Weekend Event Planner

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

It's another solid weekend of events across Dallas, with a nice mix of traveling and local performers. Choices include two well-known comedians, a national tour of a Broadway musical, three local theater productions, a circus, a symphonic celebration of a movie composer, a dance production, St. Patrick's Day celebrations, and more.

Below are more 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. Want some local spring break ideas? That list is here.

Thursday, March 14

Improv Addison presents Melissa Villaseñor
Comedian Melissa Villaseñor is best known as a former featured cast member on Saturday Night Live. She made her television debut on America's Got Talent and does extensive voiceover acting on Fox’s Family Guy, Cartoon Network’s Adventure Time, and Comedy Central’s Triptank. She'll perform five times through Saturday at The Addison Improv.

Trevor Noah: Off the Record Tour
Comedian Trevor Noah comes to Dallas as part of his Off The Record Tour, his first tour since leaving The Daily Show. In addition to hosting the The Daily Show on Comedy Central for seven years, he's also the author of Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood, and has a new book, Into the Uncut Grass, scheduled for release in 2024. In Noah's newest Netflix comedy special, I Wish You Would, he shares revelations about learning to speak German, modern communication, and his love for curry. He'll perform on both Thursday and Friday at the Music Hall at Fair Park.

Broadway at the Center presents Annie
Holding onto hope when times are tough can take an awful lot of determination, and sometimes, an awful lot of determination comes in a surprisingly small package. Little Orphan Annie has reminded generations of theater goers that sunshine is always right around the corner, and now the best-loved musical of all time is set to return in a new production. The celebration of family, optimism and the American spirit remains the ultimate cure for all the hard knocks life throws your way. The production runs through Sunday at Winspear Opera House.

Friday, March 15

Repertory Company Theatre presents Titanic the Musical
An operatic recount of the events of the maiden voyage of the proclaimed unsinkable ship, the Titanic, Titanic the Musical follows a selection of guests from the first three classes and a handful of crew members as they recount their hopes and dreams, and come to grip with their ultimate mortality for those 1,500 souls that perished. The production runs through March 24 at Repertory Company Theatre in Richardson.

Circus Vazquez
Circus Vazquez blends the modern with the traditional, featuring a new cast of circus superstars led by third-generation performer and Ringmaster, Memo Vazquez. Performers include Boris Nikishkin, a Russian clown, comedian, and acrobat, The Bone Breakers quartet, daredevils Duo Vanegas, Ricardo and Alejandro, gymnastics troupe The Liazeed Angels, and handbalancing Duo Marruffo. They'll be at Riders Field in Frisco through April 1.

Dallas Symphony Orchestra presents "A Night at the Movies - Music of John Williams"
"A Night at the Movies - Music of John Williams" will pay tribute to the iconic composer with pieces from classic movies like Superman, Jurassic Park, Indiana Jones, Harry Potter, The Patriot, Jaws, E.T., Star Wars, and more. The concert will be led by conductor Sarah Hicks. There will be three performances through Sunday at Meyerson Symphony Center.

Lyric Stage presents Sweeney Todd
Sweeney Todd, an unjustly exiled barber, returns to 19th century London, seeking vengeance against the lecherous judge who framed him and ravaged his young wife. The road to revenge leads Todd to Mrs. Lovett, a resourceful proprietress of a failing pie shop, above which he opens a new barber practice. Mrs. Lovett’s luck sharply shifts when Todd’s thirst for blood inspires the integration of an ingredient into her meat pies that has the people of London lining up. The production runs through April 7 at Lyric Stage in Dallas.

TITAS/Dance Unbound presents Parsons Dance
Known for its energized, athletic, and joyous style, Parsons Dance is internationally renowned for creating and performing contemporary American dance. Their bold works and distinctive style have solidified them as one of the world’s leading dance companies. Works like Caught, one of the world’s most famous solos, exemplify this company’s innovation and huge audience appeal. They'll perform on Friday and Saturday at Moody Performance Hall.

Saturday, March 16

Lower Greenville Avenue St. Patrick’s Day Block Party
At the annual Lower Greenville Avenue St. Patrick’s Day Block Party, taking place between Vanderbilt Avenue and Vickery Boulevard, guests 21 and older are encouraged to dress in green and come prepared for a day full of music, beer, and plenty of St. Patrick’s Day cheer. The event features three music stages with DJs. Participating bars include Stan’s Blue Note, The Dubliner, Dodie’s Reef, Terilli’s, Halcyon, Christies, and Sisters.

Dallas St. Patrick's Day Parade & Festival
A few miles up Greenville Avenue will be the annual Dallas St. Patrick’s Parade & Festival, the largest St. Patrick’s Parade in the Southwest. Starting at Greenville Avenue and Blackwell Street and ending at SMU Blvd. and Central Expressway, the parade draws upwards of 125,000 people along the two-mile route to see more than 90 floats, 1,700 participants, bands, and more.

Dallas Children's Theater presents Life Doesn't Frighten Me: I Am Fearless Royalty
Life Doesn't Frighten Me: I Am Fearless Royalty stars four heroes as they conquer their fears using heart, soul, body, and mind. With original music from Grammy-nominated Kris Funn and themes inspired by actual students across the country, the show is a moving multicultural performing arts experience. The production runs through March 30 at Dallas Children's Theater.

Old Crow Medicine Show in concert
The name of the band Old Crow Medicine Show immediately conjures up a certain type of music. And since their debut in 2000, the string band that used to busk in Nashville has lived up to that idea, playing original country and bluegrass songs like their hit "Wagon Wheel" alongside old blues and folk songs. They'll play at Longhorn Ballroom.

Sunday, March 17

Eisemann Center for the Performing Arts presents Cenicienta
Ten-year-old Belinda is a budding poet and loves to tell stories, but when she’s stuck in the basement preparing for a party upstairs that her stepmother and stepsisters will host, she’ll have to get creative. It’s a story within a story; Belinda lives out her version while also re-enacting the classic tale of Cinderella. But to do that, she must learn to stand up for herself and take charge of her life and dreams. The one-day-only production will take place at Eisemann Center for Performing Arts in Richardson.

Greenville Avenue St. Patrick's Day Parade in Dallas

Photo by Jerry McClure

The Dallas St. Patrick's Day Parade & Festival takes place on Greenville Avenue on March 16.

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Movie Review

Amanda Seyfried and Sydney Sweeney go off in trashy film The Housemaid

Photo courtesy of Lionsgate

Amanda Seyfried and Sydney Sweeney in The Housemaid.

Both Amanda Seyfried (the upcoming The Testament of Ann Lee) and Sydney Sweeney (Christy) are starring in movies with Oscar ambitions this year. By sheer coincidence, the two actors are also co-starring in The Housemaid, a thriller coming out within weeks of their more ambitious works, one that is likely to be seen by many more people than those prestige plays.

Sweeney is given top billing as Millie, a down-on-her-luck ex-convict looking to land any type of job so as not to break her parole. She finds a too-good-to-be-true lifeboat with Nina (Seyfried), who hires her to be a housemaid for her large house on Long Island, where she lives with her husband, Andrew (Brandon Sklenar), and daughter, Cecilia (Indiana Elle).

After a warm interview, Nina almost immediately becomes highly erratic, whipping back-and-forth between happy-go-lucky and rageful. It seems clear that Nina is suffering from mental health issues, as she’ll often accuse Millie of misplacing or stealing items that she didn’t take. Andrew, apparently used to Nina’s tirades, tries to protect Millie from the worst, something that grows increasingly difficult as Nina ups the ante.

Directed by Paul Feig (A Simple Favor) and adapted by Rebecca Sonnenshine from the bestselling book by Freida McFadden, the film is likely the trashiest mainstream movie to come out in 2025. The first half of the movie relies not on story but on moments as Nina embodies the word “hysterical” to an unbelievable extent. The resigned acceptance of the abuse by Millie, as well as the saintly patience of Andrew, make almost every scene laughable, as nobody seems to be acting anywhere close to how a person would normally react to such extreme situations.

The scenes and the performance of Seyfried are so over-the-top, in fact, that it’s clear that the filmmakers are in on the joke. It’s next to impossible not to have a little bit of fun while watching the actors react to outrageous incidents as if nothing is out of the ordinary. The worse Nina acts, the more Millie and Andrew retreat into their chosen roles, and the funnier the film becomes.

Fans of the book will know that the story changes course, eventually turning into a more stereotypical thriller that also has some relatively gnarly visuals to offer. But the trashiness continues, with Sweeney’s, um, assets repeatedly on display in both clothed and unclothed ways. The sex appeal of the R-rated movie makes it an outlier, as recent studio films have shied away from asking their big stars to disrobe completely.

Both Seyfried and Sweeney are far from their Oscar hopeful roles here. Seyfried is given free rein to act as brazenly as she pleases, and she takes full advantage of that ability. Sweeney seems to have been told to be much more reserved, and unfortunately that results in too many wooden line readings. Sklenar continues his breakout streak (It Ends with Us, Drop) with a role that allows him to show more range than either Seyfried or Sweeney.

The Housemaid is an unusual type of movie to be released at a time of year when most films are either those aiming for awards or more family-friendly fare. Despite its many flaws, it’s still an enjoyable watch that features a variety of crazy scenarios not typically seen in movies nowadays.

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The Housemaid is now playing in theaters.

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