Theater News

14 Ideas for Valentine’s Day

Theater lovers in the tri-state area have plenty of events to choose from, including A Little Night Music, Rock of Ages, Memphis, West Side Story, and Venus in Fur.

Alexander Hanson and Catherine Zeta-Jones
in A Little Night Music
(© Joan Marcus)
Alexander Hanson and Catherine Zeta-Jones
in A Little Night Music
(© Joan Marcus)

Looking for the perfect way to spend your Valentine’s Day? TheaterMania has 14 suggestions for things to do for all you theater lovers in the tri-state area on February 14!

A Little Night Music (Walter Kerr Theatre, 3pm)
Academy Award-winner Catherine Zeta-Jones, five-time Tony Award-winner Angela Lansbury, and Olivier Award-nominee Alexander Hanson lead the cast of the Broadway revival of Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler’s Tony Award-winning musical about various lovers who connect and disconnect.

Memphis (Shubert Theatre, 3pm)
Set in the segregated South of the 1950s, this crowd-pleasing Broadway musical focuses on the then-taboo interracial romance between a white radio disc jockey (played by Chad Kimball) and a black singer, Felicia Farrell (played by Montego Glover).

Rock of Ages (Brooks Atkinson Theatre, 3pm and 7:30pm)
A small town girl livin’ in a lonely world hooks up with a city boy born and raised in South Detroit in this jukebox musical that features some of the biggest hit songs from the 1980s, including tunes from iconic rockers Journey, Styx, REO Speedwagon, Foreigner, Pat Benatar, and Whitesnake. Tony Award nominees Constantine Maroulis and Kerry Butler lead the spirited cast.

West Side Story (Palace Theater, 2pm and 7:30pm)
Shakespeare’s classic doomed love story of Romeo and Juliet is transported to the turbulent streets of the Upper West Side in 1950’s New York City in the classic Leonard Bernstein-Stephen Sondheim-Arthur Laurents musical. Matthew Hydzik and Josefina Scaglione play the star-crossed lovers and Tony winner Karen Olivo co-stars as Anita.

Wes Bentley and Nina Arianda in Venus in Fur
(© Joan Marcus)
Wes Bentley and Nina Arianda in Venus in Fur
(© Joan Marcus)

Venus in Fur (Classic Stage Company, 2pm)
David Ives’ new play, which is inspired by the infamous erotic novel of the same name, takes theatergoers behind the scenes of an audition where a man and a woman (played by Wes Bentley and Nina Arianda) blur the lines between fantasy and reality.

When Joey Married Bobby (Theater 80, 3pm)
Drag legend Lady Bunny co-stars in William Wyatt’s comedy about bright-eyed hunk Joey, who is ready to take the plunge with the man of his dreams. Unfortunately, the thought of a gay wedding has Joey’s southern socialite mother worried about her chances of winning “Christian of the Year.”

Dear Edwina (DR2 Theatre, 11am, 1pm, 4pm)
This family musical at the DR2 Theatre is offering a special Valentine’s Day deal for children who come with a Valentine addressed to the show’s titular character. But even those who don’t want to participate will find that Zina Goldrich and Marcy Heisler’s catchy score is reason enough to see this bright and cheery show.

Broadway Bears (B.B. King Blues Club & Grill, 6pm)
A perfect gift for your Valentine might be one of the specially made and autographed teddy bears that can be found at the 2010 edition of this annual auction, which features lovable stuffed animals with original, handmade costumes by some of Broadway’s leading costume designers and representing memorable characters from plays and musicals, past and present. Proceeds benefit the charity Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

Eating Their Words (Tocqueville Restaurant, 1pm)
Tocqueville’s chef/owner Marco Moreira is creating an original three-course Valentine’s Day lunch menu inspired by Sam Forman’s world premiere play, Private Equity, and past Eating Their Words‘ favorites, Birth Day by Theresa Rebeck, and The Appetizer by Jonathan Marc Sherman. As if great food isn’t enough reason to go, actors Aya Cash, Isabel Keating, Austin Lysy, and Christopher Evan Welch will perform these plays between the courses they inspired.

Jill Eikenberry and Michael Tucker
Jill Eikenberry and Michael Tucker

Love Letters (New Jersey’s Community Theatre, 3pm)
Real-life husband-and-wife Michael Tucker and Jill Eikenberry star in a one-day-only performance of A. R. Gurney’s epistolary drama, which traces the lifelong correspondence of staid, dutiful lawyer Andrew Makepeace Ladd III and lively, unstable artist Melissa Gardner.

Lillias White (Iridium Jazz Club, Midnight)
Tony Award-winner Lillias White — currently performing in Broadway’s Fela — will present a concert of jazz standards that deal with love in all of its incarnations.

Euan Morton (Castle on the Hudson, 8pm)
Tony Award nominee Euan Morton, who will be coming back to the Great White Way later this season in Sondheim on Sondheim, performs his acclaimed cabaret show at this beautiful venue in Tartytown, New York.

The Broadway Boys (Westport Country Playhouse, 3pm)
This group, made up of male performers who have worked on Broadway, combines elements of pop, funk, gospel, jazz and folk in show tunes, classic pop, and romantic ballads. They will showcase their singular sound for this afternoon concert in Westport, Connecticut.

Filthy Gorgeous Burlesque: A Valentine’s Day Brunch (Highline Ballroom, 1pm)
Hosted by The World Famous *BOB*, this raunchy event features top burlesque talents such as Jo Boobs, Ms. Tickle, Nasty Canasta, Harvest Moon, The Maine Attraction, Melody Sweets, Tigger!, Little Miss Lixx, and The Schlep Sisters, as well as live music by Gigi & Pop and DJ Momotaro. It’s probably best to leave the kids at home for this one.