Weekend Roundup
Give Dad what he really wants this Father's Day: Boobs, cars and Michael Jackson
This Sunday is Father's Day, and there's probably nothing Dad wants more for his special day than to sleep in and get to watch every game that is on all of the digital ESPN Classic channels simultaneously. And maybe a giant hoagie.
But since we want Dad to experience all the joys and wonders of being a dad in Austin, we've gathered a few alternative options for filling out his weekend plans. Depending on his interests and temperament, he might be up for some real fun while TiVo records his favorite games from yesteryear. Maybe.
On Friday night, the Frank Erwin Center hosts the Michael Jackson: Immortal World Tour as imagined by the acrobatic geniuses of flipping and body contortions, Cirque du Soleil. Generally, skeptical fathers may roll their eyes about such artsy occupations as Cirque du Soleil, but the universal appeal of Michael Jackson will likely supercede any of that hesitation. I mean, who doesn't automatically start tapping their feet to Michael's early hits like "Beat It" and "Billie Jean." It's essentially in our DNA at this point. Plus, we have heard there's a six foot sequined glove up on the stage at some point, and that's just amazing.
If, by some MIRACLE, your father is in to half-naked ladies taking their clothes off in a tasteful and publicly-appropriate manner, you've got two amazing burlesque shows to choose from this weekend. On Friday night, The Jigglewatts celebrate their sixth birthday with a Birthday Gala at the 29th Street Ballroom. These classy ladies know how to throw a great party, and they're guaranteed to end up with less clothing on by the end of the night.
Then, Saturday night, Black Widow Burlesque welcomes you to the ND for Burlesque on Broadway, a themed night of near-naked numbers paired with all your favorite musical numbers. Big and bold and bawdy burlesque is what these ladies specialize in, so they have embraced the big numbers from shows like Chicago, Into the Woods, A Chorus Line and more. Join them early for drink specials, and then sit back to enjoy the dazzling display for your viewing pleasure.
For those dads that only love sports, you're in luck, too. Saturday and Sunday, the Austin Convention Center will be filled with racing fans getting pumped up about the new Grand Prix coming to Austin at the Formula Expo. This is a great way to get up-close-and-personal with the cars, the technology and the history of this sport that is going to make Austin a destination for a whole new demographic. If fast cars get your dad's engines running, you have two full days to bring him downtown to meet the experts and celebrities associated with the new race track coming to our city.
And if your father is okay with going to the theatre, there are a couple amazing options that could even appeal to dads for two very different reasons. In its final weekend, Zell Miller III's one-man love letter to his daughter, cleverly titled O...sh*t...It's a girl!, plays at the Vortex. Miller is a dynamic, award-winning performer, poet and social activist around town, and this is a special opportunity to hear his very personal reflections on the birth and raising of his baby daughter.
Meanwhile, at the Blue Theatre, Doctuh Mistuh Productions, the team that brought you Evil Dead: The Musical now brings our city the exciting, irreverent musical, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson. The show traces an exaggerated portrait of the United State's seventh President, cutting a bloody trail of destruction through the war-torn country on the way to the top executive spot. Even if Dad doesn't love musicals, he will thrill at the staged melodrama of the country's first badass president.
Among these offerings, there is sure to be something that will appeal to every kind of Austin-area father, enough to at least get him out of his La-Z-Boy and out on the town. Boobs and cars and blood AND Michael Jackson. What more could you ask for this weekend? Well, maybe a giant hoagie...