Weekend Event Planner

These are the 9 best things to do in Dallas this weekend

Texas Ballet Theater will present Cinderella at Winspear Opera House, August 24-26.

Photo courtesy of Texas Ballet Theater

High-profile musical collaborations are the order of the weekend, event-wise. There will no fewer than five different concerts featuring either dual headliners or opening acts who have already established themselves as known quantities. Other events will include a cute animal film festival, two new local theater productions, and a ballet version of a classic story.

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, August 23

Dallas VideoFest presents PawFest
Take a refreshing break from the dog days of summer to watch some funny, heart-melting videos of adorable felines and canines. PawFest features a new selection of videos curated by Will Braden, including approximately 100 cat and/or dog videos culled from videos in the categories of Comedy, Drama, Animated, Musical, Action, Vintage, and Documentary. The event takes place at Texas Theatre.

Charlie Puth in concert with Hailee Steinfeld
Charlie Puth is perhaps the ultimate example of how the music industry currently works. His most famous song, "See You Again," is one where he's only the featured artist, playing second fiddle to rapper Wiz Khalifa. But thanks to its heart-wrenching inclusion at the end of Furious 7, it launched Puth's career, leading to headlining dates like this at the Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory. He'll be joined by singer/actress Hailee Steinfeld.

Second Thought Theatre presents Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again.
To be a woman in the 21st century is to experience, and to embody, a world of contradictions. Work, relationships, family, sex, and power intersect as one daring group of actors turns everything you thought you knew directly on its head. Language is inverted, bodies are distorted, men are banished, and nothing is sacred in this bold, provocative, riotous play. It will run at Bryant Hall in the Kalita Humphreys Theater complex through September 15.

Friday, August 24

Evanescence and Lindsey Stirling in concert
Two extremely talented female musicians will be at the forefront of this concert at Dos Equis Pavilion. Amy Lee leads the way for Evanescence, which is having a bit of a resurgence after releasing their fourth album, Synthesis, in 2017. They'll be joined by Lindsey Stirling, a violin virtuoso who's taken the instrument far from its classical roots. Her latest album, Warmer in the Winter, was released in 2017.

Mavis Staples in concert with Sarah Jaffe
The true must-see concert of the weekend is this one at the recently revived Statler Hotel. Mavis Staples is a music legend, a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer who has weaved herself into the very fabric of gospel, soul, folk, pop, R&B, blues, rock, and hip hop over the last 60 years. She'll be joined by Dallas-Fort Worth's' own Sarah Jaffe, who has won huge acclaim over the past decade. Jaffe released her fourth album, Bad Baby, in 2017.

Texas Ballet Theater presents Cinderella
Texas Ballet Theater will present the most beloved fairy tale of all time, Cinderella. Marvel as spells and pumpkin shells are upstaged by extraordinary choreography and breathtaking sets. Laugh at the zany antics of Cinderella’s ugly stepsisters and rejoice as Cinderella finds her prince charming. The production will have five performances at Winspear Opera House through Sunday.

Uptown Players presents Perfect Arrangement
To close its 17th season, Uptown Players will present the regional premiere of Topher Payne’s Perfect Arrangement. It’s 1950, and new colors are being added to the Red Scare. Two U.S. State Department employees, Bob and Norma, have been tasked with identifying sexual deviants within their ranks. There’s just one problem: both Bob and Norma are gay, and have married each other’s partners as a carefully constructed cover. The production will run at Kalita Humphreys Theater through September 2.

Saturday, August 25

Rascal Flatts in concert with Dan + Shay
Almost 20 years into their career, Rascal Flatts remains one of the most popular country music groups around. They've released a new album every 1-2 years since their debut in 2000, with four of those albums going to No. 1 on both the Billboard 200 and Country charts. They'll play at Dos Equis Pavilion in support of their 2017 album, Back to Us, joined by opening act Dan + Shay.

Sunday, August 26

Wiz Khalifa and Rae Sremmurd in concert with Lil Skies and O.T Genasis
In an odd coincidence, Wiz Khalifa will be in town the same weekend as his "See You Again" collaborator, Charlie Puth. There won't be a live recreation of the song, though, as both have concerts in other cities on the night the other is playing. This concert promises a great time regardless, as Khalifa will be joined at Dos Equis Pavilion by Rae Sremmurd, Lil Skies, O.T. Genasis, and more. Khalifa recently released his sixth album, Rolling Papers 2.

Mavis Staples will perform at Statler Hotel on August 24, with support from Sarah Jaffe.

Mavis Staples at Free Press Summer Festival June 2013

Photo by Anthony Rathbun

Mavis Staples will perform at Statler Hotel on August 24, with support from Sarah Jaffe.

event-planner

Movie Review

The life of an actor is far from rosy in dramedy Misty Green

Photo courtesy of A24

Rosalind Eleazar in Misty Green.

For every well-known/successful actor in Hollywood, there are thousands of others whose lives are more tenuous as they struggle to find work. The new film Misty Green is about one such actor who, after a period in the limelight, now finds herself on the outskirts of the industry, just hoping to find her way back in.

Misty (Rosalind Eleazar) won an Emmy for a 2000s-era TV show that still gets her recognition, but not much work. Still living in the apartment of a recently-deceased man with whom she was having an affair, Misty spends her days sleeping in and her nights getting blitzed on alcohol and drugs. She seems to be heading nowhere fast until a few things coincide to break up her routine.

The man’s wife (Amy Landecker) shows up and tells her she has seven days to vacate the apartment; Misty’s brother, Jay (Daniel Kaluuya) — who is bipolar — arrives after being kicked out of his facility for non-payment; and Jordan (Chris Rock), a former colleague with whom she had a falling-out, reappears in her life, offering a possible chance to rehabilitate her image.

Written and directed by Rock (his first feature since 2014’s Top Five), the film is a funny and excruciating look at how the entertainment industry might actually work. Misty is her own worst enemy thanks to late nights fraternizing with unsavory characters like Zach (Adam Driver), who deals in drugs and women in equal measure, but her frustration proves warranted when her agent, Randy (Topher Grace), and casting directors like Rhonda (Tracie Thoms) hardly give her the time of day.

Misty tries her best to stay positive, but when jobs like singing in a bar are the best she can do, the mountain seems insurmountable. Rock does an effective job of demonstrating the elements that are within and without Misty’s control that affect her ability to regain her position in the industry. The chip on her shoulder is almost as big as the bias some have against her, and other negative circumstances don’t help matters much.

There are many small touches that Rock and his crew put in the film to give it an air of authenticity. Filming in Los Angeles (a rarity these days), Rock uses both subtle and overt shots of homeless people in the city, suggesting that the line between the haves and have-nots is a fine one, especially with Misty on the verge of not having a place to live. He also has cameos from a few of his funny friends, including a bit of meta-casting of Anthony Anderson (who has faded a bit after starring in Black-ish) in a bit part as a cop.

Eleazar, a British actor best known for appearing on the Apple TV show Slow Horses, is a magnetic presence as Misty. The character herself is somewhat cringey in her decision-making, and Eleazar sells every bit of her righteous indignation and self-defeating actions. The supporting cast is great across the board, including Rock, Driver, Kaluuya, Thoms, Grace, Anna Kendrick, and Rich Sommer.

Misty Green makes you rage against the Hollywood machine, laugh at the various ways different people deal with its maddening quirks, and hide behind your fingers as Misty chooses options that don’t help, either voluntarily or because her back is against the wall. It’s a powerhouse of acting that gives a unique angle on the inner workings of Hollywood, one that ironically might be competing for awards at year’s end.

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Misty Green is now playing in theaters.

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