Weekend Event Planner

Lion King roars into the 15 best things to do in Dallas this weekend

This weekend in and around Dallas is a bit unusual, in that every event on the list will either take place or start before the traditional weekend days of Saturday and Sunday. Choices include eight separate theater productions (including a huge Broadway tour), three concerts, a music festival, an opera production, a dance production, and symphony concerts in the great outdoors.

Below are the best ways to spend your free time this weekend. If you want more options, check out the calendar for an even longer list of the city's best events.

Thursday, June 5

Broadway Dallas presents The Lion King
In The Lion King, giraffes strut, birds swoop, gazelles leap, and the entire Serengeti comes to life as never before. And as the music soars, Pride Rock slowly emerges from the mist. Still running on Broadway after almost 30 years, The Lion King is a spectacular production renowned for its visual artistry, music, and uniquely theatrical storytelling. It will run through July 3 at the Music Hall at Fair Park.

Lil Baby in concert
Lil Baby may not be as widely known as other big rappers, but you can't argue with the success he's had. After a series of well-received mixtapes, including one that charted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, he released his debut album in 2018, which went to No. 3. Each of his next three albums including the new WHAM, have gone to No. 1 on both the Billboard 200 and R&B/Hip Hop charts. He'll perform at American Airlines Center, joined by BigXthaPlug and Loe Shimmy.

The Righteous Brothers in concert
Bill Medley has been keeping the music of The Righteous Brothers alive since the death of original duo partner Bobby Hatfield in 2003, but the 84-year-old singer has finally decided to hang it up for good. With the help of singer Bucky Heard, Medley will entertain fans one last time with Righteous Brothers' hits like "You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’," "Soul & Inspiration," "Unchained Melody," "Rock and Roll Heaven," Medley’s Grammy-winning Dirty Dancing theme "The Time of My Life," and more. The concert will be at Majestic Theatre.

Soul Rep Theatre Company presents Ain't No Mo'
Soul Rep Theatre Company will present the North Texas premiere of the Tony-nominated play by Fort Worth native and celebrated playwright Jordan E. Cooper. Through a blend of sketch, satire, avant-garde theatre, and a dose of drag, Ain’t No Mo’ answers the incendiary question: What if the United States government offered Black Americans one-way plane tickets to Africa? The unpredictable comedy speeds through the turbulent skies of being Black in today's America. The production will have five performances through Sunday at Kalita Humphreys Theater.

Rover Dramawerks presents 10-Minute Comedies
For the seventh year, Rover Dramawerks will present a festival of nine separate 10-minute comedies, featuring the winners of their annual 10-minute comedy contest. Winners came from all over the U.S. and Canada, including Bibbidi Bobbidi Boot Camp by Clinton Festa (Greensboro, NC), Love Thy Neighbor by Sinan Beskok (Plano, TX), Stay Golden by Jessica Moss (Toronto Ontario, Canada), and What is Due by Deirdre Girard (Newbury, MA). The festival will run through June 21 at Cox Playhouse in Plano.

Theatre Three presents Xanadu
Xanadu is a high-energy, roller-skating extravaganza that brings the 1980 cult film to life on stage. Set in Venice Beach, California, the musical follows Sonny Malone, a struggling artist who encounters Kira, a beautiful Greek muse. With Kira's guidance and a touch of divine inspiration, they embark on a mission to revive a rundown roller disco and reignite Sonny's artistic passion. The production runs through July 6 at Theatre Three.

Friday, June 6

KHYI 95.3 The Range Radio presents Texas Music Revolution
The 29th annual Texas Music Revolution is a two-day event featuring over 75 bands on 15 stages. Performers will include Flatland Cavalry, Dawes, The Wilder Blue, Silverada, Lola Kirke, Jamie Richards, Bri Bagwell, Jonathan Tyler & The Northern Lights, and more. The festival takes place on Friday and Saturday in Historic Downtown McKinney.

Pizza Chapel Theatre Company presents Girls Talking
Girls Talking is an original piece about connection, healing, and grown-up girlhood. Although this theatrical piece witnesses two women attempting to stage a production of Macbeth, the real heart of the work lies in the story of connection and the healing power of feminine friendships. Using comedy, pastiche, and a touch of absurdism, the work reminds audiences that no (wo)man is an island. There will be performances on Friday and Saturday at Arts Mission Oak Cliff.

Opera Arlington presents Don Giovanni
This production of Don Giovanni, Mozart’s most electrifying opera, is reimagined at the glittering, scandal-fueled center of a 1980s soap opera. In a world where power is seductive and fame comes at a price, one man plays everyone. As Giovanni’s web of seduction begins to unravel, past lovers resurface, revenge plots ignite, and the line between performance and reality begins to blur. Is Giovanni in control of his fate, or is he headed for a fall worthy of the tabloids? The production will have performances on Friday and Saturday at Trinity United Methodist Church in Arlington.

Echo Theatre presents Open
Open is a one-woman show that asks the audience to believe in the magic of love. The Magician must perform the impossible to save the life of her partner, Jenny. The clock is ticking, the show must go on, and this magician’s act may offer the last hope against a world filled with intolerance and hate. The production runs through June 21 at Bath House Cultural Center.

Theatre Arlington presents A Chorus Line
A Chorus Line is a celebration of those unsung heroes of the American Musical Theatre: the chorus dancers. Set on the bare stage of a Broadway theater, the musical is centered on 17 dancers auditioning for spots on a chorus line. The musical provides a glimpse into the personalities of the performers and the choreographer as they describe the events that have shaped their lives and their decisions to become dancers. The production runs through June 22 at Theatre Arlington.

Stray Kids in concert
The K-Pop group Stray Kids came out of the same-named 2017 reality TV series in South Korea. Releasing their debut album in 2020, the band quickly became one of the most popular groups in both their home country and Japan. To date, they have released three albums in Korean and two in Japanese, including their latest, 2024's Giant. They'll perform at Globe Life Field in Arlington on both Friday and Saturday as part of their second U.S. tour.

Richardson Theatre Centre presents Angel Street aka Gaslight
Mysterious things have been happening in the Manningham household: items go missing, their dog is injured, and Mrs. Manningham hears footsteps coming from the locked, uninhabited top floor. She fears that she is going mad; that is certainly what Mr. Manningham believes. But when Detective Rough arrives one night to visit Mrs. Manningham while she is alone, questions arise and secrets are revealed about her husband. The production runs through June 29 at Richardson Theatre Centre.

Bruce Wood Dance presents Echoes
Echoes brings Bruce Wood Dance's Season 15 to a close with the return of Bruce Wood’s landmark all-male, multigenerational work, I’m My Brother’s Keeper; a reprise of Concerto Six Twenty-Two by Lar Lubovitch; and the world premiere of Love Songs, a choreographic collaboration between Kimi Nikaidoh, Nycole Ray and Jennifer Mabus. There will be three performances through Sunday at Moody Performance Hall.

Dallas Symphony Orchestra presents Parks Concert series
The Dallas Symphony Orchestra will present two more free concerts in parks this weekend. Both the Friday concert at Exall Park and Saturday concert at Kidd Springs Park will feature a program of light classics, patriotic tunes and other popular fare, led by Assistant Conductor Shira Samuels-Shragg. The concerts will be canceled in the event of inclement weather.

Photo by Deen van Meer

Broadway Dallas presents The Lion King at the Music Hall at Fair Park through July 3.

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Movie Review

Jodie Foster brings depth and wit to French thriller A Private Life

Photo by Georges Lechaptois

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Jodie Foster has been a member of the Hollywood community for almost 60 years, first as a child actor on TV, and then branching out into movies. She earned an Oscar nomination at the tender age of 14 for her role in Taxi Driver, and she’s gone on to be nominated five times, winning twice. Now, at age 63, she’s showing she’s still capable of surprises by fluently speaking another language in the French film, A Private Life.

Foster plays Lilian Steiner, a psychiatrist who sees patients out of her Parisian apartment. When she learns of the death of one of her patients, Paula (Virginie Efira), she’s sad but otherwise unaffected until a few suspicious things start happening. This includes the robbery of her apartment, in which a recording of Paula’s last session with Lilian goes missing.

With the help of her ex-husband, Gabriel (Daniel Auteuil), Lilian becomes an amateur private detective, tracking the movements of Paula’s husband, Simon (Mathieu Amalric), whom she increasingly suspects of murder. At the same time, Lilian must navigate a tense relationship with her son, Julien (Vincent Lacoste), along with an unexpected rekindling of romance with Gabriel.

Written and directed by Rebecca Zlotowski, and co-written by Anne Berest, it is a psychological thriller that at times feels like an Inspector Clouseau movie. With little to go on but her own perhaps misguided suspicions, Lilian digs herself deeper into a situation of her own making. And she further clouds her mind by indulging in a tryst with Gabriel, who’s all too eager to help Lilian pursue her criminal theories. While the film is not a comedy, there are elements of humor that pop in to keep the story light.

Zlotowski plays with the competing tones of the story well, keeping viewers on Lilian’s side even as she indulges in things that might not be the healthiest for her. Lilian’s various eccentricities - an adherence to recording on old-fashioned mini discs instead of fully digital, keeping an emotional distance from her son and grandson - make her a fascinating character whose vacillating motivations keep viewers guessing as to what she’ll do next.

In a lot of ways, the film is a study of how Lilian needs to try to find ways to heal herself. The possibility of Paula being murdered wakes Lilian up to the idea that she has not been as attentive a doctor as she should be. The sessions with different patients that Zlotowski shows give the impression that there’s a general level of dissatisfaction with her, with one patient outright breaking up with her.

Foster is no less compelling speaking mostly in French than she is in English language movies. Her fluency is never in doubt, and she fits in seamlessly with the actual French actors in the film. Auteuil is a fun counterpart for Foster, showing an unexpected chemistry with her that keeps their scenes crackling with energy. Amalric, a Wes Anderson favorite, has a relatively small role but still stands out when he gets a chance.

A Private Life is not the type of thriller that American audiences might be used to, but its slow, methodical storytelling and subtle humor make it an interesting watch from beginning to end. The film is not up for any awards, but Foster’s performance shows she remains a top-tier actor.

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A Private Life is now playing in select theaters.

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