Event planner

Daughtry and Jack Hanna top the best events in Dallas this weekend

There are some weekends in Dallas-Fort Worth that you can let wash over you, grabbing an event here or there, knowing that good ones will just keep on coming. Not so this weekend, which is more front-loaded than most.

Below are the best options for your precious free time Thursday through Sunday, and that doesn't even include cool stuff we've already previewed, including Craig Gass at Winspear Opera House or the Hypnotic Donut Dash at Fair Park. Don't like what you see? Lucky for you, we have a much longer list of the city's best events.

Thursday, January 24

Lyric Stage presents Pleasures & Palaces
Although musicals abound on the calendars of Dallas-Fort Worth's many theater groups, no company is more committed to the art of theatrical singing than Lyric Stage. The group's latest find is this little-known musical from composer Frank Loesser, who's best known for Guys and Dolls. This one takes a lighthearted look at historical political intrigue and romantic entanglements involving John Paul Jones and Catherine the Great. You have to act quickly, though — it only plays at Irving Arts Center through Sunday.

Mike Dillon and Earl Harvin in concert
The Kessler has played host to some wild and wooly concerts through the years, and the teaming of Mike Dillon and Earl Harvin is sure to rank highly on that particular list. They played a memorable set at the Kessler a couple of years ago, and because they've shown a willingness to tackle all manner of styles and genres, it'd be surprising if this performance wasn't equally as impressive.

Friday, January 25

ZestFest 2013
If you have a weak heart and/or stomach, you might want to steer clear of the Irving Convention Center this weekend. For those who like their food spicy, however, ZestFest could just be heaven on earth. The convention, going on Friday-Sunday, features every type of hot food imaginable — and probably some you can't imagine. Expect eating competitions, cooking demonstrations and much more.

Zappa plays Zappa in concert
No, this isn't some sort of weird self-reflective concert. This is Dweezil Zappa, son of the late great Frank Zappa, paying homage to his father with possibly the world's only tribute band to include progeny of the original. As such, this concert at the House of Blues Dallas is bound to have the eccentric feel of any good Zappa show, possibly including an appearance by Frank via video screen.

Daughtry in concert with 3 Doors Down and Aranda
For a fourth-place finisher on American Idol, Chris Daughtry sure has made the most of his opportunity. He's one of only a handful of contestants to become an unqualified success after the show, racking up multiple No. 1 songs and albums. Considering his band is headlining a show at Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie seven years after his appearance on AI, it's safe to say he's not going anywhere anytime soon.

Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra presents Oz with Orchestra
The Wizard of Oz never went out of style. But it's particularly hot around these parts this year, with The Great and Powerful Oz opening in theaters in March and Wicked once again coming to Dallas in April. The Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra pays tribute to the original with a trio of concerts, one each Friday-Sunday at Bass Performance Hall, where the orchestra performs music live while the movie plays out on screens behind them.

Saturday, January 26

House of Blues Dallas presents Jack Hanna
If you want to get up close and personal with wild animals, you'd normally go to zoos in Dallas or Fort Worth. But the House of Blues Dallas is offering the unique opportunity to not only see a variety of creatures in an enclosed space, but also to have Jack Hanna, one of the world's foremost wildlife experts, explain their features and habits to you. Hanna puts on both an early and late show on Saturday.

Air Supply in concert
It's too bad that Air Supply couldn't have waited a few weeks to play in Dallas. Valentine's Day really is the perfect time of year to appreciate a group that seems to know love so well. For Pete's sake, the group's 2003 greatest hits album was called Forever Love. But manufactured holiday or not, when Air Supply plays songs like "All Out of Love" or "Making Love Out of Nothing at All" at Verizon Theatre in Grand Prairie, romance will be in the air.

Sunday, January 27

Enchantment Theatre Company presents The Velveteen Rabbit
The Velveteen Rabbit has been a cherished children's classic for more than 90 years thanks to its themes of love and devotion. Now the story comes to life on stage, with the help of life-size puppets, masks and a little bit of theatrical magic. Enchantment Theatre Company puts on two separate performances at Winspear Opera House on Sunday.

Daughtry will play at Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie on Friday night.

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Daughtry will play at Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie on Friday night.

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Movie Review

Shaun the Sheep gets PG-spooky in new movie for the Halloween season

Photo courtesy of Aardman / Sky UK LTD / StudioCanal 2026

Shaun the Sheep in Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom.

Since his introduction over 30 years ago, the Aardman Animations character Shaun the Sheep has been almost as popular as the studio’s flagship characters, Wallace and Gromit. There is never a shortage of trouble Shaun can get into as he leads his flock and proves to be a thorn in the side of his farmer and Bitzer, the farmer’s loyal sheepdog.

His antics lead everyone down some slightly spooky roads in the new film, Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom. At first, things are only slightly awry as Shaun and the flock are growing a secret pumpkin patch to have their own jack-o-lanterns. But when the farmer accidentally destroys the pumpkin patch, Shaun tries to regrow it quickly with a Frankenstein-esque experiment.

However, disaster looms when Shaun uses an old bottle of Hair-Gro as the container for the serum he creates. Naturally, the balding farmer uses it on his head, and everyone soon discovers how truly successful it is, with pumpkins growing out of control and the farmer sprouting hair all over his body. Through a series of mishaps, the farmer becomes the titular beast, creating mayhem while Shaun and others try to stop him.

Directed by Steve Cox and Matthew Walker, and written by Mark Burton and Giles Pilbrow, the film goes down just as easy as every other Aardman project has. They get the Halloween vibes started from the opening credits, with things like the sheep doing the “Thriller” dance, and continue the fun throughout, referencing everything from Psycho to Friday the 13th in a nice, PG way.

With no script — every character is mute save for reaction noises — the movie relies on sight gags for its humor, and the Aardman team is endlessly inventive in that respect. Sometimes it’s small things like a sheep using toilet paper rolls as binoculars, and sometimes it’s something like forcing the Bigfoot-like farmer to be shaped into a rectangle as he escapes through a window. But there’s a never-ending stream of such moments, so even if one doesn’t tickle your funny bone, chances are the next one will.

The biggest benefit of the characters not talking is that there’s no need for deep character development. The filmmakers do a great job of giving the basic traits of each character, and then use those attributes to color everyone’s actions for the rest of the film. Shaun is the troublemaker, the farmer is a bumbling fool, Bitzer is preternaturally smart, and the town’s vet is empathetic, and the combination of those characters and others makes for a highly entertaining blend.

Like all Aardman creations, Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom is a fun lark that doesn’t make its audience think too hard. With just enough references to keep viewers engaged but not so many as to be overbearing, the film puts its well-worn characters to good use once again, delivering a Halloween season story that can be enjoyed by people of all ages.

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Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom is now playing in theaters.

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