Tomorrow is Friday the 13th, but don’t for a second think that means you’re going to be unlucky in terms of things to do this weekend. We’ve got a nostalgic art show, a Sondheim musical, and an appearance by “The Pope of Trash” himself. Keep reading for these and even more best bets for the coming week.
Last year, the kid-friendly scares of R.L. Stine’s “Goosebumps” series turned 30. That’s 30 years of “a franchise that’s spawned TV shows, movies and even more books” – to the tune of about 400 million sold – all despite that time a group of parents in Minnesota tried to get the books banned from elementary school libraries. It failed, obviously. On Friday, October 13, from 7 to 11 p.m. you can celebrate the nostalgia and “timeless quality” of the series during the Goosebumps Art Show + Costume Party at Hardy & Nance Studios. The free show, presented by Insomnia Gallery just in time for Halloween, will not only feature art dedicated to the books, TV show and movies, but special activities and complimentary beverages from City Orchard, Equal Parts Brewing, Bad Astronaut Brewing Co. and Eureka Heights Brewery.
If you’re looking for one last chance to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, try the Houston Symphony’s annual Fiesta Sinfónica concert at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, October 13, at Jones Hall. The program, led by conductor Donato Cabrera, will feature music by Arturo Márquez, Juan Pablo Contreras, Julián Orbón, Juventino Rosas and Leonard Bernstein, along with a special guest appearance by Venezuelan pianist Gabriela Martinez, who will join the Symphony to perform George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” and a surprise Venezuelan encore. Martinez recently told the Houston Press that “Rhapsody in Blue” is “one of the greatest pieces written for piano and orchestra,” and that “it really represents this wonderful melting pot, this kaleidoscope that we are as a country.” Tickets to the concert are free, but you must make a reservation here.
John Waters, the irrepressible, irreverent and transgressive director of films like Pink Flamingos, Hairspray and Cry-Baby, will be stopping by the Wortham Theater Center, courtesy of Performing Arts Houston, at 7:30 p.m. Friday, October 13, to perform his latest monologue. Waters recently told the Houston Press that he re-writes his show once a year and that the new show, titled Devil’s Advocate, “is really new” and is “about how the new generation is even surprising me,” adding that the “about everything” show “is part autobiographical, but also part futuristic, part advice, part me sharing how I have navigated my whole life to get away with it.” VIP ticket experiences are sold out, but a few tickets to the show are still available here for $29 to $109.
Whether or not you get to see the man himself, you can always stop by Numbers tonight, Thursday, October 12, for the John Waters Trash-a-Thon, a marathon of three John Waters films: Serial Mom, Polyester and Pink Flamingos presented by the Friends of River Oaks Theatre. Drag artist Sauvignon Blanca will host the 18+ triple feature, and doors will open at 6:30 p.m. with the show starting at 7 p.m. Tickets are $20 and available here.
Take a dark trip into the Swiss Alps to find Patricia Highsmith, the author of the “Tom Ripley” series, in playwright Joanna Murray-Smith’s Switzerland, playing at Stages on Friday, October 13, at 8 p.m. The play tags along with a man from Highsmith’s publishing company, who ventures into the reclusive writer’s world with the goal of writing one more Ripley book. Murray-Smith told Melbourne Theatre Company that the play is “a psychological suspense much like Highsmith’s own work and my intention as a writer was really to hook the audience and take them on a terrifying journey into the mind of Patricia Highsmith.” Performances are scheduled for 7: 30 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays, 2:30 and 8 p.m. Saturdays, and 2:30 p.m. Sundays through November 12. Tickets are available here for $25 to $88.
The Bayou City Art Festival, produced by Art Colony Association (ACA), will once again take over Downtown Houston from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, October 14, and Sunday, October 15. The festival will turn Sam Houston Park and Allen Parkway into an outdoor gallery with approximately 250 artists, including featured artist Virginia-based mixed media artist Michelle McDowell Smith. Local chefs and the culinary arts will also be celebrated with Chef’s Table, a series of demonstrations and tastings that will run throughout the festival, and – on top of all the art – there will be a full entertainment schedule, food trucks, an “Active Imagination Zone,” and even a mock Barbie Land perfect for selfies. Online ticket purchase is required and they can be purchased here for $20 (note that children under the age of 12 get in free). VIP tickets are available for $75.
World premieres dominate Musiqa’s season-opening program, New Voices 2023, which is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Saturday, October 14, at The MATCH. The program will feature musical works from Kyle Rivera, the winner of the Cross-Country Chamber Consortium’s 2022 Black, Latinx and Indigenous Emerging Composer Commission; Eric Estrada Valadez, a doctoral student from the University of Houston Moores School of Music who was named Musiqa’s Emerging Composer Fellow; and Oswald Huynh, winner of Musiqa’s 2022 Emerging Composer Commission as well as runner-up Paul Novak’s “entwining.” Houston-area poet Ayokunle Falomo will also present new commissioned poetry. Tickets to the performance are pay-what-you-can with a suggested price of $35 and can be purchased here.
Stephen Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street will bring the classic character’s quest for revenge to Theatre Under the Stars on Tuesday, October 17, at 7:30 p.m. Danny Rothman, who will play the role of the Sweeney Todd, recently described the musical to the Houston Press as “beautifully written” and “epic in scope,” noting that his character is a “victim of circumstances,” which adds a little relatability: “I think every human being has been wronged and has felt a feeling of wanting revenge and Sweeny takes that about as far as someone can go without getting caught right away.” Performances are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays and Sundays, 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, at the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts. Tickets can be purchased here for $40 to $139.
This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2023.
