Best Cabaret in Oct 2026: Ariana DeBose, Deborah Cox, Patty Smyth & More in NYC
See some of the biggest names performing at cabaret venues this month - at a range of budget points
See some of the biggest names performing at cabaret venues this month - at a range of budget points. We've put together a list of some of the biggest stars of the stage and screen and the biggest names in jazz, cabaret and Broadway with shows in NYC. Now's your chance to see these stars live, in-person and in an intimate venue. Tickets to these shows are limited and they are likely to sell out, so make sure to check this list when you plan out your month!
Ariana DeBose at Café Carlyle
Oct. 1-3 @ 8:45 pm
Café Carlyle is thrilled to welcome award-winning actress, singer, and dancer Ariana DeBose for her highly anticipated Café Carlyle debut, September 29–October 3, 2026. Best known for her Academy Award-winning performance as Anita in Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story, DeBose has captivated audiences across stage and screen, with Broadway credits including Hamilton and her Tony-nominated role in Summer: The Donna Summer Musical. She also hosted the Tony Awards for three years, earning two Emmy nominations.
Tickets: General Seating $310 per person / Premium Seating $360. For general and premium seating, there is a food minimum of $95 for two courses. Bar Seating is sold out.
LIFE IS KANDER AND EBB at Dizzy’s Club (Jazz at Lincoln Center)
Sun. October 4 @ 5 & 7:30 pm
For the first time, Jazz at Lincoln Center American Songbook celebrates one of Broadway’s greatest songwriting teams, John Kander and Fred Ebb, who gave us iconic shows like Chicago and Cabaret, and songs made hits by Liza Minnelli, Barbra Streisand, Frank Sinatra, and others. With Life is Kander and Ebb, Songbook Sundays at Dizzy’s Club celebrates the team’s greatest songs, from All That Jazz and New York, New York to Maybe This Time, Cabaret and more. Curated and hosted by Deborah Grace Winer, it stars Tony award winner Karen Ziemba, Broadway favorite Matthew Scott and rising young artist Vanisha Gould.
Tickets: Tickets are $60, with student tickets available at $30. There is a $25 food/drink minimum.
NEW YORK POPS UNDERGROUND CABARET at 54 Below
Mon. October 5 @ 6:30 pm
Guests will enjoy a special cabaret performance from Grammy and Tony-nominated singer and actress Deborah Cox. Alumni from The New York Pops’s Kids on Stage program will serve as opening act. During the performance, guests will enjoy a meal with wine pairings. All proceeds from The New York Pops Underground support our PopsEd music education programs, which provides life-changing music education experiences to New York City students.
Tickets: Tickets start at $365.
American Songbook Association Sixth Annual Gala - Maltby & Shire: Our Story Goes On at Kaufman Music Center
Mon. October 5 @ 7:30 pm
Cabaret Scenes and the American Songbook Association (ASA) announces its sixth annual gala Maltby & Shire: Our Story Goes On honoring the multi-award-winning songwriting team of Richard Maltby. Jr. and David Shire. Celebrating the team behind the musicals Baby; Big; Starting Here, Starting Now; Closer Than Ever; About Time, and beyond, the evening will feature special guest performances by Loni Ackerman, Liz Callaway, Margery Cohen, Jenn Colella, Judy Collins, Catherine Cox, Gretchen Cryer, Beth Fowler, Judy Kaye, Eddie Korbich, Charlotte Maltby, Sally Mayes, Ethan Paulini, with others to be announced. Deniz Cordell will serve as musical director.
Tickets: Tickets start at $75.
Ali Ewoldt: When You Wish Upon a Star, feat. Jose Llana & more! at 54 Below
October 6 @ 7 pm
A dream came true for Ali Ewoldt when she became the first Asian-American to star on Broadway as Christine Daaé in Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera. It was one of many such dreams that have come true for this Broadway star, including landing major Broadway roles in Les Misérables and The King and I. On October 6th on the 54 Below stage, Ali Ewoldt will share those dreams with you, singing the famous songs she performed on Broadway, as well as the equally famous songs she performed on her journey to the Great White Way: Disney hits, musical theater classics, and more. This will be a show bursting with Broadway hits by an actress who has walked the walk and sung the songs!
Tickets: Tickets start at $25. There is a $25 Food & Beverage Minimum
Judith Owen at Café Carlyle
Oct. 6-7 @ 8:45 pm
Genre-defying singer, songwriter, and storyteller Judith Owen makes her highly anticipated Café Carlyle debut with a special two-night engagement on October 6 & 7, 2026. Known for her wildly charismatic live performances - part concert, part theatre - Owen seamlessly moves between jazz, blues, big band, rock and musical theatre, creating “mini-musicals” filled with humor, heart, and fearless musicianship.
Tickets: General Seating $142 per person / Premium Seating $197. For general and premium seating, there is a food minimum of $95 for two courses. Bar seating is sold out.
Brian Newman at Café Carlyle
Oct. 8-9 @ 8:45 pm
Café Carlyle is delighted to welcome legendary performer Brian Newman back to the stage for two-nights on Thursday, October 8 and Friday, October 9, 2026. Hailed as a true Tastemaker and a Creative and Musical Director of exceptional caliber, Newman is a Grammy Award-winning producer, acclaimed bandleader, trumpeter, and vocalist whose Signature Sound and artistic vision have left an indelible mark on New York City’s vibrant music scene. With over 25 years of experience curating and crafting unforgettable live performances across premier venues—ranging from nightclubs and luxury hotels to cinematic and television productions—Newman is a consummate showman whose artistry bridges generations. His deep reverence for jazz legends like Miles Davis and Chet Baker, combined with a passion for the Great American Songbook, is infused with modern flair through influences including Nirvana, Willie Nelson, Earth, Wind & Fire, Thin Lizzy, Bruce Springsteen, The Police, and more. Most recently, Newman and his band collaborated with Lady Gaga on the orchestration and recording of her album Harlequin and delivered a standout appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! The group also contributed to the soundtrack of the highly anticipated film Joker: Folie à Deux.
Tickets: Tickets start at $104 for bar seating. For general and premium seating, there is a food minimum of $95 for two courses. Bar seating has a $60 food/drink minimum.
Julie Benko: Broadway Goes to the Movies at Birdland Jazz Club
Mon. October 19 @ 7 pm
Broadway's Julie Benko — fresh off the Tony-winning revival of Ragtime and beloved for her starmaking turn as Fanny Brice in Funny Girl — brings the silver screen to the Birdland stage. Backed by a stellar trio, Julie takes audiences on a musical trip through Hollywood's most beloved film songs, from timeless standards to unexpected surprises. Grab your popcorn (or your cocktail) and settle in for a night where Broadway meets the movies, one unforgettable song at a time.
Tickets: Tickets start at $35.46 including fees. There is a $20 minimum on food or drinks per person.
Patty Smyth at Café Carlyle
Oct. 20-24 @ 8:45 pm
Grammy- and Oscar-nominated singer-songwriter Patty Smyth makes her highly anticipated Café Carlyle debut with a special five-night engagement from October 20 - 24, 2026. Best known as the dynamic voice behind Scandal and for her acclaimed solo career, Smyth rose to prominence in the 1980s with iconic hits including “Goodbye to You” and “The Warrior,” establishing herself as one of rock music’s most powerful and enduring female voices.
Tickets: General Seating $190 per person / Premium Seating $240/ Bar Seating $150. For general and premium seating, there is a food minimum of $95 for two courses. Bar seating has a $50 food/drink minimum. Sold out except for October 21
The Knights at Carnegie Hall
October 20, 2026 @ 7 pm
Driven by a “passion for musical discovery” and an “open-hearted spirit of camaraderie,” The Knights bring fresh excitement and insight to every performance. Tonight, conducted by Eric Jacobsen, they traverse a vast soundscape of American music as part of Carnegie Hall’s United in Sound: America at 250 festival. The program features Copland’s Pulitzer Prize–winning, folk-infused masterpiece: the Appalachian Spring Suite, plus the New York premiere of a concerto written by Gabriel Kahane for clarinetist extraordinaire Anthony McGill, part of the ensemble’s multi-year Rhapsody project. Cherished short works also undergo a “Knightsian” transformation, including Ellington’s ballad “Sophisticated Lady”; Bonds’s “Troubled Waters,” based on the spiritual “Wade in the Waters”; Brumley’s “I’ll Fly Away”; and Lev “Ljova” Zhurbin’s Garmoshka (“little accordion”).
Tickets: Tickets start at $83. There are just a few seats available.
Death of Classical: Nightfall at The Green-Wood Cemetery (Brooklyn)
October 22 and 23 (rain date October 24) at 7 pm
For two nights only, Green-Wood's winding pathways will lead you deep into unfamiliar corners of the Cemetery, where darkness holds more than you'd expect. See where the shadows dance in a world of spectacle and mystery. This immersive event features a variety of performers scattered through the storied grounds of Brooklyn's famous Gilded Age cemetery, where every viewer walks their own path and no two visitors have exactly the same experience.
Tickets: Tickets are $70, $56 for members, and $95 for Premium Tickets.
The New York Pops 007: James Bond Forever at Carnegie Hall
October 23 @ 8 pm
Reineke … Steven Reineke leads this swanky celebration of James Bond. Tony Award winner Lena Hall (Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Kinky Boots) joins in a program of Bond favorites that span 60 years of the iconic film series—including pieces by prolific Bond composers John Barry and David Arnold, and music made famous by Paul McCartney, Gladys Knight, Tina Turner, Duran Duran, Billie Eilish, Adele, and more.
Tickets: Tickets start at $53.
Christine Ebersole with Billy Stritch at 54 Below
October 27 to 31 @ 7 pm
54 Below proudly welcomes back two-time Tony Award® winner Christine Ebersole, joined by her longtime music director Billy Stritch, for a special evening celebrating their 25-year friendship. The show will feature selections from the golden age of Broadway, movie musical favorites and jazz standards —all arranged in their signature style. Ebersole and Stritch first met while starring in the 2001 Broadway revival of 42nd Street, where Christine’s performance as Dorothy Brock earned her first Tony Award®. She received her second five years later for her unforgettable dual portrayal of Big Edie and Little Edie Beale in Grey Gardens. This special performance will include songs from both productions, along with stories and selections from their albums In Your Dreams and Sunday in New York.
Tickets: Tickets start at $47. There is a $25 Food & Beverage Minimum
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