Weekend Event Planner

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

Dallas typically only gets one Broadway tour at a time, but with two premier venues in the city, this Easter weekend will feature a rare double dip. Other choices include three local theater productions, a symphony concert, a stand-up comedy event, a concert celebrating an iconic venue, a beatboxing/popping performance, and a concert featuring the music from a popular anime.

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, as well as a list of places serving Easter brunch.

Thursday, April 17

Soul Rep Theatre Company presents Pretty Fire
Pretty Fire is a one-woman show that explores beautiful, funny, dark, and exhilarating vignettes tracing the life of playwright Charlayne Woodard from a premature birth to a joyous maturity at 11 years old. It is a powerful exploration of three generations of family love, struggle, and triumph. The production will have three performances through Saturday at Latino Cultural Center.

Plague Mask Players presents Alice
Alice by Ara Vito is a movement and storytelling-focused adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland, told through the lens of a female playwright and ensemble cast of all female and non-binary performers. The Texas premiere of the new work, which is part of AT&T Performing Arts Center's Elevator Project, runs through April 27 in Wyly Theatre's Studio Theatre.

Dallas Symphony Orchestra presents "Mendelssohn’s Scottish Symphony"
Inspired by seeing the ruins and moors of Scotland, and especially Mary Queen of Scots’s Holyrood Castle on a walking tour, Mendelssohn created his aptly named Third Symphony. Also, the Dallas Symphony Orchestra's principal winds will gather for the world premiere of a concerto commissioned for them from one of the most sought-after American composers, Sean Shepherd. The concert, conducted by Fabio Luisi, will have three performances through Saturday at Meyerson Symphony Center.

Broadway Dallas presents Mamma Mia!
Set on a Greek island paradise where the sun always shines, a tale of love, friendship, and identity is told through the timeless hits of ABBA. On the eve of her wedding, a daughter’s quest to discover the father she’s never known brings three men from her mother’s past back to the island they last visited decades ago. The production runs through April 27 at the Music Hall at Fair Park.

Broadway at the Center presents Mean Girls
Cady Heron may have grown up on an African savanna, but nothing prepared her for the vicious ways of her strange new home: suburban Illinois. Soon, this naïve newbie falls prey to a trio of lionized frenemies led by the charming but ruthless Regina George. But when Cady devises a plan to end Regina’s reign, she learns the hard way that you can’t cross a Queen Bee without getting stung. The production will have four performances through Saturday at Winspear Opera House.

Friday, April 18

Killers of Kill Tony
Killers of Kill Tony is a standup comedy lineup featuring regulars and fan-favorites from the podcast Kill Tony. Building upon the success and energy of the original podcast, Killers of Kill Tony showcases the diverse talent pool of comedians and their wit, humor, and unique comedic styles. Performers will include Kam Patterson, Ari Matti, David Lucas, and Martin Phillips. There will be two performances at Majestic Theatre.

Saturday, April 19

Dallas Children's Theater presents James and the Giant Peach
Based on the novel by Roald Dahl, young James Henry Trotter's resilience is tested when he is sent off to live with his mean aunts, Spiker and Sponge, after a chain of unfortunate incidents. Life is no fun there until he accidentally spills some tiny green things on a tree, and … voilà, a giant peach. When James and his new oversized friends - Grasshopper, Centipede, Ladybug, Earthworm, and Spider - snip the stem of the peach, the quest for happiness and great adventure lands them in New York City and at the center of attention. The production runs through May 24 at Dallas Children's Theater.

Longhorn Jubilee featuring St. Paul & the Broken Bones
To celebrate Longhorn Ballroom’s 75th anniversary, the venue is hosting a series of events to honor the iconic room's past, present, and future. Dubbed the Longhorn Jubilee, the all-genre-encompassing event will unfold both inside the Ballroom and outside in the Courtyard combining music with food trucks, local vendors, and more. This event will feature performances by Saint Paul & The Broken Bones, Abraham Alexander, The Suffers, and more.

Eisemann Center presents Beatbox Meets Popping featuring Amirah Sackett & Mr MiC
An internationally recognized hip-hop dancer, choreographer, and teacher, Amirah Sackett explores and embodies her Muslim American identity through combining hip-hop movement and Islamic themes. She is widely known for her creation of the choreography and performance group known as We’re Muslim, Don’t Panic. The performance takes place at Eisemann Center for Performing Arts in Richardson.

Sunday, April 20

Attack on Titan: Beyond the Walls World Tour
Attack on Titan: Beyond the Walls World Tour is a celebration of music and anime, a concert experience that features a fusion of rock and orchestral music, vocal performances, and visuals that transports the audience straight into the heart of the universe of the anime series Attack on Titan. The concert will be performed by rock musicians joined by a symphonic orchestra, accompanied by synchronized scenes from the anime series. It takes place at Texas Trust CU Theatre in Grand Prairie.

Photo by Joan Marcus

Broadway Dallas presents Mamma Mia! at the Music Hall at Fair Park through April 27.

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Movie Review

Revived Coyote vs. Acme shows Looney Tunes’ enduring appeal

Photo courtesy of Ketchup Entertainment

Wile E. Coyote in Coyote vs. Acme.

No movie studio has gone through more ups and downs in the past few years than Warner Bros. In 2022, they oddly shelved two mostly-completed movies, Batgirl and Scoob! Holiday Haunt. But the next few years brought major movies like Barbie, Dune Part Two, Sinners, Superman, Weapons, and One Battle After Another, giving them a huge boost. Strangely, that led directly into a proposed sale to Paramount that is now going through legal battles.

Another previously-shelved Warner Bros. movie, Coyote vs. Acme, is now seeing the light of day thanks to a deal with a small company called Ketchup Entertainment. Taking its cue from the classic Looney Tunes cartoons, the film creates a world in which Wile E. Coyote - sick of constantly being thwarted in his pursuit of Road Runner by faulty Acme products - decides to sue the company.

To do so, he approaches the law firm of Avery, Jones & Maltese, led by Kevin Avery (Will Forte). The firm typically takes on small cases that are easy to settle, but - with a little subterfuge from Wile E. Coyote - they are soon presenting Acme and its lead attorney, Buddy Crane (John Cena), with a lawsuit that could be worth millions of dollars. Naturally, the big corporation won’t give in without a fight, leading to all sorts of shenanigans on both sides.

Directed by Dave Green and written by Samy Burch from a story by Burch, James Gunn, and Jeremy Slater, the film is a fun mixture of nostalgia and clever storytelling. Most of Looney Tunes’ classic characters make an appearance in the film, including Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Elmer Fudd, and Sylvester. The two, other than Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner, who get the most play are Tweety, who appears in some of the movie’s funniest scenes, and Foghorn Leghorn, reimagined as the CEO of Acme.

The blend of live action and animation is not quite on the level of something like Who Framed Roger Rabbit, but it is still effective. It also affords the film plenty of opportunities to employ Looney Tunes’ signature brand of cartoon violence that doesn’t actually leave lasting damage. The gags are very familiar for those who grew up on the studio’s short films, but combined with the inventive ways in which they’re used and the pointed jabs at corporate culture, they become somewhat fresh again.

Naturally, there are plenty of references in the film, starting with the name of the law firm, which pays homage to legendary directors Chuck Avery and Chuck Jones, as well as writer/animator Michael Maltese. Sly jokes that could turn the film from PG to PG-13 sneak their way in, although they steer clear of elements that haven’t aged well (documented in a recent viral comedy clip). But the film is at its best when it leans into the well-earned traits of its favorite characters and just lets them cook.

Forte is a great scene partner for Wile E. Coyote, as he can turn even minor slights into comedy gold. His deadpan reactions are the ideal way to counter the insanity going on around him. Cena has proven in other films that he has great comic timing, and he demonstrates that skill well here, too, especially in a fantastic scene opposite Tweety. The voice talent does a good job with the iconic characters, although the legendary Mel Blanc remains the gold standard.

Coyote vs. Acme is not a world-changing movie by any means, but it is a fun twist on the characters many know and love that deserved to be seen by moviegoers. Wile E. Coyote may never actually catch Road Runner, but this movie shows that his unceasing attempts remain entertaining after all these years.

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Coyote vs. Acme is now playing in theaters.

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