[title]
Broadway shows are great. For the most part, they are also expensive. Occasionally, however, the Great White Way offers free samples of its wares, like the bite-size morsels in tiny paper cups they hand out in the corner of Trader Joe’s. It’s not quite a meal, but it’s nice to get a taste.
For the next five Mondays you’ll have a chance to nibble on musical theater at Broadway Under the Stars, an annual series on a makeshift stage at the Shops at Columbus Circle. It's a lot like the ever-popular Broadway in Bryant Park, except later in the year and indoors. (The stars of the title are the massive decorative ones that hang from the ceiling at the Time Warner Center each winter.) Cast members from a dozen different Broadway shows—plus Off Broadway's Red Roses, Green Gold—head to Columbus Circle on Mondays at 5pm to sing for their shoppers. Hosted by Broadway actor George Psomas (Fiddler on the Roof), it’s a casual affair, without costumes or sets but with plenty of up-and-coming talent. Did we mention it’s free?
Each performance features selections from three shows, except for the one on November 27, which is devoted entirely to Wicked because witches are popular. Here’s the full schedule:
• November 13: School of Rock, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Kinky Boots
• November 20: Home for the Holidays, Red Roses, Green Gold and Miss Saigon
• November 27: Wicked
• December 4: Chicago, Waitress and Anastasia
• December 11: SpongeBob SquarePants, Once on This Island and A Bronx Tale
Enjoy the musical snacks! And if they leave you wanting more, of course, you can always spring for tickets to a Broadway show.