Weekend Event Planner

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

It's a packed weekend around Dallas, with events split between theater and music. No fewer than eight new local theater productions will start their runs this weekend, with productions taking place all over the map. On the music side, five big concerts take the stage, including a country star making her long-awaited return to touring. There will also be a fun dance production and a "Christmas in July" event for the whole family.

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, July 20

The Firehouse Theatre presents Disney's Newsies
Based on the real-life Newsboy Strike of 1899, the Disney musical Newsies tells the story of Jack Kelly, a rebellious newsboy who dreams of a life as an artist away from the big city. After publishing giant Joseph Pulitzer raises newspaper prices at the newsboys’ expense, Kelly and his fellow newsies take action. With help from reporter Katherine Plumber, all of New York City soon recognizes the power of “the little man.” The production runs through August 13 at The Firehouse Theatre in Farmers Branch.

WaterTower Theatre presents Goin' Hollywood
Alice Chandler does not feel like she belongs in the 21st century, but she never dreamed that a magical birthday wish would transport her and her best friend and writing partner, Garson Stein, back in time to 1949 Hollywood. Alice and Garson land smack in the golden age of movie musicals, where they land their dream job writing for L. B. Mayer at MGM and are surrounded by glittering stars of Hollywood. But they soon see that under all the glamour lies a studio system crumbling, the blacklist threatening their closest allies, and their eyes are opened to Hollywood’s darker side. The world premiere production runs through July 30 at WaterTower Theatre in Addison.

Friday, July 21

Garland Summer Musicals presents Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, based on the popular 1988 MGM film, takes the audience to the French Riviera for high jinks and hilarity. Sophisticated, suave with a good dash of mischief, the hysterical comedy features a jazzy score by David Yazbek (The Full Monty) and was nominated for 11 Tony Awards. The production runs through July 30 at Granville Arts Center in Garland.

Repertory Company Theatre presents Brigadoon
Brigadoon is the original Scottish time-travel story. The mystery and beauty of the Scottish Highlands is the backdrop for Lerner and Loewe’s magical tale about following your heart and the power of love. The production runs through July 30 at Repertory Company Theatre in Richardson.

Theatre Arlington presents Superior Donuts
Arthur Przybyszewski owns a decrepit donut shop in the Uptown neighborhood of Chicago. Franco Wicks, a black teenager who is his only employee, wants to change the shop for the better. The comedy-drama by Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Tracy Letts explores the challenges of embracing the past and the redemptive power of friendship. The production runs through August 6 at Theatre Arlington.

Shania Twain in concert
Country music star Shania Twain is the best-selling female artist in country music history, a record she's achieved despite releasing only six albums in her 30-year career. Despite taking big breaks between each of her last three albums, she still sells tons of albums, with her latest, the new Queen of Me, coming in at No. 2 on the Billboard 200. She'll play at Dos Equis Pavilion, with support from a star for a new generation, Arlington native Mickey Guyton.

Theatre Three presents Next to Normal
If you missed the initial run of Theatre Three's Next to Normal, you'll get a second chance this weekend, as they'll put on four more performances through Sunday at Coppell Arts Center. The Goodman family is just a “normal” family: Dad's an architect, mom packs lunches and makes birthday cakes, and their daughter and son are bright, wise-cracking teens. Under the surface, their family is anything but. Next to Normal is an emotionally charged Tony-Award winning musical that explores a family’s raw and emotional journey with a mother struggling with chronic bipolar disorder as they navigate a world of therapists and medication.

B. Moore Dance presents Jazz-Soul-Funk-Classics
As part of AT&T Performing Arts Center's Elevator Project series, B. Moore Dance will present Jazz-Soul-Funk-Classics, a classic night of sultry jazz, soulful harmony, and the funkiest funk. Adding to her prolific repertoire of choreographic work, Artistic Director Bridget L. Moore focuses her eclectic, diverse and daring vision on music that rocks avant-garde audiences around the world. The production will highlight the dynamic dancers of B. Moore Dance, coupled with live music, vocalists, and visual artists from Dallas. There will be three performances through Sunday at Wyly Theatre.

Art Centre Theatre presents Drunk Shakespeare
Shakespeare is difficult to read sober, let alone eight drinks in. For this production, one or more performers begin to do shots of any kind of alcohol and then attempt to perform A Midsummer Night's Dream. Hilarity and mayhem ensue while the four sober actors try and keep the script on track. There will be six performances through August 5 at Art Centre Theatre in Plano.

Camp Death Productions presents Vampirettes of the Caribbean
Captain Jackie Raven is out to get her ship back from the evil Vampire Pirate Barbarellosa, and possibly save Eleanor Lark in the process. A raunchy spoof of Pirates of the Caribbean, it’s got vampires, it’s got pirates ... how many more reasons do you need? The production will have six performances through August 5 at Pocket Sandwich Theatre in Carrollton.

Saturday, July 22

Nickelback in concert
The term "Nickelback" has somehow become synonymous with "overrated" since the group's breakout in 2001. And yet 10 albums and almost 30 years into their career, they remain a top-selling band, so it's clear they still have plenty of fans out there. They'll play at Dos Equis Pavilion in support of their 2022 album, Get Rollin'.

AT&T Performing Arts Center presents Christmas in July
Christmas in July is a fun-filled evening to tide visitors over until the holidays actually arrive. It will feature screenings of The Muppet Christmas Carol and National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, holiday-themed drinks from G.Texas, and photo ops with Santa. The free event takes place in Sammons Park outside of Winspear Opera House.

Boz Scaggs in concert
Musician Boz Scaggs is a journeyman if ever there was one. He was born in Ohio, grew up in Oklahoma and Texas (attending school in Dallas), tried to start his career in Madison, Wisconsin and Austin before traveling in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, eventually settling in Stockholm, where he recorded his 1965 debut album, Boz. Eighteen albums and nearly 60 years later, Scaggs is still showing why he's one of the pre-eminent modern rock musicians. He'll play at Winspear Opera House.

Sunday, July 23

Slightly Stoopid in concert with Sublime With Rome
Reggae rock is a subgenre dating back to the 1970s that has gone up and down in popularity through the years, with everyone from The Police, No Doubt, and 311 falling under its label. Two current bands in the genre - Slightly Stoopid and Sublime with Rome - will combine forces for this co-headlining concert at The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory in Irving. Slightly Stoopid is touring in support of their new album, So Many Other Realities Exist Simultaneously, while Sublime with Rome has released three albums in their career, with a fourth scheduled for release later in 2023.

Erykah Badu in concert
We here in Dallas typically see Erykah Badu in relatively small venues, whether it's her annual birthday celebration in Deep Ellum or just around town since she lives here. But this concert will find her playing one of the biggest venues in the area, American Airlines Center, as part of her 25-city Unfollow Me tour, which is coming to a close in her hometown. She will be joined by longtime friend and hip-hop artist, yasiin bey.

Photo by Louie Banks

Shania Twain will play at Dos Equis Pavilion on July 21.

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Animal News

Latest animal to die at Dallas Zoo is young male gorilla named Zola

Dallas Zoo

Zola RIP

Another animal at the Dallas Zoo has died an untimely death: Zola, a young Western lowland gorilla, died on Wednesday, November 5, at age 23.

The zoo does not know why Zola died. A necropsy will be performed. According to their post, Zola was euthanized after showing symptoms of lethargy, reduced appetite, and signs of discomfort at the end of October.

"Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to begin breathing on his own afterward, despite the extraordinary efforts of our veterinary and animal care teams," their post says. "With his comfort as our priority, we made the difficult decision to let him go peacefully."

The zoo did not announce Zola's death immediately, instead waiting two days until Friday afternoon at 3 pm. Politicians and government agencies prefer to choose Friday afternoons to post news that is negative or controversial, since fewer people, and definitely fewer journalists, are online on Friday afternoons. It's called the "Friday news dump."

The death is very inconvenient for the Dallas Zoo since they were just about to ship off their male gorillas, which also include Juba, B'Wenzi, and Zola's half-brother Shana, to the San Antonio Zoo. Animals are very dear to the zoo — until it's time to ship them off to another zoo.

The relocation of the other three male gorillas is "temporarily on hold" but the zoo says they will be moved "when the time is right."

Other gorillas will be shipped in to replace them — although we do not know which gorillas and from where. The Association of Zoos & Aquariums, the overseeing body for zoos, only divulges that kind of intel on a "need to know" basis. Right now, you and I do not need to know. If we did know which gorillas were coming and where they were coming from, we might ask questions that would force the zoo to explain what it's up to.

Zola was born at the Bronx Zoo in 2002 and became internet famous as the "breakdancing gorilla" for splashing in pools and puddles. Some animal experts attributed his actions to frustration at being locked inside a zoo. He was relocated to the Calgary Zoo in 2009 when he was only 7 years old — zoos always play up what great bonds and family ties their animals have, until it's time to ship them somewhere else, and then suddenly the bonds and family ties don't matter.

Unfortunately, Zola did not "integrate well" at the Calgary Zoo, so he got shipped off to the Dallas Zoo in 2013.

At least now he won't have to be relocated again.

Death count
Zola's death is one more in a long-running series of deaths at the Dallas Zoo in recent years, the most previous being Jata, a 7-year-old painted dog who died in June 2024. Jata also showed signs of lethargy and decreased appetite, reportedly due to kidney disease.

Whenever a death occurs, they always wax on about their "extraordinary" veterinary and animal care teams — and yet, so many of these deaths were either unexplained or completely caught their teams by surprise.

Zola the Western lowland gorilla is the latest to join this death march of animals at the Dallas Zoo:

Jata, one of the zoo's three African painted dogs, died in June 2024, at seven years old.
Ferrell, a 15-year-old giraffe, died in December, 2023, following "an unexpected fall in the barn" that injured the giraffe's jaw so badly, they were forced to euthanize him.
Ajabu, a 6-year-old African elephant who died on May 8, 2023, from the herpes virus.
Pin, a 35-year-old lappet-faced vulture, died on January 22, 2023, cause unknown.
Jesse, a 14-year-old giraffe, died on October 29, 2021, cause unknown.
Auggie, a 19-year-old giraffe, died in late October 2021 of liver failure.
Marekani, a 3-month-old baby giraffe, sustained a mysterious injury and was euthanized on October 3, 2021.
Kirk, a 31-year-old chimpanzee, died in August 2021 due to "surprise" heart disease.
Keeya, a 6-year-old Hartmann's mountain zebra, died in March 2021 due to a mysterious unexplained head injury.
Subira, a 24-year-old silverback gorilla, died suddenly in March 2020, due to a cough, or maybe cardiovascular disease. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Hope, a 23-year-old Western lowland gorilla, died suddenly in November 2019 after being at the zoo for only two years.
Ola, an 8-year-old female African painted dog, was killed in July 2019 by two other painted dogs, less than a month after she was transferred to the zoo.
Witten, a 1-year-old giraffe, died in June 2019 during a physical exam under anesthesia when he suddenly stopped breathing.
Adhama, a baby hippopotamus, mysteriously died in 2018.
Kipenzi, a baby giraffe, died in 2015 after running in her enclosure.
Kamau, a young cheetah, died of pneumonia in 2014.
Johari, a female lion, was killed in front of zoo spectators in 2013 by male lions with whom she shared an enclosure.

And in February 2021, they lost a crow called Onyx who was part of their "animal ambassador team," "participating in a training session" for a bird show. He was never found.

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