Assassins Re-Assemble, Cyndi Lauper Sings for Charity and Bare Bares All in This Week's Datebook

It's officially December, which means that there's a whole month of fun and exciting Broadway events ahead of us! Read on to see what we've picked as the cream of the crop from the week ahead, which includes opening nights for Golden Boy and Bare, a thrilling Assassins reunion and a slew of stars bringing their talents to 54 Below.


MONDAY, DECEMBER 3
ASSASSINS RE-ASSEMBLE AT STUDIO 54
How’s this for a show to get your heart pumping? The Broadway revival cast of Stephen Sondheim’s quasi-patriotic musical Assassins will reunite for a one-night-only benefit performance of the Tony Award-winning show at Studio 54. Tickets are hard to come by, but worth the price if you’re dying to see the likes of Neil Patrick Harris, Michael Cerveris, James Barbour, Denis O’Hare, Marc Kudisch and more.

ALSO: The cast of Rebecca assembles for a holiday show at 54 Below; Steel Magnolias receives a starry 25th anniversary benefit reading with Celia Keenan-Bolger as Shelby; David Yazbek and Adam Guettel team up at 92YTribeca; Cheri Oteri makes headlines in NEWSical the Musical; Adam Pascal croons at 54 Below; Broadway Sings Beyonce at Le Poisson Rouge.


TUESDAY, DECEMBER 4
GYPSY OF THE YEAR SHINES AGAIN
'Tis the season for another sensational Gypsy of the Year competition! The 24th annual talent show features chorus members of some of Broadway and off-Broadway's best productions, with original skits, songs and dances that will raise the roof at the New Amsterdam Theatre—and raise some money for charity, too! Proceeds benefit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, which means that this is another hot ticket to add to your holiday wish list.

ALSO: Zelda at the Oasis opens at off-Broadway’s St. Luke’s Theatre; Hugh Jackman’s Oklahoma! comes to Blu-Ray; Telly Leung’s album I’ll Cover You hits stores; Martha Reeves and Darius de Haas take on 54 Below; A Civil War Christmas opens at New York Theater Workshop; Leap of Faith’s cast album gets a digital release; The Book of Mormon: The Testament of a Broadway Musical book spreads the holy word to stores and Kindles; Kristin Chenoweth guest hosts Chelsea Lately.


WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5
PASEK AND PAUL GO BACK TO THEIR ROOTS
Red-hot rising songwriting duo Benj Pasek and Justin Paul deserve a vacation, since the pair debuted two shows this year alone (off-Broadway’s Dogfight and the recently opened holiday musical A Christmas Story). Now the young composers are going back to their roots with their first cabaret concert in more than four years at 54 Below! Expect some surprise celebrity guests, of course.

ALSO: A.R.T.’s Pippin has magic to do in Boston; John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John bring holiday cheer to Ellen.


THURSDAY, DECEMBER 6
A GOLDEN OPENING NIGHT
The meteoric rise of a young violinist turned world-class boxer is chronicled in Clifford Odets’ classic drama Golden Boy, which opens at the Belasco Theatre on December 6. The all-star actors in this knockout drama—including Seth Numrich, Tony Shalhoub, Yvonne Strahovski and Danny Burstein—are all ready to enter the ring on opening night. Are you?

ALSO: Alison Fraser serenades the masses at 54 Below; James Barbour launches his annual holiday concert series at Sardi’s (through December 8).


FRIDAY, DECEMBER 7
HYDE PARK ON THE BIG SCREEN
Three-time Tony Award nominee Laura Linney is also a certified star on screens both small (The Big C) and large. In her latest flick, Linney plays the object of Franklin D. Roosevelt's affection in Hyde Park on Hudson, co-starring Bill Murray as FDR and Broadway vets Elizabeth Marvel and Elizabeth Wilson. Let the year of American presidential biopics continue!

ALSO: Tom Wopat brings sweet melodies to 54 Below; The Fitzgerald Family Christmas (co-starring Brian d’Arcy James) opens in movie theaters.


SATURDAY, DECEMBER 8
CYNDI LAUPER GOES HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS
The stars will come out to support those who've "come out" at pop star (and Kinky Boots composer) Cyndi Lauper's second annual concert benefitting homeless lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youths. Cyndi Lauper & Friends: Home for the Holidays features famous faces like Whoopi Goldberg, Adam Lambert and Rosie O'Donnell, all of whom will show their "True Colors" in support of the noble cause.

ALSO: Glengarry Glen Ross opens (for closers); Jackie Hoffman's A Chanukah Charol rings in the laughter at New World Stages; Jake Gyllenhaal and company restart off-Broadway's If There Is I Haven’t Found It Yet; Russell Crowe and Samantha Barks duet at The Indoor Garden Party.


SUNDAY, DECEMBER 9
BARE BLOSSOMS ON STAGE
The cult pop opera Bare made an impact on the theater world when it debuted in the early 2000s, and now the popular musical is back with an all-new off-Broadway mounting at New World Stages. Stafford Arima's exciting production stars Taylor Trensch, Jason Hite, Gerard Canonico and Elizabeth Judd, joined by a cast of talented youngsters who aren't afraid to be Bare.

ALSO: Ethan Hawke’s Ivanov bids farewell at CSC; Barbara Carroll, David Pomeranz and Mx Justin Vivian Bond bring their talents to 54 Below.