Event planner
Jekyll & Hyde and Dallas Black Dance Theatre top the best events in Dallas thisweekend
Deborah Cox and Constantine Maroulis star in Jekyll & Hyde, playing at WinspearOpera House through December 15Photo by © Chris Bennion
Katricia Eaglin of Dallas Black Dance Theatre, which performs its Winter SeriesDecember 7-9.Photo by Jaime Truman
The Dallas Symphony Orchestra has dual Christmas parties on Saturday.Photo by Robert Bostick
Whether you're feeling charitable, secular or religious, there's a holiday event in Dallas for you this weekend. And, in the spirit of giving, if you need a palate cleanser from holly jolly fun, there are a couple of choices that fit the decidedly unseasonal bill.
Below are your best options for your precious free time 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, December 6
2012 DFW Jingle Mingle
Marketing and communications professionals from around Dallas-Fort Worth descend on Gilley's Dallas to celebrate the season and raise money for a good cause. The evening's beneficiary is the DREAM Fund, which helps out people from those industries who've fallen on hard times.
AT&T Performing Arts Center presents Jekyll & Hyde
Dallas is one in a series of 25 cities that gets to see this musical revival before it officially heads to Broadway next spring. Former American Idol contestant and Tony nominee Constantine Maroulis tackles the lead role of the two-faced doctor, while Deborah Cox, a Canadian pop singer, plays his love interest. The production runs at the Winspear Opera House through December 16.
Friday, December 7
The Story: A Christmas Spectacular
American Airlines Center will be full of religious fervor Friday night when The Story hits town. Christian artists such as Mark Hall, Jeremy Camp, Natalie Grant, Matthew West, Nichole Nordeman, Selah and Rawsrvnt will sing some of your favorite Christmas carols and tell the story of Jesus through song.
Level Ground Arts presents Santa Claus vs. the Martians
This isn't the typical holiday show, but then Level Ground Arts has always been known for acting outside the box. Based on a B-movie cult classic, Santa Claus vs. the Martians is about two children — and Santa — trying to save Christmas from those dastardly Martians.
Saturday, December 8
Dallas Symphony Orchestra concerts
The Dallas Symphony Orchestra is busy from dusk till dawn on Saturday, putting on a DSO Family Christmas in the morning and starting the Christmas Celebration series that night at Meyerson Symphony Center. The first event is a little looser, with lots of holiday activities in the lobby; the evening event is a full-on holiday concert themed to It's a Wonderful Life. Christmas Celebration plays every Friday through Sunday until December 23.
Janis Ian in concert
If the name Janis Ian doesn't ring a bell, it should. She's been a prolific singer-songwriter since the 1960s, and her 1975 hit "At Seventeen" is a folk classic. She plays two shows in Hamon Hall at the Winspear Opera House.
Sunday, December 9
Dallas Black Dance Theatre presents Winter Series
Although Dallas Black Dance Theatre has been pretty active this fall, the Winter Series — running Friday through Sunday at Wyly Theatre — is the official start to the company's 2012-2013 season. The performance features a commissioned work from Rennie Harris Puremovement, a national hip hop artist, as well as a solo piece scored to the music of Duke Ellington.
Bruce Robison and Kelly Willis in concert
Bruce Robison and Kelly Willis make great music together — professionally and personally. The couple has been married since 1996, and their annual Christmas show is a popular attraction. In fact, this show at McDavid Studio inside Bass Performance Hall in Fort Worth has been sold out for some time. Pull of a Christmas miracle and snag tickets for their stop in Dallas next week at the Wyly Theatre while they are still available.
