Weekend Event Planner

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

Although sports is big in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, it's unusual when it's the top dog in the weekly events roundup. But three events — two spectator and one participatory — are among the choices this weekend, as well as two new theater productions, a big new art exhibition, a music festival, a pride celebration, two unique symphony performances, 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, June 20

2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup
The next few weeks are heaven for soccer fans, as the FIFA Women's World Cup is currently taking place in France, and the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup — which pits national soccer teams from North America, Central America, and the Caribbean against each other — is taking place at locations around the U.S. and the Caribbean. Toyota Stadium in Frisco, one of nine cities hosting early round games, will be the site for this doubleheader featuring Nicaragua vs. Haiti and Costa Rica vs. Bermuda.

AT&T Performing Arts Center presents Broadway Series: Beautiful: The Carole King Musical
Long before she was Carole King, chart-topping music legend, she was Carol Klein, Brooklyn girl with passion and chutzpah. Beautiful tells the inspiring true story of King’s remarkable rise to stardom, featuring an array of beloved songs like "I Feel The Earth Move," "One Fine Day," "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman," "You’ve Got A Friend," and the title song. The musical will play at Winspear Opera House through Sunday.

Improv Addison presents Maz Jobrani
Comedian Maz Jobrani is a founding member of The Axis of Evil Comedy Tour, which first aired on Comedy Central. He has had three Showtime specials, Brown and Friendly, I Come In Peace, and I’m Not a Terrorist but I’ve Played One on TV. He is also a regular panelist on NPR’s Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!. He'll perform five times through Saturday at Improv Addison.

Ochre House Theater presents La Muerte De Don Quixote
La Muerte De Don Quixote is a flamenco theater fantasia inspired by Miguel de Cervante’s Don Quixote that imagines the last day of Don Quixote and explores the human condition of love, loss, success, and failure in the face of his greatest giant, Death. The production will run at Ochre House Theater through June 29.

Friday, June 21

Arlington Museum of Art presents Keith Haring: "Against All Odds"
The Arlington Museum of Art will present Keith Haring: "Against All Odds,” featuring more than 50 original works that serve to deconstruct the traditional view of Haring as an artist. Beyond his well-known graphic iconography, the exhibition also explores his use of mark-making as a metaphor and his desire to address weighty subjects, such as consumerism, poverty, religious dogma, violence, racism, and AIDS. The exhibition will be on display through September 15.

Rockstar Energy Drink Disrupt Festival
The Rockstar Energy Drink Disrupt Festival, taking place at Dos Equis Pavilion, will feature performances by The Used, Thrice, Circa Survive, The Story So Far, Sleeping With Sirens, Four Year Strong, Memphis May Fire, Trophy Eyes, Juliet Simms, and Hyro The Hero. Fans will be immersed into a full-day interactive experience where they will not only be able to see some of their favorite bands live, but will also be exposed to the latest in lifestyle brands and pop-up activations.

Dallas Arts District presents Pride Block Party
The Dallas Arts District, in collaboration with Late Nights at the DMA and Nasher Sculpture Center ‘til Midnight, presents the second annual Dallas Arts District Pride Block Party. In celebration of national LGBTQ Pride Month, there will be pride-themed tours, performances, story time, movies, local artists, food trucks, makers and artisans, drag shows, runways, outdoor activities, and more. The party will be on Flora Street (between Olive and Harwood streets) and Harwood Street (between Woodall Rodgers frontage road and Ross Avenue).

Jeff Dunham: Passively Aggressive
International comedy sensation comic/ventriloquist Jeff Dunham, along with his cast of hilarious characters, will come to American Airlines Center as part of his Passively Aggressive tour. Dunham and his world famous characters — Walter, Achmed, Bubba J, Peanut, and Jose Jalapeño — have garnered numerous accolades and entertained generations of people. He'll perform on both Friday and Saturday.

Dallas Symphony Orchestra presents Erykah Badu
The Dallas Symphony Orchestra will present a special one-night-only concert featuring Erykah Badu, who will perform with her hometown orchestra. A prodigious talent in R&B, hip-hop, neo-soul and jazz, Badu continues to captivate in performances like her annual birthday party at Deep Ellum’s Bomb Factory, which sells out each year. The concert will be at Meyerson Symphony Center.

Saturday, June 22

The Original Harlem Globetrotters
The Harlem Globetrotters will celebrate their fans during the all-new Fan Powered World Tour, coming to College Park Center at UT Arlington. Guests can interact with Globetrotters stars more than ever before, both on and off the court, and use an interactive mobile application with exclusive features, including an augmented reality basketball toss game and custom photo filters.

Reunion Tower presents Reunion Lawn Party
With the Dallas skyline as its backdrop, Reunion Lawn Party will return for its fifth year. Hosted on the lawn of Reunion Tower, live music will be provided by DJ Sprinkles and Emerald City’s Party Machine Band. There will also be food trucks, lawn games, entertainment, and surprise guests, including some of Dallas’ most admired athletes. The backyard bash will conclude with a special light show on the Reunion Tower Ball.

Dallas Symphony Orchestra and Perot Museum of Nature and Science present National Geographic: Symphony for Our World
Combining stunning National Geographic natural-history footage with an original symphony and theme created by Bleeding Fingers Music, Symphony for Our World is a breathtaking musical journey through some of the world’s most incredible wildlife spectacles. The performance, featuring the Dallas Symphony Orchestra conducted by Kelly Corcoran, will play on Saturday and Sunday at Meyerson Symphony Center.

Spartan Stadion Series
Spartan, the world’s largest obstacle race and endurance brand, is taking over AT&T Stadium in Arlington with its newest series, Stadion. The colossal stadium turns into a battlefield where Spartans test their mettle against obstacles in and around the stadium. The battle ends as they dash across the 50 yard line and cross the finish in epic fashion as friends and family cheer on from the stands.

Arlington Museum of Art presents Keith Haring: "Against All Odds," June 21-September 15.

Photo courtesy of Keith Haring

Arlington Museum of Art presents Keith Haring: "Against All Odds," June 21-September 15.

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Movie Review

Amanda Seyfried and Sydney Sweeney go off in trashy film The Housemaid

Photo courtesy of Lionsgate

Amanda Seyfried and Sydney Sweeney in The Housemaid.

Both Amanda Seyfried (the upcoming The Testament of Ann Lee) and Sydney Sweeney (Christy) are starring in movies with Oscar ambitions this year. By sheer coincidence, the two actors are also co-starring in The Housemaid, a thriller coming out within weeks of their more ambitious works, one that is likely to be seen by many more people than those prestige plays.

Sweeney is given top billing as Millie, a down-on-her-luck ex-convict looking to land any type of job so as not to break her parole. She finds a too-good-to-be-true lifeboat with Nina (Seyfried), who hires her to be a housemaid for her large house on Long Island, where she lives with her husband, Andrew (Brandon Sklenar), and daughter, Cecilia (Indiana Elle).

After a warm interview, Nina almost immediately becomes highly erratic, whipping back-and-forth between happy-go-lucky and rageful. It seems clear that Nina is suffering from mental health issues, as she’ll often accuse Millie of misplacing or stealing items that she didn’t take. Andrew, apparently used to Nina’s tirades, tries to protect Millie from the worst, something that grows increasingly difficult as Nina ups the ante.

Directed by Paul Feig (A Simple Favor) and adapted by Rebecca Sonnenshine from the bestselling book by Freida McFadden, the film is likely the trashiest mainstream movie to come out in 2025. The first half of the movie relies not on story but on moments as Nina embodies the word “hysterical” to an unbelievable extent. The resigned acceptance of the abuse by Millie, as well as the saintly patience of Andrew, make almost every scene laughable, as nobody seems to be acting anywhere close to how a person would normally react to such extreme situations.

The scenes and the performance of Seyfried are so over-the-top, in fact, that it’s clear that the filmmakers are in on the joke. It’s next to impossible not to have a little bit of fun while watching the actors react to outrageous incidents as if nothing is out of the ordinary. The worse Nina acts, the more Millie and Andrew retreat into their chosen roles, and the funnier the film becomes.

Fans of the book will know that the story changes course, eventually turning into a more stereotypical thriller that also has some relatively gnarly visuals to offer. But the trashiness continues, with Sweeney’s, um, assets repeatedly on display in both clothed and unclothed ways. The sex appeal of the R-rated movie makes it an outlier, as recent studio films have shied away from asking their big stars to disrobe completely.

Both Seyfried and Sweeney are far from their Oscar hopeful roles here. Seyfried is given free rein to act as brazenly as she pleases, and she takes full advantage of that ability. Sweeney seems to have been told to be much more reserved, and unfortunately that results in too many wooden line readings. Sklenar continues his breakout streak (It Ends with Us, Drop) with a role that allows him to show more range than either Seyfried or Sweeney.

The Housemaid is an unusual type of movie to be released at a time of year when most films are either those aiming for awards or more family-friendly fare. Despite its many flaws, it’s still an enjoyable watch that features a variety of crazy scenarios not typically seen in movies nowadays.

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The Housemaid is now playing in theaters.

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