This Week’s Picks! Welcome Bradley Cooper Back to Broadway, Go Far Away with Patti LuPone & More

Hey, you, digging through the discount Halloween candy! Don’t you know the only stuff left is made from discarded truck tires? Besides, there’s a ton of fun events this week, including Patti LuPone at 54 Below, Bradley Cooper’s return to Broadway, and the star-studded staging of two classic musicals. They’re all part of this week’s picks!


Travel Underground with Patti
Begins November 3 at 54 Below
You would pay good money to watch Patti LuPone belt the nutrition facts from a box of Frosted Flakes, but thankfully, one of Broadway’s favorites is still bringing her "A" game. In Far Away Places Part Two, the sequel to her 2012 show, LuPone continues to explore her wanderlust, performing songs from icons ranging from Johnny Mercer to Billy Joel. She’s there through November 15, so no excuses, guys. Click for tickets!


Set Sail on a Starry Show Boat
November 5 through 8 at Avery Fisher Hall
We were worried about Vanessa Williams and Lauren Worsham when their recent Broadway runs ended. Did they have sufficient Microsoft Office skills? Could they proofread the Patel prospectus and get the Harrison report done by Tuesday? It’s all good. The two are in the New York Philharmonic’s semi-staged, talent-packed production of Show Boat, which also boasts Norm Lewis, Fred Willard, and Jane Alexander. Click for tickets!


Head Backstage at The Band Wagon
Starts November 6 through 16 at New York City Center
So much awesomeness is colliding in Encores!’ The Band Wagon: You have a script adapted by Douglas Carter Beane (Cinderella), based on the original screenplay by Betty Comden and Adolph Green (On the Town). You have a hilarious and music-infused story of a Broadway show gone awry. You have a cast featuring Brian Stokes Mitchell, Laura Osnes and Tracey Ullman. The only thing missing is, um, you. Fix that. Click for tickets!


Relive ‘70s Strife in Sticks and Bones
Starts November 6 at the Pershing Square Signature Center
Attention, newcomers to New York’s cultural scene: Broadway is not the only place where you can find great plays—and the world’s most glamorous chain restaurants. Screen stars Holly Hunter and Bill Pullman headline the revival of David Rabe’s Sticks and Bones, which profiles a husband and wife who are overjoyed—and then overwhelmed—by their son’s return from the Vietnam War. Richard Chamberlain also stars. Click for tickets!


Make Room for The Elephant Man
Starts November 7 at the Booth Theatre
The Elephant Man returns to Broadway with a movie star lead! Don’t scoff at the professionally handsome Bradley Cooper playing John Merrick, the freak show attraction turned toast of Victorian high society. The show isn’t about prosthetics, but acting. And Cooper, as he’s proven in Silver Linings Playbook and American Hustle, is a terrific one—plus, he’s sharing scenes with the great Patricia Clarkson. Click for tickets!