Weekend Arts Planner: Radiolab for kids, A Raisin in the Sun returns and klezmer goes gospel

WNYC Culture and Arts Editor, Steve Smith joins Weekend Edition host David Furst once again, to bring us his latest picks for music, theater and other cultural happening in New York City.

1. Radiolab for Kids:

The first place we're headed is The Greene Space, the news, culture, and performance space New York Public Radio operates here in Soho. A new season of programming has just begun, and on Saturday, Sept. 24, they're hosting a live event tied to a new podcast: Radiolab for Kids. In the series "Terrestrials," Lulu Miller interviews guests about the wonders and strangeness of science.

For the live event, Lulu Miller will talk BUGS with entomologist and educator Sebastian Echeverri. Harpist Aviva Jaye will perform live... and you'll even be able to sample Mexican dishes made with insects. It's happening at 2 p.m. on Sept. 24 at The Greene Space, 44 Charlton Street, and you can register in advance at The Green Space.

2. The Stone Breakers:

Fine artist and musician Jasper Marsalis is presenting his hip-hop performance art project, Slauson Malone 1, in a theatrical performance called "The Stone Breakers." Jasper is the son of jazz star Wynton Marsalis and actor Victoria Rowell -- but the music he makes is different from anything his lineage might imply.

We can't really describe in detail what "The Stone Breakers" will be like -- and that's by design. In an article we published on Gothamist, Jasper Marsalis told writer Timmhotep Aku - quote - "Confrontation is important to me, because it signifies the breaking of something." His work is meant to shake up his own biases; it echoes the uncertainty we're all living with, and at the same time he's aiming at breaking down the walls between artist and audience. The event is happening at the Abrons Arts Center on the Lower East Side at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 24. Go in with an open mind, and you won't be disappointed.

3. Theater:

"Topdog/Underdog," the modern classic by Suzan-Lori Parks, opens Tuesday at the John Golden Theater. This 20th-anniversary revival features Tony Award-winner Corey Hawkins and, making his Broadway debut, actor Yahja Abdul-Mateen II, who listeners will know from his roles in "Watchmen," "The Matrix Resurrections," and Jordan Peele's reboot of "Candyman."

Also opening on Tuesday is one of the most important of all American plays, Lorraine Hansberry's "A Raisin in the Sun." This revival is directed by Robert O'Hara, a playwright himself, who received a Tony nomination for directing "Slave Play" on Broadway. The show runs through Nov. 6 at the Public Theater, downtown.

4. Klezmer goes Gospel:

The Klezmatics, New York City's beloved klezmer anarchists, are teaming up with singer Joshua Nelson, the so-called "Prince of Kosher Gospel," in a free show in Washington Square Park, closing out the Village Trip festival on Saturday, Sept. 24, at 4 p.m.