The WEEK AHEAD features some “Times” to “Talks” with Tony winners Liev Shrieber, Alan Cumming and Angela Lansbury…last chance deals for a few Broadway favorites…a bye-bye to the Boyz…and a return to the playhouse for Pee-Wee Herman.
Connect the dots,
Blake
Friday, January 8
SEE? New York shopping Mecca, Bloomingdales, will unveil a special window display dedicated to Delia and Nora Ephron’s Off-Broadway play, Love, Loss & What I Wore. The retailer is the official costumer for the play, which currently stars Debra Monk, Michele Lee, Tracee Ellis Ross and Casey Wilson. (The Lexington Avenue side of the 59th street Bloomingdales flagship store)
Saturday, January 9
GO? The New York Times’ “Times Talks” features a weekend filled with some theatrical heavyweights. Saturday’s calendar features talks with two Tony winners: current star of A View From The Bridge, Liev Schreiber and upcoming Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark leading man, Alan Cumming. Sunday’s (January 10) headliners include five-time Tony winner and current A Little Night Music star, Angela Lansbury, Wishful Drinking’s Carrie Fisher, and a roundtable of Pulitzer Prize Playwrights, Donald Margulies, John Patrick Shanley and Beth Henley. (The Times Center, $30/talk, 242 West 41st street, between Seventh and Eighth Avenues, click here for the full lineup)
Sunday, January 10
BEFORE IT CLOSES? Four Broadway shows and one of the longest running Off-Broadway musicals will close this week. They are:
Burn the Floor? Ever since it opened this past summer, Burn the Floor has seen a rotating cast of TV’s favorite reality-show dancers. Its final performance will feature "So You Think You Can Dance" judge Mary Murphy and "Dancing with the Stars" alums Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Kym Johnson. West End regular MiG AYESA joins the company as the show’s male vocalist. (The Longacre Theatre, 220 W. 48 Street, Click here for Playbill Club discount tickets)
In The Next Room or the vibrator play? The best-named play of the season, Sarah Ruhl’s In The Next Room or the vibrator play, features stellar performances from Laura Benanti and Michael Cerveris. Ruhl’s clever story line and punchy dialogue made this show (in my book) the unsung hero of the fall season! (Lyceum Theatre, 149 West 45th Street, Between Sixth and Seventh Avenues, Click here for Playbill Club discount tickets)
Ragtime?This booming musical featuring a score by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty and a book by Terrence McNally, tells the story of the birth of the American dream through the eyes of three very different families. (Neil Simon Theatre, 250 W. 52nd Street, tickets/info)
The 39 Steps? The classic Hitchcock movie, The 39 Steps, received a hilarious makeover when it was adapted for the stage. Over 771 performances later (and a very tired cast---four actors play over 150 characters!), the show gets its last Broadway laugh this Sunday. (The Helen Hayes Theatre, 240 W. 44th Street, between Broadway and Eight Avenues, Click here for Playbill Club discount tickets)
Altar Boyz? Your favorite Christian boy-banders got their first taste of the limelight back in 2004 when it debuted at NYMF. It soon made it to Off-Broadway, where it stayed for over 2000 performances. (New World Stages, 340 West 50th Street, between Eighth and Ninth Avenues, tickets/info) 
Monday, January 11 
GO? Celebrity Autobiography: In Their Own Words is back with a superstar cast reading the notorious autobiographies of other superstars. Monday’s show features Mario Cantone, Rachel Dratch, Kristen Johnston, Eugene Pack, Rosie Perez, Ryan Reynolds, Sherri Shepherd and more. (7:30pm and 9:30pm, Triad Theater, 158 W. 72nd Street, $35-$60, tickets/info)
Tuesday, January 12
GO (FREE)?The New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players present a special kids-go-free performance of the G&S classic H.M.S. Pinafore, which includes a post-show backstage tour. This show is part of Family Overture, a series of kid-friendly, interactive performances playing throughout January. Other shows in the series include The Pirates of Penzance, The Mikado and Ruddigore. (7pm, City Center, West 55th Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenues, tickets/info or call 212.581.1212)
GO? Pee-Wee Herman has moved the playhouse to Los Angeles. Paul Reubens will brush off his grey suit and bowtie and let his famous alter ego loose at the Nokia Theatre all month long. (Through February 7, Club Nokia, 800 West Olympic Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 900115, $26-$65, tickets/info)
Wednesday, January 13 
GO? Marianne Faithfull defined the term “sex, drugs & rock ‘n’ roll,” leading one of the most documented and tumultuous lives of the swinging 60’s. An older and wiser Faithfull makes a stop in New York for an evening of tunes off her new album “Easy Come, Easy Go,” a disc of covers including “Down from Dover” by Dolly Parton, West Side Story’s “Somewhere” and the title track by Bessie Smith. Part of the American Songbook Series which includes performances by Rebecca Luker, Chita Rivera, Rufus Wainwright and Martha Plimpton. (8:30pm, The Allen Room, Jazz at Lincoln Center, 60th Street and Broadway, tickets/info or call 212.721.6500)
GO (FREE)?Killer B's, an annual concert from the NY Festival of Song and Juilliard, features my personal favorite letter of the alphabet "B!" Expect songs from The Beach Boys, Berlin, Bernstein and Barber. (Juilliard’s Peter Jay Sharp Theater, 155 West 65th Street, call 212.721.6500 for more info)
Thursday, January 14
GO? Much buzzed-about playwright, Young Jean Lee, debuts a new piece, Lear, based on the Shakespearean. Staying true to the title, Lear focuses on the relationship of children who turn their backs on their ailing fathers. (Through January 31, 7:30pm, $20-$40, Soho Rep., 46 Walker Street, between Broadway and Church, tickets/info or call 212-941-8632)
