Weekend Event Planner

Lights fest electrifies the 11 top things to do in Dallas this weekend

The weekend before Christmas in and around Dallas will be full of - surprise! - lots of holiday-themed events. They include a new lights exhibition, a theater production, three concerts, a magic show, a classic movie backed by a symphony, and a dance production. On the non-holiday front will be a favorite modern musical, a rising comedian, and a theater production about a rock & roll hall of famer.

Below are the best ways to spend your free time this weekend. Want more options? Lucky for you, we have a much longer list of the city's best events. For lists of Dallas' best Christmas lights, go here and here.

Thursday, December 19

Lektrik: A Festival of Lights
Visitors can step into a vibrant world of enchantment at Lektrik: A Festival of Lights. The illuminated trail brings a blend of botanical beauty, ancient civilizations, and fairy-tale magic to life with over 100 light sculptures crafted by 150 skilled artisans using 120 tons of steel and 150,000 feet of silk. Guests can discover a kaleidoscope of interactive photo ops, live performances, food, and more at the exhibition, taking place at Texas Discovery Gardens at Fair Park through March 23, 2025.

The Eisemann Center presents Christmas with C.S. Lewis
Christmas with C.S. Lewis finds the famous author at his home near Oxford on Christmas Eve hosting a group of Americans who are Christmassing in England. They are about to experience an assortment of Yuletide recollections which stimulates a whole range of emotions – curiosity, laughter, gladness, and even some tears. Above all, they will discover how an encounter with J.R.R. Tolkien forever changed Lewis' Christmas celebrations. The production will have five performances through Sunday at Eisemann Center for Performing Arts in Richardson.

Michael Martin Murphey’s Cowboy Christmas
Michael Martin Murphey's Cowboy Christmas is a blend of music and multimedia production, encompassing his numerous best-selling Christmas albums, alongside his beloved country and pop hits. Murphey, the members of the Rio Grande Band, and the Rocky Mountain Vintage Dancers will provide a "Christmas Cowboy-Style" experience. The concert takes place at Texas Trust CU Theatre in Grand Prairie.

The Illusionists: Magic of the Holidays
The Illusionists: Magic of the Holidays will celebrate the holidays with a spectacle featuring the talents of some of the best illusionists on Earth. The show, taking place for one night only at Majestic Theatre, includes performances by Chris Cox, Hyunjoon Kim, Pablo Canovas, Steve Valentine, and Kevin James.

Broadway at the Center presents Dear Evan Hansen
Dear Evan Hansen is the first contemporary musical about connection in the digital age. Evan Hansen is a high school student who always feels like he’s on the outside looking in. After writing a letter to himself that was never meant to be seen, Evan becomes entangled in a lie that was never meant to be told and a life he never dreamt could be his. As a result, Evan finally gets what so many of us are searching for - the chance to finally fit in. The production will have four performances through Saturday at Winspear Opera House.

Friday, December 20

Dallas Symphony Orchestra presents Elf in Concert
In Elf, Buddy is accidentally transported to the North Pole as a toddler and raised to adulthood among Santa’s elves. Unable to shake the feeling that he doesn’t fit in, the adult Buddy travels to New York, in full elf uniform, in search of his real father. Audiences can relive this heartwarming holiday classic on a giant screen as every note of John Debney’s score is played live to picture by the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. There will be three performances through Sunday at Meyerson Symphony Center.

Improv Addison presents Joel Kim Booster
Joel Kim Booster is an LA-based comedian and writer who co-hosted Quibi’s Singled Out remake alongside Keke Palmer and starred as Jun Ho in NBC’s Sunnyside. More recently he wrote and starred in the film Fire Island, and co-starred on the Apple TV+ comedy, Loot. His stand-up has been featured on The Late Late Show with James Corden, Conan, Netflix, Comedy Central and more. He'll perform four times through Saturday at Improv Addison.

Ballet North Texas presents The Nutcracker
In Ballet North Texas' annual production of The Nutcracker, audiences can embark on a journey through the dazzling Land of Snow to the radiant and jubilant Kingdom of Sweets alongside Clara, Drosselmeyer, and the Prince. Audiences will witness their reunion with the Sugar Plum Fairy amidst the clouds, where true magic unfolds. There will be five performances through Sunday at Moody Performance Hall.

Saturday, December 21

Super Bad Theater Company presents Tutti Frutti: The Life and Music of Little Richard
Tutti Frutti is a full length stage production that tells the story of The Architect of Rock and Roll, Richard Wayne Penniman, better known to the world as Little Richard. A writer is given the daunting task of interviewing Little Richard for the inaugural Rock and Roll Hall of Fame class story. Albeit reluctant of taking an assignment for "a non well-known artist," Scott finds himself in a whirlwind of information and true rock and roll history. There will be two performances on Saturday at Kalita Humphreys Theater.

The Polyphonic Spree 21st Annual Holiday Extravaganza
The annual Holiday Extravaganza from the Polyphonic Spree is an evening of high energy and festive fun with the local choral rock band featuring holiday tunes and special guests. Mrs. Mistletoe will be face painting for the kids, Mr. Evergreen will be doing balloon animals, and Vixen the reindeer will make a stop with Santa's sleigh for photos out front with Mr. & Mrs. Claus. Guests are encouraged to bring a canned good to benefit the North Texas Food Bank as well as a new unwrapped toy for Toys For Tots. The event takes place at Majestic Theatre.

Sunday, December 22

Pentatonix in concert
Arlington's own Pentatonix got their big break when they won the third season of NBC's The Sing-Off in 2011. Since then, the a cappella group has gone on to release five regular albums and six Christmas albums, including Holidays Around the World in 2022. You can expect the full spectrum of those Christmas albums during this concert at American Airlines Center, which is part of their biggest Christmas tour yet, Pentatonix: Hallelujah! It's A Christmas Tour.

Photo courtesy of Fever

Lektrik: A Festival of Lights will be on display at Texas Discovery Gardens at Fair Park through March 23, 2025.

theater holidays music concerts exhibitions-visual-arts symphony movies kids families comedy dance event-planner

Movie Review

Legendary filmmaker makes tepid return with meandering film Ella McCay

Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios

Emma Mackey in Ella McCay.

The impact that writer/director/producer James L. Brooks has made on Hollywood cannot be understated. The 85-year-old created The Mary Tyler Moore Show, personally won three Oscars for Terms of Endearment, and was one of the driving forces behind The Simpsons, among many other credits. Now, 15 years after his last movie, he’s back in the directing chair with Ella McCay.

The similarly-named Emma Mackey plays Ella, a 34-year-old lieutenant governor of an unnamed state in 2008 who’s on the verge of becoming governor when Governor Bill (Albert Brooks) gets picked to be a member of the president’s Cabinet. What should be a happy time is sullied by her needy husband, Ryan (Jack Lowden), her agoraphobic brother, Casey (Spike Fearn), and her perpetually-cheating father, Eddie (Woody Harrelson).

Despite the trio of men competing to bring her down, Ella remains an unapologetic optimist, an attitude bolstered by her aunt Helen (Jamie Lee Curtis), her assistant Estelle (Julie Kavner), and her police escort, Trooper Nash (Kumail Nanjiani). The film follows her over a few days as she navigates the perils of governing, the distractions her family brings, and the expectations being thrust upon her by many different people.

Brooks, who wrote and directed the film, is all over the place with his storytelling. What at first seems to be a straightforward story about Ella and her various issues soon starts meandering into areas that, while related to Ella, don’t make the film better. Prime among them are her brother and father, who are given a relatively small amount of screentime in comparison to the importance they have in her life. This is compounded by a confounding subplot in which Casey tries to win back his girlfriend, Susan (Ayo Edebiri).

Then there’s the whole political side of the story, which never finds its focus and is stuck in the past. Though it’s never stated explicitly, Ella and Governor Bill appear to be Democrats, especially given a signature program Ella pushes to help mothers in need. But if Brooks was trying to provide an antidote to the current real world politics, he doesn’t succeed, as Ella’s full goals are never clear. He also inexplicably shows her boring her fellow lawmakers to tears, a strange trait to give the person for whom the audience is supposed to be rooting.

What saves the movie from being an all-out train wreck is the performances of Mackey and Curtis. Mackey, best known for the Netflix show Sex Education, has an assured confidence to her that keeps the character interesting and likable even when the story goes downhill. Curtis, who has tended to go over-the-top with her roles in recent years, tones it down, offering a warm place of comfort for Ella to turn to when she needs it. The two complement each other very well and are the best parts of the movie by far.

Brooks puts much more effort into his female actors, including Kavner, who, even though she serves as an unnecessary narrator, gets most of the best laugh lines in the film. Harrelson is capable of playing a great cad, but his character here isn’t fleshed out enough. Fearn is super annoying in his role, and Lowden isn’t much better, although that could be mostly due to what his character is called to do. Were it not for the always-great Brooks and Nanjiani, the movie might be devoid of good male performances.

Brooks has made many great TV shows and movies in his 60+ year career, but Ella McCay is a far cry from his best. The only positive that comes out of it is the boosting of Mackey, who proves herself capable of not only leading a film, but also elevating one that would otherwise be a slog to get through.

---

Ella McCay opens in theaters on December 12.

movies film