Highlights this weekend include Obie winner Whitney White flipping the script on Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” at BAM, Cirque du Soleil‘s water-soaked “Luzia” on Randall’s Island and Charles Burnett’s masterpiece, “Killer of Sheep,” on the big screen.
Plus, a free Earth Day Celebration on Governors Island.
Theater
“Macbeth in Stride”
Harvey Theater at BAM Strong — 651 Fulton St., Brooklyn (Fort Greene)
Through April 27. Various times.
Whitney White, director of Broadway shows like the recently opened “The Last Five Years” revival and 2023’s “JaJa’s African Hair Braiding,” has remixed Shakespeare’s Scottish play with her new work, “Macbeth in Stride.’
White tells the story of the Scottish general’s bloody rise to power from his influential wife’s perspective — but through a pulsating soundtrack that includes original songs that span genres including hip-hop, neo-soul, R&B, rock, pop and gospel.
White also portrays a Lady Macbeth who is the wokest she’s ever been. The Brooklyn-based 2024 Tony Award nominee is a true force of nature not only as the narrator of this bold work, but also as its main vocalist, dancer and at times a pianist.
And then there’s Phoenix Best, Holli’ Conway and Ciara Alyse Harris as the three witches serving up background singer vibes while questioning, alongside White, what it means to be an ambitious Black woman through the lens of one of Shakespeare’s most complex characters.
Directed by Tyler Dobrowsky and Taibi Magar with choreography by Raja Feather Kelly, whose credits include “A Strange Loop” and “The Fires,” the 90-minute production features Charlie Thurston as the only white “man” in the story — also singing his face off — with an all-Black band.
Tickets start at $35.
Family
“Luzia”
Grand Chapiteau on Randall’s Island Park — 10 Central Road, Manhattan ( Randall’s Island)
Through April 27. Various times.
Cirque du Soleil is back in NYC with “Luzia,” which the circus arts company calls a “waking dream” of Mexico, filled with the death-defying acrobatics and stunning visuals they’re known for.
With a programmable rain curtain that can create patterns and images using water droplets, as well as a pool on stage, water is a central theme and a key part of the family-friendly extravaganza featuring Cyr Wheel artists, an aerialist, a contortionist, a juggler and football (soccer) freestylers.
Tickets start at $49.
Music
“Jared Wayne Glady & Friends”
BLVD Bistro — 2149 Frederick Douglass Blvd, Manhattan (Harlem)
Fri. April 18, 7:30 p.m.
Jared Wayne Gladly & Friends are one of the featured highlights for the third annual Harlem Jazz Club Revival — celebrating the vibrant musical heritage of Harlem.
Though born in Texas, the former Radio City Music Hall usher-turned-Broadway standout has made Harlem his home. Accompanied by Chad Franklin on keys and Alex Durant on drums, the vocalist will serenade the audience at Carlos and Markisha Swepson’s popular soul food watering hole with an evening of R&B, funk and soul.
“It’s a set for grownups,” Gladly told The Daily News. “It’s filled with oldies and goodies spanning from the ’60s through today.”
Guest artists, he said, are usually in the audience and he doesn’t hesitate to bring them on stage when he spots them in the crowd: “It’s important that I use my platform to highlight others. I try to make space for all of us to be celebrated.”
Free. Reservations strongly suggested for seating.
Art
“Anne Frank, The Exhibition”
Center for Jewish History — 15 West 16th St., Manhattan (Union Square)
Through Oct. 31. Various times.
This exhibition is a full-scale replica of the annex where Anne Frank and her family hid during Adolf Hitler’s occupation of the Netherlands in the early 1940s.
The house where the Jewish teenager penned her famous diary has been reconstructed for visitors to experience the five rooms the Frank family and others lived in before they were discovered in 1944 and sent to concentration camps.
Spanning more than 7,500 square feet, the exhibit includes 100-plus photos and other artifacts — many that were never before displayed publicly, such as Frank’s first photo album and her handwritten poetry, as well as a replica of her famous diary.
Tickets start at $24.
Film
“Killer of Sheep”
Film Forum — 209 West Houston St., Manhattan (Greenwich Village)
Through April 25. Various times.
Charles Burnett‘s cinematic breakthrough, 1977’s “Killer of Sheep,” has been re-Released in new 4K restoration for its 48th Anniversary and playing on the big screen.
One of the first 50 films named to the Library of Congress National Film Registry, the movie centers on a struggling slaughterhouse worker (played by Henry Gayle Sanders) in Watts, California.
Shot on a shoestring budget of $10,000, the work was heralded for its documentary-styled approach in creating a simple portrait of everyday life in the Black community, without the typical cliches that were commonplace during that era.
The MacArthur Foundation “Genius” grant recipient wrote, directed, produced and edited the film, which also stars Angela Burnett, while also serving as its cinematographer.
Tickets are $17.
Outdoors
Earth Day Celebration
Governors Island — Colonels Row
Sat. April 19, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
Governors Island is celebrating Earth Day with free activities for all ages including guided walking tours, an island-wide scavenger hunt, seedball workshops, climate tech demos and DJ sets.
Also featured is the pop-up nature exhibit, which organizers say will include rocks, feathers, bones, moss and water samples, a nature sounds listening station and instructions about techniques of biological drawing.
“This event is not just a celebration of the planet, but also of the people, ideas, and initiatives that are helping to shape a more resilient and equitable future right here on the Island,” Trust for Governors Island chief Clare Newman said. “Whether you’re interested in volunteering, urban kelp farming, composting, oysters, dance, native plants, or the latest in climate tech, there is truly something for everyone to enjoy.”
Free.
Free
Free Friday Night/Ron Gallo
The Whitney Museum of American Art — 99 Gansevoort St., Manhattan (Meatpacking District)
Fri. April 18, 7:30 p.m.
As part of The Whitney’s April lineup of free programming, Brooklyn’s Public Records presents a night of live music by indie rock darling Ron Gallo.
The former frontman of Toy Soldiers, who recently went viral with the song “If Only Zelenskyy Had a Nice Suit,” will bring his brew of art rock and garage punk to museum attendees. Gallo will be joined by Italian singer-songwriter and lti-instrumentalist Chiara D’Anzieri.
Free.
If you have an upcoming weekend event you’d like to submit for consideration in an upcoming roundup, please email: nycevents@nydailynews.com with the full details. Consideration does not guarantee inclusion.
