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Weekend Event Planner

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

Alex Bentley
Feb 15, 2018 | 6:00 am

The slate of events in and around Dallas this weekend is split evenly between local and national performers. On the local side, you can enjoy classical music, theater, a holiday celebration, and ballet. On the national side will be a highly personal theatrical show, two big-name comedians, and a country music superstar.

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, February 15

Dallas Symphony Orchestra presents Tchaikovsky's "Pathétique"
The Dallas Symphony Orchestra will present trombonist Jörgen van Rijen under the direction of Maestro Gustavo Gimeno. Selections for the concert, which will be put on four times through Sunday at the Meyerson Symphony Center, will include Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 1, "Classica," the U.S. premiere of James MacMillan's Trombone Concerto, and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6, "Pathétique."

Eisemann Center presents PostSecret: The Show
PostSecret: The Show is an immersive, poignant journey through the humor and humanity of personal stories we’d rather keep to ourselves, but on rare occasions, share with others. Three actors and a guitarist use projected images and videos to guide the audience through crowd-sourced narratives revealing the true stories behind the secrets. There will be five performances through Sunday at Eisemann Center for the Performing Arts in Richardson.

Ochre House Theater presents The Woman Who Knew Too Much
Ochre House Theater is presenting the world premiere of The Woman Who Knew Too Much, about a woman with no memory of who she is or where she comes from. Who knows her, and how did she lose her memory? Or is she a spy, undercover, trying to solve a mystery with many clues, shady characters, and few answers? The play, which opened on February 10, will run through March 3 at Ochre House Theater.

Friday, February 16

Ron White in concert
Comedian Ron “Tater Salad” White first rose to fame as the cigar-smoking, scotch-drinking funnyman from the Blue Collar Comedy Tour phenomenon. He's a classic storyteller who relays tales from his life, ranging from growing up in a small town in Texas to sharing stories of his daily life. He'll put on four performances through Saturday at Majestic Theatre.

Improv Addison presents Joel McHale
Joel McHale has become one of the most sought-after comedians and actors in the industry, having served as host of The Soup for 12 years and starring on Community for six seasons. He recently starred as former Community co-star Chevy Chase in Netflix’s A Futile & Stupid Gesture, and his Netflix talk show, The Joel McHale Show, will premiere on February 18. He'll perform four times through Saturday at Improv Addison.

Alan Jackson in concert
Country singer Alan Jackson is one of the biggest stars of the industry in the past 30 years, hitting the big time with his 1990 sophomore album, Here in the Real World. None of his subsequent 14 albums have landed outside the top 5 on the country charts, and 11 of them went to No. 1, including his most recent, 2015's Angels and Alcohol. He'll take his fans on a tour of his greatest hits during this concert at Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie.

Saturday, February 17

Crow Collection of Asian Art presents Chinese New Year Festival
2018 is the Year of The Dog, and the Crow Collection of Asian Art is getting ready for one amazing paw-ty at its 19th annual Chinese New Year Festival. Organizers are shaking things up and bringing the festivities to NorthPark Center, where they will celebrate with art activities and demonstrations, dog-themed booths, food, fireworks, and a main stage filled with a list of talented performers, old and new.

Avant Chamber Ballet presents "Beauty and Bach"
Avant Chamber Ballet returns with a triple bill of works from the 19th, 20th, and 21st century, all with live music. The works will include George Balanchine’s Concerto Barocco, set to Bach’s Double Violin Concerto; the world premiere of Katie Cooper’s Appalachian Spring, featuring Copland's 13-member orchestra suite arrangement; and Aurora's Wedding — Sleeping Beauty Act 3, featuring Tchaikovsky. There will be performances on both Saturday and Sunday at Moody Performance Hall.

The Crow Collection of Asian Art will put on a Chinese New Year Festival at Klyde Warren Park on February 17.

Chinese New Year Festival
Photo courtesy of Crow Museum of Asian Art
The Crow Collection of Asian Art will put on a Chinese New Year Festival at Klyde Warren Park on February 17.
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Movie Review

The Magic Faraway Tree is a whimsical family lark that fails to take root

Alex Bentley
Aug 21, 2026 | 11:44 am
Andrew Garfield, Delilah Bennett-Cardy, Claire Foy, Phoenix Laroche, and Billie Gadson in The Magic Faraway Tree
Photo courtesy of Vertical Entertainment
Andrew Garfield, Delilah Bennett-Cardy, Claire Foy, Phoenix Laroche, and Billie Gadson in The Magic Faraway Tree.

With kids and families always on the hunt for entertainment, it’s typically a safe bet for a movie studio to offer up something new, even if it is a film based on an old property. The Magic Faraway Tree, based on a series of books that started in the 1930s, is a very old property, one that its filmmakers have tried to liven up with a few stars, a lot of whimsy, and a boatload of CGI.

The Thompson family, led by stay-at-home dad Tim (Andrew Garfield) and breadwinner mom Polly (Claire Foy), are forced to move to a rundown country home when Polly gets laid off. The kids - Joe (Phoenix Laroche), Fran (Billie Gadson), and Beth (Delilah Bennett-Cardy) - are used to the perks of city life like wifi and electricity, and each of them rebels in their own way to their new lot in life.

Fran, enticed by a fairy named Silky (Nicola Coughlan), is the first to venture out of the house, making her way to a magic tree that transports her to a world full of strange characters like Moonface (Nonso Anozie), Saucepan Man (Dustin Demri-Burns), Dame Washalot (Jessica Gunning), and more. Her adventures there not only broaden the world she thought she knew, but may be the key to helping her ailing family.

Directed by Ben Gregor and written by Simon Farnaby (Paddington 2, Wonka), the film is a pleasant enough lark, but it fails to fully capture the imagination. The five-member family has a lot going on, from an initially-mute Fran to a domestic situation that raises more questions than it answers. The film tries to incorporate an anti-technology message through Tim’s hatred of a smart refrigerator (voiced by Judi Dench!) and the kids' addictions to devices, but it’s quickly shed in favor of other options.

Once Fran makes it to the Magic Faraway Tree, there’s a nice shift in the storytelling, but it’s unclear what the ultimate goal is. It’s a good idea to have Fran, the youngest of the children, convince her older, more cynical siblings about the virtues of the magic world, but the conflict in the real world doesn’t seem to rise to the level needed for the escape the tree provides.

There also seems to be a missing link in the storytelling for viewers to understand the importance of the fantastical characters. The visuals of seeing Moonface and his crescent moon-shaped hair, a man with a suit full of banging pots, and more are fun for a while, but not enough to carry the whole film. A last-minute revelation feels like it was something that should have been disclosed much earlier to help strengthen the emotions of the story.

A two-time Oscar nominee, Garfield is making his first foray into family movies (if you don’t count playing Spider-Man), and while he does a good job, he doesn’t make the best fit for the semi-goofy role. The same goes for the Emmy-winning Foy, who isn’t given much of anything to do. The movie puts the story on the shoulders of the three child actors, and while each of them acquit themselves well, none of them are so outstanding as to be noteworthy.

With nearly 90-year-old source material, The Magic Faraway Tree needed to be something truly special to stand out in the 21st century movie world. Unfortunately, it features a mostly forgettable story that features some fun visuals, a couple of cute kids, and not much else.

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The Magic Faraway Tree is now playing in theaters.

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