Events News

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

The annual Dallas Art Fair, which had been rescheduled to October 1-4, has been canceled. It will return in 2021.

Photo by Mei-Chun Jau

As concerns regarding the spread of the coronavirus and government restrictions on group gatherings continue, more event cancellations, postponements, and reschedulings 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.

New in-person and virtual events are on the uptick, so we may be able to occasionally present the regular weekly events roundup. Still, 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

Dallas Art Fair: The annual large-scale art show, which had been postponed from April 16-18 to October 1-4, has now been canceled. It will return April 15-18, 2021.
Dallas Symphony Orchestra: The orchestra announced a reduced 2020-2021 season, postponing, cancelling, or rescheduling multiple concerts. There are now only 15 scheduled concerts in fall 2020, with the spring 2021 schedule to be determined at a later date.
Girls Gotta Eat: This live performance of the popular podcast, scheduled for September 10 at Majestic Theatre, has been postponed to an undetermined date.
The Kessler: The concert venue has rescheduled a number of concerts, including Bob Schneider (was August 7, now May 14, 2021), James McMurtry (was August 13, now June 4, 2021), and The Polyphonic Spree: Jukebox Jamboree (was August 21-22, now February 27-28). They have also postponed Big Bad Voodoo Daddy (August 15) to an undetermined date.
The Last Podcast on the Left: This live performance of the popular podcast, scheduled for August 24 at Majestic Theatre, has been rescheduled for June 4, 2021.
The Read Live: This live performance of the popular podcast, scheduled for September 5 at Majestic Theatre, has been canceled.
Undermain Theatre: The theater company has canceled all live performances through the end of 2020, which includes Athena (September 9-October 4) and Hedda Gabler (November 11-29). At this time, it has not been announced if those productions will be rescheduled. In lieu of live performances, Undermain will present multiple streaming series, including In Concert Undermain (featuring music performances), Archives Undermain (revisiting previous live productions, starting with the 2014 production of We Are Proud to Present a Presentation... by Jackie Sibblies Drury), and Virtual Undermain (new streaming-only productions).

Fort Worth

Billy Bob's Texas: While the music venue has postponed two more concerts, including Gretchen Wilson (August 7) and Drake White & The Big Fire (August 14), they have plans to open up under restaurant guidelines starting August 14 with a concert by The Bellamy Brothers (who moved up their scheduled December 4 date). Upcoming concerts will be limited to 1,200 tickets, although that could change given the circumstances.
Chamber Music Society of Fort Worth: The classical music group has canceled the first three concerts of its 2020-2021 season, scheduled for September 12, October 10, and November 21 at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth. The five concerts in 2021 are still scheduled, and the group is finalizing plans for three live-streamed concert performances by local artists.
Fort Worth Opera: The arts group has officially canceled its annual McCammon Voice Competition, originally scheduled for April 3 and 4. In lieu of the prizes the competitors could have won, each of the 30 semi-finalists will be given a grant of $300 to provide some financial relief during these challenging times.
Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra: The symphony has postponed a number of events in its 2020-2021 season, including Wild Wild West (September 12), Legends: The Paul Simon Songbook (September 25-27), Audra McDonald (November 6), The Music of John Williams (November 13-15), The Snowman (November 21), Handel's Messiah (December 4-6), and America's Wonders (January 2, 2021). Other programs throughout the season have been adjusted for content, performers, dates, and times.
Hip Pocket Theatre: After cancelling most of its season in June, the theater company has now postponed its final production, The Slam Bang Story of Icky Twerp (scheduled September 11-27), to September 10-26, 2021. Each of the other productions planned for 2020 will now take place in 2021, as well.
The Killers: This concert, scheduled for September 11 at Dickies Arena, has been postponed to an undetermined date.
Water Lantern Festival: This event, which had been postponed from April 4 to November 7, has been canceled. The event will return for its annual visit sometime in 2021.

Grand Prairie

Iliza Shlesinger: The Forever Tour: The appearance by the comedian, scheduled for August 21 at The Theatre at Grand Prairie, has been rescheduled for September 18, 2021.

Lewisville

Kelly Willis and Jamie Lin Wilson Song Swap: This concert, scheduled for August 9 at MCL Grand Theater, has been postponed to an undetermined date in spring 2021.

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Movie Review

Andrew Garfield leads peasant rebellion in medieval film The Uprising

Photo by Betina La Plante/Focus Features

Andrew Garfield in The Uprising.

Writer/director Paul Greengrass made his name with a cinéma vérité style of filmmaking that brought immediacy and depth to three Jason Bourne films, United 93, Captain Phillips, and more. In The Uprising, he uses those skills to tell the story of the so-called Peasants’ Revolt in 14th century England.

Greengrass wastes no time starting the main plot as Ploughman (Andrew Garfield) and his fellow villagers object to onerous taxes put on them by the country’s nobility, led by the young King Richard II (Woody Norman), to fund an ongoing war. Ploughman initiates a violent response over the tone-deaf — and unseemly — way the king’s guard go about their business, and the rebellion soon starts to spread across the countryside, with the citizens looking for a degree of autonomy.

The ever-expanding group makes their way toward London to try to make their case to the king himself. Meanwhile, the king’s top advisors, including Archbishop Sudbury (Stephen Dillane) and Treasurer Hales (Tom Hollander), try to usurp power from the inexperienced monarch even as the king’s mother (Katherine Waterston) tries to get him to be more assertive.

The history of the English monarchy is long and lurid, as Shakespeare detailed in multiple plays, including Richard II. Though the events in the film took place almost 650 years ago, it’s easy to see parallels between what the peasants were fighting for and modern-day politics. Greengrass’ storytelling intent is solid, and the righteous anger the citizens feel is initially relatable and palpable.

But the populism theme of the story soon gets bogged down in drudgery and minutiae that is difficult to understand, especially when the details are lost in the thick regional English accents. The leaders of the rebels — including John Ball (Jamie Bell), Wat Tyler (Cosmo Jarvis), and Alyce (Thomasin McKenzie) — are shown doing a lot of planning, but the strong feelings they have about their quest don’t come across well, leaving the audience as passive observers.

When there is action, Greengrass and his team employ a frenetic style that is not great for comprehension. While the gist of what is happening and what side is winning is legible, individual moments go by so quickly so as to be nearly meaningless. Save for Ploughman, any connection that has been made with various characters proves futile, as Greengrass doesn’t seem to have any time for emotion. Scenes that should feel thrilling or heartbreaking instead come off as empty.

Garfield is a two-time Oscar nominee who has done great work across multiple genres. He’s fine in this role, but whether it’s the story, the filmmaking, or something else, he’s not as captivating as usual. The same goes for other strong actors like Bell, McKenzie, Dillane, Hollander, and Waterston, who each seem to be giving their all to their performances but are somehow muted in the process.

Done right, The Uprising could have been a rip-roaring account of people standing up against their oppressors. What Greengrass has made, though, is a film that can’t translate its medieval story for a modern audience and concentrates too much on unexciting elements and too little on thrilling ones.

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The Uprising is now playing in theaters.

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