weekend event planner

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

“ICONS KLINKO” at Nicole Longnecker Gallery

See stars like Britney in their most iconic forms at Nicole Longnecker Gallery.

Photo courtesy of Markus Klinko and Nicole Longnecker Gallery

This weekend gets jazzed up with the Broadway smash Chicago — starring a familiar Houston face — while Cirque du Soleil dazzles under the big top. Yet another cirque makes a splash with performances in 35,000 gallons of water.

A star-studded art show opens with iconic images of pop culture's biggest names, while a globally renowned troupe from Harlem dances into town. And is there anything better than ice cream for breakfast? (Read on.)

Enjoy; here are your best bets for the weekend.

Thursday, February 2

Holocaust Museum of Houston presents "The Life and Art of Alice Lok Cahana" opening reception

Artist and Holocaust survivor Alice Lok Cahana made a vow as she faced the horrors of Auschwitz, and later, the Bergen-Belsen camp - if she survived, she would not hate those who imprisoned her and those who murdered her family. Holocaust Museum Houston will celebrate Cahana (who died in 2017), not only as an artist, but as a devoted friend, loving mother and resilient survivor. Through Sunday, April 9. 6 pm.

Cirque du Soleil presents Kooza

A return to the origins of Cirque du Soleil, this traditional circus homage combines acrobatic performances and the art of clowning while exploring fear, identity, recognition, and power. The Innocent's journey brings him into contact with comic characters from an electrifying world full of surprises, thrills, audacity, and total involvement. Through Sunday, March 5. 7:30 pm (Noon, 3:30 & 7 pm Saturday; 1:30 & 4 pm Sunday).

Cirque Italia presents Water Circus

Cirque Italia presents their new show, featuring a stage that holds 35,000 gallons of water over which performers make dazzling moves, thrilling the audience with every feat. Cirque Italia has sought to bring a high-class experience to audiences all over the United States since its inception in 2012. This year will be no exception as they take you on an exhilarating expedition in search of a pirate’s booty. The event will be located in a tent in the parking lot of Houston Premium Outlets. 7:30 pm (1:30, 4:30 & 7:30 pm Saturday; 1:30 & 4:30 pm Sunday).

Friday, February 3

Truffle Masters Pre-Party at Central Market

DR Delicacy is slated to host their highly anticipated event, Truffle Masters. To mark the occasion, Houston chefs will take over the upstairs of Central Market to delight guests at this celebration of all things truffle. During the kick-off party, an assortment of wines and champagne will be served as guests sample bites that incorporate truffles. Participating chefs include Michelle Wallace (b’tween Sandwich Co.), Alex Au-Yeung (Phat Eatery), David Skinner (Eculent), Jassi Bindra (Amrina), and Joseph Geiskopf (Ciel), and more. 6:30 pm.

The History of YouGenious: Selected Stories and Acapella Songs

Come sit a spell and sip some BYOB alcohol as YouGenious (aka The Misfit of R&B) talks about how he became one of Houston’s most legendary, underground performance artists. (These are his words, BTW.) He will tell stories about his favorite performance antics, strip club encounters and lost loves. These are the tales that inspired the songs he’s been singing for the past 20 years (including his classic “Sex on a Spoon) and he will strip them down butt-bald-nekkid! 7 pm.

Performing Arts Houston presents Dance Theatre of Harlem

Now celebrating its 50th anniversary, the Dance Theatre of Harlem Company tours nationally and internationally, presenting a powerful vision for ballet in the 21st century. The 17-member, multi-ethnic company performs a forward-thinking repertoire that includes treasured classics, neoclassical works by George Balanchine and resident choreographer Robert Garland, as well as innovative contemporary works that use the language of ballet to celebrate African American culture. 7 pm (2 pm Saturday).

Theatre Under the Stars presents Chicago

20 years ago, the Miramax-produced film adaptation of the iconic Broadway musical won a bunch of Oscars. If you ever wanted to see the stage version, then here’s your chance. After 25 years, this is still the one musical with everything that makes Broadway shimmy-shake: a universal tale of fame, fortune, and all that jazz, with one show-stopping song after another and the most astonishing dancing you’ve ever seen. Through Sunday, February 12. 8 pm (2 & 8 pm Saturday; 2 & 7:30 pm Sunday).

Saturday, February 4

Jeni’s Ice Cream for Breakfast Day

Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams will present their annual Ice Cream for Breakfast Day celebration. Last year's runaway hit flavor, Maple Soaked Pancakes, is returning for a limited time. The first 50 Splendid Rewards members will get a free, very limited Ice Cream for Breakfast Day mug. Visitors can also enter a giveaway for free ice cream for a year by taking a photo in your PJs at a Jeni’s shop, sharing it with the hashtag #icecreamforbreakfast, and tagging Jeni’s on social media.. 9 am.

Brave Little Company presents Grandpa's Garden

Meet Bebe and her grandpa, who’s a world champion gardener. If you’re ready to learn something new, he’ll teach you how to plant your own fruits and vegetables. But curious Bebe can’t stop wondering what’s in grandpa’s mysterious shed - and she needs your help to find the key. Bebe and her grandpa will explore the garden - and their own roots and legacy as African Americans - through song, senses, and stories. This musical will celebrate Black history through one family's story. 10 am and 1 pm.

Nicole Longnecker Gallery presents "ICONS KLINKO" opening reception

"ICONS KLINKO” will feature international photographer Markus Klinko. Klinko has photographed the likes of Beyonce, Lady Gaga, David Bowie, Jennifer Lopez, Britney Spears, Mary J. Blige, Mariah Carey, Kanye West, Anne Hathaway, Kate Winslet, Will Smith, Eva Mendes, Naomi Campbell, and Iman. His editorial clients include Vogue, GQ, Vanity Fair, Harper's Bazaar, and Interview. Through Saturday, March 25. 4 pm.

14 Pews presents Carole King Home Again — Live in Central Park

This documentary presents the music icon’s triumphant, 1973 homecoming concert in Central Park, before an estimated audience of 100,000. The film presents the complete multi-camera 16mm footage filmed and recorded, but never before released. Alongside the complete performance footage is the behind-the-scenes story of King’s remarkable transformation from an in-demand staff songwriter to an iconic artist in her own right. 5 pm.

Sunday, February 5

The Modern Art Gallery and IYO Visuals present Southern Glory

The Modern Art Gallery (The MAG) and IYO Visuals present this collaborative exhibition, featuring more than 20 local and globally recognized visual artists. The exhibition will also serve as the grand opening exhibition for The MAG, a 23,000-square-foot contemporary art gallery located at GreenStreet, downtown Houston’s premier mixed-use district. The MAG aims to distinguish itself as an artist-first gallery concept, collaborating with artists and sharing their visionary work with local and global audiences. Through Friday, March 31. 11 am.

ReelAbilities: Houston Film and Arts Festival

ReelAbilities: Houston Film and Arts Festival, a free, city-wide festival that promotes inclusion and celebrates the lives, stories, and talents of people with disabilities, will offer a multi-faceted experience of art, music, speakers, and films that offer uplifting impressions for audiences about people living with disabilities. The ReelArt Opening Reception will take place this Sunday. Events take place at multiple locations; go to the festival website for more information. Through Thursday, February 23. 1 pm.

Main Street Theater presents Permanent Collection

African-American businessman Sterling North has been named the new director of the Morris Foundation. He soon discovers that this world-famous art collection includes several significant African sculptures tucked away in storage. His proposal to add them to the public galleries is opposed by the Foundation's long-time education director. Spurred on by a zealous local journalist, the clash quickly escalates to public accusations of racism and a bitter struggle for control of the collection. Through Sunday, March 5. 3 pm.

Movie Review

Summer camp drama The Plague proves middle school is still pure horror

Photo courtesy of IFC

Everett Blunck in The Plague.

Anybody who’s attended elementary school in the last 100 years knows the concept of “cooties,” a fictional affliction that is typically caught when touched by a member of the opposite sex. A more updated version of the same idea is featured in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, this time called the “Cheese Touch,” making anyone who touches a moldy piece of cheese on the school’s basketball court an outcast.

A much more menacing version of this “disease” is on display in The Plague, which takes place at a summer water polo camp for tweens. The film focuses on Ben (Everett Blunck), a slightly awkward boy who struggles to fit in with the “cool” crowd led by Jake (Kayo Martin). That group has no problems making fun of others that they deem to be different, especially Eli (Kenny Rasmussen), who has been ostracized because of a rash he has that the kids call “the plague.”

Ben wants to be part of the main group, but his natural empathy leads him to reach out to Eli on more than one occasion despite Eli engaging in some uncomfortable behavior. With the camp’s coach (Joel Edgerton) not much help when it comes to the bullying tactics by Jake and others, especially those that take place at night, Ben is left to fend for himself. His vacillations between wanting to be accepted and wanting to do what’s right continue until his hand is forced.

Written and directed by first-time feature filmmaker Charlie Polinger, the film has all the feel of a horror movie without actually being a horror. The staging used by Polinger gives the film a claustrophobic feel as Ben can’t seem to escape the psychological torture inflicted by Jake and others no matter where he goes. He also employs a jarring score by Johan Lenox to great effect, one that’s designed to keep viewers on edge even when nothing bad is happening.

No matter how far removed you are from middle school, the film will likely bring up feelings you thought you had left behind. Much like with Bo Burnham’s Eighth Grade, Polinger finds a way to tap into something universal in his depiction of tweens, an age when everyone is still discovering who they really are. Some go along to get along, others don’t even attempt to fit in, but no one truly feels settled.

Whether the plague is real or not in the world of the film is up for debate. While most of the time it comes off as something made up to underscore the feeling of otherness felt by Ben, Polinger does literalize it to a degree. He even tiptoes up to the line of body horror before wisely retreating, although what he does show will still make some viewers squeamish. However, because he seems to be leaning one way before pulling back, there’s the possibility that some will be disappointed by the tease of something more intense.

The film’s biggest success is in its casting. Finding good child actors is notoriously tough, and yet Polinger and casting director Rebecca Dealy found a bunch who sell the story for all it’s worth. Blunck, Martin, and Rasmussen get the most play, but everyone else complements them well. Edgerton is the only well-known actor in the film, but he’s used sparingly and isn’t asked to do much, leaving the kids to carry the story on their shoulders.

Fitting in as a tween is hard enough without others actively trying to find ways to cast someone out. The Plague is an effective demonstration of the dynamics that can play out in a competitive environment that also includes a group that has yet to develop into fully-rounded people. It features discomfort on multiple levels, marking an auspicious debut for Polinger.

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The Plague is now playing in theaters.

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