B'way Stars Strip Down, Jenna Fischer Gets Happy & Jennifer Damiano Heads to Venice in This Week's Datebook

After the excitement of Tony weekend, what's left to do? Plenty! Although the 2012-2013 season has officially come to an end, New York is already bustling with new openings, solo concerts from cherished Broadway vets and star-studded special events. Looking for a way to fill your summer nights? Read on below for this week’s Datebook.


MONDAY, JUNE 10
THE SKIVVIES STRIP DOWN B’WAY FAVORITES AT 54 BELOW
Let’s give it up for Lauren Molina and Nick Cearley (AKA The Skivvies), undressing Broadway one acoustic star at a time. On June 10, the duo takes the stage at 54 Below with stripped down arrangements of mash-ups and original tunes, all performed in nothing but underpants. Also appearing nearly naked are theater faves Adam Kantor, Wesley Taylor, Laura Benanti, Andrew Keenan-Bolger, Morgan James, Alison Fraser and Rory O’Malley.

ALSO: Kevin Kline plays the Pirate King once again in the Public Theater's gala benefit concert of The Pirates of Penzance in Central Park, co-starring Glenn Close, Jonathan Groff, Martin Short and more;  Judy Kuhn debuts All This Happiness at 54 Below; Tennessee Williams’ The Two Character Play, starring Amanda Plummer and Brad Dourif, begins performances at New World Stages; Jenny Bacon returns to off-Broadway’s award-winning drama My Name Is Asher Lev; and Paul C. Vogt steps into the nearly invisible shoes of Amos Hart in Broadway’s Chicago.


TUESDAY, JUNE 11
RELATIONSHIPS ARE COMPLICATED IN REASONS TO BE HAPPY
Romantic relationships may provide a Reason To Be Happy, but no one says they are easy. Such is the case in Neil LaBute’s newest play, which opens off-Broadway at the Lucille Lortel Theatre. The show stars Jenna Fischer (The Office), Leslie Bibb (GCB), Josh Hamilton (Dead Accounts) and Fred Weller (In Plain Sight) and runs through June 29. Get ready for plenty of surprises and plenty of laughs.

ALSO: The Silver Cord and 3 Kinds of Exile also celebrate their off-Broadway openings; Annie star Lilla Crawford’s new video blog debuts on Broadway.com; Harry Connick Jr. releases Every Man Should Know, an album of 12 new songs; Broadway vet-packed TV series House of Cards and Newsroom are released on Blu-ray and DVD; Matthew Morrison drops by The Tonight Show; Judith Light hangs with Kelly & Michael.


WEDNESDAY, JUNE 12
SOCIETY SINKS AS VENICE OPENS AT THE PUBLIC
Hit List meets Othello in Venice, a new post-apocalyptic musical opening at the Public Theater. The world premiere lab production stars Broadway’s Jennifer Damiano, Leslie Odom Jr. Haaz Sleiman, Matt Sax and Claybourne Elder. Brother vs. brother, belter vs. belter—don’t miss this futuristic musical, running downtown through June 30.

ALSO: F#%king Up Everything plays its final performance off-Broadway; Mx. Justin Vivian Bond performs love songs and torch songs at 54 Below.


THURSDAY, JUNE 13
WENDY WILLIAMS CHATS UP AARON TVEIT
How you doin’, Aaron Tveit? Incoming Chicago star Wendy Williams sits down with the Graceland star (and Broadway.com fave) to hear all about his new USA series. Tune in to see how Tveit’s hair is growing out, what wig Wendy wears and if either star mentions how they met at this year’s Broadway.com Audience Choice Awards.

ALSO: Sex romp The Banana Monologues begins performances off-Broadway at Theatre Row; Bruce Vilanch brings plenty of laughs to 54 Below; Elisabeth Moss appears on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson; and Harry Connick Jr. entertains the crowd at The Late Show with David Letterman.


FRIDAY, JUNE 14
BROADWAY STARS RALLY TO CELEBRATE ANDREW McHAHON
Greg Hildreth, Krysta Rodriguez, Nick Blaemire, Jake Epstein, Ariana DeBose, F. Michael Haynie, Emma Hunton and more take the stage at 54 Below to pay tribute to the Something Corporate and Jack’s Mannequin singer/songwriter Andrew McHahon. Proceeds for the evening of song will aid McMahon’s The Dear Jack Foundation and its fight against young adult cancer.

ALSO: Bryann Batt comes alive at 54 Below with Batt on a Hot Tin Roof; Missi Pyle brings Sexy back to Joe’s Pub with return engagement of her show Sexy as Hell; child star Alison Arngrim performs Confessions of a Prairie Bitch at the Laurie Beechman Theatre; Man of Steel, featuring theater vets Michael Shannon, Laurence Fishburne and Amy Adams, opens in theaters; the film adaptation of the off-Broadway show Between Us, starring David Harbour, Taye Diggs and Julia Stiles, also hits the big screen.


SATURDAY, JUNE 15
CELEBRITY AUTOBIOGRAPHIES OFFER PLENTY OF LAUGHS
Sometimes the most powerful weapon is one’s own words. Such is the case in the hilarious Celebrity Autobiography: The Next Chapter. See Jane Krakowski, Tony Danza, Janeane Garofalo, Mario Cantone, and more perform cheeky readings straight from the memoirs of Patti LuPone, Justin Bieber, “The Situation” and Diana Ross. The award-winning celeb-on-celeb parody returns to Stage72 on June 15.

ALSO: The original cast recording of Scandalous is released on CD.


SUNDAY, JUNE 16
SEXY AND BLOODY TRUE BLOOD RETURNS TO HBO
The sexy and bloody HBO original series True Blood returns for its sixth season on June 16. The show is set in a not-too-distant future where vampires, werewolves, fairies live openly in America. The past five seasons have featured more Broadway vets than we can count; here’s to hoping season six offers some more juicy cameos.

ALSO: The Wandering Theatre Company’s Salem Witch Trials drama The Afflicted ends its New York run at the Access Theatre (next stop D.C.); LCT's Nikolai and the Others ends its off-Broadway run; Bryan Batt sings his final song at 54 Below; composer Scott Alan celebrates an evening of song at Birdland.

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