Things to do in New York this Saturday

Tom and Betsy Salamon’s unique adventure—part interactive theater, part scavenger hunt, part walking tour—draws participants into an amusing web of puzzles and intrigue. You can choose between the three-hour New York tour, which takes participants through various neighborhoods of lower Manhattan, or the two-hour Village tour, which travels through quirky Greenwich Village on Saturdays. Groups of as many as 11 are booked every half hour. 

Once a year, builders and tinkerers of all ages convene at this innovation-centered event to show off their inventions—and teach onlookers how they can make them at home. This edition features talks on wearable electronics, 3D printing, droid-building, costume design and building your own phone, plus, oddly, a dance battle. We guess it truly is a fest for movers and shakers of all stripes.

Can you imagine how grim our world would be without the influence of Jim Henson? For those of us who learned comedy, whimsy and even literacy from Sesame Street and the Muppet franchise, Museum of Moving Image has provided the ultimate treat: a permanent exhibition featuring more than 47 Muppet and puppet characters; 27 screens of archival footage from The Dark Crystal, The Muppet Show, Fraggle Rock and beyond; and stories of how the great genius and his architects brought to life some of our favorite characters.

This Lower East Side flea hosts one of Manhattan’s best collections of vendors, with more upstarts joining the fray every week. Standouts from recent years that have gotten their start at the fair include Macaron Parlour, Petee’s Pie Company, Melt Bakery, La New Yorkina, Arancini Bros and Cheeky Sandwich.

New Yorkers sure do love museums, but we appreciate them even more when we get to go without paying. That’s why you should plan on visiting one on September 22, when you can access one out of 15 stellar New York attractions for free. All you have to do is register and download a voucher from the Smithsonian museum. With your ticket, you gain access to participating big-name institutions like the American Folk Art Museum, Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, Mount Vernon Hotel Museum, The Jewish Museum, The Rubin Museum of Art and more during normal business hours. Check out the full list here and go get cultured! 

We consider ourselves very lucky to be able to party with Horrorchata, Charlene and the other icons of Brooklyn drag at this low-priced monthly kiki. Count on hits from Janet Jackson and Britney Spears and outrageous performances from Bushwig's greatest hits along with DJs like Hannah Lou and Amber Valentine. Serve your look, but prepare to sweat your fake eyelashes right off. 

Photoville is back! And your Insta is about to get meta. NYC hosts a bounty of beautiful photography exhibitions, but only Photoville can claim to be as pretty as the photographs it showcases. Held in and around giant shipping containers in Brooklyn Bridge Park, the massive celebration of pictures features more than 600 artists, 75 exhibitions, talks, screenings, seminars and hands-on photography workshops for budding shutterbugs. There's also a beer garden from Brooklyn Brewery with food from Smorgasburg including Big Mozz, Mao's Bao and John's Juice. The best part: Photoville is totally free, and dog-friendly! Find a full list of hours and events on Photoville's website.

Get a little rural living without leaving the city limits at the 36th iteration of this down-home festival. For two days, the Queens County Farm Museum will become even more agrarian than usual with livestock competitions, pie-eating contests, awards for the fastest corn huskers and pig races and Irish and German musicians to keep your feet stomping. While there, try to make your way through the Amazing Maize Maze, a three-acre labyrinth, or take a spin on carnival rides. Glean tips on fashioning your own farm-to-table fare at a colonial cooking demo, or knock back a few at a Bavarian beer garden. You can even register online to enter your own craft, vegetable, or baked or canned goods in one of the blue-ribbon contests.

A swinging fixture of the cabaret world, Ann Hampton Callaway has also branched into jazz and TV theme songs (The Nanny). She has a reassuringly mellow way with the standards, sung in a wry, dark-toned contralto. Her latest set is devoted to songs by the underrated Linda Ronstadt, including pop hits (like “Different Drum” and “Desperado”) as well as standards from the albums she recorded with Nelson Riddle. The adept Billy Stritch mans the keys.

The city's best comics bring their stand-up, sketches, improv and more to Kings County during this week-long annual fest. This year's fest includes Las Culturistas: "I Don't Think So Honey" Live at Brooklyn Bazaar; Backfat Variety at Union Hall; and shows from HBO, Kevin McDonald, Joe Pera and many others. With a lineup this stacked, the only downside is not being able to catch everything. Head to bkcomedyfestival.com and let the agonizing begin.

This Lower East Side flea hosts one of Manhattan’s best collections of vendors, with more upstarts joining the fray every week. Standouts from recent years that have gotten their start at the fair include Macaron Parlour, Petee’s Pie Company, Melt Bakery, La New Yorkina, Arancini Bros and Cheeky Sandwich.

Tom and Betsy Salamon’s unique adventure—part interactive theater, part scavenger hunt, part walking tour—draws participants into an amusing web of puzzles and intrigue. You can choose between the three-hour New York tour, which takes participants through various neighborhoods of lower Manhattan, or the two-hour Village tour, which travels through quirky Greenwich Village on Saturdays. Groups of as many as 11 are booked every half hour. 

We consider ourselves very lucky to be able to party with Horrorchata, Charlene and the other icons of Brooklyn drag at this low-priced monthly kiki. Count on hits from Janet Jackson and Britney Spears and outrageous performances from Bushwig's greatest hits along with DJs like Hannah Lou and Amber Valentine. Serve your look, but prepare to sweat your fake eyelashes right off. 

In this captivating original musical, Hello, Dolly! scene-stealer Taylor Trensch now plays the title role of a high school student thrust into social relevance after a classmate's suicide. Benj Pasek and Justin Paul's score combines well-crafted lyrics with an exciting pop sound, and Steven Levenson’s book gives all the characters shaded motives. Read the full review.

Hamilton: Theater review by David Cote What is left to say? After Founding Father Alexander Hamilton’s prodigious quill scratched out 12 volumes of nation-building fiscal and military policy; after Lin-Manuel Miranda turned that titanic achievement (via Ron Chernow’s 2004 biography) into the greatest American musical in decades; after every critic in town (including me) praised the Public Theater world premiere to high heaven; and after seeing this language-drunk, rhyme-crazy dynamo a second time, I can only marvel: We've used up all the damn words. Wait, here are three stragglers, straight from the heart: I love Hamilton. I love it like I love New York, or Broadway when it gets it right. And this is so right. A sublime conjunction of radio-ready hip-hop (as well as R&B, Britpop and trad showstoppers), under-dramatized American history and Miranda’s uniquely personal focus as a first-generation Puerto Rican and inexhaustible wordsmith, Hamilton hits multilevel culture buttons, hard. No wonder the show was anointed a sensation before even opening. Assuming you don’t know the basics, ­Hamilton is a (mostly) rapped-through biomusical about an orphan immigrant from the Caribbean who came to New York, served as secretary to General Washington, fought against the redcoats, authored most of the Federalist Papers defending the Constitution, founded the Treasury and the New York Post and even made time for an extramarital affair that he damage-controlled in a scandal-stanching pamp

Theater review by Helen Shaw When you walk into Say Something Bunny!, you enter another time. You might not notice that at first, because the brick office space where it takes place is so determinedly ordinary-looking. The small audience sits around a doughnut-shaped conference table, and as Alison S.M. Kobayashi begins her multimedia docuplay, some spectators are already paging through the scripts that have been placed in front of each chair. The text turns out to be the full transcript of a real, unlabeled 65-year-old recording that Kobayashi found hidden in an antique wire recorder: the audio relic of a teenage boy in Woodmere, Queens, enthusiastically taping two dozen family members and neighbors. Kobayashi has listened to the recording hundreds of times and has a seemingly boundless interest in the people whose voices it preserves, including amateur recordist David, mother Juliette and neighbor Bunny. She conducts us through a pair of after-dinner conversations, the first in 1952—she deduced the date from song lyrics mentioned on the wire—and the second in 1954. Aided by coauthor Christopher Allen, she pursues hints and half-heard jokes to determine who these people were and what befell them; she shows us the census records she used to find their old houses. The play unspools unhurriedly, leaving space for Kobayashi to make jokes, play short films and highlight points of historical interest. It takes a while for it to sink in that—of course—many of these vibrant people

One of the more unlikely musicals on Broadway this season, Come from Away is the tense but humane story of an airport in Gander, Newfoundland, where 38 planes and more than 6,000 passengers were forced to land on September 11, 2001. The book, music and lyrics are by the Canadian team Irene Sankoff and David Hein. Read the full review.

Theater review by Adam Feldman. The Al Hirschfeld Theatre (Broadway). Book by Harvey Fierstein. Music and lyrics by Cyndi Lauper. Dir. Jerry Mitchell. With Stark Sands, Billy Porter, Annaleigh Ashford. 2hrs 20mins. One intermission. [Note: The cast of Kinky Boots has changed since this review was first published. Currently, American Idol winner David Cook plays straight man to Wayne Brady's high-heeled Lola.] The kicky crowd-pleaser Kinky Boots is the very model of a modern major musical. Adapted from a 2005 English indie film, Harvey Fierstein and Cyndi Lauper’s fizzy pop tuner tells of Charlie (the capable Sands) and his Northampton footwear factory, Price & Son—a family business in danger of closing down. Hope arrives in the unlikely form of Lola (Porter), a self-possessed drag queen with ideas for a niche product line: knee-high, skin-tight, stiletto-heeled sheaths of ostentatious color, strong enough for a man who’s made up like a woman. (Gay style and consumer dollars to the rescue! The shoe must go on!) Directed with verve by Jerry Mitchell, Kinky Boots feels familiar at every step, down to its messages about individuality, community, pride and acceptance; it could have been cobbled together from parts of The Full Monty, Billy Elliot and Fierstein’s La Cage aux Folles, and it culminates in a feel-good finale so similar to Hairspray’s (which Mitchell choreographed) that it might as well be called “You Can’t Stop the Boot.” Yet the musical holds up for the same reason

[Note: The review below is for a 2014 version of this show, which was then titled The Imbible. A revised version now plays at New World Stages. A different, brunch-theater edition, titled Day Drinking, plays on weekend matinees.] Remember Bill Nye the Science Guy? Great! Now imagine him as a bartender who is deeply interested in the history of ethanol alcohol, really likes wigs and costumes, and just joined a coed barbershop quartet. That description of Anthony Caporale’s The Imbible: A Spirited History of Drinking may sound far-out, but the show is both educational and entertaining. (It's also a fine showcase for a cappella classics arranged by Josh Ehrlich and performed by a gifted ensemble that includes the show's director, soprano Nicole DiMattei.) Mixing whimsy and information, Caporale makes the story of our relationship with alcohol remarkably compelling. And the show's lessons—on subjects like the drinks served at Prohibition-era speakeasies, the origin of the gin and tonic, and the difference between a cocktail and a mixed drink—can be washed down with complimentary, thematically appropriate beverages. As Caporale says, “Trust me, I get funnier with every sip.” That makes the show a must-see for anyone who enjoys free booze, which is probably nearly everyone.—Amelia Bienstock  

If theater is your religion and the Broadway musical your sect, you've been woefully faith-challenged of late. Venturesome, boundary-pushing works such as Spring Awakening, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson and Next to Normal closed too soon. American Idiot was shamefully ignored at the Tonys and will be gone in three weeks. Meanwhile, that airborne infection Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark dominates headlines and rakes in millions, without even opening. Celebrities and corporate brands sell poor material, innovation gets shown the door, and crap floats to the top. It's enough to turn you heretic, to sing along with The Book of Mormon's Ugandan villagers: "Fuck you God in the ass, mouth and cunt-a, fuck you in the eye." Such deeply penetrating lyrics offer a smidgen of the manifold scato-theological joys to be had at this viciously hilarious treat crafted by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, of South Park fame, and composer-lyricist Robert Lopez, who cowrote Avenue Q. As you laugh your head off at perky Latter-day Saints tap-dancing while fiercely repressing gay tendencies deep in the African bush, you will be transported back ten years, when The Producers and Urinetown resurrected American musical comedy, imbuing time-tested conventions with metatheatrical irreverence and a healthy dose of bad-taste humor. Brimming with cheerful obscenity, sharp satire and catchy tunes, The Book of Mormon is a sick mystic revelation, the most exuberantly entertaining Broadway musical in years. The high

This Lower East Side flea hosts one of Manhattan’s best collections of vendors, with more upstarts joining the fray every week. Standouts from recent years that have gotten their start at the fair include Macaron Parlour, Petee’s Pie Company, Melt Bakery, La New Yorkina, Arancini Bros and Cheeky Sandwich.

New Yorkers sure do love museums, but we appreciate them even more when we get to go without paying. That’s why you should plan on visiting one on September 22, when you can access one out of 15 stellar New York attractions for free. All you have to do is register and download a voucher from the Smithsonian museum. With your ticket, you gain access to participating big-name institutions like the American Folk Art Museum, Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, Mount Vernon Hotel Museum, The Jewish Museum, The Rubin Museum of Art and more during normal business hours. Check out the full list here and go get cultured! 

Photoville is back! And your Insta is about to get meta. NYC hosts a bounty of beautiful photography exhibitions, but only Photoville can claim to be as pretty as the photographs it showcases. Held in and around giant shipping containers in Brooklyn Bridge Park, the massive celebration of pictures features more than 600 artists, 75 exhibitions, talks, screenings, seminars and hands-on photography workshops for budding shutterbugs. There's also a beer garden from Brooklyn Brewery with food from Smorgasburg including Big Mozz, Mao's Bao and John's Juice. The best part: Photoville is totally free, and dog-friendly! Find a full list of hours and events on Photoville's website.

Join DJ Tikka Masala and a giddy bunch of party acolytes for this always-inclusive, definitely wild weekly dance party in Brooklyn. 

In a wake of Michael Brown's death in 2014, Theater of War Productions mounts an ambitious free production of the original political protest play: Sophocles' tale of a Theban woman who, unhappy with the city's ignoble treatment of her dead brother, is confined to a cave by a tyrant who feels she protests too much. Directed and adapted by Bryan Doerries, the piece combines readings from the play by a rotating cast of actors—incuding Samira Wiley, Paul Giamatti, Chris Noth, Tamara Tunie, David Strathairn, Adepero Oduye, Frankie Faison and Kathryn Erbe—with choral music performed by activists, police officers and citizens of New York City and Ferguson, Missouri. Panels and group discussions follow each performance. 

The Museum at FIT unleashes the politics and provocations of the color pink at this stunning exhibition, featuring clothing from the 18th, 19th, 20th and 21st centuries. Divided into two sections, the exhibition explores how the color has come to play into eroticism, punk rock, activism and gender politics. You'll explore historical ensembles from Japan, India, Africa, Mexico, Great Britain, the U.S. and beyond that played into the lives of commoners and royals alike; then gag at stunning looks from the vaults of Dior, Yves Saint Laurent, Gucci, Moschino and Comme des Garçon. Witness the splendor!

Broadway by the Year impresario Scott Siegel curates this monthly concert series, in which Broadway stars sing some of the Great White Way's best-loved tunes. Performers at the September edition include Lisa Howard, John Cudia, Danny Gardner, Ward Billeisen, Maxine Linehan and Brian Charles Rooney.  

A swinging fixture of the cabaret world, Ann Hampton Callaway has also branched into jazz and TV theme songs (The Nanny). She has a reassuringly mellow way with the standards, sung in a wry, dark-toned contralto. Her latest set is devoted to songs by the underrated Linda Ronstadt, including pop hits (like “Different Drum” and “Desperado”) as well as standards from the albums she recorded with Nelson Riddle. The adept Billy Stritch mans the keys.

Beloved comic actor Lynch shows off what she learned during her years on Glee (and her 2012 Broadway turn as Annie's Miss Hannigan) in a night of classic songs and comedy that pairs her with another expert TV funnywoman, Flannery, who played the boozy and blowsy Meredith on The Office. In their Carlyle debut, the two promise to deliver swinging nightclub entertainment "like the Rat Pack but with a couple of broads." 

Fearless singer-songwriter and deceptively feather-light song stylist McKay is always guaranteed to flabber your gast with her witty, unwieldy and beguiling performances. In this Birdland run, she toasts the release of her seventh album, Sister Orchid, which includes versions of standards including "My Romance," "The Nearness of You" and "Georgia on My Mind." 

Pope's viscerally thrilling alto is a rich gusher of sound that emerges like a full-on blast from the past, but her cabaret shows are hilariously full of present tension. In this triumphantly personal and vulnerable greatest-hits set at the Duplex, she applies her semidemented Ed Sullivan Show style to standards and contemporary pop, with the wizardly Brian Nash at the keys.

Dreamy acoustic duo Ben Moss and Dillon Curry have been teasing us all year with intimate performances all around town; finally, they're giving us an EP to cling to. The folk rock buddies are joined by frequent collaborators Courtney Bassett and Cathryn Wake for this special release party at the Green Room 42. 

Self-billed as "the hardest-working middle-aged man in show business," old-school comedian-singer and nightlife survivor Hill looks like he should be entertaining at an Elks Club dinner in 1958—and that's how he likes it. In his new solo show, directed and cowritten by Scott Wittman (Hairpray), Hill digs into the darker side of his life as a pillar of downtown performance. He is backed by the Early Bird Specials, a swinging combo led by Paul Leschen.

A member of the local vocal group Marquee Five makes her solo cabaret debut with a show about chasing stardom in New York City.

Steven Brinberg masters not just Barbra Streisand’s mannerisms but her manner entire—the mixture of soft-spoken entitlement and awkward preening that typifies this funny girl turned self-serious artiste. And Brinberg’s pseudo soprano is the next best thing to Streisand herself; he has a voice like I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter. In his Green Room debut, he marks the 50th anniversary of the film version of Funny Girl.

Vitriolic Bristol punks Idles come stateside for a rager behind last year's critically acclaimed Brutalism. Show up for a raucous, searingly candid and wholly untethered performance from this politically-charged five-piece. Local noise-rock trio Bambara opens in the wake of their Western gothic latest, Shadow On Everything.