Weekend Event Planner

These are the 12 best things to do in Dallas this weekend

Il Divo, now without the recently deceased Carlos Marin, will perform at the Music Hall at Fair Park on August 27.

Photo courtesy of Il Divo

Some of the biggest venues across Dallas will be in use this weekend, but the acts playing there each appeal to certain groups of music fans. The eight concerts, all of which feature national or international bands/singers, will be joined by a trio of local theater productions and a unique dance production.

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, August 25

Lyric Stage presents Mamma Mia!
Lyric Stage will open its 29th season with the hit musical Mamma Mia!, which tells the story of Sophie, a young woman in search of her birth father on the eve of her wedding. Sophie’s quest to discover the identity of her father brings chaos, love, laughter, and a lot of singing & dancing to their sunny Greek island, as well as the unexpected 20-year reunion of three men from her mother’s past. The production runs through Sunday at Majestic Theatre.

Loona in concert
K-pop is all the rage these days, and new groups are increasingly making their way over to the United States. Girl group Loona was formed way back in 2016, but they come to Dallas as part of their first world tour in support of their mini-album, Midnight (12:00). They'll play at the Music Hall at Fair Park.

Gloria Trevi in concert
Singer Gloria Trevi is known as "The Supreme Diva of Mexican Pop" for her long career at the top of the Latin charts. She released her debut album in 1989, notching a series of top 10 albums, including three in the 2010s. Trevi, whose most recent album was 2019's Diosa De La Noche, will play at The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory in Irving as part of her Isla Divina World Tour.

Friday, August 26

OneRepublic in concert with NEEDTOBREATHE
Pop rock bands OneRepublic and NEEDTOBREATHE will co-headline this special concert at Dos Equis Pavilion. OneRepublic started off their career with the megahit "Apologize" off their debut album, Dreaming Out Loud, and have gone on to release four more top-selling albums, including 2021's Human. NEEDTOBREATHE is a big-time Christian alternative rock band whose sound has landed them high up on a number of Billboard charts.

Bombshell Dance Project presents In the Conservatory with a Knife
In the Conservatory with the Knife is an immersive dance experience, loosely inspired by the game of Clue. With a unique, free-form nature, audiences will choose for themselves how and when to move throughout the theatre and experience the show. Audiences become the detectives, picking up on clues through character-driven scenes, and making their own conclusions as to whom the murderer may be before the final reveal. The production, part of AT&T Performing Arts Center's Elevator Project, will have three performances through Sunday at Wyly Theatre.

Swedish House Mafia in concert
Acts that play at American Airlines Center are typically some of the biggest in the world, building up fanbases over years that would make such a venue necessary. So it's a bit odd that Swedish House Mafia, a Swedish house music group, would be playing there, especially since their 2022 album, Paradise Again, is their first proper album and first release of any kind since 2014. You can see for yourself what all the fuss is about when they show up on Friday.

The Classics Theatre Project presents Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
A benchmark of the modern American canon, the Pulitzer Prize winner for drama in 1955, and the play the legendary Tennessee Williams considered his favorite of his works, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof is a study in mendacity. With a romanticism rooted in reality, the story unfolds on a night in the Mississippi Delta, as the Pollitt family gathers to celebrate the birthday of its aging and ailing patriarch, Big Daddy. His two sons vie for an inheritance with former football hero, Brick, also contending with his wife’s unbridled sexuality and the nature of his own, in a relationship burdened by repressed love. The production runs through September 11 at Margo Jones Theatre at Magnolia Lounge.

Sebastián Yatra in concert
Colombian singer-songwriter Sebastián Yatra made it big on the Billboard Latin Pop charts right away upon his debut in 2018, with both of his first two albums coming in at No. 1. But his voice came to a larger audience in 2021 when he sang "Dos Oruguitas" in the Disney smash film, Encanto, a song that would go on to be nominated for an Oscar. Yatra will perform at Texas Trust CU Theatre at Grand Prairie in support of his new album, Dharma.

Richardson Theatre Centre presents The Hollow
An unhappy game of romantic follow-the-leader explodes into murder one weekend at The Hollow, home of Sir Henry and Lucy Angkatell. Dr. Cristow, the Harley Street lothario, is at the center of the trouble when, assembled in one place, we find his wife, Gerda, his mistress, Henrietta, and his former lover, Veronica. Also visiting are Edward and Midge, whose romantic assertions are likewise thrown into the mix. As the list of romantic associations grows so does the list of potential suspects when Cristow is shot dead. Nearly everyone has a motive, but only one of them did the deed. The production runs through September 11 at Richardson Theatre Centre.

Saturday, August 27

$uicideboy$ in concert
Hip hop duo $uicideboy$ are considered one of the most popular acts in the underground rap scene, but if they continue on their current trajectory, you might have to consider them to be mainstream. Each of their first three albums, including the new Sing Me a Lullaby, My Sweet Temptation, has landed on the top 10 of the Billboard 200 charts, and now they're playing a big-time concert at Dos Equis Pavilion.

Il Divo in concert
Following the tragic passing of Il Divo’s Carlos Marin, the remaining members of the group — David Miller, Sebastien Izambard, and Urs Buhler — are proceeding with their tour in tribute to Marin. The tour is now a Greatest Hits Tour and will include special guest vocalist Steven LaBrie. The concert, taking place at the Music Hall at Fair Park, will be filled with Il Divo’s hits from their vast catalog of songs.

Sunday, August 28

Jack Johnson in concert with Ziggy Marley
Jack Johnson is known for his laidback music that epitomizes the state where he was born, Hawaii. Best known for songs like "Upside Down" and "You and Your Heart," Johnson comes to town in support of his new album, Meet the Moonlight. He'll be joined at this concert at Dos Equis Pavilion by reggae singer Ziggy Marley, son of the legendary Bob Marley.

Jack Johnson will play at Dos Equis Pavilion on August 28.

Photo by Kizzy O'Neal

Jack Johnson will play at Dos Equis Pavilion on August 28.

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Holidays Are Here

Ben Stiller wrangles with mayhem in Hulu holiday movie Nutcrackers

Photo courtesy of Nutcracker Productions LLC/Hulu

Ben Stiller, Atlas Janson, Homer Janson, and Ulysses Janson in Nutcrackers.

A holiday-themed comedy seems like just what the doctor ordered right now, and the new Hulu film Nutcrackers steps up with a little mayhem, heartfelt sentiment, and a nod to traditions. But it doesn't add up to a memorable experience.

The film stars Ben Stiller as Mike, a high-powered Chicago architect with little time for anybody but himself whose sister and brother-in-law are recently deceased. He is supposedly there to place his four nephews - Justice (Homer Janson), Simon (Arlo Janson), Steve (Ulysses Janson), and Samuel (Atlas Janson) - into foster care. But social worker Gretchen (Linda Cardellini) informs Mike that the foster family has fallen through, and he needs to act as guardian until she can find someone else.

Whether they’re still reeling from their parents’ deaths or are just wild in general, the kids prove to be more than a handful for Mike, who always has one eye on the door, hoping to get back to his own life as soon as possible. But the longer he’s forced to stay, the more the kids grow on him, especially when he learns that at least two of them were students at their mom’s dance studio, giving him an idea to stage a version of a certain holiday classic.

Directed by David Gordon Green and written by Leland Douglas, the film would seem to have all the elements that make a holiday film memorable, but the vibe is off right from the start. First of all, the audience is thrown right into the mix along with Mike, with barely any introduction to the main characters. As their backstories are mostly missing, it’s difficult to feel anything - good or bad - about Mike or the kids, and so they just kind of co-exist for the first act of the film.

Green and Douglas can also never decide what kind of people they want the kids to be. The film starts with a scene of them sneaking into an amusement park and causing havoc, and subsequent scenes make it seem like they’re supposed to be hellions. But when the filmmakers start going back-and-forth between them wrecking things and being responsible, down-to-earth kids, the plot thread gets confusing and less interesting.

It’s also perplexing why they would cast Stiller, who’s been known to play straight-laced characters who go off the rails on many occasions, and then not let him do what he does best. Even when confronted with some of the kids’ worst behavior, Mike keeps his reactions in check, which may be good for a real-life uncle, but makes for a less-than-entertaining holiday family film.

Stiller still lives up to his star-billing at times, but the arc of his character is not that inspiring, even when a slight romance starts to bloom between Mike and Gretchen. The Janson brothers, who are making their collective film debut, are fun at times, but their lack of experience shows in their unpolished performances. Cardellini is a nice presence, but she’s not given enough to do to make a big impact.

Nutcrackers is an inoffensive movie in that it’s not so terrible that there’s no way to actually finish it. But there’s little in its story, characters, or attempt to be a holiday movie that can be recommended as a fun family watch, so it’s likely to fade away into streamer oblivion.

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Nutcrackers is now streaming on Hulu.

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