, Neytiri (Zoë Saldaña), still living with the water-loving Metkayina clan led by Ronal (Kate Winslet) and Tonowari (Cliff Curtis). While Jake and Neytiri still play a big part, the focus shifts significantly to their two surviving children, Lo’ak (Britain Dalton) and Tuk (Trinity Jo-Li Bliss), as well as two they’ve essentially adopted, Kiri (Sigourney Weaver) and Spider (Jack Champion).

Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang), who lives on in a fabricated Na’vi body, is still looking for revenge on Jake, and he finds help in the form of the Mangkwan Clan (aka the Ash People), led by Varang (Oona Chaplin). Quaritch’s access to human weapons and the Mangkwan’s desire for more power on the moon known as Pandora make them a nice match, and they team up to try to dominate the other tribes.

Aside from the story, the main point of making the films for writer/director James Cameron is showing off his considerable technical filmmaking prowess, and that is on full display right from the start. The characters zoom around both the air and sea on various creatures with which they’ve bonded, providing Cameron and his team with plenty of opportunities to put the audience right there with them. Cameron’s preferred viewing method of 3D makes the experience even more immersive, even if the high frame rate he uses makes some scenes look too realistic for their own good.

The story, as it has been in the first two films, is a mixed bag. Cameron and co-writers Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver start off well, having Jake, Neytiri, and their kids continue mourning the death of Neteyam (Jamie Flatters) in the previous film. The struggle for power provides an interesting setup, but Cameron and his team seem to drag out the conflict for much too long. This is the longest Avatar film yet, and you really start to feel it in the back half as the filmmakers add on a bunch of unnecessary elements.

Worse than the elongated story, though, is the hackneyed dialogue that Cameron, Jaffa, and Silver have come up with. Almost every main character is forced to spout lines that diminish the importance of the events around them. The writers seemingly couldn’t resist trying to throw in jokes despite them clashing with the tone of the scenes in which they’re said. Combined with the somewhat goofy nature of the Na’vi themselves (not to mention talking whales), the eye-rolling words detract from any excitement or emotion the story builds up.

A pre-movie behind-the-scenes short film shows how the actors act out every scene in performance capture suits, lending an authenticity to their performances. Still, some performers are better than others, with Saldaña, Worthington, and Lang standing out. It’s more than a little weird having Weaver play a 14-year-old girl, but it works relatively well. Those who actually get to show their real faces are collectively fine, but none of them elevate the film overall.

There are undoubtedly some Avatar superfans for which Fire and Ash will move the larger story forward in significant ways. For anyone else, though, the film is a demonstration of both the good and bad sides of Cameron. As he’s proven for 40 years, his visuals are (almost) beyond reproach, but the lack of a story that sticks with you long after you’ve left the theater keeps the film from being truly memorable.

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Avatar: Fire and Ash opens in theaters on December 19.

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