Weekend Event Planner

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

Music and comedy will be the highlights of the event taking place this weekend in and around Dallas. There will be five big concerts, including one by a country music legend; three comedians, including one of the best of all time; two new local theater productions, including one by Deaf actors; and a different kind of basketball.

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. Also, Fourth of July events start in earnest this weekend; check out the full list here.

Thursday, June 29

Turtle Creek Chorale presents What Happens in Vegas
Turtle Creek Chorale presents What Happens in Vegas, a colorful collection of arrangements of familiar music associated with "Sin City," including hits from Frank Sinatra, Celine Dion, Britney Spears, and Elton John, accompanied by costumes, dancing, and an Elvis impersonator. There will be performances on Thursday and Friday at Moody Performance Hall.

American Airlines Center presents Dave Chappelle Live
Dave Chappelle is recognized as one of the greatest comedians of all time. He is the 2019 recipient of the prestigious Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, and his work has earned him more than 30 nominations and awards in television and film for projects that include his groundbreaking sketch comedy television series Chappelle’s Show, comedy specials, and guest appearances on Saturday Night Live. He'll perform at American Airlines Center.

Matchbox Twenty in concert
It may or may not surprise you that rock band Matchbox Twenty has only released five albums in their career, or that - despite the bulk of their hits coming from their first three albums - their only No. 1 album was 2012's North. Since then, the band has focused almost exclusively on touring until this year, when they released their first new album in more than a decade, Where The Light Goes. They'll play at Dos Equis Pavilion.

Friday, June 30

Outlaw Music Festival with Willie Nelson and Friends
The Outlaw Music Festival Tour continues the celebration of Willie Nelson’s legendary life and legacy in his milestone 90th birthday year. Performing at Dos Equis Pavilion will be Willie Nelson & Family, Whiskey Myers, Flatland Cavalry, and Particle Kid. Nelson is touring in support of his 99th album, I Don’t Know A Thing About Love.

TLC and Shaggy in concert
In the early-to-mid 1990s, R&B/hip hop trio TLC was at the top of their game thanks to hits like "Waterfalls" and "No Scrubs." Things went sideways in the late '90s, and then derailed almost completely when Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes died in a car crash in 2002. But T-Boz and Chilli have persevered, and they'll be at the top of the '90s/2000s-heavy "Hot Summer Nights" Tour, featuring co-headliner Shaggy, as well as special guests En Vogue and Sean Kingston. The concert is at The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory in Irving.

Improv Addison presents Ian Bagg
Ian Bagg started his comedy career in his native country, Canada. He proceeded to do all the show business things that every successful Canadian entertainer does. So what does a Canadian do when he has done it all? He boards a train to New York City, lives in a youth hostel and ends up on Late Night with Conan O’Brien, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, and Tonight Show with Jay Leno. He'll perform four times through Saturday at Improv Addison.

North Texas Performing Arts Deaf Theatre presents Deaf Theatre Showcase: A Union of Hands and Voices
North Texas Performing Arts will present the inaugural production of its NTPA Deaf Theatre, a new and innovative troupe focused on making theatre accessible to Deaf and hard of hearing performers and audiences in Dallas-Fort Worth. The production combines a cast of 33 Deaf and hearing actors ages 8-adult on stage in a revue inspired by popular Broadway hits. The showcase highlights the diverse culture of the Deaf, styles of Deaf theater, and passion for this inclusive art form. Actors will share their life experiences following scenes using a variety of Deaf theater styles. There will be three performances through Sunday at the Willow Bend Center of the Arts in Plano.

Pocket Sandwich Theatre presents Captain Blood: A Pirate Melodrama
Welcome to the adventures of the most bumbling bunch of buccaneers that ever buckled a swash. Pocket Sandwich Theatre is going back further than ever before to capture a tale of bloodthirsty cutthroats versus proper scoundrels of her Majesty's navy. There's fighting, singing, laughs, love, betrayal, and tender moments that would melt even the darkest blaggard's heart. The production, which encourages audience members to throw popcorn, runs through August 12.

Hyena's presents Adam Ray
Adam Ray is known onstage for his stories about bumping into celebrities, life in Los Angeles, talking about his mom, and his single friends. Lately, he’s also been making waves as an actor: playing the role of Vince McMahon in Young Rock, Jay Leno in Pam & Tommy, and starring in The Bellmen. Meanwhile, Adam’s YouTube videos have over 50 million views and his popular podcast About Last Night features tons of celebrities. He'll perform four times through Saturday at Hyena's Comedy Nightclub.

Saturday, July 1

BIG3: 3-on-3 Basketball League
Dallas will be one of eight cities to host games for the sixth season of the BIG3: 3-on-3 Basketball League. Created in part by rapper/actor Ice Cube, the BIG3 is the American 3-on-3 professional basketball league, which combines superstar players and fan interaction before and after the games to make for an exciting live experience. The games feature half-court play and rules designed for competition and intensity. The games will be at American Airlines Center.

Illenium in concert
Electronic music producer/DJ Illenium has been at or near the top of the Billboard Dance charts since his debut in 2016. His three most recent albums, including the new Illenium, have been especially successful, charting at No. 1 on the Dance charts and also high on the Billboard 200, which combines all genres together. He'll play all his hits, including his latest - "Eyes Wide Shut" with Avril Lavigne and Travis Barker - at this concert at Dos Equis Pavilion.

Photo by Shelley Neuman

The Outlaw Music Festival with Willie Nelson and Friends will be at Dos Equis Pavilion on June 30.

music concerts comedy sports theater event-planner

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.

---

The Magic Faraway Tree is now playing in theaters.

movies film