Drood's Back from the Dead, Stage Stars Check Into Asylum & Sherie Rene Scott Remains a Hot Piece in Broadway's Ultimate Datebook

In the pre-Halloween, post-summer lull, you may be wondering: What's worth doing around NYC this week? Broadway.com’s got you covered in the second edition of our newly revamped weekly Datebook. We’ve gathered the most exciting happenings in theater, TV, concerts and films for this week’s ultimate calendar of events for Broadway lovers. Whether you’re a New Yorker or planning a visit to the city, there’s a can't-miss event just for you the week of October 15. So scroll down to begin planning your fun-filled week.


MONDAY, OCTOBER 15
JULIA MURNEY TACKLES A WICKED NEW ROLE
Big-belting Broadway star Julia Murney (Wicked, The Wild Party) takes on the dangerous role of a mother with an autistic teenage son prone to violent behavior in Deana Jent's new drama Falling. The one-act play, co-starring Daniel Everidge, opens at off-Broadway's Minetta Lane Theatre.

ALSO: Paul Williams, Rupert Holmes and 20 Broadway badasses will rock out to Rockers on Broadway – Behind the Music at the Cutting Room; Soulful Broadway vet Carol Woods performs From Blues to Broadway at 54 Below at 9:30 PM; at the same time downtown, the guys of PigPen Theatre Company (currently enjoying a hit off-Broadway with Old Man and the Old Moon) bring their signature brand of entertainment to Joe’s Pub.


TUESDAY, OCTOBER 16
SHERIE RENE SCOTT IS A PIECE OF MEAT
Musical theater goddess Sherie Rene Scott brings her vocal talents to the intimate cabaret 54 Below for a limited two-week engagement of her new solo show Piece of Meat. No word on what she will be singing, but we are already salivating for a slice!

ALSO: The vodka-infused, War and Peace-esque electro-pop opera (phew!) Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 opens at Ars Nova; the cast of the Public Theater’s February House reunites to sing the score (released today on CD) at Joe’s Pub; dinner is served as 5 Lesbians Eating A Quiche opens at the SoHo Playhouse; Alli Mauzey returns as Wicked’s popular heroine Glinda; Broadway vet Mamie Gummer's hospital drama Emily Owens, M.D. premieres on The CW; and the booty-shaking, cheer-worthy Bring It On cast recording hits stores nationwide.


WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 17
JESSICA LANGE WELCOMES YOU TO THE ASYLUM
TV mogul Ryan Murphy’s creepily addictive drama American Horror Story returns to FX-TV with its second installment, Asylum. The mental institution-set thriller, starring stage vets Jessica Lange as a scary nun, Lily Rabe and Zachary Quinto, begins its sadistic healing at 10 PM. We're having nightmares just thinking about it.

ALSO: Cyndi Lauper and Harvey Fierstein’s Broadway-bound musical Kinky Boots opens in Chicago; Judy Kuhn and Alexandra Socha make funerals fun in Fun Home at the Public; Ethan Hawke begins performances as the title character in Classic Stage Company’s Ivanov; and Tennessee Williams' seldom-seen In a Bar of a Tokyo Hotel opens at New World Stages.


THURSDAY, OCTOBER 18
IT’S OK TO LAUGH AT TERRORISTS (NO, REALLY!)
Can the threat of a catastrophic attack be funny? Find out as Jon Kern’s controversial new comedy Modern Terrorism, or They Who Want to Kill Us and How We Learn to Love Them opens at Second Stage. It’s almost like How I Met Your Mother, except instead of boozing and dating, these guys are plotting how to take down the country.


FRIDAY, OCTOBER 19
EDWIN DROOD COMES BACK TO TOWN 
Roundabout Theater Company assembled a killer cast led by Stephanie J. Block and Chita Rivera for the first-ever Broadway revival of the Tony-winning musical The Mystery of Edwin Drood, which begins previews at Studio 54. This murder-mystery musical changes nightly so you’ll have to see it several times to get the full effect. 

ALSO: Al Pacino and Bobby Cannavale are playing dirty as Glengarry Glen Ross begins previews; Grammy winner Frankie Valli makes his Broadway debut in a limited concert engagement at the Broadway Theatre; and the composer of The Wizard of Oz is given his due in the one-night-only extravaganza American Showstoppers: The Music of Harold Arlen.


SATURDAY, OCTOBER 20
LEWIS BLACK FINISHES HIS BROADWAY RANT
Sometimes the best affairs are brief, like comedian Lewis Black’s timely political solo show Running on Empty, which ends its eight-performance Broadway engagement. If you're mad as hell about the election, you'll love hearing Black rant for the final time at the Richard Rodgers Theatre.


SUNDAY, OCTOBER 21
GET A SECOND SHOT AT HEARING YOUR FAVORITE OBC
Town Hall hosts Alice Ripley, Chad Kimball, Laura Osnes, Matt Cavenaugh and more in Broadway Originals!, the final concert in this year's Broadway Cabaret Festival. The stars will revisit songs they introduced either in an original Broadway production or revival and share stories from the each show. Sounds like our kind of Sunday worship!

ALSO: A mysterious letter changes a man’s life as the new musical The Other Josh Cohen opens at the SoHo Playhouse; perennial scene-stealer Mary Testa joins Michael Starobin for a one-night-only concert at 54 Below; and Broadway’s brightest stars salute EGOT winner Alan Menken during at the Encompass New Opera Theatre Gala.

To have your NYC-area event considered, send us e-mail!