Harvey & Raúl & Darren and More! 5 Must-Do Events for the Week of September 30 to October 6

It’s a starry week on New York stages, with Harvey Fierstein, Raúl Esparza, David Byrne and Darren Criss headlining shows around town. Mark your calendar with our five must-do events for the week of September 30 through October 6.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 1
CIAO BELLA BELLA
In a genius bit of self-casting, Harvey Fierstein will play Bella Abzug in the world premiere of Bella Bella, a solo show set during the pioneering feminist’s 1976 Senate campaign. Harvey, of course, is a master drag artist, from his Tony-winning 1982 hit Torch Song Trilogy to Hairspray to La Cage aux Folles, and the real-life role of “Battling Bella” is a perfect fit: Abzug was a gravel-voiced native New Yorker, a tough-talking liberal and gay rights advocate who did not suffer fools gladly. Cheers to Fierstein for reminding audiences of Abzug’s legacy as one of only 13 women in the House of Representatives in 1971 (versus 102 today!), speaking truth to power in a wardrobe of colorful hats.
INFO:  Opens October 22 at Manhattan Theatre Club Stage I (131 West 55th Street). Tickets start at $101.50.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 2
MY TWO DADS
The thoroughly modern family drama The New Englanders centers on a mixed race family with two dads and a teenage daughter, plus exes and friends, all struggling to realize their dreams and find happiness. Small town life is particularly hard for Eisa, who declares, "I want to be a legend. I want to do something more." Jeff Augustin’s new play opens on October 2 at MTC’s intimate Stage II with a strong cast led by Patrick Breen, Teagle F. Bougere and Hamilton’s Javier Munoz. (Fun fact: The New Englanders represents a full circle moment for Augustin, who began his theatrical career as an MTC intern!)
INFO: Limited run through October 20 at Manhattan Theatre Club Stage II (131 West 55th Street). Tickets start at $36.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 3
COOKING WITH FIRE
Raúl Esparza as a hot-headed chef, cooking salmon onstage on a set that re-creates a restaurant kitchen? Reserve our table pronto! Theresa Rebeck’s Seared, a deliciously reviewed hit at Williamstown in 2018, arrives at off-Broadway’s MCC Theater with Esparza and David Mason joining returning cast members Krysta Rodriguez and W. Tré Davis. The play pokes fun at foodie culture and the challenge of turning a profit at a tiny Brooklyn restaurant when the brilliant, temperamental chef refuses to keep making his highly praised signature dish (scallops, to be precise). Come hungry to this fragrantly funny evening from Smash creator Rebeck, directed by her Bernhardt/Hamlet collaborator Moritz von Stuelpnagel.
INFO: Limited run through December 1 at MCC’s Frankel Theater (511 West 52nd Street). Tickets start at $29.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 4
BYRNE'S UTOPIA
The avant-garde 1980s band Talking Heads always had a theatrical streak, particularly lead singer David Byrne, who went on to win critical acclaim for the score of Here Lies Love. Now Byrne is making his Broadway performance debut in American Utopia, a theatrical concert hailed during a 2018 world tour for its wit and originality. Byrne and a cast of 11 musical artists take the stage in identical blue suits, carrying guitars, drums and keyboards and offering a fresh take on the rock icon’s musical catalog. The show features exuberant choreography and musical direction by Annie-B Parson, staged with the help of Byrne’s Here Lies Love collaborator, production consultant Alex Timbers.
INFO: Limited run through January 19, 2020, at the Hudson Theatre (141 West 44th Street). Tickets start at $79.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 5
SING ALONG WITH CRISS
When Darren Criss co-created Elsie Fest in 2015, he described it as the "Coachella of Show Tunes," and theater fans immediately embraced the young star’s vision. Now billed as "Broadway’s Outdoor Music Festival," the event is celebrating its fifth year with a lineup that includes Criss, Cynthia Erivo, Gavin Creel, Hadestown composer Anaïs Mitchell, Ariana DeBose (Anita in the upcoming West Side Story film), Dyllón Burnside (Pose), Joshua Bassett and Olivia Rodrigo (High School Musical: The Musical: The Series), The Lightning Thief songwriter Rob Rokicki and cabaret superstar Michael Feinstein, with additional performances by the casts of Jagged Little Pill, R&H Goes Pop! and A Very Potter Musical. You never know who might show up to sing a duet with Darren as the sun goes down in Central Park, the perfect venue for this one-of-a-kind mashup of show tunes and pop hits.
INFO: Doors open at 5PM; show begins at 6PM at Central Park SummerStage (Fifth Avenue at 69th Street); $65 general admission; $95 VIP bleachers. Click for tickets and more info.

Illustrations by Tug Rice for Broadway.com