weekend event planner

Here are the top 10 things to do in Houston this weekend

Hilarious actor-comedian Craig Robinson hits Houston this weekend.

Have you ever wanted to take part in a walk or run, but you didn't really want to, well, walk or run?

The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo will start up its virtual, 34th annual Rodeo Run on Saturday, which will go until Sunday, May 9. In addition to the traditional 5K or 10K walk, run or wheelchair race, there are also two new race categories, bonus challenges and opportunities to win special prizes.

As always, plenty of events and activities are on tap. Look for a hilarious alum of The Office, a 10-minute play festival, and a Kentucky Derby party — with a disco theme.

Here are your best for the weekend.

Thursday, April 29

Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation presents A Celebration of Reading
The Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation will present its 27th annual fundraiser as a hybrid production. Guests at the event will enjoy a professional-quality program, featuring a line-up of bestselling authors and entertainers, followed by dinner.

The lineup features authors former President George W. Bush, Matthew McConaughey (virtual appearance), Mark Sullivan, Elin Hilderbrand, and husband-and-wife duo Peter Baker and Susan B. Glasser. 6:30 pm.

Improv Houston presents Craig Robinson
Craig Robinson is best known for his role as acerbic Dunder-Mifflin employee Darryl Philbin on NBC’s Emmy-winning The Office. The man has also done a lot of movies and TV, from Judd Apatow movies like Knocked Up to acting alongside the late Chadwick Boseman in the James Brown biopic Get on Up to headlining his own, short-lived sitcom (called Mr. Robinson, of course). Catch him this weekend as he does his musical brand of stand-up at the Improv. 7 pm (7:30 and 9:45 pm Friday; 7 and 9:30 pm Saturday).

Friday, April 30

Mother's Day Trunk Show Series at Deutsch Fine Jewelry
Deutsch Fine Jewelry will host Houston-based, women-owned designer Armenta on Friday and New York-based designer Lauren K. on Friday and Saturday. Handcrafted in Houston, Armenta provides women from disadvantaged circumstances a better chance in life, hiring women based on passion rather than skill set. As for Lauren K. they will showcase their one-of-a-kind pieces, perfect for the mom who is looking to add a splash of color to her jewelry collection. 6 pm (5 pm Saturday).

Houston Symphony presents Brian Del Signore Plus Brahms
Principal percussionist Brian Del Signore makes an extra-special, Houston Symphony solo debut, performing the marimba movement from his own Percussion Concerto. Plus, hear "Celestial Blue" by Grammy and Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Jennifer Higdon, followed by an invigorating early masterpiece by Benjamin Britten. The concerts close with Brahms’s genial Serenade No. 2. The Saturday performance will be live-streamed for home viewers. 8 pm (2:30 pm Sunday).

Kathrine G. McGovern College of the Arts presents 10-Minute Play Festival
All this weekend, the UH School of Theatre & Dance will present its annual 10-Minute Play Festival. This one-weekend-only, popular showcase highlights some of the best new works by B.F.A. playwrights, as well as pieces selected from their international 10-minute play contest. The video link for this event will be continuously viewable between Friday night and Sunday at 11 pm. Ticket registration closes at 8:30 pm on Sunday. 8 pm.

Saturday, May 1

Archway Gallery presents Shirl Riccetti and donna e perkins: "Exploring Paint" virtual opening
When friends Shirl Riccetti & donna e perkins decided to have a show together, they could never have anticipated such a tumultuous year as 2020. Perkins, an abstract painter, and Riccetti, a more traditional painter, decided to confront the challenges of 2020 by continuing to do what they have been doing for most of their lives. The virtual opening and artist talks will be posted to the gallery website, Facebook and YouTube. The exhibition will remain on display through Thursday, June 3. 10 am.

Sounds to Live By at the Menil Collection
Bring your picnic blankets and head out to the Menil for an afternoon of free, outdoor-music listening on the museum’s east lawn. Jamal Cyrus, Peter Lucas, and DJ Flash Gordon Parks will be spinning an eclectic mix of vinyl records from their personal collections. The event will take place on the Menil’s east lawn. Guests are required to abide by the museum’s COVID-19 safety protocols. Additional green-space policies apply. 3 pm.

Disco Derby at Onion Creek Cafe While there are plenty of Kentucky Derby parties this weekend, this one sounds the funkiest. Put on your favorite hat, disco shirt or whatever you're comfortable in as hosts Denver Courtney (aka Denverado) and DJ Melodic transform Onion Creek into "Disco Alley." There will be cash and prizes for best-dressed, as well as spins on a "prize wheel." There will also be plenty of food and drink specials all day. Derby and/or disco attire is encouraged but not required. 7 pm.

Sunday, May 2

The Women's Fund presents Board with Breakfast in Bed The Women’s Fund for Health Education and Resiliency’s ROC for H.E.R. will present a virtual Board with Breakfast in Bed to celebrate moms, mentors and friends via Zoom. Guests are invited to wear their PJs and stay in bed while Board & Bordeaux founder Stacy Williams teaches the art of charcuterie board arrangement. Brunch board ingredients, a bamboo board, mini mimosas, and an access link to the Zoom class will be provided on Saturday. 11 am.

Strange Bird Immersive presents The Man From Beyond InThe Man From Beyond, Madame Daphne leads a private séance to contact the spirit of Harry Houdini. But all is not what it seems, and when the ghost appears, things take a dramatic turn. Unravel mysteries a century in the making, and you could find yourselves doing more than escaping a room. The hybrid experience of immersive theatre and game will leave guests wondering if the magic is real. 2 pm.

event-planner

Movie Review

Cheesiness undermines Whalefall's intense survival story

Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios

Austin Abrams in Whalefall.

Austin Abrams has been a professional actor for 15 years, but the 30-year-old seems to just now be getting his due. After years of mostly supporting roles in films like Paper Towns, Brad’s Status, and Weapons, he has been charged with leading two films in 2026 where he’s largely acting by himself: First Resident Evil and now Whalefall.

Abrams plays Jay Gardiner, who has returned home to California a year after the death of his hard-ass father, Mitt (Josh Brolin). The two had a tempestuous relationship, and while his mom (Elisabeth Shue) and sisters (Jane Levy and Emily Rudd) reminisce fondly about him, Jay finds it difficult to come up with good memories. The two did share a connection with the ocean, and Jay decides to honor him by going scuba diving.

Ignoring warnings of whale activity in the area, Jay makes his way out into a notoriously dangerous part of the ocean near their home. Soon after he starts swimming, he encounters a sperm whale chasing after a giant squid. Jay inadvertently gets sucked into the enormous creature’s mouth and, ultimately, inside its body. Faced with a seemingly inescapable situation, Jay’s only hope lies in the lessons his father taught him.

Directed by Brian Duffield and adapted by Duffield and Daniel Kraus from Kraus’ book of the same name, the film is at its best when it depicts Jay struggling to survive within the whale. The claustrophobic nature of the setting and the various obstacles (multiple contracting chambers, the squid, and more) he faces make every scene inside the whale feel as intense and cover-your-eyes scary as any great horror movie.

Naturally, the entire movie can’t be about his survival efforts, and so the filmmakers toggle back and forth between Jay’s ordeal in the whale to memories of times with his father. Not so coincidentally, these remembrances come with subtle or overt wisdom from Mitt that would serve Jay well in his current situation. More often than not, these flashback scenes are so on-the-nose that they come off as cheesy instead of inspirational.

It’s also difficult to derive any big emotions from the story other than revulsion at the way Jay’s body is brutalized while he’s inside the whale. None of the characters in the film receive a notable introduction to the audience before big events start happening. It’s next-to-impossible to be invested in their stories when their personalities are being revealed in bits and pieces throughout the movie.

Abrams does well enough in bringing out the terror Jay feels in the whale and the sullenness/anger he has toward his father in other scenes. But whether it’s because his lines in the whale are hard to understand (he’s often talking around a scuba mouthpiece) or the disconnect the character has with father, there’s just something missing in his performance. Brolin’s performance is one-note, and Shue, Levy, Rudd, and John Ortiz don’t appear enough to make a big impact.

With Kraus onboard as the co-writer of the film, it may be the case that Duffield was not given leeway to change the story of Whalefall too much. What might have worked in the book doesn’t seem to translate equally to the film, and while Jay’s nightmare in the whale is effective, the rest of his story doesn’t come across as successfully.

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Whalefall is now playing in theaters.

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