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25 excellent things to do in NYC this week

Written by
David Goldberg
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November 16 

Swing Dancing and Lindy Hop workshop Q.E.D., Queens; 6:30, 7:10pm; $13–$15
Bring your best moves to holiday parties this December with sickening Charleston and Lindy Hoppin’ moves, courtesy of some of Astoria’s best dancing pros. You’re likely to meet some new buddies while you’re prancing, so don’t worry about showing up alone.  

Get Your Knit On with Wool and the Gang Le Midi; 7pm; $45–$50
Your Netflix and Chill game will be so much stronger if its atop a soft handmade wool blanket. Get down with some of the baddest needle mavens in town while you turn “tender loving clutch” wool into a marvelous snood or blanket for perfect snuggling consumption. 

Slate’s Superfest on Broadway The Town Hall; 7pm; $37­–$57
If you’re still recovering from Wednesday’s GOP debate, allow some of Slate’s sharpest podcasters to put politics in perspective for you. Enjoy this roundtable that features the hosts of Political Gabfest, Culture Gabfest and Hang Up and Listen.

Mary Lambert Subculture; 7pm; $25–­$50
Head to Subculture to hear the “Same Love” songstress belt out original ballads from her debut album Heart on My Sleeve.

Grimes Terminal 5; 8pm; $32
The indie-pop alien queen dropped her long-awaited album Art Angels last week to uproarious acclaim. Now, fans have the chance to rapture in Grimes’s sublime dream-electro glory as she rocks Terminal 5. 

An Evening with Public Image LTD (PiL) Playstation Theater; 8:30pm; $39.50
Johnny Rotten is back! Though he won’t be bringing the Sex Pistols with him, one of rock & roll’s greatest bad boys will jam out with his newly reformed Public Image crew. Buff your leather jacket and Doc Martens for a sick set of classic bangers. 

Shamir Bowery Ballroom; November 16, 17 at 9pm; $18, at the door $20
Throw on a vibrant print and get ready to sweat to bouncing tunes from the new kid on the pop block. Whether you know every word of his hard-and-fast “On the Regular,” or you’re just down to dance like a lunatic, you’re in for an ideal night at the Bowery.

An Evening in Natalie Joy Johnson The Duplex; 9:30; $10, at the door $15, plus two-drink minimum
The ferocious Legally Blonde: The Musical and Kinky Boots star tears up the duplex at her show with musical director Brian Nash. Head to the Duplex to meet your favorite new diva at this brassy, high-camp showcase night.

November 17

“Through the Eyes of the Homeless” Department of Homeless Services; 9am–5:30pm; free
Heart Gallery NYC photographers mentored Homeless New Yorkers to take pictures and capture their experiences. See the astounding results at this singular exhibition. 

The Prose Bowl Pete’s Candy Store, Brooklyn; 6:30pm; free
It’s like Amateur Night at the Apollo…only with literature. Hear some of the city’s most eager emerging writers pitch a few minutes-worth of their writing and vote on who wins a triumphant free drink; or, if you’re feeling daring, read your work for the bloodthirsty audience of book people. 

The Weeknd + BANKS + Travi$ Scott Barclays Center; November 17, 18 at 7:30pm; $39.50–$125
If you’re not already in love with the Weeknd, you will be after seeing him softly and masterfully command tracks like “The Hills” and “Prisoner.” This triple-act at Barclays promises to be one of the biggest nights of 2015. Go tell your friends about it.

Bideawee’s Laugh for A-Paws Benefit The Stand; 8pm; $30, admission includes drinks
See one of comedy’s fiercest firebrands, Janeane Garofalo, join fellow stars Ari Shaffir, Dan Soder and Aaron Berg for a night of wickedly funny stand-up to raise money for the Bideawee pet welfare organization. Here’s hoping Garofalo gets political.

BK Horror Club: They Live Throne Watches Showroom, Brooklyn; 9pm; $10
It’s Rowdy Roddy Piper time! Take a seat in the Throne Watches showroom and relive one of John Carpenter’s most underrated sci-fi spectacles. You’ll leave feeling paranoid, riled up, and ready to chew bubblegum and kick ass.

Funny Ha Ha Funny Queer and Queeraoke Metropolitan, Brooklyn; 9pm; free
Gather with your buddies for a relaxed night of laughs before Thanksgiving at this free Williamsburg stand-up show. Expect demented sets from Garry Hannon, Glo, Margaret Dodge and more.

November 18

Sisters of Comedy Carolines on Broadway; 7:30pm; $16.50 plus two-drink minimum
Producer Agunda Okeyo has gathered a fierce roster of women of color for a stellar night of stand-up. Join Michelle Buteau, Chloé Hilliard, Erin Jackson and BET editorial director Michaela Angela Davis for solidly curated sets. 

The Dump! Storytelling Open Mic The Creek and the Cave, Queens; 8pm; free
Get all your pent-up anxiety out of your system before dealing with your family at Thanksgiving with this cathartic open-mic series. Instantly bond with your barmates as you share your personal tales of heartbreak, failure and romantic calamity.  

The Glam Awards Stage 48; 9pm; $10
If you’re already bored of Oscar buzz and other pre-awards season pretension, then watch some of your favorite drag queens rip into red carpet interviews, bad victory speeches and loser meltdowns at this epic celebration of NYC nightlife. And with queen of mean Bianca Del Rio as the host, no winner will survive unscathed.

Bridget Everett and the Tender Moments Joe’s Pub at the Public Theatre; 9:30pm; $25
Don’t make yourself too easy of a target, or else the bawdy songstress will sit on you and smack you around in the middle of songs like “What I Gotta Do.” Make sure you experience Everett’s unpredictable, outrageous act of proudly lewd provocations before her star skyrockets to higher ticket prices. 

November 19 

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay—Part II opens in theaters
Remember when a vaguely-known Oscar nominee named Jennifer Lawrence got cast to play one of literature’s raddest heroines of the millennium? After three explosive movies, Lawrence and company return to wrap up the Katniss Everdeen saga with a bang. Don’t get too attached to any of your favorite characters….

Hedda Presents the Classics: Gentlemen Prefer Blondes Bow Tie Chelsea Cinemas 7pm; $10
Green-wigged drag legend Hedda Lettuce always has a good time narrating over cinematic classics, but she’s likely to fall out of her seat with this feminist musical favorite from 1953. Help Hedda fan herself while Jane Russell sings “Ain’t There Anybody Here for Love” to a gym full of nearly-nude men and Marylin Monroe belts out “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend” to a platoon of smartly dressed suitors.

The Moth StorySLAM Housing Works Bookstore Cafe; 7pm; $8
The prompt for this round of competitive storytelling is “gifted,” so prepare your best story about luck, fortune or Secret Santa swaps gone horribly wrong, and brace yourself for a feisty judging panel at this beloved show.

Shabbat Dinner: A Jewish Comedy Variety Show Q.E.D., Queens; 7:30pm; $5
Peoples Improve Theater's Eitan Levine and Empire Biscuit Comedy Festival’s Tovah Silbermann welcome you to this family-dinner style comedy show that provides fresh challah and anxiety-fueled stand-up from some of the city’s best young comics.

Forty Minutes in the Style of Wes Anderson Peoples Improv Theater; 8pm; $10
What if Wes Anderson directed Star Wars? Watch in twee shame as some of Peoples Improv Theater's sharpest improvisers bring Anderson-isms (dead dogs, eyewear, faulted father figures) to classic movies with the help of fellow fans in the audience.  

Bad Apple Boylesque Stonewall Inn; 8pm; $10
Enjoy tasteful, acrobatic and very flexible burlesque performances from the shredded dudes of the all-male Bad Apple troupe. By the looks of this crew, they have a guy for every type of fan.

Owl Julius; 9pm; free
This rambunctious disco night from the crazed minds of the Cheryl party line offers you everything you could ask for: burgers, wildly colorful disco ballads, caricature artists and an on-site therapist. Why bother leaving? 

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