‘Game Of Thrones,’ Beach Books And More To Read, Watch And Do This Weekend

Image by Twitter/@CityOfHype

By Talya Zax July 13, 2017

We can’t lie: Our weekend plans might consist solely of laugh-crying at Fox News’s recent decision to refer to Jared Kushner as “Jared Kosher” and scrolling through apparently endless Kellyanne Conway memes. If you find those two pastimes less than attractive, however, we don’t blame you. Here are some alternatives.

1) Watch

The seventh season of HBO’s much-loved, very bloody “Game of Thrones” debuts on Sunday. On Monday — not technically the weekend, yes, we know — tune to PBS for the documentary “Presenting Princess Shaw,” which recounts the success of an unlikely musical collaboration between the singer Samantha Montgomery, known on YouTube as Princess Shaw, and the Israeli producer Ophir Kutiel. If you’ve a yen for the silver screen, head for the Michael Showalter-directed romantic comedy “The Big Sick,” starring Kumail Nanjiani alongside Zoe Kazan.

2) Read

The first items off the Forward’s summer book guide have arrived in stores: Jessica Berger Gross’s memoir “Estranged,” and journalist Jesse Eisinger’s “The Chickenshit Club: Why the Justice Department Fails to Prosecute Executives.” If you’re looking for something beach-worthy, the newly released paperback of Jessi Klein’s reputedly hilarious “You’ll Grow Out of It” should do the trick.

3) New York City

The Museum of Jewish Heritage — A Living Memorial to the Holocaust’s new exhibit “Operation Finale: The Capture and Trial of Adolf Eichmann” opens this Sunday, providing an insider’s look at a now-legendary event. If you’re feeling theatrical, don’t miss the New York residency of Canadian theater company Soulpepper; the Albert Schultz-directed “Spoon River” and “Of Human Bondage” should be especially entertaining.

4) Washington D.C.

The capital hosts a few good theatrical offerings this week: The always-heartbreaking musical “Cabaret” at the Kennedy Center, as is “The Sound of Music.” (The latter is entering its closing weekend.) Over at the Edlavitch DCJCC, don’t miss the last weekend of Theater J’s production of Arthur Miller’s “Broken Glass.”

5) Chicago

Does an exhibit about rock and roll sound like an unusual fit for a Holocaust museum? Let the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center convince you otherwise with the opening of “Bill Graham and the Rock & Roll Revolution.” Graham, a Holocaust refugee, became a famed rock promoter. Keep things musical at the Pitchfork Music Festival, where big name acts like Solange and A Tribe Called Quest will perform alongside up-and-comers like Jeff Rosenstock.

6) Los Angeles

L.A. will play host to a slightly different kind of music this weekend, starting with the Saturday performances of Klezmer Juice at the Skirball Cultural Center. If you’re feeling slightly more symphonic, snag a seat at the Irvine Barclay Theatre’s Sunday screening of the London National Theatre production of Peter Shaffer’s “Amadeus.”

Talya Zax is the Forward’s opinion editor. Contact her at [email protected] or on Twitter, @TalyaZax.

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