Weekend Event Planner

These are the 11 best things to do in Dallas this weekend

Theater and music are the big things to see around Dallas this weekend, as they're the focus of nearly every event on our list. They include a Tony-winning play, another play aimed at breaking down stereotypes, acrobatics on ice, no fewer than five big-name concerts, a celebration of movie music, stellar dance, and more.

Below are the best ways to spend your free time this weekend. Want more options? Lucky for you, we have a much longer list of the city's best events.

Thursday, June 13

AT&T Performing Arts Center presents Broadway Series: The Play that Goes Wrong
What would happen if Sherlock Holmes and Monty Python had an illegitimate Broadway baby? You’d get the award-winning smash comedy The Play that Goes Wrong. Welcome to opening night of The Murder at Haversham Manor, where things are quickly going from bad to utterly disastrous, with an unconscious leading lady, a corpse that can’t play dead, and actors who trip over everything (including their lines). The play will run at Winspear Opera House through Sunday.

WaterTower Theatre presents Unveiled: A One Woman Play
Five Muslim women from around the world sip tea and share stories about faith, culture, and prejudice in this groundbreaking one-woman show, written and performed by critically acclaimed playwright and actor Rohina Malik. Unveiled is an uplifting and universal performance sure to break down stereotypes of Muslim women. It will run at WaterTower Theatre in Addison through June 30.

Cirque du Soleil: Crystal
Crystal is not just an ice show; it’s the very first experience on ice from Cirque du Soleil. Led by Crystal, the misfit heroine, who takes the audience on an exhilarating tale of self-discovery as she dives into a world of her own imagination, world-class ice skaters and acrobats claim their new frozen playground with speed and fluidity as they challenge the laws of gravity with never-before-seen acrobatics. The show will be at Comerica Center in Frisco through Sunday.

Friday, June 14

Florida Georgia Line in concert with Dan + Shay, Morgan Wallen, and Hardy
Country duo Florida Georgia Line hit the ground running in 2012, reaching No. 1 with their debut album, Here's to the Good Times, a feat they've repeated with their next three albums, including their new album, Can't Say I Ain't Country. They play at Dos Equis Pavilion, joined by opening acts Dan + Shay, Morgan Wallen, and Hardy.

Dallas Symphony Orchestra presents Star Trek and Beyond
The Dallas Symphony Orchestra will present an evening of the greatest science fiction movie scores ever written, including Star Trek, 2001: A Space Odyssey, E.T The Extra-Terrestrial, Star Wars, and more. The concert, under the direction of Jeff Tyzik, will play at Meyerson Symphony Center through Sunday.

Paul McCartney in concert
Sir Paul McCartney, who will turn 77 years old on June 18, remains as much of an entertainer as he was with The Beatles 50 years ago. And now he's showing us new tricks: The legendary singer, making his first appearance in Dallas-Fort Worth since 2014, will put on the first major concert at Globe Life Park in Arlington in its 25-year history. He's touring in support of his 2018 album, Egypt Station.

Bruce Wood Dance presents Embrace
Embrace features the return of Joy Bollinger’s highly acclaimed Carved In Stone, along with a world premiere from renowned choreographer Garrett Smith. The program concludes with the re-staging of Bruce Wood’s mysterious Dark Matter, which tells the story of a journey of a motley crew of dancers looking for a way home. The company will perform at Moody Performance Hall on Friday or Saturday.

"Weird Al” Yankovic in concert
Someone who writes and performs comedy songs for a living is not supposed to have an extended career, but somehow "Weird Al" Yankovic is almost as popular as ever, after 36 years in the business. His last album, 2014's Mandatory Fun, was the first No. 1 album of his career. He'll play at The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory in Irving as part of his Strings Attached tour, featuring a 71-piece orchestra.

Saturday, June 15

Texas Summer Jam with Randy Rogers & Friends
Whataburger and Randy Rogers will present the Second Annual Texas Summer Jam at Toyota Music Factory in Irving. The festival will include a non-ticketed pre-party at the Texas Lottery Plaza Stage starting at 3:30 pm, featuring performances by Ray Johnston Band, Wynn Williams, and Holly Tucker. The Main Stage inside The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory will kick off at 7 pm and include performances by Randy Rogers Band, Josh Abbott Band, and William Clark Green.

Hootie & The Blowfish in concert with Barenaked Ladies
If you want to make anyone who came of age in the '90s feel old, you just have to point them to this concert, which has Hootie & The Blowfish celebrating the 25th anniversary of their debut album, Cracked Rear View. The band, which will soon release their first new album since 2005, will play at Dos Equis Pavilion alongside another '90s mainstay, Barenaked Ladies.

Sunday, June 16

Clint Black and Trace Adkins in concert with Pam Tillis
Local country station 99.5 The Wolf will celebrate its 21st birthday in a big way with a concert featuring country stars Clint Black, Trace Adkins, and Pam Tillis. Black and Adkins are appearing as part of their Hits. Hats. History. Tour, a nod to the long history of each in the industry and their shared past when they toured together in the '90s. They'll play at The Theatre at Grand Prairie.

Paul McCartney will play at Globe Life Park in Arlington on June 14.

Paul McCartney at the Frank Erwin Center arms open

Photo by Chad Wadsworth

Paul McCartney will play at Globe Life Park in Arlington on June 14.

concerts celebrities theater event-planner music

Movie Review

Jessica Chastain drama Dreams stumbles through steamy romance

Photo courtesy of Teorema

Isaac Hernández and Jessica Chastain in Dreams.

The opening scenes of the new drama Dreams are bracing, fictional sequences that call to mind real-life scenarios. In them, a young Mexican man named Fernando (Isaac Hernández) goes through a somewhat harrowing journey from the back of a semi truck in South Texas all the way to San Francisco. It’s a familiar immigrant story that seems to set the stage for a film with something interesting to say.

It turns out, however, that Fernando has not made the long and arduous trek for a job. Instead, it’s to be with Jennifer McCarthy (Jessica Chastain), a rich woman who helps lead a foundation dedicated to multiple things, including funding dance academies. Fernando, a talented dancer, and Jennifer have been in an off-and-on affair for years, with Jennifer wanting to keep their relationship a secret.

Although both are drawn to each other in an inexplicable, lustful way, their bond is tenuous, with each of them dissatisfied for different reasons. Fernando clearly sacrifices much more of himself than Jennifer, who wants for nothing except maybe more affection from her father, Michael (Marshall Bell), and brother, Jake (Rupert Friend).

Writer/director Michel Franco seems to try to inject tension into Fernando and Jennifer’s relationship from the start, an attempt that is only halfway successful. It’s clear from the way they greet each other - not to mention a steamy sex scene shortly thereafter - that they have known each other for a good length of time. Franco is able to get across this familiarity with an economy of scenes, and the intensity of their bond holds for a while.

But as the film progresses and both of them grow disenchanted with their arrangement, Franco starts taking the story in some odd directions. The biggest issue is that it’s never clear at what point in time the story is taking place. Fernando ends up making multiple trips back and forth across the border, with Jennifer doing the same at one point, and Franco’s use of flashbacks muddies the waters, wrong-footing the audience when he should be trying to draw them further into Fernando and Jennifer’s complications.

Revelations in the final act make the story even more confusing, as both main characters start saying and doing harsh things that seem to come out of nowhere. That would be all well and good if Franco actually committed to their changes of heart, but he keeps things wishy-washy for most of the final 15 minutes, resulting in an ending that makes little sense for either character.

Despite the story issues, both Chastain and Hernández give compelling performances. Chastain has been a little under the radar since winning an Oscar for The Eyes of Tammy Faye, but she keeps this character interesting longer than it should have been. Hernández has limited credits and appears to have been cast for his dancing ability, but he goes toe-to-toe with Chastain on more than one occasion and acquits himself well.

Dreams had all of the ideas to explore a more in-depth story about the complicated immigration policies between Mexico and the U.S., or how wealthy people take advantage of those less fortunate. But Franco never finds the right footing, settling instead for a titillating and somewhat mystifying relationship story that feels half-baked.

---

Dreams is now playing in select theaters.

movies film