Phantom says farewell to its last original… Tyne Daly does her final Callas bow… Catch Me If You Can gets caught… it’s the last party for Baby It’s You! (and they’ll cry if they want to)… and a fond farewell to summer this Labor Day weekend.
You say goodbye, and I say hello (to fall!)
Blake
Saturday, September 3 
LAST CHANCE? George Lee Andrews, the last remaining original cast member in Broadway’s The Phantom of the Opera, will (along with David Cryer) depart the production after 23 years. Andrews — who started his Phantom run in the ensemble in 1988 — currently plays opera manager Monsieur André. Replacing Andrews, who currently holds the Guinness World Record as the longest-running actor in the same Broadway show, is Aaron Galligan-Stierle (Andrews' son-in-law, as it turns out). Kevin Ligon (succeeding longtime Phantom player Cryer) and Christian Šebek are also joining the cast as the other opera manager, Firmin, and the vain tenor Piangi, respectively. (Majestic Theatre, 245 W. 44th St., btwn. Broadway & 8th Ave., Click here for Playbill Club discount tickets)
Sunday, September 4 
LAST CHANCE? Tony winner Tyne Daly takes her last turn as opera great Maria Callas in the Broadway revival of Terrence McNally's Master Class. McNally’s Tony-winning play re-imagines one of Callas’ legendary master classes, which she taught at Juilliard during the last years of her life in the 1970s. As she coaches the next generation of opera stars (played by Alexandra Silber, Garrett Sorenson and Sierra Boggess) she recalls her triumphs and flops, both in the theatre and in her personal life. (Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, 261 W. 47th St., btwn. Broadway & 8th Ave., Click here for Playbill Club discount tickets)
LAST CHANCE? Catch Me If You Can, Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman’s musicalization of the Steven Spielberg film of the same name, closes on Broadway. Norbert Leo Butz earned his second Tony Award for his performance as Carl Hanratty, an FBI agent chasing after teen conman Frank W. Abagnale, Jr., played by the always-alluring Aaron Tveit. Kerry Butler is the girl who wins Frank’s heart and Tom Wopat plays his father, Frank, Sr. (Neil Simon Theatre, 250 W. 52nd St., btwn. Broadway & 8th Ave., Click here for Playbill Club discount tickets)
LAST CHANCE? The life and music of suburban housewife-turned-music-mogul Florence Greenberg (played by Tony winner Beth Leavel) is documented in the jukebox musical Baby It’s You! The show chronicles Greenberg’s pioneering rise through the music industry with the discovery of one of the greatest girl groups of the 1960s, The Shirelles. It's packed with jukebox classics from the ’50s and ’60s including “Dedicated To The One I Love," "Duke Of Earl," "He's So Fine," "It's My Party," "Louie Louie," "Mama Said," "Sixteen Candles" and "Twist and Shout". (Broadhurst Theatre, 235 W. 44th St., btwn. Broadway & 8th Ave., Click here for Playbill Club discount tickets)
Monday, September 5 
GO? Former “American Idol” judge Kara DioGuardi joins the merry murderesses of Broadway’s fourth longest-running hit Chicago. DioGuardi will make her Broadway debut as Roxie Hart in the Tony-winning revival for an eight-week engagement. (Ambassador Theatre, 219 W. 49th St., btwn. Broadway & 8th Ave., Click here for Playbill Club discount tickets)
Tuesday, September 6 
GO? Memphis will welcome nationally syndicated conservative radio host and Fox News contributor Mike Gallagher to the cast for a week-long stint. Gallagher will make a special cameo at the top of each show. While this will mark Gallagher’s Broadway debut, it will not be his first time onstage. He has appeared in regional productions of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Show Boat, Funny Girl and Love Letters and was seen this past June in a production of Oliver! at the Lyric Stage in Texas. (Shubert Theatre, 225 W. 44th St., btwn. Broadway & 8th Ave., Click here for Playbill Club discount tickets)
GO? Michael Feinstein opens the newest season at his eponymous nightclub alongside Linda Eder in Two for the Road. The pair take on (what else?) songs from the Great American Songbook, including classics from George Gershwin and Harold Arlen; later composers like Michel Legrand; and the hits of Frank Sinatra. (Though Oct. 1, Feinstein’s at Loews Regency, 540 Park Ave., at 61st St., info/tickets)
Wednesday, September 7
GO? With the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks almost upon us, many people will be remembering the tragedies of that day and the hope that rose from the rubble. One such remembrance is A Blue Sky Like No Other, a one-man show from Steve Fetter. Fetter is not an actor by trade, rather someone who lived through the events that took place at the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001. Proceeds will benefit charities assisting families of fallen firefighters. (Through Sept. 25, Baruch Performing Arts Center, 25th St., btwn. 3rd and Lexington Aves., $15-$25, info/tickets)
Thursday, September 8 
GO? Cynthia Nixon, Tony Shalhoub, Samuel L. Jackson, Lauren Ambrose, Andre Braugher, Mario Cantone, Billy Crudup, Melissa Leo, Jeremy Piven, Pablo Schreiber, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Michael Stuhlbarg, Tamara Tunie, Kathleen Turner and Ben Vereen are among the many stars on the docket for a reading of Sarah Tuft’s 110 Stories which chronicles those affected by the terrorist attacks of 9/11. Proceeds benefit the New York Says Thank You Foundation. (Through Sept. 9, Skirball Center for Performing Arts at NYU, ?566 Laguardia Place, ?at Washington Square, info/tickets)
WATCH? Oprah Winfrey’s newly minted cable network OWN debuts “Most Valuable Players.” This award-winning documentary follows three high school theatre troupes as they compete for a Freddy Award, a competition honoring excellence in the arts at the high school level. (9 PM, Check your local listings, info)
Friday, September 9 
PREVIEWS? Three-time Tony Award winner Frank Langella stars in the revival of Terence Rattigan’s Man and Boy a story about a ruthless financier named Gregor Antonsecu who, after reuniting with his estranged son, puts him in a precarious position in order to pull off one last scheme. Directed by Maria Aitken. (American Airlines Theatre, 227 W. 42nd St., btwn 7th & 8th Aves., info/tickets. Officially opens Oct. 9.)
GO? The Broadway community will honor the tenth anniversary of 9/11 with a special presentation in Times Square. Ten years ago, days after the attacks, the Broadway community rallied to help inspire fellow New Yorkers and celebrate the fallen with a performance of Kander & Ebb’s love letter to the city, “New York, New York.” That moment will be recreated for the tenth anniversary of the terrorist attacks in support of 9/11 Day of Service and Remembrance. (4 PM, Duffy Square, 45th-47th Sts., btwn. 7th Ave. and Broadway, info)
