Weekend Event Planner

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

While many events in and around Dallas have either been postponed or canceled during the coronavirus pandemic, some organizations have pivoted to virtual or socially-distanced events to continue offering the masses some entertainment while we need it the most.

Below are the best ways to spend your free time this weekend. While not every event is out of the house, they all promise to provide a nice distraction from the everyday life.

Thursday, December 3

Chefs for Farmers Reboot
Chefs for Farmers, the annual wine and food festival that showcases the best chefs, food artisans, and farmers in the Dallas area, has been reimagined to bring the culinary community together in a creative and meaningful way. Live event options include four dinners and one brunch hosted by Dallas’ top chefs and restaurants, all with socially distanced seating and tables limited to each individual party. There will also be a series of virtual mixology classes that will provide attendees with historical and educational background on the featured spirits and more. Events will take place at various locations around Dallas through Sunday.

Friday, December 4

AT&T Performing Arts Center presents Reliant Lights Your Holidays
The AT&T Performing Arts Center and Reliant have reimagined their annual holiday tradition so visitors can safely explore and enjoy at their own pace. Instead of taking place on one night, the event will go on for 16 consecutive nights, allowing guests to see 50,000 LED lights illuminating the campus. They're also adding festive projections, family photo-ops, and Friday and Saturday evening pop-up performances from local artists and organizations. The event will go on nightly through December 20.

Bruce Wood Dance presents HOPE: A Virtual Dance Experience
Bruce Wood Dance kicks off its 11th season with HOPE, featuring seven unique dance films offering stories of love, healing, justice, and compassion. HOPE will stream on the Bruce Wood Dance Vimeo channel beginning at 6 pm, and be available for 72 hours. Two of the premieres featured in HOPE speak to anti-racism and COVID-19: Promise Me You’ll Sing My Song by Adam W. McKinney and Life Interrupted by Joseph Thalken.

Dallas Theater Center presents In the Bleak Midwinter: A Christmas Carol for Our Time
Dallas Theater Center presents In the Bleak Midwinter: A Christmas Carol for Our Time, the classic Christmas story reimagined in a one-time-only brand-new filmed adaptation. This special production updates Charles Dickens’ story to the contemporary world, deepens the understanding of the beloved characters with compassion, humor, and grace, and provides a holiday event to enjoy within the comfort of viewers' homes. The production will be available to stream at any time through January 2. (Correction: The production will not be available until Monday, December 7.)

Uptown Players presents Helen Holy's Holiday Streaming Spectacular
Uptown Players will present a special holiday edition of Sister Helen Holy’s 701 club, starring Paul J. Williams as his most popular "altar" ego, Sister Helen Holy of the First Southern Fried Self-Satisfied ‎"Babatist" Church. A mix of holiday music, news, scripture interpretation, and special guest performances, and interviews, this special holiday quarantine cabaret edition can be viewed at home at any time through December 20.

Dallas Symphony Orchestra presents Dallas Symphony Christmas Pops
The Dallas Symphony Orchestra will continue their annual Christmas Pops tradition with the Dallas Symphony Chorus, performing transcendent anthems, classical holiday favorites, and sing-along carols. The concert, taking place through December 13 at Meyerson Symphony Center, will include an appearance by Santa, vocalist Ava Pine, and the Children's Chorus of Greater Dallas at matinee performances. There will also be a special Family Christmas Pops matinee performance on December 5.

Saturday, December 5

Sweet Tooth Motel
Sweet Tooth Hotel is expanding its exhibits with an immersive experience dubbed Sweet Tooth Motel, an installation that is completely exclusive for each individual group to explore. Guests can expect an exterior mural reminiscent of their favorite roadside vintage motel, with an interior featuring an entry filled with fantastical desserts. Guests will find their way into a magical winter wonderland filled with snow frosted pine trees and overlooking a breathtaking view over the mountains with the northern lights shining above. The event will take place daily through December 13, and then on Saturdays and Sundays through January 3.

Dallas Heritage Village presents Candlelight
Visitors can travel back in time at Dallas Heritage Village's 49th annual Candlelight holiday celebration. The event will be modified for social distancing, but guests can still sing along with strolling carolers, tell St. Nicholas their Christmas wishes, and enjoy some holiday crafts. The village will be decked in festive lights and traditional decor, and festive foods are available for purchase from food trucks as well as a bake sale, traditional kettle corn, nuts, and more. The event will take place on weekends through December 13. (Correction: This event has been canceled. Instead, Dallas Heritage Village is offering extended Holiday Hours on Thursday and Saturday nights during the first three weeks of December.)

Dallas Black Dance Theatre presents Black on Black
Dallas Black Dance Theatre presents its annual Black on Black in a virtual performance. This performance is a collaboration between DBDT and DBDT: Encore! company dancers as they create works that are a reflection of the times. The pre-performance mingle and after-party festivities in the Zoom room will include line dancing, cocktail/mocktail demonstrations, and a DJ.

"Live from the West Side: Women of Broadway"
"Live from the West Side: Women of Broadway" is a virtual concert series featuring show-stopping female singers. The final performer in the series will be critically acclaimed actress and singer Vanessa Williams. Streamed live from New York’s Shubert Virtual Studios, the show will feature a mix of Broadway showtunes, pop songs, and personal stories from the life of Williams. Viewers can also submit questions in advance for each artist to answer during the show.

Texas Ballet Theater presents A Masked Ballet
Texas Ballet Theater presents A Masked Ballet, a virtual gala featuring the world premiere of a new work by Artistic Director Ben Stevenson, O.B.E. to Strauss’ Emperor Waltz; tributes by celebrity guests; visits by TBT Company dancers at private virtual tables; and exclusive behind-the-scenes TBT content. Funds raised will directly support the TBT Relief Fund.

Sunday, December 6

Klyde Warren Park presents Tree Lighting Celebrations
Klyde Warren Park's annual Tree Lighting Celebration has been reimagined for guests to enjoy this annual holiday tradition in a safe and socially distanced way. On seven separate nights, Santa Claus will light the tree while carolers from Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts provide entertainment. Visitors are encouraged to wear masks when attending the celebration. Anyone who can't make it in person can view the celebration at 7:30 am on CBS 11 and 4 pm on KXTA Channel 21 on December 20.

Uptown Players presents Helen Holy's Holiday Streaming Spectacular, available to stream at any time December 4-20.

Sister Helen Holy/Facebook

Uptown Players presents Helen Holy's Holiday Streaming Spectacular, available to stream at any time December 4-20.

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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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