Weekend Event Planner

Jam-packed list of 17 best things to do in Dallas this weekend

There are some weekends in and around Dallas that are so jam-packed that it's almost impossible to leave anything out of our weekly events roundup. That is certainly the case this week, as theater, music, early Halloween activities, a film festival, dance productions, art exhibitions, a celebrity tennis match, and movie and TV-themed events will vie for your attention.

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 12

SheDFW Theater Festival
SheDFW Arts will present the inaugural SheDFW Theater Festival, comprised of four shows written by women, trans, and non-binary writers. The festival, taking place through Sunday at Lyric Stage, will present three new full-length plays and one original musical. If you're not able to make it in person, the productions will be recorded and can be watched online, September 17-24.

Undermain Theatre presents Athena
Our apologies to Undermain Theatre for not mentioning their new production, Athena, which actually opened last week. It focuses on Mary Wallace and Athena, who are 17-year-old fencers training for the Junior Olympics. They practice together, they compete against each other, they spend their lives together. They wish they were friends. The regional premiere of the play by Gracie Gardner runs through September 29.

Dallas Symphony Orchestra presents "Stravinsky and Tchaikovsky"
Edward Gardner, Principal Conductor of the London Philharmonic Orchestra, leads the Dallas Symphony Orchestra in their first classical concert of the season. Selections for the program will include Stravinsky's Petrushka (1947) and Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 4. There will be performances on Thursday and Saturday at Meyerson Symphony Center.

Shakespeare Dallas presents Julius Caesar
Following their two summer productions, Shakespeare Dallas returns with its fall production, Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. Concerned that Julius Caesar poses a threat to democracy, revolutionaries take the violent decision to murder him. As the world spins out of control, chaos and superstition lead to civil war. The production runs through October 13 at Samuell-Grand Amphitheater.

Chris Botti in concert
For over two decades, Grammy Award-winning trumpeter and composer Chris Botti has amassed a variety of honors, including multiple Gold and Platinum albums, to become the nation’s largest selling instrumental artist. He has performed with an array of legends, including Sting, Barbra Streisand, Tony Bennett, Yo-Yo Ma, Frank Sinatra, Paul Simon, and Andrea Bocelli. He'll play at Majestic Theatre in support of his 2023 album, Vol. 1.

Bishop Arts Theatre Center presents Jet Fuel
Amy Evans' groundbreaking new play, Jet Fuel, goes on a journey through the world of elite sports. Inspired by the extraordinary tale of Olympic sprinter Caster Semenya, the production casts a spotlight on the intricate intersections of gender, race identity, and the quest for fairness in the realm of athletics. The production runs through September 22 at Bishop Arts Theatre Center.

Friday, September 13

Early Halloween events
Halloween is well over a month away, but a couple of Halloween-themed events are using the occasion of Friday the 13th to get the scares started early. Six Flags Over Texas in Arlington will present their annual Fright Fest, featured haunted attractions inspired by properties like the Saw franchise, Stranger Things, The Conjuring, Trick ‘r Treat, and Texas Chainsaw Massacre. At Dark Hour Haunted House in Plano, visitors can journey through the cursed corridors and encounter a host of dark and sinister characters lurking in every shadow. Both events will be open on weekends through early November.

It Came from Texas Film Festival
The second annual It Came from Texas Film Festival celebrates films made either wholly or in part within the Lone Star State. This year's event will examine the tall tales of the Independent Texas Spirit that lean into the Western genre, including Tender Mercies (1983), The Last Picture Show (1971), and Giant (1956). The festival takes place through Sunday at Plaza Theater in Garland.

Garland Civic Theatre presents On Golden Pond
On Golden Pond is about an aging couple, Ethel and Norman Thayer, who spend their summers at their vacation home on Golden Pond in New England. The play explores the difficulties of a long marriage, the relationship between a father and daughter, and the generation gap between young and old. The production runs through September 29 at Granville Arts Center in Garland.

Theatre Arlington presents Visiting Mr. Green
Newly widowed, Mr. Green narrowly avoids getting hit by Ross Gardiner in New York traffic. Ross is sentenced to six months of community service, helping Mr. Green weekly. What starts as a comedy about two men who do not want to be in the same room together becomes a gripping and moving drama as they come to care about each other, and open old wounds. The production runs through September 29 at Theatre Arlington.

Texas Ballet Theater presents Cinderella
Ben Stevenson’s Cinderella transports audiences to a magical realm of fairy dust, glass slippers, and hilariously wicked stepsisters. The beloved story of love triumphant is choreographed to the score of Sergey Prokofiev, promising a performance of unparalleled beauty and grace. The production will have four performances through Sunday at Winspear Opera House.

Saturday, September 14

Arlington Museum of Art presents "Heroes & Villains: The Art of the Disney Costume" and "All That Glitters: The Crown Jewels of the Walt Disney Archives" opening day
The Arlington Museum of Art will open two new Disney-themed exhibitions. Through original items including ball gowns, sorcerers’ capes, a pirate’s jacket, and iconic glass slippers, "Heroes & Villains: The Art of the Disney Costume" celebrates the artistry of some of Hollywood’s designers. "All That Glitters: The Crown Jewels of the Walt Disney Archives" will feature prized pieces of jewelry and accessories, giving visitors the rare opportunity to see these jewels up-close. The exhibitions will remain on display through March 23, 2025.

Nasher Sculpture Center presents Hugh Hayden: "Homecoming" opening day
Working in the tradition of wood carving and carpentry, New York-based artist Hugh Hayden builds sculptures and installations that explore the idea of the "American Dream." For this exhibition, Hayden will mine memories from his childhood in Dallas, nodding to home life, school, and play from youth to adolescence. The exhibition will remain on display through January 5, 2025.

The Dirk Nowitzki Foundation Tennis Classic
The Dirk Nowitzki Foundation Tennis Classic is an exhibition-style charity match led by Nowitzki, an NBA Hall of Famer who played 21 seasons for the Dallas Mavericks. He will be joined by former NBA players Steve Nash and J.J. Barea; former World No. 1 tennis player in doubles, Mark Knowles; new Mavericks guard Klay Thompson; Dr. Phil McGraw of the Dr. Phil show; and former World No. 9 in singles, CoCo Vandeweghe. The event takes place at Banner House at T Bar M in Dallas.

Kane Brown in concert
Kane Brown is part of the new brand of country music, unafraid to add pop and R&B sounds to his songs. Not so coincidentally, that has made him very popular, resulting in all three of his albums going to No. 1 or No. 2 on the Billboard Country charts (2018's Experiment also hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200). He'll play his ever-growing list of hits at this concert at Globe Life Field in Arlington, joined by Cole Swindell, LOCASH, and RaeLynn.

AT&T Performing Arts Center presents Napoleon Dynamite Live!
The 20th anniversary of the beloved indie classic Napoleon Dynamite will be celebrated at this special event. The evening includes a full screening of the film followed by a moderated discussion with fan-favorite cast members Jon Heder (Napoleon Dynamite), Efren Ramirez (Pedro), and Jon Gries (Uncle Rico). The event takes place at Majestic Theatre.

Sunday, September 15

Avatar: The Last Airbender in concert
At this special concert, a live orchestra will bring Avatar: The Last Airbender’s musical score to life, in harmony with highlights and favorite moments from the series. Asian instruments like taiko and erhu will share the spotlight with violins and clarinets while the series' scenes play out on screen. There will be two performances on Sunday at Majestic Theatre.

Photo courtesy of Texas Ballet Theater

Texas Ballet Theater presents Cinderella at Winspear Opera House, September 13-15.

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Movie Review

Chris Pratt plays one man against the AI machine in thriller Mercy

Photo courtesy Amazon Content Services

Chris Pratt in Mercy.

It seems like every other movie set in modern times being released these days includes either a reference to or a plot revolving around artificial intelligence. In the real world, the benefits of the technology compete with its downsides, but when it comes to movies A.I. is almost always seen as a threat, including in the new film Mercy.

The audience is thrown headlong into the slightly futuristic story involving LAPD Detective Chris Raven (Chris Pratt), who finds himself strapped in a chair in a sparse room, being told that he is on trial for killing his wife. Turns out he’s in a court dubbed “Mercy,” which is overseen by an AI judge named Maddox (Rebecca Ferguson). By the rules of the court, Raven has 90 minutes to provide reasonable doubt of his guilt, or he will be executed on the spot.

Raven is in a multi-pronged quandary: Not only does he believe he’s innocent despite a trove of evidence pointing to his guilt, but he’s also the poster boy for the law enforcement side of the equation, having arrested the first man who went to Mercy. Anger and disbelief for Raven turn into acceptance, which then turns into him tapping into his detective skills, scrutinizing every shred of evidence the court provides him in a desperate attempt to save his own life.

Directed by Timur Bekmambetov and written by Marco van Belle, the film is a relatively propulsive thriller despite having a so-so story and even worse acting. The film is told in real time (with a few fudges here and there), so the concept alone of a man trying to prove his innocence in a short amount of time provides good intrigue. Bekmambetov’s use of digital elements as Raven scrolls through files or calls potentially exculpatory witnesses like his partner, Jaq Diallo (Kali Reis), keeps the film visually interesting.

On the other hand, the swift viewing of videos and documents by Raven, not to mention the high degree of cooperation by Judge Maddox, opens up more than a few plot holes. The filmmakers try to explain away a few leaps in logic by having Raven falling off the sobriety wagon the night before, but they can only use that excuse for so long. They also have the AI judge experience technical glitches along the way, errors that seem to point toward a wider conspiracy until they’re completely forgotten.

More than anything, it’s difficult to get over the wooden acting of Pratt and the misuse of other usually reliable actors. Pratt has no real presence, especially when he’s confined to a chair, so any emotion he tries to conjure up comes off as contrived. Ferguson is done no favors by a role that shows only her upper body and has her alternating between robotic and oddly sympathetic. Reis earned an Emmy nomination for True Detective: Night Country, but has little to do here, a fate that also takes out Chris Sullivan as Raven’s AA sponsor.

If you’re okay with turning off your brain for a little while, Mercy can be an enjoyable watch. But if you find yourself scrutinizing why characters make the odd decisions they do, or the wishy-washy way the film approaches AI in general, then you’re likely to find the whole thing lacking.

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Mercy is now playing in theaters.

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