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.

theater music podcasts comedy concerts symphony event-planner

Movie Review

The Dink aces pickleball with funny, star-filled comedy

Photo courtesy of Apple TV+

Mary Steenburgen and Jake Johnson in The Dink.

While the sport of pickleball was invented way back in the 1960s, it has exploded in popularity in the 2020s. It was only a matter of time before someone figured out a way to make a movie about the craze, and a comedy like the new Apple TV+ film The Dink provides the best way to honor and make fun of the divisive sport at the same time.

Dusty Boyd (Jake Johnson), aka The Hammer, is a former tennis phenom who’s now working as an instructor at a club owned by his dad, Chuck (Ed Harris). While the two don’t always see eye-to-eye, they have a mutual hatred for pickleball, which they have begrudgingly allowed on the property by giving it the worst court.

Dusty is hoping to stop all future pickleball expansion by winning a one-on-one grudge match, but when he injures his wrist, he’s given a prescription of pickleball as a form of rehab. Older women like Candace (Mary Steenburgen) are the only people he can find to play with, and despite his disdain for the sport, he soon falls prey to its low-key charms.

Directed by Josh Greenbaum (Will & Harper) and written by Sean Clements, the film is probably the best advertisement pickleball will ever have. Dusty’s introduction to the sport serves as a lighthearted tutorial for the uninitiated while still getting in some nice digs at its expense. The other players - Candace, Gail (Cleo King), and Judy (Lynn Marie Stewart) - are equally welcoming and critical of Dusty, who initially has trouble adjusting to the game’s different rules.

The film’s approach to the story is silly but never stupid. Dusty is a blowhard, but he’s also able to admit when he’s wrong, especially when Candace introduces him to multiple things he had never considered before. A long-standing feud between Dusty and Andy Roddick provides more than just a goofy cameo for the real-life tennis star. The film also pushes right to the edge of being over-the-top before pulling back, allowing it to keep a semblance of reality to it.

Clements’ story follows a tried-and-true formula, making the film very predictable but enjoyably so. Where it earns its comedy credentials is in its finer details, like Dusty’s love for his 1999 Buick LeSabre with under 200,000 miles on it, his trunk full of old VHS tapes, or his interactions with his assistant PJ (Aaron Chen), who manages to be the comic relief in an already funny film.

Johnson, probably best known for starring in the sitcom New Girl in the 2010s, has the right amount of smarm and niceness to pull off the role, letting viewers laugh at and root for him at the same time. The film is full of comedy all-stars in small roles like Oswalt, Chris Parnell, and Ben Stiller, but Harris steals everyone’s thunder. The line readings by the four-time Oscar nominee give an extra punch to his character’s jokes, especially one that hints at the sordid history of the tennis club.

It’s a shame that The Dink is only playing on a streaming service as there’s a dearth of good comedies like this in movie theaters. With a solid joke-telling approach, a respect for its subject matter, and a cast who all play off each other well, this is a film that deserves to be seen by more than just those with an Apple TV+ subscription.

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The Dink is now streaming on Apple TV+.

movies sports pickleball film