Neil LaBute breaks David Duchovny in for the stage…Joan Collins on her own dynasty... A Free Man of Color brings freewheeling New Orleans to Broadway...and Les Miz celebrates its 25th Birthday

24601,
Blake

Saturday, November 13
PRESS OPENING? While the opening night gala for The Merchant of Venice, starring Al Pacino, was last Sunday, the official press opening (after which reviews will appear) will happen on Saturday. The production was delayed because of the unfortunate passing of leading lady Lily Rabe’s mother, Oscar-nominated actress Jill Clayburgh. (Through Jan. 9, Broadhurst Theatre, 235 W. 44th Street. btwn. Broadway and 8th Aves., info/tickets)

Sunday, November 14
GO? Lyricist-director Richard Maltby, Jr., Composer David Shire, and librettist John Weidman will receive honors from the Encompass New Opera Theatre in a gala held at the famed National Arts Club in New York City. Colleagues Sheldon Harnick, Susan Stroman and Maury Yeston are set to speak, with musical performances by Liz Callaway, Mario Cantone, B.D. Wong, Karen Ziemba and others. (6:30 PM, The National Arts Club, 15 Gramercy Park S., btwn. Park Ave. and Irving, call 718-398-4675 for tickets)

Monday, November 15
GO? Two-time Golden Globe winner David Duchovny swaps Hollywood for the stage in Neil LaBute’s Break of Noon. Co-starring Amanda Peet, John Earl Jelks and Tracee Chimo, Noon follows a businessman who becomes the sole survivor in the worst office shooting in U.S. history. (Through Dec. 12, Lucille Lortel Theatre, 121 Christopher St., info/tickets)

GO? The seventh annual Broadway Unplugged concert will feature some of the greatest voices trodding the boards without amps or mics. The lineup features: Stephanie J. Block, Quentin Earl Darrington, Marc Kudisch, William Michals, Jeffry and Erin Denman, Max von Essen, Ron Raines and James Barbour. (8 PM, Town Hall, 123 W. 43rd St., btwn 6th and 7th Aves., $25-$75, info/tickets)

Tuesday, November 16
GO? The ever-fabulous Joan Collins will recount tales from her glamorous life in Hollywood and beyond in One Night with Joan. The Golden Globe winner is sure to talk about her work as the ultimate scheming ex-wife Alexis Carrington on TV’s long-running hit “Dynasty,” plus her 60 feature films and many top-selling novels. (Through Nov. 27, The Regency Hotel Ballroom, 540 Park Ave., at 61st St., info/tickets)

Wednesday, November 17
WATCH? The starry 25th Anniversary concert version of Les Misérables that stormed London’s O2 Arena this past October, will finally get seen in the U.S. thanks to a one-night-only screening in movie theatres around the country. The cast includes teen pop sensation Nick Jonas as Marius, Norm Lewis as Javert, Tony winner Lea Salonga as Fantine, Alfie Boe as Jean Valjean, Katie Hall as Cosette and Samantha Barks as Eponine. (Click here for theatre information in your area)

Thursday, November 18
OPENING? John Guare’s A Free Man of Color brings the epic tale of a flamboyant philanderer in turn-of-the-19th-century New Orleans to the grand Beaumont stage. Two-time Tony-winning director George C. Wolfe (who originally commissioned the project during his tenure as producer of the Public Theater) reunites with former Angels in America star Jeffrey Wright to explore the cultural and political change that came to the U.S. and the world during the time of the Louisiana Purchase. (Vivian Beaumont Theater, 150 W. 65th St., Click here for Playbill Club discount tickets)

Friday, November 19

GO? Alec Baldwin is set to appear as Claudius in a reading of Hamlet to benefit a new theatre company called the Fundamental Theater Project, co-founded by Baldwin’s former Equus co-star Sam Underwood. Kate Mulgrew (Broadway’s Equus) will play Gertrude with Underwood playing the doomed Prince of Denmark. (7 PM, Irish Arts Center, 553 W. 51st St., btwn. 10th and 11th Aves., info/tickets)