Weekend Event Planner

These are the 10 best things to do in Dallas this weekend

There might not be a ton of new events happening in and around Dallas this weekend, but the ones appearing below pack quite the punch. They include two comedians, a trio of concerts, a unique performing arts performance, a trio of local theater productions, and a huge baseball showcase.

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, July 11

Improv Arlington presents Marcello Hernández
Marcello Hernández is a Cuban/Dominican stand-up comedian, writer, and actor who's currently a featured player on Saturday Night Live. Doing stand-up since he was 18 years old in 2016, he has opened for headliners such as Tim Dillon, Jim Breuer, Mark Viera, Gilbert Gottfried, and more. He'll perform four times through Sunday at Improv Arlington.

Ben Platt in concert
These days, it seems like many singers want to be actors and vice versa, with Ben Platt as a prime example. To be fair, Platt has combined acting and singing from the start of his career, rising to fame with starring roles in Broadway musicals like The Book of Mormon and Dear Evan Hansen, as well as the Pitch Perfect film series. He's been pursuing a music career since 2019, releasing three albums, including the new Honeymind. He'll perform at Texas Trust CU Theatre in Grand Prairie, joined by special guest Brandy Clark.

Prism Movement Theater presents La Maupin: The French Abomination
La Maupin is a tale of love and tragedy set in 17th century France but wrapped up in a high-octane punk rock meets Vanity Fair package. It is based on the true story of Julie D’Aubigny, the bisexual duelist and opera singer who was famous for dueling men and wooing their women. Through a beautiful mix of sword fighting and dance, the show details her journey to find happiness as a queer woman way ahead of her time. The production, part of AT&T Performing Arts Center's Elevator Project, will have three performances through Saturday in Hamon Hall at Winspear Opera House.

Friday, July 12

Improv Addison presents Tommy Davidson
Tommy Davidson’s range, from stand-up comedy and acting to music accomplishments, have earned him a reputation as an extraordinary performer. Best known as one of the stars of the hit television show In Living Color, his visibility has allowed him to become a household name known for his innovative talent. He'll perform five times through Sunday at Improv Addison.

Dallas Theater Center presents Disney's The Little Mermaid
Dallas Theater Center presents a large-scale Public Works version of the classic Disney musical, The Little Mermaid, in a production uniquely created for the people of Dallas, with the people of Dallas, and by the people of Dallas. 200 community members of all ages, many appearing onstage for the first time, will come together with DTC’s professional artists to retell the beloved Hans Christian Andersen fairytale. The production runs through August 4 at Wyly Theatre.

Deana Carter in concert
Country singer Deana Carter isn't exactly a one-hit wonder; she's more like a one-album wonder. Her 1995 debut album, Did I Shave My Legs for This?, went five times platinum on the strength of three No. 1 hits: "Strawberry Wine," "We Danced Anyway," and "How Do I Get There." While her next two albums sold relatively well, she hasn't reached those heights since, and her last album, Southern Way of Life, came out in 2013. She'll play at Longhorn Ballroom.

Richardson Theatre Centre presents One Slight Hitch
When it comes to something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue, few brides expect the something old to be an uninvited ex-lover. It’s Courtney's wedding day, and her mom, Delia, is making sure that everything is perfect. The groom is perfect, the dress is perfect, and the decorations (assuming they arrive) will be perfect. Then, like in any good farce, the doorbell rings. And then all hell breaks loose. So much for perfect. The production runs through July 28 at Richardson Theatre Centre.

Uptown Players presents The Prom
The hit Broadway musical The Prom is an uplifting and heartwarming story that celebrates love, acceptance, and the transformative power of standing up for what is right. It follows the journey of Emma, a high school student who wants to take her girlfriend to the prom. However, when the school's conservative PTA board cancels the prom to avoid controversy, a group of eccentric Broadway actors decides to rally behind Emma and travel to her small town to help her fight for inclusion. The regional premiere of the musical runs through July 28 at Kalita Humphreys Theater.

Saturday, July 13

Major League Baseball All-Star Weekend
Globe Life Field in Arlington, the home of the Texas Rangers, will play host to its first MLB All-Star Game next Tuesday, and there will be multiple related events leading up to the game. Capital One All-Star Village at Choctaw Stadium (the Rangers' former stadium), running Saturday through Tuesday, will be a baseball theme park, where fans can immerse themselves in MLB activations and culture. Other official events at Globe Life Field include the HBCU Swingman Classic on Friday, featuring 50 HBCU players; MLB All-Star Saturday, featuring top prospects showing off their skills and the All-Star Celebrity Softball Game; and Gatorade All-Star Workout Day and T-Mobile Home Run Derby on Monday.

Sunday, July 14

Photo courtesy of Ben Platt

Ben Platt will perform at Texas Trust CU Theatre in Grand Prairie on July 11.

New Kids on the Block in concert
It'll be an '80s music extravaganza at Dos Equis Pavilion, as former boy band New Kids on the Block headlines the "Magic Summer" Tour. They'll be performing their greatest hits, unexpected fan favorites, and magical surprises. They will be joined by fellow '80s icons Paula Abdul and DJ Jazzy Jeff.

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Movie Review

Film sequel Avatar: Fire and Ash is a technical and visual feast

Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios

Oona Chaplin in Avatar: Fire and Ash.

For a series whose first two films made over $5 billion combined worldwide, Avatar has a curious lack of widespread cultural impact. The films seem to exist in a sort of vacuum, popping up for their run in theaters and then almost as quickly disappearing from the larger movie landscape. The third of five planned movies, Avatar: Fire and Ash, is finally being released three years after its predecessor, Avatar: The Way of Water.

The new film finds the main duo, human-turned-Na’vi Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and his native Na’vi wife, Neytiri (Zoë Saldaña), still living with the water-loving Metkayina clan led by Ronal (Kate Winslet) and Tonowari (Cliff Curtis). While Jake and Neytiri still play a big part, the focus shifts significantly to their two surviving children, Lo’ak (Britain Dalton) and Tuk (Trinity Jo-Li Bliss), as well as two they’ve essentially adopted, Kiri (Sigourney Weaver) and Spider (Jack Champion).

Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang), who lives on in a fabricated Na’vi body, is still looking for revenge on Jake, and he finds help in the form of the Mangkwan Clan (aka the Ash People), led by Varang (Oona Chaplin). Quaritch’s access to human weapons and the Mangkwan’s desire for more power on the moon known as Pandora make them a nice match, and they team up to try to dominate the other tribes.

Aside from the story, the main point of making the films for writer/director James Cameron is showing off his considerable technical filmmaking prowess, and that is on full display right from the start. The characters zoom around both the air and sea on various creatures with which they’ve bonded, providing Cameron and his team with plenty of opportunities to put the audience right there with them. Cameron’s preferred viewing method of 3D makes the experience even more immersive, even if the high frame rate he uses makes some scenes look too realistic for their own good.

The story, as it has been in the first two films, is a mixed bag. Cameron and co-writers Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver start off well, having Jake, Neytiri, and their kids continue mourning the death of Neteyam (Jamie Flatters) in the previous film. The struggle for power provides an interesting setup, but Cameron and his team seem to drag out the conflict for much too long. This is the longest Avatar film yet, and you really start to feel it in the back half as the filmmakers add on a bunch of unnecessary elements.

Worse than the elongated story, though, is the hackneyed dialogue that Cameron, Jaffa, and Silver have come up with. Almost every main character is forced to spout lines that diminish the importance of the events around them. The writers seemingly couldn’t resist trying to throw in jokes despite them clashing with the tone of the scenes in which they’re said. Combined with the somewhat goofy nature of the Na’vi themselves (not to mention talking whales), the eye-rolling words detract from any excitement or emotion the story builds up.

A pre-movie behind-the-scenes short film shows how the actors act out every scene in performance capture suits, lending an authenticity to their performances. Still, some performers are better than others, with Saldaña, Worthington, and Lang standing out. It’s more than a little weird having Weaver play a 14-year-old girl, but it works relatively well. Those who actually get to show their real faces are collectively fine, but none of them elevate the film overall.

There are undoubtedly some Avatar superfans for which Fire and Ash will move the larger story forward in significant ways. For anyone else, though, the film is a demonstration of both the good and bad sides of Cameron. As he’s proven for 40 years, his visuals are (almost) beyond reproach, but the lack of a story that sticks with you long after you’ve left the theater keeps the film from being truly memorable.

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Avatar: Fire and Ash opens in theaters on December 19.

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