This weekend, check out musical genius Raul Midón‘s return to Joe’s Pub, the limited big screen return of “The Spook That Sat by the Door” at BAM and an uproarious Off-Broadway musical about the behind-the-scenes drama of the Cellino & Barnes law practice. There’s also free events such as the pool party-themed continuation of Dragon Fest downtown.
Music
Raul Midón
Joe’s Pub — 425 Lafayette St., Manhattan (East Village)
Fri. Aug. 23, 7 p.m.
Raul Midón returns to Joe’s Pub for a new 70-minute set he said “will include tunes from my latest album, “Lost & Found,” [and] some faves with my signature percussion, vocal trumpet and acoustic steel string guitar.”
The Grammy nominated musician, who has worked with Shakira, Julio Iglesias, Herbie Hancock and Stevie Wonder, initially performed at The Public Theater venue before he was signed to a major label, but says he makes it a point to play there periodically.
The place hold a special place in his heart, too: “During the pandemic, Joe’s gave a stipend to people who had a show booked at that time. That was remarkable.”
$35.
Film
“The Spook Who Sat By The Door“
BAM Rose Cinemas — 30 Lafayette Ave., Brooklyn (Fort Greene)
Through Aug. 23, various showtimes
Ivan Dixon‘s long-unavailable 1973 film adaptation of government agent-turned-author Sam Greenlee‘s “The Spook Who Sat by the Door” has been restored and will return to the big screen for a limited two-week run.
Considered an “absolutely essential piece of Black cinema,” the movie follows a Black Chicago native who enlists in a CIA diversity training program to plot a new American revolt.
Starring Lawrence Cook, Janet League, Paula Kelly and J.A. Preston, the loosely-autobiographical “Spook” — entered into the National Film Registry in 2012 — features an original score by Herbie Hancock.
$16. General admission.
Theater
“Cellino V. Barnes”
Asylum NYC — 123 East 24th St, Manhattan (Flatiron)
Through Oct. 13, various showtimes
Theater fans who recall the ubiquitous commercial jingles for personal injury attorneys Ross Cellino, Jr. and Steve Barnes can see how it all came to be in the new Off-Broadway musical “that posits the age-old question: can a bromance survive ambition?”
Helmed by newcomers Alex Wyse and Wesley Taylor, “Cellino V. Barnes” stars Eric William Morris and Noah Weisberg as the bickering business partners from Buffalo whose personal drama played out in notorious business dealings. Morris calls it a “laugh riot,” while Weisberg likened it to “an ‘SNL’ skit that turns into something a little deeper.”
The dark comedy is the first ongoing residency production at the long-running improv comedy company’s new digs.
Tickets start at $59.
Art
“Destination Cosmos: The Immersive Space Experience”
Hall des Lumières — 49 Chambers Street, Manhattan (Civic Center)
Through Aug. 25.
The Hayden Planetarium isn’t the only place where science nerds can have an out-of-this-world experience in the city. Outer space is the theme of the latest digital exhibition at Hall des Lumières. With participation from NASA and France’s National Center for Space Studies, the stunning show is back by popular demand since first running in spring 2023.
The presentation includes 13 sequences and a prologue and begins with a retrospective on the start of human space exploration. The building, located behind City Hall, is plunged into darkness and filled with 30-foot-high images of stars and constellations. There are also photographs of Neil Armstrong’s first footstep on the moon during the Apollo missions of the 1960s and a look at the construction of the first rocket in the Artemis program that launched from the NASA Kennedy Space Center in 2022.
Tickets start at $30 with discounts available for children, seniors and members of the military.
Family
Friday Night Fireworks
Deno’s Wonder Wheel Park —3059 West 12th St., Brooklyn (Coney Island)
Through Aug. 30. 9:45 p.m.
There’s still a chance to see a spectacular firework show from one of New York City’s most treasured landmarks. For over twenty years, the family of Wonder Wheel owner Denos D. Vourderis has been bringing the sparkle to the shoreside community every summer weekend with a 20-minute show produced by Garden State Fireworks (when weather permits).
Wonder Wheel Park vice president Dennis Vourderis tells The News that the weekly event attracts close to 50,000 people. “The Coney community and the families that visit love the Friday night shows. They have become a Friday night tradition.”
Free.
Free
Charlie Parker Jazz Festival
Marcus Garvey Park — 6316 Mt Morris Park West, Manhattan (Harlem)
Tompkins Square Park — East 10th St., Manhattan (East Village)
Through Aug. 25. Various showtimes.
The city’s annual salute to Charlie Parker includes three days of concerts taking place in the neighborhoods where the late jazz great (also known as “Bird”) lived and worked. This year’s lineup include the Grammy-winning Christian McBride Big Band and Wallace Roney Jr. Quartet performing on Friday night (at 7 p.m.) in Marcus Garvey Park in partnership with Jazzmobile. Saturday’s events will kick off at 3 p.m. with sets by jazz vocalist Carmen Lundy, Helen Sung featuring Chris Potter, Isaiah Collier & The Chosen Few and Tyreek Mcdole.
For Sunday’s bill, NEA Jazz Master Louis Hayes will be joined by Grammy winner Kurt Elling and Charlie Hunter’s Superblue featuring the Brooklyn-based Huntertones Horns in Tompkins Square Park.
Free.
Outdoors
Dragon Fest’s Summer Pool Party on the Street
Broadway between 11th and 13th Sts., Manhattan (East Village)
Sat Aug 25, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Suwincha ‘Chacha’ Singsuwan of Bangkok Supper Club is just one of the top bartenders to be spotlighted this weekend at an outdoor cocktail crafting experience during Dragon Fest 2024. On Saturday, the annual food and culture festival will host a day full of pool-themed activities (with wave and pool inflatables), tastings, market fairs and cultural traditions from China.
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 details. Consideration does not guarantee inclusion.