Cinderella Waltzes to Broadway, Audra McDonald's Back in Practice & Phantom Turns 25 in This Week's Datebook

If you’re a fan of famous faces, the week of January 21-27 is your time to get busy! On tap on stages around NYC are Tony nominees Laura Osnes and Marin Mazzie and Grammy winner Barry Manilow, plus a star-studded concert special. 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, JANUARY 21
BROADWAY’S BRIGHTEST SING IN CONCERT
Kiss those Monday blues goodbye! Don’t miss Tony nominees Robin de Jesus and Mary Testa, along with a slew of other Broadway favorites, when they join Seth Rudetsky at The Concert. The one-night-only event celebrates the launch of the new Directory of Contemporary Theatre Writers with show-stopping performances of songs by up-and-coming composers. Join the excitement at off-Broadway’s Second Stage Theatre.

ALSO: Darren Criss and his Glee classmates rock out at President Obama's inauguration; Stage vet Stephen Wallem pays tribute to the music of composer Stephen Schwartz in Schwartz and All at Birdland; Kate Rockwell joins the cast of Rock of Ages as Sherrie; Playwright April Yvette Thompson and other artists celebrate Martin Luther King Day with a performance at Symphony Space; Rated RSO: The Music & Lyrics of Ryan Scott Oliver plays its final performance at Joe’s Pub.


TUESDAY, JANUARY 22
AUDRA MCDONALD CHECKS INTO PRIVATE PRACTICE
As the unstoppable Audra McDonald settles in as host of PBS’ Live From Lincoln Center, preps for a guest spot on The Good Wife and gets set to her fifth studio album (phew!), she’s checking back into Seaside Wellness on the series finale of ABC’s Private Practice. McDonald exited the series in 2011 to come back to Broadway, and TV fans have been paging Dr. Naomi Bennett ever since.

ALSO: Roller derby drama The Jammer opens at Atlantic Stage 2; Les Miz star Anne Hathaway stops by The Late Show with David Letterman; Taye Diggs makes the morning a little hotter on Live! With Kelly And Michael; Three-time Tony nominee Marin Mazzie performs at 54 Below.


WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 23
THE AWESOME ‘80S PROM IS STILL WIGGIN’ OUT
Here’s the 411! Off-Broadway’s The Awesome '80s Prom is having a totally amped anniversary celebration for all the girls (and guys) who just wanna have fun. Now in its ninth acid-washed year, the interactive theater throwback to senior year 1989 is still the bomb-diggity. No lie! Book it to Webster Hall pronto to dance with the king and queen of Wanaget High's Senior Prom.

ALSO: The Heiress’ Jessica Chastain talks Broadway, Golden Globes and Oscars with David Letterman.


THURSDAY, JANUARY 24
BARRY MANILOW MAKES US BELIEVE IN MAGIC
The people wanted more Manilow, so they are getting more Manilow. The Grammy-winning pop legend’s much ballyhooed return to the Great White Way, aptly titled Manilow on Broadway, opens at the St. James Theatre amid an extended, 27-show stint. The NYC native will perform his greatest hits, and he has lots to choose from: Manilow has scored 50 Top 40 hit and sold more than 80 million records.

ALSO: Lucky Guy’s Tom Hanks stays up for The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson.


FRIDAY, JANUARY 25
CINDERELLA’S BALL BEGINS ON BROADWAY
Once upon a time in a faraway land…the Main Stem premiere of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella, starring Tony nominee Laura Osnes and Santino Fontana as Prince Charming, begins performances at the Broadway Theatre. The TV to stage transfer of the classic fairytale features a completely reimagined book by Douglas Carter Beane and additional R&H songs. Thank your fairy godmother!

ALSO: Chaplin star Rob McClure and creative team members, including Warren Carlyle, Christopher Curtis and Thomas Meehan, talk about the making of the musical at 92YTribeca.


SATURDAY, JANUARY 26
THINK OF ME! PHANTOM CELEBRATES 25 YEARS
Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera, the longest-running production in Broadway history, celebrates its 25th anniversary on the Great White Way with a gala performance at the Majestic Theatre. Fan favorites Hugh Panaro and Sierra Boggess headline as the "Man Behind the Mask" and Christine, respectively. (Keep checking back on Broadway.com all week long for exciting Phantom features!)

ALSO: Don't cry for Evita, starring Ricky Martin, Elena Roger and Michael Cerveris, which plays its final performance at the Marquis Theatre.


SUNDAY, JANUARY 27
SEE QUIARA ALEGRIA HUDES’ ELLIOT TRILOGY
Second Stage Theatre presents a one-day marathon of all three plays in Quiara Alegria Hudes’ Elliot Trilogy about an injured Iraq war veteran who has returned to his home, including the 2012 Pulitzer Prize-winning Water By the Spoonful. The epic cycle begins with a reading of Elliot, A Soldier’s Fugue, followed by the matinee performance of Spoonful and ends with a reading of the forthcoming The Happiest Song Plays Last.

ALSO: Christine Andreas takes on 54 Below; Kevin Del Aguila’s The Velveteen Rabbit hops away.