Weekend Event Planner

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

This weekend in and around Dallas will see a nice mix of big-name performers and thought-provoking people. There will be three concerts with well-known singers, two author events, two new local theater productions, two new local ballet productions, a visit from a popular NPR show, 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, September 5

Toby Keith in concert with Kyle Park and Jon Wolfe
Country singer Toby Keith has been going strong for more than 25 years, releasing 18 albums since 1993, including 2017's The Bus Songs. Half of those albums have gone to No. 1 on the Billboard Country charts, and all but one of the remaining made the top 10. He'll play at The Theatre at Grand Prairie with support from Kyle Park and Jon Wolfe.

UNT presents Mary Jo and V. Lane Rawlins Fine Arts Series: Roxane Gay
The University of North Texas will present one of the nation’s most popular writers and cultural critics, Roxane Gay. Gay is the author of several national bestselling books, including her memoir, Hunger: A Memoir of My Body. Gay, who co-hosts the podcast Hear to Slay, will talk about her work at the event, followed by a book signing.

DMA Arts & Letters Live: Salman Rushdie
Author Salman Rushdie, known for books like The Satanic Verses and Fury, will speak about his new book, Quichotte. Just as Cervantes wrote Don Quixote to satirize the culture of his time, Rushdie uses his trademark storytelling magic to take the reader on a wild ride through a country on the verge of moral and spiritual collapse. The event will take place at Moody Performance Hall.

The Firehouse Theatre presents Cats
Set among a larger-than-life junkyard playground, Cats is alive with purr-fect felines, including Rum Tum Tugger, Mr. Mistoffelees, Macavity, Jennyanydots, Old Deuteronomy, Skimbleshanks, and Grizabella. The all-singing, all-dancing Tony-winning musical spectacular, featuring music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, will play at The Firehouse Theatre through September 22.

Echo Theatre presents Us/Them
In 2004, armed Chechen rebels stormed a school in Beslan, Russia, taking hundreds hostage. The ensuing siege lasted three days and left many dead, including children. Us/Them, presented by Echo Theatre at Bath House Cultural Center through September 21, is a haunting, sometimes playful, always captivating account of the siege as told by two of the hostage students.

John Mayer in concert
For a singer who's never had a top 10 single in his career, John Mayer sure has had a lot of success. His high profile has as much to do with his work, which includes his 2017 album The Search for Everything, as it has with his string of starry relationships: Jennifer Love Hewitt, Jessica Simpson, Minka Kelly, Jennifer Aniston, Katy Perry, and Taylor Swift, to name a few. He'll play at American Airlines Center.

Friday, September 6

Dallas Symphony Orchestra presents Dancing in the Street: The Music of Motown
Principal Pops Conductor Jeff Tyzik and the Dallas Symphony Orchestra will present a performance of favorite Motown hits. The concert, taking place at Meyerson Symphony Center through Sunday, will feature songs from Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye, James Brown, Earth Wind and Fire, Stevie Wonder, and more.

Texas Ballet Theater presents The Sleeping Beauty
Texas Ballet Theater will present The Sleeping Beauty, accompanied by the Dallas Opera Orchestra. Doomed by fate and awakened by love, beautiful Princess Aurora dances her way through curses and dreams to find her Prince Charming. The ballet, filled with gorgeous costumes, lavish decor, and enchanting music, will be performed five times through Sunday at Winspear Opera House.

Saturday, September 7

Avant Chamber Ballet presents Morphoses
Morphoses is a mixed-repertoire program of three ballets: Christopher Wheeldon's Morphoses, Katie Cooper's Sisterhood, and Brahms Trio, a world premiere by Cooper choreographed to the famous chamber music for violin, horn, and piano. The trio will be performed by pianist Anastasia Markina, concertmaster Alexander Kerr, and horn player David Cooper. There will be two performances through Sunday at Moody Performance Hall.

The Second City's Greatest Hits, Vol. 59
There’s a reason the biggest names in laughter all catapulted their careers at The Second City — it’s been the funniest place on the planet since 1959. The next generation of comedy superstars will put their spin on the legendary comedy company’s greatest hits, re-booted and re-imagined for today. They'll perform sketch comedy, original songs, and world-famous improv at MCL Grand Theater in Lewisville.

NPR presents Ask Me Another
Packed with trivia, comedy, and celebrity guests, Ask Me Another is like an amusement park for your brain. Host Ophira Eisenberg and musician Jonathan Coulton take the show on the road for a night of quizzes, games, and laughs. The celebrity puzzle hot seat will be filled by Texas-born musician Alejandro Escovedo. The event will take place at Majestic Theatre.

Sunday, September 8

Mark Knopfler in concert
The Scottish-born Mark Knopfler is best known for his time as the lead singer/guitarist of the '70s/'80s rock group Dire Straits. Since that group disbanded in the early '90s, Knopfler has had a stellar career as a solo artist. He has released nine albums since 1996, including 2018's Down the Road Wherever. He and his band will play at The Theatre in Grand Prairie.

John Mayer will play at American Airlines Center on September 5.

Photo by Frank Ockenfels

John Mayer will play at American Airlines Center on September 5.

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Movie Review

Marty Supreme cements Timothée Chalamet as his generation's movie star

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Timothée Chalamet

In a time when true movie stars seem to be going extinct, Timothée Chalamet has emerged as an exception to the rule. Since 2021 he has headlined blockbusters like the two Dune movies and Wonka, and also got nominated for an Oscar for playing Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown (his second nomination following 2018’s Call Me By Your Name). Now, he’s almost assured to get his third nomination for the stellar new film, Marty Supreme.

Chalamet plays Marty Mauser, a world-class table tennis player living in New York. But reducing Marty to his best skill doesn’t do him justice, as he’s also a motormouth schemer who will do almost anything to achieve his dreams. He doesn’t have any qualms about wooing married women like neighbor Rachel (Odessa A’zion) or actress Kay Stone (Gwyneth Paltrow), or hiding his true ping pong skills to win money in scams with friends like Wally (Tyler the Creator).

Marty is seemingly on the go the entire movie, whether it’s trying to convince Kay’s millionaire husband Milton Rockwell (Kevin O’Leary) to fund his table tennis ambitions; or trying to track down the dog of Ezra (Abel Ferrara), a man he accidentally injures; or trying to avoid the ire of the boss at the shoe store where he works. Just when you think he might slow down, he’s off to the races on another plan or adventure.

Directed by Josh Safdie and written by Safdie and frequent co-writer Ronald Bronstein, the film is an almost continuous blast of pure energy for 2 ½ hours. So many different things happen over the course of the film that the story defies conventional narratives, and yet the throughline of Marty keeps everything tightly connected. His particular type of brash behavior turns much of the film into a comedy as he does and says things that are both shocking and thrilling.

Another thing that makes the movie sing is the fantastic characterization by Safdie and Bronstein. Almost every person who is given a speaking line in the film has a moment where they pop, which speaks to airtight dialogue that the writers have created. Characters will be introduced and then disappear for long stretches of time, and yet because they make such an impression the first time they’re on screen, it’s easy to pick up their thread right away.

Safdie, as he’s done previously with brother Bennie (Uncut Gems), calls on a host of well-known non-actors or people with interesting faces/vibes to inhabit supporting roles, and to a person they are crucial to the film’s success. O’Leary (of Shark Tank fame), rapper Tyler the Creator, director Ferrara, magician Penn Jillette, and fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi each deliver knockout performances. The relative unknowns who play smaller roles are just as impressive, making each beat of the film feel naturalistic.

Leading the way is the powerhouse performance by Chalamet. For one person to believably play both the famously reserved Dylan and also a firecracker like Marty is astonishing, and this role cements Chalamet’s status as his generation’s movie star. A’zion is a rising star who gets great moments as Marty’s on-again/off-again love interest. Paltrow pops in and out of the film, lighting up the screen every time she appears. Fran Drescher as Marty’s mom and Sandra Bernhard as a neighbor also pay dividends in small roles.

Josh Safdie’s first solo directorial effort is unlike any other movie this year, or maybe even this century. Thanks to its breakneck storytelling, a magnificent performance by Chalamet, and countless intangibles that Safdie employs expertly, the film smacks viewers in the face repeatedly and demands that they come back for more.

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Marty Supreme opens in theaters on December 25.

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