Cabaret Roundup: August 18-24, 2025- Samantha Pauly, Penn & Teller, and More
Some of our top picks for live cabaret shows and events to see in NYC this week
By: Rebecca Kaplan Aug. 18, 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 a free outdoor summer concert, magicians Penn and Teller at Radio City Music Hall, and stars of Broadway and film/TV doing solo shows.
Ben Jones & Laurence Hobgood at Birdland Jazz Club
Mon. August 18 @ 7 pm
Award-winning vocalist Ben Jones and Grammy Award-winning pianist Laurence Hobgood join forces for a concert experience that is at once raw, refined, and transcendent. Jones and Hobgood strip beloved songs down to their essence — just voice and piano, in seamless, uninterrupted flow. Each performance is a high-wire act of intimacy and virtuosity: no band, no filler, no fourth wall. Whether they’re reinventing a jazz standard or daring to reframe a pop hit, these two artists meet in the moment to create something unrepeatable and unforgettable. The setlist includes reimagined classics from jazz, Broadway, and pop, woven together by improvised transitions that create a singular, uninterrupted arc.
Tickets: Tickets start at $35.46. There is a $20 minimum on food or drinks per person
Samantha Pauly at Joe's Pub
Mon. August 18 & Tues. August 19 @ 9:30 pm
Best known for originating the role of Katherine Howard in Broadway’s smash hit SIX the Musical, Jordan Baker in The Great Gatsby, and her captivating performance as Eva Perón in Jamie Lloyd’s critically acclaimed revival of Evita on London’s West End, Samantha Pauly has carefully crafted an evening that reflects the last few years of her life. Join this Grammy nominee and Drama Desk Award winner as she revisits some career highlights, Broadway classics, pop/rock favorites, and all the fun stuff in between.
Tickets: Tickets are $48 (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. There are just a small handful amount of tickets left for Monday night’s performance
Joe Iconis & Family at 54 Below
Mon. August 18 & Weds. 20- Sat. 23, 2025 @ 7 pm
Joe Iconis & Family are proud to return to their home-away-from-home for a blow-out run that promises to be their biggest shows yet. Featuring a massive cast of Iconis’s beloved Rogue’s Gallery of showtune punks, expect to hear classic tunes from Joe’s musicals, world premieres, and works-in-progress. Part cabaret, part rock concert, this is new musical theater come to blazing life all around you. At an Iconis & Family gig, you simply never know who will pop up on stage… or at your table! Spill a drink, make a friend, and join The Family.
Tickets: Tickets start at $57. There is a $25 Food & Beverage Minimum.
Liva Pierce and Jane Wickline at Joe's Pub
Weds. August 20 - Fri. August 22
Following a sold-out DUKES mini-tour and Jane’s SNL debut, comedians Liva Pierce and Jane Wickline are returning to the stage together. Original sketches, songs, and special guests…. it’s something completely new. Jane Wickline & Liva Pierce (DUKES) are a sketch comedy duo based in Brooklyn, NY. Jane got her start on TikTok, amassing over a million followers and starring in Stapleview’s original sketch series. Jane joined the cast of SNL for the 50th season and has had many of her Weekend Update bits go viral already. Liva has performed stand-up, improv, and sketch all over the country and recently made their off-Broadway debut as a part of Ars Nova’s ANT Fest. After training at The Second City in Chicago, Liva moved to New York and the pair founded DUKES!
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. Friday’s performance is sold out and there are just a handful left for Thursday’s show.
Penn & Teller at Radio City Music Hall with Special After Party at 54 Below
Thurs. August 21 (show @ 8 pm)
You’ve seen Penn & Teller on TV with their acclaimed shows “Fool Us” and “Bullshit!,” in movies, on and off Broadway, and at their 20 year residency at the Rio Hotel in Las Vegas. BUT, did you know that this Obie Award winning, Olivier-nominated pair first hit it big in 1985 in the 247-seat Westside Arts Theatre, produced by none other than our founders––Richard Frankel, Tom Viertel, Steve Baruch, and Marc Routh––in their very first undertaking as partners?
Now, 40 years after Penn & Teller’s first New York performance, and 50 years into their career, they’re playing Radio City Music Hall as part of their worldwide 50th Anniversary tour and 54 Below is sponsoring a Gala Benefit visit to Radio City to celebrate the occasion.
Come experience what they’re all about and where it all began in a fabulous night out with the 54 Below family. Your purchase includes a prime orchestra seat at Radio City Music Hall, tickets to the Official After Party with Penn & Teller themselves (in all their magical charm), a full open bar, passed hors d’oeuvres, and a festive buffet as only 54 Below can provide
Tickets: Tickets for the Radio City Music Hall show plus 54 Below after party are $500.
Belongó: Arturo O’Farrill and the Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra at Bryant Park
Fri. August 22 @ 7 pm
Free show; details available here.
8-time GRAMMY award-winner Arturo O'Farrill celebrates the rich immigrant stories and traditions of NYC in honor of its 400th birthday, showcasing the city's role in the diversity of Latin music. The multi-Grammy–winning Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra (ALJO) is a big band of jazz and Latin-jazz virtuosos led by the inimitable Arturo O’Farrill. With roots in Latin jazz traditions trailblazed by greats like Tito Puente and Mario Bauzá, and with an equally keen ear for the music’s future, ALJO has spent the past two decades thrilling audiences with its impeccable ensemble playing, showstopping soloists, and expansive repertoire—including works by Arturo and Chico O’Farrill.
Tickets: Free. Seating is first come, first served. This performance will also be livestreamed on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and Bryant Park’s website.
Nilson Matta Brazilian Voyage at Dizzy’s Club (Jazz at Lincoln Center)
Fri. August 22 – Sun. August 24
Beloved bassist and multi-GRAMMY nominee Nilson Matta returns to Dizzy’s Club with his Brazilian Voyage Quintet. A driving force behind Trio Da Paz and a first-call collaborator for legends like Kenny Barron and Joe Henderson, Matta leads a band of master musicians through rich, rhythmic sets that celebrate the heart and soul of Brazilian jazz. Expect an evening of vibrant textures, deep grooves, and pure musical joy.
Tickets: $50/60, with student tickets available at $25. There is a $21 food/drink minimum
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