weekend event planner

These are the top 14 things to do in Houston this weekend

It’s the first weekend of December, and people are truly going in with the holiday events.

We got several stage productions popping off, including a working-class retelling of a Christmas classic. Memorial Park will be setting up its holiday lights. Kings Harbor will have a yuletide party. Twin Peaks will be giving out free christmas trees, for Pete’s sake!

This weekend has non-holiday related happenings, too, like a concert featuring an American Idol winner, a concert featuring a beloved Nickelodeon cartoon, a couple of movie screenings and – believe it or not! – a nostalgia con.

Thursday, December 5

Alley Theatre presents The Night Shift Before Christmas
Here’s a retelling of Charles Dickens’ classic A Christmas Carol for anyone who’s ever worked at a Whataburger. The Christmas Eve overnight shift is Margot’s personal tradition — even if that means dealing with grumpy drive-thru customers. But when her dead best friend Jackie Marley drops by to warn her of impending late-night visits by spirits, Margot has no choice but to roll with the punches and confront the very Scrooge she’s become. Through Tuesday, December 24. 7 pm (1 & 6:30 pm Sunday).

Avatar: The Last Airbender in concert
Avatar: The Last Airbender in concert will feature a live orchestra bringing the show’s musical score to life, in harmony with highlights and favorite moments from the series. Taiko drums and erhu strings will share the spotlight with violins and clarinets, while the series' scenes play out on screen, bringing viewers into the Avatar world to experience memorable moments with Aang, Katara, Toph, Sokka, Zuko, and more. 7 pm.

Theatre Under The Stars presents The Ugly Xmas Sweater Musical
Pull out your most appalling holiday fit for The Ugly Xmas Sweater Musical. Described as interactive and hysterical, the leaders of Regalia Uniforms are looking to save their beloved company from a takeover by an international conglomerate by making the best ugly Xmas sweater ever. Audiences are invited to come dressed in their ugly Christmas sweaters, sing along, and walk the runway with the cast. Through Tuesday, December 24. 7 pm (7:30 Friday; 1 & 7:30 Saturday; 1 & 7 pm Sunday).

Friday, December 6

Buffalo Bayou Partnership presents Cistern Illuminated
Buffalo Bayou Partnership presents Cistern Illuminated, an immersive light and sound installation in the Buffalo Bayou Park Cistern. The annual tradition transforms the underground, decommissioned drinking water reservoir into a spectacle, showcasing the Cistern’s repeating columns and their uncanny reflections on the surface of the water below. A unique and original soundscape follows the moving lights around the cavernous Cistern. On select dates, the Cistern Illuminated installation will be accompanied by live choral performances. 10 am.

The Nostalgia Con
A traveling, throwback throwdown known as The Nostalgia Con will be going on this weekend at George R. Brown Convention Center. Take yourself back to the ‘90s and early 2000s with this three-day convention, filled with top-notch artists, celebrity guests, vendors, and music from that area. Get ready for an enchanted respite from the humdrum of reality, as you and a bunch of millennials/gen-Zers collectively indulge in an unforgettable experience of nostalgia. 1 pm.

Memorial Park presents Holiday Lights
Memorial Park’s Holiday Lights, presented by CenterPoint Energy Foundation, will feature new lighting features, including a one-of-a-kind Holiday tree on Bowden Terrace lit against Hines Lake. The outdoor holiday wonderland will be a festive spectacle, with lights and lanterns throughout the half-mile Promenade. Guests are invited to walk the natural surface pedestrian path encircling nine acres of open space, native plantings, and habitat. Through Wednesday, January 8. 5 pm.

DACAMERA presents Terri Lyne Carrington: “New Standards”
Drummer Terri Lyne Carrington – an NEA Jazz Master and four-time Grammy Award winner (as well as the first houseband drummer on The Arsenio Hall Show – has worked tirelessly over the last decade to advocate for inclusivity in jazz. Carrington and her bandmates delve into New Standards Vol. 01, a 2023 Grammy winner for Best Jazz Instrumental Album, shining a light on music from great women composers, including Carla Bley, Cassandra Wilson, Gretchen Parlato, Abbey Lincoln, Eliane Elias, and Marilyn Crispell. 8 pm.

Saturday, December 7

AFG/Twin Peaks 11th Annual Christmas Tree Giveaway
The Twin Peaks Restaurant on Kirby and owners Avalanche Food Group will be brightening the holidays for 250 Houston veterans, military families, teachers, and first responders with the gift of a fresh-cut Christmas tree, stands, lights, and decorations at their 11th Annual Christmas Tree Giveaway. Trees will be distributed on a first come, first served basis: one tree, stand, and trimmings set per vehicle. Participants must present a military, first responder, or teacher ID at the giveaway. 9 am.

A Tale of Two Bridges presents I Love 11th Neighborhood Festival
At this free, family-friendly celebration of community and culture, visitors can experience the businesses, art, and spirit that make 11th Street thrive. The day kicks off with a 5K Run hosted by Eureka Heights and Houston Run Clubs. Festival activities begin at noon and include four curated markets featuring unique local goods; 25+ live music performances; the Nuro autonomous vehicle showcase; a toy village with Santa and a fire truck; and more. Noon.

Archway Gallery presents Robert L. Straight and Eric DePan: "Time for Glass" opening reception
Archway Gallery artist Robert L. Straight and guest artist Eric DePan believe that it is “Time for Glass” to be brought to the forefront of the Houston art scene. Through this collaborative exhibition, the two artists, a half-century apart in age but have been working with glass together for 15 years, offer a new lens through which to view this material that surrounds us every day. With their innovative approach to fusing, fabricating, and blowing glass, they show us what is possible. Through Thursday, January 2. 5 pm.

Moody Center for the Arts presents Moody Movie Night: Home
Folks can enjoy a night under the stars, free popcorn, and a welcoming atmosphere at the Moody's annual outdoor Movie Night. Inspired by the exhibiting artist Do Ho Suh's exploration of place and belonging, the center will screen the animated 2015 movie Home, featuring the voices of Rihanna and Houston-native Jim Parsons. With quirky humor, a multi-layered message of tolerance, and a catchy score, Home is enjoyable for all ages. 6 pm.

Sunday, November 8

Kings Harbor presents Holiday at the Harbor
Kings Harbor Waterfront Village in Kingwood invites guests for Holiday at the Harbor, a free holiday extravaganza that will feature face painting, balloon and caricature artists, a live band, and professional photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus on their sleigh. After visiting with Santa, shop and dine in the harbor and enjoy free goodies from your favorite local businesses, including a coffee bar at Pretty Little Things Boutique, a complimentary queso from Loco Cantina, treats at X Label Boutique, and more. 1 pm.

Asia Society Texas presents Rent-a-Cat
In the corner of the city, a young woman named Sayoko lives alone in a traditional, one-story Japanese house. However, she's not really alone; in every part of the house is a cat. Get to know an assortment of quirky characters — and the emotionally supportive cats — of Rent-a-Cat, a film by award-winning Japanese director Naoko Ogigami. This film screening is presented as part of the Japan Foundation New York's nationwide tour. 2 pm.

Fantasia in concert
Last Christmas, Fantasia was all over multiplexes, singing her heart out as Celie in The Color Purple, the movie-musical version of the Broadway show, the Steven Spielberg movie and, of course, the Alice Walker novel that started all of this. (Fantasia won an NAACP Image Award for her performance.) Although she hasn’t dropped a new album since Sketchbook in 2019, the third-season winner of American Idol is still out there touring and belting her head off. She'll be joined by special guest K. Michelle. 7 pm.

Photo courtesy of Memorial Park Conservancy

Memorial Park kicks off its holiday lights display this Friday.

event-planner

Movie review

Nerdy teen comedies make a comeback with new movie Summer of 69

Photo courtesy of Hulu

Sam Morelos and Chloe Fineman in Summer of 69.

There was a trend in the late 2010s/early 2020s of bawdy comedies featuring teenage female protagonists, including Blockers, Booksmart, and Yes, God, Yes. Those types of films seemed to go by the wayside in recent years, but they’re making a comeback with the new film Summer of 69.

Abby (Sam Morelos) is a high school senior and video game streamer who has had a crush on her classmate Max (Matt Cornett) for her entire childhood. When she learns that Max has recently broken up with his longtime girlfriend, she’s determined to make her move. With advice from a confidant that Max likes a certain sexual position, Abby sets out to learn as much as she can about it, including hiring a stripper, Santa Monica (Chloe Fineman), to help her.

Coincidentally, Santa Monica is facing a situation where the club at which she works, Diamond Dolls, will be closed if the owner doesn’t come up with $20,000 in a week. Abby, who comes from a well-to-do family, seems to offer the perfect solution, and so the two agree to a week of lessons for that amount. Naturally, all sorts of complications arise, as well as the two women forming an unexpected bond.

Written and directed by Jillian Bell, with help from co-writers Jules Byrne and Liz Nico, the film is both suggestive and innocent at the same time. For all of the talk about sex and innuendo, having the nerdy and inexperienced Abby at the center of the film ensures that the story remains relatively chaste throughout. That includes scenes at the strip club, where Bell makes the choice to show almost no nudity.

Most of the humor of the film stems from Abby’s lack of experience, highlighted by her having “sexual” fantasies about Max that never actually get to the sex part. The juxtaposition between Abby and Santa Monica is also used for laughs, although Bell and her co-writers make sure to include a side story for the dancer that makes her into a three-dimensional person.

What ultimately makes the movie succeed is the way it keeps its characters relatable. Many high school films feel the need to play into a bunch of stereotypes, but those are kept to a minimum here. Instead, Bell upends expectations by delivering honest - sometimes to a fault for the characters - dialogue that acknowledges the spectrum of sexual realities for high schoolers, a version that differs from insatiable horniness of some other teen comedies.

Morelos, one of the stars of Netflix’s That ‘90s Show, makes for a charming lead, someone who can convincingly take her character from awkward to confident over the course of the story. Fineman, best known for her current stint as a cast member on Saturday Night Live, complements her well, showing her comedic prowess in a number of physical scenes. A supporting cast that includes Nicole Byer, Paula Pell, Alex Moffat, and Natalie Morales keeps the energy level high.

Despite its titillating title, Summer of 69 is much more sweet than naughty. Like most coming-of-age movies, it’s about a girl who’s trying to figure out where she fits in the world. The answers she finds aren’t always the ones she was expecting, but in the best possible way.

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Summer of 69 starts streaming on Hulu on May 9.

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