Weekend Event Planner

The 13 best events in Dallas this weekend go back to the future

There will be a number of big names entertaining audiences across Dallas this weekend on a few different fronts. Choices include a floral art exhibit, a circus, three well-known comedians, the national tour of a Broadway musical, a dinosaur exhibition, a unique theatrical experience, a local theater production, and four concerts, all from different genres.

Photo courtesy of Violent Femmes

Violent Femmes will play at the Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory in Irving on March 22.

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.

Thursday, March 20

NorthPark Center presents "Fleurs de Villes ARTISTE"
Visitors can experience the artistry of flowers in "Fleurs de Villes ARTISTE," a floral exhibition featuring one-of-a-kind fresh floral mannequins. Thoughtfully designed by a selection of North Texas florists, each one celebrates a vibrant arts and cultural institution in Dallas-Fort Worth. The exhibition, which will be on display through Sunday at NorthPark Center, will also feature a variety of special events, including a flower arranging class, a chance to meet the floral artists, and cultural performances.

Venardos Circus presents Far Beyond
Venardos Circus presents an all-new production, Far Beyond. The show will feature Ringmaster Julia Swann, the Reyes Brothers’ Juggling Perch Pole, contortion by Sno Bunta, slapstick comedian Sam Ferlo, Duo Dadiva’s aerial acrobatics, the Wicked Wheel of Wonder, and more. The circus will be at Red Tail Pavilion through March 30.

Tom Papa: Grateful Bread Tour
With more than 20 years as a stand-up comedian, Tom Papa is one of the top comedic voices in the country, finding success as an actor, host, and author, in film, TV, radio, and podcasts, as well as on the live stage. He is the host of the SiriusXM show, Come to Papa. He'll bring his Grateful Bread tour to Majestic Theatre.

Broadway Dallas presents Back to the Future the Musical
The beloved '80s movie Back to the Future is now a Broadway musical. When Marty McFly finds himself transported back to 1955 in a time machine built by the eccentric scientist Doc Brown, he accidentally changes the course of history. Now he’s in a race against time to fix the present, escape the past, and send himself … back to the future. The production, running through March 30 at the Music Hall at Fair Park, features original music alongside hit songs from the movie.

Friday, March 21

Jurassic Quest
Jurassic Quest is a dinosaur adventure for the whole family, featuring over 50 ultra-realistic, life-size animatronic dinosaurs. Visitors can interact with the huge creatures, learn about them, and even ride a few. There are also huge T-Rex and Triceratops fossil digs where young paleontologists can uncover long hidden dinosaurs bones, the “Dino Bounce” area with several dinosaur-themed inflatable mazes, face painting, dino crafts, and more. The event takes place through Sunday in Centennial Hall at Fair Park.

AT&T PAC & Realscape Productions present Darkfield: Séance, Flight, and Coma
Known for pushing the boundaries of sensory storytelling, Darkfield offers audiences a unique theatrical experience that blurs the line between reality and imagination. It features three experiences: Séance, Flight, and Coma, each staged within a custom-built shipping container. The pitch-black environments utilize 360-degree binaural sound and innovative sensory effects to create immersive worlds that challenge perceptions and evoke deep emotional responses. The event will be at Sammons Park outside of Winspear Opera House through June 22.

Art Centre Theatre presents The Whale
The Whale is best known as the Oscar-winning film by Darren Aronofsky, but it was originally a play by Samuel D. Hunter. On the outskirts of Mormon Country, Idaho, a 600-pound recluse hides away in his apartment and slowly eats himself to death. Desperate to reconnect with his long-estranged daughter, he reaches out to her, only to find a viciously sharp-tongued and wildly unhappy teen. Big-hearted and fiercely funny, The Whale tells the story of a man's last chance at redemption, and of finding beauty in the most unexpected places. The production runs through April 6 at Art Centre Theatre in Plano.

Anjelah Johnson-Reyes: The Family Reunion Tour
Known for her relatable storytelling and sharp comedic timing, Anjelah Johnson-Reyes has built a dedicated following through her stand-up specials and work in television and film. Her latest comedy special, Say I Won’t, premiered on YouTube, and she has released six comedy specials across various platforms. In addition to her stand-up career, Anjelah published her first memoir, Who Do I Think I Am?: Stories of Chola Wishes and Caviar Dreams, in 2022. She'll perform at The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory in Irving.

Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue in concert
Jazz music has been declared dead or dying by a variety of people over the years, but as long as there are talented people like Trombone Shorty keeping the tradition alive, the genre will survive. He has worked with some of the biggest names in music, and he and his band, Orleans Avenue, have released eight albums since 2002, most recently Lifted in 2022. They'll play at Majestic Theatre.

Saturday, March 22

Violent Femmes in concert
Violent Femmes has been a cult group since their debut in 1983. After disbanding in 2009, they came back together in 2013, going on to release their first album in 16 years. At this special show, they'll begin by playing their second album, Hallowed Ground, in full. Following a brief intermission, the band will retake the stage and play their debut record, Violent Femmes, as well as a few fan and band favorites to finish the show. The concert takes place at The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory in Irving.

Sunday, March 23

Papa Roach and Rise Against in concert
Rock bands Papa Roach and Rise Against come to Dallas as part of their co-headlining Rise of the Roach Tour. Papa Roach has released 11 albums in their career, most recently Ego Trip in 2022, while Rise Against has released nine albums in their career, most recently Nowhere Generation in 2021. Joined by opening act Underoath, they will play at American Airlines Center.

Bonnie Raitt in concert
Blues singer and guitarist Bonnie Raitt has been performing for over 50 years, although she didn't achieve breakthrough success until her 10th album, 1989's Nick of Time. It was her follow-up album, Luck of the Draw, which made her a superstar, thanks to hits like "Something to Talk About" and "I Can't Make You Love Me." She'll play at Winspear Opera House, joined by special guest Jon Cleary.

Wanda Sykes: Please & Thank You Tour
Comedian Wanda Sykes has been entertaining audiences for over 30 years as an Emmy-winning stand-up comic, writer, actress, and producer. In 2023, she received three Primetime Emmy nominations, including two for her Netflix special, Wanda Sykes: I'm an Entertainer (her sixth stand-up special) and one for her role as Gladys Murphy in Crank Yankers, a role she originated in 2004. She'll perform at Majestic Theatre.

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Movie Review

Lust eclipses romance in new adaptation of 'Wuthering Heights'

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

Jacob Elordi and Margot Robbie in Wuthering Heights.

Emily Brontë’s 1847 novel Wuthering Heights is one of those classic books assigned in high school English classes, and it has received a number of film adaptations over the years, each of which differ in numerous ways from the source material. Purists won’t receive any reprieve from Emerald Fennell’s 2026 adaptation, with a title that is stylized as "Wuthering Heights” for good reason.

Cathy (played as an adult by Margot Robbie) and Heathcliff (Jacob Elordi) have known each other their entire lives, with Cathy’s alcoholic and inveterate gambler father (Martin Clunes) taking in Heathcliff on a whim when he was a boy. The two bond as they grow up together, although Cathy always seems to have an eye on moving up in society from their relatively impoverished lifestyle.

Cathy finally gets her wish when the rich Linton familyled by Edgar (Shazad Latif), moves in down the road, Despite discovering she has feelings for the now grown-up Heathcliff, Cathy sees Edgar as her way out and agrees to marry him. A scorned Heathcliff flees, returning years later as mysteriously wealthy. His reappearance ignites something in Cathy’s soul, and the two engage in a perhaps unwise affair.

Fennell (Promising Young Woman, Saltburn) infuses the dusty material with an energy that’s not typically present in stories set in this particular time and place. Aside from the occasional Charli XCX song (the singer created a whole concept album for the film), the film looks and feels like a period piece, albeit one that doesn’t get bogged down in the drudgery that can sometimes come from films set in the distant past.

Much of that has to do with the lust the filmmaker puts into the story. Even if you’re not familiar with Brontë’s book, you can rest assured that Fennell has strayed far from the text, giving Cathy and Heathcliff thoughts and actions unthinkable in the 19th century. Fennell plays with expectations by opening the film with audio featuring creaking noises and a man grunting, conjuring up a situation far different than what is actually happening, and she also makes liberal use of rain, sweat, and tears to make the actors enticing.

What she can’t do, however, is make the two lead characters compelling. Cathy is a striver who never seems to know what she wants out of life, and Heathcliff goes from a bore to a brute over the course of the film, with no clear indication that he likes anybody, much less Cathy. Anyone expecting some kind of grand romance will be disappointed as Fennell is much more interested in making the film weird, like having the walls of Cathy’s room look like her skin, complete with freckles.

Robbie and Elordi do well enough with the material, and it’s clear that both of them are committed to bringing Fennell’s vision to life. Their styles tend to balance each other out, and if the story had been committed to their characters’ relationship, they might be lauded for their chemistry. In the end, though, the supporting actors feel more interesting, including ones played by Hong Chau, Alison Miller, and Clunes.

This version of Wuthering Heights should never be construed as an alternative to reading the book for any high schoolers out there. While Fennell makes the film interesting with her technical filmmaking choices, the story never finds its footing as it fails to sell the one thing that it seems to promise.

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Wuthering Heights opens in theaters on February 13.

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