Hit the Town! 5 Must-Do Events for the Week of August 5 to 11
This week, you can see Broadway stars doing it all, all over town—sweating for the fans at Bryant Park, baring their abs at Joe’s Pub, inspiring minions at Green Room 42... All that and Jake Gyllenhaal! Here are our top five must-do events for the week of August 5 through 11.
MONDAY, AUGUST 5
STRIPPED-DOWN SENSATIONS
With stripped-down songs performed by stripped-down Broadway stars, The Skivvies have become a New York City institution since their debut in 2012—you never know who you’ll see singing in their panties and/or jocks at one of their shows. The band is the brainchild of talented musical theater performers Nick Cearley and Lauren Molina (who recently headlined a hopefully NYC-bound reboot of You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown in Cincinnati), and this ninth anniversary gig is their last local engagement for a while. Joining them downtown at Joe’s Pub are Nick Adams, Nathan Lee Graham, Andrew Keenan-Bolger, Bonnie Milligan, Ephraim Sykes (Ain’t Too Proud), Kevin Zak and L'ogan J'ones.
INFO: 9:30PM at Joe’s Pub at The Public (425 Lafayette Street). Tickets are $30 and available here.
THURSDAY, AUGUST 8
SINGING UNDER THE SUN
An always hot, hopefully not too humid, summer lunchtime tradition in New York City is watching Broadway stars in show T-shirts singing the hits in midtown’s Bryant Park. A Thursday staple that features a mash-up of different shows—joining forces this week are the tuneful Broadway tuners Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, Oklahoma! and Pretty Woman and off-Broadway’s A Musical About Star Wars (above). Co-hosting with 106.7 LITE FM personality Rich Kaminski is Catherine Russell, the legendary producer and star (for 30+ years!) of the off-Broadway institution Perfect Crime. Grab a sandwich and a fan and join the fun.
INFO: 12:30PM on the stage of the Bryant Park lawn (located behind the New York Public Library, between 40th and 42nd Streets and 5th and 6th Avenues). Free!
THURSDAY, AUGUST 8
MANLY MONOLOGUES
Two of the theater world’s most talented 30-something actors come together for a harrowing two-hander, Sea Wall/A Life, opening uptown after a run at the Public Theater. Until their bows, Jake Gyllenhaal and Tom Sturridge don’t appear onstage together at the Hudson Theatre, the scene of past successes for each (Gyllenhaal in Sunday in the Park with George, Sturridge in 1984). Instead, each delves deep into solo monologues—Gyllenhaal in Nick Payne’s A Life, about the death of a parent and birth of a child, and Sturridge in Simon Stephens’ Sea Wall, about a family trip to France that takes a turn. The show is intimate and raw, a unique experience for Broadway, and highly recommended.
INFO Limited run through September 29 at the Hudson Theatre (141 West 44th Street) (305 West 43rd Street). Tickets start at $59.
FRIDAY, AUGUST 9
SONGBOOK SALUTE
On the variety-filled schedule at Feinstein’s/54 Below are countless affordable “54 Sings” concerts, in which up-and-coming stage stars performs the hits of different chart-topping music icons. August will see tributes to Taylor Swift (8/23), Beyonce (8/25) and Ed Sheehan (8/28), but first up is this night of cool, sexy tunes by seven-time Grammy Award winner John Mayer. If you love Broadway and JM, this late-night show is a must—if you’re more of a newcomer to his songbook, this is the perfect opportunity to get to know the hits before he’s subjected to the inevitable jukebox musical treatment! So, grab a cocktail and cheer on the talents that producer Tyler Emeney has enlisted for the one-night-only event.
INFO: 11:30PM at 54 Below (254 West 54th Street). Tickets start at $28.50.
SATURDAY, AUGUST 10
TEA TIME WITH THE QUEEN
Not only a legendary Broadway.com backstage blogger (Got a few dozen hours? Enjoy every minute of “Looks Not Books” and “Ship Happens”!), Lesli Margherita is also a belty, brassy, fabulous live performer! Well-loved for her Broadway turns in the smash hit Matilda and a short-lived but fantastic revival of Dames at Sea (more recently, the out-of-town run of The Flamingo Kid at Hartford Stage), the self-crowned "queen" has built a loyal following with her inspiringly honest social media presence and concerts. She’s bringing her latest, simply titled Rule, to Green Room 42, the swanky club room inside the YOTEL hotel. Get to know one of the biggest and most engaging personalities in town. INFO: 7PM at The Green Room 42 in the YOTEL Times Square (570 10th Avenue). Tickets start at $32.
Illustrations by Tug Rice for Broadway.com
