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 The Polyphonic Spree

The Polyphonic Spree's 21st Annual Holiday Extravaganza takes place at Majestic Theatre on December 21.

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Movie Review

Podcaster lets creepy noises get under her skin in Undertone

Photo courtsy of A24

Nina Kiri in Undertone.

While the horror genre is still capable of producing some innovative filmmaking, most of the output tends to fall back on jump scares and other tropes to deliver their terror. So when a film like the new Undertone tries something different, it should be applauded for the effort, even if it’s not as successful in its execution.

Evy (Nina Kiri) is a podcaster who co-hosts a show called Undertone, which focuses on paranormal videos and sounds they find on the internet. Her co-host, Justin (Adam DiMarco), lives in London, so - for kind of contrived reasons - in order to make the time difference between them work, Evy records at around 3 am her time. Evy - who lives at home with her bedridden, dying mother - is the skeptic of the two, consistently debunking clips that Justin presents to her.

Her doubts are tested when Justin brings in a series of 10 audio clips that purport to be about a boyfriend recording his girlfriend as she talks in her sleep. The audio begins in a lighthearted manner and quickly turns creepy and then sinister as unexplained things start happening. Evy senses that what she’s hearing is bleeding into her own world, especially when inexplicable actions take place in her mother’s bedroom.

Written and directed by first-time feature filmmaker Ian Tuason, the film is effective early on when it introduces the story concept. Making great use of sound design, Tuason essentially puts the audience inside Evy’s head, where every little sound is heightened. Setting the podcast sessions in the middle of the night ups the anxiety level for both her and the audience.

However, as the film goes along it gets a little tedious watching Evy listen to the audio, even as Tuason attempts to keep the film dynamic by moving the camera around her. The premise of the story - progressively going through 10 clips - and Tuason’s framing of shots that focus as much on the background as they do on Evy seem to promise more interesting results than actually transpire.

What ultimately holds the film down more than anything is its lack of different viewpoints. The only other person who’s actually seen is Evy’s mother, who is unable to speak. Evy speaks to Justin, another friend, and a doctor over the course of the story, and while each broadens our understanding of Evy somewhat, none of them make her a truly three-dimensional person. Getting a little more information about her history might have helped the story work better.

Kiri does her level best to vary her acting in the various podcast scenes, and even when they start to get repetitive, she remains compelling and watchable. It’s difficult to judge the other actors based on audio alone, but knowing that DiMarco also starred in season 2 of The White Lotus helps to visualize him and his acting style.

Undertone does well in creating a spine-chilling mood, but it needed something beyond that to become a truly great horror movie. Tuason shows some promise as a filmmaker, especially in the way he uses the camera to create tension, but a more complete story will serve him better the next time around.

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Undertone is now playing in theaters,

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