Highlights this weekend include Pascale Armand’s theatrical rebuttal to President Trump’s comments about Haiti, DJ D-Nice’s 5-year anniversary celebration of Club Quarantine and a classical music fair for kids.
Plus, a film collaboration between Robert De Niro and “Slave Play” scribe Jeremy O. Harris‘ is playing at The Roxy.
Theater
“$#!thole Country Clapback: A Redux”
The Billie Holiday Theatre — 1368 Fulton St, Brooklyn, (Bedford Stuyvesant)
Fri. March 21, 7:30 p.m.
Tony Award nominee Pascale Armand’s one-woman show will have a special reading as part of the historic Black theater’s “Black Narrative” series in collaboration with New Black Fest.
Directed by Stephanie Rolland, the piece serves as both a rebuttal to Donald Trump’s racist comments about Haiti and a chronicle of the Armand family’s journey from Haiti to becoming American citizens.
“I started writing it in 2018 after what was said about Black people in 2018,” the “Eclipsed” star tells The Daily News. “I remember Haiti was specifically called out. And then the icing on the cake was, “Why don’t we have more people from Norway come here?” I mean, really? I thought that it all deserved a rebuttal, so I wrote one. That’s when [this] was born. Any momentum behind that took a backseat to the pandemic. And then we had the reprieve of the Biden administration, so I was quite happy to put it away. And now, we’re here… again. But it’s so very different this time. So, this version is an updated version of the first one.”
The presentation is the centerpiece of a two-day event bringing Brooklyn-based theatermakers, filmmakers and thinkers together under one roof.
Other highlights include screenings of Renaldho Pelle’s “The Fire Next Time” and “Black Love Manifestor, Suite 1” from Liza Jessie Peterson, who will also participate in a “How Do We Define Black Courage” panel moderated by arts advisor Rob Fields.
“Storytelling is at the root of what we do so it is vital that when you have brilliant artists … who are creating new work to give them the safe space and springboard to nurture their art and do their thing,” Billie Holiday Theatre’s executive director Shadawn Smith told The Daily News.
Tickets start at $20, plus fees.
Music
“CQ5: New York”
Apollo’s Historic Theater — 253 West 125th St., Manhattan (Harlem)
Sat. March 22, 7 p.m. and 10 p.m.
Harlem’s DJ D-Nice returns to his home turf with a fifth anniversary celebration of the internet-breaking “Club Quarantine,” an international, multi genre and intergenerational platform he created during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown.
The renowned turntablist will spin while a live band performs with a non-stop list of hip hop, pop and R&B acts.
Donnie Wahlberg of New Kids on the Block fame will host both shows, featuring performances by De La Soul, Deborah Cox, Lisa Lisa, Rakim, Tracie Spencer, Melba Moore, Raheem DeVaughn, Rakim and comedian Royale Watkins.
Tickets start at $85, plus fees.
Film
“Pet Shop Days“
Roxy Cinema New York — 2 6th Ave., Cellar Level, Manhattan (Tribeca)
March 22 and March 29, 7:45 p.m.
Oscar winner Robert De Niro and acclaimed playwright Jeremy O. Harris are the executive producers of this gritty thriller from producer and first-time director Olmo Schnabel.
Starring Dario Yazbek Bernal, Jack Irv, Willem Dafoe, Peter Sarsgaard and Maribel Verdú, the action takes place in New York City where the son of a Mexican drug lord is on the run from his family and hooks up with a Bronx pet store employee, ensnaring him a fast paced life of sex, crime and narcotics.
A Q&A about the ambitious work with director Schnabel will follow.
Tickets are $18, plus fees.
Art
“The Orchid Show: Mexican Modernism”
New York for Botanical Garden — 2900 Southern Blvd., the Bronx (Bedford Park)
Through April 27. 10 a.m.–6 p.m., (Tues. to Sun.)
As spring officially arrives this weekend, the annual orchid show gets underway with a sprawling floral exhibition of vibrant colors, flowing waterfalls and thousands of Orchidaceae.
This year, the theme has a tropical twist inspired by the art of the Mexican modernist architect Luis Barragán. For special adult events, Orchid Nights feature cumbia music, dancing, and specialty cocktails.
Tickets are $35, with discounts available.
Experience
The FRIENDS Experience: The One in New York City
130 E 23rd St., Manhattan (Gramercy Park)
Mon., Wed. – Sun., 10 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
The legacy of “Friends” lives on with the biggest ongoing experience celebrating the seminal 1990s sitcom. It’s also the only one where visitors can see authentic costumes and props that were used during filming of the New York City-set series.
Fans can immerse themselves in recreated sets and interactive elements, including the iconic orange couch and Central Perk coffee shop.
Tickets start at $45.50, plus fees.
Art
“Changing The Face of Democracy: Shirley Chisholm 100”
Museum of the City of New York —1220 Fifth Ave., Manhattan (Upper East Side)
Through July 20. Various times.
Women’s History Month is the appropriate time to see the first major museum exhibition focusing on the life and legacy of Shirley Chisholm.
Offered in English and Spanish, the year-long celebration of the Brooklyn trailblazer’s centennial birthday uses historical artifacts, photographs, archival footage, and art to honor the first African American woman elected into the U.S. Congress and the first woman and African American to seek the presidential nomination from one of the two major U.S. political parties.
Tickets are $23, with discounts available.
Family
Classical Kids Fair
Brooklyn Children’s Museum —145 Brooklyn Avenue, Brooklyn (Crown Heights)
Sun. March 23, 11 a.m.- 4 p.m.
New York’s only all-classical music station WQXR (105.9 FM) returns to Brooklyn Children’s Museum for a day of performances, dance workshops, arts and crafts and more.
Highlights include performances by the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music’s Brownstone Brass and Spanish-English music duo Musiquita. There’s also an instrument “petting zoo” where kids can get up close with string and percussion instruments.
“By making music accessible and engaging, we hope to inspire a lifelong love of the arts in young learners,” Brooklyn Children’s Museum chief Atiba T. Edwards said.
Tickets are $15, with discounts available.
If you have an upcoming weekend event you’d like to submit for consideration in an upcoming roundup, please email: [email protected] with the full details. Consideration does not guarantee inclusion.