Spring spills over into summer and the party begins. There's so much going on this weekend, it's difficult to narrow a schedule down into something doable. You'll need to make choices this weekend. You can't do it all. The good news is, everything on this list will make for a good evening. Throw in the DC9 At Night's concert guide and there's no way you can go wrong.
A Bright Night Encore & Kevin Parmer at Two Bronze Doors This weekend, we recommend you shimmy over to Dallas' alt-alternative space. This concert/art/poetry venue is as DIY as you can get in this city. Thursday night, they're hosting an encore event for the DMA's Spiderweb Salon series. At 9 p.m. the same poets and musicians who took the stage for A Bright Night in the Fleischer Courtyard of the DMA will fill Two Bronze Doors with words and sound.
Friday night, catch the closing of Kevin Parmer's Sirens, an art show aimed to coax out the ghosts at Two Bronze Doors, which claims to have six currently in residence (do ghosts reside?). These phantoms inspired Kevin Parmer's latest series of artwork, which he hopes will beckon the spirits into attendance. Stop by the - hopefully- haunted art show at Two Bronze Doors (5732 Richmond Ave) during the closing reception 7-11 p.m. Friday. Both events are free. More info at twobronzedoors.org.
Thursday, June 5 Ragtime with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra Pinstripes promise to fill Klyde Warren Park Thursday evening, when the Dallas Symphony's principal Pops conductor adds a little swing to the green. Part of the DSO's free concert series, Ragtime takes place at 8 p.m. Thursday. More information at klydewarrenpark.org.
Charlie Murphy Yep, he's one of those Murphy. Between Charlie and his brother Eddie, it seems funny runs in the Murphy family. Catch Charlie's act at the Addison Improv (4980 Beltline Rd.) at 8 p.m. Thursday, and various times throughout the weekend. Tickets start at $30.
Presentation of the Works and Life of Lev Aronson Next week the Lev Aronson Cello Festival will be in town. To kick things off the festival organizer Brian Thornton will be at the University of Texas at Dallas Thursday night presenting the life and works of Aronson, whose story is remarkable and moving. Head to the Jonsson Performance Hall on the UTD campus at 7:30 p.m. and spend your Thursday night with Aronson. Entry is free.
Friday, June 6 Scheherazade Imagine you're the slave to a powerful ruler centuries ago. You toil all day long. Then, one night, your master is gone, so the women slaves throw a party and invite all of the men slaves. It's the rave of the year and the prettiest woman from the harem hooks up with the master's favorite slave, which looks like it's going to turn into a beautiful love story until bossman comes home too soon. Party's over. This is the narrative of Rimsky Korsakov's one-act ballet Scheherazade, which is the centerpiece of Dallas Neo-Classical Ballet's performance this weekend. See how the sordid story plays out at 8 p.m. Friday at the Courtyard Theatre (1509 H Ave, Plano) or at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Bishop Arts Theatre Center (215 S. Tyler St., Dallas). Tickets are $15 and available at dallasneo-classicalballet.com.
Dirty Sexy Funny Lakewood Theatre's(1825 Abrams) bi-monthly Viva Dallas Burlesque show presents Dirty Sexy Funny at 9 p.m. Friday. If you want to see the sexiest comedy in town, head to the "largest burlesque show in Texas." Cheap seats start at $20 bucks and the audience is adults only, so reserve that babysitter now. For more information and tickets visit lakewoodtheatre.com.
Ping Pong Summer There's a movie, a ping pong tournament and a dj. I'm not sure I need to give you any more info. This indie comedy about two kids growing up in the 80's, who play (you guessed it) ping pong, screens at 9:15 p.m. Friday and will be followed with a live tournament. Tickets are $10, and the movie also screens various times Saturday, Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. More info at thetexastheatre.com.
Dean Edwards When Edwards met Lil' Wayne, rumor is it didn't go so well. We don't have the whole story and we have no way to fact check that the two of them ever met at all. But here's hoping Edwards will tell the story during his set at Hyena's Comedy Nightclub (5321 E. Mockingbird Ln.) at 8:30 and 10:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
Saturday. June 7 scrapbook We're big fans of counterculture on this blog, so we're pretty excited about Cohn Drennan Contemporary's exhibit opening this weekend. scrapbook explores Texas counterculture from 1982-2002. The show includes a book release and photography exhibition by Dan Allen, including portraits of the people who frequented the punk, gothic, riot girl, and dance clubs, and took part in the dungeon performance art. scrapbook opens at 6 p.m. Saturday and the exhibition runs until June 21 at Cohn Drennan Contemporary, 4118 Commerce St. More information at cohndrennancontemporary.com.
Crush While you're down in Deep Ellum for scrapbook, head over to Crush at Liliana Bloch Gallery (2919 Commerce St). The opening reception for Tim Best's new work starts at 6 p.m. Saturday. Best explores violence with dark photographic collages. More info at lilianablochgallery.com.
Razzle Dazzle Dallas June is Gay Pride Month, a worldwide celebration of a tight-knit community. The Dallas street festival Razzle Dazzle changes locations every year (last year it was at Main Street Garden) and this year it returns to the heart of the gayberhood, taking over Cedar Springs Road at Throckmorton Street from 7 p.m. until midnight Saturday. Usually this event starts out calm and winds up into a dance party by the end of the night. Visit razzledazzledallas.net for details and tickets.
Art Con's Wrecked Everybody's favorite fall art party hosts one of its first events of the year at Life in Deep Ellum Saturday. For the event ArtCon selected 40 artists, along with local bands, Dark Rooms, French 75 with DJ Mouth Mold, and Ronnie Heart, from Neon Indian. There will also be food from food trucks, Nammi, Easy Sliders, and Say Kimchi. All artwork will be available for sale; opening bids of $50. Tickets on sale for $10 at artconspiracy.org.
Sunday, June 8 Lebensraum Two left turns may not make a right and forgiving may not be the same as forgetting. But imagine a world where we didn't need to shroud truths in idioms, instead facing our wrongdoings with unblinking eyes. Perhaps in this world, we could right wrongs and admonish our sins. Israel Horovtiz's play Lebensraum imagines one such scenario, in which a German chancellor attempts to redeem the past by inviting six million Jews to return to Germany as full citizens. Of course, there's no way to know if history truly is repetitive until it's too late. In the staged reading at Amphibian Stage Productions (120 S. Main St., Fort Worth) this weekend, three actors take on 40 characters in the play that The New York Times called, "powerful and touching." See it at 2 p.m. Sunday or 7 p.m. Monday. Tickets are $17 for adults, $7 for students. More information available at amphibianproductions.org.
