Stars Salute August Wilson, Ethan Hawke Multitasks & Bertie Carvel’s Reign Ends in This Week’s Datebook

Labor Day is just around the corner, which means now is your last chance to finally do all of those fun summer activities you’ve been planning! From a final trip to Hogwarts to the album release of a short-lived Broadway favorite, this week is packed with theater-related events. Check out our picks below!


MONDAY, AUGUST 26
AUGUST WILSON HITS THE AIRWAVES
Dust off your radios, August Wilson fans, because the playwright’s American Century Cycle is being recorded for broadcast at the Jerome L. Greene Space. The staged reading series kicks off with Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom on August 26, directed by Tony-winning Wilson specialist Ruben Santiago-Hudson. Catch all 10 indelible works through September 28, featuring Leslie Uggams, Jesse L. Martin, Anthony Chisholm and more.

ALSO: Jeremy Hays and Laird Mackintosh join The Phantom of the Opera; James Barbour croons at Birdland; Michael Urie chats Buyer & Cellar on Wendy Williams; The Bluest Ink brings the songs of Sondheim to (le) poisson rouge; Sierra Boggess goes solo at 54 Below.


TUESDAY, AUGUST 27
GET YOUR HANDS ON THIS ALBUM
The Broadway tuner Hands on a Hardbody closed too soon this spring, but you can now rock out to the show’s greatest hits in the comfort of your own pickup truck. The cast album, now available on CD and digital download, features memorable tunes “Burn That Bridge,” “My Problem Right There,” and of course, Keala Settle’s showstopper “Joy of the Lord.” We dare you to listen without clapping.

ALSO: The Hatmaker’s Wife begins performances; Maury Yeston's Tom Sawyer—A Ballet in Three Acts released on CD; Jesse Tyler Ferguson guest co-hosts The View.


WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28
ETHAN COEN KNOWS WOMEN
Fargo fans rejoice! Four-time Oscar winner Ethan Coen has written his first full-length play, Women or Nothing, which begins performances at Atlantic Theater Company, directed by David Cromer (Our Town, Tribes). The drama, starring Deborah Rush, Susan Pourfar, Robert Beitzel and Halley Feiffer, tells the story of two women who are willing to do anything to have a child, even sleep with a man. Head off-Broadway to see Coen's dark comedy, through October 6.

ALSO: Ann Hampton Callaway and Liz Callaway reprise Sibling Revelry at 54 Below; Sarah Paulson stops by Craig Ferguson; last chance to catch Paige Davis and Carol Woods in Chicago.


THURSDAY, AUGUST 29
ETHAN HAWKE ENJOYS THE VIEW
It's a busy year for Ethan Hawke, who is gearing up to star in Macbeth at Lincoln Center Theater and is currently filming a new screen adaptation of Cymbeline—not to mention snagging starring roles in Before Midnight, The Purge and Getaway, all of which hit theaters in 2013. Hawke will sit down to chat with the ladies of The View, and hopefully the crazy busy celeb won’t fall asleep on the couch!


FRIDAY, AUGUST 30
LAST CHANCE TO ATTEND HOGWARTS
It’s almost time to say farewell to the delightful off-Broadway comedy Potted Potter, which schools wizards and muggles alike by cramming all seven Harry Potter books into a hilarious 70-minute tutorial. Join Dan Clarkson and Jeff Turner for one last game of Quidditch at the Little Shubert Theatre before they depart the Big Apple on September 1.


SATURDAY, AUGUST 31
BE ITALIAN WITH A STAGE HONCHO
Broadway producer Hugh Hysell is taking center stage as wacky wedding planner Maurizio Le Grande in off-Broadway’s My Big Gay Italian Wedding and My Big Gay Italian Funeral, both playing at St. Luke’s Theatre. If you’ve ever wanted to see a producer do the chicken dance, the time is now.


SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 1
MISS HONEY & TRUNCHBULL RETIRE
Crunchem Hall is saying goodbye to Tony-nominated faculty members Lauren Ward, who plays sweet first-grade teacher Miss Honey, and Bertie Carvel, who inspires nightmares as headmistress Miss Trunchbull. Both stars, who originated their roles in the West End and Broadway casts of Matilda, are returning home to England. But don’t worry! Craig Bierko and Jill Paice are stepping in as their substitutes, and we hear they’re easy As.

ALSO: Let It Be closes on Broadway; My Name is Asher Lev concludes performances off-Broadway; Tales of Joni salutes Joni Mitchell at 54 Below.