Weekend Event Planner

These are the 11 best things to do in Dallas this weekend

Theater, comedy, and music are almost equally represented in this week's list of the best things to do in and around Dallas. The theater includes a kids show, a hyper-local production, a local production of a Broadway musical, and a national tour of a Broadway musical. The comedy side features two live podcasts and two actors/comedians. Musically, you can take in a symphony concert or two separate events with well-known R&B stars.

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.

Thursday, January 11

TheaterWorksUSA presents Dog Man: The Musical
Based on the worldwide bestselling book series by Dav Pilkey, Dog Man: The Musical follows the chronicles of a canine superhero who loves to fight crime and chew on the furniture. But while trying his best to be a good boy, can he save the city from Flippy the cyborg fish and catch Petey, the world’s most evil cat? And will George and Harold finish their show before lunchtime? The production runs through January 28 at Wyly Theatre.

Pod Meets World Live: The Kids Wanna Jump! Tour
Danielle Fishel, Rider Strong, and Will Friedle host Pod Meets World, a podcast where they rewatch, and earnestly react, to the ‘90s sitcom they starred in, Boy Meets World, now 30 years later. They'll present a live version of the show, which turned an innocent attempt for friends to watch their teenage selves on TV into a worldwide phenomenon. The event takes place at Majestic Theatre.

Soul Rep Theatre Company presents Elm Thicket
Elm Thicket is a serio-comedy set in 2020 in Dallas’ Elm Thicket community where playwright (and Soul Rep Theatre Company co-founder) Anyika McMillan-Herod grew up. It centers around two middle-aged neighbors’ attempt to explore love and friendship while facing a complicated history, world pandemic, social unrest, and neighborhood gentrification. The production, part of AT&T Performing Arts Center's Elevator Project, runs through January 20 at Wyly Theatre.

Lyric Stage presents The Producers
A down-on-his-luck Broadway producer and his mild-mannered accountant come up with a scheme to produce the most notorious flop in history, thereby bilking their backers (all “little old ladies”) out of millions of dollars. Only one thing goes awry: the show is a smash hit. The production runs through January 20 at Moody Performance Hall.

Dallas Symphony Orchestra presents "Prokofiev Symphony No. 5"
Dallas Symphony Orchestra's latest concert, "Prokofiev Symphony No. 5," features conductor Dmitry Matvienko and DSO Principal Flute David Buck. Selections for the concert include Lyadov's The Enchanted Lake, Nielsen's Concerto for Flute and Orchestra, and Prokofiev's Symphony No. 5. There will be performances on Thursday and Friday at the Meyerson Symphony Center.

Friday, January 12

Improv Arlington presents Brandon T. Jackson
Brandon T. Jackson is a multifaceted young actor carving his own path in Hollywood. He started out in stand-up comedy and has evolved into a young film and television star who is perhaps best known for his role in Tropic Thunder. He has also starred in Thunderstruck, the third incarnation of Fox’s Big Momma’s House franchise, and Warner Bros.’ Lottery Ticket. He'll perform five times through Sunday at Improv Arlington.

Two Funny Mamas: Sherri Shepherd & Kym Whitley
Comedic actresses Sherri Shepherd and Kym Whitley blend their comedic power and chemistry to deliver their award-winning podcast, Two Funny Mamas, that speaks to culture, sisterhood, moms, and working women everywhere. Nothing is off limits when these two funny ladies get together to talk about life, love, motherhood, singleness, relationships, dating, pop culture, sex (or the lack thereof), and everything in between. The live version of the podcast will be at Majestic Theatre.

Arlington Music Hall presents Pauly Shore
Pauly Shore tasted stardom in the 1990s thanks to his MTV show Totally Pauly, as well as starring roles in films like Jury Duty, In the Army Now, Bio-Dome, Encino Man, Son In Law, and A Goofy Movie. Apart from actively touring the country with his stand-up comedy, Shore is working on a documentary of his life that spans the 1960s, ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s. He'll perform at Arlington Music Hall.

AT&T Performing Arts Center presents Jagged Little Pill
Jagged Little Pill is a new musical based on Alanis Morissette’s world-changing music, an electrifying production about a perfectly imperfect American family. The national touring production, featuring a book by Oscar-winning writer Diabolo Cody, will have five performances through Sunday at Winspear Opera House.

Saturday, January 13

Smooth Winter Groove VIII with Kem, Eric Benét, and Leela James
The first of two R&B ensemble concerts at Texas Trust CU Theatre in Grand Prairie this weekend, Smooth Winter Groove VIII will feature performances by Kem, Eric Benét, and Leela James. Kem is arguably the most successful of the three, with three top 5 albums on the Billboard 200 and two No. 1 albums on the Billboard R&B chart. Kem's most recent album is Love Always Wins in 2020, Benét's most recent album is Eric Benét in 2016, and James' most recent album is Thought U Knew in 2023.

Sunday, January 14

The R&B '90s Kick Back with Keith Sweat, Bobby Brown, Jon B., and Troop
More big names will be on hand for The R&B '90s Kick Back at Texas Trust CU Theatre, featuring performances by Keith Sweat, Bobby Brown, Jon B., and Troop. Sweat's most recent album is Playing for Keeps in 2018, Brown's most recent album is The Masterpiece in 2012, Jon B.'s most recent album is Comfortable Swagg in 2012, and Troop's most recent albums is Mayday in 1998.

Photo by Jeremy Daniel

TheaterWorksUSA presents Dog Man: The Musical at Wyly Theatre, January 11-28.

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Movie review

Adam Scott gets creeped out exploring eerie Irish hotel in Hokum

Photo courtesy of Neon

Adam Scott in Hokum.

There are relatively few actors who can switch back and forth between comedy and drama easily, but Adam Scott is the rare exception. He’s equally as well known for starring in comedy projects like Parks & Recreation, Party Down, and Step Brothers as he is for dramas like Big Little Lies and Severance. He’s going the latter route again in the new horror film, Hokum.

Scott plays author Ohm Bauman, who’s trying to finish his latest book. In an effort to avoid distractions and also pay tribute to his parents, he retreats to an Irish hotel where his mom and dad spent their honeymoon. Bauman, who is about as stand-offish as you can get, and the staff of the hotel are at odds almost right away, although Bauman finds a kind of kinship with Jerry (David Wilmot), a seemingly-homeless man he meets in a nearby forest.

Bauman becomes intrigued with the story of the hotel’s closed-off honeymoon suite, which is said to be haunted. His curiosity, though, seems to trigger a variety of strange things, one of which ends with him in an extended stay at the hospital. He returns to the hotel determined more than ever to discover what’s really happening in the honeymoon suite, with things both normal and supernatural blocking his way at every turn.

Written and directed by Irish filmmaker Damian McCarthy, the film’s approach to horror is both subtle and overt. On the good side is Bauman’s story, which gradually gets deeper as more is revealed about his past, especially the premature death of his mother. Bauman’s trauma over her loss influences his thinking and actions, and a possible connection between his current situation and his personal history broadens the scope of the plot.

There is plenty of creepiness to be found in the film, starting with the dark and decrepit nature of the hotel itself. Any building where a particular room is off-limits naturally inspires intrigue, and McCarthy does a solid job of building tension. That’s why it’s strange and disappointing that he gives in to the lamest of horror tropes - a sudden appearance by an odd-looking person accompanied by a big screeching noise - on multiple occasions.

The film is at its best when it features weird moments that are never or only slightly explained. A dead body in a rabbit suit is echoed by the unexplained broadcast from Bauman’s youth featuring a terrifying TV host with bulging eyes and rabbit ears. Bauman’s explorations take him into the hotel’s basement via a dumbwaiter, where he encounters all manner of strange things, including what seem to be witches. Because most of these things are left to the audience’s imagination, they hit harder in the moment.

Scott is known to be understated in his acting, and that skill works well in this particular role. Although he clearly plays Bauman as freaked out, he never indicates panic, and that level-headedness makes his character someone you want to follow no matter how dark the path might be. The mostly-Irish supporting cast is not well-known, but Wilmot and Florence Ordesh make the most of their short time on screen.

Hokum - a title that is also not explained - is a horror film that earns its bona fides through mood more than action. Even though not much of consequence happens throughout the film, it still keeps you on the edge of your seat trying to figure out what will happen next.

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Hokum is now playing in theaters.

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