Event Planner

Kenny Chesney and Mother's Day top the best events in Dallas this weekend

Mother's Day weekend has arrived, and if you've procrastinated on finding dear old Mom a gift, we're here to help. This weekend offers great opportunities, including a tour of a Tony Award-winning Broadway musical, country star Kenny Chesney at Jerry World, or a diamond hunt in the dirt of Lone Star Park.

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, May 9

Lexus Broadway Series presents Fela!
The latest Broadway musical to hit the stage at Winspear Opera House is the Tony Award-winning Fela!, a musical about the life of African composer/activist Fela Kuti. Kuti was influential in the rise of the Afrobeat genre, and the show explores both that and his political life. The production runs through May 19.

The Killers in concert with The Virgins
The Killers have come a long way since the halycon days of "Mr. Brightside" in 2003. Like any good band, they've toured incessantly, endearing themselves to fans around the world, especially in the United Kingdom. But they're back on this side of pond at Verizon Theatre in Grand Prairie in support of their latest album, Battle Born.

Friday, May 10

2013 FLYINGHORSE
Booker T. Washington High School for Performing and Visual Arts is one of the top high schools in the nation, and this event helps to celebrate all the creativity that comes out of it. The fundraiser, which starts at Wyly Theatre before moving to Booker T's theater, features performances by the best the school has to offer and jazz legend Branford Marsalis.

Dallas Symphony Orchestra presents Full Moon Fever: A Tribute to Tom Petty
The title of this concert implies that the Dallas Symphony Orchestra pays tribute to rocker Tom Petty by themselves, but in actuality they are supporting Full Moon Fever, a Tom Petty tribute band. Expect to hear Petty classics like "Free Fallin," "Into the Great Wide Open" and "Last Dance with Mary Jane" when they take the stage at Meyerson Symphony Center.

Saturday, May 11

Summer Adventures in Fair Park
Last weekend was so packed that we completely forgot to include the kick-off of this event, which brings an early bit of State Fair of Texas flavor to Fair Park. Luckily for everybody, the event continues on weekends through May and every day starting in June. In addition to stuff like fair food and midway games, Fair Park is dotted with misters, play pools, water rides and other things to keep you cool as the weather warms up.

2013 Homegrown Music & Arts Festival
This annual festival has gotten bigger and better every year, and its fourth annual edition at Main Street Garden includes not only local talent like The Polyphonic Spree, The O's and A.Dd+, but also bands from around Texas. In all, 15 different bands on two separate stages perform. In between sets, you can visit a variety of booths featuring local vendors.

2013 Jack FM "Jack's Throwback" Festival
It must be tribute-band weekend, as this music fest takes DSO's lead by featuring those who earn a modicum of fame by emulating their musical heroes. Among the 15 bands playing at Gexa Energy Pavilion are Back in Black, Led Zepplica, Joshua Tree, Red Not Chili Peppers and Faux Fighters.

Kenny Chesney in concert with Eric Church, Eli Young Band and Kacey Musgraves
Jimmy Buffett was just in town last weekend, and this weekend his heir apparent comes to town. Like Buffett, Kenny Chesney just oozes laid-back coolness. All of his tours in the 21st century have had some kind of tropical theme, including the current No Shoes Nation tour, and he just released his own rum. Apparently the island atmosphere appeals to a lot of people, as Chesney and his opening acts will take over Cowboys Stadium.

Sunday, May 12

Mother’s Day Diamond Dig at Lone Star Park
What better way to honor Mom on her special day than by having her be a literal gold (okay, diamond) digger on the track at Lone Star Park? The first 500 females 21 and over through the gates get to go crazy for a $2,500 diamond. But even if you don't go home with the booty, you can still enjoy a day of horse racing in the midst of Triple Crown season.

Dallas Children's Theater presents The Musical Adventures of Flat Stanley
The second-to-last Dallas Children's Theater show of the 2012-2013 season is a new one for the company, the Southwest premiere of The Musical Adventures of Flat Stanley. We're not exactly sure how they're going to pull off portraying a character who's, you know, flat, but we can't wait to see what they come up with. The show plays through June 3.

The O's are one of 15 bands playing as part of Homegrown Fest at Main Street Garden on May 11.

Photo courtesy of The O's

The O's are one of 15 bands playing as part of Homegrown Fest at Main Street Garden on May 11.

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Movie Review

Wes Anderson shows off comedy chops in stylish The Phoenician Scheme

Photo courtesy of TPS Productions/Focus Features

Benicio Del Toro, Mia Threapleton, and Michael Cera in The Phoenician Scheme.

If you were to do a poll of the best comedy filmmakers of the 21st century, writer/director Wes Anderson is not the obvious choice to come out on top, but there’s an argument to be made for him. His quirky style doesn’t yield the guffaws that more broad comedies do, but the absurd situations he creates in his films are often more consistently funny than anything else.

Anderson’s inimitable approach is once again on full display in The Phoenician Scheme. At its center is Zsa-Zsa Gorda (Benicio Del Toro), a much-hated businessman who’s looking to complete a number of big projects in the fictional country of Phoenicia. As he seems to be the target of multiple assassination attempts, he appoints his daughter, Liesl (Mia Threapleton), as his heir to try to ensure his legacy.

Both she and his new assistant, Bjorn (Michael Cera), accompany him around the country as he tries to enact a scheme to have others cover the bulk of the cost for the various projects. Those he attempts to convince include Phoenician Prince Farouk (Riz Ahmed), brothers Leland (Tom Hanks) and Reagan (Bryan Cranston), fellow businessman Marseille Bob (Mathieu Amalric), ship captain Marty (Jeffrey Wright), his Cousin Hilda (Scarlett Johansson), and Uncle Nubar (Benedict Cumberbatch).

Put in Andersonian terms, the film is a mix between the madcap antics from The Grand Budapest Hotel and the impenetrable storytelling of Asteroid City. If you were to try to understand every detail of what’s going on in the story of The Phoenician Scheme, it might take three or more viewings to do so. But the film is still highly entertaining because Anderson fills its frames with his typical visual delights, great wordplay, and his particular version of slapstick.

Much of the comedy of the film derives from Anderson inserting moments that initially come as a surprise and then utilizing them as running jokes. The film features more blood than usual for the filmmaker, but each time a character gets wounded (or worse), it gets funnier. The assassination attempts get broader as the film goes along, and the matter-of-fact way in which they’re treated by Gorda and others is also hilarious.

Of course, Anderson is the cinephile’s comedy director, so the film is also full of high-brow things like allusions to paintings, tributes to other filmmakers, and classical music. Each time Gorda has an attempt on his life, he briefly finds himself in a version of limbo, depicted in black-and-white by Anderson. The cast of characters Gorda finds there - including Bill Murray as God - could come straight out of a 1950s Ingmar Bergman movie.

Del Toro has delivered some great performances over the years, but this one is near the top for him. This is his second Anderson film (following The French Dispatch) and he nails the deadpan method. Also great is Cera, who uses a ridiculous accent to make a big impression. Threapleton, the daughter of Kate Winslet, makes the most of her first big film role. The list of supporting actors is too deep to properly laud everyone, but they all fit in seamlessly.

Opinions will differ, but for this critic’s money, Anderson is at his best when he fully leans into the comedy of his films. He does just that in The Phoenician Scheme, to the point that it doesn’t matter that the story is overly complex. The combination of his eye for visual detail, a witty script, and committed performances make it a success.

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The Phoenician Scheme is now playing in theaters.

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