Hold Onto Your Cowboy Hats

Cirque du Soleil's new country show line-dances into the State Fair of Texas

The beloved tradition is back: For the first time since 2013, Broadway Dallas is presenting a show during the State Fair of Texas.

It's a new Cirque du Soleil creation called Songblazers, which celebrates the pioneering spirit of country music’s trailblazers in partnership with Universal Music Group Nashville. Songblazers runs through the end of the Fair, October 20, and each show ticket purchased comes with free same-day admission to the State Fair of Texas.

This collaboration means that some of country's most recognizable songs — think "Crazy," "King of the Road," "Achy Breaky Heart," and "All My Exes Live in Texas" — are the live soundtrack to Cirque du Soleil's jaw-dropping athletics and acrobatics.

Cirque du Soleil Songblazers This scene is performed to "Man! I Feel Like a Woman!"Photo courtesy of Cirque du Soleil

The story follows Dusty, a young songwriter disheartened by a poor performance at a local carnival's talent show. He sets off on a quest to reignite his passion and find his voice, meeting his future songwriter partner, Wyatt, along the way.

Amidst campfire sing-a-longs, barn dances, and bar fights, the audience is taken on an emotional train ride through the heartlands of the American West, meeting a variety of unforgettable characters and muses, each embodying the spirit of country.

Outlaws, ranch girls, brakemen, and conductors all guide Dusty and Wyatt, offering lessons in life, love, and the relentless pursuit of dreams. Together, they navigate the highs and lows of the musical artist’s journey, sharing moments of triumph, despair, friendship, and rivalry.

Here's a sneak peek of the show:

There are also lots of fun facts about Songblazers, such as:

Country’s roots are deeply intertwined with African American musical traditions, as early country music blended blues, gospel, and spirituals. The African banjo — the "banjar" — and the European fiddle both contributed to the birth of country music and its unique sound. Throughout the show, the two main characters play both instruments.
Sam Williams, son of legendary country artist Hank Williams Jr. and grandson of Hank Williams Sr., has written an original song for the show, along with fellow songwriters PJ Harding and Ned Houston. It's called "Carnival Heart."
The Country Music Hall of Fame was established in 1961. One of its first inductees was Hank Williams, whose song "I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry" features in Songblazers.
As well as directing shows for many of the world’s most renowned musical artists, Songblazers director Amy Tinkham has also conceptualized numerous performances for the Country Music Awards.
Songblazers' costume designer Zerina Akers has dressed famous celebrities such as Megan Thee Stallion, Chloe, and Halle Bailey, as well as collaborating with Beyonce as her personal stylist for more than a decade.
More musicians and vocalists appear in Songblazers than in any other Cirque du Soleil show, with 13 musical artists in the cast.
Overall, Songblazers stars 29 artists and 21 crew members from 13 countries, communicating in over 10 languages.

Cirque du Soleil Songblazers A little country and a lot international.Photo courtesy of Cirque du Soleil

Photo courtesy of Cirque du Soleil

This bar serves more than just beer.

Every Songblazers ticket purchased comes with free same-day admission to the State Fair of Texas. The show is 95 minutes long and suitable for all ages. Purchase tickets here.

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Movie Review

Campy horror film sequel M3GAN 2.0 is a prime summer release

Photo by Geoffrey Short/Universal Pictures

M3GAN in M3GAN 2.0.

When a studio releases a movie in January (aka Dumpuary), the general rule of thumb is that they’re trying to get rid of a movie that isn’t very good. Of course, there are exceptions to every rule, as M3GAN was in 2023, which rode the comedy of a killer AI robot who likes to dance to over $180 million worldwide.

A sequel was a given, and now with a built-in fanbase, M3GAN 2.0is a prime summer release. After running into trouble with her robot invention, Gemma (Allison Williams) has seemingly seen the error of her ways, now focused on creating things like a mechanical exoskeleton that can benefit society. Little does she know that the code she used to create M3GAN (aka Model 3 Generative Android) has been co-opted to create AMELIA (Ivanna Sakhno), a new robot which is being used for nefarious purposes.

Naturally, the only thing to do is to bring M3GAN (played by Amie Donald, voiced by Jenna Davis) back from the “dead,” which is easy to do because - surprise! - she has been lurking inside the smart house in which Gemma and her niece Cady (Violet McGraw) now live. The inevitable showdown between the two robots is alternately helped and hindered by people like billionaire Alton Appleton (Jemaine Clement), fellow tech entrepreneur Christian (Aristotle Athari), co-worker Cole (Brian Jordan Alvarez), and others.

Written and directed by Gerard Johnstone, who also directed the first film, M3GAN 2.0 doesn’t stray from the original formula, delivering way more laughs than scares. Because there’s a familiarity with the character, Johnstone leans into the campy side of things, essentially winking at the audience for much of the film. Whether it’s temporarily imprisoning M3GAN in an innocuous desktop robot or a number of one-liners, there is a lot of comedy to be found.

The film is a type of horror, though, and it delivers in the mild, PG-13 way that won’t offend non-horror fans. AMELIA (aka Autonomous Military Engagement Logistics and Infiltration Android) gives off Terminator vibes, and she lays waste to virtually all challengers. M3GAN doesn’t get to show off her skills as much as she did last time, which might be a tad frustrating for some, but she gets in enough punches and kicks for the experience to be worth it.

The story itself starts off strong before devolving into an overly complicated mess. The arc of AMELIA is particularly strange, as the strength of her powers and the level of her autonomy seem to change at will in the second half of the film. Gemma develops a rivalry with another character that might have worked better if it had been hinted at early in the film instead of being dropped in as a surprise.

Davis’ voice performance as M3GAN is once again fantastic, as she delivers sarcasm and menace equally well. Sakhno isn’t asked to do much but look terrifying, and she accomplishes that job. Williams is up and down in her role, stronger in the moments when she’s not being asked to prove her tech bona fides. Clement is his usual over-the-top self, which suits his character.

As with the first film, if you go into M3GAN 2.0 not expecting anything more than some goofy violent robot action, you’ll walk away satisfied. The unlikely breakout hit for Blumhouse Productions may not be able to support a good story, but it entertains in the way it’s supposed to do.

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M3GAN 2.0 is now playing in theaters.

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