Juan A. Ramírez

Getting seats to the best Broadway shows usually requires quite a bit of advance planning. But what if you haven't planned, and you urgently need to see a show tomorrow or even tonight? Don't panic: There are plenty of options for last-minute tickets, especially if you’re willing to put in some legwork. It partly depends on what you're willing to pay and how much risk you're willing to take—and, of course, on plain old luck. If everything goes your way, you might even luck into cheap Broadway tickets, great seats or a chance to see hit shows that you would never have been able to get into earlier. Here is our insider guide to buying last-minute Broadway tickets. The day before the show: Enter the digital lottery Many Broadway shows—including Aladdin, The Book of Mormon and Hadestown—conduct digital lotteries for cheap tickets on the day before each performance. In most cases, you enter the lottery online, then wait until later the same day to find out by email if you've won; if you do, you'll need to reply to the ticket offer within an hour or you'll lose your chance. A few shows, such as Wicked, do their drawings on the morning of the show itself; others have drawings once a week, notably the Harry Potter and the Cursed Child $40 ticket lottery and the $10 Hamilton lottery, both of which happen on Fridays and cover the week ahead. For a full list of shows that offer lotteries, consult Broadway on a Budget or Playbill's Broadway and Off Broadway listings. The morning of the s

Always dodging expectations but never her ability to send us rushing to the dance floor, Chappell Roan today announced a run of pop-up concerts in New York, Kansas and California this September.“The Giver” songstress will take her new Visions of Damsels and Other Dangerous Things show to New York’s Forest Hills Stadium for four nights, followed by two each in Kansas City’s Museum and Memorial Park and Pasadena’s Brookside at the Rose Bowl. RECOMMENDED: Lady Gaga's full Mayhem Ball setlist is out, and it's spectacularAs anyone lucky enough to score a ticket to her headlining acts—or those who flooded virtually every unwitting festival worldwide these past couple of years—know, Roan’s a creature of the stage, meaning this will be a hot ticket. Ever the homegirl, she’s also making sure they won’t be too hot on your wallet, partnering with Fair AXS to curb pesky scalper bots, and with CashApp to offer a 15-percent cashback deal on tickets bought using the Cash App Visa debit card.Beyond that, a dollar from each ticket sale will go toward organizations supporting and providing resources for trans youth in each tour city. Her Kansas City shows will be a homecoming show of affirmation and support, taking place not far from her hometown of Willard, Missouri.With fans awaiting the release of her next single “The Subway” on Friday, August 1, hype for even more music will hit a fever pitch by the time the concerts begin on Saturday, September 20. But maybe familiarize yourself instead w

From its first few moments on a bumper-to-bumper overpass, La La Land became a classic of at least three different movie subgenres: musical, car culture and Los Angeles. What better way to revisit the six-time Oscar winner than by celebrating each of those with a big, scenic outdoor screening featuring a live 53-piece orchestra and jazz band? (Okay, you can’t watch from your car, but those people in the movie quickly left theirs to join each other in busting out Mandy Moore’s choreo like you can here.) RECOMMENDED: All of L.A.’s outdoor movies in one calendarThis September, cinephiles can don their technicolor best and head to the Los Angeles State Historic Park, where director Damien Chazelle’s 2016 masterpiece will screen for two nights (Saturday, September 20 and Sunday, September 21). Composer Justin Hurwitz will conduct his Oscar-winning score, which stands gorgeously alongside Pasek and Paul’s melancholy lyrics, including the nominated weepie “Audition (The Fools Who Dream)” and that year’s big winner, “City of Stars.”The movie’s swings from ecstatic jazz to lowkey drama, anchored by Ryan Gosling and Oscar winner Emma Stone’s phenomenal performances, will find themselves right at home in the park, which will feature a large main screen for the orchestra pit, and four smaller ones for those watching from behind.A mini-museum will display some of Mary Zophres’s Academy Award-nominated original costumes, as well as set pieces from the film’s Oscar-winning production design

After a teary departure from his West Village home of 22 years, Andy Cohen is downsizing and selling hundreds of items from his personal collection—including rare pop culture and Bravo memorabilia—to benefit Housing Works. And he'll even be manning the register himself. Next Tuesday, July 22, Cohen will transform Housing Works’ Chelsea Thrift Shop (143 W 17th Street) into Andy’s Clubhouse, a lively nighttime shopping experience with drinks and deals, with all proceeds benefitting the longstanding New York organization that fights for inclusive care, social justice, and an end to homelessness. “I don't know how long Housing Works has been around, but certainly, in my 35 years in New York City, they've always been a presence,” Cohen tells Time Out. (Coincidentally, Housing Works was founded in 1990—35 years ago.) “I think they're an incredibly well-run charity, which pivots with the times and the needs of people. There was no question in my mind that when I wound up downsizing all of my stuff, I would want to do a big partnership with them.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by 1stDibs (@1stdibs) Like his previous Pride Collection, the current assortment includes high-end furniture and decor. But Andy’s Clubhouse is a wider-ranging and more accessible beast, with clothing, books and memorabilia from the star's decades-long career. The highlight for Cohen is his T-shirt collection, which he calls “an unparalleled trip through the last 30 years of po

Mary’s getting a new cabinet! The Tony-winning production of Oh, Mary! has just announced that joining Jinkx Monsoon in her eight-week stint as Mary Todd Lincoln will be Kumail Nanjiani, Michael Urie and Jenn Harris. The new foursome will begin their bratty hijinks at the Lyceum Theater on Monday, August 4 through Sunday, September 28. This will mark Nanjiani and Harris’ Broadway debuts, and Urie’s first return since his Drama Desk-winning turn in the 2024 revival of Once Upon a Mattress. RECOMMENDED: The best Broadway shows to see right now Tony-nominee Conrad Ricamora, James Scully and Bianca Leigh, who originated their roles in the play’s Off-Broadway premiere at the Lucille Lortel Theater last year, debuted them on Broadway, and are currently back for an encore, will play their final performances on August 2. Tituss Burgess, in his second go-round as Mary Todd Lincoln, will also bow out that day. Tony Macht, who has been with the production from the start, will also play his final performance as “Mary’s Husband’s Assistant” on September 28.  Nanjiani, an Academy Award and Emmy nominee for his work on The Big Sick and The Twilight Zone, and known for his performance in Marvel’s Eternals, will step into the role of “Mary’s Husband.” Harris, recently of American Fiction and the TV series Elsbeth, and a Lortel winner for her performance in Modern Orthodox, will be the next “Mary’s Chaperone.” Urie, a Broadway mainstay who just received his first Emmy nomination for his perfor

Six months after it reopened following a brief closure due to the Palisades Fire, one of Angelenos’ most cherished L.A. landmarks has bounced back higher than its Brentwood hilltop. WorldAtlas has just named the Getty Center one of the 12 best museums in the country, joining the ranks of NYC’s the Met, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. Citing its status as not only a world-class research institute and museum, but a free, immaculately designed destination offering dazzling views of Los Angeles, this outpost of the J. Paul Getty Museum—Pacific Palisades’ Getty Villa being the other branch—rightfully gets the national recognition it deserves. RECOMMENDED: The 21 best museums to visit in Los Angeles Not only does it house an unmatched collection—spanning media from medieval to modern by Van Gogh, Manet and Monet, Gentileschi, Renoir, Munch, Rembrandt, Stieglitz, Caillebotte, Degas, Fragonard, Turner and Blake—but it can only be accessed by a few-minute tram ride that affords the Center’s million-plus yearly visitors a chance to take in views of Los Angeles, and the deer frolicking below.  There are also five gorgeous gardens: a sculpture garden with works by modern masters Elisabeth Frink and Isamu Noguchi; two sky-high grounds with sculptures by Magritte, Calder, Miró and Hepworth; a cactus garden with panoramic views; and the Robert Irwin-designed Central Garden, bursting with manicured hedges, streams and over 500 varieties

The New York Comedy Festival (NYCF), the country’s largest and longest-running annual comedy festival, will return for its 21st edition this November, with over 200 comedians across 100 shows at iconic NYC venues like Carnegie Hall, Madison Square Garden, the Beacon Theatre and Town Hall from Friday, November 7 through Sunday, November 16. Its initial blockbuster lineup has just been announced, with comedy legends like Margaret Cho and (somehow) Louis C.K. welcoming members of the podcast generation, including The Basement Yard and Hannah Berner. A special treat comes in the form of a Strangers with Candy reunion, with cast members Amy Sedaris, Stephen Colbert and Paul Dinello reuniting on the 25th anniversary of the cult Comedy Central series’ cancellation. RECOMMENDED: The best comedy clubs in NYC A jam-packed ten days brings the cream of the comedy crop to New York’s five boroughs—the de facto comedy capital of the world—for bold, inclusive programming that goes beyond stand-up and improv, with panels, galas, emerging talent showcases, live podcast tapings, and immersive brand activations. On landing Madison Square Garden, one of the most important stages worldwide, Joe Santagato of the born-and-bred Queens podcasters The Basement Yard says: “I have no idea how many planets had to align for this opportunity to be given.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by Joe Santagato (@joesantagato) In keeping with the increasing social media comedy revolution

The New York Times just described The Tank as “a haven for hard-to-describe theater that’s steps from Penn Station” and EdFest, a new theater festival debuting this year, certainly looks like it’ll uphold that title. The brainchild of producer Jess Ducey, EdFest will provide New York audiences the chance to take in a series of one-night-only preview performances before they head across the pond to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. For the uninitiated, the best way to describe the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, the world’s largest performing arts event taking place each August, is: all performance, all the time, always, everywhere. Taking place from Monday, July 14 through Sunday, July 20, EdFest will mount a dazzlingly different twelve shows (out of 25 applicants), ranging from Fulbright-awarded drag to searing explorations of family history. RECOMMENDED: Off-Off Broadway shows in NYC We can’t undersell Fringe’s cultural importance enough: the stage shows Six and Stomp, the series Fleabag and Baby Reindeer, the coming-to-NYC stage show Weather Girl, and Tom Stoppard’s entire career all launched during its 78-year history. Chances are your favorite comedian or stage performer has cut their teeth on one of its many, many boards. If that list reads as wildly diverse but equally excellent, so do these twelve shows: Tell Me Where Home Is (I’m Starting to Forget) takes queer pubescent umbrage with Glinda the Good and Jessica Rabbit; A Drag Is Born sees an unlikely hairy man transform into

How to get Tim League, the founder of the famously strict Alamo Drafthouse Cinema chains, to allow phones and chatter during a screening? Metro Private Cinema, his upcoming venture in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood, is the unique, if pricey, solution. Opening sometime this summer (late August or early September is the current target), the 20-screen complex will allow cinephiles to rent plush screening rooms for groups of four to 20 people. Each four-hour booking includes a pre-movie dinner and your pick of flick. RECOMMENDED: The best NYC movie theaters, whether you're into indies, classics or new releases Recent releases are prioritized, with a rotating selection of classics (all-timers like Jaws and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, and off-beat ones, like Donnie Darko and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, are first on the slate) available. Want to screen an even deeper cut? Metro will find it for you, for an extra fee. Speaking of fees, experiences range from $200, for the smallest room, to $1,000 for the 20-count. Meals are $100 per person with alcoholic drinks upping the bill an extra $50 or more.   Photograph: Courtesy Metro Private CinemaMetro Private Cinema But League maintains this is a way to eventize moviegoing at a time when the practice is in peril of disappearing, and when social media is filled with complaints about bad behavior, service and quality at most multiplexes. On par with Alamo’s creative upscale cuisine, menus will be seasonal, and some films will get their

Staten Island remains the most shamefully under-visited of the city’s five boroughs, even with a ferry service that has that rarest of NYC transport qualities: it’s free. But for those looking for a nostalgic-slash-music reason to visit our southernmost district, the Maker Park Music and Art Fest this weekend promises a millennial Brooklynite’s heaven, headlined by Dan Deacon and Jon Spencer. RECOMMENDED: NYC's best summer music festivals of 2025 The event celebrates eight years of Maker Park Radio, a local Staten Island streaming station founded by Kristin Wallace (David Byrne’s longtime promoter) and Tom Ferrie. Since its launch in 2017, the station has hosted over 120 DJs, some of whom will spin live between sets. Maker Park is on the island’s northeast coast, with a lovely view of Bay Ridge just across the water for Brooklynites who might get easily homesick. But the festival’s all-ages vibe will draw you right back into the moment with live portrait photography, local food and crafts vendors, and several art installations. Friday will kick off at 5 p.m. with NYC trash rockers Balaclava, followed by a “sweet and amazing set” (Maker’s words!) from Horsegirl and capped by Baltimore’s Dan Deacon entrancing audiences with his electronic compositions. (If his name sounds familiar, you might have seen his name in the music credits for Venmo: The Last Dance or Francis Ford Coppola’s Twixt.) Known for his audience-interactive shows, Deacon will have you feeling right at home. Nig