Weekend Event Planner

These are the 14 best things to do in Dallas this weekend

November has just begun, but it's already the holiday season given the number of holiday-themed events starting or taking place. In addition to that quartet of jolly events, choices will include a classic musical featuring felines, great dancers, a famous comedian, outdoor illuminated art, classical music, a media and music festival, 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, November 7

Junior League of Collin County presents 'Neath the Wreath Holiday Gift Market
‘Neath the Wreath Holiday Gift Market, presented by the Junior League of Collin County, brings together over 13,000 shoppers to support community impact projects. Taking place at Plano Centre through Sunday, the market features unique holiday and home décor, clothing and accessories, gifts, jewelry, children’s items, and gourmet food from over 100 merchants.

Undermain Theatre presents The Thanksgiving Play
Good intentions collide with absurd assumptions in Larissa FastHorse’s wickedly funny satire, as a troupe of terminally “woke” teaching artists scrambles to create a pageant that somehow manages to celebrate both Turkey Day and Native American Heritage Month. The Thanksgiving Play is a brilliant take on a modern American cultural dilemma. The play will run at Undermain Theatre through December 1.

Dallas Summer Musicals presents Cats
Cats, the record-breaking musical spectacular by Andrew Lloyd Webber, has captivated audiences in over 30 countries and 15 languages. The beloved musical, which will finally have a film version released in December, features one of the most treasured songs in musical theater, ”Memory.” It tells the story of one magical night when an extraordinary tribe of cats gathers for its annual ball to rejoice and decide which cat will be reborn. The musical will run at the Music Hall at Fair Park through November 17.

World of Dance Live Tour
NBC’s summer smash-hit series World of Dance comes to Dallas as part of the World of Dance Live Tour. This tour will not include celebrity judges Jennifer Lopez, Ne-Yo, and Derek Hough, but it will feature great dancers from across all genres, including season 3 winners, The Kings. The event will take place at The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory in Irving.

Improv Addison presents D.L. Hughley
One of the most popular and highly recognized stand-up comedians on the road today has also made quite an impression in the television and radio arena. D.L. Hughley is known for his sitcom, The Hughleys; as host of his own late night talk show on CNN, D.L. Hughley Breaks the News; and as one of the Original Kings of Comedy. Hughley will perform six times through Sunday at Improv Addison.

Friday, November 8

Aurora Expanded: "As I Am"
While not the full event that took place in 2018, Aurora Expanded is a multidisciplinary exhibition that will feature short film sequences, audio recordings, and portrait photography that will be showcased on downtown Dallas’s digital billboards as well as at a site-specific exhibition that celebrates youth as capable change-makers. Created by students from across Dallas, the work is designed to move people to action through empathy building and shifting perspectives on important issues that teenagers face in their daily lives. The exhibit will be at Ro2 Art Downtown Pop-Up through Saturday.

Dallas Symphony Orchestra presents La Mer
Making her debut as principal guest conductor, Gemma New leads two iconic Impressionist works: Afternoon of a Faun and La Mer. DSO principal timpani Brian Jones takes center stage in the world premiere of Grammy Award winner Steven Mackey’s timpani concerto. New Zealand composer Salina Fisher’s Rainphase makes its Dallas premiere. The concert will play three times through Sunday at Meyerson Symphony Center.

TITAS/Dance Unbound: Ballet British Columbia
Ballet British Columbia has become one of the most sought-after dance companies in the world today. A remarkable repertoire by the world’s leading contemporary choreographers, including Crystal Pite, Cayetano Soto, William Forsythe, Itzik Galili, Jorma Elo, and Adi Salant, puts this company in an elite category of the world’s best. They'll perform at Moody Performance Hall on Friday and Saturday.

EDGE: The Texas Monthly Festival
The third annual EDGE will shed light on what’s at the forefront of Texas culture through discussions, panels, and performances. There will be a Saturday evening concert by Leon Bridges, as well as interviews with Annie Clark, aka St. Vincent, and fashion designer and television personality Brandon Maxwell. A special performance of Texas Monthly LIVE featuring Texas Monthly’s editors and special guests will also be a part of the festival on Friday night. The event takes place through Sunday at The Bomb Factory and other venues.

Saturday, November 9

Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden presents Holiday at the Arboretum
The Dallas Arboretum will once again celebrate the holidays with a variety of exhibitions. The beloved 12 Days of Christmas returns, depicting each day in the carol with 12 Victorian-style gazebos. The DeGolyer House will feature "Christkindlmarket Treasures," with each room showcasing a collection of treasures typically found in European Christmas markets. And a new attraction, The Pauline and Austin Neuhoff Family Christmas Village, will feature 12 old-world European-style shops and façades that represent a quaint European hamlet. All exhibits, which also include nighttime hours on most nights, will be on display through December 31.

Etsy Dallas presents Jingle Bash
The 11th annual Jingle Bash is a handmade shopping event and party, showcasing handmade apparel, bags, jewelry, home décor, accessories, art, pottery, and more from hand-picked artists, crafters, and designers. The first 50 shoppers will get one of the Bash Bags filled with swag from vendors. The event, taking place at Gilley's Dallas, will also feature an onsite bar, food trucks, a Make & Take craft table, and a photo booth.

Rock Rebellion Tribute Festival
Lone Star 92.5 presents Rock Rebellion Tribute Festival will feature a variety of tribute bands performing classic rock hits. Bands will include Back in Black (Tribute to AC/DC), Led Zepplica (Tribute to Led Zeppelin), Ozz (Tribute to Ozzy Osbourne), True 2 Crue (Tribute to Mötley Crüe), In Halen (Tribute to Van Halen), Heart Attack (Tribute to Heart), and Snakeskin Cowboys (Tribute to Ted Nugent). The concert will take place at The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory in Irving.

How the Southwest Was Won featuring Snoop Dogg and Master P
How the Southwest Was Won, taking place at Dos Equis Pavilion, is a hip-hop-heavy festival-style show that will be headlined by Snoop Dogg and Master P. Other performers will include Goodie Mob, Slim Thug, Z-Ro, Paul Wall, Twista, Crucial Conflict, Mike Jones, and Shawanna (of DTP).

Sunday, November 10

Dallas Museum of Art presents "Speechless" opening day
The Dallas Museum of Art and the High Museum of Art will present "Speechless," an exhibition that explores the vast spectrum of sensory experiences and new approaches to accessibility and modes of communication in the museum setting. It will debut new work by six leading and emerging international designers and design teams whose projects were informed by conversations with specialists from prominent academic and medical institutions. The exhibit will remain on display through February 23, 2020.

The Dallas Arboretum will present Holiday at the Arboretum starting on November 9.

Photo courtesy of Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden

The Dallas Arboretum will present Holiday at the Arboretum starting on November 9.

event-planner

Movie review

Nick Jonas steals song from Paul Rudd in music-heavy Power Ballad

Photo by David Cleary for Lionsgate

Nick Jonas and Paul Rudd in Power Ballad.

Writer/director John Carney is one of the great purveyors of movies featuring music (as opposed to musicals) in the 21st century. Starting with Once in 2007 (which was turned into a Broadway musical several years later), he has made music-themed stories like Begin Again, Sing Street, Flora and Son, and now Power Ballad.

Rick Power (Paul Rudd) is a former wannabe rock star who is now the lead singer of “Ireland’s #1 Wedding Band,” The Bride & Grooves. While they mostly play smaller weddings, a gig at a country estate leads to an encounter with Danny Wilson (Nick Jonas), a former boy band member struggling to make it as a solo artist. Rick and Danny wind up bonding in a booze- and pot-filled jam session, sharing various song ideas.

After returning to Los Angeles and desperate for a hit, Danny steals one of Rick’s songs, which miraculously turns into the No. 1 “How to Write a Song (Without You).” Rick, initially overjoyed that something he wrote has become big, is crushed when he finds out Danny didn’t give him credit. His quest to find a way to prove his worth sends him into a spiral, upending the ordinary life he had built.

Co-written by Peter McDonald, the film is a nice exploration of two men trying to hold on to their music dreams. Their individual circumstances could not be more different, but each of them knows the ups and downs of the business as well as the other, as well as the ineffable magic of creating that one great song. While the music scenes are hit-and-miss because of a reliance on lip synching, the scene featuring Rick and Danny trading ideas is electric with creativity.

Oddly, though, the film could have used a bit less music and more of a focus on the two men’s personal lives. Rick wound up living in Ireland after falling in love with his future wife, Rachel (Marcella Plunkett), while on tour with his former American band. He spends a decent amount of time with her and his daughter, Aja (Beth Fallon), but his story needed a few more family scenes to drive the point home. Danny’s personal life is all but nonexistent, giving his arc less impact than it could have had.

Instead of loved ones, Carney and McDonald try to give Rick and Danny more depth through friends and business associates. Rick’s bandmate Sandy (McDonald) is a ride-or-die kind of guy for him, but his presence is only good for a few humorous distractions. Danny’s manager Mac (Jack Reynor) is difficult to parse, as he goes to bat for Danny on multiple occasions, but also seems to keep him at arm’s length.

It’s long been joked that Rudd never ages, and that youthfulness serves him well in this role, in which his character is supposed to be much younger than his actual age of 57. His energy and enthusiasm make his character appealing throughout, even when Rick starts to go off the deep end. Jonas is decent in his role, selling the music side well, but there might be a reason his character doesn’t have many scenes requiring him to show emotions.

While Power Ballad has all the hallmarks of another great Carney music movie, it’s missing a few pieces that could have put it over the top. It’s still a fun film with an insanely catchy song at its center, but it’s not quite as memorable as most of the filmmaker’s previous efforts.

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Power Ballad is now playing in theaters.

movies music film