21 Things To Do in Dallas This Week, Feb. 3 – 9

Monday, February 3

Celine Dion
For the first time in a while, Canadian singer Celine Dion is hitting the road in the U.S. for her Courage World Tour. She released an album of the same name last year — the first English album the artist has recorded in six years, since the release of Loved Me Back to Life. Courage shot to the top of Billboard's 200 when it was put out, making for a warm welcome back to the English market for Dion. Her shows have been getting good reviews since the tour started in Quebec on Sept. 18, so you won't want to miss the diva's performance at American Airlines Center. It starts at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 3, at 2500 Victory Ave. Tickets are $60.50-$310.50 at ticketmaster.com. Jacob Vaughn

Fantastic Fest Presents: Come to Daddy
Austin-based film festival Fantastic Fest looks for the darkest, twistiest and overall strangest works of cinema, and — keeping with the city’s brand — is sending only its weirdest festival programming to Dallas. Come to Daddy stars Elijah Wood as a privileged hipster reunited with his estranged father, who lives in a remote cabin by the coast. The setting should give you some indication that this is not a sweet movie about redemption and about blood being thicker than water and all that, but a gory thriller with, actually, a lot of blood. After the movie, Wood will be answering a Q&A via livestream along with the film’s director, Ant Timpson. It starts at 8 p.m. at the Alamo Drafthouse, 100 S. Central Expressway, Richardson. Children under 18 must be accompanied by an adult. Tickets are $11.50 at drafthouse.com. Eva Raggio

Doktor Kaboom and the Wheel of Science
Remember back when we took scientists at their word, before we started meme-ing our way to widespread flat Earth theories? Expose your kids to the dying field of science with Doktor Kaboom, who will be spinning his Wheel of Science to determine which experiments he’ll be demonstrating onstage — turning a water bottle into a rocket, the proper way to make a homemade hovercraft or simply, optical illusions. The good doctor will be in the house for a total of four shows, starting at 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. on both Monday and Tuesday, Feb. 3-4, at the Wyly Theater, 2400 Flora St. Tickets are $10 at attpac.org. Eva Raggio

Tuesday, February 4

Wolf Parade
Spencer Krug and Dan Boeckner have kept Wolf Parade going strong for close to 20 years. Despite their involvement in numerous side projects, their in-demand production abilities and their decision to weather an extended band hiatus, they've always come back and put the band first. Together, the duo seem incapable of making anything less than stellar songs. The winning streak continues on Thin Man, their latest album and one that folks coming to Trees on Tuesday night will become instantly familiar with. It's a loopy, low-end sounding affair in which the dark electronic sounds mirror the dark thematic undertones. The album's world is one where lying politicians and nefarious sleeper agents lurk in the shadows and hide behind the multi-tiered layers of technology. It's not so far-fetched a theme these days, but when delivered with thunderous aplomb, it sounds a lot more intriguing than real life. It starts at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 4, at Trees, 2709 Elm St. Tickets are $27 at axs.com. Jeff Strowe

The Band’s Visit
The Band’s Visit is like the Beyoncé or The Sopranos of Broadway musicals. It’s as if critics are competing over who likes it best. Here’s a brief sampling through its reviews, according to the event’s webpage: “My favorite musical of the year,” said The Wall Street Journal. BuzzFeed upped the ante with “My favorite musical of the decade,” while Rolling Stone topped them both with “One of my favorite musicals of ALL TIME!” (Their capitalization, not ours.) The show, which is recommended for ages 12 and up, has also won 10 Tonys, one Grammy and, again, all that critical acclaim. See for yourself what all the hoopla is about in its Winspear Opera House run, Feb. 4-16 at 2403 Flora St. Tickets start at $40 at dallassummernusicals.org. Eva Raggio
Dashboard Confessional
Raise your hand if Chris Carrabba and company provided the soundtrack to the emotional roller coaster that was your teenage years. In the early 2000s, Dashboard Confessional was the king of emo with sad boy anthems like "Screaming Infidelities," "Hands Down" and the hit from the 2004 film Spider-Man 2, "Vindicated." Carrabba's voice oscillates nicely between breathy, hushed tones and passionate screaming, and we could just get lost in the love stories and make-out sessions that unfold in his lyrics. Dashboard has released seven studio albums and last week released a collection of its best songs, aptly titled The Best Ones of the Best Ones with tracks taken from their MTV Unplugged session, The Places You Have Come to Fear the Most and A Mark, A Mission, A Brand, A Scar, among other notable albums. The House of Blues show will be the band's first concert since taking a break from touring last year. It starts at 6 p.m. Tuesday at House of Blues, 2200 N. Lamar St. Tickets are $35-$59.50 at ticketmaster.com. Diamond Rodrigue

Wednesday, February 5

Origins: Fossils from the Cradle of Humankind
Some distant relatives are in town, so it behooves you, as a friendly Texan, to pay them a visit. Oh, don't worry, there'll be no painful, aimless small talk as you try to connect with strangers. You don't even have to worry about finding them wearing MAGA hats. Karabo and Neo are roughly 1.97 million and 300,000 years old, so if you're hard up for chitchat, you can talk about the last time the Cowboys won the Super Bowl, which they may remember. Karabo is an Australopithecus sediba and young punk Neo a Homo naledi. Both are fossils, but that's no reason to ignore family. They're at the Perot Museum of Nature and Science, 2201 N. Field St., part of the Origins: Fossils from the Cradle of Humankind exhibit put together by the Perot, Wits University in South Africa and the National Geographic Society. See them through March 22. General admission for nonmembers to the museum is $20, and tickets for timed entry to the exhibit are another $10. Find them at perotmuseum.org. Patrick Williams

La Pompe
Self-described as, "A little bit of gypsy, a little bit of French, a whole lotta swing!," the four members of La Pompe bring a completely unique perspective to the local music scene. With a mandolin, guitar and upright bass anchoring Kat Hackett's charming vocals, their music swells with nostalgia and brims with a breezy pep that will have audiences tapping their toes and transported back in time to French cafés or dimly lit New York City jazz haunts. You'll likely recognize several songs in their vast songbook, but they're quick to also bust out an original composition or put a current spin on an old standard. Kick back and enjoy some post-holiday festivities as they take center stage Wednesday at The Free Man Cajun Cafe & Lounge. The free show starts at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 5, at The Free Man, 2626-2630 Commerce St. Jeff Strowe

Thursday, February 6

Loving and Loving
Inspired by the true love story between an interracial couple from Virginia arrested in 1958 for being married, the play at Bishop Arts Theatre Center, Loving and Loving, begins in the present and flashes back to the 1950s and ’60s and puts a face on this case and the ongoing legacy in a multiracial America. Musician and poet Beto O’Byrne developed the play with theater maker Meropi Peponides, co-founder of Radical Evolution. The show at 215 S. Tyler St., runs on Thursday and weekends through Feb. 23. Morgana Wilborn directs. For tickets ($18-$30), call 214-948-0716; for more info, visit bishopartstheatre.org. Reba Liner

Harvey
Harvey is a Pulitzer Prize-winning play by Mary Chase, about a man named Elwood who has an imaginary friend in a 6-foot-tall figure that looks like a rabbit. When Elwood’s sister Veta becomes concerned for her brother’s mental state, she attempts to have him committed, but a misunderstanding results in her being hospitalized instead. While the plot may sound creepy, it is a comedy, and, judging by the fact that it was adapted into a James Stewart movie, we’ll venture a guess that it’s more Velveteen Rabbit than Donnie Darko. It runs Feb. 7-23, at 15650 Addison Road, Addison. Tickets are $41 at Watertowertheater.org. Eva Raggio

Friday, February 7

The Devil Makes Three
Get ready to grab your partner and do-si-do with a wicked sense of style and humor because The Devil Makes Three is coming to town. Hailing from Santa Cruz, California, the trio has been getting audiences clogging since 2002 with their unique blend of bluegrass, ragtime, country and blues, singing songs about the road, heartbreak and the redemption found in a bottle of that Old No. 7. Supporting TDM3 will be folk-punk balladeer Matt Heckler. This Carolina Appalachian singer-songwriter switches off between fiddle and banjo with guitar accompaniment with introspective songs that are sure to bring audiences down to earth before the night's headliner sends them to heaven … or hell, depending on the kind of night you make of it. If you're a fan of the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack, new old-time music or just having a raucous good time, this is how to spend your Friday night. It starts at 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 7, at Trees, 2709 Elm St. Tickets $27.50 at axs.com. David Fletcher
A Conversation with Jessica Simpson
There’s more to Jessica Simpson than meets the eye: the erstwhile America’s sweetheart built a career on her ditzy, down-to-earth persona in the cultural morass of the early- to mid-aughts, but she’s challenging that image head-on these days. Her new autobiography, Open Book, takes a look at her unique life, charting her rise from teenage pop star to fashion impresario, with all the context you need to understand that she’s more than a walking blonde joke. Simpson details wrestling with her self-image; her overwhelming need to please; her struggle to overcome childhood sexual abuse; her fight with addiction; and some seriously damaging relationships. Whether or not you were a big consumer of the music, TV, fashion or gossip that surround her, the book's 400 pages are simply fascinating. If your interest is piqued, you’ll want to see her at 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 7, in the Wyly Theatre, 2400 Flora Street. You’ll not only get a copy of the book with your ticket purchase ($45-55 at attpac.org), but you’ll get an honest, insightful and fun evening from this fascinating pop culture icon. Jennifer Davis-Lamm

Allyson Packer: Sounding
“Sounding” describes a method used for measuring a body of water by its sonic depth. Artist Allyson Packer similarly observes the depth contained in libraries. How can we measure the weight of words, the perpetuity of stories and the impact brought on by knowledge? The artist — whose conceptual work has recalled Yoko Ono's by using sets of instructions for the viewer, for example — uses text and sculptural interventions to explore the library's space. It runs from Feb. 7 to March 29 at Southern Methodist University’s Hawn Gallery, 6100 Hillcrest Ave. For more information visit smu.edu. Eva Raggio

Ja Rule
Rapper Ja Rule made the rounds as he hosted his annual celebrity flag football game at the Super Bowl in Miami. And though he tried his best to keep the conversation relevant to sports and his latest musical endeavors, journalists simply couldn't resist poking into Rule's involvement in the notorious Fyre Festival. With interest in the ill-fated venture still at an all-time high, it's a battle Rule will be waging with critics and fans for quite some time, it seems. However, as a veteran of the music-biz hustle, he's also pretty adept at deflection. It's an act he'll be performing on Friday night as he'll be debuting some new tracks from a forthcoming new album and busting through a two-decade collection of raps that led him to the top of the genre before the legal distractions got in the way. He's also got a strong sense of humor and, as his latest foray into advertising proves, he'll likely be onstage reminding you to pay your taxes, too. It starts at 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 7, at Gas Monkey Live, 10110 Technology Blvd. Tickets are $35 at eventbrite.com. Jeff Strowe

Trolls Live!
Want to party with some trolls? These aren’t the ones from the 2000s and ’10s who turned the internet into a minefield. We’re talking about the toy dolls with enormous coifs of brushable neon hair who star in the 2016 movie and its coming sequel and, now, a live-action stage event in which Poppy, Branch and the gang must save Hug Time by putting on an epic show. Trolls Live! opens with a 6:30 p.m. show Friday and has showtimes at 10 a.m., 2:30 and 6:30 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Sunday at the Theatre at Grand Prairie, 1001 Performance Place. Seats range from $19 to $200. The pricier tickets are for the VIP experience, which includes a meet-and-greet photo op with Poppy and Branch, premium seating, etc.; and the Diamond VIP package, which puts you in the front row with an exclusive glitter bag. Call 972-854-5050 or visit theatregp.com for tickets or visit trollslive.com. Jesse Hughey

Saturday, February 8

Pocket Sandwich Theatre presents Open Mic Spotlight
Everyone has something they can do to entertain someone else. Some people can sing, dance or tell jokes. For others, it's something as simple as reading a story or putting on a funny hat. Whatever your talent is, Pocket Sandwich Theatre is providing you a place to show it. Pocket Sandwich will hold its Open Mic Spotlight at 11 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 8. Guests can sign up to perform their sets whether it's musical, comical or dramatical or you can just sit in the crowd and enjoy the show with a stiff drink. Every performer will have five minutes of stage time and a pianist will be there to provide musical accompaniment if your performance needs it. Pocket Sandwich Theatre is located at 5400 E. Mockingbird Lane. Tickets are $10 for non-performing audience members and $5 if you plan to go up on stage. Tickets are available at ticketstothecity.com. Danny Gallagher

Miranda Lambert
Country singer-songwriter Miranda Lambert embarked on her 10th headlining tour Jan. 16, supporting her seventh studio album Wildcard. On top of her new material, Lambert has reportedly been whipping out some badass cover performances of songs by Alan Jackson and Travis Tritt. When Wildcard was released, it debuted at No. 4 on the U.S. Billboard's 200 and on the Top Country Albums chart at No. 1. Lambert will share the American Airlines Center stage with the Randy Rogers Band and Parker McCollum. It starts at 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 8, at American Airlines Center, 2500 Victory Ave. Tickets are $51.25-$110.50 at ticketmaster.com. Jacob Vaughn

TITAS/Dance Unbound presents Big Barre
Malandain Ballet Biarritz’s last Dallas Cinderella performance was foiled when their sets and costumes didn’t make it to the theater. However, the company performed anyway and proved that they could turn out (pun fully intended) one hell of a captivating slipper story … even without a slipper. At 8 p.m. this Friday and Saturday at Moody Performance Hall, 2520 Flora St., Ballet Biarritz is back and ready for the ethereal and magical ball. Cinderella/Cendrillon tickets start at $25, but something special is warming up for free at 10:30 a.m. before Saturday’s performance. Big Barre with Malandain Ballet Biarritz is taking over the lobby of the Winspear Opera House, 2430 Flora St. Dancers of all levels are welcome to take a place at one of many barres and enjoy a ballet class taught by one of the company’s members. Spectators may wear what they choose, while participants are recommended to wear comfortable clothing with socks, sneakers or flat ballet shoes and bring water. RSVP for Big Barre or purchase tickets for the performances at attpac.org. Merritt Martin

The New Pornographers
No strangers to censorship and controversy-generating headlines, A.C. Newman and Co. in Canadian American super group The New Pornographers famously had a gig canceled at a college in 2010, and in 2017 children's singer and entertainer Raffi Cavoukian publicly decried the band’s name (before ultimately relenting and apologizing). But The New Pornographers made headlines last week for self-censoring the band’s own name for a limited run of “kid-friendly” T-shirts that read: “The News Photographers.” (Sorry photojournalists and music nerds, the shirts are reportedly only available in youth sizes at the merch table on the current tour.) It's hard to believe it’s been 20 years since The New Pornographers’ debut album Mass Romantic burst onto college radio, music blogs and the indie-rock scene, forever cementing them as indie-power-pop-rock gods with well-received albums filled with memorable tracks. The band’s excellent eighth full-length album, In the Morse Code of Brake Lights, was released in September 2019 on their own Collected Works Records. And, as the cliché goes, The New Pornographers show no signs of stopping, nor stopping garnering rave reviews with headlines like this one (from Paste Magazine): “The New Pornographers Are Stronger Than Ever.” See for yourself, at 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 8, at Canton Hall, 2727 Canton St. Tickets are $30 at axs.com. Daniel Rodrigue

Mrs. Haggardly
You won’t find a re-run at Ochre House Theater. Prolific writer and director Matthew Posey is the Sam Shepard of Dallas playwrights. His latest work, Mrs. Haggardly, plays tonight through Feb. 29 (Wednesdays through Saturdays) at 825 Exposition Ave. It’s war time and Mrs. Haggardly and her two companions, Madame Pigslips and Mrs. Busybottom, are the matrons of an orphanage, Mrs. Haggardly’s Home for Wayward Children. They must cunningly use their wiles to resist the pillaging fascists who have come to recruit the orphans for soldiers. Never fear; Mrs. Haggardly and her companions rise to the challenge to feed, clothe and protect the orphans. Tickets at the door for the 8:15 p.m. shows are $17-$20, or go to ochrehousetheater.org. Pay what you can on Feb. 17, but remember, it’s a cozy 50-seater. Reba Liner

Periphery
The djent/progressive metal outfit Periphery has been shredding hard since they formed in 2005. The band parted ways with Sumerian Records back in 2018, the label it released its last five albums with. The release of their latest album, Periphery IV: Hail Stan, marks a big change for the band. It's the first album Periphery has put out independently on their own label, 3DOT Recordings. The album is a monster, with a run time of 1 hour, 4 minutes. Periphery extended its Hail Stan Tour, which now includes the band's House of Blues performance this Saturday, so you won't want to miss this chance to see them. It starts at 6 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 8, at House of Blues, 2200 N. Lamar St. Tickets are $27.50 at livenation.com. Jacob Vaughn

Sunday, February 9

Hypnotic Donuts Polar Plunge
We’re gonna go ahead and state the obvious: Most doughnuts are hypnotic. Legends have been built around their siren-like powers, from the longstanding cliché that cops can’t live without them to the incident that made a compulsive licker out of Ariana Grande. But Hypnotic in White Rock has the kind of doughnuts that will make you dive into an icy pool in the middle of winter. And, further, you will pay for the pleasure of doing so. But don’t feel weak and ashamed — not only will you get to prove that your zen mind conquers matter, you’ll also be making a contribution to Alzheimer’s research. And you get to warm up in the tiki area afterward. There’s also a snow-covered area for children. The first jump takes place at 4 p.m. and the last one is promptly at 5 p.m., at Fraternal Order of the Eagles, 8500 Arturo Drive. The event is free for spectators, and it’s $10 to participate in the dive. For more information, visit hypnoticdonuts.com. Eva Raggio