Frances McDormand is Good People… the champions of That Championship Season have their last fight in the Broadway ring… Jackie Hoffman continues turning 50… and an all-star Memorial Day in DC.
Blake
Saturday, May 28 
GO (MN)? Yasmina Reza's Tony-winning play God of Carnage continues living post-Broadway with several acclaimed regional productions — most recently directed by John Miller-Stephany at the Guthrie. Jennifer Blagen, Chris Carlson, Tracey Maloney and Bill McCallum star as the two couples who place themselves in the middle of their children’s playground fight. After a seemingly cordial meeting, the insults (and in one famous scene, puke) start to fly and things get ugly, but still very funny. (Through Aug. 7, Guthrie Theatre’s McGuire Stage, 818 South 2nd St., Minneapolis, MN, info/tickets)
Sunday, May 29 
LAST CHANCE? 2011 Tony nominee Frances McDormand stars in David Lindsay-Abaire’s Good People. The Pulitzer Prize-winning author’s newest drama explores the hard-knocks life of Margie Walsh (McDormand) — a woman from the South side of Boston struggling to live from paycheck to paycheck. When the paychecks stop, Margie must swallow her pride and ask her wealthy former flame (Tate Donovan) for help. (Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, 261 West 47th St., btwn. Broadway & 8th Ave., Click here for Playbill Club discount tickets)
LAST CHANCE? Kiefer Sutherland, Chris Noth, Jim Gaffigan and Jason Patric star as the former champions of That Championship Season, the Pulitzer Prize-winning story of a group of former high school basketball players longing to reclaim some of their lost glory. A reunion at the home of their ailing coach, played by a fiery Brian Cox, turns ugly and their true colors show. (Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre, 242 W. 45th St., btwn. Broadway & 8th Ave., Click here for Playbill Club discount tickets)
WATCH? Tony Award winner Joe Mantegna and actor Gary Sinise host PBS’s annual “National Memorial Day Concert” live from Washington, DC. The show will feature the bands and choruses of various sectors of the armed forces alongside stars like Kris Allen, Dianne Wiest, B.B. King, Hayley Westenra, Forest Whitaker, Jason Ritter, Daniel Rodriguez, Yolanda Adams and Maestro Jack Everly. (8 PM ET, PBS, Click here for local listings)
Monday, May 30 
LAST CHANCE? Jackie Hoffman spreads her birthday anti-cheer for one last performance of her show Jackie Five-Oh!: A Celebration of Jackie Hoffman’s First 50th Birthday. Here, the famously caustic comedienne takes on her fellow actors, critics and even the fine folks at Rite Aid in different songs written by her and co-writer/musical director Bobby Peaco. Since premiering in December to rave reviews, Jackie Five-Oh! has extended four times. (7:30 PM, Joe’s Pub, 425 Lafayette St., $30, info/tickets)
Tuesday, May 31 
WATCH? Carnegie Hall’s 120th birthday concert (filmed on May 5) features four-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald backed by the New York Philharmonic. The show will air on PBS as part of their “Great Performances” series. Also on the birthday bill is celebrated cellist Yo-Yo Ma and pianist Emanuel Ax. The show features a delightful mix of jazz and classical standards plucked from the songbooks of Beethoven, Ellington, Dvorak and Gershwin. (8 PM ET, Click here for local listings)
Wednesday, June 1 
GO? A one-night-only reading of Alan Alda’s play Radiance: The Passion of Marie Curie features Maggie Gyllenhaal as the famous scientist, alongside a starry company of actors including Amy Adams, Bill Camp, Allison Janney, David Morse and Liev Schreiber. Bob Balaban directs the reading, which not only kicks off the 2011 World Science Festival, it also marks the 100th anniversary of Curie's Nobel Prize in Chemistry. (7:30 PM, Alice Tully Hall, 1941 Broadway, on 65th St btwn. Broadway & Amsterdam, $250 and up, info/tickets)
http://worldsciencefestival.com/gala
GO? Poetic Theater Company's Goliath is one of the plays kicking off The Planet Connections Theater Festivity — an eco-friendly/socially conscious theater festival — on June 1. Goliath centers on a soldier returning from the Iraq War and how his life has been irrevocably changed based on his actions overseas. Directed by Alex Mallory. (Robert Moss Theater, 440 Lafayette St., 3rd Floor, info/tickets)
Thursday, June 2 
WATCH? The Tony Award-nominated revival of The Importance of Being Earnest is the latest stage production to get a high-gloss, hi-def film version which will help bring this spectacular revival of the Oscar Wilde classic — starring and directed by 2011 Tony nominee Brian Bedford — to the masses! (Click here for viewing info in your area)
Friday, June 3 
GO (AL)? Melora Hardin (Broadway’s Chicago and NBC’s “The Office”) spends this weekend in the heartland with a series of concerts, master classes and meet-and-greets at Alabama’s Merrimack Hall. (Merrimack Hall, 3320 Triana Blvd., Huntsville, AL, info/tickets)
