Highlights this week include living legend Dionne Warwick holding court at The Apollo, Indigenous Indonesian dancers showing out at the Asia Society Museum and the last chance to see the first full survey of painter Mary Abbott at Schoelkopf Gallery.
Also, there’s a one-man show starring a Black man who did every Shakespeare play, a “Below Deck” cruise with Captain Sandy Yawn, and the Rock The Bells Festival hosted by Roxanne Shante.
Music
“Dionne Warwick: Don’t Make Me Over”
Apollo Theater — 253 West 125th St,, Manhattan (Harlem)
Friday, June 27, 7:30 p.m.
“Of course darling, come on: I’ve got over 64 years in the business so there has got to be a lot more left,” Dionne Warwick tells the Daily News about headlining the Apollo Theater for the final time before the historic Harlem landmark closes for renovations.
The 84-year-old Rock & Roll Hall of Famer, known for pop classics such as “Walk On By,” “I Say A Little Prayer” and “That’s What Friends Are For,” will close out Black Music Month 2025 with a show chronicling her prolific career through live music and plenty of conversation.
Backed by a four-piece band, Warwick will be joined onstage by her son, manager and producer Damon Elliott for a walk down memory lane. She promises to tell stories that have never been told before — not even in her 2010 memoir, or her 2021 documentary of the same name.
“You know, people have always wanted to ask me questions, and instead of them asking, they’ll assume, you know … So you’re going to get the full story from Dionne, and to get to know me this time for real,” she said.
As for her set list, the 5-time Grammy winner — who refers to the hundreds of recorded songs she sang as her “babies” – shared that: “I’m singing the ones that I think [the audience] want to hear.”
Warwick said she’s looking forward to holding court at the venue where she first sang in 1958.
“I’m basically going home for the night and having a good time with the folks out there, gonna laugh and hang out with me, which is wonderful.”
Tickets start at $89.60.
Film
“A Photographic Memory”
New Plaza Cinema — Macaulay Honors College, 35 West 67th St., Manhattan (Upper West Side)
Through June 30, various times.
Filmmaker Rachel Elizabeth Seed will be on hand for a series Q&As following showings of her debut documentary about connecting with her mother, who died when Seed was 18 months old.
The harrowing film brings to life a woman known behind the scenes work as a sought-after photographer before her life was cut short at age 42 due to a cerebral hemorrhage.
Through a trove of archives, Seed lets viewers into her journey of building a posthumous relationship with her mom.
Tickets are $15, discounts available.
Theater
“Conquering the Canon”
Theatre Five at Theatre Row Studios — 410 West 42nd St., Manhattan (Midtown)
Friday, June 27, 8 p.m.
Before he takes the helm of directing the Shakespeare Sports Theatre Company’s touring production of “Comedy of Errors” next month, Michael Hagins will take center stage for the Downtown Urban Arts Festival to share how he worked in every Shakespeare play.
The Brooklyn-born multi-hyphenate — arguably the only Black man who has done all of the bard’s works — has taken part in hundreds of shows over his 20-plus years of indie theatre in New York City. He tells The News: “I’ve done lots of other playwrights of many races, religions, and lifestyles, and I’ve done characters of all shapes and sizes [but] through it all, I love Shakespeare the most.”
As with mostly anything, inherent prejudice reared its ugly head.
“I noticed a lot of the time that I was the only Black person in many of the shows I worked on,” he shared. “I even got made fun of because some people think Shakespeare is ‘not for people like me,’ and I had to prove a lot of people wrong.”
Directed by Melissa Meli with technical design by Adam Sherwin, the one-man show runs 75 minutes.
Tickets are $25, plus fees.
Dance
“Ghosts of Hell Creek: Stone Garuda“
Asia Society Museum — 725 Park Ave., Manhattan (Upper East Side)
Saturday, June 28, 7:30 p.m., Sunday, June 29, 3 p.m.
The rarest intersection of ancient history, art, science and dance is the best way to describe the U.S. premiere of Prehistoric Body Theater‘s stunning performance of indigenous Indonesian dancers with full-body textured clay makeup and prosthetic enhancements taking on the likeness of dinosaurs.
The 90-minute prehistoric drama about the legend of the oldest known primate (Purgatorius) features experimental Javanese gamelan music and explores themes of mass extinction, climate crisis, and evolutionary ancestry.
Tickets are $30, discounts available.
Art
“Mary Abbott: To Draw Imagination”
Schoelkopf Gallery — 390 Broadway, Third Floor, Manhattan (SoHo)
Through June 28, various times.
The late, great Mary Abbott — an Upper East Side debutante-turned-fashion model-turned-influential downtown artist — is finally getting a much deserved light shone with the first comprehensive survey exhibition of her entire career.
The exhibition features over 60 experimental works on paper, collage, and mixed media from the 1940s to early 2000s and pieces inspired by the Caribbean and Hamptons landscapes that informed the abstract expressionist painter’s brilliant brushwork.
Free.
Outdoors
“A Night with Sandy Yawn”
Pier 15 —78 South St., Manhattan (East River)
Sunday, June 29, 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Captain Sandy Yawn will set sail for a one-of-a-kind experience for fans of “Below Deck Mediterranean.”
The beloved Bravolebrity and author will be joined by fan favorite Chief Stew Hannah Ferrier to dish the dirt of the behind the scenes drama of the wildly popular yacht-focused reality series during a fireside chat.
Cruisers can feast on a multi-course buffet dinner, premium open bar, while enjoying stunning views of the Manhattan skyline during the three-hour sailing.
Tickets start at $86.23.
Music
2025 Rock The Bells Festival
Prudential Center — 25 Lafayette St, Newark (downtown)
Saturday, June 28, 7 p.m.
Another big highlight of the weekend that closes out Black Music Month is LL Cool J’s Rock The Bells Festival, which pays homage to old school hip hop. This year, the rap icon partnered with Black Promoters Collective (BPC) to bring the anticipated event to Prudential Center as part of the North to Shore Festival.
“Rock The Bells has always been about the elevation, preservation, and innovation of Hip-Hop,” LL Cool J said. “[It’s] more than a festival — it’s a cultural homecoming. We’re celebrating the artists who built the foundation and the new voices pushing it forward, all in one night. This is Hip-Hop in its full glory — past, present, and future.”
Hosted by rap pioneer Roxanne Shante with DJ Kid Capri on the wheels of steel, the theme of this year’s festival of “Class of 2025: Summer’s Kool” and will feature a lineup of torchbearers and hitmakers such as Busta Rhymes, Redman, Eric B. & Rakim, Remy Ma, Too $hort, Scarface, Plies, Fabolous, and Lil’ Mo. There will be a tribute to Uptown Records — curated by DJ Eddie F — with performances by Al B. Sure!, Jeff Redd, Donell Jones, Christopher Williams, Soul For Real, and Monifah.
Tickets start at $102. 6:30 p.m.
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.
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