What to Do This Weekend: October 14-16, 2016

This weekend, Westchester seems to be focused on iconic names. We’ll see a pillar of the acid rock outfit Grateful Dead take the stage, a folklore-archetype come to life with a live score, and an actor whose paved her way through Hollywood more on merit than playing the part. So check below for our lineup of recommended activities that will help make the most of this coming weekend.

For Celebrity-Spotting

A Toast to Taraji P. Henson, Valhalla

Chance celebrity encounters in Westchester are typically pretty rare. But this Sunday, Empire’s lioness matriarch Cookie, aka Oscar- and Emmy-nominated (and Golden Globe-winning) Taraji P. Henson, will be heading for Westchester Community College to discuss her recent memoir, Around the Way Girl, which overflows with insight in the dirty politics of Hollywood acting. “A Toast to Taraji P. Henson” will be moderated by Black Enterprise’s (not to mention Nat King Cole’s granddaughter) Caroline Clarke, who incidentally shares a nickname with Henson’s alter ego. Though neither Cookie is likely to crumble.

For a Devilish Night of Movies and Live Music

The Invincible Czars Score Nosferatu, Pelham

This Friday, the Pelham Picture House is hosting a film screening like you’ve never heard. More specifically, we mean you’ve probably never heard a film score performed live alongside the film, which is what Austin-based rock ensemble The Invincible Czars will be doing to accompany F.W. Murnau’s iconic Nosferatu. If you’re an avowed fan of the movie’s bald, rat-like vampire villain, there’s no need to worry: The Czars have been composing soundtracks for silent films since the early 2000s at the first-ever Alamo Drafthouse in their hometown, so this sort of thing has become a mainstay of their career. At the very least, these guys won’t suck.

For Fun With the Other One

An Evening With Bob Weir, Port Chester

Bob Weir has been on the scene longer than most modern musicians have been alive. Outside of his work with the Grateful Dead, Weir has always sought alternative creative outlets, the latest example of which, his solo album Blue Mountain, will be put to the test at Port Chester’s Capitol Theatre this Friday. The gig is one stop along the trail of Weir’s nine-show Campfire Tour, and he’ll be playing alongside members of indie rock outfit The National, who themselves recently curated a 59-track Grateful Dead tribute album, Day of the Dead. Whether you’re a longtime follower or folk fan in general, we recommend securing tickets. Like Further and Dead & Company, Weir’s side projects are equally embraced by Deadheads and newcomers alike.

For Kid Flicks

Kids Film Festival, Bedford

You know that awkward situation where your colleagues are discussing a landmark film that’s eluded you, and the subsequent embarrassment when they all find out? Want to help you child avoid that same embarrassment at all costs? Then bring them to The Bedford Playhouse’s Kids Film Festival Friday-Sunday for the pop-culture lesson they deserve. For example, Friday audiences will be beckoned by a trip to the future, or at least Back to the Future via Doc and Marty’s flux capacitors and time-traveling DeLorean. Saturday and Sunday will feature similarly iconic films for your child’s (and perhaps yours, if you’re feeling nostalgic) enjoyment, including Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Aladdin. Consider your weekend wish to have come true. 

For High School-Musical Lovers

Heathers: The Musical, White Plains

About all Heathers: The Musical has in common with Disney’s franchise about singing-and-dancing teens is that they both take place in a high school. White Plains Performing Arts Center’s week-long staging of the Off-Broadway hit inspired by 1988’s cult-classic film starring Christian Slater and Winona Ryder commences on Friday. For anyone who ever fantasized about what might happen if they took their frustrations out on the cool kids at school, this may well speak to your dark high school years. Assuming they were very, very dark.