Weekend Event Planner

These are the 9 best things to do in Dallas this 4th of July weekend

While Fourth of July fireworks and events will be the main attraction this long weekend, there will be plenty of other great entertainment. On tap are two local theater productions, a trio of concerts featuring musicians of varying degrees of popularity, the start of another immersive art exhibition, two comedians with an international perspective, and a chorale with something to say.

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

Thursday, June 30

Outcry Youth Theatre presents The Spongebob Musical
The stakes are higher than ever in this dynamic stage musical, as SpongeBob and all of Bikini Bottom face the total annihilation of their undersea world. Chaos erupts. Lives hang in the balance. And just when all hope seems lost, a most unexpected hero rises up and takes center stage. The power of optimism really can save the world. Outcry Youth Theatre will present the production at Addison Conference and Theatre Centre through Sunday.

The Lords of 52nd Street in concert
The Lords of 52nd Street, featuring Richie Cannata, Liberty Devitto, and Russell Javors, aided in the creation of some of Billy Joel’s hit records, including Turnstiles, The Stranger, 52nd Street, Glass Houses, and Songs in the Attic. They'll perform a variety of hits from those albums in this special concert at Eisemann Center for the Performing Arts in Richardson.

Friday, July 1

Immersive Monet & The Impressionists
By Massimiliano Siccardi, creator of the original Immersive Van Gogh, Immersive Monet & The Impressionists is a tantalizing exploration of vibrant colors on a jaw-dropping scale. In pursuit of the ever-elusive effects of light and movement, Impressionists captured both the transient nature of beauty, and the timeless beauty of nature. The immersive exhibition features everything from Monet’s celebrated water lilies to Degas’ graceful dancers and more. The exhibition takes place through at least September 11 at Lighthouse Dallas.

Hyena's presents Ku Egenti
Ku Egenti is a Nigerian comedian, producer, and talk show host whose stand up comedy is observational humor mixed with a Nigerian flavor. He just released his second comedy album in five years, titled Kutastrophe. He'll perform four times through Saturday at Hyena's Comedy Club in Dallas.

Improv Addison presents Sheng Wang
Sheng Wang is a comedian, actor, and writer originally from Houston. He has toured with Ali Wong and was a featured stand-up on HBO’s 2 Dope Queens special. Sheng also wrote for the ABC show Fresh Off the Boat. He'll perform five times through Sunday at Improv Addison.

Fleet Foxes in concert
Indie rockers Fleet Foxes are one of those bands who have received consistent critical acclaim but have yet to break through to the mainstream. Coming out of the Seattle area, they released their debut self-titled album in 2008, and followed that up with two albums in 2011 and 2017 which both reached the top 10 on the Billboard 200. They'll play at The Factory in Deep Ellum in support of their fourth album, 2020's Shore.

Saturday, July 2

Outlaw Music Festival with Willie Nelson & Family and more
The Outlaw Music Festival will make a stop in Dallas, featuring performances by Willie Nelson & Family, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, Brothers Osborne, Charley Crockett, Steve Earle & The Dukes, and Allison Russell. The 89-year-old Nelson recently released his 98th album, A Beautiful Time. The festival-style event takes place at Dos Equis Pavilion.

Turtle Creek Chorale presents Let Us March On!
Featuring choral works from a wide range of composers and artists of color, Turtle Creek Chorale presents a thought-provoking concert to inspire racial unity, reckoning, and hope. Utilizing male chorus, orchestra, and actors, the concert features the world premiere of Dreamland: Tulsa, 1921, telling the story of the Greenwood neighborhood of the Tulsa Race Massacre and acknowledging the efforts still needed to achieve a brighter future for people of color in our communities. Performances will take place on both Saturday and Sunday at the Meyerson Symphony Center.

Cara Mía Theatre presents Teatro en Fuga Festival
Cara Mía Theatre's Teatro en Fuga Festival continues with Fantazmx by Hector Cantu, writer of the nationally syndicated comic strip Baldo. In the style of a graphic novel, Fantazmx introduces viewers to Polo, who comes back home from college and finds himself caught in a power struggle for his barrio. Up against the city’s corrupt mayor and police, he is ready to do almost anything to protect his family and friends. When his options run out, Polo is left with only two options — to take his place among his family’s ancestral lineage as a superhero or let his enemies steal his supernatural birthright. The performance will be at Latino Cultural Center.

The Outlaw Music Festival with Willie Nelson & Family and more will be at Dos Equis Pavilion on July 2.

SXSW Supermensch Shep Gordon After Party Willie Nelson

Photo by Shelley Neuman

The Outlaw Music Festival with Willie Nelson & Family and more will be at Dos Equis Pavilion on July 2.

concerts comedy galleries event-planner theater music

Movie Review

Resident Evil reboot is a blast for fans of horror movies

Photo by Dušan Martinček

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In just two films (Barbarian and Weapons), writer/director Zach Cregger has established himself as one of the top horror filmmakers working today. His unique methodology involves taking audiences down familiar pathways before veering off into unexpected areas that feature copious amounts of gore and comically bizarre visuals.

His new film, Resident Evil, plays out in much the same way, resulting in something starkly different from the previous action-heavy films based on the video game series. Bryan (Austin Abrams) is a courier tasked with bringing special deliveries like organs to hospitals. After one delivery, he gets roped in to making another to the distant location of Raccoon City, a mission he accepts despite being ill-prepared for the journey.

Traveling down a snowy and icy road, Bryan gets waylaid after accidentally hitting a woman crossing the road. His attempt to save her jump starts a series of adventures in which he tries his best to survive in the face of an onslaught of numerous zombie-like people and creatures. All the while, Bryan is hellbent on completing his delivery at all costs.

Cregger, who co-wrote the film with Shay Hatten (John Wick: Chapter 4), is in complete command of the tone of the movie from minute one. Leaning into his comedy background, Cregger aims for humor first, with both horror and non-horror moments eliciting laughs. One of the biggest pleasures of the film is the way Bryan — who more often than not is by himself — mutters incredulously after experiencing yet another unbelievable incident. His reactions feel close to how a real person would be acting in such an extreme situation, giving the audience a dose of needed relief.

The episodic nature of the story also allows the film to play out like a video game without it ever feeling stilted. Every scene is like a new level of the game for Bryan as he faces increasingly difficult situations and monsters along the way. He gets some help from characters played by Kali Reis, Paul Walter Hauser, and Zach Cherry, but he’s mostly on his own, figuring out how to use guns and improvising ways to avoid or attack opponents.

What Cregger seems to understand better than most filmmakers who have adapted video games into films is how to pay tribute to the series without becoming too much about fan service. There are references aplenty to the different games, but the movie works just as well even if you’ve never played a single second. There is no shortage of tense situations, blood-soaked scenes, and outrageous imagery — and Cregger knows how to stage all of it to maximum effect.

Abrams is dynamite in the film, using understated line readings to make Bryan both funny and relatable. After being on the verge of breaking out for years, Abrams just might do so with this and the upcoming Whalefall. The appearances by Reis, Hauser, Cherry, Johnno Wilson, and others don’t last long, but each does a great job in helping the film keep the story going.

Cregger is now three-for-three in his young career, making films that both pay tribute to and subvert horror conventions at the same time. Resident Evil is a blast for fans of the genre, featuring a great lead character, a slew of memorable moments, and indelible visuals that might haunt your dreams.

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Resident Evil opens in theaters on September 18.

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