Weekend Event Planner

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

As we inch closer to Christmas, the holiday events just keep on coming. This weekend sees five more of them, including a new-to-the-area musical extravaganza. On the non-holiday front are a new local theater production, a nationally known comedian, a country music festival, and a concert from a superstar tenor.

Below are the best options for your precious free time Thursday through Sunday. Don't like what you see? Lucky for you, we have a much longer list of the city's best events.

Thursday, December 8

Texas Rangers present Anxiously Awaiting Santa Tours
Baseball season may be over, but you can still get your Texas Rangers fix with their Anxiously Awaiting Santa Tours, the annual holiday-themed ballpark tours. Fans can see behind the scenes as Globe Life Park decks the halls for Santa’s arrival, and kids have the opportunity to participate in a special story time and write a letter to Santa to mail from the Texas Rangers “North Pole” mailbox. Tours take place Tuesdays through Saturdays through December 17.

Dallas Summer Musicals presents Broadway Christmas Wonderland
The second holiday production of the year from Dallas Summer Musicals features glittering costumes, a dazzling cast, and the highest kicking Chorus Girls this side of the North Pole. Santa and his merry helpers take you on a nostalgic Christmas journey at the Music Hall at Fair Park, with songs like “White Christmas,” “Have Yourself A Very Merry Christmas,” “Jingle Bells,” “Silent Night,” and many more. The production runs through December 18.

Turtle Creek Chorale presents "A Not So Silent Night"
Celebrate the 2016 holiday season with Turtle Creek Chorale’s "A Not So Silent Night," as they embrace the chaotic beauty of the holidays with a menagerie of new compositions, updated arrangements of familiar favorites, and yuletide classics. TCC will be joined by members of the Lone Star Wind Orchestra at Dallas City Performance Hall through Sunday.

Dallas Theater Center presents Gloria
While Dallas Theater Center presents their annual production of A Christmas Carol on the main stage at Wyly Theatre, they're going the smaller, non-holiday route upstairs with Gloria. This hilariously dark and timely play follows a group of upwardly mobile editorial assistants at an infamous Manhattan magazine. When an average workday suddenly takes a shocking and unexpected turn, survival takes on a whole new meaning. The play runs through January 22.

Mike Birbiglia: "Thank God for Jokes"
He may not be as well known as some comedians, but Mike Birbiglia is quietly having a big year thanks to his film Don't Think Twice and this tour, which comes to Winspear Opera House. In the all-new show, Birbiglia tiptoes hilariously through the minefield that is modern-day joke-telling, learning that the same jokes that elicit laughter have the power to produce tears, rage, and a whole lot of getting yelled at.

Friday, December 9

KSCS Country Fest '16 featuring the Band Perry
96.3 KSCS' annual Country Fest, taking place at Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie, is as big as ever, featuring performances by the Band Perry, Chase Rice, Michael Ray, and Trent Harmon. Following a split with their label, the Band Perry is still waiting to release their anticipated third album, but the layoff hasn't hurt their popularity, as they're once again up for Favorite Country Group at the People's Choice Awards.

Saturday, December 10

Dallas Heritage Village presents Candlelight: 45 Years of Memories
Dallas Heritage Village is creating new memories as it reminisces about past Candlelight celebrations. Take a trip down memory lane at a photo exhibit of 45 years of Candlelight, then create some new memories as you sing along with strolling carolers, tell St. Nicholas your holiday wishes, and make holiday crafts. The event takes place on Saturday and Sunday.

The Polyphonic Spree 14th Annual Holiday Extravaganza
The Polyphonic Spree's 14th Annual Holiday Extravaganza, taking place at Majestic Theatre, is an all-ages, family-friendly event featuring face painting and balloon animals for the kids, photos with the reindeer, Santa's sleigh, and Mr. & Mrs. Claus, and, of course, a performance by one of Dallas' most interesting bands.

Andrea Bocelli in concert with Katherine McPhee and Ana Maria Martinez
Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli brings a new production to American Airlines Center based on his latest album, Cinema, which includes epic theme songs from films such as Scent of a Woman, The Godfather, Love Story, Life is Beautiful, and many more. This special performance includes former American Idol runner-up Katherine McPhee and soprano Ana Maria Martinez.

Dallas Summer Musicals presents Broadway Christmas Wonderland through December 18 at the Music Hall at Fair Park.

Photo by Ruby King

Dallas Summer Musicals presents Broadway Christmas Wonderland through December 18 at the Music Hall at Fair Park.

families concerts holidays event-planner comedy music kids theater

Movie Review

The Magic Faraway Tree is a whimsical family lark that fails to take root

Photo courtesy of Vertical Entertainment

Andrew Garfield, Delilah Bennett-Cardy, Claire Foy, Phoenix Laroche, and Billie Gadson in The Magic Faraway Tree.

With kids and families always on the hunt for entertainment, it’s typically a safe bet for a movie studio to offer up something new, even if it is a film based on an old property. The Magic Faraway Tree, based on a series of books that started in the 1930s, is a very old property, one that its filmmakers have tried to liven up with a few stars, a lot of whimsy, and a boatload of CGI.

The Thompson family, led by stay-at-home dad Tim (Andrew Garfield) and breadwinner mom Polly (Claire Foy), are forced to move to a rundown country home when Polly gets laid off. The kids - Joe (Phoenix Laroche), Fran (Billie Gadson), and Beth (Delilah Bennett-Cardy) - are used to the perks of city life like wifi and electricity, and each of them rebels in their own way to their new lot in life.

Fran, enticed by a fairy named Silky (Nicola Coughlan), is the first to venture out of the house, making her way to a magic tree that transports her to a world full of strange characters like Moonface (Nonso Anozie), Saucepan Man (Dustin Demri-Burns), Dame Washalot (Jessica Gunning), and more. Her adventures there not only broaden the world she thought she knew, but may be the key to helping her ailing family.

Directed by Ben Gregor and written by Simon Farnaby (Paddington 2, Wonka), the film is a pleasant enough lark, but it fails to fully capture the imagination. The five-member family has a lot going on, from an initially-mute Fran to a domestic situation that raises more questions than it answers. The film tries to incorporate an anti-technology message through Tim’s hatred of a smart refrigerator (voiced by Judi Dench!) and the kids' addictions to devices, but it’s quickly shed in favor of other options.

Once Fran makes it to the Magic Faraway Tree, there’s a nice shift in the storytelling, but it’s unclear what the ultimate goal is. It’s a good idea to have Fran, the youngest of the children, convince her older, more cynical siblings about the virtues of the magic world, but the conflict in the real world doesn’t seem to rise to the level needed for the escape the tree provides.

There also seems to be a missing link in the storytelling for viewers to understand the importance of the fantastical characters. The visuals of seeing Moonface and his crescent moon-shaped hair, a man with a suit full of banging pots, and more are fun for a while, but not enough to carry the whole film. A last-minute revelation feels like it was something that should have been disclosed much earlier to help strengthen the emotions of the story.

A two-time Oscar nominee, Garfield is making his first foray into family movies (if you don’t count playing Spider-Man), and while he does a good job, he doesn’t make the best fit for the semi-goofy role. The same goes for the Emmy-winning Foy, who isn’t given much of anything to do. The movie puts the story on the shoulders of the three child actors, and while each of them acquit themselves well, none of them are so outstanding as to be noteworthy.

With nearly 90-year-old source material, The Magic Faraway Tree needed to be something truly special to stand out in the 21st century movie world. Unfortunately, it features a mostly forgettable story that features some fun visuals, a couple of cute kids, and not much else.

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The Magic Faraway Tree is now playing in theaters.

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