This Week’s Picks! Get into Trouble with Laura Osnes and Santino Fontana, Go on a Newsies Strike & More

It’s clear now: August kind of stinks. The weather is brutal, everyone’s on vacation but you, and school looms. But cheer up! There's tons of fun to be had all over the city, including the Newsies at 54 Below, a gripping new work at the Signature Theater by A.R. Gurney, and a Music Man concert featuring two Cinderella faves. It’s all part of this week’s events!

Hop on the Wells Fargo Wagon
August 11 at the Pershing Square Signature Center
We’ve got trouble right here in New York City! Wait, don’t leave—the good kind of trouble. This concert presentation features a collection of Broadway's best and brightest--folks like Laura Osnes, Santino Fontana, Besty Wolfe, and Andrew Keenan-Bolger—singing the evergreen classics. But unlike the local production in your hometown, vocal all-stars, not Dingleberry High's sophomore president, will tackle “Seventy-Six Trombones,” “Shipoopi,” and “Ya Got Trouble.” That's a big difference, folks. Click for tickets!

Check in to The Wayside Motor Inn
Starts August 12 at the Pershing Square Signature Center
Veteran playwright A.R. Gurney begins his residency at the Signature Theater with his 1978 play The Wayside Motor Inn, an ensemble character study about 10 people—some of whom know each other—staying at the titular lodging. With themes ranging from loneliness to the American dream, this should qualify as the most memorable time involving a motel since that sinful, decadent night…you had the indoor pool all to yourself. Click for tickets!

See the New Sailors in Bryant Park
August 14 at Bryant Park
You think Central Park is the only grassy expanse in New York that hosts free theater? Child, please! Broadway in Bryant Park wraps up another season of musical lunch breaks with offerings from the casts of Matilda, Mamma Mia!, Motown the Musical and a sneak peek of the forthcoming revival of On the Town. That’s way better than lunch with Lyle from HR.

Get Some Good Newsies
August 14 at 54 Below
We don’t know about you, but we’re just not ready to say goodbye to those lovable newsboys. Before they pirouette off into the sunset August 24, cast members of past and present—including Corey Cott and Liana Hunt—appear in Stop the Presses: Newsboys of New York Rally at 54 Below. We can expect “songs, stories, dances, comedy gold and possibly even some audience participation.” Audience participation? Let’s hope it doesn’t involve fighting Joseph Pulitzer’s goons or delivering the Sunday paper. That sucker’s heavy. Click for tickets!

Help Stars Help the Homeless
August 17 at Covenant House
On Broadway, charity is as prominent as good pitch and nimble feet. In the second annual Sleep Out: Broadway Edition, various members of theater community—including Stephanie J. Block, Denis O’Hare and Keala Settle—will spend one night on the street to benefit Covenant House, which helps homeless kids in 21 cities nationwide. Participation is limited to those who have worked on or off-Broadway in any capacity, but you can still donate, and of course, cheer the stars on as they try to get some shut-eye.