No surprise, but weโre in for a hot Fourth of July weekend. While some of our best bets are set outdoors, we have a few inside, too, for you air conditioner aficionados out there. So, whether youโre okay braving the elements or would like to keep inside, keep reading for the best there is to do this holiday weekend.
Over at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, their current exhibit, โWoven Wonders: Indian Textiles from the Parpia Collection,โ has provided the perfect reason to put a Spotlight on Indian Cinema, which will start on Thursday, June 29, at 6 p.m. with a showing of S. S. Rajamouliโs RRR. The โepic action-picture bromance from Indiaโ โ or, more specifically, the โTelugu-language big-budget spectacle starring Tollywood superstars N.T. Rama Rao Jr. and Ram Charan as revolutionaries fighting against the British Raj in 1920โ โ is now โone of Indiaโs highest-grossing films of all time,โ popular for โthe sort of dizzyingly over-the-top action sequences and exuberant musical numbers that send audiences into a frenzy.โ Additional screenings of RRR are scheduled for Thursday, July 6, at 6 p.m. and Sunday, July 9, at 5 p.m. Tickets are available for any of the screenings for $7 to $9.
The Ensemble Theatre opens the final production of their 46th season, Angelica Cheriโs Phenomenal Woman, on Thursday, June 29, at 7:30 p.m. The play with music, a collaboration between Houstonโs own Ensemble Theatre and North Carolina Black Repertory Theatre, explores the life and journey of Dr. Maya Angelou, from young child to older woman. Performer Elizabeth Flax recently told Houston Life that she hopes audiences leave the show with inspired by Angelouโs overall message, saying โhave the courage to just speak your truth. Donโt be afraid to do that. She always talked about courage. Just speak your truth. You know in your heart what it is. Speak it.โ Performances of Phenomenal Woman are scheduled for Thursdays at 7:30 p.m., Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 2 and 8 p.m., and Sundays at 3 p.m. through July 30. Tickets can be purchased here for $41 to $60.
On Friday, June 30, at 8:30 p.m. Bollywood Film Nights at Asia Society Texas Center ends with an on-the-lawn screening of Gauri Shindeโs 2012 film, English Vinglish. The film, a โlikable family comedy from India with its own air of innocence,โ features Sridevi โ Bollywood star with more than 200 films under her proverbial belt โ as โa meek, put-upon Indian housewife who speaks only Hindiโ who transforms โinto a confident citizen of the world, over the length of a four-week crash course in English.โ You can buy a ticket for $10 here, and donโt forget to bring along a blanket or lawn chair for comfort. You can purchase drinks and snacks on site.
Summer Symphony Nights at Miller Outdoor Theatre conclude this weekend with two performances presented by the Houston Symphony. On Friday, June 30, at 8:30 p.m. Conductor Vinay Parameswaran will lead the musicians in a program titled Beethoven Symphony No. 7. In addition to one of Ludwig van Beethovenโs most popular symphonies, the program will feature Anna Clyneโs poetry-inspired The Midnight Hour; โNigun,โ the second movement of Ernest Blochโs Baal Shem (Three Pictures of Chassidic Life); and Maurice Ravelโs Tzigane, a piece that โbristles with technical challenges of the highest orderโ and will be tackled by Houston Symphony violinist Sergei Galperin. The performance is free and you can either reserve a ticket here (as of this morning, Thursday, June 29, at 10 a.m.) or you can grab a blanket or lawn chair and head for un-ticketed seating on the Hill.
On Saturday, July 1, at 8:30 p.m. the Houston Symphony will present their final Summer Symphony Night, under the hand of Conductor Alpesh Chauhan, titled Prokofiev Symphony No. 7, at Miller Outdoor Theatre. Dubbed the โChildrenโs Symphonyโ because of its โplayful, fantasy-like tone,โ Sergei Prokofievโs Symphony No. 7 was the composerโs final symphony, created a year before he died. Joining Symphony No. 7 on the program is Lili Boulanger D’un matin de printemps (Of a Spring Morning), โa work of vibrant energy and surpassing delicacy,โ and George Gershwinโs โeffervescent, free-spiritedโ Concerto in F. The concert is again free and you can reserve a ticket here beginning Friday, June 30, at 10 a.m. or you can opt for un-ticketed seating on the Hill.
This weekend, at a private residence on the Near Northside of Houston, The Pilot Dance Project will present three performances of choreographer Ashley Hornโs The Delicate Space. Adam Castanอeda, the executive and artistic director of The Pilot Dance Project (as well as guest choreographer on The Delicate Space), recently told the Houston Press that Horn โhad a very clear idea in scope for what she wanted to do,โ adding that in The Delicate Space โshe wanted to, through movement, explore ideas of intimacy, personal struggle, personal journey, personal forgiveness through a reconciliation of oneโs imperfections.โ Though two of the three performances are currently sold out, tickets are still available for 9 p.m. on Saturday, July 1. Tickets can be purchased here for $15 and the location will be provided to all ticketholders.
Houston Symphony is continuing their busy weekend on Monday, July 3, at 8 p.m. when they visit Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion to present their Star-Spangled Salute. Vocalist Jimmie Herrod โ a finalist from America’s Got Talent who earned the โGolden Buzzerโ from Sofia Vergara for his rendition of โTomorrowโ from the musical Annie โ will join Conductor Steven Reineke for the patriotic program, which begins with pre-concert activities at 6:30 p.m. (like photo ops and an instrument petting zoo) and music from The Woodlands Show Chorus at 7 p.m. No tickets are required for the performance. The following night, Tuesday, July 4, at 8:30 p.m. the Symphony will take their Star-Spangled Salute to Miller Outdoor Theatre for a second free performance topped off with fireworks. You can reserve a ticket for the Fourth of July celebration here beginning Monday, July 3, at 10 a.m. or you can opt for un-ticketed seating on the Hill.
Celebrate the most patriotic of holidays at the Fourth of July Celebration at Bayou Bend on Tuesday, July 4, from 1 to 5 p.m. At the family-friendly event, you can expect a little music (from the Texas Army Fife and Drum Corps, the Lonestar Bluegrass Band, and drummer Joseph Dixon), a little learning (about the clothes worn and equipment used by both the British and Americans during the Revolutionary War), and some performances, including Houstonโs Brave Little Company reading the Declaration of Independence and David Allen reading Faith Ringgoldโs We Came to America, a picture book that despite โsignificant gaps,โ has been said to offer โa humbling reminder about our arduous histories.โ If thatโs not enough, there will also be opportunities to create art, drink some lemonade, and, of course, the first floor of the house will be open to tour. Admission to the event is free.
This article appears in Jan 1 โ Dec 31, 2023.
