Weekend Event Planner

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

While many events in and around Dallas have either been postponed or canceled during the coronavirus pandemic, there are a few that have popped up to offer the masses some entertainment while still adhering to the necessary social distancing measures.

Below are the best ways to spend your free time this weekend. While they're not all outside of the house, they all promise to provide a nice distraction from the everyday life.

Thursday, October 15

Shakespeare Dallas presents Shakespeare and the Suffragists
Shakespeare and the Suffragists is a new virtual performance project honoring the centennial passage of the 19th Amendment, which granted many women the right to vote. The unique performance will examine Shakespeare’s more feminist texts and how they have been interpreted over time. Through the lens of four historical female figures, the production will shed new light on how Shakespeare’s works might have shaped the Suffragist movement and the ways in which his characters and monologues would have resonated in the 1920s. The production will be available for streaming through November 30.

Symphony Arlington presents Season Opening Concert
Symphony Arlington’s 2020-2021 Season will open with this concert at Arlington Music Hall featuring pianist Alex McDonald. The program includes Rossini’s Overture to The Italian Girl in Algiers, as well as two Beethoven works: Piano Concerto No. 1 in C Major and Symphony No. 4 in Bb Major. The concert, like all of Symphony Arlington's concerts this season, will offer both an in-person and live streaming option.

Cara Mia Theatre Co. presents My Red Hand, My Black Hand
Cara Mia Theatre Co. will present the regional premiere of Pulitzer Prize-nominated playwright Dael Orlandersmith’s My Red Hand, My Black Hand, which marks the return of the Café/Negro Series, a co-production with Soul Rep Theatre. The play unfolds as a teenager describes the past, present, and future of her parents' cultures. She talks about the "Red" Tlingit and Lakota parentage of her father, who leaves the reservation to play the blues in Boston, and the "Black" rural Virginia background of her mother, who goes to Boston seeking the big-city life. Her parents meet at a dance and fall in love, but not without the complications of prejudice from their families. The virtual production will be livestreamed on various dates through November 8.

Friday, October 16

The Mockingbird Station Fair
Mockingbird Station will keep the State Fair of Texas' spirit alive on what would have been the fair's final weekend with The Mockingbird Station Fair. The event, taking place through Sunday, will include Instagrammable moments like the iconic Midway sign, and a magical unicorn horse petting zoo. Along with carnival games like LED cornhole, double shot basketball, and more, Corn Dog With No Name will be on hand to serve fair-themed foods, beers, and other alcoholic beverages.

Subtronics in concert
Electronic dance music, or EDM, doesn't often get a prime showcase like this, but in the topsy-turvy COVID world, things are changing. DJ Subtronics has been massively prolific in the past five years, releasing 12 EPs and albums in that time. He'll be joined at this drive-in outdoor concert in the parking lot next to Dos Equis Pavilion by HE$H, Al Ross, Level Up, and Ace Aura.

Carbaret drive-in screenings
Carbaret will present two shows instead of one this week, traveling to Four Corners Brewing Co. on Friday to host a concert by Joshua Ray Walker and Matt Hillyer of Eleven Hundred Springs, followed by a screening of the critically acclaimed film This World Won't Break. On Saturday, they'll be back at Brizo in Richardson to team up with Texas Frightmare Weekend for a special screening of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.

The Firehouse Theatre presents Back to the '80s
The Firehouse Theatre will present the majorly rad musical revue Back to the '80s. The outdoor production at The Sound at Cypress Waters tells the story of the senior class of William Ocean High School as remembered through the eyes of a now thirtysomething former student. The show, playing Friday-Sunday through October 25, includes a Star Wars dream sequence, the obligatory '80s party scene, high-energy dance routines, and some of the most popular songs ever written.

Saturday, October 17

Kitchen Dog Theater presents Get Up, Stand Up! A Drive-In Celebration of Democracy
Kitchen Dog Theater kicks off its 30th season of theater with a weekly series of singular events called Get Up, Stand Up! A Drive-In Celebration of Democracy. A variety of local artists will perform protest songs from throughout history to celebrate democracy as well as amplify the voices of the local artist community who have struggled to be heard during the pandemic. The drive-in style event will take place weekly through October 31, with a special fourth show on Election Day, November 3.

Shakespeare Dallas presents Shakespeare and the Suffragists, available for streaming through November 30.

Photo by Jennifer Rogers

Shakespeare Dallas presents Shakespeare and the Suffragists, available for streaming through November 30.

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Movie Review

Mufasa: The Lion King storyline might be wan but it sure is pretty

Photo courtesy of Disney

Sarabi, Mufasa, and Rafiki in Mufasa: The Lion King.

The 2019 “live action” remake of The Lion King had two big things going for it: People’s love for the original 1994 animated film and a filmmaking style that made the completely CGI film appear photorealistic. The new prequel, Mufasa: The Lion King, has the second element to lean on, but it must win moviegoers over with some familiar characters but a whole new story.

The origin story of Mufasa (voiced by Aaron Pierre) is broached by having it be told to Kiara (Blue Ivy Carter), the daughter of Simba (Donald Glover) and Nala (Beyoncé), by Rafiki (John Kani), Timon (Billy Eichner), and Pumbaa (Seth Rogen), the first of a series of unnecessary decisions in the film.

As the film tells it, a young Mufasa is on his way to a new home with his parents when he’s washed away by a flash flood. Lost and alone, he’s discovered by Taka (Kelvin Harrison, Jr.), who convinces his mom, Eshe (Thandie Newton), to take Mufasa into their pride, although Taka’s dad, Obasi (Lennie James), is less welcoming.

Mufasa, who proves himself to be brave and daring, and Taka, who's loyal but somewhat weak-willed, grow from cubs into young lions, and their adventures together eventually grow to include a young Rafiki (Kagiso Ledika), as well as Sarabi (Tiffany Boone) and her hornbill companion, Zazu (Preston Nyman). They’re also menaced by a pride of white lions led by Kiros (Mads Mikkelsen), who waste no opportunity to threaten the other lions’ way of life.

Directed by Barry Jenkins and written by Jeff Nathanson, the film - like its 2019 predecessor - has absolutely gorgeous visuals. Using a mixture of real locations and computer generated imagery, Jenkins and his team created a world that feels fully immersive. Everything from the water to the grass to the animals looks like it actually exists, which is an amazing accomplishment and should be celebrated as such.

But the level of detail on that side of the film only increases the level of disappointment with the story. Given the chance to create something new, the filmmakers instead seem to treat the film as just a way to introduce every significant symbol from the original story. You would have thought having young versions of familiar characters would be enough, but instead they go overboard with references, including the creation of a certain location that is patently ridiculous.

Nathanson also overloads the plot with characters and twists. Mufasa’s rise from a nobody to king is faced with multiple obstacles, way too many for what should have been a much simpler story. And Lin-Manuel Miranda’s streak of great music in Disney films ends here, as none of the four songs he contributed work very well. Some are undone by odd phrasing by the performers, and others look strange coming out of the mouths of the characters, but either way, the songs just don’t connect.

The voice performances neither elevate the film nor take away from it. Pierre (Rebel Ridge) and Harrison (Waves) are rising stars in actual live action films, but their appearances here are negligible to the impact of their characters. Mikkelsen (Rogue One) is known for playing great bad guys, and he’s okay here, but nothing to write home about. The rest of the performers don't offer anything special to their roles, including Beyoncé and her daughter, Blue Ivy.

For those who are only looking for “Oh, that’s where that came from!” moments, Mufasa: The Lion King may fit the bill. But for anyone who may want something more than a version of nostalgia, especially from a visionary director like Jenkins, it serves as nothing more than two hours of pretty vistas.

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Mufasa: The Lion King opens in theaters on December 20.

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