New World Stages

Original Rent boy Anthony Rapp adapts his own memoir into an autobiographical solo musical about his involvement with the era-defining musical, which became a Pulitzer Prize–winning hit after the sudden death of its creator, Jonathan Larsen, in 1996. Steven Maler directs the NYC premiere at New World Stages. In addition to songs from Rent, the show includes original compositions by Rapp, David Matos, Joe Pisapia and musical director Daniel A. Weiss. 

Theater review by Adam Feldman [Note: This is a review of the 2017 Broadway production, which moves Off Broadway to New World Stages in 2019 with a new cast.] Ah, the joy of watching theater fail. The looming possibility of malfunction is part of what makes live performance exciting, and disasters remind us of that; the rite requires sacrifice. There is more than schadenfreude involved when we giggle at, say, a YouTube video of a high-school Peter Pan crashing haplessly into the scenery. There is also sympathy—there but for the grace of deus ex machina go we all—and, often, a respect for the efforts of the actors to somehow muddle through. Mischief Theatre’s The Play That Goes Wrong takes this experience to farcical extremes, as six amateur British actors (and two crew members who get pressed into service onstage) try to perform a hackneyed whodunnit amid challenges that escalate from minor mishaps (stuck doors, missed cues) to bona fide medical emergencies and massive structural calamities.  Depending on your tolerance for ceaseless slapstick, The Play That Goes Wrong will either have you rolling in the aisles or rolling your eyes. It is certainly a marvel of coordination: The imported British cast deftly navigates the pitfalls of Nigel Hook’s ingeniously tumbledown set, and overacts with relish. (I especially enjoyed the muggings of Dave Hearn, Charlie Russell and coauthor Henry Lewis.) Directed by Mark Bell, the mayhem goes like cuckoo clockwork.  If you want to have a goo

Self-described “bubble scientist” Fan Yang's blissfully disarming act (now performed in New York by his son Deni, daughter Melody and wife Ana) consists mainly of generating a dazzling succession of bubbles in mind-blowing configurations, filling them with smoke or linking them into long chains. Lasers and flashing colored lights add to the trippy visuals.—David Cote   TIME OUT DISCOUNT TICKET OFFER:THE GAZILLION BUBBLE SHOWIt will blow you away!!!Tickets as low as $49 (regular price $79) Promotional description:After twenty years as a Master of Bubbles, Fan Yang brought his unique brand of artistry to the Big Apple in 2007 and has since wowed bubble lovers of all ages. The Gazillion Bubble Show truly is a family affair for Fan: His wife Ana, son Deni, daughter Melody and brother Jano all can be found on stage in New York and around the world performing their bubble magic. Audiences are delighted with an unbubblievable experience and washed with a bubble tide; some even find themselves inside a bubble. Mind-blowing bubble magic, spectacular laser lighting effects and momentary soapy masterpieces will make you smile, laugh and feel like a kid again.THREE WAYS TO BUY TICKETS:1. Online: Click here to buy tickets through Telecharge2. By phone: Call 212-947-8844 and mention code: GBTONYF453. In person: Print this offer and bring it to the New World Stages box officePerformance schedule: Friday at 7pm; Saturday at 11am, 2pm and 4:30pm; Sunday at 12pm and 3pm Running time: 1hr. No

The Canadian performer Katsura Sunshine, billed as the only Western master of the traditional and rigorously trained Japanese comic stortellying art of Rakugo, performs a monthly show at New World Stages. In keeping with the genre's minimalist practice, Sunshine performs in a kimono using only a fan and a hand towel for props. 

American Idol finalist turned Broadway leading man Constantine Maroulis stars as the influential 1950s DJ Alan Freed—who championed Black artists on mainstream radio and helped popularize the term rock & roll—in a musical that includes original songs by Gary Kupper alongside jukebox hits by the likes of Chuck Berry, LaVern Baker and Buddy Holly. Written by Kupper, Larry Marshak and Rose Caiola, the show puts Freed and his legacy on trial, with Little Richard as his defense attorney and FBI heavy J. Edgar Hoover as the prosecutor. Randall Myler directs a cast that includes Bob Ari, Rodrick Covington, Motown's Valisia Lekae and the veteran character actor Joe Pantoliano (who won an Emmy for losing his head on The Sopranos).     TIME OUT DISCOUNT TICKET OFFER: ROCK & ROLL MANA New Musical Celebrating the Life of the Legendary Alan Freed Save if you buy earlyOrchestra $69–$79 (regular price $79-$139)Mezzanine $49–$59 (regular price $69-$139) Promotional description: The original musical about a musical original. Alan Freed was a trailblazing Cleveland DJ who heard the future—and knew he had to let it sing. He named the genre “Rock & Roll,” bringing music to the masses and integrating artists and audiences on the airwaves and in concerts for the first time in history, uniting people through their love of music. Along the way, he became an icon to the nation’s youth—and a target for the nation’s establishment. This timeless, joyous and incredibly entertaining musical will move pe