Best Cabaret in April 2026: Betty Buckley, Samantha Bee, Stephen Schwartz & More
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, comedy 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!
Claybourne Elder at 54 Below
April 3, 4 & 15 @ 7 pm
Claybourne Elder (John Adams on the first three seasons of HBO’s hit series “The Gilded Age”) celebrates the release of his debut album, If the Stars Were Mine, with a series of album release concerts that bring his acclaimed live show to 54 Below. Known for evenings that critics have described as effortless, emotionally resonant, and laugh-out-loud funny, Elder blends masterful storytelling and his richly expressive voice.
Tickets: Tickets start at $30.50. There is a $25 Food & Beverage Minimum. There’s currently a limited amount of subsidized tickets for $18 with no minimum for April 15. These seats are part of 54 Below’s initiative to make cabaret more accessible to a wider audience. 54 encourages you to take advantage of this lower priced ticket if their other ticket prices are prohibitive for your personal circumstance.
Paulo Szot at 54 Below
April 5 @ 7 pm
Tony Award® winning actor Paulo Szot (South Pacific) returns to 54 Below with a brand new show! After originating the role of Lance in the hit musical & Juliet and a showstopping turn as Hades in Hadestown, Paulo returns to 54 Below with his rich baritone and the wonderful musicians from the American Pops Orchestra, conducted by maestro Luke Frazier.
Featuring guests Morgan Dudley (Hadestown, Jagged Little Pill, Descendants: The Rise of Red) on March 6 only, Grammy winner Allison Russell (Hadestown) on March 7 only and more stars to be announced!
Tickets: Tickets start at $35. There is a $25 Food & Beverage Minimum. There’s currently a limited amount of subsidized tickets for $18 with no minimum for March 9. These seats are part of 54 Below’s initiative to make cabaret more accessible to a wider audience. 54 encourages you to take advantage of this lower priced ticket if their other ticket prices are prohibitive for your personal circumstance.
Brent Comer at Joe’s Pub
April 6 @ 7 & 9:30
Since blazing onto the scene starring as ‘Darrel Curtis’ in the 2024 Tony Award®-winning hit The Outsiders, Brent Comer has rapidly become a Broadway favorite and a star-to-watch! Now, fresh off his two-year run on Broadway and after a string of sold-out concerts in 2025, he's poised to make his Joe's Pub debut! Collaborating with music director Benjamin Rauhala, he'll be sharing the music and stories that have made him the artist and man he is today with a setlist filled to the brim with mashups and medleys of rock and roll, theater, and everything in between as the audience finally gets a fuller picture of this rising star!
Tickets: Tickets are $60 (inclusive of advance phone/web service fee). There is a 2 drink or 1 food item minimum per person.
Marilyn Maye at 54 Below
April 6-11, 14, and 16-19 @ 7 pm
Join Marilyn Maye for her annual birthday bash at 54 Below! Every performance during this run will feature a special 98th birthday celebration for this beloved cabaret legend. A timeless icon who has been entertaining audiences for over eight decades, Manhattan’s Queen of Cabaret is thrilled to be returning to her home away from home—and her favorite audiences—for this very special birthday.
Tickets: Tickets start at $52.50. There is a $25 Food & Beverage Minimum. The April 10 show is currently sold out.
Donna McKechnie: A Musical Memoir at The Laurie Beechman
April 10, May 23, June 11 @ 7 pm
Join Tony Award winner Donna McKechnie in an intimate journey through her remarkable career in the theatre, a heartfelt and personal reflection of a life dedicated to the arts. Through captivating stories, she shares and celebrates working alongside legendary artists such as Bob Fosse, Gwen Verdon, Michael Bennett, Marvin Hamlisch, and Stephen Sondheim. This musical memoir features performances of iconic songs from many of the beloved shows she has graced, including A Chorus Line, Company, A Little Night Music, On The Town, Sweet Charity and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. This new show celebrates her lifelong passion for the transformative power of musical theatre.
Tickets: Tickets start at $50. There is a $25 food & beverage minimum
Andrea McArdle's Broadway On Demand at The Laurie Beechman
April 12 @ 7 pm
You choose, she belts! Broadway’s original Annie lets the audience call the shots as song titles and story prompts are drawn at random, making every performance a one-of-a-kind event. One moment might bring a powerhouse number from her star turns in Beauty and the Beast, Les Miz, or Jerry’s Girls - the next, 70s pop - the next, a story about Carol Channing...and the next night, you’re getting a completely different set! No two shows are the same.
Tickets: Tickets start at $35. There is a $25 food & beverage minimum
Samantha Bee: How to Survive Menopause at City Winery
April 22 @ 7:30 pm
Samantha Bee has quickly established herself as having one of the most unique and sharp comedic voices on television. Born and raised in Toronto, Canada, Bee began her career performing as a member of the all-female sketch comedy troupe The Atomic Fireballs.
Tickets: Tickets start at $72. There is a $25 food & beverage minimum
Hugh Panaro: Man Without A Mask at 54 Below
April 23-25 & 30 & May 1 @ 7 pm
Hugh Panaro: Man Without A Mask is a very exciting evening taking you right onto Broadway, backstage, into dressing rooms, and into Hugh’s unique and personal scrapbook of a life and career. You won’t want to miss this exciting solo concert, where you will be treated to songs and stories the star will share from Side Show, Show Boat, Lestat, Sweeney Todd, Sunday in the Park with George, The Red Shoes, and all the blockbusters he’s known for… and even some shows he wasn’t in.
Tickets: Tickets start at $41.50. There is a $25 Food & Beverage Minimum.
Betty Buckley at Joe’s Pub
April 24 to 26
Betty Buckley is back with a new collection of Story Songs for her yearly six show residency at Joe's Pub. The evening features her longtime collaborator, pianist/arranger Christian Jacob and musicians Tony Marino, Keita Ogawa, and Jordan Peters.
Tickets: Tickets are $85 (inclusive of advance phone/web service fee). There is a 2 drink or 1 food item minimum per person.
Sondheim Unplugged: The Final Season at 54 Below
April 26 @ 7 pm
FINAL SEASON! After fifteen glorious years as a celebrated New York City event (It’s a Hit!), the time has come to say Goodbye for Now to Sondheim Unplugged, created in 2010 by series creator and original host Phil Geoffrey Bond, who continues as Executive Producer. At the time of closing, Sondheim Unplugged will have played 150 performances in NYC and dozens more nationally, internationally, and for broadcast. But Take the Moment, because We’re Still Here and Back in Business for six final, unforgettable Sondheim performances of our multiple award-winning series, featuring a rotating Company of Broadway’s best. Long beloved by audiences of all levels of Sondheim-familiarity, Sondheim Unplugged (2023 Grammy nominee for Outstanding Traditional Pop Vocal Album) features some of the most exciting voices from the worlds of theatre and cabaret, accompanied by piano only, delving into the musical world of Broadway’s master composer. Hosted by Broadway wit Rob Maitner, with music direction from John Fischer, and directed by Lucia Spina, expect fun facts and tidbits about the original Broadway productions and an evening well spent with Old Friends.
Tickets: Tickets start at $51.50. There is a $25 Food & Beverage Minimum.
The New York Pops 43rd Birthday Gala at Carnegie Hall
April 27 @ 7 pm
Steven Reineke leads The New York Pops in a celebration of its 43rd Birthday Gala with Music Honoree Stephen Schwartz (Wicked, Godspell, Pippin, The Queen of Versailles, and more). Proceeds from the gala support the orchestra and its PopsEd music education programs.
Tickets: Tickets start at $68.
The Wicked Stage: Songs About Show Business, Hosted by Christine Pedi at 54 Below
April 29 @ 7 pm
Christine Pedi, musical theatre comedienne & Sirius XM’s On Broadway channel daily presenter will host and perform. She will lead an incredible cast of musical theatre folks performing in this unforgettable evening! Expect Broadway’s most vivacious performers from many of your favorite shows past and present, as well as cabaret’s divas and crooners bringing to life iconic characters like Norma Desmond, Harold Hill, Momma Rose, George M. Cohan, Victor AND Victoria, one (if not ALL) of The Four Seasons, and more. Hear classics and hidden gems like “The Glamorous Life,” “Life Upon the Wicked Stage,” “Lullaby of Broadway,” and many more from jukebox musicals, backstage shows, the silver screen, the “boob tube,” and maybe even the YouTube.
Tickets: Tickets start at $51.50 including fees. There is a $25 Food & Beverage Minimum.
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