Weekend event planner

These are the 7 best things to do in Dallas this weekend

Welcome to February, when the ice always seems to come to town. This week's storm has already wreaked havoc with early week events, and it's possible weekend events will be affected as well. For now, the ones listed are still scheduled to take place, but check with the event organizer or venue before heading out to be sure.

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.

Thursday, February 2

WaterTower Theatre presents The Play That Goes Wrong
WaterTower Theatre in Addison presents the regional premiere of The Play That Goes Wrong, the Olivier Award-winning comedy that is a hilarious hybrid of Monty Python and Sherlock Holmes. Welcome to opening night of The Murder at Haversham Manor, where things are quickly going from bad to utterly disastrous, with an unconscious leading lady, a corpse that can’t play dead, and actors who trip over everything (including their lines). A co-production with Stage West Theatre, it runs through February 12 before moving to Fort Worth. (UPDATE: Thursday's performance has been canceled due to weather. Performances have been added on both February 5 and 7 at 7:30 pm each day.)

Emerge Coalition presents Tear Down These Walls
Part of AT&T Performing Arts Center’s Elevator Project, Emerge Coalition will present Tear Down These Walls, a one-of-a-kind concert experience that unites the Julius Quartet with an immersive set designed by local visual artists. The interactive walls are “torn down” around the audience in this boldly imagined evening of moving string quartet music and stunning visual art. There will be three performances through Saturday at Wyly Theatre.

Friday, February 3

Majestic Theatre presents "Miranda Sings" featuring Colleen Ballinger
Colleen Ballinger is an actor, comedian, trained vocalist, writer, and executive producer best known for portraying her character, “Miranda Sings,” a personality that is the polar opposite of Ballinger. She can currently be seen as Miranda on the Netflix original series Haters Back Off, which she created. She'll bring herself and her character to Majestic Theatre.

The Firehouse Theatre presents Spamalot
Lovingly ripped off from the classic film comedy Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Monty Python's Spamalot retells the legend of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table, and features a bevy of beautiful showgirls, not to mention cows, killer rabbits, and flatulent French people. This production of the Tony Award-winning musical will run at The Firehouse Theatre in Farmers Branch through February 19.

Saturday, February 4

ATP Tour presents Dallas Open
Taking place indoors at the Styslinger/Altec Tennis Complex at SMU, the Dallas Open is an ATP Tour 250 men’s tournament that will play its second year in Dallas. It will be the only ATP Tour indoor championship in the United States, and features men’s top world tennis players in singles and doubles competition. Taking place through February 12, opening night on Saturday will feature the Women’s Tennis Classic exhibition match between former U.S. Open finalist Madison Keys and former U.S. Open champion Sloane Stephens.

Sunday, February 5

Parkway Drive in concert
The name of the Australian band Parkway Drive in no way indicates their chosen genre, metalcore, a fusion between extreme metal and hardcore punk. Unsurprisingly huge in their native country, with three straight No. 1 albums there, they've been making inroads on this side of the world, with four of their seven albums reaching the top 40. They'll play at House of Blues Dallas in support of their 2002 album, Darker Still.

Legendz of the Streetz featuring Jeezy, Gucci Mane, and more
American Airlines Center will become hip hop central on Sunday when it hosts the Legendz of the Streetz tour. The concert will feature performances by a variety of well-known rappers, including Jeezy, T.I., Gucci Mane, 2 Chainz, Trina, Jadakiss, and more.

WaterTower Theatre presents The Play That Goes Wrong

Photo by Evan Michael Woods

WaterTower Theatre in Addison presents The Play That Goes Wrong through February 12.

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Movie Review

The life of an actor is far from rosy in dramedy Misty Green

Photo courtesy of A24

Rosalind Eleazar in Misty Green.

For every well-known/successful actor in Hollywood, there are thousands of others whose lives are more tenuous as they struggle to find work. The new film Misty Green is about one such actor who, after a period in the limelight, now finds herself on the outskirts of the industry, just hoping to find her way back in.

Misty (Rosalind Eleazar) won an Emmy for a 2000s-era TV show that still gets her recognition, but not much work. Still living in the apartment of a recently-deceased man with whom she was having an affair, Misty spends her days sleeping in and her nights getting blitzed on alcohol and drugs. She seems to be heading nowhere fast until a few things coincide to break up her routine.

The man’s wife (Amy Landecker) shows up and tells her she has seven days to vacate the apartment; Misty’s brother, Jay (Daniel Kaluuya) — who is bipolar — arrives after being kicked out of his facility for non-payment; and Jordan (Chris Rock), a former colleague with whom she had a falling-out, reappears in her life, offering a possible chance to rehabilitate her image.

Written and directed by Rock (his first feature since 2014’s Top Five), the film is a funny and excruciating look at how the entertainment industry might actually work. Misty is her own worst enemy thanks to late nights fraternizing with unsavory characters like Zach (Adam Driver), who deals in drugs and women in equal measure, but her frustration proves warranted when her agent, Randy (Topher Grace), and casting directors like Rhonda (Tracie Thoms) hardly give her the time of day.

Misty tries her best to stay positive, but when jobs like singing in a bar are the best she can do, the mountain seems insurmountable. Rock does an effective job of demonstrating the elements that are within and without Misty’s control that affect her ability to regain her position in the industry. The chip on her shoulder is almost as big as the bias some have against her, and other negative circumstances don’t help matters much.

There are many small touches that Rock and his crew put in the film to give it an air of authenticity. Filming in Los Angeles (a rarity these days), Rock uses both subtle and overt shots of homeless people in the city, suggesting that the line between the haves and have-nots is a fine one, especially with Misty on the verge of not having a place to live. He also has cameos from a few of his funny friends, including a bit of meta-casting of Anthony Anderson (who has faded a bit after starring in Black-ish) in a bit part as a cop.

Eleazar, a British actor best known for appearing on the Apple TV show Slow Horses, is a magnetic presence as Misty. The character herself is somewhat cringey in her decision-making, and Eleazar sells every bit of her righteous indignation and self-defeating actions. The supporting cast is great across the board, including Rock, Driver, Kaluuya, Thoms, Grace, Anna Kendrick, and Rich Sommer.

Misty Green makes you rage against the Hollywood machine, laugh at the various ways different people deal with its maddening quirks, and hide behind your fingers as Misty chooses options that don’t help, either voluntarily or because her back is against the wall. It’s a powerhouse of acting that gives a unique angle on the inner workings of Hollywood, one that ironically might be competing for awards at year’s end.

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Misty Green is now playing in theaters.

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