10,080 minutes. How do you measure a WEEK AHEAD?
Let’s find out, shall we?

Andy Cohen helps MCC celebrate its 25th birthday… Chris Rock previews Motherf**ker… Mrs. Partridge after dark… and a new season for Rent

Moooo,
Blake

Saturday, March12
GO (FREE)→ Members of the creative teams behind two new Peter Pan-inspired shows — New York Theatre Workshop’s Peter and the Starcatcher and The New Victory Theater presentation of Mabou Mines’ Peter and Wendy — will discuss the impact of J.M. Barrie’s creation of eternal youth and unbridled imagination, and their own adaptations of the famous “Boy Who Didn’t Want to Grow Up” fable. (2 PM, New York Public Library’s Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, 5th Ave. and 42nd St., info/tickets)

Sunday, March 13
GO→ Eight writers, eight composers, two directors, two musical directors, and ten performers come together for a two-week musical theatre marathon. The result? Artists WithOut Limits Theatre Project’s 8Minute Musicals. The program, now in its second year, brings together up-and-coming talent to create eight musical shorts conceived, cast, rehearsed and performed all in just two weeks. (Through March 14, TBG Theatre, 312 W. 36th Street, btwn. 8th & 9th Aves., 3rd floor, $18, info/tickets or call 212-868-4444)

Monday, March 14
GO→ MCC Theatre’s annual Miscast gala features gender-bending, unlikely casting and sometimes deliciously ridiculous performances by some of Broadway’s biggest talents, and this year is no different. Hosted by Bravo TV’s Andy Cohen, 2011 performers include Brian D’Arcy James, Ana Gasteyer, Laura Osnes, Nicole Parker, and Steven Pasquale. (6:30 PM cocktails, 8:45 PM performances, Hammerstein Ballroom, 311 W. 34th St., btwn. 8th and 9th Aves., tickets start at $75, info/tickets)

Tuesday, March 15
PREVIEWS→ Comedian Chris Rock makes his Broadway debut in the foul-mouthed comedy MotherF**ker With the Hat. Written by Stephen Adly Guirgis, MotherF**ker follows an AA sponsor (Rock) and his recently paroled sponsee (played by Bobby Cannavale). When an ominous hat (and the unseen playboy it supposedly belongs to) emerges, s**t hits the fan. Also starring Elizabeth Rodriguez, Annabella Sciorra and Yul Vazquez. Directed by Tony winner Anna D. Shapiro. (Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, 236 W. 45th St., btwn. Broadway & 8th Ave., Click here for Playbill Club discount preview tickets. Officially opens April 11.)

PREVIEWS→ Direct from London’s National Theatre comes War Horse, a tale of a boy’s emotional journey through war-stricken France and Germany during WW1, and his quest to be reunited with his beloved steed. This critically acclaimed opus adapted from the hit novel by Michael Morpurgo, features opulent, life-sized puppets by Adrian Kohler and Basil Jones. (Vivian Beaumont Theatre at Lincoln Center, 150 W. 65th St., btwn. Broadway & Amsterdam, Click here for Playbill Club discount preview tickets. Officially opens April 14.)

GO→ Tony Award nominee Nancy Opel (Urinetown, Drowsy Chaperone) joins the cast of the Tony Award-winning musical Memphis as DJ Huey Calhoun’s fast-talking Mama. (Shubert Theatre, 225 W. 44th St., btwn. Broadway & 8th Ave., Click here for Playbill Club discount tickets)

Wednesday, March 16
GO→ What skill does author/actor Steve Martin possess that completes his talent hat trick? Banjo player! That’s right, Martin is a Grammy-winning musician thanks to his trusty 5-string banjoing skills. Martin, along with band Steep Canyon, will play a three-night gig at NYC’s Joe’s Pub to celebrate the release of his second bluegrass album Rare Bird Alert. (Through March 17, 7 PM, Joe’s Pub, 425 Lafayette Street, $35, info/tickets)
Thursday, March 17
OPENING→ Tom Stoppard’s time-warping drama Arcadia officially opens on Broadway. This current revival, directed by five-time Tony nominated director David Leveaux, features Tony winner Billy Crudup (who made his Broadway debut in the original version) as dogged academic Bernard Nightengale, Raúl Esparza and Grace Gummer as brother/sister Coverly, Tom Riley as Septimus Hodge and Bel Powley as precocious teenager Thomisina. (Barrymore Theatre, 243 W. 47th St., btwn. Broadway & 8th Aves., info/tickets)

GO→ Oscar winner Danny Boyle returns to his roots with the National Theatre’s production of Frankenstein. This critically acclaimed production features a new take on the Mary Shelly classic, starring Johnny Lee Miller and Benedict Cumberbatch alternating in the role of Dr. Frankenstein and his monster. US audiences will get a chance to see the London-based production thanks to the National’s NTLive series, which broadcasts filmed versions of their shows in movie theatres around the world. (March 17 and 22, Click here for listings at a theatre near you)

Friday, March 18
GO (OPEN CALL)→ Casting for the much-anticipated New York City return of Jonathan Larson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning musical Rent kicks off with an open call audition at the show’s new Off-Broadway home. The casting team will move on to Los Angeles on March 30th. If you can’t make either bi-coastal auditions, digitally enter yourself in the running by sending a video to the casting agents. (In NYC: New World Stages, 340 W. 50th St., btwn. 8th & 9th Aves., 11 AM – 2 PM, Click here for in person and online audition instructions)
— Blake Ross