Event planner

Bob Schneider, Olympic gymnasts and pole dancing: Can't-miss events in Dallasthis weekend

Leon Russell plays Annette Straus Square Thursday, October 4.
Leon Russell/Facebook
The Addams Family runs through October 21 at the Music Hall at Fair Park.
The Fab Five come to the American Airlines Center Saturday, October 6.
David Byrne and St. Vincent play McFarlin Auditorium Sunday, October 7.
David Byrne & St. Vincent/Facebook

If you're a fan of unique and interesting music, this weekend won't disappoint. Two high-profile concerts are on the docket — one featuring a local girl who's made it big; another headlined by a guy whose gigs can get a bit raucous.

Below are some of your best options for 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, October 4

Design District Market
The Dallas Design District is increasingly a place to see and be seen, something you can experience firsthand with this one-day festival. The district will shut down a one-block stretch of Cole Street, and the market will feature beer from a gaggle of local breweries, food served up by some of the area's best food trucks, and live music from the likes of Jaw and ZHORA.

Leon Russell in concert
Leon Russell is a legend in an industry where that term is used a bit too loosely. A member of both the Rock and Roll and Songwriter’s halls of fame, Russell has had his songs recorded by innumerable other artists, including the classic "A Song for You." That you'll be able to see Russell in the open, laidback atmosphere of Annette Strauss Square at the AT&T Performing Arts Center is sure to make the concert doubly memorable.

Friday, October 5

Dallas Summer Musicals presents The Addams Family
Okay, technically the national tour of this creepy and kooky family hit town on Tuesday, but this marks the first weekend date in the production's three-week run. The musical is not an awards winner like many others that have come to Dallas, but the Music Hall at Fair Park won't lack for entertainment as the family Addams must deal with daughter Wednesday going off the reservation and dating ... a normal boy. As a bonus, your ticket gives you free access to the State Fair of Texas. Not too shabby.

Bob Schneider in concert
Bob Schneider is an Austin-based musician whose shows give new meaning to the phrase "anything goes." Schneider is equally at home singing acoustic, somber songs as he is belting out raunchy rock tunes. And in between songs he's just as entertaining, telling stories and jokes that often can't be repeated in polite company. The intimate confines of The Kessler Theater provide the perfect setting for this kind of show, and, lucky for us, Schneider will put on not one but two performances.

Saturday, October 6

Miss Texas Pole Star Competition 2012 and Celebrity Pole Showcase
This competition to be Miss Texas Pole Star is actually the culmination of a two-day convention held in downtown Dallas to celebrate everything about the pole and aerial arts. Both amateurs and professionals alike will compete in the fourth annual event at the Lakewood Theater, which is more about demonstrating physical fitness than titillation.

Kellogg's Tour of Gymnastics Champions
The girls on display at the American Airlines Center will be a bit more chaste, if no less flexible, when Gabby Douglas, McKayla Moroney and your other favorite Olympic gymnasts show off their gold medal-winning routines. Although "The Fab Five" may get all the attention, the tour also includes members of the men's team, plus veteran gymnasts like 2008 champion — and local girl — Nastia Liukin.

Sunday, October 7

Dallas Opera presents Laura Claycomb in recital
Soprano Laura Claycomb is a Dallas original, even if she lives in Italy these days. She's back in town to regale opera lovers with a few of her favorite pieces, backed by pianist Keith Weber. As this is a recital and not a full-blown opera, it will take place in the Horchow Auditorium at the Dallas Museum of Art. But that doesn't mean normal opera-viewing rules don't apply: Keep the coughing to a minimum, and, for Pete's sake, unwrap your candy/gum/lozenges before the performance.

David Byrne and St. Vincent in concert
It's safe to say that Annie Clark, now known by the stage name St. Vincent, has long outgrown her Dallas roots. When someone like David Byrne wants to collaborate with you, you know you've hit a nice musical nerve. The duo released Love This Giant, their first album together, almost a month ago and have earned almost universal acclaim. Expect to hear most of the tracks from that album, along with a few surprises, at McFarlin Auditorium on the SMU campus.

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Movie Review

Daniel Craig searches for elusive new bond in audacious film Queer

Photo courtesy of A24

Drew Starkey and Daniel Craig in Queer.

As recently as the late 2010s, if a movie was made about an LGBTQ+ character, it was more than likely about their coming out experience. Romance, if it existed, was typically chaste, and actual sex was almost completely out of the question. Things have changed dramatically in the 2020s, to the point that a major movie star has no issue starring in a film called Queer.

Based on the 1985 novella by William S. Burroughs, the film features William Lee (Daniel Craig), whom everyone calls just Lee, a writer living in 1950s-era Mexico City who spends most of his time haunting local bars with friends like fellow writer Joe Guidry (Jason Schwartzman) and hitting on younger men. His early interactions in the film seem to indicate that Lee has a bad reputation within the local gay community, as multiple people avoid him or give him odd looks.

Lee senses an opportunity when he encounters a newcomer, Eugene Allerton (Drew Starkey). Despite some awkward interactions, the two of them start spending time together, although Lee has much more invested in the relationship than Eugene does. Their hit-and-miss bond continues until Lee, who’s starting to get into drugs in addition to the booze, convinces Eugene to accompany him on a trip to South America.

Directed by Luca Guadagnino and written by Justin Kuritzkes (making their second straight film together after Challengers), early on the film seems to be mostly about the divide between an older person who’s grown comfortable in his ways and a younger person who’s living a relatively carefree life. The introduction of drugs into the plot changes things, though, with Lee searching out more ways to open his eyes to what the world has to offer.

Guadagnino and his team use some interesting visual storytelling techniques to introduce ideas that may not be present in the actual script. The most successful, demonstrated in multiple scenes, is the superimposition of movements by Lee over what’s actually taking place in the scene. The subtle overlay gives the audience insight into Lee’s true feelings, showing what he can’t or won’t say out loud.

Music also plays a big part in how the plot is perceived, with the use of anachronistic songs from Nirvana and Prince serving to heighten certain moments. The score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross is not as in-your-face as the one they did for Challengers, but it complements the film well, especially when the plot starts to get trippy in its final half hour.

Craig, who appears sweaty and disheveled for much of the film, is about as far from the suaveness of James Bond as you can get in this role. He takes multiple risks with his performance and almost all of them pay off. Starkey’s character is subdued by comparison, but still comes off well. Schwartzman and Lesley Manville are given showy roles, with both using altered appearances that make them nearly unrecognizable to deliver memorable performances.

Queer is not as accessible as Challengers was storytelling-wise, but the fact that it tells a story about gay men living their lives as they see fit with no interference or questions shows how far the film world has come in a short period of time. It also continues Guadagnino’s streak of making audacious films in a way that few other filmmakers are willing or able to approach.

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Queer is now playing in theaters.

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