The Five Best Things to Do in Houston This Weekend: Boys, Boas Then an Undies Run

"Cell Block Tango" remains one of the most widely loved songs from the smash hit Chicago. Every stomp, bang and squish is capable of livening up any audience and with the secret out that the performers of Broadway, Boys and Boas will be performing this hit we only hope they're as prepared as the die-hards who live for this number. Stay tuned for the rest of this weekend's Best Bets as we bring you an undies run and an emotionally stirring performance in Cry Havoc.



They say the neon lights are bright on Broadway, but Houstonians won’t have to travel too far to see them. The Gay Men’s Chorus of Houston is bringing the best of the Great White Way during Broadway, Boys & Boas. Filled with show tunes, the production will take us all the way from classics like Cabaret and Hello, Dolly! to modern productions like Hamilton and Kinky Boots, all told through a rainbow-tinted lens. Director Kenneth Clayborne says, “It tells a story of the perils and happiness of Broadway and how it relates to the LGBTQ community today.” The timing of this expected-to-be-fabulous production has landed at the perfect time, right in the middle of Pride month no less, sing along with this chorus line this Friday night. Insider secret: He also let it slip that the group planned a not-to-miss men’s version of Chicago’s “Cell Block Tango” that will tantalize the inner vixen in all of us.

7 p.m. Friday. The MATCH, 3400 Main. For information, call 713?521?4533 or visit matchouston.org. $10 to $20.



It’s season-finale time at the Alley Theatre, and they’ve decided to go out with a production of Freaky Friday, the Disney musical based on the popular 1976 and 2003 movies made from the widely read 1972 novel by Mary Rodgers. Mom and daughter swap bodies for 24 hours and find out it can be tough as a teen or overworked mom. Heidi Blickenstaff (Broadway: Something Rotten!, The Addams Family; Disney’s The Little Mermaid and The Full Monty) stars as the mom and says going back and forth between the characters is a joy for an actor. “For me playing Katherine is a breeze, but Ellie is nothing like me,” she says. “To be able to play a crazy 16-year-old who doesn’t think of consequences and is pretty selfish and only wants to do what she wants is really fun, because I was never that way. It’s really liberating.” The season-finale is yours to catch this Friday night at the Alley Theatre.

8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; and 2:30 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays continues 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays; through July 2. Alley Theatre, 615 Texas. For information, call 713-220-5700 or visit alleytheatre.org. $26 to $103.



Marathoners, you’re doing it wrong. Take a lead from the Hot Undies Run by stripping down to your skivvies, running a few miles around Rice Village and celebrating with a few cold beverages throughout the jog this Saturday morning. The annual event is back and ready to shock (or delight) a few unsuspecting weekend shoppers, all while raising money for Girls On The Run Greater Houston. If running in tightey-whiteys isn’t your thing, costumes are also popular. “Usually, you see costumes that are kind of thematic with what’s happening in pop culture and our daily lives. I imagine we’ll have a Donald Trump...maybe a Russian theme. In the past, we’ve had everything from Star Wars to a whole bridal party. You can never tell what’s going to come out. They’re hilarious, though,” says event organizer Dave Lee.

11 a.m. Saturday. Gorgeous Gael, 5555 Morningside. For information, visit thedriven.net/hot-undies-run. $40.



William Shakespeare knew veterans. He was surrounded by them. He wrote about them memorably and gave their characters great and lasting lines. So it made sense to Stephan Wolfert that when he was putting together his one-man show, Cry Havoc, that he use some of Shakespeare’s words intermixed with his own experiences to get across his own feelings about war, service and death. “He either provides a language that I lack to express how I feel or think or he elicits feelings in me when I hear it. It’ll pull up a feeling or memory I didn’t even remember I had. That tends to be the reaction of the audience as well,” says the man who left home and joined the Minnesota National Guard to escape his family and then became an actor to help himself and other veterans transition back to normal society (he refers to it as “de-cruiting”) after coming out of military life. This Saturday's performance is a return visit to Houston for Wolfert. Last year he fit in a few shows on off nights when New York’s Bedlam theater company was in town doing Saint Joan. This year, as more people know what he’s all about, he’s here for more performances, once again hosted by 4th Wall Theatre Co.

2:30 p.m. Saturdays and 3 p.m. Sundays. Continues 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays; through June 18. Spring Street Studios, 1824 Spring Street. For information, call 832-786-1849 or visit 4thwalltheatreco.com. $29 to $49, $23 seniors, $15 students and $10 veterans with the code “Vet.”



DNA is the stuff of life that gives every living entity its unique traits. This summer, the John P. McGovern Museum of Health and Medical Science will present Genome: Unlocking Life’s Code to teach us a little more about the language of DNA. “Some very heavy hitters came together, especially after completing the human genome in 2003. Now that we’ve done that, we can communicate that to people. It includes our past and looking back to do better for our future,” said Dr. Melanie Johnson. Through physical and computer interaction, media experiences, specimens, artifacts and replicas, the exhibit will reveal the mystery of how DNA connects to every living thing. Experience the interactive installations and examine the specimens on hand for yourself this Sunday afternoon. 

12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays. Continues 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays. Extended hours through 7 p.m., Thursdays through September 11. 1515 Hermann Drive. For information, call 713-521-1515 or visit thehealthmuseum.org. Free to $10.



Sam Byrd and Margaret Downing contributed to this post.