Matilda Debuts, The Last Five Years Breaks Hearts & Caissie Levy Rocks in This Week’s Datebook

New York theater continues to blossom the week of March 4 as Broadway welcomes Matilda, Breakfast at Tiffany’s and Vanya and Sonya and Masha and Spike to the party. Meanwhile, off-Broadway audiences are getting set to fall in love all over again with the musical The Last Five Years, and a slew of Broadway stars, including Caissie Levy, Megan Hilty and Adam Pascal perform one-night-only concerts. Read on for a day-by-day play-by-play in this week’s ultimate calendar of events for Broadway lovers.


MONDAY, MARCH 4
MATILDA BEGINS ITS MAGICAL BROADWAY JOURNEY
London’s magical Olivier Award winner Matilda begins performances at the Shubert Theatre, bringing to life the beloved book by Roald Dahl through songs by comedian Tim Minchin. The musical tells the inspiring story of a girl who has the power to do extraordinary things. Broadway audiences will get to see Bertie Carvel recreate his Olivier-winning performance as the evil Miss Trunchbull alongside four young actresses in the title role

ALSO: Game of Thrones star Emilia Clarke makes her Broadway debut as Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany’s; the clown comedy Old Hats, starring Bill Irwin and David Shiner, opens at off-Broadway’s Signature Theatre; Really Really's Zosia Mamet swings by Live with Kelly and Michael; Jeremy Jordan, Christian Borle, Megan Hilty and more honor Judith Light at MCC’s annual Miscast gala; Celia Keenan-Bolger, Blythe Danner, B.D. Wong and more star in the Actors Fund's benefit reading of Our Town.


TUESDAY, MARCH 5
SIGOURNEY WEAVER TAPS INTO HER INNER DIVA FOR DURANG
Sigourney Weaver, David Hyde Pierce and Kristine Nielsen lead the Broadway transfer of Christopher Durang's off-Broadway hit Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike at the Golden Theatre. From movie star drama queens to nearly naked boy toys to Broadway’s best costume party, this new Chekhov-inspired comedy offers something for everyone.

ALSO: The precious love story Talley’s Folly, starring Sarah Paulson and Danny Burstein, opens off-Broadway; “super singer” Marilyn Maye begins her two-week engagement at 54 Below; Keen Company's revival of The Old Boy opens at Theatre Row; and Jason Kravitz, Jon Robin Baitz and Veanne Cox guest star on Smash.


WEDNESDAY, MARCH 6
ALWAYS…PATSY CLINE’S CRYSTAL BOWERSOX ROCKS JOE’S PUB
Crystal Bowersox will make her Broadway debut this summer as the title character in the musical Always…Patsy Cline; but before she takes on the Great White Way, the American Idol runner-up entertains New York audiences with two concerts at Joe’s Pub. Special guest band Monte Mar joins Bowersox onstage for the intimate set of concerts.

ALSO: Rajiv Joseph’s The North Pool opens at the Vineyard Theatre; and lesser known Alan Menken songs take center stage at Unsung Menken at 54 Below.


THURSDAY, MARCH 7
YOUNG LOVE LOSES ITS WAY IN THE LAST FIVE YEARS 
Broadway stars Betsy Wolfe and Adam Kantor introduce Jason Robert Brown’s cult musical The Last Five Years to a new generation of musical theater fans. The Second Stage revival of this tuner centering on a New York City couple’s five-year relationship, directed by Brown, officially opens April 2. Get your tissues ready for this one, folks.

ALSO: Ann, starring Holland Taylor as Ann Richards, opens at Broadway’s Vivian Beaumont Theater; Charles Busch dazzles fans with an encore performance at 54 Below; and Sleep No More celebrates two years of creeping out and turning on audiences off-Broadway .


FRIDAY, MARCH 8
MEGAN HILTY IS CARNEGIE HALL’S LUCKY LADY
Megan Hilty takes the stage at Carnegie Hall for the one-night-only concert Luck Be a Lady. The Smash star puts her own spin on classic songs by Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Dean Martin and, of course, Marilyn Monroe. She is joined by Passion’s Ryan Silverman and the New York Pops, conducted by Steven Reineke.

ALSO: J.D. Cerna’s award-winning solo show Not As Cute As Picture plays the Duplex; Justin Vivian Bond begins his weekend engagement at Joe’s Pub; Rock of Ages’ Tom Cavanagh channels Johnny Cash for Walking the Line at 54 Below; and the new Wizard of Oz prequel Oz The Great Powerful hits movie theaters nationwide.


SATURDAY, MARCH 9
BIG ANG RSVPS TO OFF-BROADWAY’S BIG GAY ITALIAN WEDDING
Mob Wives star Angela “Big Ang” Raiola makes her theatrical debut as the wedding officiator in the off-Broadway play My Big Gay Italian Wedding. The campy and scene-stealing Big Ang is sure to upstage the grooms at St. Luke’s Theatre. Hey, it wouldn’t be an official big gay Italian wedding if there wasn’t at least one wedding guest with mafia connections.

ALSO: The romantic play Queens Boulevard ends its run at Theatre Row.


SUNDAY, MARCH 10
CAISSIE LEVY CELEBRATES HER NEW ALBUM AT 54 BELOW
Ghost & Hair star (and all around fave) Caissie Levy blows the roof off the underground nightclub 54 Below in the one-night-only concert presentation of her debut album, With You. The evening marks Levy’s NYC cabaret debut, and fans can expect songs from With You, pop and rock tunes from various decades and showstoppers from her Broadway musicals.

ALSO: The gay rights driven drama Hit the Wall opens off-Broadway at the Barrow Street Theatre; Luck of the Irish closes at Lincoln Center Theater; Alice Ripley joins Samia Najimy Finnerty’s concert at Joe’s Pub; and Adam Pascal mixes original music and Broadway faves in a one-night-only concert at 54 Below.

To have your NYC-area event considered, send us an e-mail at datebook@broadway.com.