Weekend Event Planner

These are the 13 best things to do in Dallas this weekend

Theatre Arlington presents Sister Act, March 25-April 16.

Photo by Eric Younkin

This weekend in and around Dallas is heavy on the arts, including three local theater productions, a classical music concert, a dance production, and two opera events. Other choices include a live event from a beloved sitcom, two well-known comedians, a film and music festival, a unique expo, and the closing of a traveling art exhibition.

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 24

Dallas Symphony Orchestra presents All-Mozart Concert
The Dallas Symphony Orchestra will pay tribute to one of the greatest composers of all time with this All-Mozart Concert, featuring conductor Bernard Labadie and pianist Benedetto Lupo. Selections for the concerts, which will have three performances through Saturday at Meyerson Symphony Center, will include Mozart's Chaconne from Idomeneo, Piano Concerto No. 23, and Symphony No. 41, “Jupiter.”

Letterkenny Live!
The makers of the sitcom Letterkenny are living the dream for a show that started on YouTube. Star/creator Jared Keeso and his team have taken it from those small roots in 2013 to a show that's now had 10 seasons and is distributed by Hulu. This show at Texas Trust CU Theatre at Grand Prairie will be a 90-minute comedy experience will feature nine of the cast members along with never-before-seen sketches and more.

Thin Line Film and Music Fest
Thin Line Fest is a blend of documentary film and multi-genre music that has been Texas' international documentary film festival since 2007 and one of Dallas-Fort Worth's largest music festivals since 2014. Taking place at Movie Tavern Denton and various Denton music venues through Sunday, the festival will feature over 50 documentaries and performances by over 50 bands.

Friday, March 25

Theatre Arlington present Sister Act
Sister Act is the feel-good musical comedy smash based on the hit 1992 film. When disco diva Deloris Van Cartier witnesses a murder, she is put in protective custody in the one place the cops are sure she won’t be a found: a convent. Disguised as a nun, she finds herself at odds with both the rigid lifestyle and uptight Mother Superior. Using her unique disco moves and singing talent to inspire the choir, Deloris breathes new life into the church and community but, in doing so, blows her cover. Soon, the gang is giving chase, only to find them up against Deloris and the power of her newly found sisterhood. The production, featuring original music by Alan Menken, will run at Theatre Arlington through April 16.

John Mulaney: "From Scratch"
Comedian John Mulaney has, shall we say, a unique sense of humor, as anybody who has seen one of his hosting jobs on Saturday Night Live can attest. A former writer for SNL, Mulaney has had his own eponymous sitcom on Fox and starred on Broadway in Oh, Hello with Nick Kroll. He'll bring that same energy to his From Scratch tour, which will be at American Airlines Center.

Richardson Theatre Centre presents Present Laughter
At the center of his own universe sits matinee idol Garry Essendine: suave, hedonistic, and too old, says his wife, to be having numerous affairs. His line in harmless, infatuated debutantes is largely tolerated but playing closer to home is not. Just before he escapes on tour to Africa, the full extent of his misdemeanors is discovered. And all hell breaks loose. Noel Coward's Present Laughter will run at Richardson Theatre Centre through April 10.

Dallas Theater Center presents The Sound of Music
A country under attack. A family paralyzed by loss. And a woman who is afraid to love. Dallas Theater Center boldly reexamines The Sound of Music, one of the most exhilarating musical theater classics ever written. The inspirational story follows a young postulate who is dispatched to serve as governess for the seven children of an imperious naval captain, bringing joy and music to the household. But as the forces of Nazism take hold of Austria, Maria and the entire von Trapp family must make a moral decision. The production will run at Wyly Theatre through April 24.

Saturday, March 26

The Oddities and Curiosities Expo
The Oddities and Curiosities Expo, featuring over 150 local and national vendors, is a "one part horror convention, one part dark arts" expo show will feature vendors and small businesses showcasing taxidermy, preserved animal specimens, original horror and Halloween-inspired artwork, antiques, handcrafted oddities, quack medical devices, creepy clothing, odd jewelry, skulls, bones, and funeral collectibles. The event takes place at Centennial Hall at Fair Park.

Hyena's presents T.J. Miller
T.J. Miller is driven by the altruistic mission statement that life is fundamentally tragic and the best thing he can do is provide an ephemeral escapism from that tragedy which permeates everyday life by doing comedy. Miller, best known for starring in Silicon Valley, the Deadpool series, and the How to Train Your Dragon series, will perform three times through Sunday at Hyena's Dallas.

Dallas Black Dance Theatre presents "Dancing Beyond Borders - North"
The dancers of Dallas Black Dance Theatre will travel north to Eisemann Center for the Performing Arts in Richardson for this special event. DBDT: Encore! dancers appear to levitate across the stage as they perform Opaque, a mysterious and majestic work choreographed by Nycole Ray. In Nineteenth, another Ray showpiece, the dancers portray a historic tug-of-war for power.

American Baroque Opera Co. presents Acis & Galatea
Acis & Galatea received its premiere in 1718 in the gardens at Cannons as a one-act pastorale, or semi-opera, with a cast of only five singers. It was later revived by Handel in 1732 for the Italian troupe in London, and again in 1739 with changes to the original version, creating the two-act English version known today. The story is drawn from Ovid’s Metamorphoses, and tells the story of the shepherd Acis, and his love, the nymph Galatea. The production will have two performances — one Saturday and one Sunday — at Wyly Theatre.

The Dallas Opera presents Javier Camarena
Internationally acclaimed Mexican tenor Javier Camarena will make a rare one-night-only appearance in Dallas in a special event for The Dallas Opera. The Mexican-born tenor superstar is just one of three singers in the last 70 years at the Metropolitan Opera to be called upon by audiences to give an encore of his aria during the opera. The program at Winspear Opera House will include beloved Neapolitan and Latin songs, and famous arias by composers including Verdi and Donizetti.

Sunday, March 27

"Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel - The Exhibition" closing day
Sunday will be the final day to view "Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel - The Exhibition" at Irving Mall. This unique immersive event re-creates one of the world’s greatest artistic achievements, Michelangelo’s renowned ceiling frescoes from the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel, reproduced photographically and artfully displayed in their original size. Visitors are given a chance to engage with the artwork in ways that were never before possible: seeing every detail, every brushstroke, and every color of the artist’s 34 frescoes.

Theatre Arlington presents Sister Act, March 25-April 16.

Photo by Eric Younkin

Theatre Arlington presents Sister Act, March 25-April 16.

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Movie Review

Revived Coyote vs. Acme shows Looney Tunes’ enduring appeal

Photo courtesy of Ketchup Entertainment

Wile E. Coyote in Coyote vs. Acme.

No movie studio has gone through more ups and downs in the past few years than Warner Bros. In 2022, they oddly shelved two mostly-completed movies, Batgirl and Scoob! Holiday Haunt. But the next few years brought major movies like Barbie, Dune Part Two, Sinners, Superman, Weapons, and One Battle After Another, giving them a huge boost. Strangely, that led directly into a proposed sale to Paramount that is now going through legal battles.

Another previously-shelved Warner Bros. movie, Coyote vs. Acme, is now seeing the light of day thanks to a deal with a small company called Ketchup Entertainment. Taking its cue from the classic Looney Tunes cartoons, the film creates a world in which Wile E. Coyote - sick of constantly being thwarted in his pursuit of Road Runner by faulty Acme products - decides to sue the company.

To do so, he approaches the law firm of Avery, Jones & Maltese, led by Kevin Avery (Will Forte). The firm typically takes on small cases that are easy to settle, but - with a little subterfuge from Wile E. Coyote - they are soon presenting Acme and its lead attorney, Buddy Crane (John Cena), with a lawsuit that could be worth millions of dollars. Naturally, the big corporation won’t give in without a fight, leading to all sorts of shenanigans on both sides.

Directed by Dave Green and written by Samy Burch from a story by Burch, James Gunn, and Jeremy Slater, the film is a fun mixture of nostalgia and clever storytelling. Most of Looney Tunes’ classic characters make an appearance in the film, including Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Elmer Fudd, and Sylvester. The two, other than Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner, who get the most play are Tweety, who appears in some of the movie’s funniest scenes, and Foghorn Leghorn, reimagined as the CEO of Acme.

The blend of live action and animation is not quite on the level of something like Who Framed Roger Rabbit, but it is still effective. It also affords the film plenty of opportunities to employ Looney Tunes’ signature brand of cartoon violence that doesn’t actually leave lasting damage. The gags are very familiar for those who grew up on the studio’s short films, but combined with the inventive ways in which they’re used and the pointed jabs at corporate culture, they become somewhat fresh again.

Naturally, there are plenty of references in the film, starting with the name of the law firm, which pays homage to legendary directors Chuck Avery and Chuck Jones, as well as writer/animator Michael Maltese. Sly jokes that could turn the film from PG to PG-13 sneak their way in, although they steer clear of elements that haven’t aged well (documented in a recent viral comedy clip). But the film is at its best when it leans into the well-earned traits of its favorite characters and just lets them cook.

Forte is a great scene partner for Wile E. Coyote, as he can turn even minor slights into comedy gold. His deadpan reactions are the ideal way to counter the insanity going on around him. Cena has proven in other films that he has great comic timing, and he demonstrates that skill well here, too, especially in a fantastic scene opposite Tweety. The voice talent does a good job with the iconic characters, although the legendary Mel Blanc remains the gold standard.

Coyote vs. Acme is not a world-changing movie by any means, but it is a fun twist on the characters many know and love that deserved to be seen by moviegoers. Wile E. Coyote may never actually catch Road Runner, but this movie shows that his unceasing attempts remain entertaining after all these years.

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Coyote vs. Acme is now playing in theaters.

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