It’s not quite fall yet and it certainly doesn’t feel like autumn, so all of this week’s best bets will keep you out of the heat, though not necessarily indoors. Discovery Green and Miller Outdoor Theatre will offer some evenings of can’t-miss dance and music for those courageous enough to brave the mosquitos, while others can find cool air-conditioning around town at places like the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Stages, and the Wortham Theater Center. Keep reading for our list of the coming week’s best offerings.
Embrace the spirit of Mexico at Discovery Green on Friday, September 9, at 7 p.m. when the North American Institute for Mexican Advancement (NAIMA) brings México en el Corazón to Houston as part of their North American tour. David Herrera, of Houston’s Univision 45, will host the showcase, which will feature more than 50 performers in traditional costumes, including Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts (HSPVA) Mariachi and Nueva Luna Ballet Folklorico. Consul General of Mexico Alicia Kerber Palma will also be on hand to present El Grito, a commemoration of Mexico’s fight for independence. Admission is free, and plan to make a picnic out of the evening. Grab a blanket or chairs and get your fill of food and drink, which will also be available for purchase at The Lake House.
Rainer Werner Fassbinder fans rejoice! This weekend, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston will screen François Ozon’s Peter Von Kant, “a metatextual spin” on Fassbinder’s 1972 “menage-à-trois melodrama” The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant. The gender-swapped film, “a genuflection and almost-camp homage,” is “a more realistic portrayal of the German director’s obsession with actor Günther Kaufmann.” The Hollywood Reporter says “its skewering of celebrity is mischievously enjoyable and its declaration of love for a queer-cinema forefather disarmingly sincere,” while IndieWire calls it Ozon’s “best film in years” which “should not be missed by Fassbinder fans.” Catch a screening of Peter Von Kant at the MFAH’s Lynn Wyatt Theater at 7 p.m. Friday, September 9, or Saturday, September 10, or at 5 p.m. on Sunday, September 11. Tickets are $7 to $9.
The boy who wouldn’t grow up returns to the Houston Ballet on Friday, September 9, at 7 p.m. when the company opens Trey McIntyre’s Peter Pan. McIntyre, a product of Houston Ballet (first as student, then dancer, and choreographic associate), based the three-act ballet on J.M. Barrie’s classic works, so you can expect the boy from Neverland, the Lost Boys, Captain Hook, mermaids, a crocodile, and more all set to a score of arranged works from Sir Edward Elgar. In addition to Friday night’s show, performances are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Saturday, September 10 and 17, and Friday, September 16, and at 2 p.m. Sunday, September 11 and 18, and Saturday, September 17. Tickets can be purchased here for $25 to $220.
In this plugged-in world we live in, singer-songwriter Gabriel Kahane made an interesting choice: He took a yearlong break from the internet. His latest album Magnificent Bird, released back in March and “his most personal album” in years, documents his last month offline. Kahane will bring songs from his “sweet and intimate” collection, said to have “the immediacy of a pencil sketch and the depth of a mural,” to Stages on Friday, September 9, at 7:30 p.m. The one-night-only solo performance, presented by Stages and Aperio, Music of the Americas, will see Kahane perform about a dozen new songs alongside previous work. You can purchase tickets here for $40 to $100.
Houston Metropolitan Dance Center will have you shouting for joy at Miller Outdoor Theatre on Friday, September 9, at 8 p.m. when they present the Fall 2022 ExtravaDance (#YayDance). Two works from Social Movement Contemporary Dance, a three-year-old company under the artistic direction of Elijah Alhadji Gibson, will be featured, along with guest artist Kemi OG’s Internal Dialogue and a collaboration between Virtuosi of Houston and choreographers Brittany Bass, Lori Yuill, and jhon r. stronks. Group Acorde, KoumanKe’le’ African Dance & Drum Ensemble, The Pilot Dance Project, and a performance from stronks and Jasmine Hearn round out the evening. Beginning at 10 a.m. today, September 8, you can reserve a free seat here, or you can sit in the ticketless seating on the Hill. The show will also stream on the Miller Outdoor Theatre website, YouTube channel, or Facebook page.
Miriam Makeba, was “one of Africa’s first international superstars.” She performed her hit “Pata Pata” on The Ed Sullivan Show, sang for JFK, and had her music covered by Cher and The Supremes. More importantly, she spoke out against injustice, which resulted in “three decades of political exile from South Africa.” On Saturday, September 10, at 8 p.m. DACAMERA will bring Somi, “the first woman of African descent to receive a Grammy nomination in a jazz category,” to Miller Outdoor Theatre for an evening of music, including songs from her last album, a “love letter” to Makeba. You can reserve a free seat here starting at 10 a.m. on September 9, or you can choose ticketless seating on the Hill. Or you can catch the livestream on the Miller Outdoor Theatre website, YouTube channel, or Facebook page.
An “unfailing commitment to honesty” is what you’ll find in Crying in the Bathroom, a new memoir from Erika L. Sánchez. Inprint will host the author, whose New York Times bestseller I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter is being developed into a film for Netflix by America Ferrera, at the Ballroom at Bayou Place as part of the 2022/2023 Inprint Margarett Root Brown Reading Series on Monday, September 12, at 7:30 p.m. Sánchez will read from her 12-essay collection and then join fellow author and program director for the Tintero Projects Jasminne Mendez in conversation. General admission tickets for the in-person reading can be purchased here for $5. You can also find more information about picking up a copy of Sánchez’s book for a discount, courtesy of Brazos Bookstore, here.
Support your local dancemakers on Tuesday, September 13, at 7:30 p.m. when Dance Source Houston presents its 21st edition of Mind The Gap. The showcase, ongoing since 2017, features local choreographers, and on Tuesday that group includes jhon r. stronks, Tobaric Atkins-Montana, Justin Curry, Chathuri Nirosha, and Amberly Altamirano-Daniels. General admission tickets are pay-what-you-can with a regular price of $15. They can be purchased here. If you can’t make the in-person performance, you can watch the video on-demand starting on September 14 and available through October 9. You can rent the video here. Again, it’s pay-what you-can with a regular price of $15.
This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2022.
