Weekend Event Planner

These are the 13 best things to do in Dallas this weekend

With only one week to go until Christmas weekend, this weekend across Dallas will be holiday heavy. Among others, there will be three separate versions of The Nutcracker, a classic movie accompanied by an orchestra, and a variety of concerts. There will also be a non-holiday theater production and two big college sports showcases.

Below are the best ways to spend your precious free time this weekend. Want more options? Lucky for you, we have a much longer list of the city's best events. Looking for the best Christmas lights in town? That list is here.

Thursday, December 15

Soul Rep Theatre Company presents Travisville
Soul Rep Theatre Company will present the regional premiere production of Travisville, a straightforward and brutally honest statement to the world by African-Americans of their plight in gentrification. Through the efforts of an alliance of black church leaders, a wary peace has been maintained with the city’s white mayor and citizens. But when the mayor partners with a private developer to gentrify the black neighborhood and uproot its residents, the Minister’s Alliance will need to choose between the non-confrontational status quo and standing up for the interests of their community. The production runs through Sunday at Margo Jones Theatre at Fair Park.

Coppell Arts Center presents A Merry Cirque: A Family Holiday Spectacular
A Merry Cirque, presented by Lone Star Circus, features thrilling daredevils, electrifying jugglers, mesmerizing acrobats, and hilarious clowns. It's a holiday show packaged for the whole family to enjoy. There will be six performances through Sunday at Coppell Arts Center.

Friday, December 16

Sammons Center for the Arts presents Making Spirits Bright with Linda & Larry Petty and Friends
Sammons Center for the Arts will present Linda and Larry Petty for a magical evening with nostalgic melodies and audience sing-alongs. Other highlights include seasonal treats and appearances by some of their talented friends and maybe a special visitor from the North Pole.

Dallas Symphony Orchestra presents Home Alone in Concert
A true holiday favorite, Home Alone is a beloved comedy classic. Renowned composer John Williams’ charming and delightful score will be performed live to picture by the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. Macaulay Culkin stars as Kevin McCallister, an 8-year-old boy who’s accidentally left behind when his family leaves for Christmas vacation, and who must defend his home against two bungling thieves. The concert, conducted by Jayce Ogren, will feature the Dallas Symphony Chorus. There will be three performances through Sunday at Meyerson Symphony Center.

Ballet North Texas presents The Nutcracker
Ballet North Texas will celebrate the magic of the season with their annual production of The Nutcracker. In this distinctly Dallas production of the holiday classic, Clara, her Nutcracker prince, and the Sugar Plum Fairy go on a journey into the Kingdom of Sweets. Five fanciful scenes, more than 150 unique costumes, and Tchaikovsky’s enduring score make The Nutcracker a can’t-miss holiday tradition. There will be four performances through Sunday at Moody Performance Hall.

Saturday, December 17

Tuzer Ballet presents The Nutcracker
Tuzer Ballet presents its annual production of the holiday ballet, Peter Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker. Audiences will be transported to the wondrous world of swirling snowflakes, magical gifts, and the land of the Sugar Plum Fairy. The performances will feature Ukrainian-born dancer Vsevolod "Seva" Maevsky as the guest principal soloist, alongside young dancers performing the choreography by Tanju and Pat Tuzer. There will be performances on both Saturday and Sunday at Eisemann Center for the Performing Arts in Richardson.

Turtle Creek Chorale presents Love is All You Need
Turtle Creek Chorale will present their annual holiday concert, Love Is All You Need. The concert will feature some of the chorale's holiday moments, new works, and selections not expected on a holiday program. The performances takes place at First United Methodist Church in Richardson. (A second performance on December 19 at Meyerson Symphony Center is sold out.)

Plano Symphony Orchestra presents "Home for the Holidays"
With over 150 musicians, “Home for the Holidays” includes seasonal favorites for orchestra, vocalist, and chorus, the popular audience sing-along, visitors from the North Pole, humor, and surprises. Joining the Plano Symphony Orchestra will be singer Fela and the Plano Civic Chorus. There will be one performance on Saturday at Frisco High School and two performances on Sunday at Christ United Methodist Church in Plano.

Allen Civic Ballet and Allen Philharmonic present The Nutcracker
The Allen Philharmonic Orchestra & Symphony Chorus will accompany the Allen Civic Ballet with live music for its 2022 production of Tchaikovsky’s holiday classic, The Nutcracker, featuring guest artist Tiit Helimets, principal dancer with the San Francisco Ballet. There will be performances on both Saturday and Sunday at Allen High School.

Frisco Bowl: Boise State vs North Texas
The first of four college football bowl games in the Dallas-Fort Worth area this bowl season, the Frisco Bowl will feature a matchup between the Boise State Broncos of the Mountain West Conference and University of North Texas Mean Green of Conference USA. Both teams are making their debut in this bowl game, which is now in its fifth year. It takes place at Toyota Stadium in Frisco.

Sunday, December 18

Pac-12 US LBM Coast-to-Coast Challenge
Some top flight college basketball will be on display at American Airlines Center on Sunday as part of the second annual Pac-12 US LBM Coast-to-Coast Challenge, featuring a quadruple-header of marquee men's and women's programs. The afternoon session will feature Stanford vs. No. 7 Texas (men) and USC vs. Texas (women), followed by an evening session featuring No. 20 Arizona vs. No. 18 Baylor (women) and Washington State vs. No. 11 Baylor (men).

Jared's Epic Blaster Battle Holiday Edition
Jared's Epic Blaster Battle, hosted by YouTuber Jared Guynes, will present their first ever holiday edition event for what they promise will be the largest and most incredible foam blaster battle of all time. The event, taking place at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, will feature appearances by other popular YouTube and TikTok creators.

Dallas Opera presents Holiday Concert
Dallas Opera, as part of the first partnership with Cathedral Shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe, will present a free community holiday concert featuring soprano Sara Gartland, star of the upcoming Così fan tutte, tenor Anthony León, and mezzo-soprano Sabatina Mauro. The concert, featuring members of The Dallas Opera Orchestra, will include holiday favorites like "O Holy Night," "Ave Maria," and selections from Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker.

Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios

Dallas Symphony Orchestra will play live to picture along with Home Alone, December 16-18 at Meyerson Symphony Center.

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Movie Review

Andrew Garfield leads peasant rebellion in medieval film The Uprising

Photo by Betina La Plante/Focus Features

Andrew Garfield in The Uprising.

Writer/director Paul Greengrass made his name with a cinéma vérité style of filmmaking that brought immediacy and depth to three Jason Bourne films, United 93, Captain Phillips, and more. In The Uprising, he uses those skills to tell the story of the so-called Peasants’ Revolt in 14th century England.

Greengrass wastes no time starting the main plot as Ploughman (Andrew Garfield) and his fellow villagers object to onerous taxes put on them by the country’s nobility, led by the young King Richard II (Woody Norman), to fund an ongoing war. Ploughman initiates a violent response over the tone-deaf — and unseemly — way the king’s guard go about their business, and the rebellion soon starts to spread across the countryside, with the citizens looking for a degree of autonomy.

The ever-expanding group makes their way toward London to try to make their case to the king himself. Meanwhile, the king’s top advisors, including Archbishop Sudbury (Stephen Dillane) and Treasurer Hales (Tom Hollander), try to usurp power from the inexperienced monarch even as the king’s mother (Katherine Waterston) tries to get him to be more assertive.

The history of the English monarchy is long and lurid, as Shakespeare detailed in multiple plays, including Richard II. Though the events in the film took place almost 650 years ago, it’s easy to see parallels between what the peasants were fighting for and modern-day politics. Greengrass’ storytelling intent is solid, and the righteous anger the citizens feel is initially relatable and palpable.

But the populism theme of the story soon gets bogged down in drudgery and minutiae that is difficult to understand, especially when the details are lost in the thick regional English accents. The leaders of the rebels — including John Ball (Jamie Bell), Wat Tyler (Cosmo Jarvis), and Alyce (Thomasin McKenzie) — are shown doing a lot of planning, but the strong feelings they have about their quest don’t come across well, leaving the audience as passive observers.

When there is action, Greengrass and his team employ a frenetic style that is not great for comprehension. While the gist of what is happening and what side is winning is legible, individual moments go by so quickly so as to be nearly meaningless. Save for Ploughman, any connection that has been made with various characters proves futile, as Greengrass doesn’t seem to have any time for emotion. Scenes that should feel thrilling or heartbreaking instead come off as empty.

Garfield is a two-time Oscar nominee who has done great work across multiple genres. He’s fine in this role, but whether it’s the story, the filmmaking, or something else, he’s not as captivating as usual. The same goes for other strong actors like Bell, McKenzie, Dillane, Hollander, and Waterston, who each seem to be giving their all to their performances but are somehow muted in the process.

Done right, The Uprising could have been a rip-roaring account of people standing up against their oppressors. What Greengrass has made, though, is a film that can’t translate its medieval story for a modern audience and concentrates too much on unexciting elements and too little on thrilling ones.

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The Uprising is now playing in theaters.

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