You know how it goes by now. We give you events that you could possibility attend this weekend, you ponder whether you should go or just stay home and binge-watch The Handmaid’s Tale on Hulu. We’re sure these following events will have you off the couch and in the sunshine:
Thursday, May 10
See Houston’s top chefs at “Celebrity H-Town Chefs Against Cancer”
This is gonna be massive. Ten of Houston’s premiere celebrity chefs are joining forces at the Four Seasons Hotel for “Celebrity H-Town Chefs Against Cancer.” This night of fundraising, food and fun is bringing out the heavy hitters: Richard Sandoval and Alejandro Di Bello from Bayou & Bottle, Chris Shepherd from UB Preserv, Chris Davies from Uchi, Rafael Gonzalez from the Four Seasons, and more. The event will raise funds for a sleepaway camp at the hotel, for kids and teenagers who have been impacted by cancer. It starts at 6:30 pm.
Trombone Shorty closes out “Party on the Plaza”
Avenida Houston’s “Party on the Plaza” free concert series wraps up its spring season with a headlining performance from New Orleans brass man Trombone Shorty, accompanied by his band Orleans Avenue. Shorty has shared his trombone and trumpet skills with many an artist: Madonna, Hall & Oates, Mark Ronson, Red Hot Chili Peppers. He has played the White House a record five times — and he voiced the sound of the adults in The Peanuts Movie. His opening act will be another Big Easy native, jazz saxophonist Khris Royal. It starts at 6:45 pm.
District Art Gallery presents “Femme: A Journey Through Her Garden”
“Femme: A Journey Through Her Garden” is the name of the latest exhibit featuring select artists that’ll be making its debut at District Art Gallery – and it already got us thinking about the time Quincy Jones got Barry White, James Ingram, Al B. Sure!, and El DeBarge singing about visiting a woman’s “secret garden.” If the gallery played that during the reception, it would be the cherry on top of this whole thing. (There will be live harp music.) There will also be a raffle benefiting The Women’s Home, which focuses on empowering women. It starts at 7 pm.
Friday, May 11
Tassels and morsels with Provocateur at The Prohibition Theatre
Have you ever attended a sultry, titillating burlesque show and, right when you were watching a slow, scintillating striptease, you said to yourself, “Man, I wish I had dinner before this?” If you like your strip shows with a delicious meal, The Prohibition Theatre has a show that will delight many of your senses. Titled Provocateur, this neo-burlesque show also comes with a three-course, prix-fixe dinner that runs for $45. And, of course, you’ll also get some half-nekkid action from The Moonlight Dolls. It starts at 7 and 9 p.m.
Steve Martin’s Picasso at the Lapin Agile at the Alley Theatre
Steve Martin may have started his career as a white suit-wearing, banjo-playing, “wild and crazy guy” comedian but, over the years, the man has built quite a rep as a witty man of letters. He’s published sophisticated works of fiction like Shopgirl and An Object of Beauty and has churned out several Broadway plays. His first one, 1993’s Picasso at the Lapin Agile, a period piece about the possibility of Picasso and Einstein meeting at a Paris bar, will have a month-long run starting this weekend. It starts at 8 pm on Friday and Saturday. (2:30 pm on Sunday.)
Saturday, May 12
Bilal's “A Soulquarian Voyage” at White Oak Music Hall
Bilal has been one of the more journeyman vocalists in black music. Since dropping 1st Born Second in 2001, the eccentric, neo-soul man has popped up on many different artists’ songs. Name any popular black artist — Jay-Z, Beyonce, Pharrell, Kendrick Lamar — and he’s done hooks for them. But he’s also been a card-carrying member of The Soulquarians, the late-'90s/early-aughts collective that included D’Angelo, Erykah Badu, and the late producer J.Dilla. This explains why he titled his latest tour “A Soulquarian Voyage,” which hits Houston this weekend. It starts at 8 pm.
Laff it up at the H-Town Festival of Laughs
Ever since The Original Kings of Comedy, that legendary comedy tour that made Steve Harvey, Cedric the Entertainer, D.L. Hughley, and the late Bernie Mac household names, African-American comics continue to team up and play large arenas all over the country. This weekend, the H-Town Festival of Laughs will have a bevy of Def Comedy Jam/ComicView vets hitting the stage: Bruce Bruce, Earthquake, Arnez J, Don “D.C.” Curry, elder statesman George Wallace, and the lone lady of the pack, Sommore. It starts at 8 pm.
Sunday, May 13
Serenade mom with Canned Acoustica at Discovery Green
It’s time to get unplugged once again at the Discovery Green, as the Canned Acoustica concert series does another monthly show at the Transier Bandstand. There will also be another diverse lineup of Houston-based performers ready to drop the electric instruments and do some bare-bones, musical performers. This month, we have rock crew Clay Melton Band, singer-songwriter Andrew James, hip-hop duo Blaze x Black, two-man Americana/rock outfit Second Lovers and indie-pop songstress Miears. It starts at 5 pm.
Trombone Shorty closes out Party on the Plaza on Thursday, May 10.
