On Wednesday I had the pleasure of eavesdropping on a post-disappointing Valentine’s Day conversation, in which a young, currently single lady was lamenting that fact that all her boyfriends have A) worked at Central Market and B) all turned out to be jerks. I didn’t have any immediate thoughts on her mating habits, but she did make me think about the Central Market flier I’d fished out of my mailbox earlier. Since it’s the weekend before Fat Tuesday, the grocery store has a traditional Mardi Gras king cake on sale for $9.99. It comes with a baby– probably the five most frightening words in the English language.
Friday
Hold your Fat Tuesday horses. I’m torn between two different theatrical events, so I’ll just throw them both out there and let you decide. First, Lindsey Wilson saw Bring It On: The Musical over at the Music Hall at Fair Park, reviewed it for FrontRow, and now I want to go see it, too. You know the movie. It’s awesomely awful. The musical hasn’t had a Broadway try out just yet (making this a bit of an outlier for the Dallas Summer Musicals), but it does have an impressive pedigree: In The Heights creator Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote the music, and Tony Award-winner Andy Blankenbuehler did the choreography and directs. Lindsey says this show shouldn’t work, and yet, somehow it does. Tickets are still available for this evening, and the run ends next week.
The second one thing I think you should go see is Tennessee Williams’ Night of the Iguana over at Contemporary Theatre of Dallas. It’s long, but so rewarding. I wrote a bunch of words about it for FrontRow, but I liked it so much I bought my parents tickets. It’s refreshing to hear Williams beyond Streetcar or the Glass Menagerie, and Iguana was his last commercially successful play (though it’s little produced except by community and college theaters). Forgive me quoting myself, but I said in my review that Williams’ ability to mix poetry with a macabre, almost crude sense of humor rescues the play from the flowery, inaccessible realm. The cast and director René Moreno have done an excellent job of eschewing the easy sentimentality that plagues lesser productions, and the only thing I didn’t enjoy the night I saw the play was the behind me who leaned forward and coughed into my hair.
Anyway, all this to say, I recommend it highly. Tickets are still available for tonight, but the theater recommends calling the box office when purchasing tickets day-of.
Saturday
Time to get out your tacky jester hat (excuse me, “Mardi Gras crown”) and add to your collection of plastic beads. Mardi Gras Oak Cliff kicks off early with the Dash for the Beads 5k run, with proceeds benefiting FIDO Oak Cliff, an organization dedicated to funding a permanent doggie park. The ladies behind the formerly web-only enterprise Emporium Pies will have a pop up shop in the Bishop Arts district, so stop by for a slice and some coffee in the morning. The revelry continues into the evening with a masquerade ball at the Kessler Theatre. You can wear anything from jeans to black tie, but a mask is required. Over on SideDish, Carol has rounded up other places to celebrate/eat for the holiday.
Those who feel the need to exercise (or those who feel like Valentine’s Day should actually be Valentine’s Week. Somewhere, there’s a Venn diagram where these two types converge) should make their way to the Generational Equity Cupid Dash at the Shops at Legacy in Plano. Aside from the running stuff, there will be crafts for kids, chocolate covered strawberries post-race, and a “kissing booth” featuring $5 temporary lip tattoos. Each tattoo enters you to win free stuff.
Sunday
People love gumbo. I am not one of them, but let us not belabor the point. Spice up your evening by going to Poor David’s Pub to taste seafoody creations from The Alligator Cafe’, Offshores Nextdoor, Louisiana Red, Crawdads of Dallas, and Fish City Grill (which is sadly closing their Henderson location on Sunday). It’s a friendly competition, so be prepared to declare a favorite. Live zydeco and R&B should keep you on your toes.
And finally, the moment we’ve all been waiting for: the return of Big Rich Texas (and Merritt Patterson’s recaps). Hotel ZaZa hosts a viewing party where you can mingle with your favorite love-t0-hate-them cast member.
If you would like more ideas for your weekend, I invite you to click here.
