Weekend Event Planner

These are the 12 best things to do in Dallas this Easter weekend

Through music, song, folk dances, animated backdrops and story telling, Shen Yun journeys through 5,000 years of Chinese history.

Photo courtesy of Shen Yun

The front half of this weekend in and around Dallas will be dominated by local events, while national acts take over on the back half. There will be a trio of new local theater productions, a classical music concert, a dance event, and the return of a popular monthly music/movie series. You can also enjoy a couple of big name comedians, two concerts from notable musicians, and a unique hip hop brunch, among others.

Below are the best ways to spend your precious free time this long Easter weekend. Want more options? Lucky for you, we have a much longer list of the city's best events. Still making Easter dining plans? Here is a master list of restaurants serving brunches and feasts for the holiday.

Thursday, April 14

Second Thought Theatre presents Dry Powder
The same week KMM Capital Management private equity firm forced massive layoffs at a national grocery chain, the founder and president threw himself an extravagant engagement party, setting off a publicity nightmare. Fortunately, one of the partners has a dream of a deal that will rescue his boss from the PR disaster. But are they willing to maximize returns, no matter the consequences? The game is on in this gripping, razor-sharp play about the price of success and the real cost of getting the deal done. The production will run at Bryant Hall through April 30.

Dallas Symphony Orchestra presents "Dvořák’s New World Symphony"
Dallas Symphony Orchestra presents "Dvořák’s New World Symphony," featuring conductor Jun Markl and pianist Kirill Gerstein. Selections include Mendelssohn's Meeresstille und glückliche Fahrt (Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage) Overture, Schumann's Piano Concerto, and Dvořák's Symphony No. 9, “From The New World.” There will be three performances through Saturday at Meyerson Symphony Center.

Improv Arlington presents Paul Rodriguez
Longtime comedian Paul Rodriguez has been making audiences laugh all over the world (in Spanish and English) for nearly three decades with his unique brand of humor that is a perfect blend of his Latin heritage, the American dream, and his undeniable universal appeal. Rodriguez will perform at Improv Arlington five times through Saturday.

Indique Dance Company presents Maya: The Illusions We Live
Indique Dance Company, featuring guest artists from Cry Havoc Theater Company, will use dance and storytelling to explore the different ways in which perspective shapes our relationships. It is human nature to allow our personal biases and assumptions to become a pair of tinted glasses that color everything we see. What happens when we remove the filters, the “Maya,” that clouds our vision? Does this expand our opportunities to step out of our comfort zones and build understanding with each other? The production, part of AT&T Performing Arts Center's Elevator Project, will have four performances in the Studio Theatre at the Wyly Theatre through Saturday.

Bishop Arts Theatre Center presents Bars and Measures
Commissioned by B Street Theatre, Bars and Measures is the fascinating tale of two brothers. One a classical pianist. The other a jazz bass player. One a Christian. The other a Muslim. One living in freedom. The other in jail. Separated by bars, the brothers try to reconcile their differences through the language they know best, music. Bars and Measures is a beautiful journey through faith, family, melody, and time. The production runs through May 1 at Bishop Arts Theatre Center.

Friday, April 15

Nasher Sculpture Center presents 'til Midnight at the Nasher
After an extended absence due to the pandemic, Nasher Sculpture Center is finally bringing back their 'til Midnight at the Nasher series. This event will feature performances by Matthew Bell & the Next of Kin, Kirk Thurmond, and WRLDFMS Tony Williams. The night will finish up with a screening of Dreamgirls.

Art Centre Theatre presents South Pacific
In South Pacific, Nellie, a nurse on a Pacific Island during WWII, falls in love with de Becque, a local planter. However, when she learns he is a widower with two half-caste children, she cannot accept the situation. Meanwhile, Cable falls in love with a Polynesian girl named Liat. Cable and de Bacque go off together on a spy mission and the two women wait in hope of their return. The production, featuring an adult and youth cast, will run at Art Centre Theatre in Plano through May 1.

Nikki Glaser: One Night with Nikki Glaser
Comedian Nikki Glaser is known for her former Comedy Central series, Not Safe with Nikki Glaser, where some of comedy’s funniest voices joked, learned, and shared their personal stories about sex, relationships, and other taboo topics. She currently hosts The Nikki Glaser Podcast, a fun, fast-paced, and brutally honest look into current pop culture and her own personal life. She'll perform at The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory.

Shen Yun
Shen Yun’s unique artistic vision expands theatrical experience into a multi-dimensional, deeply moving journey. Featuring one of the world’s most ancient and richest dance systems — classical Chinese dance — along with dynamic animated backdrops and all-original orchestral works, Shen Yun opens a portal to a civilization of enchanting beauty and enlightening wisdom. There will be four performances through Sunday at Winspear Opera House. If you can't go this weekend, they'll be back at the same venue in late May.

Vanilla Ice in concert with Young MC
The Statler is hosting a property-wide ‘90s party in The Statler Ballroom and throughout all of its restaurants and bars. The Statler Ballroom will be host to Vanilla Ice as he brings back famous hits like "Ice, Ice Baby," "Play That Funky Music," "Ninja Rap," and others. Opening will be special guest Young MC, whose Grammy Award-winning "Bust a Move" topped the charts in 1989.

Saturday, April 16

Questlove's Hip Hop Brunch: A Visual Journey Through Hip Hop with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra
Fresh off winning an Oscar for Best Documentary, The Roots frontman Questlove, in partnership with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, will present a hip hop brunch at The Factory in Deep Ellum. Questlove’s Hip Hop Brunch: A Visual Journey through Hip Hop will take guests through a symphonic and visual journey of hip hop history while enjoying good music, food, and drinks. The event will benefit two local nonprofits, Dallas Black Dance Theatre and Big Thought.

Summer Walker in concert
R&B singer Summer Walker has taken the music world by storm since releasing her debut album, Over It, in 2019. That album went to No. 2 on the Billboard 200, which she then beat with her 2021 sophomore album, Still Over It, which went straight to No. 1. Other musicians know what's up, as she's worked with Drake, Usher, Chris Brown, and SZA, among others. She'll play two shows — one Saturday and one Sunday — at The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory.

Shen Yun will be at Winspear Opera House, April 15-17.

Photo courtesy of Shen Yun

Shen Yun will be at Winspear Opera House, April 15-17.

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Movie Review

Bravura lead performance carries sex worker film Anora

Photo courtesy of Neon

Mikey Madison in Anora.

Writer/director Sean Baker’s filmography is full of films that aim to show stories not typically seen in mainstream movies, ones that often feel so true to life that they can be tough to watch. His latest film, Anora, is similar to his previous content in some ways, but much different in others.

Anora (Mikey Madison), aka Ani, is a stripper/sex worker who works at a club in Brooklyn. Because she can speak Russian, she is assigned to dance for Ivan (Mark Eydelshteyn), who she discovers is the son of a Russian oligarch. With an unlimited supply of money, he pays Ani for sex and, enjoying spending time with her, for her to pretend to be his girlfriend for a week.

That week sees them do a lot of wild stuff, most notably an impulsive trip to Las Vegas where they - almost as hastily - decide to get married. Their elopement doesn’t stay secret for long, though, with Ivan’s parents especially upset. A trio of henchmen track them down, enlisted by Ivan’s parents to force them to get the marriage annulled at all costs.

Baker is not your typical storyteller, and so even though the film has three distinct acts, they don’t play out in ways that will be familiar or comfortable for many filmgoers. Much of the first act involves Ani in states of undress, either dancing for customers or having sex with Ivan. Although the “rich guy paying for the company of a sex worker” echoes a film like Pretty Woman, the comparison doesn’t really fit, especially because the immature, video game-playing Ivan is about as far from romance as you can get.

Whatever appeal he might have had disappears in the second half of the film when he’s confronted with his parents’ displeasure. It’s here that Baker seems to play with moviegoer expectations the most. With three goons sent to get Ani and Ivan to take back what they’ve done, it feels like Baker is going to go down the typical mob movie road. Instead, what transpires can only be described as an intense farce, with Ani resisting the trio’s efforts with all her might, causing lots of comedic chaos.

What plays out throughout the film, and especially in the final act, is a disparity of wealth. While Ani being willing to have sex with a rich guy who comes into the club could be viewed in multiple ways, it does hint at her need to make money however she can. Conversely, Ivan spends money with abandon and acts accordingly, like someone who will never have a care in the world. After much frivolity, this imbalance hits like a ton of bricks in the film’s final minutes.

Madison, who’s had small but showy roles in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and the reboot of Scream, proves herself to be a star in this role. She owns every part of the performance, from the New York accent to the pole dancing, and she is the fire that keeps the film humming. She is especially important because Russian actor Eydelshteyn is only intermittently effective. Special note goes to Karren Karagulian, Vache Tovmasyan, and Yura Borisov, the three men who come for Ani and Ivan. Each walks the line between drama and comedy especially well.

Taken at face value, Anora could be viewed as a merely titillating and somewhat shallow film. But Baker doesn’t do anything without a purpose, which is why the subtext of the story gives the film its power, with a bravura performance by Madison to put it over the top.

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Anora is now playing in theaters.

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