Chita Rivera Drops the Ball, Spidey Turns Off the Lights & Zachary Levi Breaks Up With B'way in Our New Year's Datebook

A new year is upon us, but before you down your champagne, start 2014 with some sweet plans! Chita Rivera is hosting a New Year's Eve party, Spidey takes his last swing from the Mezz and Zachary Levi is heading to the end of his Date with Broadway. So get your confetti ready, make those resolutions and keep on reading because we’ve got the hottest happenings on the Great White Way in this week’s Datebook.


MONDAY, DECEMBER 30
NOT YOUR MOTHER’S OPERA
Dancing bears, oversized flamingos, glowing puppets…sounds more like a circus than the Metropolitan Opera, right? Yet that’s exactly what you’ll find at the Met’s kid-friendly and abridged production of The Magic Flute. Whether it’s a Mozart opera or a Broadway show, when Julie Taymor (The Lion King) is directing, there will be fabulous artistry, unsurpassed production values and in this case, a great night out for the family!

ALSO: Head to Broadway—Monday is usually a "dark" day, but this week, almost every show is up and running; the original cast recording of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s new musical Stephen Ward is available.


TUESDAY, DECEMBER 31
AULD LANG SING
Pop open that bubbly! Broadway legend Chita Rivera rings in the New Year at 54 Below with Chita Rivera on New Year's Eve! You can hear the ball drop without the hassle of being out in the cold, because this event is just a few blocks north of Times Square. A three-course dinner and champagne toast keep you happy while enjoying a performance from West Side Story’s original Anita. We’ll drink to that!

ALSO: Die Fledermaus debuts at the Met with Tony winner Paulo Szot, featuring Tony nominee Danny Burstein; La Soiree's New Year's Eve show includes a post-show party with a DJ, dance floor and mystery guests; Glee and former Miss Hannigan Jane Lynch co-hosts New Year's Eve with Carson Daly.


WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 1
IT'S POSSIBLE
It’s time to rejuvenate, set goals for 2014 and make things happen. On the first day of the new year, why not take the family to Broadway to enjoy the adventures of inspirational heroines in Annie or Cinderella? Both musicals have New Year's Day matinees, so hop into your carriage, say hello to Faith Prince or Laura Osnes for us, and make a resolution to see more Broadway shows this year.

ALSO: Julie Andrews hosts From Vienna: The New Year’s Celebration 2014 on PBS.


THURSDAY, JANUARY 2
P.S. I LOVE YOU
Tony and Pullitzer Prize winner John Patrick Shanley’s new romantic comedy Outside Mullingar, featuring Emmy winner Debra Messing and Tony winner Brian F. O’Bryne as unlikely love interests, begins previews on Broadway. Head to Manhattan Theatre Club's Samuel J. Friedman Theatre to catch Debra as a middle aged lassie who longs for an oblivious lad (O’Bryne). Kiss her, she’s Irish!

ALSO: Breakfast with Mugabe begins performances at Theatre Row.


FRIDAY, JANUARY 3
EXTRA, EXTRA LAUGH ALL ABOUT IT
Oscar and Tony nominee Jeff Daniels is best known for The Newsroom and God of Carnage, but what you might not know is that he’s a musician too! He begins a three-night stint at 54 Below tonight, and with song titles like “You Can Drink An Ugly Girl Pretty,” you know it’s going to be pretty hilarious. Grab a beer, find a girl and catch the star as you've never seen him before.


SATURDAY, JANUARY 4
CLEAR OUT THE COBWEBS
After what has seemed like one of the most controversy-packed runs in Broadway history, Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark officially swings out of New York today. It’s your last chance to catch the flying Spideys battle the Green Goblin and hear Peter and Mary Jane's love ballad "If The World Should End." Catch them before they fly out—possibly to Vegas?

ALSO: The doctor is no longer in session as The Preacher and the Shrink closes at Theatre Row’s Beckett Theatre; Last chance to see Patrick Barlow’s trimmed down version of A Christmas Carol at the Theater at St. Clements.


SUNDAY, JANUARY 5
WE’RE BREAKING UP
The fresh and contemporary new musical First Date, starring cuties Zachary Levi and Krysta Rodriguez, ends its Broadway run today. You won’t want a "bail out call" during this show, you’ll just want to get the digits of someone who sings and dances...or, really, just Zachary Levi! Join the fans who are sure to make the show's closing performance a rocking good time. 

ALSO: The sun will come out tomorrow, but Annie and 700 Sundays won’t be open to see it: Both play their last performance today.