TOP PICKS FOR THE WEEK
There are many Halloween choices around Santa Fe for those who want more than a classic horror flick on Turner Classic Movies and some trick or treaters at the door.
A musical spooktacular, with Latinx and activist themes, at Tumbleroot Brewery, 2797 Agua Fria St., looks particularly appealing.
Making Movies, Kansas City rockers with roots in Mexico and Panama, and who put on a great show at the Railyard in 2018, are the headliners. Their latest album “ameri’kana” is produced by Los Lobos’ Steve Berlin, features fellow Lobo David Hidalgo, Panamanian musical elder statesman Ruben Blades and other guest stars, and includes a song written by the unlikely team of Blades and the late Lou Reed, recorded for the public’s edification for the first time.
Also on the bill are the Grammy-nominated duo Los Rakas, from Oakland, also of Panamanian heritage, who combine hip-hop, reggae and dancehall, and Albuquerque’s Nohe & Sus Santos, with a lead singer is from Honduras. The all-ages show starts at 8 p.m. Tickets are $12 in advance at www.brownpapertickets, $15 day of show. Costumes are encouraged.
ALL DAY AND ALL NIGHT: Over at Meow Wolf, you can basically hang out all Halloween into the early hours of the Day of the Dead. It’s a lot to take in.
From 10 a.m.-noon Thursday, there’s a toddler costume parade through The House of Eternal Return and a story hour. It’s free. Next up, from noon-3 p.m., there’s an all-ages mask-making workshop, also free, offered by guest artist Jenny Ollikainen, who makes wearable hand-fabricated masks that evoke characters from mythical realms.
At this point, get a snack, and then come back for more. From 5:30-9 p.m., there’s a “Bollywood Halloween Flashmob Workshop.” You’ll learn Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” choreography with DJ Prashant and then perform it in The House of Eternal Return. Here’s the set-up: “Imagine an Indian wedding gone awry as the joyful celebration takes a turn for the worst with a blast that transforms all attendees into zombies, smack in the middle of the rituals!” Apparently, there’s a growing subculture dedicated to this Bollywood-Thriller mashup.
The event also is all ages, with a fee of $30 that covers the dancing and all-day entry to Meow Wolf.
Meanwhile, from 6-9 p.m., rocker Lucy Dacus performs. The show, with guests Liza Anne and Sun June, is for ages 21 and over. Advance tickets are $18.50 at meowwolf.com. To close things out, there’s a 10 p.m.2 a.m., 21-and-over show featuring San Francisco DJ/ producer/performer Justin Martin. The dance party actually starts earlier, at 8 p.m., so there appears to be some crossover with the Bollywood/Thriller thing and/or the Lucy Dacus performance. Tickets are $20, also at meowwolf.com.
STUDENT HORROR: If you want to just sit and watch, go to the Jean Cocteau Cinema, 418 Montezume Ave., at 7 p.m. Thursday to check out “Desert Nightmare,” a collection of horror films made by Desert Academy students and supported by author George R.R. Martin (who runs the cinema) and his Stagecoach Foundation. General admission is $13.
NOT SO SCARY: Also in the category of student work, here’s some real counter-programming for Halloween night —a play based on Jane Austen’s “Sense and Sensibility” presented by The New Mexico School for the Arts at Warehouse 21, 1614 Paseo de Peralta.
This new adaptation by Kate Hamill follows the fortunes (and misfortunes) of the Dashwood sisters — sensible Elinor and hypersensitive Marianne
— after their father’s sudden death leaves them financially destitute and socially vulnerable in gossipy late 18th-century England. The Thursday night performance is at 7 p.m. and there will also be shows on Friday, also at 7 p.m., and Saturday at 2 p.m. Tickets are $10 general admission, $5 for students and seniors, and free for NMSA faculty, students and staff. Look under the events tab at nmschoolforthearts.org.