Cabaret Roundup: August 11-17, 2025- Morgan James, NY Circus Festival, Nicole Henry & More
Some of our top picks for live cabaret shows and events to see in NYC this week
By: Rebecca Kaplan Aug. 11, 2025
Are you trying to plan your entertainment for the week or looking for a fun show to see this weekend? We have you covered with jazz, cabaret, comedy, and more! NYC has so many incredible events, but here are a few top picks to consider this week including free outdoor summer shows, jazz, and stars of Broadway and film/TV doing solo shows.
Nicole Henry: SUMMER’S SOUL at Birdland Jazz Club
Mon. August 11 @ 7 pm
Celebrating freedom, adventure, passion and enchantment, Nicole returns to Birdland with “Summer’s Soul.” From classic jazz to classic soul, and a sprinkling of everything in between, Nicole Henry will perform material including “A Lot of Living to Do,” “You Taught My Heart to Sing,” and more.
Henry has also enjoyed four national TOP 10 cds in the U.S., Japan and the U.K. and has headlined stages in 20 countries throughout her career, garnering worldwide rave reviews by Japan Times, El Pais, DownBeat, Essence and more. Among her numerous accolades, Henry received the Soul Train Award for “Best Traditional Jazz Performance," “Best New Jazz Artist” by HMV Japan, and “Best Solo Musician” by the Miami New Times.
Tickets: Tickets start at $45.76. There is a $20 minimum on food or drinks per person
Youngmi Mayer: HAIRY BUTTHOLE at Joe's Pub
Weds. August 13 @ 7 pm & Thurs. August 14 @ 9:30 pm
Hairy Butthole is a one-person show featuring Youngmi Mayer, one of the comics featured on Vulture's list of “Comedians You Should and Will Know” in 2024, based on the Korean saying "If you laugh while crying, hair will grow out of your butthole." The show follows highlights of her life based loosely on her memoir, I'm Laughing Because I'm Crying. It is a sad comedy show designed to make the audience laugh and cry at the same time.
This performance is part of the Joe’s Pub Vanguard Residency curated by Margaret Cho.
Tickets: Tickets are $30 (inclusive of advance phone/web service fee; door price). There is a 2 drink or 1 food item minimum, per person, during every show at Joe's Pub.
Morgan James: I’m Old Fashioned at Dizzy’s Club (Jazz at Lincoln Center)
Thurs. August 14 & Fri. August 15 @ 7 & 9 pm
Back by popular demand, powerhouse vocalist Morgan James returns to Dizzy’s Club with a soulful tribute to Johnny Mercer Songbook. Known for selling out our Valentine’s shows year after year, James brings her signature warmth, style, and stunning vocals to timeless classics from one of America’s most beloved lyricists. PERFORMANCE LINEUP Morgan James, vocals Doug Wamble, guitar Ravi Best, trumpet Tyler Bullock, piano Sarah Gooch, drums Spencer Murphy, bass
Tickets: $50 for Thursday; $55 for Friday, with student tickets available at $25. There is a $21 food/drink minimum. Tickets are currently sold out for the early sets but you can still snag some for the 9 pm ones.
Michael Kirk Lane: RIGHT WHERE I BELONG at The Laurie Beechman
Fri. August 15 @ 7 pm
Michael Kirk Lane has been called “one of the most popular performers and people working in cabaret today” (BroadwayWorld). He returns to The Laurie Beechman Theatre with a new show, “Right Where I Belong”! Lane offers an evening looking at the twists and turns and sometimes cyclical nature of life, featuring his signature storytelling style with some childlike whimsy thrown in.
(Read a full review of one of Lane’s previous shows here.)
Tickets: Tickets start at $30. There is a $25 food & beverage minimum
Rex Smith: CONFESSIONS OF A TEEN IDOL at 54 Below
Fri, August 15 & Sat. August 16 @ 7 pm
Join Rex Smith for a musical evening full of rock and Broadway songs and celebrity dish from someone who was there. If you haven’t heard “the stories behind the stories,” then this is your show. It’s a journey that has everything and more, from the crazy antics of rock ‘n’ roll to the excitement and pressure behind a six album deal as a number one Platinum Recording Artist with Columbia Records to two years opening for Ted Nugent and beyond. Rex will fill you in on what it was like to become an overnight sensation as a teen idol and the despair that came with the title. He’ll share insider info, giving audiences the scoop on his last concert with Lynyrd Skynyrd before their plane crash (and what really happened), his many TV/movie roles, and nabbing the lead role as the closing Danny Zuko in Grease on Broadway from an open call. You’ll hear all about his adventures with Kevin Kline and Linda Ronstadt during The Pirates of Penzance, and his star turns in Grand Hotel, Annie Get Your Gun, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Kiss Me, Kate, Sunset Boulevard, and Grease (again!). You’ll even hear what it was like to meet his 16-year-old son for the first time… a son he never knew he had.
Tickets: Tickets start at $51.50. There is a $25 Food & Beverage Minimum.
BLACKTRONIKA FESTIVAL: Phuture / Waajeed / Rimarkable / Joe Claussell / Charlie Dark / King Britt (SummerStage) in Central Park
Sat. August 16 from 4 to 10 pm
Free show; details available here.
Blacktronika is a movement dedicated to honoring and illuminating innovators of color who have played a pivotal role in the evolution of electronic music. The movement originated in London (1999–2005) with the groundbreaking ‘Blacktronica’ events founded by artist Charlie Dark MBE at the Institute of Contemporary Arts, fundamentally reshaping the UK’s cultural landscape. In 2020, Professor and veteran artist King Britt expanded the movement into academia by establishing the Blacktronika: Afrofuturism in Electronic Music course at the University of California, and later launched the Blacktronika Festival, further solidifying the movement’s impact. In collaboration with his long-time colleague Charlie Dark, the festival has successfully engaged audiences in Paris, Knoxville, Brooklyn, Los Angeles, and San Diego, fostering an expanding global community invested in the intersection of music, culture, and education.
The Central Park program will feature an ‘electrifying’ DJ set from King Britt B2B Charlie Dark, a spiritual house performance by Brooklyn’s Joe Clausell, the debut live performance of Detroit icon Waajeed, an uplifting set from Detroit’s Rimarkable, and a live performance by acid house pioneers Phuture from Chicago.
Tickets: Free. Seating is first come, first served.
New York City Circus Festival at Bryant Park
Sat. August 16 @ 7 pm
Bryant Park’s first-ever circus festival is a love letter to New York City’s groundbreaking circus artists showcasing soaring aerial performances, acrobatics, clowning, a giant Rolly apparatus, and more!
Tickets: Free show. Seating is first-come, first-serve.
Videos