Things To Do In Dallas Tonight: May 8

I’m resisting the urge to type many, many sad faces, a sentiment I know is shared by all those who grew up with Maurice Sendak’s imagination as a guide. The last graph of the Times obituary is just one example of how profoundly he touched so many lives.

If you are in the mood for something resembling a wild rumpus, American Idiot is playing at the Winspear Opera House, part of the Lexus Broadway series. The band Green Day has a pretty good handle on youthful disillusionment. And yet, when Billie Joe Armstrong decided to turn his band’s American Idiot concept album into a punk-infused Broadway musical, I (and a few of my other theater going friends) had doubts as to how it would turn out. We all ended up loving it.  Three disaffected teens, Johnny, Will, and Tunny, struggle to express the widely swinging spectrum of their emotions–through song, of course. You can get seats to tonight’s performance way up high for a reasonable $30-$40.

Also this evening, our talented StyleSheet photographers, Kristi and Scot, will be out with their cameras at Bread Winners for House of Plates‘ weeknight dinner party, awarding care packages (courtesy of American Apparel, Knockaround Sunglasses, and Whole Foods) to the most dapper diners. Plus, there will be a performance by Daniel Hart (who has performed with Broken Social Scene, St. Vincent, and John Vanderslice) and a DJ set from The Dram’s Elizabeth Farrell. Ten percent of each dinner benefits the Stewpot, a nonprofit that provides meals to the homeless. Reservations are technically all booked up, but I’ve been told that people are still encouraged to stop by, drink at the bar, and pose for pics. A table will open up before you know it. As a bonus, tonight’s Big Movie at the Magnolia is Midnight Cowboy, so you could take a jaunt over there after dinner for the 10 pm screening.

For more to do tonight, go here.