The highly anticipated Pavilion at the Music Factory in Irving has announced its initial entertainment lineup, one that's full of some of the biggest names in music and comedy.
Legendary comedian Dave Chappelle, hot off his two recent Netflix specials, will open the venue on Friday, September 1. As Chappelle is known to do multiple concerts at one venue, it's likely other times or dates will be announced after the initial concert inevitably sells out quickly.
Chappelle will be joined on Labor Day weekend by country star Brad Paisley on September 2, and Jeff & Larry's Backyard BBQ on September 3, featuring Blue Collar comedians Jeff Foxworthy and Larry the Cable Guy, as well as Eddie Money and the Marshall Tucker Band.
Other announced performers include Goo Goo Dolls with Phillip Phillips on September 6, Counting Crows and Matchbox Twenty on October 1, and a stand-up appearance by The Daily Show's Trevor Noah on November 11. In all, 10 events have been announced, with more expected in the coming weeks.
A 250,000-square-foot dining and entertainment project, the Irving Music Factory will open to the public on Labor Day weekend. The Pavilion at the Music Factory is a 3-in-1, state-of-the-art venue that will be able to host 2,500 people in an intimate theater setting, 4,000 for an indoor theater experience, or 8,000 in an open-air pavilion.
Tickets for all of the initial events will go on sale on Friday, March 31, at 10 am at LiveNation.com.
Comedian Dave Chappelle will be the opening event at the Pavilion at the Music Factory on Friday, September 1.
Photo courtesy of Dave Chappelle
Comedian Dave Chappelle will be the opening event at the Pavilion at the Music Factory on Friday, September 1.
Michaela Coel and Ian McKellen in The Christophers.
Director Steven Soderbergh is one of those filmmakers who — aside from the Ocean’s series — never seems to make the same kind of movie twice. He is somehow able to adapt his abilities to all sorts of different stories, making each of them as compelling as any other. His latest masterclass is in the London-set film, The Christophers.
Lori Butler (Michaela Coel), who restores art for a living, is approached by brother and sister Sallie and Barnaby Sklar (Jessica Gunning and James Corden) with a scheme. They want her to become the new assistant for their aging father, Julian (Ian McKellen), a famous artist known for a series called “The Christophers,” in order to gain access to unfinished paintings from the series and complete them herself.
Lori accepts the deal despite having some uneasy feelings about Julian, with whom she had a bad interaction years ago. Julian is just as wary, both because he knows of his children’s interest in the unfinished works, and because he would prefer to be left in peace. Although the trepidation on both sides continues for the bulk of the story, a grudging respect arises between two artists who know skill when they see it.
Directed by Soderbergh and written by Ed Solomon, who last collaborated on No Sudden Move, the film is astonishing in its ability to be compelling with such a small story. Much of the film is spent inside Julian’s multi-story home as Julian and Lori have low-level confrontations about a variety of things, including the meaning of his art, her abilities, the fate of the remaining “Christophers,” and more. Each conversation brings out more detail about their worldviews and their thoughts about their lot in life.
Much of the success of the film lies in the performances of McKellen and Coel. The 86-year-old McKellen has not lost his ability to astonish with the spoken word, and the monologues he delivers are engrossing even when they’re about mundane things. Coel, best known for the 2020 HBO show I May Destroy You, is a great foil for McKellen, never backing down from his challenges and giving her own unique takes on her lines.
While the film can be enjoyable for non-art lovers, those who appreciate the vagaries of the art world will have a lot to chew on. Soderbergh and Solomon debate a lot of aspects of art, including whether it’s possible to separate the art from the person making it, why some art is valued more than others, the ethics of forgery, and more. Because the film is about a fictional artist, it gives the filmmakers a bit more freedom in their criticisms.
Aside from McKellen and Coel, Gunning (Baby Reindeer) and Corden are the only other two people who get significant screen time in the film. Both of them are, let’s say, acquired tastes, and each gives an elevated performance that matches the energy of their respective characters. Tilly Botsford makes a nice impression in a small role as Julian’s masseuse.
Soderbergh’s last three films — Presence, Black Bag, and now The Christophers — have nothing in common other than the expert filmmaker helming all of them. When you can make a ghost story, a spy film, and a small film about artists equally interesting, you know you’re doing something right.
