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.

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Movie Review

Great acting and directing drive The Christophers to artistic heights

Photo by Claudette Barius

Michaela Coel and Ian McKellen in The Christophers.

Director Steven Soderbergh is one of those filmmakers who — aside from the Ocean’s series — never seems to make the same kind of movie twice. He is somehow able to adapt his abilities to all sorts of different stories, making each of them as compelling as any other. His latest masterclass is in the London-set film, The Christophers.

Lori Butler (Michaela Coel), who restores art for a living, is approached by brother and sister Sallie and Barnaby Sklar (Jessica Gunning and James Corden) with a scheme. They want her to become the new assistant for their aging father, Julian (Ian McKellen), a famous artist known for a series called “The Christophers,” in order to gain access to unfinished paintings from the series and complete them herself.

Lori accepts the deal despite having some uneasy feelings about Julian, with whom she had a bad interaction years ago. Julian is just as wary, both because he knows of his children’s interest in the unfinished works, and because he would prefer to be left in peace. Although the trepidation on both sides continues for the bulk of the story, a grudging respect arises between two artists who know skill when they see it.

Directed by Soderbergh and written by Ed Solomon, who last collaborated on No Sudden Move, the film is astonishing in its ability to be compelling with such a small story. Much of the film is spent inside Julian’s multi-story home as Julian and Lori have low-level confrontations about a variety of things, including the meaning of his art, her abilities, the fate of the remaining “Christophers,” and more. Each conversation brings out more detail about their worldviews and their thoughts about their lot in life.

Much of the success of the film lies in the performances of McKellen and Coel. The 86-year-old McKellen has not lost his ability to astonish with the spoken word, and the monologues he delivers are engrossing even when they’re about mundane things. Coel, best known for the 2020 HBO show I May Destroy You, is a great foil for McKellen, never backing down from his challenges and giving her own unique takes on her lines.

While the film can be enjoyable for non-art lovers, those who appreciate the vagaries of the art world will have a lot to chew on. Soderbergh and Solomon debate a lot of aspects of art, including whether it’s possible to separate the art from the person making it, why some art is valued more than others, the ethics of forgery, and more. Because the film is about a fictional artist, it gives the filmmakers a bit more freedom in their criticisms.

Aside from McKellen and Coel, Gunning (Baby Reindeer) and Corden are the only other two people who get significant screen time in the film. Both of them are, let’s say, acquired tastes, and each gives an elevated performance that matches the energy of their respective characters. Tilly Botsford makes a nice impression in a small role as Julian’s masseuse.

Soderbergh’s last three films — Presence, Black Bag, and now The Christophers — have nothing in common other than the expert filmmaker helming all of them. When you can make a ghost story, a spy film, and a small film about artists equally interesting, you know you’re doing something right.

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The Christophers is now playing in theaters.

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