Events News

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

Journey has canceled its entire 2020 tour, including its date on August 30 at Dos Equis Pavilion.

Photo courtesy of Journey

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

Cry Havoc Theater Company: The theater company's production of Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground, scheduled for July 9-19, has been changed to online-only audio play that will be released in July. Its production of Endlings, scheduled July 16-August 2, will be changed into a multimedia performance project that will be released in September.
The Danielle Georgiou Dance Group presents The Savage Seconds: This new experimental opera, scheduled for June 4-10 at Undermain Theatre, will instead be premiering online during those same dates. The artists of DGDG will be designing the production specifically as a work of “theatre on film.” Those interested can view the work at thesavageseconds.com.
Das Blümelein Project presents Try Me: This theater production, part of AT&T Performing Arts Center's Elevator Project and scheduled for May 21-23 at Hamon Hall inside Winspear Opera House, has been postponed to undetermined dates.
Highland Park Village: The shopping center has postponed all public events, including their monthly market, until undetermined dates in the fall.
Journey: The classic rock band has canceled its entire 2020 tour with Pretenders, including the August 30 concert at Dos Equis Pavilion.
Just Say YES 10th Annual Celebration: The fundraiser benefiting Youth Equipped to Succeed, scheduled for May 26 at Hilton Anatole, has been postponed to an undetermined date in the fall.
Nasher Sculpture Center: Officials for the art museum are still evaluating when it will reopen, but they have canceled the May 15 and June 19 editions of 'til Midnight, their monthly concert series.
Oak Cliff Film Festival: The annual film festival, scheduled for June 4-7 at various locations in Oak Cliff, has been canceled. It will go on as a virtual event featuring short films on June 4 at 8 pm; go to notthe.oakclifffilmfestival.com to view the films.
Puptopia: This event, the "first-ever amazement park for dogs and their owners," originally scheduled for March 21 at Main Street Garden and then postponed to May 30, has now been postponed to October 31. It has also been moved to Pacific Plaza Park.
Second Thought Theatre: The theater company has postponed its production of A Streetcar Named Desire, scheduled for May 20-June 13, to July 22-August 15. Consequently, it has postponed its production of Sweetpea, which was scheduled for those dates, to sometime in their 2021 season.
Texas Ballet Theater: The dance company has made significant adjustments to its upcoming 2020-2021 season, which will now begin with The Nutcracker on November 27 in Dallas. Beauty and the Beast, originally slated to open the season September 11-13 in Dallas, will now close the season, playing May 14-16, 2021 at Winspear Opera House.

Fort Worth

Billy Bob's Texas: The music venue has postponed concerts by Randy Rogers and Wade Bowen (was May 9, now October 23), Jon Langston (was May 15, rescheduled date TBD), and Chad Prather (was June 7, now August 23). It has also rescheduled Cory Morrow to July 24.
Casa Mañana Theatre presents The Full Monty: The theater company has postponed this production, scheduled for May 30-June 7, to undetermined dates.
Michael Bublé: The first visit by the crooner to Fort Worth, originally scheduled for April 4 at Dickies Arena, has been rescheduled for February 15, 2021.
Texas Ballet Theater: The dance company has made significant adjustments to its upcoming 2020-2021 season, which will now begin with The Nutcracker on December 11. Beauty and the Beast, originally slated to open the season October 2-4 in Fort Worth, will now close the season May 21-23, 2021.

Irving

The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory: The Exodus Music & Arts Festival, scheduled for May 24, and Primus, which was scheduled to perform on May 26, have both been postponed to undetermined dates.

Plano

Plano Magazine Wine Walk: This event for wine lovers at The Shops at Willow Bend, originally scheduled for March 26 and then postponed to May 14, has been postponed again to June 25.

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Movie Review

The Magic Faraway Tree is a whimsical family lark that fails to take root

Photo courtesy of Vertical Entertainment

Andrew Garfield, Delilah Bennett-Cardy, Claire Foy, Phoenix Laroche, and Billie Gadson in The Magic Faraway Tree.

With kids and families always on the hunt for entertainment, it’s typically a safe bet for a movie studio to offer up something new, even if it is a film based on an old property. The Magic Faraway Tree, based on a series of books that started in the 1930s, is a very old property, one that its filmmakers have tried to liven up with a few stars, a lot of whimsy, and a boatload of CGI.

The Thompson family, led by stay-at-home dad Tim (Andrew Garfield) and breadwinner mom Polly (Claire Foy), are forced to move to a rundown country home when Polly gets laid off. The kids - Joe (Phoenix Laroche), Fran (Billie Gadson), and Beth (Delilah Bennett-Cardy) - are used to the perks of city life like wifi and electricity, and each of them rebels in their own way to their new lot in life.

Fran, enticed by a fairy named Silky (Nicola Coughlan), is the first to venture out of the house, making her way to a magic tree that transports her to a world full of strange characters like Moonface (Nonso Anozie), Saucepan Man (Dustin Demri-Burns), Dame Washalot (Jessica Gunning), and more. Her adventures there not only broaden the world she thought she knew, but may be the key to helping her ailing family.

Directed by Ben Gregor and written by Simon Farnaby (Paddington 2, Wonka), the film is a pleasant enough lark, but it fails to fully capture the imagination. The five-member family has a lot going on, from an initially-mute Fran to a domestic situation that raises more questions than it answers. The film tries to incorporate an anti-technology message through Tim’s hatred of a smart refrigerator (voiced by Judi Dench!) and the kids' addictions to devices, but it’s quickly shed in favor of other options.

Once Fran makes it to the Magic Faraway Tree, there’s a nice shift in the storytelling, but it’s unclear what the ultimate goal is. It’s a good idea to have Fran, the youngest of the children, convince her older, more cynical siblings about the virtues of the magic world, but the conflict in the real world doesn’t seem to rise to the level needed for the escape the tree provides.

There also seems to be a missing link in the storytelling for viewers to understand the importance of the fantastical characters. The visuals of seeing Moonface and his crescent moon-shaped hair, a man with a suit full of banging pots, and more are fun for a while, but not enough to carry the whole film. A last-minute revelation feels like it was something that should have been disclosed much earlier to help strengthen the emotions of the story.

A two-time Oscar nominee, Garfield is making his first foray into family movies (if you don’t count playing Spider-Man), and while he does a good job, he doesn’t make the best fit for the semi-goofy role. The same goes for the Emmy-winning Foy, who isn’t given much of anything to do. The movie puts the story on the shoulders of the three child actors, and while each of them acquit themselves well, none of them are so outstanding as to be noteworthy.

With nearly 90-year-old source material, The Magic Faraway Tree needed to be something truly special to stand out in the 21st century movie world. Unfortunately, it features a mostly forgettable story that features some fun visuals, a couple of cute kids, and not much else.

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The Magic Faraway Tree is now playing in theaters.

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