Top Picks
What's Up This Weekend? So Much (Sept 16–18)
Hear Sir Ben Kingsley at the Houston Symphony, see Lin-Manuel Miranda's (first!) broadway hit In the Heights at TUTS and listen to the Everything Is Illuminated author read from his new page turner at Inprint's Reading Series.
Theater
In the Heights; TUTS

Image: TUTS
Pre-Hamilton Lin-Manuel Miranda’s first Broadway hit, written in 2005, follows a young bodega owner through his NYC neighborhood, interweaving themes of family, education and change. Thru Sept 25. Theatre Under the Stars, 800 Bagby St. 713-558-2600. tuts.com
Concert
Opening Night with Sir Ben Kingsley; Houston Symphony

IMAGE: 360B / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM
Starting off the season on a high note, Andrés Orozco-Estrada conducts Sergei Prokofiev’s enduring 1936 classic Peter and the Wolf, narrated by none other than Academy Award winner Sir Ben Kingsley. Sept 17. Jones Hall for the Performing Arts, 615 Louisiana St. 713-224-4240. houstonsymphony.org
Reading
Here I Am by Jonathan Safran Foer; Inprint Margarett Root Brown Reading Series

Image: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
This highly anticipated new novel—the first in a decade from the Everything Is Illuminated author—recounts the unraveling of a Jewish family in Washington state. And yes, technically the event is on Monday, but we can't think of a better way to extend the weekend. Sept 19 at 7:30 p.m. Cullen Theater at Wortham Center, 501 Texas Ave. 713-521-2026. inprinthouston.org
Visual Art
Right Here, Right Now: Houston, Volume 2; Contemporary Arts Museum

Thedra Cullar-Ledford, "Blondes Have More Fun," 2011. Oil on canvas, 48 x 60 inches. Private Collection, Houston.
Image: Contemporary Arts Museum
The second iteration of this series, launched to showcase Houston artists, features three solo shows, by photographer Amy Blakemore, conceptual artist Thedra Cullar-Ledford (above) and painter Susie Rosmarin. Thru Nov 27. 5216 Montrose Blvd. 713-284-8250. camh.org
Dance
Director's Choice: American Ingenuity; Houston Ballet

IMAGE: HOUSTON BALLET
This mixed-repertory performance features a compilation of iconic choreography from William Forsythe's "Artifact Suite," Jerome Robbins' "Other Dances" and George Balanchine's "Theme and Variations." Thru Sept 18. Wortham Theater, 501 Texas Ave at Smith Street. 713–227-2787. houstonballet.org