Event Planner

Kenny Chesney and Mother's Day top the best events in Dallas this weekend

Mother's Day weekend has arrived, and if you've procrastinated on finding dear old Mom a gift, we're here to help. This weekend offers great opportunities, including a tour of a Tony Award-winning Broadway musical, country star Kenny Chesney at Jerry World, or a diamond hunt in the dirt of Lone Star Park.

Below are the best options for your precious free time Thursday through Sunday. Don't like what you see? Lucky for you, we have a much longer list of the city's best events.

Thursday, May 9

Lexus Broadway Series presents Fela!
The latest Broadway musical to hit the stage at Winspear Opera House is the Tony Award-winning Fela!, a musical about the life of African composer/activist Fela Kuti. Kuti was influential in the rise of the Afrobeat genre, and the show explores both that and his political life. The production runs through May 19.

The Killers in concert with The Virgins
The Killers have come a long way since the halycon days of "Mr. Brightside" in 2003. Like any good band, they've toured incessantly, endearing themselves to fans around the world, especially in the United Kingdom. But they're back on this side of pond at Verizon Theatre in Grand Prairie in support of their latest album, Battle Born.

Friday, May 10

2013 FLYINGHORSE
Booker T. Washington High School for Performing and Visual Arts is one of the top high schools in the nation, and this event helps to celebrate all the creativity that comes out of it. The fundraiser, which starts at Wyly Theatre before moving to Booker T's theater, features performances by the best the school has to offer and jazz legend Branford Marsalis.

Dallas Symphony Orchestra presents Full Moon Fever: A Tribute to Tom Petty
The title of this concert implies that the Dallas Symphony Orchestra pays tribute to rocker Tom Petty by themselves, but in actuality they are supporting Full Moon Fever, a Tom Petty tribute band. Expect to hear Petty classics like "Free Fallin," "Into the Great Wide Open" and "Last Dance with Mary Jane" when they take the stage at Meyerson Symphony Center.

Saturday, May 11

Summer Adventures in Fair Park
Last weekend was so packed that we completely forgot to include the kick-off of this event, which brings an early bit of State Fair of Texas flavor to Fair Park. Luckily for everybody, the event continues on weekends through May and every day starting in June. In addition to stuff like fair food and midway games, Fair Park is dotted with misters, play pools, water rides and other things to keep you cool as the weather warms up.

2013 Homegrown Music & Arts Festival
This annual festival has gotten bigger and better every year, and its fourth annual edition at Main Street Garden includes not only local talent like The Polyphonic Spree, The O's and A.Dd+, but also bands from around Texas. In all, 15 different bands on two separate stages perform. In between sets, you can visit a variety of booths featuring local vendors.

2013 Jack FM "Jack's Throwback" Festival
It must be tribute-band weekend, as this music fest takes DSO's lead by featuring those who earn a modicum of fame by emulating their musical heroes. Among the 15 bands playing at Gexa Energy Pavilion are Back in Black, Led Zepplica, Joshua Tree, Red Not Chili Peppers and Faux Fighters.

Kenny Chesney in concert with Eric Church, Eli Young Band and Kacey Musgraves
Jimmy Buffett was just in town last weekend, and this weekend his heir apparent comes to town. Like Buffett, Kenny Chesney just oozes laid-back coolness. All of his tours in the 21st century have had some kind of tropical theme, including the current No Shoes Nation tour, and he just released his own rum. Apparently the island atmosphere appeals to a lot of people, as Chesney and his opening acts will take over Cowboys Stadium.

Sunday, May 12

Mother’s Day Diamond Dig at Lone Star Park
What better way to honor Mom on her special day than by having her be a literal gold (okay, diamond) digger on the track at Lone Star Park? The first 500 females 21 and over through the gates get to go crazy for a $2,500 diamond. But even if you don't go home with the booty, you can still enjoy a day of horse racing in the midst of Triple Crown season.

Dallas Children's Theater presents The Musical Adventures of Flat Stanley
The second-to-last Dallas Children's Theater show of the 2012-2013 season is a new one for the company, the Southwest premiere of The Musical Adventures of Flat Stanley. We're not exactly sure how they're going to pull off portraying a character who's, you know, flat, but we can't wait to see what they come up with. The show plays through June 3.

Kenny Chesney hits the stage at Cowboys Stadium on May 11.

0012, RodeoHouston, Kenny Chesney concert, March 2013

Photo by © Michelle Watson CatchLightGroup.com

Kenny Chesney hits the stage at Cowboys Stadium on May 11.

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Movie Review

Shaun the Sheep gets PG-spooky in new movie for the Halloween season

Photo courtesy of Aardman / Sky UK LTD / StudioCanal 2026

Shaun the Sheep in Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom.

Since his introduction over 30 years ago, the Aardman Animations character Shaun the Sheep has been almost as popular as the studio’s flagship characters, Wallace and Gromit. There is never a shortage of trouble Shaun can get into as he leads his flock and proves to be a thorn in the side of his farmer and Bitzer, the farmer’s loyal sheepdog.

His antics lead everyone down some slightly spooky roads in the new film, Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom. At first, things are only slightly awry as Shaun and the flock are growing a secret pumpkin patch to have their own jack-o-lanterns. But when the farmer accidentally destroys the pumpkin patch, Shaun tries to regrow it quickly with a Frankenstein-esque experiment.

However, disaster looms when Shaun uses an old bottle of Hair-Gro as the container for the serum he creates. Naturally, the balding farmer uses it on his head, and everyone soon discovers how truly successful it is, with pumpkins growing out of control and the farmer sprouting hair all over his body. Through a series of mishaps, the farmer becomes the titular beast, creating mayhem while Shaun and others try to stop him.

Directed by Steve Cox and Matthew Walker, and written by Mark Burton and Giles Pilbrow, the film goes down just as easy as every other Aardman project has. They get the Halloween vibes started from the opening credits, with things like the sheep doing the “Thriller” dance, and continue the fun throughout, referencing everything from Psycho to Friday the 13th in a nice, PG way.

With no script — every character is mute save for reaction noises — the movie relies on sight gags for its humor, and the Aardman team is endlessly inventive in that respect. Sometimes it’s small things like a sheep using toilet paper rolls as binoculars, and sometimes it’s something like forcing the Bigfoot-like farmer to be shaped into a rectangle as he escapes through a window. But there’s a never-ending stream of such moments, so even if one doesn’t tickle your funny bone, chances are the next one will.

The biggest benefit of the characters not talking is that there’s no need for deep character development. The filmmakers do a great job of giving the basic traits of each character, and then use those attributes to color everyone’s actions for the rest of the film. Shaun is the troublemaker, the farmer is a bumbling fool, Bitzer is preternaturally smart, and the town’s vet is empathetic, and the combination of those characters and others makes for a highly entertaining blend.

Like all Aardman creations, Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom is a fun lark that doesn’t make its audience think too hard. With just enough references to keep viewers engaged but not so many as to be overbearing, the film puts its well-worn characters to good use once again, delivering a Halloween season story that can be enjoyed by people of all ages.

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Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom is now playing in theaters.

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