Weekend Event Planner

These are the 12 best things to do in Dallas this weekend

It will be a nice, diverse weekend in and around Dallas, with events to please many different tastes. Choices include a tribute to a late acclaimed author, a dance production, a visit from a famous comedian, two new local theater productions, a symphony concert, five other concerts with acts of varying genres and popularity, and the start of a notable art exhibition.

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, September 7

Dallas Contemporary presents An Evening Remembering Larry McMurtry
The author of treasured novels such as Lonesome Dove and The Last Picture Show, and co-author of the screenplays for Brokeback Mountain and Streets of Laredo, Larry McMurtry was one of America’s most revered writers. The new book Pastures of the Empty Page brings together nearly 40 fellow writers to honor the man and his impact on American letters. At this event at Dallas Contemporary, editor George Getschow and various book contributors will discuss their respective relationships to McMurtry and his work.

Friday, September 8

Ballet Papillon presents Revival
Ballet Papillon will present Revival, the commencement of their inaugural 2023-2024 season. The production is a choreographic creation of six original, never-before-performed works that exemplify the versatility and unique personalities of the company's artists, choreographers, and artistic staff. There will be two performances through Saturday at Latino Cultural Center, and a third performance on September 23 at Addison Conference and Theatre Centre.

Anthony Jeselnik: Bones and All
Comedian Anthony Jeselnik's recent stand-up special, Fire in the Maternity Ward, premiered on Netflix to critical acclaim. In addition to Comedy Central podcasts and roasts, Jeselnik has performed on Conan, The Tonight Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. He'll bring his latest show, Bones and All, to Majestic Theatre for two performances.

Garland Civic Theatre presents Crimes of the Heart
The three MaGrath sisters are back together in their hometown for the first time in a decade. One is the caretaker of the sisters’ cantankerous Old Granddaddy, another left home to pursue stardom as a singer in Los Angeles, and the youngest has just been arrested for the murder of her abusive husband. Past resentments bubble to the surface and each sister must come to terms with the consequences of her own “crimes of the heart.” The production runs through September 24 at Granville Arts Center in Garland.

Dallas Symphony Orchestra presents "Prohibition: The Music of Moulin Rouge, Boardwalk Empire and More!"
This concert from the Dallas Symphony Orchestra will take audiences on a journey through the 1920s, from Rudy Vallée to Josephine Baker, from Kurt Weill to King Oliver, featuring the top hits of the decade authentically arranged for orchestra by conductor Jeff Tyzik, accompanied by vintage imagery and video from the period. There will be three performances through Sunday at Meyerson Symphony Center.

Lyric Stage presents The Great American Trailer Park Musical
There’s a new tenant at Armadillo Acres - and she’s wreaking havoc all over Florida’s most exclusive trailer park. When Pippi, the stripper on the run, comes between the Dr. Phil-loving, agoraphobic Jeannie and her tollbooth collector husband, the storms begin to brew. The production, Lyric Stage's first in their brand new Studio Space in the Design District, runs through October 14.

Joshua Radin in concert
Folk rock musician Joshua Radin is the epitome of a music lifer. He earned acclaim in the early 2000s, getting his songs played on TV shows like Scrubs and Grey's Anatomy. But, despite appearing multiple times on Ellen, he's never truly achieved breakout status, with his biggest success coming on the Billboard Indie or Folk charts. But he remains undaunted, continuing to churn out music like his two 2023 EPs, Though the World Will Tell Me So, Vol.1 and 2. He'll play at The Kessler.

Maná in concert
Mexican pop-rock band Maná has been making music for over 40 years, and for the last 30 they've been at or near the top of the Billboard Latin charts. Every album since 1992's ¿Dónde Jugarán Los Niños? has reached at least the top 6 on both the Latin and Latin Pop charts, with the last five, including 2015's Cama Incendiada, going to No. 1 on both. They'll play at American Airlines Center on both Friday and Saturday as part of their México Lindo Y Querido tour.

Saturday, September 9

Kraig Parker: Symphonic Tribute to Elvis
Despite dying in 1977, Elvis Presley has remained a musical icon because of numerous tribute acts who refuse to let him and his music fade into oblivion. Kraig Parker returns to the Eisemann Center in Richardson with Symphonic Tribute to Elvis, which features a full 18-piece orchestra conducted by Dallas’ own Bryan English.

Marisela in concert
The Latin Madonna, "The diva of romantic music," and "La Dama de Hierro" are some of the titles that Marisela has received throughout her career. The Mexican-American singer reached fame in the 1980s, selling more than 25 million records. She is the only singer in Spanish to take over the Top 10 of Billboard magazine with all the songs from the same album. She'll perform at Texas Trust CU Theatre in Grand Prairie.

Sunday, September 10

Dallas Museum of Art presents Abraham Angel: "Between Wonder and Seduction" opening day
Assembling nearly all his known surviving works, Abraham Ángel: "Between Wonder and Seduction" introduces U.S. audiences to this legendary artist with the first major survey of his work in over 35 years. During his brief three-year career, Ángel developed a unique artistic style that successfully captured the rapidly changing society and culture of Mexico in the early 20th century. The exhibition will remain on display at the Dallas Museum of Art through January 28, 2024.

5 Seconds of Summer in concert
Australian pop rock band 5 Seconds of Summer long ago shed the erroneous "boy band" title, thanks to their distinct rock sound and the fact that, unlike most boy bands, they actually play their own instruments. Each of their five albums have landed at either No. 1 or No. 2 on the Billboard 200, including their latest, 2022's 5SOS5. They'll play at The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory in Irving.

Photo courtesy of Marisela

Marisela will perform at Texas Trust CU Theatre in Grand Prairie on September 9.

books dance comedy theater music concerts symphony event-planner

Movie Review

Shaun the Sheep gets PG-spooky in new movie for the Halloween season

Photo courtesy of Aardman / Sky UK LTD / StudioCanal 2026

Shaun the Sheep in Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom.

Since his introduction over 30 years ago, the Aardman Animations character Shaun the Sheep has been almost as popular as the studio’s flagship characters, Wallace and Gromit. There is never a shortage of trouble Shaun can get into as he leads his flock and proves to be a thorn in the side of his farmer and Bitzer, the farmer’s loyal sheepdog.

His antics lead everyone down some slightly spooky roads in the new film, Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom. At first, things are only slightly awry as Shaun and the flock are growing a secret pumpkin patch to have their own jack-o-lanterns. But when the farmer accidentally destroys the pumpkin patch, Shaun tries to regrow it quickly with a Frankenstein-esque experiment.

However, disaster looms when Shaun uses an old bottle of Hair-Gro as the container for the serum he creates. Naturally, the balding farmer uses it on his head, and everyone soon discovers how truly successful it is, with pumpkins growing out of control and the farmer sprouting hair all over his body. Through a series of mishaps, the farmer becomes the titular beast, creating mayhem while Shaun and others try to stop him.

Directed by Steve Cox and Matthew Walker, and written by Mark Burton and Giles Pilbrow, the film goes down just as easy as every other Aardman project has. They get the Halloween vibes started from the opening credits, with things like the sheep doing the “Thriller” dance, and continue the fun throughout, referencing everything from Psycho to Friday the 13th in a nice, PG way.

With no script — every character is mute save for reaction noises — the movie relies on sight gags for its humor, and the Aardman team is endlessly inventive in that respect. Sometimes it’s small things like a sheep using toilet paper rolls as binoculars, and sometimes it’s something like forcing the Bigfoot-like farmer to be shaped into a rectangle as he escapes through a window. But there’s a never-ending stream of such moments, so even if one doesn’t tickle your funny bone, chances are the next one will.

The biggest benefit of the characters not talking is that there’s no need for deep character development. The filmmakers do a great job of giving the basic traits of each character, and then use those attributes to color everyone’s actions for the rest of the film. Shaun is the troublemaker, the farmer is a bumbling fool, Bitzer is preternaturally smart, and the town’s vet is empathetic, and the combination of those characters and others makes for a highly entertaining blend.

Like all Aardman creations, Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom is a fun lark that doesn’t make its audience think too hard. With just enough references to keep viewers engaged but not so many as to be overbearing, the film puts its well-worn characters to good use once again, delivering a Halloween season story that can be enjoyed by people of all ages.

---

Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom is now playing in theaters.

movies film