Drag Queens Do Idina, Betty Buckley Says Bye & Sigourney Weaver Takes the Stage in This Week's Datebook
If you’re a fan of famous faces and big names, the week of October 22 is your week to get busy! On tap on stages around NYC are Oscar nominees Anne Hathaway and Sigourney Weaver and Tony winner Betty Buckley, plus a star-studded Halloween special and drag queens taking on Broadway’s biggest divas. Read on to get the scoop on the most exciting happenings in theater, TV, concerts and films in our calendar of events for Broadway lovers.
MONDAY, OCTOBER 22
CONTROVERSIAL MONOLOGIST MIKE DAISEY RETURNS
Mike Daisey made more than a few headlines for his last show at the Public, The Agony and The Ecstasy of Steve Jobs, after he was accused of fabricating details. Now Daisey returns to Joe’s Pub with a new monologue American Utopias, in which explores the distinctly American vision of utopia. Daisy will present a new monologue every month through March 2013. Truth or fiction, these shows are sure to be entertaining.
ALSO: LCT3’s racially charged drama Disgraced opens off-Broadway at the Claire Tow Theater; Broadway vet Dee Hoty gives her final performance of Special Material at 54 Below; Jan Maxwell and T.R. Knight lead an all-star reading of The Miser at the Lucille Lortel Theatre; Paul Rudd and famous pals go bowling to benefit Our Time, a nonprofit for kids who stutter; and Tony nominee Vanessa Williams is the guest judge on the premiere of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars.
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 23
POLYGAMY DRAMA GOLDEN CHILD BEGINS OFF-BROADWAY
Tony-winning playwright David Henry Hwang is not one to shy away from controversial subject matters. In Golden Child, Hwang explores the family struggle as a polygamist Chinese household is faced with the change of Westernization. The Signature Theatre revival stars Chinglish standout Jennifer Lim and runs through December 9.
ALSO: Kelli O’Hara and Ron Raines pay tribute to presidents past in Celebrating the American Spirit album; in other album news, A Christmas Story celebrate its cast recording release.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 24
ANNE HATHAWAY TAKES ON SALLY BOWLES AT JOE’S PUB
Les Miserables film star Anne Hathaway will embody another pixie-faced heroine in Perfectly Marvelous: The Songs of Cabaret with Anne Hathaway and Friends at Joe’s Pub. The one-night-only event will see the star performing tunes from both the film and the stage version of Cabaret, including “Maybe This Time” and “Wilkommen” and the title tune. Talk about divine decadence!
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 25
DURANG’S VANYA AND SONIA AND MASHA AND SPIKE BEGINS
Master of dark comedy Christopher Durang takes characters and themes from Chekhov, blends them and throws them in a time machine bound for present day Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Lincoln Center Theater hosts the New York premiere starring Sigourney Weaver, David Hyde Pierce, Kristine Nielsen as Masha, Vanya and Sonia, respectively. Sure to be one of the off-Broadway events of the season, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike plays LCT’s Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater.
ALSO: The memory of an old affair burns bright as A Summer Day, starring film favorite Karen Allen, opens at off-Broadway’s Cherry Lane Theatre.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 26
THE STAR-STUDDED MUNSTERS COMES TO TV
Broadway veterans Jerry O’Connell (Seminar), Eddie Izzard and The Performers’ Cheyenne Jackson star in NBC’s Halloween special Mockingbird Lane. Bryan Fuller’s modern Munsters reboot, co-starring Portia de Rossi as Lily, explains how the iconic and spooky Munster family came to call 1313 Mockingbird Lane their home.
ALSO: The Texas-sized new musical Giant begins performances at the Public; showstoppers and Broadway stars abound as The Best of Broadway by the Year performs a special highlights concert at Town Hall; the stage adaptation of Eve Ensler’s Emotional Creatures begins previews off-Broadway; Lucky Guy star Tom Hanks’ new film Cloud Atlas opens; and the original Halloween-themed musical Halloween Hullabaloo opens at the Joria Mainstage Theatre.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 27
BETTY BUCKLEY SAYS SAYONARA TO FEINSTEIN’S
Tony winner Betty Buckley performs her final two shows of The Other Woman: The Vixens of Broadway at Feinstein’s at Loews Regency. Drop by at 8:30 or 10:30 PM to hear this Broadway legend sing suggestive tunes from Evita, A Little Night Music, Chicago and more. Don’t pass up your chance to see this iconic Cat in heat!
ALSO: Marry Me a Little closes off-Broadway, Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons end their Broadway run and Sherie Rene Scott’s Piece of Meat serves its final course at 54 Below.
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 28
DRAG QUEENS & BOOZE TAKE CENTER STAGE AT BROADWAY BRUNCH
The popular New York drag spot Lips hosts its weekly Broadway Brunch. For under $20 you can get your fill of breakfast, booze and showtunes! The fabulous female impersonators at Lips recreate numbers by Broadway divas from Idina Menzel to Jennifer Holliday, and take it from us, you won’t want to miss it. Doors open at noon.
ALSO: In a Bar at a Tokyo Hotel and Turning Page close off-Broadway; Nicole Parker performs Nicole’s Ultimate Mixtape for one-night-only at 54 Below; and Alice Ripley and Perez Hilton join the cast of Evita for Broadway Scares: Night of the Singing Dead at XL Nightclub.
To have your NYC-area event considered, send us an e-mail at datebook@broadway.com.