PREVIEW PICKS
Houston Ballet, Jamal Cyrus have our critics’ attention.
1. ‘Dancing With Myself’
Houston Ballet’s dancers, like most people, have spent a lot of time alone in their living rooms, backyards and kitchens since March. They also have been working remotely, creating a new dance choreographed by artistic director Stanton Welch. You couldn’t see it in a theater even if you wanted to. Learned and rehearsed on Zoom, filmed by the dancers and edited into several mixes, the virtual piece premieres July 10. The music is Billy Idol’s bouncy and upbeat “Dancing With Myself,” which might make you want to get up off the couch yourself. Where: Facebook, Instagram Live and houstonballet.org Molly Glentzer
2. HMAAC Movies at Sunset
Drive-ins have returned in a big way but not in all neighborhoods. So the Houston Museum of African American Culture is teaming with venues in lowincome areas to host Saturdaynight outdoor film screenings. Up first on July 11 is the 1974 Diahann Carroll and James Earl Jones romantic comedy “Claudine.” Capacity will be limited to 100 cars.
Where: Shrine of the Black Madonna Cultural and Event Center, 5309 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Details: 9 p.m. Saturday; $10 per car; print your ticket and present it at the parking lot entrance; eventbrite.com Cary Darling
3. Jamal Cyrus at the Menil
The Menil Collection launches a new, free online series, “Dialogue,” at 6 p.m. July 15. Artist Jamal Cyrus talks with senior curator Michelle White for the first conversation. The museum recently purchased Cyrus’ “Misconstrued Rap Lyric #1,” a small sculpture that weights one side of a scale with a bust of Martin Luther King Jr. Although the Menil remains closed, the piece is installed just inside the glass front of the museum’s foyer, visible from outside.
Where: menil.org Molly Glentzer
4. ‘Somebody Feed Phil’
Since we’re all stuck at home unable to go abroad or really enjoy a restaurant, why not scratch that itch with a wonderful food and travel show you might have missed the first time around? Netflix’s “Somebody Feed Phil,” built around the globetrotting culinary adventures of wide-eyed “Everybody Loves Raymond” producer Phil Rosenthal, bears some of the same humanistic hallmarks of the late Anthony Bourdain’s series but with less hip swagger and more humor. There are three seasons available, with the New Orleans and Lisbon episodes being especially drool-worthy.
Where: Streaming on Netflix Cary Darling
5. Ray Wylie Hubbard
If anybody deserves one of those “… and friends” type albums it’s Ray Wylie Hubbard, the ’70s very-not-trad country musician who morphed in the ’90s into a singer-songwriter of uncommon depth and deep, swampy grooves one could call swamp folk. His new album is “Co-Starring,” which true to its billing includes appearances by Ringo Starr (a longtime admirer of Hubbard’s work), Joe Walsh, Elizabeth Cook, Chris Robinson, Don Was and others. It’s not Hubbard’s best, but if it leads
new listeners to this Texas treasure and his rich discography, it’s a worthwhile release.
Where: Music retail and streaming services. Andrew Dansby
6. Rufus Wainwright
Back when things were normal in late 2019, it still felt special to see Rufus Wainwright play in the cozy confines of The Heights Theater. He trotted out a few new songs — at least five — from an album that would become “Unfollow the Rules.” That album is out this week, Wainwright’s first set of new poptype songs in eight years. It’s a rich mix of theatrical and indie pop. The songs teased last year were rich and tantalizing. So I’m ready for the album.
Where: Music retail and streaming services Andrew Dansby
7. ‘Kipo and the Age of the Wonderbeasts’
Unless you already stream a good amount of animated shows on Netflix, you’ve likely never seen “Kipo” pop up on your choices on the network. But don’t let the algorithm stop you from enjoying this delightful, magical and racially inclusive animated series from Dreamworks. It centers on a Black Korean girl living in a post-apocalyptic Earth dominated by giant talking animals. It’s also blessed with a fantastic pop soundtrack and family-friendly lessons on acceptance, bravery, dealing with trauma.
Where: Streaming on Netflix Wei-Huan Chen