This Week's Picks! Light the Torch with Patti LuPone, Feel the '60s Beat & Lose Yourself at Lear

Yeah, it’s unpleasantly humid outside, and the apocalyptic thunderstorms sure ain’t helping. But that shouldn't stop you, the toughest of the tough: The New York theatergoer! Especially when there’s Patti LuPone’s stint at 54 Below, the arrival of a rockin’ new '60s musical, and a new flying granny at Pippin. It’s all part of this week’s picks!


Support Youth Rights with B'way's Best
July 21 at the NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts
Broadway Stands Up for Freedom is a win-win. Why? First, it benefits the New York Civil Liberties Union’s youth programming. Second, you get a concert featuring first-rate talent from the Great White Way, including Lena Hall, Bryce Pinkham, and Justin Guarini. So, this qualifies as an awesome night, especially if any of the performers sing this or this. Click for tickets!


Relive the '60s at Piece of My Heart
Opens July 21 at the Pershing Square Signature Center
If you’ve seen Jersey Boys and Beautiful so often you’re combing your hair in a pompadour and making daily trips to the Brill Building, it’s time to check out Piece of My Heart. This bio-musical profiles ace songwriter Bert Berns, who wrote hits for a variety of acts, including the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and Otis Redding, before dying at age 38. Zak Resnick (Mamma Mia!) stars. Click for tickets!


Catch a Pippin Favorite’s Return
Beginning July 22 at the Music Box Theatre
Replacements lead to healthier knees, tastier sandwiches (have you tried a pesto spread instead of mayo?) and dynamic Broadway experiences. And that’s exactly what’s happening at Pippin, when Priscilla Lopez flies in as feisty granny Berthe. The Tony winner, who played Fastrada in the 1973 production, will perform through August 27. And the icing on the Pippin cake? Original star John Rubinstein has extended his run through August 17. Glory, indeed. Click for tickets!


Hail King Lear in Central Park
Beginning July 22 at the Delacorte Theater
Calling King Lear a terrific family drama is like calling Broadway an entertaining little street, so seeing one of Shakespeare’s major works in the summer air in Central Park? For free? With the amazing John Lithgow in the title role? Who shares the stage with Annette Bening? And Jessica Collins? And Matt Helm? Why are you still reading these rhetorical questions? Get your butt over there!


See Patti LuPone Light the Torch
July 24 through August 2 at 54 Below
Guys, it's a Broadway miracle—Patti LuPone is back at 54 Below! In The Lady with the Torch, the Tony-winning legend performs torch songs from the likes of George and Ira Gershwin, Sammy Cahn, Jule Styne, and many more. So bring a handkerchief, as well as a broom and dustpan—your mind will surely be blown to pieces. Click for tickets!