Weekend Event Planner

These are the 8 best things to do in Dallas this weekend

The list of new events in and around Dallas this weekend may be shorter than usual, but they pack a collective punch. Choices include a powerhouse classical music concert, four theater productions (including a Tony Award winner), the continuation of the stay of a great dance troupe, the final days of a notable art exhibit, and a Japanese new year tradition.

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, January 9

Dallas Symphony Orchestra presents Fabio Luisi Conducts Scheherazade
At this concert, audiences can travel to the world of the 1001 Arabian Nights in Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade. The concert will also feature the Dallas premiere of Fountain of Youth, a commissioned work by Julia Wolfe. Plus, Lise Lindstrom sings Barber’s rarely performed Andromache’s Farewell. The concert, conducted by Fabio Luisi, will have four performances through Sunday at the Meyerson Symphony Center.

AT&T Performing Arts Center Broadway Series presents The Color Purple
Two years after its first visit to Dallas, the Tony Award-winning The Color Purple returns for a brief stay at Winspear Opera House. The musical features a soul-raising, Grammy-winning score of jazz, gospel, ragtime, and blues, giving an exhilarating new spirit to this Pulitzer Prize-winning story. It is a reimagining of an epic story about a young woman’s journey to love and triumph in the American South. There will be six more performances through Sunday.

Imprint Theatreworks presents Puffs (The Play)
Puffs is a clever and inventive play that gives audience a new look at a familiar adventure from the perspective of three potential heroes just trying to make it through a magic school that proves to be very dangerous for children. Alongside them are the Puffs, a group of well-meaning, loyal outsiders with a thing for badgers. The play will run at Stomping Ground Comedy Theater through January 25.

Friday, January 10

Theatre Arlington presents Ripcord
A sunny room on an upper floor is prime real estate in the Bristol Place Senior Living Facility, so when the cantankerous Abby is forced to share her quarters with new arrival Marilyn, she has no choice but to get rid of the infuriatingly chipper woman by any means necessary. A seemingly harmless bet between the old women quickly escalates into a dangerous game of one-upmanship. The play will run at Theatre Arlington through January 26.

Shakespeare Dallas presents Pride and Prejudice
Shakespeare Dallas will present Pride and Prejudice for its second annual Winter Season performance. The play is a tale about Elizabeth Bennet, whose four sisters and overzealous match-making mother keep the topic of marriage alive and lively. When the independent-minded Elizabeth meets the handsome but enigmatic Mr. Darcy, she is determined not to let her feelings triumph over her own good sense. The production will run through January 19 at Moody Performance Hall.

Saturday, January 11

Shen Yun
After two weeks at Winspear Opera House, Shen Yun travels up Central Expressway to Eisemann Center for the Performing Arts in Richardson for three performances. The dance troupe lets audiences travel back to the magical world of ancient China, experience a lost culture through the breathtaking art of classical Chinese dance, and see legends come to life. There will be two performances on Saturday and one on Sunday.

Sunday, January 12

Dallas Museum of Art Presents Sheila Hicks: "Secret Structures, Looming Presence" closing day
The Dallas Museum of Art's first exhibition of works by pioneering fiber artist, designer, and weaver Sheila Hicks comes to an end on Sunday. The special display illuminates how the 84-year-old contemporary artist’s practice is inspired by the weaving traditions of indigenous artisans from Latin America. "Secret Structures, Looming Presence" pairs works from the museum’s collection of ancient Andean art with a selection of loom-woven, wrapped, twisted, and knotted fiberworks by the artist to offer a fresh examination of textile traditions through time.

Japan-America Society of DFW presents Mochitsuki New Year’s Celebration
Japan-America Society of DFW will celebrate the Year of the Rat with mochi (rice cakes), music and dance performances, and authentic cultural activities. At the event, taking place at Fujitsu Network Communications in Richardson, guests can learn about Japan’s rich New Year’s traditions, connect with the local Japanese community, and see a live demonstration on how mochi is made. It will include a special appearance by Consul General Hideo Fukushima.

The Color Purple will be at Winspear Opera House through January 12.

Photo by Jeremy Daniel

The Color Purple will be at Winspear Opera House through January 12.

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Movie Review

Shaun the Sheep gets PG-spooky in new movie for the Halloween season

Photo courtesy of Aardman / Sky UK LTD / StudioCanal 2026

Shaun the Sheep in Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom.

Since his introduction over 30 years ago, the Aardman Animations character Shaun the Sheep has been almost as popular as the studio’s flagship characters, Wallace and Gromit. There is never a shortage of trouble Shaun can get into as he leads his flock and proves to be a thorn in the side of his farmer and Bitzer, the farmer’s loyal sheepdog.

His antics lead everyone down some slightly spooky roads in the new film, Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom. At first, things are only slightly awry as Shaun and the flock are growing a secret pumpkin patch to have their own jack-o-lanterns. But when the farmer accidentally destroys the pumpkin patch, Shaun tries to regrow it quickly with a Frankenstein-esque experiment.

However, disaster looms when Shaun uses an old bottle of Hair-Gro as the container for the serum he creates. Naturally, the balding farmer uses it on his head, and everyone soon discovers how truly successful it is, with pumpkins growing out of control and the farmer sprouting hair all over his body. Through a series of mishaps, the farmer becomes the titular beast, creating mayhem while Shaun and others try to stop him.

Directed by Steve Cox and Matthew Walker, and written by Mark Burton and Giles Pilbrow, the film goes down just as easy as every other Aardman project has. They get the Halloween vibes started from the opening credits, with things like the sheep doing the “Thriller” dance, and continue the fun throughout, referencing everything from Psycho to Friday the 13th in a nice, PG way.

With no script — every character is mute save for reaction noises — the movie relies on sight gags for its humor, and the Aardman team is endlessly inventive in that respect. Sometimes it’s small things like a sheep using toilet paper rolls as binoculars, and sometimes it’s something like forcing the Bigfoot-like farmer to be shaped into a rectangle as he escapes through a window. But there’s a never-ending stream of such moments, so even if one doesn’t tickle your funny bone, chances are the next one will.

The biggest benefit of the characters not talking is that there’s no need for deep character development. The filmmakers do a great job of giving the basic traits of each character, and then use those attributes to color everyone’s actions for the rest of the film. Shaun is the troublemaker, the farmer is a bumbling fool, Bitzer is preternaturally smart, and the town’s vet is empathetic, and the combination of those characters and others makes for a highly entertaining blend.

Like all Aardman creations, Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom is a fun lark that doesn’t make its audience think too hard. With just enough references to keep viewers engaged but not so many as to be overbearing, the film puts its well-worn characters to good use once again, delivering a Halloween season story that can be enjoyed by people of all ages.

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Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom is now playing in theaters.

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