Highlights this weekend include a Broadway spectacular fit for a king — of jazz, that is: Louis Armstrong. Also, check out the premiere of choreographer Camille A. Brown’s newest work. Plus, you can see a documentary about Faith Ringgold‘s Rikers Island-inspired mural and Isaac Mizrahi‘s latest cabaret residency at Café Carlyle.
Art
“American Fiction”
Richard Beavers Gallery — 408 Marcus Garvey Blvd., Brooklyn (Bedford Stuyvesant)
Through March 22. Tues – Sat, Noon to 6 p.m.
Beginning this weekend, Brooklyn-born artist Clarence Heyward returns to his home turf to debut a solo exhibit at his longtime collaborator Richard Beavers’ gallery. The new exhibit features 13 works that operations director Monica Langhan describes as “visual memoir where personal history collides with collective struggle.”
The 42-year old painter and collagist has developed a following creating work that investigates cultural truths, challenges stereotypes and questions identity.
“His figures, cast in the spectral green of Chroma key, embody the tension between visibility and erasure — between the fiction America tells and the truth Black bodies endure,” Langhan told The Daily News Wednesday. “Camouflage references the ongoing war on Black bodies in America, a battle waged through systemic erasure and imposed narratives.”
Richard Beavers, who established the contemporary art gallery to promote diverse works in 2007, said “American Fiction” couldn’t be more timely: “Black people have been integral to this country’s foundation, yet the flag that’s supposed to represent freedom doesn’t hold the same meaning for us. It carries trauma, history and contradictions.”
Free.
Theater
“A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical“
Studio 54 — 254 West 54th St., Manhattan (Midtown)
Through Feb. 23. Various showtimes.
There’s still a chance to see Black History live on the Broadway stage with this glitzy musical based on the life and times of the King of Jazz, Louis Armstrong. Tony winner James Monroe Iglehart stars as the trailblazing trumpeter and vocalist known in the Aurin Squire-scripted production filled with show stopping number after showstopper.
Iglehart — who originated the role of Genie in Disney’s Broadway adaptation of “Aladdin” — fully embodies the spirit and soul of Satchmo, using a gravely register to sing beloved songs he popularized including “What a Wonderful World” and “When You’re Smiling,” among many other favorites.
With orchestrations and arrangements by three-time Grammy Award winner Branford Marsalis, choreography by Rickey Tripp and DeWitt Fleming Jr., and a killer ensemble, it’s a wonderful time to catch “A Wonderful World” during the final weekend of Broadway Week — where you can buy a ticket and get one free.
Tickets start at $69.
Dance
“I AM”
The Joyce Theater — 175 Eighth Ave., Manhattan (Chelsea)
Through Feb. 9. Various showtimes.
Four-time Tony-nominated director and choreographer Camille A. Brown is back at The Joyce and shining a bright light on Black joy with her latest show — inspired by the HBO drama series “Lovecraft Country” and the 2002 Black college marching band film classic “Drumline.”
Featuring live, original music by Deah Love Harriott, Juliette Jones, Jaylen Petinuad and Martine Wade, the eponymous dance company takes audience members into “a universe where anything is possible through various dance and music genres of the African Diaspora.”
Tickets start at $12.
Music
“Isaac Mizrahi: I Know Everybody”
Cafe Carlyle — 35 East 76th St., Manhattan (Upper East Side)
Through Feb. 15. 8:45 p.m.
Fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi, known for edgy runway looks of the 1990s, has proven to be a true renaissance man with his pursuits off the garment room floor. On Tuesday, the Brooklyn native kicked off his ninth residency at the classic supper club — blending his signature style of storytelling, song and sharp wit for an evening of cabaret.
For “I Know Everybody,” Mizrahi assembled a series of tales — some hilarious, some touching — about people he has encountered throughout the years.
Tickets start at $120, with food and drink minimum. Jackets required.
Film
“Paint Me A Road Out Of Here”
Film Forum — 209 West Houston St., Manhattan (Tribeca)
Various showtimes.
After premiering last year at the National Museum of African American History & Culture in Washington, D.C, Catherine Gund’s award-winning documentary follows the journey of Faith Ringgold‘s 1971 painting “For the Women’s House,” which was housed at Rikers Island — and then went missing for decades.
Named for New York City’s Women’s House of Detention, the 8×8 foot oil on canvas mural depicts women as professional athletes, doctors, ministers and presidents. Commissioned by the New York State Council on the Arts’ Creative Arts Public Service Grant, the work of art was to serve as an symbol of what freedom might look like, in a place far from it.
“The women wanted to be free, they wanted to be out of there of course but it was obvious to me that the reason many of them were there was because they had a lack of freedom in the first place,” Ringgold, who died in 2024 at 93, once stated of the work.
The 90-minute film follows formerly incarcerated artist and rapper Mary Enoch Elizabeth Baxter, joining forces with Ringgold, local politicians, artists, philanthropists and corrections officers to liberate the motivational masterpiece from New York City’s most notorious correctional facility to the Brooklyn Museum, where it is currently housed.
Tickets are $17, discounts available.
Family
“Luminosa: A Festival of Light”
Queens Botanical Garden — 42-80 Crommelin St., Queens (Flushing)
Through March 6. Various times.
All ages are welcome to this breathtaking light festival with over 100 light sculptures crafted by 150 artisans using 120 tons of steel and 150,000 feet of silk. The family-friendly evening event transforms the garden into an immersive wonderland with vibrant flowers, butterflies, unicorns and even a shimmering dragon – perfect for celebrating the Lunar New Year.
Throughout the run, visitors can also enjoy acrobatic shows, live music, and an array of photo ops and tasty treats.
Tickets start at $17.90, discounts available.
Free
Lunar New Year Extravaganza
Pearl River Mart — 75 9th Ave., Manhattan (Chelsea)
Sun. Feb. 9. 11:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.
The holiday is still in full swing at New York City’s Pearl Mart, renowned for its extensive offering of Asian products and goods.
Held in the heart of the Chelsea Local at Chelsea Market, the annual event will feature live performances, food and beverage specials, and cultural activities including ribbon dancers from the New York Chinese Cultural Center, lion dancers from the Wan Chi Ming Hung Gar Institute Dragon and Lion Dance and plenty of mahjong.
Free.
If you have an upcoming weekend event you’d like to submit for consideration in an upcoming roundup, please email: [email protected] with the details. Consideration does not guarantee inclusion.