Tuesday, March 28
When PGA rookie Grayson Murray called out his fellow golfers for not embracing Twitter, the Houston Golf Association not only agreed – it was one step ahead. HGA president Steve Timms says the group wants folks snapping selfies at the Shell Houston Open, either for the new 9-Hole Social Media Challenge, at the HEB Family Fun Zone or with revelers on the Hendricks Party Deck. “Golf has this staid, stodgy image, and we’re trying to do everything we can to say, ‘Look, this is fun, a beautiful place, and you can come out and have a great time, and there just happens to be a golf tournament going on’” – a tournament that includes world No. 1 Dustin Johnson. 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. March 28. Also 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. March 29-31, 6:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. April 1, 6:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. April 2. Golf Club of Houston, 5860 Wilson, Humble. For information, call 281-454-7000 or visit shellhoustonopen.com. Free to $10,000. — Natalie de la Garza
Wednesday, March 29
For its final show, the walls of Rice University Art Gallery have been painted black, as if the gallery is shrouded in mourning. “Sol LeWitt: Glossy and Flat Black Squares” is a reinstallation of the conceptual art pioneer’s work created specifically for the gallery and shown in 1997. Black paint with either a flat or a gloss finish is brushed in rectangles and squares on the gallery’s three 16-foot-high sheet-rock walls. These vast planes of blackness overwhelm the viewer, all at a scale much larger than human; standing in front of them, you are encompassed by their darkness. “Glossy and Flat Black Squares” is a quiet and elegant ending for a space that has hosted such a dynamic range of work. 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. March 29. Continuing 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays; 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursdays; noon to 5 p.m. Sundays. February 9 through May 14. 6100 Main. For information, call 713-348-6069 or visit ricegallery.org. Free. — Kelly Klaasmeyer
Thursday, March 30
If you give a "woof" about homelessness, check out the 2017 Dog House Extravaganza. We're jumping up and down over the creative, custom-made doghouses provided by local Houston donors (builders, realtors, mortgage companies and insurers). Which house is top dog? Celebrity judges Mayor Sylvester Turner, Logan Lester (Miss Houston) and a mystery judge make that call, but there's still lots of tail-wagging fun to be had by human partygoers, including hors d'oeuvres, games and a silent auction. Organizers Houston Association of Realtors, along with last year's TRLP graduates, are trying to raise awareness and donations for New Hope Housing of Houston, which helps provide affordable housing for those on limited incomes. 6 to 9 p.m. March 30. Bayou City Event Center, 9401 Knight. For information, call 713-629-1900 or visit dhe2017.com. $30. — Susie Tommaney
Quilts have come a long way, baby. In the case of “Caryl Bryer Fallert-Gentry: 40 Years of Color, Light, and Motion” at the Texas Quilt Museum, Fallert-Gentry’s nearly 50 quilts have more in common with prints than patterns. Her color-rich, painterly pieces have been installed on a gallery wall and placed to create dialogues. Sadly, these quilts won’t keep you warm at night, but you can still rest assured; Fallert-Gentry is “very salt of the earth,” says Dr. Sandra Sider, curator of the museum. And there’s “nothing rarified about quilt art.” On April 1, the museum offers free admission after 2 p.m. and Fallert-Gentry will give a lecture at 3 p.m. Open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays, noon to 4 p.m. Sundays. March 30 through June 25. Texas Quilt Museum, 140 West Colorado, La Grange. For information, call 979-968-3104 or visit texasquiltmuseum.org. $6 to $8. — Katricia Lang
Tilting, twirling, tipping and swaying, the Rube Goldberg devices produced by kinetic sculptor Pedro S. de Movellán suggest that a master alchemist is at work. While his transmutations result in elegant works of art rather than gold, he has been known to work with gold leaf — as well as mahogany, maple, polished aluminum and carbon fiber — to create pieces that would make a Swiss watchmaker proud. Now, his latest are on view at Sicardi Gallery in “Grace: A distillation of current kinetic works.” The paint is barely dry on 2017’s Outdoor Conical Leaf, coated with a fire-engine-red finish. Allison Ayers, a partner at the gallery who was traveling when she emailed us, told us that the 96-inch-by-75-inch behemoth is “one of his large outdoor pieces.” An opening reception with the artist is 6 to 8 p.m. March 30. Continuing 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays. March 30 through May 18. 1506 West Alabama. For information, call 713-529-1313 or visit sicardigallery.com. Free. — Susie Tommaney
Friday, March 31
Love, strife and celebration are at the core of life in the Andes, where the indigenous population carves out its hardy existence in a place where the air is ultra-thin and farmers learn to make peace with the mountains. The region’s unique folk rhythms have inspired Leyendas: An Andean Walkabout, a 2001 composition by Houston Symphony composer-in-residence Gabriela Lena Frank that serves as the cornerstone of Andean Walkabout and continues the seasonal celebration of heritage for presenter Apollo Chamber Players. The program includes the world premiere of Quintet for String Quartet and Guitar by award-winning Chilean composer-guitarist Javier Farias, who drew upon the classic folk songs of Chile, Peru, Bolivia and Argentina. It’s a big month for Farias — five of his compositions are premiering at Carnegie Hall in April — and he’ll be present this Friday as Apollo’s guest artist. Rounding out the program are works by Argentine composers Alberto Ginastera and Astor Pantaleón Piazzolla. Musicophiles wanting to dig deeper should arrive at 7:30 p.m.; University of Houston professor of music Howard Pollack, Ph.D., will lead a pre-concert discussion with Farias. 8 p.m. March 31. The MATCH, 3400 Main. For information, call 713-521-4533 or visit matchouston.org or apollochamberplayers.org. $10 to $35. — Vic Shuttee
It’s the story of a very angry man in power, a prisoner who is believed to be innocent, and a woman who dresses as a man. Is it a parody of the most recent election cycle? No, it’s the Houston Symphony’s presentation of Fidelio. The semi-staged, concert version of Beethoven’s only opera features seven soloists, all backed by the orchestra and the Houston Symphony Chorus. Director Tara Faircloth tells us she and conductor Andrés Orozco-Estrada have added a modern variation to the original work. “I knew that we wanted something that would be more immediately relevant to our audience, so we cut [Beethoven’s original] dialogue, which didn’t give a lot of information, and replaced it with quotes from a narrator that are applicable and enlightening,” she says. Just who is that narrator? None other than native Houstonian Phylicia Rashad. 8 p.m. March 31 and 2 p.m. April 2. Jones Hall, 615 Louisiana. For information, call 713-224-7575 or visit houstonsymphony.org. $25 to $136. — Sam Byrd
Comedian Jim Jefferies has no chill, and that’s probably why we love him. The famous rageaholic will bring his righteous indignation all the way to Houston as part of his Unusual Punishment Tour. After growing up in Australia, the actor and writer worked his way both north and west, first being embraced by the Brits and filming his first special at the London branch of the Comedy Store, and later presenting his 2010 tome on substance abuse, Alcoholocaust, through Comedy Central UK. Jefferies made his splash stateside as both co-creator and star of the critically acclaimed FX series Legit, whose table-turning sexual harassment episode, “Licked,” featured the late Carrie Fisher. Although the series failed to find secure footing after the cable station divided in 2013 (the creation of Fxx also led to the untimely deaths of Wilfred and Totally Biased), Jefferies is just getting warmed up. He’ll host a new weekly chat series on Comedy Central in the fall, so now’s the time to catch him while you can. 8 p.m. March 31. Cullen Performance Hall, 4300 University. For information, call 713-743-2255 or 1-800-745-3000 or visit uh.edu/cullen-performance-hall or ticketmaster.com. $39.50 to $49.50. — Vic Shuttee
Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women earned its spot as a beloved tale of four sisters’ passage from childhood to adulthood. Now, Opera in the Heights is reviving this American classic under the direction of Dash Waterbury and starring Monica Isomura, Jennifer Crippen, Julie Hoeltzel and Leigh Whitney Rosh. The story has been replicated in staged and musical versions, but nothing compares to Mark Adamo’s operatic adaptation. “Adamo put a lot of heart and soul into the show,” Waterbury says. “He delved beneath the surface. You will have seen the story, but once you see the opera, you see what’s going on underneath the surface.” He guarantees this performance shows excitement, humor, romance and drama. “I think people are going to leave feeling a deep catharsis. They will get their laughs and cry their tears in equal measure.” 7:30 p.m. March 31. Continuing 2 p.m. April 2, 7:30 p.m. April 6 and 8. Lambert Hall, 1703 Heights. For information, call 713-861-5303 or visit operaintheheights.org. $13 to $71. — Sam Byrd
Forget Carrie Bradshaw, the third annual Houston Lebanese Festival is bringing a souk to the city. During the three-day festival, you can stroll the open-air bazaar (or souk), stall to stall, perusing Lebanese arts and crafts to the strum of the Arabic guitar while stuffing your face with shawarma. You can take in a folkloric dance performance, or sip coffee and play no-holds-barred backgammon like they do in the cafes of Beirut. (Just don’t flip the board when you lose.) “We’re trying to re-create the feeling of being in the country,” says Hiba Elcroz, board member for presenter American Lebanese Cultural Center. Well, she laughs, “as much as we can at Jones Plaza.” 5 to 11 p.m. March 31, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. April 1, 1 a.m. to 9 p.m. April 2. 600 Louisiana. For information, visit alcchouston.org/houston-lebanese-festival. Free to $10. — Katricia Lang
Tracy Stephenson, coordinator of film and video at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, has a rule: “If I haven’t laughed pretty heartily in 20 minutes, I cross it off the list.” So, rest assured the Five Funny French Films screening this year will be laugh-out-loud, gut-busting funny. Selections include a man tasked with opening a ski resort in the jungle in Struggle for Life, a deadbeat rapper with 24 hours to write a hit in Uncompleted Song, and Stephenson’s favorite, The Brand New Testament, about God’s ten-year-old daughter and her motley group of disciples setting out to correct all of his mistakes. “I think the French are more courageous in taking on certain topics,” says Stephenson. “I just can’t see an American film taking on that kind of content at this time.”
7 and 9 p.m. March 31, 7 and 9:15 p.m. April 1, 7 p.m. April 2, 4 p.m. April 8. 1001 Bissonnet. For information, call 713-639-7515 or visit mfah.org/films. $7 to $9. — Natalie de la Garza