Weekend Event Planner

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

While Easter festivities will dominate many people's long holiday weekend in Dallas, there are also some fine local and traveling events to catch, too. They include two local theater productions, a symphony concert, a comedian, college basketball, three concerts, three dance productions, and the grand opening for a new location of an art museum.

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. Still need Easter brunch plans or some sweet treats for your gathering? Find those lists here and here.

Thursday, March 28

Second Thought Theatre presents Heroes of the Fourth Turning
It's nearing midnight in Wyoming, where four young conservatives have gathered at a backyard after-party. They've returned home to toast their mentor Gina, newly inducted as president of a tiny Catholic college. But as their reunion spirals into spiritual chaos and clashing generational politics, it becomes less a celebration than a vicious fight to be understood. The production runs through April 13 at Second Thought Theatre in Dallas.

Dallas Symphony Orchestra presents "Mahler Symphony No. 5"
The Dallas Symphony Orchestra's "Mahler's Symphony No. 5" concert will be conducted by Fabio Luisi and feature pianist Jeremy Denk. The program, which will have three performances through Saturday at Meyerson Symphony Center, includes the world premiere of Anna Clyne's piano concerto, Atlas, and Mahler's Symphony No. 5.

Ralph Barbosa: The Super Cool Ass Tour
Ralph Barbosa was named the Funniest Comic in Texas in 2019, was the winner of the New York Latino Film Festival Stand Up Comedy competition in 2021, and recently made his HBO debut on the HA Festival Comedy Special. He also sold out six shows in Dallas for his 2023 Netflix special, Cowabunga. He'll perform once on Thursday and twice on Saturday at Majestic Theatre.

Friday, March 29

2024 NCAA Division I Men's South Basketball Regionals
For the first time since 2018, Dallas will play host to games for the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. Weekend two of the South Regional will kick off with Sweet Sixteen games, featuring No. 1 seed Houston vs No. 4 seed Duke and No. 2 seed Marquette vs. No. 11 seed North Carolina State. The winners of those two games will face off on Sunday in the Elite Eight for a chance to go to the Final Four in Glendale, Arizona. All games will be at American Airlines Center.

Home Free in concert
Country a cappella group Home Free comes to Dallas as part of their tour, "Crazy(er) Life," celebrating the 10-year anniversary of their 2014 breakout album, Crazy Life, released after they won the fourth season of NBC’s The Sing Off in 2013. They released their latest album, As Seen On TV, in 2023. They'll perform at Majestic Theatre.

Theatre Arlington presents Alice in Wonderland
Adapted from Lewis Carroll's beloved tale, Alice in Wonderland follows the curious journey of young Alice as she falls through a rabbit hole into a surreal and fantastical realm. The family-friendly show runs through April 14 at Theatre Arlington.

Avant Chamber Ballet presents Women's Choreography Project
Avant Chamber Ballet's Women's Choreography Project features an evening of world premieres and commissions with live music in an intimate setting that lets the audience experience dance up close and meet the artists after the performance. The program is celebrating its 10th anniversary of commissioning new works by women choreographers. There will be performances on Friday and Saturday at Sammons Center for the Arts.

The Polyphonic Spree in concert with FIT
For almost 25 years, lead singer Tim DeLaughter and The Polyphonic Spree have been bringing good vibes with their psychedelic pop/symphonic rock sound. The Dallas choral band has only had a few notable hits over the years, but they're a mainstay in their hometown, putting on multiple shows every year, including their annual holiday extravaganza. They'll play at Longhorn Ballroom in support of their 2023 album, Salvage Enterprise.

TITAS/Dance Unbound presents Giordano Dance Chicago
Jazz dance is quintessentially American, and Giordano Dance Chicago is America’s original jazz dance company. Celebrating 60 years of commitment to and expansion of jazz dance, the powerful, passionate, and elegant company - making their Dallas debut - occupies a singular position within the local, national, and international dance communities. They'll perform at Winspear Opera House.

Saturday, March 30

Arlington Museum of Art Grand Opening exhibits
The Arlington Museum of Art has moved from its longtime location in downtown Arlington to join the Arlington Entertainment District near the city's three stadiums. They'll celebrate their grand opening with two new exhibitions: "Pompeii: The Immortal City," in which guests will hear and feel the roar of Mount Vesuvius erupting while they take in the wonder of original artworks and newly-discovered artifacts; and "One Point Five Degrees," the museum's first-ever, immersive art experience that draws its name from the 2018 report on the threats from global climate change. Both exhibitions will remain on display through June 23.

Eisemann Center for the Performing Arts presents Contemporary West Dance Theatre
Contemporary West Dance Theatre is a multicultural nonprofit organization founded in March 2007 by Alvin Ailey protege Bernard H. Gaddis and Charmaine Hunter. The company has a dance methodology that integrates classical and modern paradigms with an athleticism that gives audiences a more profound dance experience. They'll perform at Eisemann Center for Performing Arts in Richardson.

Sunday, March 31

Thee Phantom & The Illharmonic Orchestra in concert
Thee Phantom combines the energy and passion of hip-hop, with the beautiful, sweeping sounds of live orchestration featuring strings, horns, woodwinds, and a pianist. Add to that a soul songstress, a crowd controlling DJ and a fire breathing MC and that is still but a fraction of what you'll get when you catch Thee Phantom & the Illharmonic Orchestra in action. They'll perform at Majestic Theatre.

Photo courtesy of Arlington Museum of Art

Arlington Museum of Art presents "Pompeii: The Immortal City" as part of its grand opening on March 30.

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Movie Review

The Magic Faraway Tree is a whimsical family lark that fails to take root

Photo courtesy of Vertical Entertainment

Andrew Garfield, Delilah Bennett-Cardy, Claire Foy, Phoenix Laroche, and Billie Gadson in The Magic Faraway Tree.

With kids and families always on the hunt for entertainment, it’s typically a safe bet for a movie studio to offer up something new, even if it is a film based on an old property. The Magic Faraway Tree, based on a series of books that started in the 1930s, is a very old property, one that its filmmakers have tried to liven up with a few stars, a lot of whimsy, and a boatload of CGI.

The Thompson family, led by stay-at-home dad Tim (Andrew Garfield) and breadwinner mom Polly (Claire Foy), are forced to move to a rundown country home when Polly gets laid off. The kids - Joe (Phoenix Laroche), Fran (Billie Gadson), and Beth (Delilah Bennett-Cardy) - are used to the perks of city life like wifi and electricity, and each of them rebels in their own way to their new lot in life.

Fran, enticed by a fairy named Silky (Nicola Coughlan), is the first to venture out of the house, making her way to a magic tree that transports her to a world full of strange characters like Moonface (Nonso Anozie), Saucepan Man (Dustin Demri-Burns), Dame Washalot (Jessica Gunning), and more. Her adventures there not only broaden the world she thought she knew, but may be the key to helping her ailing family.

Directed by Ben Gregor and written by Simon Farnaby (Paddington 2, Wonka), the film is a pleasant enough lark, but it fails to fully capture the imagination. The five-member family has a lot going on, from an initially-mute Fran to a domestic situation that raises more questions than it answers. The film tries to incorporate an anti-technology message through Tim’s hatred of a smart refrigerator (voiced by Judi Dench!) and the kids' addictions to devices, but it’s quickly shed in favor of other options.

Once Fran makes it to the Magic Faraway Tree, there’s a nice shift in the storytelling, but it’s unclear what the ultimate goal is. It’s a good idea to have Fran, the youngest of the children, convince her older, more cynical siblings about the virtues of the magic world, but the conflict in the real world doesn’t seem to rise to the level needed for the escape the tree provides.

There also seems to be a missing link in the storytelling for viewers to understand the importance of the fantastical characters. The visuals of seeing Moonface and his crescent moon-shaped hair, a man with a suit full of banging pots, and more are fun for a while, but not enough to carry the whole film. A last-minute revelation feels like it was something that should have been disclosed much earlier to help strengthen the emotions of the story.

A two-time Oscar nominee, Garfield is making his first foray into family movies (if you don’t count playing Spider-Man), and while he does a good job, he doesn’t make the best fit for the semi-goofy role. The same goes for the Emmy-winning Foy, who isn’t given much of anything to do. The movie puts the story on the shoulders of the three child actors, and while each of them acquit themselves well, none of them are so outstanding as to be noteworthy.

With nearly 90-year-old source material, The Magic Faraway Tree needed to be something truly special to stand out in the 21st century movie world. Unfortunately, it features a mostly forgettable story that features some fun visuals, a couple of cute kids, and not much else.

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The Magic Faraway Tree is now playing in theaters.

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