Events News

The latest event cancellations in Dallas-Fort Worth due to coronavirus concerns

The national tour of Come From Away at the Music Hall at Fair Park has been rescheduled for January 5-17, 2021.

Photo by Matthew Murphy

As concerns regarding the spread of the coronavirus and government restrictions on group gatherings continue, more event cancellations and postponements are being announced every day in Dallas-Fort Worth. In an effort to keep you as up-to-date as possible, we'll compile a list of different announcements every week.

Note: Given the pace at which things are happening during these times, cancellations are coming at a rapid clip. To be sure you're up to speed, you may want to check with the presenting organization or venue regarding the status of any particular event.

Dallas

Dallas Summer Musicals presents Come From Away: The national tour of this production had barely started its original run of March 10-22 at the Music Hall at Fair Park when it was shut down. It has been rescheduled for January 5-17, 2021.
Bert Kreischer: The appearance by the comedian, scheduled for The Theatre at Grand Prairie on April 24, has been rescheduled for September 25.
BFD 2020: This hard rock music event featuring Disturbed and others at Dos Equis Pavilion, scheduled for May 24, has been canceled.
Cody Ko & Noel Miller: Tiny Meat Gang – Global Domination: The appearance by the YouTube/podcast duo, scheduled for April 18 at The Theatre at Grand Prairie, has been rescheduled for October 20.
DMA Arts & Letters Live: The remaining events in the spring series have either been canceled or postponed with the possibility of rescheduling. Erik Larson, originally scheduled for March 30, has been rescheduled for September 10. David Sedaris, scheduled for May 11, has been rescheduled for October 30.
Dallas Children's Theater: The theater company has canceled three productions: The Last Stop on Market Street (scheduled March 21-April 5), Balloonacy (scheduled April 18-May 3), and The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (scheduled May 2-23). Their final production of the season, Miss Nelson Has a Field Day (scheduled June 20-28), is still scheduled for now.
Dallas Pride Weekend: The annual celebration of the LGBTQ+ community, scheduled for June 6 and 7 at Fair Park, has been rescheduled for July 25 and 26.
Dallas Symphony Orchestra presents Chris Botti: The appearance by trumpeter Botti, originally scheduled for March 13-15 at Meyerson Symphony Center, has been rescheduled for July 10-12.
The Fabulously Funny Comedy Festival: Featuring performances by Mike Epps, Kountry Wayne, Jess Hilarious, and Haha Davis, this event scheduled for June 12 at The Theatre at Grand Prairie has been rescheduled for February 14, 2021.
JMBLYA: The music festival, which also has stops in Austin and Houston, was scheduled to take place at Fair Park on May 1. It has been postponed to an undetermined date in fall 2020.
Justin Bieber: The concert by the pop superstar, scheduled for June 28 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, has been postponed to an undetermined date in the future.
Kesha: The concert by the pop star, scheduled for April 25 at The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory in Irving, has been postponed to an undetermined date in the future.
The Who: The concert by the classic rockers, scheduled for April 27 at American Airlines Center, has been postponed to an undetermined date in fall 2020.

Fort Worth

Casa Mañana: The theater company has rescheduled two Children's Theatre productions. Matilda the Musical, originally scheduled to run March 20-April 5, has been rescheduled for July 17-26. Shrek the Musical, scheduled for April 17-May 10, has been rescheduled for August 7-16.
Fort Worth Chorale presents Masterworks Concert: The music group's final concert of the 2019-2020 season, scheduled for April 24, has been postponed to an undetermined date in the fall.
James Taylor and Jackson Browne: The concert by the two legendary singers on May 16 at Dickies Arena has been postponed to an undetermined date.
Patty Griffin and Mavis Staples: The co-headlining concert, scheduled for May 9 at Ridglea Theater, has been rescheduled for October 24.

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Movie Review

Daniel Craig searches for elusive new bond in audacious film Queer

Photo courtesy of A24

Drew Starkey and Daniel Craig in Queer.

As recently as the late 2010s, if a movie was made about an LGBTQ+ character, it was more than likely about their coming out experience. Romance, if it existed, was typically chaste, and actual sex was almost completely out of the question. Things have changed dramatically in the 2020s, to the point that a major movie star has no issue starring in a film called Queer.

Based on the 1985 novella by William S. Burroughs, the film features William Lee (Daniel Craig), whom everyone calls just Lee, a writer living in 1950s-era Mexico City who spends most of his time haunting local bars with friends like fellow writer Joe Guidry (Jason Schwartzman) and hitting on younger men. His early interactions in the film seem to indicate that Lee has a bad reputation within the local gay community, as multiple people avoid him or give him odd looks.

Lee senses an opportunity when he encounters a newcomer, Eugene Allerton (Drew Starkey). Despite some awkward interactions, the two of them start spending time together, although Lee has much more invested in the relationship than Eugene does. Their hit-and-miss bond continues until Lee, who’s starting to get into drugs in addition to the booze, convinces Eugene to accompany him on a trip to South America.

Directed by Luca Guadagnino and written by Justin Kuritzkes (making their second straight film together after Challengers), early on the film seems to be mostly about the divide between an older person who’s grown comfortable in his ways and a younger person who’s living a relatively carefree life. The introduction of drugs into the plot changes things, though, with Lee searching out more ways to open his eyes to what the world has to offer.

Guadagnino and his team use some interesting visual storytelling techniques to introduce ideas that may not be present in the actual script. The most successful, demonstrated in multiple scenes, is the superimposition of movements by Lee over what’s actually taking place in the scene. The subtle overlay gives the audience insight into Lee’s true feelings, showing what he can’t or won’t say out loud.

Music also plays a big part in how the plot is perceived, with the use of anachronistic songs from Nirvana and Prince serving to heighten certain moments. The score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross is not as in-your-face as the one they did for Challengers, but it complements the film well, especially when the plot starts to get trippy in its final half hour.

Craig, who appears sweaty and disheveled for much of the film, is about as far from the suaveness of James Bond as you can get in this role. He takes multiple risks with his performance and almost all of them pay off. Starkey’s character is subdued by comparison, but still comes off well. Schwartzman and Lesley Manville are given showy roles, with both using altered appearances that make them nearly unrecognizable to deliver memorable performances.

Queer is not as accessible as Challengers was storytelling-wise, but the fact that it tells a story about gay men living their lives as they see fit with no interference or questions shows how far the film world has come in a short period of time. It also continues Guadagnino’s streak of making audacious films in a way that few other filmmakers are willing or able to approach.

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Queer is now playing in theaters.

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