Give Thanks for Comedy, Music and Magic in Our Must-Do Events for the Week of November 25 to December 1
As friends and families gather this week to celebrate Thanksgiving, we’re kicking off the holiday season with festive new shows, concerts and TV specials. Don’t waste a minute as you pencil in our five must-do events for the week of November 25 through December 1.
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 25
SING OUT!
Eight years after Once jumped from New York Theatre Workshop to a Tony-winning run on Broadway, Sing Street, another indie movie from Irish writer/director John Carney, is getting a musical reboot at NYTW. Tony winner Enda Walsh returns to adapt Carney’s 2016 coming-of-age film about a Dublin teen who starts a band in hopes of attracting the attention of a mysterious girl. Carney and Gary Clark penned a New Wave-inspired score for the show, directed by Rebecca Taichman (Indecent) and choregraphed by Sonya Tayeh (Moulin Rouge!). Game of Thrones alum Brenock O’Connor plays the young hero in this highly anticipated world premiere.
INFO: Limited run through January 26 at New York Theatre Workshop (79 East 4th Street). Tickets start at $105. Click here for more info.
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 6
DADDY ISSUES
Mike Birbiglia won a 2019 Drama Desk Award for The New One, his hilariously unsparing solo comedy about becoming a father despite having deep reservations about parenthood. Netflix smartly snapped up the show, recording it live at Broadway’s Cort Theatre as a 90-minute special. Birbiglia is brutally honest about his neuroses and health issues (including a scary sleep disorder that inspired his 2008 off-Broadway hit Sleepwalk With Me), and the eventual arrival of baby Oona creates new challenges when Dad feels like the odd person out. And yet Birbiglia’s sly comic timing and low-key charm make The New One a treat for new, old or prospective parents—reluctant or otherwise.
INFO: Debuts November 26 on Netflix. For details, click here.
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 26
SIBLING REVELRY
Individually, Liz and Ann Hampton Callaway possess two of the most gorgeous voices in cabaret and musical theater. Together, the Callaway sisters are superstars of harmony, making their joint cabaret appearances must-see events. They’re spending Thanksgiving week at 54 Below performing a snazzy new show called “Broadway the Calla-way!” accompanied by a trio led by Alex Rybeck. With a set list that includes songs by Sondheim, Bernstein, Herman, Hamlisch, Schwartz, Rodgers & Hammerstein and Kander & Ebb, Liz and Ann promise a grand start to the holiday season. There’s even a special 8PM performance on Thanksgiving, accompanied by a prix fixe dinner of seasonal dishes. Doubly delicious!
INFO: 7PM on November 26, 27, 29 and 30; 8PM on November 28 at 54 Below (254 West 54th Street). Tickets start at $85, plus $25 food and beverage minimum, or $85 prix fixe dinner on November 28.
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 28
BROADWAY ON PARADE
Happy Thanksgiving! Pop the turkey in the oven, grab a pumpkin spice muffin and tune in to see your favorite Broadway stars live on Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. As giant balloons make their way down the two-and-a-half-mile parade route, the casts of Hadestown, Tina, Beetlejuice and Ain’t Too Proud will step into Herald Square to perform musical numbers from their shows, plus a high-kicking routine from the Radio City Rockettes. Later in the three-hour telecast, Tony winners Billy Porter and Idina Menzel and Broadway vets Lea Michele and Debbie Gibson are set to sing seasonal tunes and wave to the crowd from atop floats, culminating in an early visit from Santa Claus.
INFO: 9AM-Noon ET on NBC-TV. For more details, click here.
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 29
HOLIDAY MAGIC
Daredevil stunts, sleight-of-hand tricks, mind-reading, teleportation and even a bit of shadow puppetry are on tap as The Illusionists: Magic of the Holidays arrives on Broadway for a six-week engagement. Six of the world’s greatest magicians (including America’s Got Talent semifinalists Dom Chambers and Eric Chien) show off their specialties in a fast-paced production that combines cutting-edge technology and old-school magic, knit together with comic patter and audience participation. No wonder The Illusionists has circled the globe multiple times, including four sold-out engagements on the Great White Way. It’s a rare holiday show that’s as much fun for adults as it is for magic-mad kids.
INFO: Limited run through January 5 at the Neil Simon Theatre (250 West 52nd Street). Tickets start at $39
Illustrations by Tug Rice for Broadway.com
