Denis O’Hare and Brendan Fraser bring the crazy back to Broadway…Stephen Sondheim celebrates the longest birthday in history… Chita Rivera is back at Birdland….and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade!
Want to go to the theatre this holiday WEEK AHEAD? Be sure to check out Playbill’s Broadway Thanksgiving Week Performance Schedule to see what is playing when.
There's a parade in town!
Blake
Saturday, November 20
GO? Capathia Jenkins (Caroline, or Change) and musician Louis Rosen celebrate five years of making music together. Their Joe's Pub show promises the two performing "unplugged" songs from the Great American Songbook, show tunes and original music. (Though November 28, 7 PM, Joe's Pub, 425 Lafayette St., info/tickets)
Sunday, November 21 
OPENING? Brendan Fraser and Tony winner Denis O’Hare star as the oddest of couples in Simon Bent’s Elling, a story of two recently released mental hospital patients who take up life in downtown Oslo and befriend a pregnant woman (played by the ever-hilarious Jennifer Coolidge) with a penchant for 40-year-old virgins. Directed by Tony winner Doug Hughes. (Barrymore Theatre, 243 W. 47th St., btwn. Broadway and 8th Ave., Click here for Playbill Club discount tickets)
Monday, November 22 
GO? One of the most innovative and touching new musicals of the season, Kander & Ebb’s The Scottsboro Boys, is the subject of a special discussion at the theatre where it all began, The Vineyard. Cast members Colman Domingo, Sharon Washington and librettist David Thompson will join theatre critics David Rooney, Elisabeth Vincentelli (NY Post) and Steven Suskin (Playbill, Variety) for this, the second in the theatre’s “Vineyard Voices” series. (7 PM, Vineyard Theatre, 108 E. 15th St., btwn. 4th Ave. & Irving Place, $20, info/tickets)
GO? Betty Buckley, Marc Kudisch, Max von Essen, Ricky Ian Gordon, Aaron Lazar, John Tartaglia, Jeanine Tesori and others join the star-studded lineup for You Are Not Alone, a benefit concert for The Trevor Project, a non-profit organization dedicated to ending suicide among LGBTQ youth. A reception and silent auction, with items from Tom Ford, Hermes and Zac Posen, will begin at 7 PM. (The Church of St. Paul the Apostle, W. 60th St. & Columbus, $25-$100, info/tickets)
GO? The Acting Company's Masquerade Gala, featuring performances by Kelsey Grammer and Patti LuPone, will honor the work of Lincoln Center’s Bernard Gersten and BC/EFA’s Tom Viola. Angela Lansbury, Marian Seldes, Elizabeth Wilson, Campbell Scott, Dana Ivey, Shubert Organization's Philip Smith and Robert Wankel, Jujamcyn Theater's Paul Libin, Equity's Nick Wyman, The Actors Fund's Joe Benincasa and The Broadway League's Charlotte St. Martin will also be part of the tribute evening. (The Pierre Hotel, 2 E. 61st St. & 5th Ave., tickets starting at $75, call 212-258-3111)
Tuesday, November 23 
GO? Aeschylus’ Oresteia trilogy tells the bloody tale of the family of Agamemnon, King of Argos. This latest version, courtesy of Ethos Performing Arts, features all the revenge, murder, torment, sacrifice and adultery this Greek tragedy is famous for, all packed into 80 fast-paced minutes. (The Kirk Theatre, 410 W. 42nd St., btwn. 9th and 10th Aves., Click here for Playbill Club discount tickets)
GO (FREE)? Comedian and author Steve Martin reads from his newest novel An Object of Beauty in New York City. (7 PM, Barnes & Noble Union Square, 33 East 17th St., btwn. Broadway and Park Aves., info)
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Wednesday, November 24 
WATCH? One of the highlights of Stephen Sondheim's 80th birthday bonanza was the New York Philharmonic’s Sondheim: The Birthday Concert, featuring a star-studded cast, including Bernadette Peters, Mandy Patinkin, Patti LuPone, Elaine Stritch, Michael Cerveris, Audra McDonald and Donna Murphy. David Hyde Pierce served as host with Paul Gemignani serving as musical director. Having attended this performance last March, I can tell you, this one is worth TiVo-ing! (9 PM on PBS, Click here to check local listings)
Thursday, November 25
WATCH? Broadway has always played a big role in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade (even after they moved the parade from its regular Broadway route over to 7th Ave!). For this 84th parade, expect knockout performances from the Broadway companies of American Idiot, Memphis, Million Dollar Quartet and Elf: The Musical. Other performers include Tony winner Betty Buckley, Gladys Knight (sans Pips), Ann Hampton Callaway, Kanye West and Jessica Simpson. (airs LIVE from 9 AM ET-noon on NBC)
Friday, November 26 
GO? Tony-winning legend Chita Rivera returns to cabaret for a special two-night-only engagement at the intimate Birdland jazz club. (8:30 PM & 11 PM, Birdland, 315 W. 44th St., btwn. 8th and 9th Aves., info/tickets)
