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Your Memorial Day weekend guide to Houston: Five (plus) don't-miss events — roller disco included

At a loss for what to do with the fam this Memorial Day weekend? I have the answer with this week's event suggestions, which include a performance with soul, contemporary ballet, comics galore, a musical on wheels and the revival of a beast who's on a mission to hand humanity the judgment it deserves.

Dancin' in the Street . . . Motown & More Revue

Get down to the groovy rhythms of the Motown era and more with this yearly high-spirited journey to the zeitgeist of the 1960s. Chart-topping hits that became timeless classics courtesy of the Detroit-based recording studio are the focus of this Memorial Day weekend show that pays tribute to the Jackson 5 and commemorates five decades of Sam Cooke's "A Change Is Gonna Come."

Why not make it a picnic? Bring a blanket, beverages and light nibbles and bask in the temperate weather that has Houstonians squealing with joy.

The skinny: Thursday through Sunday, 8:15 p.m.; Miller Outdoor Theatre; admission is free, tickets are available for covered seating.

Houston Ballet presents "Modern Masters"

What's marvelous about Houston Ballet's mixed repertory performances is that audiences are treated to a slice of the huge pie that's the diverse world of ballet. "Modern Masters," which is billed as a melange of explosive energy, high attitude and cool sexuality, is a program that focuses on groundbreaking choreography by three influential dance makers of the last century, including George Balanchine, Jiri Kylián and William Forsythe.

The skinny: Thursday through June 1; Wortham Theater Center; tickets start at $19.

Comicpalooza 2014

The who's who of comics, science fiction, fantasy, horror, anime, gaming and related music, films and pop culture are beamed to Houston for what's considered the largest annual convention of the genre in the Southwest region. Thronged by avid fans, many of them in costume, the four-day colorful conclave, which includes a hodgepodge of panels, workshops and entertainment, welcomes such luminaries as Stan Lee (creator of Spider-Man, The Fantastic Four and Iron Man), Billy Dee Williams (The Empire Strikes Back), Cary Elwes (Psych), Lou Ferrigno (The Incredible Hulk), Nichelle Nichols (Star Trek), Erin Gray (Silver Spoons, The Guild), Tricia Helfer (Battlestar Galactica) and on and on and on.

The skinny: Friday through Monday; George R. Brown Convention Center; tickets start at $12.

Stages Repertory Theatre presents Xanadu

Don't kill me for thinking that Xanadu is an absurdly silly story. Let's get real. A fetching Greek muse (is there any other kind?) descends from the heavens to rouse an artist who's down in the dumps to reach the zenith of his creativity. That would be a roller disco, of course. Raucous pandemonium ensues when her sisters become envious of the tryst that develops between goddess and mortal. I suppose this is how things rolled in 1980s California.

So what?

Somehow there's no way you won't buy into the fantasy to become captivated by the characters' transformations. With Holland Vavra as Kira, this joyful musical on wheels presented by Stages Repertory Theatre is charming and suitable for the whole family.

The skinny: Through June 29; Stages Repertory Theatre; tickets start at $23.

Revivals film screening: Godzilla: The Japanese Original

It may be that the 2014 reimagining of Godzilla is over-dramatized with fabulous effects courtesy of 21st-century technology, but reviews of the recent remake have been mixed, with some describing the film as a downhill slide. The 1998 version with Matthew Broderick was a catastrophic disaster, although commercially successful. Regardless, everyone is talking about the savage beast that's on a quest to hand humankind the judgment it deserves.

The steep rise in the franchise's popularity is good rationale for learning about the monster of doom's 1954 origins. Newly restored for its 60th anniversary, the Realto Pictures release of Godzilla: The Japanese Original keeps its "tabloid docu-horror allure."

The skinny: Friday through Sunday; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; $9 general admission, $7 MFAH members and seniors, $5 Film Buff members.

Staff writer and resident food nerd Eric Sandler's pick: Friends of Jodycakes Fundraising Bash

Eric says: "The Houston food community has rallied to aid popular baker Jody Stevens, who lost most of her possessions when a fire burned down her home. Sunday marks the last of a series of events designed to aid her recovery, and Stevens' friends are determined to go out with a bang.

"Head to Big Star Bar for a bake sale, silent auction, food by The Modular and Pi Pizza Truck and live music by local band Revamp. Expect a who's who of Houston's food community to show up and pay tribute to a woman who's always given to every cause. Should be a lot of fun."

The skinny: Sunday, 4 p.m. until late; Big Star Bar; cash preferred.

A scene from "Dancin' in the Street... Motown & More Revue" at Miller Outdoor Theatre.

19th Annual Dancin' in the Street...Motown & More Revue

Courtesy photo

A scene from "Dancin' in the Street... Motown & More Revue" at Miller Outdoor Theatre.

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Revving up

Beloved Houston Art Car Museum will live on in new permanent home

Courtesy Art Car Museum

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Six months ago, Houston's Art Car Museum rolled out the news that it would shutter at the end of April. But now, plans are revving up to not only keep it open, but give it a brand new home - one where its delightful quirkiness will find a kindred spirit in strangeness.

A $1.25 million gift from the Harithas Family through the South Texas Charitable Foundation will give the recently closed museum a new home on the Orange Show Center for Visionary Art’s soon-to-be-redeveloped campus, located at the intersection of two of Houston’s most culturally significant neighborhoods, the Third Ward and the East End. The gift will ensure a permanent space celebrating art cars.

Visitors can expect rotating exhibitions of mobile masterpieces designed by local, national, and international artists, as well as the personal art car collection of Ann Harithas, who founded the Art Car Museum in 1998 with her husband, Jim. Ann passed away in 2021. Jim followed in 2023 and the beloved museum was left to their heirs, son Thomas Pascal “Will” Robinson and daughters Madeline Merrill, Molly Kemp, and Stephanie Loeffler.

Purple Reign art car Purple Reign cruising through downtown Houston for the Art Car Parade. Courtesy Art Car Museum

Ann and Jim' Harithas' low-slung metal building on Heights Boulevard was nicknamed the "Garage Mahal," and gave visitors an up-close look at several art cars. Ann particularly enjoyed how art cars opened creative thinking to the masses and changed the way people thought about everyday objects.

The mobile masterpieces weren't the only things on display at the museum, however. Across its 26 years, the museum showcased artists of all mediums who were often refused representation from other arts institutions, from art cars to paintings, photography, and film, including Harithas’ own collage work.

The family says the Orange Show is a perfect place to carry on the art car legacy.

“The Orange Show was built on a foundation of supporting artists from all walks of life, and encouraging anyone to explore their personal creativity,” said Robinson, who sits on the Orange Show Center's board. “We couldn’t be happier to entrust the Orange Show with our mother’s legacy and continue allowing Houston and the world.”

Orange Show headquarters expansion The Orange Show will be the new home of the Art Car Museum. Rendering courtesy of Rogers Partners

No opening date has been set, but it's likely to be years in the future. Back in 2021, the Orange Show announced a major expansion project, which included expanded exhibit space adjacent to the Orange Show Monument.

The Orange Show Center for Visionary Art has produced the annual Art Car Parade for decades, but otherwise was not a part of the museum showcasing them. This gift now ensures the two creative forces are together.

art car museum art cars harithas family orange show center south texas charitable foundation museums