It's a pretty, pretty, pretty good WEEK AHEAD!
Saturday, February 28
PREVIEWS→ Following a stint as love interest to Hugh Jackman in The River, Olivier nominee Cush Jumbo takes on famous jazz singer Josephine Baker in her one-woman show, Josephine and I, directed by Tony nominee Phyllida Lloyd. Officially opens March 10. (Public Theatre, 425 Lafayette St. Info/tickets.)
Sunday, March 1
LAST CHANCE→ Ayad Akhtar's 2013 Pulitzer Prize winner Disgraced follows a successful Muslim-American lawyer (Hari Dhillon, who starred in the London production) and his artist wife (Gretchen Mol) hosting a dinner party in their posh Upper East Side apartment. Polite dinner conversation with their guests (Karen Pittman and Josh Radnor) turns to talk of politics and race, which soon sends the group down a volatile and violent road. (Lyceum Theatre, 149 W. 45th St., btwn. 6th & 7th Aves. Click here for Playbill Club discount tickets.)
GO→ Laura Benanti, Laura Osnes, Stephanie J. Block and more lend their talents to Bushel & A Peck, a one-night-only benefit concert in honor of Jack Navin, a two-year-old boy who tragically died in a 2013 New Jersey fire. (7 PM, 54 Below, 254 W. 54th St., btwn. Broadway & 8th Ave. Info/tickets.)
Monday, March 2
GO→ Frequent co-stars (and real-life couple) Lily Rabe and Hamish Linklater come together for a one-night-only staged reading of John Marston's The Dutch Courtesan. This classic work from Shakespeare's contemporary tells the story of two men-about-town and their relationship to the courtesan of the title. (7:30 PM, Lucille Lortel Theater, 121 Christopher St. Info/tickets.) Tuesday, March 3
WATCH→ Reasons to be Pretty and Fat Pig's Tony-nominated scribe Neil LaBute debuts a new comedy "Billy & Billie" on DirecTV. Adam Brody and Lisa Joyce play the titular pair who fall in love despite many obstacles — one being that they just happen to be stepsiblings. LaBute writes, produces and directs the series. Watch an exclusive clip here. (8 PM, DirecTV's Audience Network. Info.)
Wednesday, March 4
PREVIEWS→ The latest Disney animated movie musical turned live-action stage musical is The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Disney's main tunesmith Alan Menken teamed up with Wicked's Stephen Schwartz to musicalize the famous Victor Hugo novel about deformed bell-ringer Quasimodo (Michael Arden) and his quest for love and acceptance. Officially opens March 15. (Paper Mill Playhouse, 22 Brookside Drive, Millburn, NJ. Info/tickets.)
Thursday, March 5
OPENING→ Larry David has made a lot of something from "nothing." Now, the funnyman behind the show about nothing, "Seinfeld," and "Curb Your Enthusiasm," comes to Broadway starring in his own play Fish in the Dark. The comedy has David's character sitting shiva with a house full of nuts played by Rita Wilson, Ben Shenkman, Rosie Perez, Jayne Houdyshell and Jerry Adler. Read Playbill.com's interview with David, about the creation of the play, here. (Cort Theatre, 138 W. 48th St., btwn. 6th & 7th Aves. Info/tickets.)
Friday, March 6
LAST CHANCE→ Jessie Mueller takes her final bow in the role that made her a Tony winner: Carole King in the bio tuner Beautiful. The jukebox musical — chock-a-block with tunes from King's catalog as well as pals Gerry Goffin, Cynthia Weil and Barry Mann — follows King's rise from scrappy teen songstress to genuine hit maker behind tunes like "Will You Love Me Tomorrow," "Up On the Roof" and "You've Got a Friend." Chilina Kennedy, who made her Broadway debut playing Mary Magdalene in the 2012 Jesus Christ Superstar revival, succeeds Mueller as King March 7. (Stephen Sondheim Theatre, 124 W. 43rd St., btwn. 6th & 7th Aves. Info/tickets.)
