This Week's Picks! A New Purple Reign, Lin-Manuel Miranda Stays Up Late, Elf Sparkles Back to NYC & More!

Hey, you, dreading your office holiday party! As long as you circulate between the buffet and the bar, you’ll be OK—but gassy. Just bring some antacids and focus on the kick-assery NYC has to offer this week, like Chris McCarrell’s performance at Feinstein’s/54 Below, the opening of The Color Purple, and Duncan Sheik’s latest musical endeavor. Here come this week’s picks!


Have a Merry Chris McCarrell
December 7 at Feinstein’s/54 Below
Christmas carols are all fine and good, but your parents’ neighbors and the elementary school choir lack a certain, shall we say, pizzazz. Well, Broadway has solved a problem that has persisted for entirely too long. Talented youngin’ Chris McCarrell (Les Miserables)—along with guest stars—warms up those holiday chestnuts in Christmas Carols with Chris McCarrell, which we think is some kind of play on words. Click for tickets!


Hop on Mother Courage’s Wagon
Begins December 9 at Classic Stage Company
The first time Duncan Sheik added his musical touch to a powerful, unsentimental drama from a German playwright, we got Spring Awakening, which was a piping hot slice of awesome. So we’re stoked that he’s provided original music to a contemporary spin on Bertolt Brecht’s Mother Courage and Her Children, which now takes place in the modern-day, war-torn Congo. It boasts Tony winner Tonya Pinkins in the lead. Click for tickets!


Behold Jennifer Hudson’s Purple Reign
Opens December 10 at Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre
Some performers were meant for Broadway. With her booming voice and springy charisma, Jennifer Hudson is among them. Nearly 10 years after the film version of Dreamgirls (for which Hudson won an Oscar), we’re red-hot with excitement over Hudson’s turn in The Color Purple. The musical also features the acclaimed London star Cynthia Erivo in the lead and Orange is the New Black’s Danielle Brooks in the Oprah role. Don’t let that talent go ignored. Get going. Click for tickets!


Spread Xmas Cheer at Elf the Musical
Opens December 9 at Madison Square Garden
Some holiday traditions we avoid, like repetitive Christmas movies staring the same two blandly attractive people and weirdo relatives. One that we embrace is Buddy the Elf in all its forms. This year, the news is especially merry for theater fans, as Elf the Musical begins a limited run at Madison Square Garden. Awesome! Plus, you increase your likelihood of avoiding that middle-aged cousin who still wears his high school varsity jacket. Click for tickets!


Stay up Late with Lin-Manuel Miranda
December 11 on CBS Unless you’re lucky, famous, or actually Alexander Hamilton, it is not that easy to procure a ticket for Hamilton. Hey, we know your pain—and we friggin’ cover Broadway. We hope that Lin-Manuel Miranda’s appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert brings a sliver of joy, and maybe an impromptu performance. Though given Miranda’s productivity, he’ll probably unveil a new theme song for Colbert or a cure for cancer. The man can do it all.