Weekend Event Planner

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

The last weekend in June — seriously, the year is half gone already? — brings one of the busiest slates so far in 2016, with no fewer than 13 fun things to do over the course of the next four days. They include multiple concerts of all shapes and sizes, two new theater productions, a great way to beat the heat, and an early 4th of July celebration.

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, June 23

Decks in the Park Summer Kickoff
Decks in the Park is a free music festival series at Klyde Warren Park, showcasing a variety of local DJs and musicians. Among the performers at Thursday's event are Booty Fade; Blue, the Misfit; JT Donaldson; The Feels; Zander; DJ Souljah; Nick Van House; and Jeff Mitchell. Keep the party going after Decks in the Park with the after party at the Foundation Room.

NetWorks presents Disney's Beauty and the Beast
It's only been a couple of years since Disney's Beauty and the Beast last graced the stage at Winspear Opera House, but the tale as old as time never goes out of style. During this production, you can relive the story of Belle, a young woman in a provincial town, and the Beast, a young prince trapped in a spell placed by an enchantress. It runs through Sunday.

Shakespeare Dallas presents Richard III
The second weekend of Shakespeare Dallas' Shakespeare in the Park gets down to business with an actual Shakespearean play, Richard III. The brutal drama tells the story of the rise of Richard III, who does everything in his power to remove all obstacles in his way to becoming king. The play will alternate with She Stoops to Conquer at Samuell-Grand Amphitheatre through July 23.

Friday, June 24

2016 Vans Warped Tour
The Vans Warped Tour is America’s longest running touring music festival of the summer, having been a showcase for both established and up-and-coming talent since 1995. This year's festival at Gexa Energy Pavilion features nearly 50 bands on five stages, including New Found Glory, Sleeping with Sirens, Motionless in White, and more.

Alan Cumming Sings Sappy Songs
Actor Alan Cumming is one of those rare performers who's as equally well-known for his work on stage as in movies, and on TV. Whether it's his Tony Award-winning role in Cabaret, playing a mutant in the X-Men series, or his supporting role in The Good Wife, he can do it all. He's showing off his voice in this special concert at Dallas City Performance Hall.

Texas Theatre and Alamo Drafthouse present John Carpenter: Live Retrospective
Director John Carpenter has been thrilling audiences with his work since the 1970s, including such classic movies as Escape from New York, The Thing, and They Live. But it's his role as composer that's going to be highlighted in this performance at Majestic Theatre, as he performs themes from his films, as well as several new compositions, including from his new album, Lost Themes II.

Dwight Yoakam in concert
Country star Dwight Yoakam was unstoppable in the late 1980s, opening his career with three straight No. 1 albums. He hasn't exactly been a slouch since then, with all but three of his 15 studio albums reaching the top 10 on the country charts. He comes back to Dallas to play at Annette Strauss Square in support of his 2015 album, Second Hand Heart.

Saturday, June 25

Slide the City
Everybody in Dallas is suffering through the current heat — and humidity — wave, so now is the perfect time for this record-setting water slide to return to offer a respite. Riders can speed on inner tubes through three city blocks along Sylvan Avenue and then enjoy a block party featuring food, music, local vendors, and street entertainers.

Market Street Allen USA Celebration 2016
The city of Allen is once again holding its Fourth of July party a week or so early, with this event at Celebration Park. Expect to find a kid zone, sports zone, food zone, military zone, and, of course, a grand fireworks finale. It also includes performances by Madi Davis, Reckless Kelly, and the Gin Blossoms.

6th Annual Jack FM Throwback Festival
North Texas’ ultimate tribute band festival is back in a big way for 2016, giving fans who can't see their favorite bands in concert the next best option. The festival at South Side Ballroom features 18 bands on three stages, including Back in Black (AC/DC tribute), Mysterious Ways (U2 tribute), and Rumours (Fleetwood Mac tribute), among others.

Reunion Lawn Party
The Reunion Lawn Party returns to the lawn of Reunion Tower, offering live music, food trucks, and lawn games. The first of three parties features performances by Ray Johnston Band and Beatles cover band Hard Night's Day. The Nodding Donkey is also back, serving frosty brews and wine, and there's a special light show on the Reunion Tower ball.

Night of the Proms 2016 featuring Michael Bolton, Wynonna Judd, Wang Chung, and Steve Walsh
Night of the Proms returns to Dallas with its one-of-a-kind classic-meets-pop concert. Taking place at Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie, featured artists include Michael Bolton, Wynonna Judd, Wang Chung, and the former voice of Kansas, Steve Walsh. They are being backed by Il Novecento, crossover opera star Fernando Varela, a 24-voice choir, and a five-piece electric band.

Sunday, June 26

Love Ignites: Lighting the Path to Brighter Tomorrow
Celebrating the one-year anniversary of marriage equality, this event at Cathedral of Hope will also surely touch on the recent tragic events in Orlando. It includes music by Cathedral of Hope and Turtle Creek Chorale, along with speakers like attorney Neel Lane; Resource Center CEO Cece Cox; and Judge Tonya Parker, one of the first Dallas judges to marry same-sex couples.

Michael Bolton headlines the Night of the Proms concert at Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie on June 25.

Courtesy photo

Michael Bolton headlines the Night of the Proms concert at Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie on June 25.

event-planner families movies festivals concerts holidays music kids theater

Movie Review

Rose Byrne plays one stressed-out mom in If I Had Legs I'd Kick You

Photo courtesy of A24

Conan O'Brien and Rose Byrne in If I Had Legs I'd Kick You

Movie history is littered with depictions of stressed-out mothers who have breakdowns due to the pressure put on them by their children, spouses, or society in general. Recent examples include Hereditary, Tully, and Nightbitch, with each of them finding different ways to depict their main character’s struggles. Yet another put-upon mother goes through the wringer in the oddly-named If I Had Legs I’d Kick You.

When we meet Linda (Rose Byrne), she’s already in the middle of a huge ball of stress. Her daughter (Delaney Quinn) suffers from an unnamed illness that requires around-the-clock care and frequent doctor visitors. Her husband, Charles (Christian Slater), is a boat captain whose job keeps him away from home for long periods of time. And her job as a therapist requires her to hear other people’s problems, necessitating her seeing a fellow therapist (Conan O’Brien) on a daily basis.

Nearly everyone else she encounters in the movie adds to her anxiety, including Caroline (Danielle Macdonald), a new mother who’s constantly worried about her baby; Dr. Spring (Mary Bronstein), who constantly harps on Linda to get her daughter to eat; an officious parking attendant at the hospital; and a sneering desk clerk at the motel she and her daughter are forced to stay at after a plumbing disaster at home. Consequently, she dismisses James (A$AP Rocky), another motel worker, the one person who treats her with a modicum of kindness.

Written and directed by Bronstein, the film is a harrowing experience that somehow also manages to be darkly funny at times. Linda is dealing with way too much for one person to adequately handle, something that is compounded by the fact that nobody really listens to her, not even the therapist she’s paying to do so. Scenes bounce back and forth between Linda demonstrating righteous anger at what the world is throwing at her and crushing guilt over supposedly not doing enough for her child.

Bronstein depicts Linda’s journey in a number of interesting ways, some straightforward and others not so much. Bronstein makes liberal use of close-ups on Linda’s face, heightening the feeling that the world is closing in on her. The plumbing problem at her home results in a huge hole in the ceiling, which becomes the source of some unexplained phenomena, a choice that might have been unnecessary.

What’s most striking about the film is how hardly anyone is on Linda’s side. Since the film joins the story as it’s already in progress, the audience is left to guess as to how Linda has behaved in the past to garner such negative interactions from people who should be helping her. While she’s not a perfect person, she also doesn’t appear to be such a jerk that she should be treated with disdain everywhere she goes.

Byrne, who’s gravitated toward lighter roles in recent years, is an absolute marvel in this part. The more stress Linda feels, the more she becomes disheveled, and Byrne makes you feel every ounce of the character’s pain. O’Brien, who’s rarely had to play anyone but “Conan O’Brien” before, is surprisingly good, tamping down his comic sensibility to complement Byrne well. A$AP Rocky also makes a nice impression, elevating a character that’s a little underwritten.

The role of a mom is never an easy one, and that’s in the best of circumstances. If I Had Legs I’d Kick You - a title that is never explained yet still somehow fits - earns its stripes by demonstrating how the often thankless job of motherhood can become even more distressing when the mom in question is given little to no support.

---

If I Had Legs I'd Kick You is now playing in select theaters.

movies film