This Black Friday edition of The WEEK AHEAD is all about spreading the holiday cheer (and good will). Start off with the seminal holiday classic The Nutcracker…join Liza and the Lion King in Vegas…and get entertained and give back at the same time.
Tis the season!
Blake
Friday, November 27 GO→ The seminal holiday classic, The Nutcracker, opens this Friday featuring the work of the legendary late George Balanchine, an on-stage snowstorm, and a Christmas tree weighing it at one ton! (Through January 3, David H. Koch Theatre at Lincoln Center, 20 Lincoln Square at 66th Street, info/tickets)
WATCH→ Has Thanksgiving left you feeling like a stuffed turkey? Can’t get off your couch and make it to the theatre? Fear not…Broadway is hitting the tube post T-giving! First, the cast of The Lion King will perform live from Las Vegas on Live with Regis and Kelly. Also feeling the Vegas spirit is the legendary Liza Minnelli whose concert special Liza’s at the Palace will air on American Public Television. (Regis & Kelly airs live at 9amET on ABC. Liza’s at the Palace airs at 8pmET. Click here for channel/time near you)
Saturday, November 28 WATCH→ Also hitting the airwaves this holiday weekend is The Radio City Christmas Spectacular with a special performance for PBS this Saturday. (8pmET, Channel 13, info on a station near you)
Sunday, November 29 GO→ Spring Awakening alum and current “Gleeks” Lea Michele and Jonathan Groff join Cyndi Lauper for a special “True Colors Cabaret” concert, proceeds of which go to the True Colors Fund and Broadway Impact, two wonderful organizations leading the fight for equality in this country! (8pm and 10:30pm, Feinstein’s at Loews Regency, tickets/info or call 212.339.4095)
Monday, November 30 GO→Chicago has seen its fair share of guest stars with the likes of George Hamilton, Taye Diggs, Melanie Griffith, Wayne Brady, Brooke Shields, Usher and even Jerry Springer taking on the Kander and Ebb classic. Now, it’s Ashlee Simpson’s turn. The songstress, playing Roxie Hart, will be the latest lady to be locked up in the Cook County jail on Broadway. (Through February 7, The Ambassador Theatre, 219 W. 49th Street at Broadway, for special Playbill Club discount tickets click here)
GO→ Wicked alum (and fellow Stresiand lover) Shoshana Bean will make her concert debut at Jazz at Lincoln Center. Shoshana will lend her Broadway belt to some classic Streisand tunes as well as some original music from her album Superhero. (7:30pm, Rose Theatre at Jazz at Lincoln Center, 33 W. 60th Street at Broadway, tickets)
Tuesday, December 1
SUPPORT→ As we told you in September, The Color Purple was raising money during each stop of its national tour for the New Orleans-based group the St. Bernard Project. This Tuesday, the show roles into New Orleans with a big chunk of change—$300,000 to be exact—which will help 20 families displaced by Hurricane Katrina move back into their homes! For tickets and to make donations, click here)
Wednesday, December 2
GO→ Celebrated violin virtuoso Itzhak Perlman joins the New York Philharmonic for “A Concert To End Polio”, a one-night-only performance benefiting Rotary International. (7:30pm, Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall, for tickets call 212.875.5656 or click here)
WATCH→ NBC hosts its annual Tree Lighting Ceremony at Rockefellar Center this Wednesday night. The all-star lineup features performances by Alicia Keys, Aretha Franklin, Michael Buble and Barry Manilow. (Airs at 8pmET/PT on NBC)
Thursday, December 3 GO→ New Broadway besties Cheyenne Jackson and Michael Feinstein will make a special appearance and performance at Barnes & Noble in celebration of their album “The Power of Two”. (5pm, Lincoln Triangle, 1972 Broadway, near 66th Street, info)
The kids at Rock of Ages have been diligently doing their duty to make us laugh both on and off the stage. Seriously, these cats are high-larious! The latest installment from ROA Productions features Mitchell Jarvis and Lauren Molina in a Thanksgiving day game of seduction (or Sh-eeduction).
Bravo Rock of Ages and thanks for the laughs… rock on!
Just when you thought Twilight couldn’t get any bigger—New Moon saw the third highest-grossing weekend in Hollywood history!—Vampire musicals have apparently come back in style. And I’m not talking about the ill-fated Dance of the Vampires or Lestat (heavens, no). Rather a crop of Twilight-inspired “musicals” that have hit the web hoping to suck every last bit of hype from this franchise. One even combines another big money, tween driven brand called Twilight High School Musical. Sigh.
Twilight The Musical
New Moon: The Musical: Nice ode-to-MJ at the end!
Twilight High School Musical: You can “Bet on It” not making the Main Stem any time soon. bada bum
This WEEK AHEAD features enough action to gear you up for your post-Thanksgiving tryptophan coma. Start off with a visit from the unofficial mayor of Broadway, Brian Stokes Mitchell…a concert featuring the legendary Michel Legrand… the bombastic Broadway opening of Fela!…the Marvelous Wonderettes…and lots more to wonder at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Blake
Friday, November 20 GO→ Tony Award winning star and Playbill buddy Brian Stokes Mitchell visits Barnes & Nobel today to celebrate the release of a new young adults book he contributed to entitled Lights on Broadway: A Theatrical Tour of Broadway from A to Z. The book features words of wisdom from Stokes and some of his Broadway buddies like Chita Rivera, Cheyenne Jackson and Patti LuPone as well as a CD with a special ode-to-Broadway courtesy of Stokes and Steven Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens. (5pm, Lincoln Triangle, 1972 Broadway, near 66th Street, to purchase the book click here, portion of the proceeds go to The Actors Fund)
GO→ Songstress Ann Hampton Callaway and the Camp Broadway Kids join The New York Pops for an evening of Johnny Mercer classics in honor of what would be the late composer’s 100th birthday. (8pm, Carnegie Hall, 154 West 57th, at 7th Avenue, tickets are $33-$104, call 212-247-7800 or click here)
Saturday, November 21 GO→ Legendary Oscar winning composer Michel Legrand makes a rare visit to New York in a special one-night-only performance alongside Dionne Warwick. Legrand is perhaps best known for his long-time collaboration with Marilyn and Alan Bergman on songs like “What Are You Doing The Rest of Your Life?” and “The Windmills of Your Mind”. His songs have been performed by some of the best voices in the world, including Barbra Streisand, for whom he penned the Oscar winning score of Yentl. (8pm, Avery Fisher Hall, 10 Lincoln Center Plaza, Columbus Avenue at 65th St., tickets)
Sunday, November 22 BEFORE IT CLOSES → The Off-Broadway show Broke-ology, will close this Sunday. Written by young up-and-coming playwright Nathan Lewis Jackson, Broke-ology tells the poignant story of the King family led by an ill father who must now rely on his sons to take care of him. (Mitzi E, Newhouse Theatre at Lincoln Center, 150 W. 65th Street, between Broadway and Amsterdam Ave., info/tickets)
Monday, November 23 OPENING→Fela!, the new Broadway show about the life and music of Nigerian Afro-Funk pioneer Fela Kuti opens this Monday transforming the O’Neill into the musician’s own Shrine Club. Director/Choreographer and co-conceiver, Tony winner Bill T. Jones, has created a masterpiece with this one and I have no doubt this show (with the help of producers Jay-Z and Will and Jada Smith) will help solidify Kuti’s legacy for decades to come. (Eugene O’Neill Theatre, 230 West 49th Street, between Broadway and 8th Avenues, for Playbill Club discount tickets, click here, more information visit www.felaonbroadway.com)
LISTEN→ American Idol’s Adam Lambert’s first solo album, For Your Entertainment, hits this Monday. Click here to listen to some tracks.
GO→Rosie’s Broadway Kids will honor Queen Latifah in a one-night-only benefit performance featuring Nikki Blonsky, Gavin Creel, Montego Glover, Norm Lewis and Melinda Doolittle. (7:30pm, The Palace Theatre, 1564 Broadway at 47th Street, tickets)
Tuesday, November 24 GO→ The Tony Award winning revival of South Pacific sets up shop in Chicago this Tuesday. (Through November 29, the Rosemont Theatre, 5400 N. River Road Rosemont, Illinois 60018, tickets/info)
Wednesday, November 25 GO→ The pop musical the Marvelous Wonderettes celebrates its 500th show this Wednesday. This “cotton-candy colored musical blast from the past” features tunes from the ‘50s and ‘60s including “Lollipop,” “Dream Lover,” “Stupid Cupid,” “Lipstick on Your Collar,” “Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me,” “It’s My Party,” and “It’s In His Kiss (The Shoop Shoop Song)”. (Westside Theatre, 407 W. 43rd Street, between 9th and 10th Avenues, info/tickets)
Thursday, November 26 WATCH→ For the first time in 83 years, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will take a detour off of Broadway and on to 7th Avenue—but that doesn’t mean Broadway will be absent from the festivities. Some of the Great White Way’s greatest will be on hand including (on CBS) Reba McEntire and the casts of West Side Story and Dreamgirls; (on NBC) Alan Cumming, Cyndi Lauper, Jane Krakowski with performances by the casts of Bye Bye Birdie, Hair, Billy Elliot and Shrek. (For parade info, click here)
GO→ The show must go on—even during the holidays. Check out Playbill.com’s Thanksgiving week calendar for a schedule of Broadway performances for the holiday week.
Do you hear that kids? That faint sound of jingle bells? The distant humming of carolers singing Silent Night? The sound of retailers cheering with holiday glee? That’s the sound of the holidays coming at you fast and furious!
This WEEK AHEAD boasts some big Broadway openings– a Tony winning revival and to a new play with a none-too-subtle title. There’s also some grooving with your tots… Savion Glover…and a changing of the guards at God of Carnage.
Happy Hunting!
Blake
Friday, November 13 VISIT → You have until 8pmET tonight to bid on some 30 groovy Broadway items like a Hugh Jackman experience at A Steady Rain, a backstage tour and 4 seats to Shrek, tickets to The Daily Show, a getaway to the Standard Hotel and more! Proceeds go to Only Make Believe, a non-profit that brings the healing power of theatre to chronically ill kids. Click here to bid.
GO→ The description for a new Christmas show opening today reads as follows: “It’s time for the annual holiday production for a struggling gay theatre company in West Hollywood. Jim, the pot-smoking straight tech guy, offends M&M, the eclectic playwright, causing him to walk out and take his script with him. Now the crazy and drama-addicted team has just a few weeks to produce the ‘gayest Christmas pageant ever.’” (and here’s where we get the title of the show!) Drama-addicted, you say? In a theatre company? With a playwright named M&M? And a pageant?! Sounds about right. Best. Name. Ever.=The Gayest Christmas Pageant Ever! (through January 3, The Actors’ Playhouse, 100 Seventh Avenue South, At Grove St., tickets)
Saturday, November 14 GO→ Saturday is a day of dance at the Children’s Museum of Manhattan. Masters from the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater will perform, as well as teach in various sessions throughout the day. Sign-up is encouraged and begins one hour before each event at the Visitor’s Information Desk. Click here for a full schedule of events. (Starts at 2pm, The Children’s Museum of Manhattan, 212 West 83rd Street, between Amsterdam Ave and Broadway)
Sunday, November 15 OPENING→ Following a much buzzed-about run at the Kennedy Center in DC, Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens’ Tony Award winning musical Ragtime returns to Broadway this Sunday. (Neil Simon Theatre, 250 West 52nd Street, between Broadway and 8th Avenues, tickets)
GO→ The Award-winning playwright, Sir Alan Ayckbourn makes a Stateside appearance this Sunday. Ayckbourn will discuss, with moderator Howard Sherman from the American Theatre Wing, his long and esteemed career including his newest play My Wonderful Day, which Ayckbourn is also directing. (12:30pm, 59E59 Theatre at 59 East 59th Street, call (212) 279-4200 for tickets)
Monday, November 16 GO→Broadway Unplugged returns to Town Hall for its sixth year featuring some unique performances—unplugged and unparalleled. This year’s Unplugged roster includes 15+ stellar acts including Marc Kudisch (9 to 5) and Daniel Reichard (Jersey Boys). (8pm, The Town Hall, 123 West 43rd Street, between 6th and 7th Avenues, info).
Tuesday, November 17 GO→ The Tony Award winning play God of Carnage welcomes a new cast this Tuesday. Christine Lahti (“Chicago Hope”) and Annie Potts (“Designing Women”) step in as ‘Veronica” and‘Annette;’ Jimmy Smits (“The West Wing”) and Ken Stott (original cast member of the West End production of God of Carnage) take over as ‘Alan’ and ‘Michael’. (Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre, 242 West 45th Street, between Broadway and 8th Avenues, tickets)
Wednesday, November 18 GO→ Savion Glover, brings his unparalleled dancing mastery to the intimate Blue Note Jazz Club for a series of performances that pair him with jazz greats McCoy Tyner, Roy Haynes, Eddie Palmieri and Jack Dejohnette (separate evenings). (8pm & 10:30pm, Through November 22, The Blue Note, 131 West 3rd Street, between 6th Avenue and MacDougal Street, tickets)
GO→ The 92nd Street Y will host a one-night only tribute to Johnny Mercer, who would have turned 100 years old this Wednesday. Billy Stritch, Barbara Carroll, KT Sullivan, Julie Wilson, Lucie Arnaz and others will perform. (8pm, 92nd street Y, at Lexington, tickets)
Thursday, November 19 GO→ The play with the quirky name In the Next Room or the vibrator play opens this Thursday on Broadway starring Tony winner, Laura Benanti. This comedy, set in the 19th century, isn’t exactly what you think. It clearly doesn’t take itself too seriously (see title!), but it also has its poignant moments as it explores the evolution of women’s sexuality. (Lyceum Theatre box office, 149 West 45th Street, between 6th and 7th Avenues, tickets)
Over the past few days, some bizarre war of words has been going on. No, I don’t mean Jon vs. Kate or Lindsay Lohan vs. her dad or even an old fashioned Rosie vs. Trump (that was some good public feud’n fun!) This newest rumble in the jungle pits piano man, Michael Feinstein against everyone’s favorite purple haired showgal, Dame Edna. All over the show title, All About Me. Eh.
Round 1: Feinstein takes a right hander to Edna with the snarky remark, “I wish Ms. Edna well. I’ve heard of her.”
Round 2: Edna fights back with a similarly vitriolic slap, “While I was saddened to hear that Mr. Feinstein did not heed my sage advice to change the title of his show, I’m overjoyed to hear that he at least took my suggestion to open his show after mine. I’m sure Mrs. Feinstein is very proud of her son.”
Oh, snap!
Of course, as many have speculated (referencing a Michael Riedel piece from July mentioning the buzz over the two actually taking the stage together), this is probably a PR stunt leading up to some kind of grand announcement. Nevertheless, it’s been fun watching the wild speculation and suggestions on how to make these two kiss and makeup. One particularly funny post from TONY’s Adam Feldman suggests some other Broadway projects follow suit with mash-ups of their own. My personal favorite was a Star Wars-themed Yoda show entitled About Me It’s All. Genius.
If these two can ever bury the hatchet, perhaps some of these classic duets should be on the song list!
Anything you can do…
A question I’m sure Michael Feinstein is asking himself this very minute: Why Can’t A Woman Be More Like a Man?
And if these two kiss and makeup?! The perfect show stopper!
Last night, the spectacular Bernadette Peters put on the show of a lifetime at the Minskoff (a benefit for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and her own Broadway Barks). Peters teamed up with longtime collaborators, Musical Director Marvin Laird and Director Richard Jay-Alexander, to create the two and a half hour performance that included lots of Broadway standards (and a few barks).
The evening started off with an appropriately adapted version of the Prologue from Into the Woods with Broadway Barks co-founder, Mary Tyler Moore, as the narrator: “Once upon a time…in Queens”, she began, referencing Bernadette’s hometown. Bernadette reprised her role as the Witch while simultaneously playing the Baker for “Greens, Greens”. She then burst into an impromptu version of the The Mary Tyler Moore Show theme song (equipped with the classic toss of the hat by Moore).
The lady of the evening was in rare form, wowing the packed house, which included the likes of Hugh Jackman, Joel Grey, Barbara Walters, Stephen Sondheim and Arthur Laurents. Her stunning Botticelli-esque frame swirled around the stage in her signature Bob Mackie glittery gowns, one adorned with 15,000 Swarovski crystals. (“I’ve got 1,000 more in a bag backstage just in case something goes wrong”, she quipped.)
She sang the classics like “Being Alive”, “Some Enchanted Evening”, “Nothin’ Like a Dame”, “Not a Days Goes By”, “No One is Alone” and “Johanna”. As promised, she also tackled new material. (“Sometimes I hear a song and it sticks in my head yelling at me ‘Sing me! Sing me!’” she explained of her new song choices). New tunes included “In Buddy’s Eyes” and “Losing My Mind” from Follies, “Fever”, “When You Wish Upon a Star” and “Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah” sung for the dozen dogs that joined her on stage, all rescues from the Humane Society of New York, a Broadway Barks partner.
She closed the evening with a recreation of two Tony-nominated performances. First, she adopted a shawl and blanket for a rendition of “Children and Art” from Sunday in the Park with George. She then stepped back into the role of Momma Rose, with the addition of heavy black shoes and a dark cardigan, for a rendition of “Rose’s Turn” that had everyone at their feet the moment she let out that last, exasperated, “For me!”
Perhaps the most touching moment of the evening came during the encore, with a sweet rendition of“Kramer’s Song”, a lullaby she penned for her rescued pooch, Kramer, who made a guest starring appearance.
Congratulations are in order to the whole team at BC/EFA who once again pulled out all the stops for this unforgettable evening. The event helped raise $615,000 for the two organizations. For information about Broadway Barks and adopting your own rescue, visit www.broadwaybarks.com.
Tony Award winners are popping up all over the place this WEEK AHEAD. Start off with the return of a six-time Tony Award winning show that first premiered on Broadway in 1981…a two-time Tony winner comes back to Broadway for one-night-only…A Tony (and Oscar and Golden Globe) winner heads to TV Land…and two Broadway shows with Tony winning excellence behind them (one a playwright the other an actor) host special nights for two “super” reasons.
This is your Week Ahead,
Blake
Friday, November 6 SEE→ Disney’s A Christmas Carol based on the classic Charles Dickens tale, will get a 3D makeover this weekend! The film is directed by Robert Zemeckis and stars Jim Carrey.
Saturday, November 7 GO→ An iconic show moves to a legendary home this Saturday when Dreamgirls starts previews at the world famous Apollo Theatre in Harlem. The show will run uptown for four weeks before hitting the road on a national tour. (Through December 6, Apollo Theatre, 253 W. 125th Street, at 7th Avenue, www.dreamgirlsonstage.com)
Sunday, November 8 GO→ The smash-hit play A Steady Rain, starring Daniel Craig and Hugh Jackman, will add an extra show to their schedule this week with a benefit performance for The Actors Fund. (7pm, Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, 236 W. 45th Street, email tickets@actorsfund.org or call 212.221.7300 ext. 133)
GO (FREE)→ Last seasons Off-Broadway gem The Temperamentals,(set to return in February to New World Stages), made its debut last December at TBG’s Reading Series. Hoping to strike gold yet again, The Temperamentals team Jon Marans (author) and Jonathan Silverstein (director) will come together for a free reading of their newest collaboration, A Strange and Separate People, this Sunday. (7pm, The Garrett Studio, 312 West 36th Street, between Eighth and Ninth Avenues, info)
Peters performed last month at Playbill's 125th Anniversary party
Monday, November 9 GO→ Two-time Tony Award winner, Bernadette Peters, will return to the Broadway stage for a one-night-only benefit concert for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and Broadway Barks. Mary Tyler Moore is set to narrate. Peters told NY1’s Frank DiLella she’ll take on some Sondheim material she’s never performed before including “In Buddy’s Eyes” from Follies. She’ll also have a few four-legged guests joining her on stage (13 of them to be exact!), including her own pooch, Kramer. (8pm, Minskoff Theatre, 200 W 45th Street, between Seventh and Eighth Avenues, tickets)
GO→ Alan Alda, Regis Philbin, Lorraine Bracco, Chita Rivera, Jerry Stiller and others will celebrate the life and love of the late Jerry Orbach with a reading of the actor’s posthumous memoir, Remember How I Love You. The book recounts his 30-year marriage with wife Elaine told through a collection of love letters. (5:30pm, The Snapple Theatre Center, 210 West 50th Street, 4th fl., Advance premium tickets are $50. 100 free tickets will be distributed at the box office beginning at 10am on the day of the event-max of two tickets per person allowed. For further information, call 212-921-7862)
Tuesday, November 10 GO→ Feeling Superior? Like Donuts? Then head over to the Music Box on Tuesday for a special “superior” night of Superior Donuts. The company has invited employees from “superior” companies (like Superior Technology Solutions, Superior Officers Council Health and Superior Leather Restorers) as well as employees of donut shops from around the tri-state area to attend the show and meet the cast. Super! (Music Box Theatre, 239 W. 45th Street, tickets)
Thursday, November 12 WATCH→ Two theatre stars become TV Land-bound this Thursday night. First, on ABC, Oscar/Tony/Golden Globe winner, Joel Grey, will guest star on Grey’s Anatomy as an old high school teacher of Katherine Heigl’s character, Izzie Stevens. Over at NBC, Finian’s Rainbow star Cheyenne Jackson will guest star on NBC’s 30 Rock as a new TGS cast member, Danny/Jack Baker. (30 Rock airs on NBC at 9:30/8:30c, Grey’s Anatomy airs on ABC 9/8c)
Bette Midler announced today that she will play her last show at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas on January 31. The final performance will mark the end of her glitzy Vegas extravaganza “The Showgirl Must Go On”. In the announcement, she said, “What a fabulous two years this has been, and I thank AEG and Caesars Palace for the best partnership a showgirl could imagine. Who knows? These legs have had such a great run in the desert—it may be time to haul them to places with more humidity and fewer slot machines. But first I need to finish recording my album of the sexiest new love songs that only a showgirl could sing.”
Tickets for these final performances are on-sale at Ticketmaster.com, keyword “Bette Midler” or by calling 1-877-7BETTEM (723-8836).
If you’ve Googled something today, chances are you immediately recognized the two famous, feathered legs in the middle of your screen. They are of everyone’s favorite beaked buddy, Big Bird! Today’s Google Doodle commemorates the 40th Anniversary of Sesame Street.
Many of us credit Sesame Street with helping us to learn the alphabet, or how to count, or how to share (sharing is caring after all). But perhaps most importantly, Sesame Street instilled the love of music into millions of kids around the world. Without Sesame Street, who knows what great musicals would never have been written!
For your Webway Wednesday viewing pleasure: some classic Sesame Street songs. Take a few minutes to relive your childhood.
“C is for Cookies”: The ultimate please-can-I-have-a-cookie-MOM? song.
“Rubber Duckey”: Would any kid have ever agreed to take a bath without this song?
“It’s Not Easy Being Green”: Still the ultimate ode to loving yourself just the way you are.
GO→ The seminal holiday classic, The Nutcracker, opens this Friday featuring the work of the legendary late George Balanchine, an on-stage snowstorm, and a Christmas tree weighing it at one ton! (Through January 3, David H. Koch Theatre at Lincoln Center, 20 Lincoln Square at 66th Street, info/tickets)
GO→ Chicago has seen its fair share of guest stars with the likes of George Hamilton, Taye Diggs, Melanie Griffith, Wayne Brady, Brooke Shields, Usher and even Jerry Springer taking on the Kander and Ebb classic. Now, it’s Ashlee Simpson’s turn. The songstress, playing Roxie Hart, will be the latest lady to be locked up in the Cook County jail on Broadway. (Through February 7, The Ambassador Theatre, 219 W. 49th Street at Broadway, for special Playbill Club discount tickets click here)
WATCH→ NBC hosts its annual Tree Lighting Ceremony at Rockefellar Center this Wednesday night. The all-star lineup features performances by Alicia Keys, Aretha Franklin, Michael Buble and Barry Manilow. (Airs at 8pmET/PT on NBC)
GO→ Tony Award winning star and Playbill buddy Brian Stokes Mitchell visits Barnes & Nobel today to celebrate the release of a new young adults book he contributed to entitled Lights on Broadway: A Theatrical Tour of Broadway from A to Z. The book features words of wisdom from Stokes and some of his Broadway buddies like Chita Rivera, Cheyenne Jackson and Patti LuPone as well as a CD with a special ode-to-Broadway courtesy of Stokes and Steven Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens. (5pm, Lincoln Triangle, 1972 Broadway, near 66th Street, to purchase the book 
G
OPENING→ Fela!, the new Broadway show about the life and music of Nigerian Afro-Funk pioneer Fela Kuti opens this Monday transforming the O’Neill into the musician’s own Shrine Club. Director/Choreographer and co-conceiver, Tony winner Bill T. Jones, has created a masterpiece with this one and I have no doubt this show (with the help of producers Jay-Z and Will and Jada Smith) will help solidify Kuti’s legacy for decades to come. (Eugene O’Neill Theatre, 230 West 49th Street, between Broadway and 8th Avenues, for Playbill Club discount tickets, 
GO→ The pop musical the Marvelous Wonderettes celebrates its 500th show this Wednesday. This “cotton-candy colored musical blast from the past” features tunes from the ‘50s and ‘60s including “Lollipop,” “Dream Lover,” “Stupid Cupid,” “Lipstick on Your Collar,” “Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me,” “It’s My Party,” and “It’s In His Kiss (The Shoop Shoop Song)”. (Westside Theatre, 407 W. 43rd Street, between 9th and 10th Avenues, 
VISIT → You have until 8pmET tonight to bid on some 30 groovy Broadway items like a Hugh Jackman experience at A Steady Rain, a backstage tour and 4 seats to Shrek, tickets to The Daily Show, a getaway to the Standard Hotel and more! Proceeds go to Only Make Believe, a non-profit that brings the healing power of theatre to chronically ill kids. Click 
OPENING→ Following a much buzzed-about run at the Kennedy Center in DC, Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens’ Tony Award winning musical Ragtime returns to Broadway this Sunday. (Neil Simon Theatre, 250 West 52nd Street, between Broadway and 8th Avenues, 
GO→ Savion Glover, brings his unparalleled dancing mastery to the intimate Blue Note Jazz Club for a series of performances that pair him with jazz greats McCoy Tyner, Roy Haynes, Eddie Palmieri and Jack Dejohnette (separate evenings). (8pm & 10:30pm, Through November 22, The Blue Note, 131 West 3rd Street, between 6th Avenue and MacDougal Street, 
GO→ The play with the quirky name In the Next Room or the vibrator play opens this Thursday on Broadway starring Tony winner, Laura Benanti. This comedy, set in the 19th century, isn’t exactly what you think. It clearly doesn’t take itself too seriously (see title!), but it also has its poignant moments as it explores the evolution of women’s sexuality. (Lyceum Theatre box office, 149 West 45th Street, between 6th and 7th Avenues, 
GO→ An iconic show moves to a legendary home this Saturday when Dreamgirls starts previews at the world famous Apollo Theatre in Harlem. The show will run uptown for four weeks before hitting the road on a national tour. (Through December 6, Apollo Theatre, 253 W. 125th Street, at 7th Avenue, www.dreamgirlsonstage.com)
Katherine Heigl’s character, Izzie Stevens. Over at NBC, Finian’s Rainbow star Cheyenne Jackson will guest star on NBC’s 30 Rock as a new TGS cast member, Danny/Jack Baker. (30 Rock airs on NBC at 9:30/8:30c, Grey’s Anatomy airs on ABC 9/8c)
