Weekend Event Planner

These are the 15 best things to do in Dallas this weekend

It's a huge weekend in and around Dallas, not only with the number of events, but with the quality of them as well. They include a couple of big-name comedians, two concerts (including a co-headlining one for the ages), no fewer than eight separate theater productions, a dinosaur exhibition, rodeo on a massive scale, and a well-known actor in a one-man show.

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, March 7

Katt Williams: The Dark Matter Tour
Stand-up comedian, actor, and rapper Katt Williams is known for his insightful, often polarizing material. The once emancipated teenager performs comedy on his own terms, giving an articulate, sharp dialogue that surfaces with names like Trump, Cosby, and NASA, but is rooted in evergreen conversations like politics, race relations, and police brutality - all a mere (and mirror) reflection of the American political landscape. He'll perform on Thursday and Friday at Texas Trust CU Theatre in Grand Prairie.

Brian Setzer in concert
Singer, songwriter, and guitarist Brian Setzer has been at the forefront of the rockabilly genre since his debut as the lead singer of the Stray Cats in 1981. While he's occasionally gone away from that style, especially in his solo work, he's found the most success within it, which is why it's no surprise that this concert is called "Rockabilly Riot!." He'll play at Majestic Theatre in support of his 2023 solo album, The Devil Always Collects.

Rover Dramawerks presents Take the Couch
Natalie and Steve have just returned from taking their last child off to college, but they are not the stereotypical couple suffering from empty nest syndrome. They are ready for some alone time, and Steve has rented some X-rated movies to spice up their marriage. Then the doorbell rings, and their plans for a little romance are thwarted by nonstop visits from their dysfunctional family members, all of which make for a riotous romp of a weekend. The production runs at Cox Playhouse in Plano through March 23.

Uptown Players presents Fire and Air
Fire and Air, a play by acclaimed playwright Terrence McNally making its regional premiere, delves into the tempestuous relationship between two legendary figures in the world of ballet: impresario Sergei Diaghilev and dancer Vaslav Nijinsky. Diaghilev, the founder of the renowned Ballets Russes, and Nijinsky, a groundbreaking male dancer, form a complex bond that intertwines artistic brilliance, personal desire, and the conflicts that arise from the pursuit of artistic excellence. The production, taking place in the 6th Floor Studio Theater of Wyly Theatre, runs through March 17.

Friday, March 8

Jurassic Quest
Jurassic Quest features over 50 ultra-realistic, life-size animatronic dinosaurs. Visitors can interact with these huge creatures, learn about them, and even ride a few. There are also huge T-Rex and Triceratops fossil digs where young paleontologists can uncover long hidden dinosaurs bones, the “Dino Bounce” area with several dinosaur-themed inflatable mazes, face painting, dino crafts, and more. The event takes place in Centennial Hall at Fair Park through Sunday.

The American Western Weekend
The American Western Weekend offers fans a unique choice - to cheer on western sports’ finest, champion athletes, or root for the underdog “Contenders” chasing a $1 million bonus – through every rodeo, roping, and riding effort. The weekend is also big on the music side, as it will feature performances by country music star Luke Bryan and rapper Post Malone. The event takes place on Friday and Saturday at Globe Life Field in Arlington.

AT&T Performing Arts Center presents Alan Cumming Is Not Acting His Age
In Alan Cumming Is Not Acting His Age, Cumming covers all the bases: sex, death and bacchanalia, with a set list as eclectic as the man himself. Songs from Cabaret authors Kander and Ebb blend with contemporary favorites and even a self-penned paean against plastic surgery. He also discusses the effects of gravity, the time the mum from The Brady Bunch punched him, and what his dog taught him about the quality of life. He'll put on two performances at Moody Performance Hall on Friday.

The Hopeful Theatre Project presents Disney’s Beauty and the Beast
In the beloved Disney musical Beauty and the Beast, a young woman in a provincial town meets a terrifying Beast who is really a handsome prince trapped under the spell of an enchantress. If the Beast can learn to love and be loved, the curse will end and he will be transformed into his former self. But time is running out. If the Beast does not learn his lesson soon, he and his magical household might be doomed for all eternity. The production will have four performances through Sunday at Kalita Humphreys Theater.

Plague Mask Players presents The Taming of the Shrew
This production of Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew by Plague Mask Players will be presented in the style of the 1950s sitcom I Love Lucy. The retro aesthetic will both amplify the humor and confront the story’s sexism, bringing out a dissonant twist reminiscent of The Twilight Zone. It will also be presented in Living Black and White, courtesy of Pegasus Theatre, creating the illusion of watching a '50s TV show come to life. The production, part of AT&T Performing Arts Center's Elevator Project, runs through March 17 at Wyly Theatre.

Garland Civic Theatre presents Follies
In Follies, the time is 1971, and theatrical impresario Dimitri Weissmann hosts a reunion of ex-Follies performers in his crumbling theatre, setting the stage for a parade of brilliant pastiche numbers, including "Losing My Mind," "I'm Still Here" and "Broadway Baby." Amid the reminiscing, two middle-aged couples confront some unpleasant truths about their past and present, coming face-to-face with the future. The production runs through March 24 at Granville Arts Center in Garland.

Mainstage Irving-Las Colinas presents Dear Brutus
In Dear Brutus, an eclectic group of guests are invited to an enchanting country house for Midsummers Eve. Their mysterious host, Lob, spins a tale of a mystical forest outside the home where they can find dreams and desires answered. Each with their own problems and each curious as to what their “second chance” at life may look like, the guests wander into the woods and seize the opportunity to explore a parallel version of themselves. The production runs through March 23 at Irving Arts Center.

Saturday, March 9

Photo courtesy of Billy Joel

Billy Joel and Stevie Nicks will play at AT&T Stadium on March 9.

Eisemann Center Presents: Jackie
In Jackie, actor Kait Haire portrays former First Lady Jackie Kennedy in a powerful and revealing narrative that begins on June 5, 1968, when she receives word of her brother-in-law Robert Kennedy’s assassination. Set in her 5th Avenue New York City apartment, the audience takes a journey with a distressed Jackie who’s wondering how she could possibly live through another great loss. The production will have three performances through Sunday at Eisemann Center for Performing Arts in Richardson.

Dallas Theater Center presents Every Brilliant Thing
Every Brilliant Thing is a surprising and immersive theatrical experience that speaks openly about depression, mental illness, and suicide. With poignant humor and joy, the production takes the audience on a journey through grief, healing, falling in love, and rediscovering all that life has to give. The production runs through March 24 at Wyly Theatre.

Billy Joel and Stevie Nicks in concert
Two of the biggest names in music over the last 50 years will team up for a special co-headlining concert at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. Joel, despite being one of the most prolific hit makers of the 20th century, has released relatively few albums in his career - only 14 since his debut in 1971. Nicks has been as proficient as a solo artist as she was as part of the group Fleetwood Mac, releasing eight albums on both sides. They'll both play all their hits, including Joel's first new song in 17 years, "Turn the Lights Back On."

Tom Segura: Come Together Tour
Comedian, actor, and writer Tom Segura is best known for his Netflix specials, Sledgehammer (2023), Ball Hog (2020), Disgraceful (2018), Mostly Stories (2016), and Completely Normal (2014). He also co-hosts the podcast Your Mom’s House with his wife, comedian Christina Pazsitzky, and 2 Bears 1 Cave with Bert Kreischer. He'll perform at American Airlines Center.

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Movie Review

Faces of Death returns with modern twist on cult horror film

Photo courtesy of of IFC Films

Dacre Montgomery in Faces of Death.

True horror fans will likely be familiar with the 1978 cult film Faces of Death, which purported to be a documentary showing real-life killings in gory detail. It didn’t, of course, but that didn’t stop rumors from continuing to spread for decades. Now, almost 50 years and multiple sequels later, comes a new version of Faces of Death, an actual movie that pays homage to the original in interesting ways.

Margot (Barbie Ferreira) works at a YouTube-like company called Kino as a content moderator, flagging videos that violate the company’s policies. This means her job often involves seeing some truly despicable things from all manner of depraved people. One day, though, she comes across a video that seems a little too real, and after seeing more similar videos, she starts to believe they’re genuine murders.

Going against her company NDA, she starts to investigate the videos on her own, which puts her on the radar of Arthur (Dacre Montgomery), who is actually kidnapping people and killing them on camera through methods seen in the original Faces of Death film. It’s not long before Arthur tracks her down, with a plan to make her one of his next victims.

Written and directed by Daniel Goldhaber (How to Blow Up a Pipeline) and co-written by Isa Mazzei, the film is not so much scary as it is creepy, with the occasional gross-out sequence. The idea of having someone emulate the killings in the cult film is a good idea, and pairing it with the modern-day attention economy - in which content creators go to increasing lengths for clicks - is a clever twist on a concept that other films have done.

The film as a whole is a commentary on how social media and video sharing sites have often decided to prioritize profits over the well-being of their users. Margot is shown allowing videos involving violence and sexual assault to stay on the site while nixing ones depicting how to use Narcan or demonstrating putting on a condom on a banana. Josh (Jermaine Fowler), Margot’s boss, is even explicit in the company mandate that outrageous videos drive views.

While Arthur has the makings of a good villain, there are few attempts to make him seem truly diabolical. His kidnappings often seem more spur-of-the-moment than calculated, and even though he has a well thought-out dungeon at home, the house’s location in the suburbs seems to make him vulnerable to easy discovery. Goldhaber and Mazzei leave more than a few unanswered questions along the way that take away from the intensity of the story.

Ferreira is yet another actor from Euphoria who’s capitalizing on her exposure from that show. She plays Margot’s increasing anxiety well, and when the action ratchets up in the final act, she meets the moment in a satisfying way. Montgomery returns to the vibe he had while playing the evil Billy on Stranger Things, and even though his character doesn’t fully live up to his potential, Montgomery sells his evil for all it’s worth.

The new Faces of Death may not be what some are expecting given the reputation of the previous films, but it’s a solid horror/thriller that uses the brand as a launching pad into something different. It doesn’t make much of a dent in the scare department, but it does give its violence and gore a degree of relevance in today’s often desensitized world.

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Faces of Death is now playing in theaters.

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