The Very Best of NYC Theater

Nice Work If You Can Get It, The Madrid, The Girl I Left Behind Me, Lesbian Love Octagon, American Star!!!

Matthew Broderick and Kelli O’Hara star in Nice Work If You Can Get It, the musical that celebrates the music of George and Ira Gershwin. O’Hara plays Billie Bendix, a bootlegger who encounters millionaire playboy Jimmy Winter (Broderick) the weekend he’s supposed to get married. The romantic score features classic tunes like “Someone to Watch Over Me,” “S’Wonderful” and “I’ve Got A Crush on You.” Catch it now at the Imperial Theatre.

Nurse Jackie’s Edie Falco trades the screen for the stage with the world premiere of The Madrid, a new dramedy by Jackie scriptwriter Liz Flahive. Falco stars as Martha, a wife, mother and kindergarten teacher who has it all, including a husband who adores her and a daughter who would do anything in the world for her, so why does she feel the need to run away? And to a dingy hotel of all places? And what the heck is she going to tell her confused family when they finally catch up with her? Check out this funny and moving take on freedom and parenthood, running now through May 5 at the Manhattan Theater Club.

British opera singer Jessica Walker stars in the U.S. premiere of The Girl I Left Behind Me, a solo musical the UK’s Independent calls “not to be missed!” The show explores the complicated lives and vibrant performances of female cross-dressing performers in American vaudeville, Victorian Music Hall and the Harlem Renaissance. Utilizing her beautiful mezzo-soprano voice, Walker takes us on a trip through aspects of performance history many people don’t even know existed. The show runs at 59e59 Theatres from April 30 through May 19 as part of the popular Brits Off-Broadway series.

If you’re still mourning the end of The L Word, then check out Lesbian Love Octagon, a new off-Broadway musical about the dramas of dyke life, set in the flannel-clad era of the 1990s. The show focuses on Sue, a girl who has just had her heart broken by her one true love. See what happens when she relies on friends’ questionable suggestions to get over the pain. Each performance features special guest stars, such as queer hip-hop music duo God des and She, who are slated to be there opening night. Catch it June 5 through June 29 at the Kraine Theater.

After scoring low on her SATs, high schooler Stacey Star can’t see much of a future. Her hopes are pinned, then, on winning the televised talent competition American Star!!! and becoming a hugely famous rock star in the process. But she faces challenges ranging from Dad’s broken car to number one enemy Kelly Dumbrowski, who is also determined to win the prize. So who will go on to become America’s favorite new pop idol? Find out in this family-friendly musical, running at the Theater for the New City now through April 28.


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