Weekend Event Planner

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

The events in and around Dallas this weekend are a nice mixture of high culture and pop culture. You can see one opera production in its natural setting, or see another in an unusual location. You can enjoy some classical music, or enjoy a concert by a classic rock star. And you can hear a conversation about the biggest musical in the world right now, or watch a performance honoring an iconic TV show.

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, March 16

Dallas Symphony Orchestra presents Brahms 2
The latest concert from the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, playing at Meyerson Symphony Center through Sunday, features violinist Alexander Kerr. Kerr is being showcased during Prokofiev's Violin Concerto No. 1, and the symphony is also taking on the distinctive richness of harmony and rhythm of Brahms' ingenious Second Symphony.

Disney on Ice: Worlds of Enchantment
Many of your favorite Disney characters are represented during Disney on Ice: Worlds of Enchantment, which is at American Airlines Center through Sunday. There are high-speed stunts with Lightning McQueen; underwater adventures with Ariel; heroic action with Buzz, Woody, and Jessie from Toy Story; and fun in the wintery world of Arendelle with Anna, Elsa, Olaf, and Kristoff from Frozen.

Friday, March 17

Dallas Opera presents The Turn of the Screw
The latest from the Dallas Opera, The Turn of the Screw, is a dark and gripping 19th-century tale based on the atmospheric novel by Henry James. Playing four times through March 25 at Winspear Opera House, it follows a governess who sees what she believes to be a ghost after being hired to care for two children. Her vision leads to a number of chilling revelations about former employees and the children themselves.

Saturday, March 18

House of Blues Dallas presents Local Brews, Local Grooves
This event, taking place throughout the House of Blues Dallas, features 15 breweries, 18 bands on four stages, and delectable food pairings. Bands performing include The Mastersons, the Funky Knuckles, Dead Flowers, the Buffalo Ruckus, and many others. There's also over 45 beers to sample, an outdoor party plaza, food pairings, vendors, contests, prizes, games, and more. As this is a beer-centric event, it's only for those 21 and over.

Dallas Opera presents Madame Butterfly simulcast
The Dallas Opera is moving its annual free simulcast event from Klyde Warren Park to The Star in Frisco. The classic Italian opera Madame Butterfly is being simulcast live from the Winspear Opera House. The program is hosted by KLUV Radio’s Jody Dean, and activities include a Family Fun Zone, contests, behind-the-scenes interviews, and a WB Classics cartoon. The event starts at 4:30 pm, and the opera simulcast begins at 7:30 pm.

George W. Bush Presidential Center presents "Engage Conversation: Hamilton’s America"
Christopher Jackson, who was nominated for a Tony Award for originating the role of George Washington in Broadway’s Hamilton, takes part in a conversation on the phenomenon that has propelled Alexander Hamilton and the Founding Fathers into the pop culture mainstream. Jackson is joined by filmmaker Alex Horwitz, director of the PBS special Hamilton’s America, and Yale historian and Hamilton expert Joanne Freeman. If you don't have a ticket for the sold-out event, you can watch via Facebook Live at www.facebook.com/thebushcenter.

Off Broadway on Flora: One Woman Sex and the City: A Parody on Love, Friendship, and Shoes
This loving tribute and send-up takes audiences through a laughter-infused version of all six seasons of the beloved Sex and the City. Comedic whirling dervish Kerry Ipema brings all the favorite characters to life at Wyly Theatre as they brunch, banter, argue, support each other, and swoon over men and Manolos. There will be puns, cosmopolitans, and audience participation.

Sunday, March 19

Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo in concert
Fans know and love Pat Benatar for hit songs like "Hit Me With Your Best Shot," "Love Is a Battlefield," "We Belong," and more. The name Neil Giraldo may not be as familiar, but the guitarist was a key player in Benatar's band during her prime in the 1980s, and he also happens to be her husband. The two are playing a special acoustic concert at Majestic Theatre.

Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo play at Majestic Theatre on March 19.

Photo courtesy of Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo

Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo play at Majestic Theatre on March 19.

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Movie Review

Michelle Pfeiffer is an unappreciated mom in Oh. What. Fun.

Photo courtesy of Amazon MGM Studios

Michelle Pfeiffer in Oh. What. Fun.

Of all the formulaic movie genres, Christmas/holiday movies are among the most predictable. No matter what the problem is that arises between family members, friends, or potential romantic partners, the stories in holiday movies are designed to give viewers a feel-good ending even if the majority of the movie makes you feel pretty bad.

That’s certainly the case in Oh. What. Fun., in which Michelle Pfeiffer plays Claire, an underappreciated mom living in Houston with her inattentive husband, Nick (Denis Leary). As the film begins, her three children are arriving back home for Christmas: The high-strung Channing (Felicity Jones) is married to the milquetoast Doug (Jason Schwartzman); the aloof Taylor (Chloë Grace Moretz) brings home yet another new girlfriend; and the perpetual child Sammy (Dominic Sessa) has just broken up with his girlfriend.

Each of the family members seems to be oblivious to everything Claire does for them, especially when it comes to what she really wants: For them to nominate her to win a trip to see a talk show in L.A. hosted by Zazzy Tims (Eva Longoria). When she accidentally gets left behind on a planned outing to see a show, Claire reaches her breaking point and — in a kind of Home Alone in reverse — she decides to drive across the country to get to the show herself.

Written and directed by Michael Showalter (The Idea of You), and co-written by Chandler Baker (who wrote the short story on which the film is based), the movie never establishes any kind of enjoyable rhythm. Each of the characters, including competitive neighbor Jeanne (Joan Chen), is assigned a character trait that becomes their entire personality, with none of them allowed to evolve into something deeper.

The filmmakers lean hard into the idea that Claire is a person who always puts her family first and receives very little in return, but the evidence presented in the story is sketchy at best. Every situation shown in the film is so superficial that tension barely exists, and the (over)reactions by Claire give her family members few opportunities to make up for their failings.

The most interesting part of the movie comes when Claire actually makes it to the Zazzy Sims show. Even though what happens there is just as unbelievable as anything else presented in the story, Showalter and Baker concoct a scene that allows Claire and others to fully express the central theme of the film, and for a few minutes the movie actually lives up to its title.

Pfeiffer, given her first leading role since 2020’s French Exit, is a somewhat manic presence, and her thick Texas accent and unnecessary voiceover don’t do her any favors. It seems weird to have such a strong supporting cast with almost nothing of substance to do, but almost all of them are wasted, including Danielle Brooks in a blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameo. The lone exception is Longoria, who is a blast in the few scenes she gets.

Oh. What. Fun. is far from the first movie to try and fail at becoming a new holiday classic, but the pedigree of Showalter and the cast make this dismal viewing experience extra disappointing. Ironically, overworked and underappreciated moms deserve a much better story than the one this movie delivers.

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Oh. What. Fun. is now streaming on Prime Video.

movies film