Weekend event planner

These are the 11 best things to do in Dallas this weekend

Lizzo will play at American Airlines Center on October 29.

Photo courtesy of Lizzo

This weekend in and around Dallas can almost be split in two. Thursday and early Friday belongs to local arts groups, with the start of three theater productions, one opera, and a symphony concert. But late Friday and Saturday brings in the big guns from both the music and comedy world who will fill up the area's major venues.

Below are the best ways to spend your precious free time this weekend. Want more options? Lucky for you, we have a much longer list of the city's best events.

Thursday, October 27

Lyric Stage presents The Rocky Horror Show
Lyric Stage will celebrate Halloween with the cult classic The Rocky Horror Show. It tells the story of the newly engaged Brad & Janet, who get caught in a storm and find themselves seeking shelter at the eerie mansion of mad scientist, Dr. Frank-N-Furter, where they meet a houseful of wild characters, including a rocking biker, a creepy butler, and a Frankenstein-style muscle man named Rocky. The production runs through Sunday at Majestic Theatre.

Teatro Dallas presents Ashes of Light
Teatro Dallas will present the regional and English premiere of Ashes of Light. After a self-imposed five-year absence, a young man returns home to attend his father's funeral. Over the course of two evenings, mother and son, two estranged generations of Dominicans living in the Upper West Side of Manhattan, attempt to rekindle the love and appreciation for each other and their roots. The production runs through November 12 at Latino Cultural Center.

Ochre House Theater and Dallas Flamenco Festival present Señor Barber
Ochre House Theater and the 2022 Dallas Flamenco Festival will collaborate together for Señor Barber, the captivating tale of two brothers - one a hermit and the other a cobbler - who stand on the precipice as the Devil promises each brother love and fame. Dance, song, and spectacle round out an evening of celebrating Flamenco. The production runs through November 5 at Ochre House Theater.

Friday, October 28

The Dallas Opera presents Hansel and Gretel
The Dallas Opera's second production of its 2022-23 season is an operatic take on a classic fairy tale. Hansel and Gretel head into the forest in search of food - but they almost end up as tasty treats themselves when they start nibbling on the deliciously edible house of a very nasty witch. Music Director Emmanuel Villaume conducts this production from LA Opera, which is sung in English with English supertitles. The production will have four performances through November 5 at Winspear Opera House.

Dallas Symphony Orchestra presents Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets In Concert
Cars fly, trees fight back, and monsters are on the loose in Harry Potter’s second year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. This concert features Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets in high-definition, on a giant screen, while the Dallas Symphony Orchestra performs John Williams’ unforgettable score. There will be three performances through Sunday at Meyerson Symphony Center.

Tauren Wells in concert
Singer Tauren Wells, currently based in Houston, is a rising star in contemporary Christian Music genre. He's released three albums in the past five years, including the new Joy in the Morning, each of which have made the top 5 on Billboard Christian charts. He's also scored collaborations with a variety of big names, including Rascal Flatts, H.E.R., and Kirk Franklin. He'll perform at Texas Trust CU Theatre at Grand Prairie.

TITAS/Dance Unbound presents Nrityagram Ensemble
Nrityagram Ensemble, in collaboration with The Chitrasena Dance Company, is a partnership that celebrates centuries of rich Indian and Sri Lankan cultures. Though steeped in, and dedicated to ancient practices, these artists are committed to carrying Indian and Sri Lankan dance into the 21st century. There will performances on Friday and Saturday at Moody Performance Hall.

Lizzo in concert
The last time Lizzo came to town in 2019, she had just started to make it big after years of striving, and the small venue she played was not indicative of her talent. That won't be the case this time, as Lizzo is now a full-blown superstar. Her new album, Special, is even bigger than her previous one, already yielding the No. 1 song "About Damn Time." She was also both the host and musical guest on Saturday Night Live this past April, a relatively rare honor reserved for only the biggest performers. She'll play at American Airlines Center.

Maren Morris in concert
Country singer Maren Morris is an Arlington native who started her career by playing clubs throughout Dallas-Fort Worth. But she didn't taste true success until she moved to Nashville, scoring with the 2016 album, Hero, and the hit song "My Church." She's gone her own way in her career, crossing over to pop on occasion and standing up for trans rights and other causes. She'll play at The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory in support of her new album, Humble Quest.

Saturday, October 29

The Misfits in concert
Punk rock band The Misfits only lasted a short time in their original incarnation, but the music they made influenced bands ranging from Metallica to Green Day to My Chemical Romance. The band, which features singer Glenn Danzig, bassist Jerry Only, and guitarist Doyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein, feuded through the years, but since 2016 they've been back together as The Original Misfits. They'll play their only headlining show of 2022 at Dos Equis Pavilion, with Alice Cooper as special guest.

Ron White in concert
Comedian Ron "Tater Salad" White, who first rose to fame as the cigar-smoking, scotch-drinking funnyman from the Blue Collar Comedy Tour phenomenon, has long since established himself as a star in his own right. Over the past 20 years, White has been one of the top-grossing stand up comedians on tour in the country. He'll perform two shows on Saturday at The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory in Irving.

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Movie Review

New movie Being Heumann spotlights rousing fight for disability rights

Photo courtesy of Apple TV

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The presence of building ramps, curb ramps, wheelchair-accessible stalls, accessible parking spaces, and more accommodations for people with disabilities is now so ubiquitous in the United States that it’s hard to remember a time without them. But as the new film Being Heumann ably demonstrates, the fight to get those things was as difficult as any civil rights battle.

The film focuses on a specific period of time in 1977 when disability rights activist Judy Heumann (Ruth Madeley) led a movement to try to get U.S. Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare (HEW) Joseph Califano (Mark Ruffalo) to sign Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. After years of no progress under Presidents Nixon, Ford, and Carter, Heumann and her group of other disabled people and allies decide to stage a sit-in at the HEW offices in San Francisco.

What begins as a temporary event turns into a prolonged ordeal, with Califano initially unmoved and the protesters unwilling to leave the building. The strong-willed Heumann, helped by fellow leaders like Kitty Cone (Madeline Delp) and TV reporter Evan White (Dylan O’Brien), not only puts pressure on Califano and other HEW staffers, but also members of her own group, some of whom are unable or unwilling to stay as long as she wants.

Directed by Sian Heder (CODA) and written by Heder and Rebekah Taussig, the film features a rousing story made all the more effective by the presence of actual disabled people. In addition to people in wheelchairs like Madeley and Delp, the cast features people who are blind, deaf, are short-statured, and more. Some of the cast members are professional actors, some aren’t, but they all bring a realism that enhances the story.

Heder and her team underscore the importance of the story by taking their time telling it. That doesn’t just mean giving Madeley and others extra scenes to demonstrate their skills, although the 127-minute film provides plenty of time for that. More pointedly, Heder allows the disabled people to take however long they need to do something, like trying to navigate inaccessible stairways or using a pointer to spell out words. The respect this approach shows the actors brings extra heft to the story they’re trying to tell.

There are multiple moments in the film where audience members may scoff at what’s happening to the disabled people, most notably when they are met with derision by government officials and even regular passers-by. Heder occasionally overplays her hand by either showing Califano as being overly callous or White being supremely helpful, but she mostly plays things straight, allowing the difficulties the protestors face speak for themselves.

Madeley, a veteran actor with over 30 credits to her name, puts in an award-worthy performance. While the reality of her disabled body plays a part in her role, it’s mostly the fieriness and determination that she shows that make it stellar. Others like Delp, Antwan Tolliver, Rio Finnegan, and more prove crucial in supporting roles. Known actors like Ruffalo, O’Brien, and Rob Delaney are fine, but secondary to the main group.

Being Heumann is a great way to honor the legacy of Heumann, who passed away in 2023. There is still work to be done to ensure disabled people are given access and respect in the U.S., but the events in the film show that people like Heumann and the groups they lead have power when they choose to fight.

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Being Heumann is now playing in select theaters and streaming on Apple TV.

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