Weekend Event Planner

These are the 10 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 10

The Dallas Opera presents The Magic Flute
The Dallas Opera will make the company’s 2019 production of Mozart’s family-friendly The Magic Flute available free for home viewing for a limited time. The fanciful, wildly colorful production was originally simulcast live in high definition to a Dallas audience at Klyde Warren Park. The video will be available to view at any time through January 5.

Theatre Three presents The Immigrant
After a virtual run over the summer, Theatre Three will once again stream Mark Harelik’s inspiring play The Immigrant. Set in Hamilton, Texas in the early half of the 20th century, this technologically-forward telling of the play won’t put audiences in the room where it happened, but it will make history. The play, performed and designed to work within the necessary current restrictions, will play through Sunday.

East Dallas Arts presents The Christmas Line: A Chorus Line Parody
East Dallas Arts presents its third socially-distanced, on-demand production, The Christmas Line: A Chorus Line Parody. Santa and his lead elf, Rosie Jingles, help a wide variety of toys discover their path to being underneath the Christmas tree. Barbie, Ken, Wonder Woman, Batman and Robin — all of your favorite toys are here to put their own unique spin on this parody of the Broadway musical A Chorus Line. The production will be available to stream on demand through Sunday, January 3.

MainStage Irving-Las Colinas presents "Broadway Christmas Cabaret"
Irving’s own Amy Stevenson and Craig Boleman are back (virtually) to perform classic holiday songs with a couple of hilarious and touching surprises along the way in "A Broadway Christmas Cabaret." The dynamic duo will set out to save the end of 2020 with songs from Elf, Meet Me in St. Louis, White Christmas, and more. Coinciding with the live concert is an online auction featuring various gift baskets filled with luxurious holiday necessities and must-have gifts.

Second Thought Theatre presents Second Thought Emerging Playwrights
Second Thought Theatre will present their inaugural new playwriting series, Second Thought Emerging Playwrights (STEP). With three unique online events, STT invites audiences to experience a behind-the-scenes look in creating a play from the ground up. This first event consists of a public reading of the first draft of the script. Online audiences will learn about what is working in the new play and hear what questions are still unanswered. The other events will be in January and February.

Friday, December 11

Kevin Russell of Shinyribs in concert
Kevin Russell is the frontman and multi-instrumentalist of the award-winning Austin-based eight-piece Swamp-Pop-Soul supergroup Shinyribs, and former member of the cult-favorite The Gourds. A Beaumont native, Russell is a natural observer and wordsmith — drawing from the Gulf Coast hotbeds of roots music to craft his clever songwriting and on-stage antics to create an ethereal entertainment experience. He'll play twice at The Kessler.

Saturday, December 12

Dallas Black Dance Academy presents Espresso Nutcracker
Dallas Black Dance Academy will present the third annual Espresso Nutcracker, allowing viewers to celebrate the holiday in the comfort of their own home. The performance spins a new twist on a holiday tradition, as it is jazz-influenced by the music of Duke Ellington’s Nutcracker Suite. The production will be available to stream for one night only through the DBDA's website.

Avant Chamber Ballet presents Nutcracker Sweets
Avant Chamber Ballet brings Paul Mejia’s The Nutcracker from the stage to living rooms with a new virtual performance of the iconic masterpiece with live music, Nutcracker Sweets. This year the production features Act 2 and the "Dance of the Snowflakes" with new costumes. Dallas’ own Cezanne Quartet will accompany the dancers with Tchaikovsky’s famous score. The performance will be available to rent at any time through December 31.

Sunday, December 13

Dallas Children's Theater presents Heroes for the Pages
With Heroes for the Pages, Dallas Children’s Theater will provide families with a chance to learn more about three December holidays and the children’s book authors who have written about them. In the first of three free Zoom shows, DCT will spotlight local Dallas author Nancy Churnin’s children’s book Irving Berlin: The Immigrant Boy Who Made America Sing, followed by Churnin's The Queen and the First Christmas Tree on December 20, and Donna L. Washington’s book L’il Rabbit’s Kwanzaa on December 27. Each show will include singalongs, author Q&As, and a feature on the hero’s culture.

Luminova Holidays
After taking a break due to the rodeo being in town, Luminova will start up again. Visitors will be able to view millions of twinkling lights, take to the ice on an outdoor rink, and snap selfie-worthy pics. The sprawling indoor and outdoor wonderland, located at Globe Life Field in Arlington through January 3, marks the first event to be open to the general public at the new stadium. It also includes appearances by Santa Claus, a 65-foot Christmas tree, interactive activities like light up hopscotch, train rides for the kids, strolling holiday entertainers, and booths with food and special mementos.

Avant Chamber Ballet presents Nutcracker Sweets, a virtual production available to rent at any time between December 12 and 31.

Photo by Richard Hill

Avant Chamber Ballet presents Nutcracker Sweets, a virtual production available to rent at any time between December 12 and 31.

dance concerts families theater event-planner holidays opera

Movie Review

Chris Hemsworth tries to steal diamonds and hearts in Crime 101

Photo courtesy of Amazon Content Services

Chris Hemsworth in Crime 101.

The career of actor Chris Hemsworth is a curious one, as it feels like he’s a huge star (mostly from playing Thor in Marvel movies) and not at the same time, with most of the non-MCU movies featuring him in a lead role failing to become big successes. But he still has a certain presence about him, which is why he’s being given another chance to prove his star power in the new thriller, Crime 101.

Hemsworth plays Davis, a talented thief who knows how to get what he wants without resorting to violence. When a job early in the movie turns slightly sideways, it makes him think twice about working with his handler (Nick Nolte), who seems to prefer someone with a stronger touch, like the up-and-coming Ormon (Barry Keoghan).

Davis is the main character, but two others who come into his orbit get their own subplots. Lou (Mark Ruffalo) is a slightly schlubby LAPD detective who’s convinced he knows the pattern of an unknown thief that likes to hit places close to Highway 101. Sharon (Halle Berry) works for a high-end insurance agency known for working with ultra-wealthy clients, the types who might be a great target for a thief like Davis.

Written and directed by Bart Layton, the film has a decent propulsion to it that comes with most crime thrillers. Davis and Ormon represent the yin and the yang of criminal approaches, and and it’s interesting to see the juxtaposition between the two as their simmering rivalry heats up over the course of the film. When the film commits to actually showing its crimes, it has an excitement that’s worth watching.

Unfortunately, Layton displays a real lack of focus, taking the audience into subplots with each of the three main characters that prove unnecessarily distracting. Lou’s marriage problems may explain his disheveled appearance, but there’s no need to see him deal with them with wife Angie (Jennifer Jason Leigh). Sharon’s troubles with her male-dominated company prove slightly pivotal, but still don’t merit the time put into exploring them.

The most baffling subplot is Davis pursuing a relationship with Maya (Monica Barbaro), a woman he randomly meets. At different points in the movie, including many of his interactions with Maya, Davis seems like the most uncomfortable, antisocial person in the world. And yet he somehow morphs into a suave smooth-talker who’s able to convince anyone to do what he wants at other key points, making it unclear exactly what kind of person he really is.

Hemsworth does relatively well in the lead role, but he’s still missing that certain something to make his character, and therefore the movie, truly compelling. The rest of the cast is fine, too, but each of them seem to be putting in just the minimal amount of effort to make the film watchable. Ruffalo and Barbaro come off the best, but with the talent in the cast (11 Oscar nominations and one win), they could have been used better.

Crime 101 has most of the ingredients to be another great entry in the genre, and it succeeds when it actually decides to deliver on its promise. But too much of the film is spent on things that have no real bearing on plot or character development, leaving the movie in the middle of the pack.

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Crime 101 is now playing in the theaters.

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