Director Tim Burton is probably better known among moviegoers for Beetlejuice, The Nightmare Before Christmas and Edward Scissorhands, but his big screen adaptation of Daniel Wallace’s Big Fish is one of his most breathtaking works. A dying father known for telling larger-than-life stories prompts his son to find out the truth behind all of them just as he is about to bring a new life into the world. Thank goodness Broadway decided to turn this film into Burton’s first musical adaptation. It deserves to be told onstage as well as screen. The Junior Players are putting on their adaptation of this touching story at 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 2:30 p.m. Sunday at the Moody Performance Hall, 2520 Flora St. Tickets, $15 for adults and $10 for students and senior citizens, can be purchased at juniorplayers.org. Moody Performance Hall, 2530 Flora St., 8 p.m., $10 and up, juniorplayers.org. — Danny Gallagher
We don’t judge in our events calendar. We may not understand why anyone would want to travel miles to pristine wilderness, seek out a glorious animal in its native habitat and then shoot it. But, hey, it takes all kinds. Nickelback sold a lot of concert tickets, right? For those who thrill to the hunt, the Dallas Safari Club hosts its Legacy Convention & Sporting Expo from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center, 650 S. Griffin St. Along with hundreds of exhibitors displaying hunting gear, taxidermy services, art, jewelry and outdoor equipment, there’ll be banquets at the Omni and award ceremonies for hunters, artists and writers. One-day passes to the exhibition floor start at $20 for adults (free for active military) and are available only at the door. Visit biggame.org/convention for a full schedule. Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center, 650 S. Griffin St., Thursday-Sunday, $20 and up, biggame.org/convention. — Patrick Williams
Fri 1/5
The glitz and glamour of New Year’s might be over, but that doesn’t mean that you have to stop being fabulous. Society Fashion Week lands in Dallas just in time to extend your sartorial celebrations into 2018. This touring fashion extravaganza launches its DFW edition at 5 p.m. Friday and 6:30 p.m. Saturday at the Courtyard Dallas Carrollton and Conference Center, 1201 Raiford Road. Crowd around the 60-foot catwalk for presentations by a diverse set of designers, with both adult and child lines represented; shop a variety of vendors and pop-ups; and mix, mingle and network with fashion go-getters throughout the two-day event. Tickets are $19.89 to $27.24 for individual shows and $32.49 for a two-day VIP pass. Search the event on Facebook for more details, or find tickets at eventbrite.com. Courtyard Dallas Carrolton and Conference Center, 1201 Raiford Road, 5 p.m., $19.89 and up, eventbrite.com. — Jennifer Davis-Lamm
Kick off Margi Gras season in true style at the Lorenzo Hotel. Dallas' official Mardis Gras krewe, Krewe de Etoile, knows how to throw a good party — and they're going to do just that as they host this event. Guests will be treated to hurricanes, King Cake and traditional favors. If the Mardis Gras spirit gets in your bones, the Krewe's masquerade ball will take place later next month. Lorenzo Hotel, 1011 S. Akard St., 6-9 p.m., see Facebook. — Kathryn DeBruler
Put on your best pair of cowboy boots and get ready for a double dose of Americana. Jason Isbell and James McMurtry head to Dallas for the second show of their 2018 tour in support of Isbell’s latest album, The Nashville Sound. The record has been the former Drive-By Truckers guitarist’s most critically acclaimed to date, earning Isbell his first CMA Award nomination and a chance for a Grammy for best Americana album later this month. Isbell also was designated the 14th artist-in-residence of Nashville’s Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum last October. McMurtry, the son of Texas icon and Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Larry McMurtry, hasn’t released an album since 2015’s Complicated Game, which reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Heatseekers chart. Both artists are known for their deep and thoughtful lyricism, Isbell’s painted by characteristic softness that matches the melancholic self-reflections he explores. McMurtry evokes an almost Jim Carroll-esque sense of humor with his music. Bomb Factory, 2713 Canton St., 8 p.m., $45, thebombfactory.com. — Nicholas Bostick
Shen Yun performances aim to capture traditional Chinese principles such as living in harmony with the universe. They tell stories using classical Chinese dance, innovative technology, authentic costumes and animated backdrops. According to the organization’s website, this ancient culture is “a lost treasure” that the nation’s Communist Party has nearly destroyed. See the new 2018 program at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the Winspear Opera House, 2403 Flora St. Shows continue through Jan. 15. Tickets, $80 to $160, are available at shenyunperformingarts.org. Winspear Opera House, 2403 Flora St., 7:30 p.m., $80 and up, shenyunperformingarts.org. — Emily Goldstein
Austin band Tomar and the FCs takes soul music to the next level. Since 2015, the band has been a mainstay in its genre with energy to spare. Lead singer Tomar Williams puts his blood, sweat and tears into each performance, making it almost impossible not to get up and dance along. Three Links, 2704 Elm St., 9 p.m., $10-$12, threelinksdeepellum.com. — Diamond Victoria
Since opening downtown in the summer of 2017, Don’t Tell Supper Club has found fans by striking a balance among a cocktail bar, restaurant, theater and nightclub. Part of the magic of the Don’t Tell Supper Club, 2026 Commerce St., is that regular patrons never know quite what to expect. The club employs a rotating cast of musicians, DJs, burlesque and cabaret performers, magicians, illusionists, jugglers, aerialists, stilt walkers, sword swallowers and more. Don’t Tell presents a new Burlesque Revue show the first Friday and Saturday of the month, featuring women in Las Vegas- or Broadway-worthy stage costumes performing choreographed dance routines. Dinner reservations are recommended to secure a table with a good view of the stage. Doors open and dinner service starts at 6 p.m., and entertainment in the form of a “cirque show” starts at 7 p.m. The burlesque revue runs from 9-11 p.m. For reservations and more information, visit donttellsupperclub.com. Don't Tell Supper Club, 2026 Commerce St., 6 p.m., donttellsupperclub.com. — Daniel Rodrigue
For more than 35 years, Denton-based Brave Combo has been delighting us with its wonderfully original polka and off-kilter approaches to classics such as The Rolling Stones' "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" and Jimi Hendrix's "Purple Haze," along with original salsa, cha-cha-cha, samba, cumbia and plenty of other musical styles. The Grammy Award-winning band has received plenty of national attention with numerous albums but is no stranger to the small venues of North Texas. And while the search is still on for missing member Joe Cripps, Brave Combo continues to play for those who love the music. Dan's Silverleaf, 103 Industrial St., 4 p.m., $10, danssilverleaf.com. — Diamond Victoria
Big Freedia is a pioneer of the bounce hip-hop scene, a New-Orleans-born micro genre of rap that builds bangers out of chaos and glitchy beats. As one of the music’s most recognizable figures, Big Freedia has been spreading the gospel of bounce since the late ’90s, collaborating with artists across all genres to bring more exposure to a style mostly clustered throughout the South. Even amid sprays of future-shocked beat programming and looming bass, the emcee’s voice stands tall, a throaty and imposing delivery that finds a center between Danny Brown and Public Enemy’s Chuck D. Since her earliest singles, Big Freedia has exuded ambition and originality. Some things never change. Trees, 2709 Elm St., 8 p.m., $20, treesdallas.com. — Jonathan Patrick
Jason Isbell and his band play Bomb Factory Friday.
Danny Clinch
Kwaidan, a 1965 Japanese horror anthology based on the eerie, dreamlike ghost stories of writer Lafcadio Hearn, is one of the most fascinating cult films in Japanese cinema. Consisting of four short stories that move with a languid, disorienting shuffle, the movie amazes with its visual ambition, immersion and elegant rhythm, which is why Austin-based label Holodeck Records, renowned for its spacey, head-spinning releases, is the right choice to rescore it. Four of the label’s acts — Troller, Samantha Glass, Curved Light and Jake Schrock — each will score one of the ghost stories. For longtime fans of the film, this event offers a look at a great work of art from an unseen perspective. For those new to the picture, it offers an experience like they’ve never had before. This showing of Kwaidan takes place at 7 p.m. at the Alamo Draft House Cedars, 1005 S. Lamar St. The theater recommends viewers arrive 30 minutes early. Tickets are $16. For more information, visit drafthouse.com. Alamo Drafthouse, 1005 S. Lamar St., 7 p.m., $16, drafthouse.com/dfw. — Jonathan Patrick
If you’ve been wondering about the history of anything, look no further. A History of Everything by the teens of Cry Havoc Theater Company will open at 8 p.m. Saturday. Performances continue at 2 p.m. Sunday and 8 p.m. Wednesday through Jan. 13 at the Magnolia Lounge of Margo Jones Theatre, 1121 First Ave. in Fair Park. The show is based on the 2012 production by Belgian experimental theatermakers Ontroerend Goed and Sydney Theatre Company of Australia. The setting is a bare stage with a black covering that reveals a map of the world. Then the race backward begins — from the present to the Big Bang as one contemplates humanity’s ongoing struggle to find the meaning of life. For tickets, $15, and more information, visit cryhavoctheater.org. Margo Jones Theatre, 1121 First Ave., 8 p.m., $15, cryhavoctheater.org. — Reba Liner
Matthew Logan Vasquez is the frontman of Delta Spirit and a founding member of alt-country supergroup Middle Brother. He pens buoyant, celebratory numbers that are catchy enough to be featured in hit television shows such as Friday Night Lights and Sons of Anarchy, as well as pensive, heartfelt ballads that can bring a tear to the eye. This dichotomy is on full display in his live shows, regardless of whether he's performing solo or with a backing band. Onstage, Vasquez gets a little wild; his show at Three Links on Saturday is likely to feature storytelling and audience singalongs. Three Links, 2704 Elm St., 10 p.m., $15, ticketfly.com. — Jeff Strowe
Chances are you’ve got a couple of boxes stacked away in your attic or a storage space that are filled with your favorite playthings from your childhood. Chances are they’re not sadly feeling the time pass, listening to depressing Randy Newman songs and waiting to be loved by a child again. But you never really know. Bring them to the North Dallas Toy Show and see if they are worth anything. This monthly gathering of toy collectors features more than 50 dealer tables with new and used toys from all eras of play, with everything from flash Hot Wheels cars to hard-to-find Barbie dolls and accessories. Guests can even win special collectible prizes in hourly raffles. Collectors put their best playthings on display the first Saturday of every month at the Dallas Events Center, 4343 Sigma Road, Suite 600, in Farmers Branch. The next toy show will take place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. Admission is $2, and kids younger than 12 get in for free with an adult ticket. Visit northdallastoyshow.wixsite.com for more information. Dallas Events Center, 4343 Sigma Road, Suite 600, Farmers Branch, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., $2, northdallastoyshow.wixsite.com. — Danny Gallagher
Josh Abbott and his band of fellow fraternity brothers have come a long way from their humble beginnings spent gigging for beer money in bars around Texas Tech University. The past several years have seen their star steadily rise as the drunken collegiate audiences have multiplied to include festival headlining slots, high-profile celebrity fans, and song placements in big-budget film and television soundtracks. Ever the Texans, though, the band members still tend to reserve a large portion of their touring schedule for shows in the Lone Star State. Friday night's performance at Billy Bob's will likely bring out the best in the band, with its raucous mix of bare-bones country, ruminative songwriting and sweet Texas soul serving as the perfect remedy for your post-holiday blues. Billy Bob's Texas, 2520 Rodeo Plaza, 10:30 p.m., $20, billybobstexas.com. — Jeff Strowe
Another earthquake in Irving? No, all that shakin’ will be a tribute to Elvis Presley by imitator Kraig Parker, kicking off Elvis’ birthday celebration at 7:30 p.m. Saturday with The King Lives! The epicenter is Carpenter Hall of the Irving Arts Center, 3333 N. MacArthur Blvd., where Parker will return to his hometown with his first full concert with his 10-piece tribute band after appearing in shows across America and Europe, on cruise ships and with symphony orchestras. For tickets, $25 to $35, call visit irvingartscenter.com. A $50 ticket includes a meet-and-greet. Irving Arts Center, 3333 N. MacArthur Blvd., 7:30 p.m., $50, irvingartscenter.com. — Reba Liner
Wine and cheese. Beer and pizza. Some food and drink combinations were just meant to be. But what about tequila and tamales? Not only are they alliterative but they also make for a winning pairing. Enjoy both tamales and tequila this Saturday at Jettison. Hosted by Union Tamale, this event will feature Suerte Tequila drink specials as well as pork and barbacoa tamales. Jettison, 1878 Sylvan Ave., 5 p.m.-12 a.m., see Facebook. — Kathryn DeBruler
Sun 1/7
Star Wars: The Last Jedi left many viewers with a lot of questions. I can’t decide if I loved it or hated it, yet I keep thinking about it, wondering why director-screenwriter Rian Johnson made some of the film’s head-scratching plot decisions, why certain characters died in the ways they did and what happens next. The conversation onstage during Nerd Fight Strikes Back: A Star Wars Panel Discussion will probably be more enthusiastic and will certainly be better-informed than the arguments I’ve had in my head about whether it was really a good movie. Mark Walters (bigfanboy.com), Devin Pike (fandom expert and convention emcee), James Wallace (Alamo Drafthouse), Justina Walford (Studio Movie Grill, Women Texas Film Festival), Shannon Sutlief (The Dallas Morning News) and Jazmine Dudley (Pretty Brown & Nerdy) will talk fandom, nerdism and Star Wars at the panel, which is free to attend at 4:30 p.m. Sunday (sandwiched between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. screenings of The Last Jedi). Texas Theatre, 231 W. Jefferson Blvd., 4:30 p.m., free, thetexastheatre.com. — Jesse Hughey
Mon 1/8
Chefs at Graceland are frying bacon and slathering peanut butter on bread in preparation for a three-day celebration of the King’s birthday, which includes a birthday brunch, a dance party and a meeting of his fan club. But if you don’t want to shell out money for a plane ticket and admission, you can still celebrate what would have been Elvis Presley’s 80th birthday Monday with a screening of Bubba Ho-Tep at 9 p.m. at Alamo Drafthouse in Richardson, 100 S. Central Expressway. Bruce Campbell of Evil Dead fame stars as Elvis in the 2002 dark comedy, which theorizes that the man who died on the toilet in ’77 was actually an impersonator, leaving the real Elvis stuck in a nursing home where he’s forced to battle mummies. Tickets are $8.66 at drafthouse.com/dfw. Alamo Drafthouse Richardson, 100 S. Central Expressway, 9 p.m., $8.66, drafthouse.com/dfw. — Caroline North
Tue 1/9
You can go skating at Panther Island in Fort Worth, spend a few seconds with that pumpkin/mirror sculpture at the Dallas Museum of Art or visit the fake dinosaurs at the Heard Natural Science Museum up in McKinney. To be perfectly honest, there’s just not that much happening on a cold Tuesday night in January. Our advice is to stock in some good warming beverages, curl up in front of your TV and binge watch Ken Burns and Lynn Novick’s documentary series The Vietnam War, available on assorted streaming services. (Find them at pbs.org/kenburns/the-vietnam-war/episodes.) When you get to the part about how Richard Nixon — Tuesday would have been his 105th birthday — may have colluded with North Vietnam to slow peace negotiations in order to get elected, raise your glass and toast 2018 one more time, telling yourself things could always be worse. — Patrick Williams
Wed 1/10
Never mind your political persuasion — the past decade of American politics is a treasure trove for storytellers, chock full of inspiring optimism, improbable falls, head-scratching ascensions, whodunnits and intriguing espionage scenarios. One of the most fascinating figures in this rich crop of potential narratives is Hillary Clinton. Love her or hate her, there’s no denying that she’s lived a unique history as the first woman to win a major party’s presidential nomination and the winner of the American popular vote in 2016. Second Thought Theatre takes us into an imagining of Hillary’s ambitions and doubts as she accepts in January 2008 that she may not be able to realize her dream of becoming president. In Hillary and Clinton, playwright Lucas Hnath takes a snapshot of a husband and wife as an ordinary couple in an extraordinary moment. Previews begin at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at Bryant Hall in the Kalita Humphreys Campus, 3636 Turtle Creek Blvd. Performances continue through Feb. 3. Tickets are $15 to $25 at secondthoughttheatre.com. Bryant Hall, 3636 Turtle Creek Blvd., 7:30 p.m., $15-$25, secondthoughttheatre.com. — Jennifer Davis-Lamm
