Weekend event planner

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

We’re now officially in 2025, and the first weekend of the new year brings plenty to do: Marcie Chapa and Stefanie Pepping will perform live. From the Ashes Theater Company and Theatre Southwest will hit audiences with some straight-up farces. Avant Garden and Improv Houston will have comedians ready to make you laugh. Archway Gallery and Redbud Arts Center will open up new exhibits. And the MFAH will give local cinephiles a very Hitchcockian weekend.

Below are the best ways to spend your free time this weekend. Want more options? Lucky for you, we have a whole calendar full of the city's best events.

Thursday, January 2

Echoes presents Marcie Chapa
Marcie Chapa, an original member of Beyoncé’s all-female band and a noted percussionist with a love for music and a passion for education in the arts, is playing a special concert at Echoes. Chapa has also worked with stars like Jay-Z, Alicia Keys, Jill Scott, Al Jarreau, Kanye West, Mary J Blige, and more. Gracing the stage with her will be Roy Chapa on trumpet and vocals, Charlie Perez on drums, Tim Ruiz on bass, and Jose-Miguel Yamal on keyboard. Echoes will also offer food and drink specials throughout the night. 8:30 pm.

Avant Garden presents It’s a Good Time Comedy Show & Happy Hour
Get ready for laughter and good times upstairs at Avant Garden’s weekly comedy kickback. The intimate setting provides the perfect backdrop for a laid-back and enjoyable evening. As you enjoy the comedic talents on stage, take advantage of the happy hour specials with cheap drinks flowing throughout the night. It's the ultimate combination of laughter, good company, and budget-friendly beverages. It’s free, and RSVPing gives you a wristband that allows $3 wells, $4 Lone Star beers and $5 sangrias (cash only). 9 pm.

The Big Easy presents Stefanie Pepping and the Sassafras Swing Set
Stefanie Pepping is a singer, mother, banjo player, herbalist, and damn fine cook. When she’s not serving as an art director/designer for a local church, she’s performing with the Sassafras Swing Set. They will be doing a free show at The Big Easy this weekend, along with Houston bassist Nick Gaitan. Dance the night away with an evening of swinging music, performed by a gal with a voice likened to Peggy Lee and Norah Jones. 9 pm.

Friday, January 3

The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston presents My Name is Alfred Hitchcock
Before you check out the 4K restoration of Alfred Hitchock’s Vertigo at the MFAH this weekend, get to know the man who directed it. Filmmaker Mark Cousins (The Eyes of Orson Welles) looks at the auteur with a new and radical approach: through the use of his own voice. Hitchcock (whose familiar voice is remarkably evoked by Alistair McGowan) narrates excerpts from his films in a journey through his vast career, from early silent films to his memorable classics from the 1940s-1960s and beyond. 7 pm (2 pm Sunday).

Pink Martini with China Forbes in concert
Pink Martini, the world-famous “little orchestra” featuring original lead singer China Forbes, is celebrating its 30th anniversary. They will present a cocktail of multilingual delights, from Brazilian Samba music to jaunty Parisian café songs to retro jazz and old-fashioned pop. It’ll be an evening of joyful, dance-friendly tunes guaranteed to make your new year swing. This concert does not feature the Houston Symphony. 7:30 pm (7:30 pm Saturday, 2 pm Sunday).

From the Ashes Theatre Company presents Daddy's Dyin', Who's Got the Will?
After years of estrangement, the Turnover family reunites at their small-town Texas estate to bid farewell to the family patriarch, who has suffered a debilitating stroke. Joined by their plus-ones, they bring with them a tangled web of family trauma, greed, and jealousy. This sometimes heartbreaking, often hilarious journey through family dynamics offers moments of sharp wit, surprising warmth, and a poignant reminder: sometimes losing something precious is the only way to find what truly matters. 8 pm (2 and 8 pm Saturday; 2 and 6 pm Sunday).

Photo courtesy of Pink Martini

Pink Martini featuring China Forbes will perform at Jones Hall for the Performing Arts on January 3-5.

Theatre Southwest presents A Comedy of Tenors
One hotel suite, four tenors, two wives, three girlfriends and a soccer stadium filled with screaming fans. What could possibly go wrong? It's 1930s Paris and the stage is set for the concert of the century - as long as the producer can keep Italian superstar Tito Merelli and Maria, his hot-blooded wife, from causing runaway chaos. A Comedy of Tenors is an uproarious ride full of mistaken identities, bedroom hijinks, and madcap details. 8 pm (3 pm Sunday).

Saturday, January 4
Archway Gallery presents Maksim Koloskov: "Brushstrokes: Streetscapes, Style, and Skyline" opening reception
Archway Gallery presents "Brushstrokes: Streetscapes, Style, and Skyline," featuring watercolors and drawings by Maksim Koloskov. Whether sketching fellow passengers on a bus, painting on a street corner, or drawing in a park, Koloskov reflects life unfolding around him in vibrant, impressionistic watercolors. From skylines and city streets to the sleek runways of Houston’s Fashion Week, Koloskov transports the viewer to the heart of H-Town, revealing a dynamic city alive with color and movement. Through Thursday, January 30. 5 pm.

Redbud Arts Center presents Nela Garzón: "Not One of Us" opening reception
“Not One of Us," an exhibition by Nela Garzón, explores themes of migration and colonialism through fiberworks and paintings. The exhibition also features latch-hooked works of endangered species from emigration-prone regions and welcome rugs honoring Bogotá and Colombia. All these pieces are together for spectators to reflect on the intertwined stories of displacement, resilience, and cultural exchange. Through Saturday, February 22. 6 pm.

Candlelight: Best of Bridgerton on Strings
We all like Bridgerton, right? We enjoy binge-watching that Shonda Rhimes-produced, Netflix period drama where 19th-century aristocrats of every age, shape and color get amorous all over London. Well, fans can burn for the show at this string-filled gathering. At Candlelight: Best of Bridgerton on Strings, audiences can listen to favorite melodies from the Shondaland series, performed by the Listeso String Quartet. 6:30 and 8:45 pm.

Improv Houston presents Mark Normand
Saturday will be the last evening to check out goofball joke machine Mark Normand. Through his relentlessly punchy writing and expert delivery, the New Orleans-born Normand is quickly becoming one of the most talked-about comedians out there. Last year, he self-released a one-hour special, Out To Lunch, on YouTube. A veteran of the late-night shows, Normand also hosts two podcasts: Tuesdays with Stories (with Joe List) and We Might Be Drunk (with Sam Morril). 7 and 9:30 pm Saturday).

Sunday, January 5

Flying Saucer Draught Emporium presents 3ish Run/Walk
Get those beer bellies in shape for the Art Car IPA 5K with this social run/walk. For $35, you get a guided and marked 3-ish mile run/walk plus three tasty brews from Saint Arnold Brewing Company, a pint glass and a Texas Tamale Company breakfast. Check in at Flying Saucer early for the run/walk at 9 am and, when you get back, eat, drink and celebrate Saint Arnold, raise a toast, and crush some tamales and enjoy great times at the Flying Saucer, too. 8 am.

Alamo Drafthouse LaCenterra presents Speed Racer
Critically maligned upon its 2008 release, the Wachowskis’ big-screen adaptation of Speed Racer is a hyperkinetic, ultra-stylized cartoon classic that comes to vivid life. With a vibrant color palette, futuristic racecars, and a host of instantly memorable characters, this is a spot-on homage to the original TV series and a film not simply created with a child audience in mind. It is completely sincere, goofy as all get out, and – from start to finish – a neon-crazed, candy-color dream of what cinema is and should be. Noon.

Holocaust Museum Houston presents "Facing Survival | David Kassan" closing day
This weekend is the last chance to catch the paintings and drawings of acclaimed artist David Kassan, capturing the poignant stories and portraits of more than 24 Holocaust survivors. By intertwining the visual representation of the survivors with the sketches revealing Kassan’s artistic process, the exhibition transcends conventional forms of testimony, forging a poignant visual language that surpasses the limitations of spoken or written word. Noon.

museums comedy concerts movies event-planner

Movie Review

Star TV producer James L. Brooks stumbles with meandering movie Ella McCay

Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios

Emma Mackey in Ella McCay.

The impact that writer/director/producer James L. Brooks has made on Hollywood cannot be understated. The 85-year-old created The Mary Tyler Moore Show, personally won three Oscars for Terms of Endearment, and was one of the driving forces behind The Simpsons, among many other credits. Now, 15 years after his last movie, he’s back in the directing chair with Ella McCay.

The similarly-named Emma Mackey plays Ella, a 34-year-old lieutenant governor of an unnamed state in 2008 who’s on the verge of becoming governor when Governor Bill (Albert Brooks) gets picked to be a member of the president’s Cabinet. What should be a happy time is sullied by her needy husband, Ryan (Jack Lowden), her agoraphobic brother, Casey (Spike Fearn), and her perpetually-cheating father, Eddie (Woody Harrelson).

Despite the trio of men competing to bring her down, Ella remains an unapologetic optimist, an attitude bolstered by her aunt Helen (Jamie Lee Curtis), her assistant Estelle (Julie Kavner), and her police escort, Trooper Nash (Kumail Nanjiani). The film follows her over a few days as she navigates the perils of governing, the distractions her family brings, and the expectations being thrust upon her by many different people.

Brooks, who wrote and directed the film, is all over the place with his storytelling. What at first seems to be a straightforward story about Ella and her various issues soon starts meandering into areas that, while related to Ella, don’t make the film better. Prime among them are her brother and father, who are given a relatively small amount of screentime in comparison to the importance they have in her life. This is compounded by a confounding subplot in which Casey tries to win back his girlfriend, Susan (Ayo Edebiri).

Then there’s the whole political side of the story, which never finds its focus and is stuck in the past. Though it’s never stated explicitly, Ella and Governor Bill appear to be Democrats, especially given a signature program Ella pushes to help mothers in need. But if Brooks was trying to provide an antidote to the current real world politics, he doesn’t succeed, as Ella’s full goals are never clear. He also inexplicably shows her boring her fellow lawmakers to tears, a strange trait to give the person for whom the audience is supposed to be rooting.

What saves the movie from being an all-out train wreck is the performances of Mackey and Curtis. Mackey, best known for the Netflix show Sex Education, has an assured confidence to her that keeps the character interesting and likable even when the story goes downhill. Curtis, who has tended to go over-the-top with her roles in recent years, tones it down, offering a warm place of comfort for Ella to turn to when she needs it. The two complement each other very well and are the best parts of the movie by far.

Brooks puts much more effort into his female actors, including Kavner, who, even though she serves as an unnecessary narrator, gets most of the best laugh lines in the film. Harrelson is capable of playing a great cad, but his character here isn’t fleshed out enough. Fearn is super annoying in his role, and Lowden isn’t much better, although that could be mostly due to what his character is called to do. Were it not for the always-great Brooks and Nanjiani, the movie might be devoid of good male performances.

Brooks has made many great TV shows and movies in his 60+ year career, but Ella McCay is a far cry from his best. The only positive that comes out of it is the boosting of Mackey, who proves herself capable of not only leading a film, but also elevating one that would otherwise be a slog to get through.

---

Ella McCay opens in theaters on December 12.

movies film