Weekend Event Planner

These are the 10 best things to do in Fort Worth this weekend

There is plenty to keep you busy in and around Fort Worth this weekend, with events featuring numerous subjects. There will be concert full of classic rock, a new local theater production, screenings of an acclaimed new film, two separate classical music events, a foodie fundraiser, a little father-son time with TCU celebrities, a visit by a country superstar, and more.

Below are the best ways to spend your free time this weekend. Want more options? Lucky for you, we have a much longer list of the city's best events.

Thursday, May 17

Arlington Music Hall presents Beatles vs. Stones: A Musical Shootout
The British Invasion brought the two most popular rock groups of all time, the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, as well as the liveliest debate in rock history: Which band is the greatest? The two legendary bands will engage in an onstage, mash-up duel via tribute bands Abbey Road and Satisfaction. The two bands will alternate sets at Arlington Music Hall.

Stage West Theatre presents Hir
In Hir, Isaac arrives at his childhood home after a war to discover that his once-timid mother is on a whirlwind crusade to subvert the patriarchy, his sister is now his genderqueer brother who refers to hirself in gender-neutral pronouns, and his stroke-ridden father slumps on the couch in a muumuu and clown makeup. As Isaac attempts to reclaim structure in a household that refuses to be tamed, the family is forced to confront what it is to live in a new world when one is stuck in the past. The play will run at Stage West Theatre through June 17.

Friday, May 18

Kimbell Art Museum presents Art Museum Day
The Kimbell Art Museum celebrates Art Museum Day with free admission to the special exhibition, “From the Lands of Asia: The Sam and Myrna Myers Collection.” Visitors will see this theme expressed during the Museum's happy hour, "Kimbell Social Club," which will feature a performance by Danni and Kris, a dynamic up-and-coming Fort Worth duo.

Magnolia at the Modern: Journey's End
In a dugout in Aisne in 1918, a group of British officers, led by a mentally disintegrating young officer, await their fates. R.C. Sherriff’s 90-year-old play is brought to the screen with thrilling power, thanks to director Saul Dibb’s hard-hitting urgency and brilliant work from a talented cast, including Paul Bettany, Sam Claflin, and Asa Butterfield. The film will screen seven times through Sunday at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth.

Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra presents Scheherazade
Miguel Harth-Bedoya and the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra close the 2017-2018 Symphonic season with Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade, a musical realization of the vividly colorful and mesmerizing tales spun by a storyteller at risk for her very life. The program opens with visiting composer Mason Bates’ Anthology of Fantastic Zoology. The concert will play three times through Sunday at Bass Performance Hall.

Fort Worth Zoo presents Beastro
Beastro is the Fort Worth Zoo’s annual music and tasting event that supports the zoo’s local and international wildlife conservation and education efforts. The event features the finest area restaurants stationed throughout the zoo, serving sample appetizers, entrees, and desserts. There will also be open bars throughout the park and live music entertainment from Jordan Kahn Orchestra, Memphis Soul, Incognito, and Keith Mitchell Band. Several animal exhibits will remain open until sunset.

Saturday, May 19

All Pro Dad presents Father and Kid Experience
Former NFL MVP and TCU all-American LaDanian Tomlinson and TCU head football coach Gary Patterson will lead the All Pro Dad Father and Kids Experience, a fun-filled day dedicated to strengthening the bond between dads and their kids. The event will feature interactive games, hands-on experiences, and practical fatherhood tips. The event will take place at the Sam Baugh Indoor Practice Facility on the TCU campus.

Kenny Chesney in concert with Thomas Rhett, Old Dominion, and Brandon Lay
If it's late spring in Dallas-Fort Worth, then it's time once again for country superstar Kenny Chesney to make his near annual appearance at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. Chesney is getting set to release a new album, Songs for the Saints, in July. He'll be joined at the home of Dallas Cowboys by Thomas Rhett, Old Dominion, and Brandon Lay.

Cliburn Cocktail Competition
At the first-ever Cliburn Cocktail Competition, local teams will bring their best cocktail recipes to compete for the Cliburn Cocktail gold medal and bragging rights. Cocktails will feature Reyka Vodka, Hudson Baby Bourbon, Flor De Cana Rum, Milagro Tequila, and Hendrick’s Gin. The event, taking place at Crockett Row, will also feature live bands. Proceeds benefit the 2021 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition.

Sunday, May 20

Fort Worth Youth Orchestra 53rd Season Finale
The Fort Worth Youth Orchestra will present its 53rd Season Finale, featuring special performances from each of its four ensembles. The FWYO will commemorate the 100th birthday of Leonard Bernstein by performing popular orchestral arrangements of his compositions: Overture to Candide and "Symphonic Dances from West Side Story." In addition, guest soloist Pui Ying Wong and the Youth Orchestra will perform Tchaikovsky’s formidable Violin Concerto. The performance will be at Bass Performance Hall.

Kenny Chesney will play at AT&T Stadium on May 19.

0012, RodeoHouston, Kenny Chesney concert, March 2013

Photo by © Michelle Watson/CatchLightGroup.com

Kenny Chesney will play at AT&T Stadium on May 19.

event-planner

Movie Review

Take That musician goes ape in crazy biopic musical Better Man

Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Jonno Davies in Better Man.

English pop star Robbie Williams has been massive in his native United Kingdom for over 30 years, first as a member of the boy band Take That, and then as a solo artist, with all but one of his 12 solo albums hitting No. 1 in the U.K. But somehow he’s never had a significant impact in the United States, which may mean that the new film about his life, Better Man, will be overlooked here as well.

But whether you know Williams or not, the film from writer/director Michael Gracey (The Greatest Showman) is an audacious, highly entertaining treat that throws the standard music biopic on its head. The most daring part of it is that Williams is portrayed not by a series of actors, but in CGI ape form, not unlike the recent Planet of the Apes series. Williams, who does voiceover work for much of the film, says in the fourth-wall breaking movie that he asked for the look because he's felt like a dancing monkey for much of his public-facing life.

And so the film follows Williams from a young age as he grows up with his mother (Kate Mulvany) and grandmother (Alison Steadman) while still idolizing his deadbeat entertainer father (Steve Pemberton). Taking inspiration from his dad, he pursues a singing career with all his heart, joining Take That at the tender age of 16. But like has happened to so many others, the overwhelming fame and his brash personality lead him down some dark roads, especially drugs.

Gracey, with co-writers Simon Gleeson and Oliver Cole, hits a lot of the beats present in many music biopics: Early success, trouble adapting to fame, heavy drug use, pain stemming from childhood, and more. And while the story is familiar, the way it’s presented is not, as the usage of the ape visual allows the film to go in many wild directions. Instead of the movie occasionally tipping its hat to Williams’ music, it turns into a full-on musical on several occasions in sequences that are both thrilling and informative for those who are unfamiliar with his work.

Williams is heavily involved in the film, and yet unlike other artists who want to micromanage their reputations, he lets all of his warts show. It’s clear from the start that he is an in-your-face kind of person, and so even though the film often shows him at his worst, he owns up to every bit of his story. That’s not to say that movie isn’t on his side; he’s mostly portrayed as a cocky showman who’s still likable even when he shouldn’t be.

It’s funny how quickly the ape gimmick goes from “WTF?!” to normal, which is a testament to the motion capture technology team that brought it to life. Thanks to a great physical performance by stand-in Jonno Davies and digital trickery that puts Williams’ eyes on the ape’s face, his interactions with the other characters in the film never feel out of place. If anything, it adds an extra layer of joy onto a story that needs it at times.

Aside from his voiceovers, how much of Williams is “in” the film is unclear, but his irrepressible energy is felt throughout. Pemberton, Mulvany, and Steadman are all fantastic in demonstrating the Williams’ family dynamic. The large cast is full of people who are not familiar to American movie audiences, but they do a uniformly great job of supporting the story.

Williams may not be well-known in the United States, but movie lovers should not let that deter them from seeing this unique take on a music biopic. In fact, it probably helps if you have no distinct concept of the singer, as it allows his wild life story to be told without any preconceived expectations.

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Better Man opens in theaters on January 10.

movies music film