NYC Off-Broadway Week returns September 25–October 8, offering two-for-one tickets to a diverse and fascinating batch of shows. The program packs some star power, too, as big names light up stages all over town. This year, well-known actors like Ellen Burstyn and Michael Urie are performing in intimate productions at some of the City’s most distinguished small theaters.
Burstyn, who got her start on Broadway 60 years ago, heads to the East Village’s 199-seat Classic Stage Company for Shakespeare’s As You Like It. Blair Brown, another New York stage veteran (currently on Orange Is the New Black), stars in On the Shore of the Wide World, a British family drama covering three generations that’s playing at the Atlantic Theatre Company in Chelsea. Christine Lahti (Chicago Hope, The Blacklist) leads the cast as an abortionist trying to secure her son’s release from prison in one of Suzan-Lori Parks’ Red Letter Plays, presented as part of a yearlong retrospective at Playwrights Horizons. Carrie Coon, who made a splash in the movie Gone Girl and had notable runs on FX’s Fargo and HBO’s The Leftovers, heads to downtown’s New York Theatre Workshop in a new play about motherhood, Mary Jane. And the highly anticipated revival of Harvey Fierstein’s 1980s breakthrough play Torch Song Trilogy—now just Torch Song—about a gay Jewish drag queen in NYC, features TV and film actors Michael Urie (Ugly Betty) and Mercedes Ruehl (The Fisher King).
For more details, check out the full listings below for these star-studded shows. To see all participating productions, visit our NYC Off-Broadway Week page.
Broadway
Wicked
Broadway megahit Wicked shows us how two unlikely friends grew to become the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch—long before Dorothy dropped into the land of Oz.
Broadway
The Phantom of the Opera
Andrew Lloyd Webber’s most famous creation, based on a popular French novel, is the longest-running musical on Broadway. A deformed musical genius, the Phantom, gives voice lessons to a struggling singer, falls in love and attempts to force her to return his feelings.
Broadway
Chicago
This quintessential Broadway experience features show-stopping tunes, slinky dancing and a story of murder, betrayal, revenge, friendship, fame and all that jazz. The Tony Award–winning show spawned the hit movie.
Broadway
The Lion King
Based on Disney's 1994 animated classic, this Broadway adaptation adds new songs by Elton John to the familiar story, along with sweeping vistas of the African savanna where the story is set along with jaw-dropping costumes.
Tours
Sex and the City Tavern Tour
Missing Carrie & Co? Now that the long-awaited film has debuted, put on those Manolo Blahniks and come with a thirst for Cosmopolitans and nostalgia for the show. Trace their footsteps on a tour of sites associated with the program, with stops at several of their frequented bars. $15 For times, dates and reservations: 212-465-3331
Music
BAMcafé Live
BAMcafé Live features a diverse mix of free live music and performance in BAM's Lepercq Space, a lounge and bar space in the Peter Jay Sharp Building. Recent series include the on-going residency with Black Rock Coalition (BRC). This year you can find some of the best artists from Brooklyn and beyond performing on the BAMcafé Live stage every Friday and Saturday night from October through June. The bar is open for drinks and light menu items beginning at 8pm. There is no cover charge and no drink minimum.
Arts & Culture
Story Museum
Join this special story and activity time at Historic Richmond Town, Staten Island's living history museum. Toddlers and kids up to age 5 are invited to the hour-long Story Museum, which takes place every Thursday morning. Please call 718-351-1611 ext. 280 to reserve a spot. For more information, visit http://historicrichmondtown.org/visit/events/event-info
Museums & Galleries
New American Wing Galleries
Twenty-five new and expanded galleries provide visitors with a rich history of American art from the eighteenth through the early twentieth century. The museum's collection of American paintings are displayed together for the first time including works by John Singleton Copley, Thomas Eakins and Winslow Homer. The centerpiece of the new installation is Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze's 1851 painting "Washington Crossing the Delaware".