If you haven't started already, this is the weekend to get excited about the holidays in Fort Worth, as the biggest annual holiday-themed event takes place. But there's way more than just that going on. There are also three unique theatrical experiences, two new art exhibits, an insane-sounding race, and the return of outdoor ice skating.
Below are the best options for your precious free time Thursday through Sunday. Don't like what you see? Lucky for you, we have a much longer list of the city's best events.
Thursday, November 17
Stage West Theatre presents Murder for Two
Everyone is a suspect in Murder for Two, a hilarious musical mystery with a twist: One actor investigates the crime, and the other plays all the suspects. And they both play piano. The musical, running at Stage West through December 18, is part vaudeville act, part Agatha Christie, part Clue.
UT Arlington's Maverick Theatre Company presents The Miser
In The Miser, Harpagon, an aging hoarder, makes sure that his two children remain under his command, but love interests collide as scheming servants and hucksters angle for his wealth. This delirious modern translation of Moliere’s classic French comedy is filled with comic plot twists and revelations, spiraling to a wildly funny finish. The production runs at the Studio Theatre at UT Arlington through Sunday.
Friday, November 18
National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame presents Barbara Van Cleve: "Pure Quill"
The National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame is presenting a temporary exhibit by 1995 National Cowgirl Hall of Fame honoree Barbara Van Cleve, "Pure Quill: Photographs by Barbara Van Cleve." In the exhibit, visitors experience her Rodeo as Dance series, her striking portraits using the moon and stars as a light source, and her documentation of the Spanish Mission Trail in Baja, California, which she has recorded for more than two decades. The exhibit is on display through May 7, 2017.
Trinity River Vision Authority presents Panther Island Ice
The temperatures may not be all that cold, but that doesn't mean you can't enjoy some outdoor ice skating again. Panther Island Ice, Fort Worth's only outdoor skating rink, features real ice and is open seven days a week, including holidays, through January 16. And since the rink is located inside the Coyote Drive-In complex, you can follow up your skate with a movie if you'd like.
Magnolia at the Modern presents The Handmaiden
From Park Chan-wook, director of Oldboy, Lady Vengeance, Thirst, and Stoker, comes the new crime-drama The Handmaiden. It's a gripping and sensual tale of a young Japanese lady living on a secluded estate and a Korean woman hired to serve as her new handmaiden. But the new handmaiden is secretly involved in a con-man's plot to defraud her of her large inheritance. The film screens six times through Sunday at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth.
Saturday, November 19
Runtastic presents Insane Inflatable 5K
The Insane Inflatable 5K is designed to be accessible to everybody, from competitive runners to armchair athletes. The 3.1-mile-long course incorporates 11-plus extreme inflatable obstacles, including the finish line, where participants dodge wrecking balls, make their way past the tipsy towers, climb the rope ladder, and slide their way to victory. The event takes place at Martin Luther King Sports Center in Arlington.
Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth presents "Focus: Lorna Simpson"
Since the beginning of her career in the mid-1980s, Lorna Simpson has been well-known for her conceptual photographs and videos that challenge historical and present-day views of racial and sexual identity. "Focus: Lorna Simpson" is the first museum exhibition to feature the artist's large-scale acrylic, ink, and silk-screened paintings. The exhibit is on display through January 15, 2017.
National Theatre Live presents Hamlet
Everyone's favorite British actor, Benedict Cumberbatch, has been omnipresent recently, thanks to his appearances in Frankenstein on stage, and Doctor Strange on the big screen. You can enjoy a little of both with this rescreening of Hamlet, where Cumberbatch takes on the title role of Shakespeare’s great tragedy. The screening plays at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth.
Sunday, November 20
34th Annual XTO Energy Parade of Lights
The 34th annual XTO Energy Parade of Lights rings in the holiday season in downtown Fort Worth. The Melodies of Christmas-themed parade features the 1.58-mile parade route covered in over a half million lights and more than 100 floats. What began in 1983 with a crowd of only 25,000 spectators and 25 floats has grown to become Fort Worth’s most beloved holiday tradition and Texas' largest illuminated holiday procession.
The Insane Inflatable 5K takes place at Martin Luther King Sports Center in Arlington on November 19.
