Bette Midler Eats Broadway for Breakfast, Pippin Makes Magic & Ben Folds Goes Theater Geek in This Week’s Datebook
The spring theater season is reaching its peak, and with so many opening nights, star-studded galas and other awesome reasons to hit the town, laundry night is definitely going to have to wait until May. From opening nights of Pippin to I’ll Eat You Last: A Chat With Sue Mengers, you won’t want to miss a minute of this action-packed week!
MONDAY, APRIL 22
FIONA SHAW GETS BIBLICAL
You’ve seen Fiona Shaw as Harry Potter’s aunt and a wicked witch on True Blood—now catch her as the mother of Jesus Christ in The Testament of Mary, opening at Broadway’s Walter Kerr Theatre. The production, which tells the story of the Crucifixion from Mary’s point of view, has been causing a stir with religious protestors—get your ticket to see what the fuss is about!
ALSO: LaChanze and Robert Creighton sing out at 54 Below, Leslie Kritzer is a Beautiful Disaster at Joe’s Pub; Audra McDonald will be honored at the Matrix Awards; The Chaplin Awards, hosted by Kristin Chenoweth & Liza Minnelli, honors Barbra Streisand; Jane Lynch talks Annie on Ellen; Daniel Breaker hosts and performs at Cabaret Gourmet; Kelli O’Hara and Victor Garber host the Our Time gala for children who stutter.
TUESDAY, APRIL 23
MEGAN HILTY CELEBRATES AT JOE’S PUB
Smash star Megan Hilty is taking a break from Bombshell to take the stage at downtown hotspot Joe’s Pub. The Wicked vet is celebrating the release of It Happens All the Time, her debut album—but you won’t hear “Popular” on this CD! See Hilty showcase her chosen tracks, including “The Blower’s Daughter” by Damien Rice and “The Heart of the Matter” by Don Henley.
ALSO: The Trip to Bountiful opens on Broadway, starring Cicely Tyson, Cuba Gooding Jr. and Vanessa Williams; Katie Rose Clarke begins her return as Glinda in Wicked; Barbara Cook sings at 54 Below; Julie Andrews’ 1978 One Step Into Spring variety special released on DVD; Carol Burnett chats with Jay Leno.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24
THE DIVINE MISS M TAKES BROADWAY
Stage and screen icon Bette Midler is back on Broadway channeling another entertainment legend: outrageous Hollywood superagent Sue Mengers. In I’ll Eat You Last, Midler pays homage to the life of the brash, no-nonsense and fabulous Tinseltown tastemaker in a script by Tony winner and Oscar nominee John Logan. See Bette play Sue at the Booth Theatre.
ALSO: The Drawer Boy opens off-Broadway; Nice Work If You Can Get It celebrates its one-year anniversary.
THURSDAY, APRIL 25
PIPPIN JOINS THE CIRCUS
There’s a whole lot of magic going down at the Music Box Theatre! The new circus-inspired revival of Pippin is in full swing (literally), as Patina Miller, Matthew James Thomas and the cast fly high on the trapeze, flip through the air, hula-hoop their hearts out and perform even more awe-inspiring circus tricks. Stephen Schwartz’s beloved musical is most definitely "on the right track."
ALSO: A Family For All Occasions, directed by Philip Seymour Hoffman, begins off-Broadway performances; soon-to-be Annie star Jane Lynch sings "Little Girls" on Glee.
FRIDAY, APRIL 26
RIDE THE CAROUSEL WITH KELLI O’HARA
Broadway sweetheart Kelli O’Hara became an honorary member of the New York Philharmonic this winter when she led their concert production of Carousel at Lincoln Center. Now, you can see the shipyards, the clambake, and most importantly, Jessie Mueller as Carrie Pipperidge, in the comfort of your own home on PBS.
ALSO: Joe Iconis & Family unite at 54 Below.
SATURDAY, APRIL 27
LILLA CRAWFORD PLAYS PROFESSOR
Five short months ago, Annie star Lilla Crawford was a Broadway newbie—now, she’s teaching her own master class! The pint-size professor is leading a one-day workshop organized by A Class Act NY at Ripley-Grier Studios where she’ll show young hopefuls what it takes to become a working actor on Broadway. Leapin’ lizards!
ALSO: Scrambled Eggs opens off-Broadway.
SUNDAY, APRIL 28
BEN FOLDS STAYS UP ALL NIGHT
Admit it—you’ve always wanted to snuggle up to Ben Folds at a slumber party. Well, now’s your chance (kinda)! Folds will be staying up all night to write, cast, rehearse and perform a 15-minute musical at the fifth annual 24-Hour Musicals competition. Folds will begin writing his new tuner on April 28 and perform it on April 29 at 8 PM. We demand crazy piano riffs!
ALSO: Mike Tyson’s Undisputed Truth tour makes a stop at the Beacon Theatre; Andrea Burns begins performances at 54 Below, last chance to see Forbidden Broadway: Alive & Kicking.
