Weekend Event Planner

These are the 13 best things to do in Dallas this weekend

While many events in and around Dallas have either been postponed or canceled during the coronavirus pandemic, organizations have pivoted to virtual or socially distanced events to continue offering the masses some entertainment while we need it the most.

Below are the best ways to spend your free time this weekend. While not every event is out of the house, they all promise to provide a nice distraction from everyday life.

Thursday, April 15

Bishop Arts Theatre Center presents Mlima's Tale
Bishop Arts Theatre Center presents Profile Theatre’s production of Mlima’s Tale as a virtual event. The play tells the provocative story of Mlima, a majestic elephant trapped in the clandestine international ivory market. Beginning in a game park in Kenya and traveling around the world to a billionaire’s penthouse in the West, the play tracks the trajectory of Mlima’s tusks through real-life consequences of animal poaching. The production, directed by Reginald L. Douglas, will be available to stream at any time through May 8.

Cirque Italia Water Circus
In this brand-new production from Cirque Italia, ringmaster “Clown Rafinha” unexpectedly catches a bottle with a treasure map stuffed inside while fishing. His ensuing journey takes the audience through storms on the high seas, dreams of angelic aerialists, pirate fights, and more. The production, playing in a tent at Grand Prairie Premium Outlets through Sunday, will see swashbucklers balancing upside down on a rum barrel, juggling knives, and even one having a run-in with a mermaid. The production includes the suspenseful crossbow act and dangerous Wheel of Death performances.

Texas Ballet Theater presents The Poetry of Expression: Part II
Texas Ballet Theater will present The Poetry of Expression: Part II, featuring new works created specifically for a digital format by company dancers in this all-digital mixed repertoire production. The production, which will be available to stream at any time through April 30, features Andre Silva’s Bloom and Jiyan Dai’s Horizon.

Dallas Symphony Orchestra presents Ax Plays Mozart
The Dallas Symphony Orchestra will welcome American piano legend and DSO Artist-in-residence Emanuel Ax, who will take the spotlight in Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 17. The concert, which will have three performances through Saturday at Meyerson Symphony Center, will also feature Ruth Crawford Seeger's Rissolty Rossolty and Berio’s Rendering, a restoration of Schubert’s material for an incomplete 10th Symphony.

Street Corner Arts presents The Spin
In Street Corner Arts' The Spin, politics are at a boiling point, COVID is rampant, and Zoom calls are still the absolute worst. When the public works director of a major city confesses to a horrible crime, a team of spin doctors are brought in at the last possible second to pull off a tough assignment: prepare the Mayor’s top aide for a crucial news interview, distance City Hall from the controversy, and point the public’s attention elsewhere. The production will stream Thursdays-Sundays through April 25.

Friday, April 16

6th Annual Indie Meme Film Festival
The 6th annual Indie Meme Film Festival will be a virtual event, featuring 20+ South Asian features, documentaries, and shorts. Festival badges allow access to all screenings and filmmaker Q&As. From socio-political dramas to animated adventures and incisive documentaries, the festival's mission is promoting socially relevant independent cinema from South Asia. The festival will take place Fridays-Sundays through April 25.

EarthxFilm
EarthxFilm will present 10 days and nights of drive-in, outdoor, and online screenings during this year’s hybrid edition of the Dallas-based environmental film festival. The festival, which showcases films and emerging media that explore science, conservation, climate change, and the environment, will feature opening night film Playing with Sharks about groundbreaking diver Valerie Taylor, and closing night film Percy Vs. Goliath, starring Christopher Walken, Christina Ricci, and Zach Braff. The majority of the festival will be online, with drive-in/outdoor screenings taking place in The Cedars behind Four Corners Brewery, Victory Park, and Klyde Warren Park. The festival runs through April 25.

Saturday, April 17

Dallas Gallery Day
A select group of Dallas art galleries and the Dallas Art Fair are partnering to present Dallas Gallery Day in celebration of the spring exhibition season. Dallas Gallery Day is an opportunity for the community to come together and support Dallas galleries and their respective artists and programming. Select galleries in the Dallas Design District will activate their spaces by hosting artist/curator talks, live music, and performances.

Cara Mia Theatre Co. presents ¡Soltar!
Cara Mía Theatre and Teatro Dallas will present ¡Soltar!, the first co-production in the two companies’ history. The production is an interactive pageant and procession, marking the spring equinox and a period of hope after 12 months of the pandemic. The outdoor, arts experience features an eclectic array of Mexican masks, mojigangas (large puppets), dance, and theater with costumes provided for audience members to actively participate in the festivities. There will be performances on April 17 and 24 at Exall Park.

Dallas Arts District presents Changing Perspectives ~~Block~~ Party, A Celebration of Dallas Artists (Date changed due to expected weather on April 16)
The Dallas Arts District will present live, in-person performances by reimagining its signature event, Changing Perspectives ~~Block~~ Party, A Celebration of Dallas Artists. The district’s traditional block party will become a socially-distanced night of performances by 10 Dallas arts companies. Performers will include Percussion Things, Anita N. Martinez Ballet Folklorico, Cry Havoc, Texas Ballet Theater, B. Moore Dance, Bandan Koro African Drum & Dance Ensemble, Bruce Wood Dance, The Dallas Opera Orchestra members, Dallas Black Dance Theatre, and Dezi 5. The performances are free, but capacity is limited due to the pandemic.

Addison After Dark
The Town of Addison brings back After Dark, a monthly series that features live music, dance lessons, costume contests, food, and more. Each month features a different theme, and the series will kick off with Fiesta Noche, featuring a Selena look-alike contest and performances by Mariachi de Oro, Anita N. Martinez Ballet Folklorico, and Bidi Bidi Banda.

Dallas Black Dance Theatre presents DBDT: Encore! Rising Excellence
In this virtual production, choreographer Nycole Ray creates a unique new work that explores the personal struggles of women as they balance families, work, and other commitments with their pursuit of equality in Nineteenth. Choreographer Joshua L. Peugh restages his romantic comedy Slump that traces the trials and tribulations of courtship. In Shedding Skin, the dancers move through the strenuous and athletic work by Jess Hendricks of New York. The production will be available to view at any time from 7 pm on Saturday to 11:59 pm on Sunday.

Sunday, April 18

George W. Bush Presidential Center presents A Conversation with Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger & President George W. Bush
In this virtual event, President George W. Bush and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger will discuss the need for comprehensive immigration reform in the United States. This special edition of Engage at the Bush Center complements the publication of President Bush’s new book, Out of Many, One: Portraits of America’s Immigrants, which features Schwarzenegger's own immigrant story. In part two of the program, a panel of immigrants featured in the book will share their thoughts on what it means to be an American. Both conversations will be moderated by NBC DFW anchor Meredith Land.

Dallas Black Dance Theatre presents DBDT: Encore! Rising Excellence, streaming on April 17 and 18.

Photo By Brian Guilliaux

Dallas Black Dance Theatre presents DBDT: Encore! Rising Excellence, streaming on April 17 and 18.

event-planner

Movie Review

Long-awaited Wicked movie adaptation lives up to the hype

Photo courtesy of Universal Pictures

Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande-Butera in Wicked.

The musical Wicked is indisputably the biggest Broadway smash of the 21st century, having grossed more $1.6 billion in New York alone and achieving the rare feat of running for over 20 years. All of which is to say that the long-awaited movie adaptation of The Wizard of Oz prequel will most likely be a massive success whether it lives up to what longtime fans envisioned or not.

Part one — yes, this 2 hour and 40 minute film is merely the first act of the musical; part two arrives a year from now — introduces Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo), the green-skinned witch who goes on to become Dorothy’s nemesis, and G(a)linda (Ariana Grande-Butera), the pink-garbed “good” witch, as they meet at Shiz University in Oz. Glinda is the ultra-popular one with sycophantic hangers-on, while Elphaba is shunned by almost everyone, sometimes including her disabled sister Nessarose (Marissa Bode), who’s desperate to make her own space away from Elphaba.

Her mistreatment by others leads Elphaba to get angry, which manifests itself in uncontrollable magic. Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh) notices this and takes a personal interest in her, giving her one-on-one instruction in hopes of harnessing her power. In the meantime, Elphaba and Glinda attempt to go from forced roommates to actual friends, although Glinda’s entitled personality is more of an obstacle than anything else they encounter.

Directed by Jon M. Chu and written by original book writer Winnie Holzman and Dana Fox, the film does a great job of distinguishing itself from the stage version while still remaining true to what made it so beloved. As Chu showed in his last film, In the Heights, he has an innate feel for how to tap into the essence of the source material while expanding it into something befitting the scope of a blockbuster movie.

In this case, he finds a way to give even greater emphasis to the bigotry that Elphaba faces simply because of her green skin; the fact that she is being played by a Black woman drives home the point even more. The story remains light and fluffy for the most part, but the ostracization/otherness that Elphaba feels is delivered in a powerful way, as is her empathy for talking animals like Dr. Dillamond (voiced by Peter Dinklage), who are facing their own persecution.

Of course, the highlight of the film is Stephen Schwartz’s music, and while not all of the songs are equal in impact, they still make for a cohesive whole. The number of songs and order they appear in the first act is identical to the stage musical, with the standouts remaining “The Wizard and I,” “Popular,” and “Defying Gravity.” While there is some superfluous action and cutaways added to certain numbers, it’s not enough to distract from what makes the songs effective.

Oddly, the progression of the friendship between Elphaba and Glinda works better on stage when the timeline is accelerated, but Erivo and Grande-Butera make up for this slight lack with their fantastic performances. The emotion each brings to their characters fits them almost perfectly, and there’s simply no denying the strength of each of their voices. Bode, Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero, Ethan Slater as Boq, and more make for a solid supporting cast.

The well-known ending of the first act of Wicked is a huge high point that is so good that it almost makes up for the fact that audiences won’t see the second film for a long time. But if part one is any indication, part two should turn out to be another great musical theater adaptation in a decade that has already seen its fair share.

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Wicked opens in theaters on November 22.

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