Cabaret Roundup: July 21-27, 2025- Drag, Comedy, Free Concerts and More
Some of our top picks for live cabaret shows and events to see in NYC this week
By: Rebecca Kaplan Jul. 21, 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 plenty of free outdoor summer concerts, triple threat Christine Pedi hosting a funny, star-studded cabaret showcase, and a pay-what-you-wish concert featuring the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra (JLCO).
The Wicked Stage: Songs About Show Business, Hosted by Christine Pedi at 54 Below
Mon. July 21 @ 7 pm
Christine Pedi, musical theatre comedienne & Sirius XM’s On Broadway channel daily presenter, 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, Mama 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.
Read Sharon Ellman’s review of last year’s show here.
Tickets: Tickets start at $51.50. There is a $25 Food & Beverage Minimum.
At This Performance... at The Green Room 42
Mon. July 21 @ 7 pm
AT THIS PERFORMANCE… returns to The Green Room 42 featuring Standbys, Understudies and Alternates from MAYBE HAPPY ENDING; SUNSET BOULEVARD; & JULIET; BOOP! THE MUSICAL; GODDESS; ILLINOISE and DRAG: THE MUSICAL.
Stephen DeAngelis continues his ongoing salute to Broadway and Off-Broadway Standbys, Understudies and Alternates with the next edition in his monthly residency of AT THIS PERFORMANCE…™ to be held on Monday, July 21st at The Green Room 42, Green Fig, Fourth Floor, Yotel NYC, 570 Tenth Avenue (at 42nd Street), New York, NY 10036 at 7 PM.
Read a review of a past At This Performance... here.
Tickets: Tickets start at $21.75.
Versailles in Printemps - The Affair of the Poisons at Printemps New York
Mon. July 21 @ 7 pm
Death of Classical, a group offering boutique site-specific concerts with a nod towards modern classical, presents the Versailles Royal Opera Orchestra, legends of French Opera, in their New York début, part of their first ever tour of the United States, for two evenings of extravagant music-making, Versailles in New York. (The second evening is Weds. July 23: info is available on the DOC website here.) DOC puts on some of the most unique, inventive and memorable concerts I've ever seen; you can't go wrong with their shows.
This one-of-a-kind, immersive after-hours experience, conceived and directed by Death of Classical Founder and Artistic Director Andrew Ousley, will take place throughout the exquisite new retail and hospitality concept Printemps New York at One Wall Street. The evening will explore a pivotal historic moment in Louis XIV's court, a tale of palace intrigue laced with poison and steeped in superstition and witchcraft, from a Black Mass to a murder plot involving Louis' favorite mistress.
Centered around a performance by the Versailles Royal Opera Orchestra, audience members will wander through the different spaces, encountering interactive performances while enjoying complimentary food curated by Printemps New York, wine selections from the acclaimed Bouchaine Vineyards, and more.
Attendees are strongly encouraged to embrace the spirit of the show, so don your finest Court attire and your frilliest Rococo frippery, and let's party like it's 1699.
Tickets: Tickets are at $187.50. That may seem a bit steep but it includes complimentary food curated by Printemps New York, wine selections from the acclaimed Bouchaine Vineyards, and more.
Waitress: The Musical In American Sign Language by Deaf Broadway at The Dance Floor at Josie Robertson Plaza (Lincoln Center Plaza)
Weds. July 23 @ 8 pm
Free show; reservations available here.
In just five short years, Deaf Broadway has become synonymous with authentically Deaf musical theater. The organization was founded during the 2020 pandemic in response to artistic director Garrett Zuercher's experience with the state of Deaf access to performances of lyrically complex musicals, which too often water down the nuance of the original work’s language and intentions. Taking up the gauntlet, he and his team began producing American Sign Language interfaces of popular musicals. Eventually, the company began staging the prerecorded audio performance of the musical, presented live by a trained Deaf cast acting their individual parts in ASL. Following their productions of RENT and Once on This Island, this remarkable company returns to Lincoln Center with a live staging of the Broadway smash Waitress by Sara Bareilles and Jessie Nelson—offering a more equitable shared evening for hearing and Deaf audiences alike, showcasing a full Deaf Broadway cast performing the music through ASL with direction by Sandra Mae Frank.
Tickets: General Admission is first-come first-served. Just show up! Fast Track opens the Monday before the event at noon for all. Or, become a Member and get a Fast Track pass for priority entry all summer long.
Lady Bushra's COMEDY VARIETY SHOW at Don’t Tell Mama
Thurs. July 24 @ 9:30 pm
A comedy variety show hosted by drag performer Lady Bushra featuring Jeremy Crittenden, The Besharam Brigade, Katie Blunt and Jonah Nigh.
Tickets: There is a $20 Cover Charge and a $20 Minimum (must include 2 drinks) per person.
Reflections on Africa ft the JLCO at Jazz at Lincoln Center
Thurs. July 24 to Fri. July 25 @ 7:30 pm
Reflections on Africa in Rose Theater offers a preview of the 2025-2026 season, in which the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, music-directed by Vincent Gardner, presents compositions that reflect the impact of African consciousness on music composed by American jazz masters. Selections may include pieces from Randy Weston’s Uhuru Afrika and Highlife albums, Cannonball Adderley’s Accent on Africa, John Coltrane’s Africa/Brass, as well as works by René McLean, Ahmed Abdul-Malik, Horace Parlan, and others.
Opening for the JLCO at this special performance are high school–aged musicians from Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Summer Jazz Academy, a two-week residential program for advanced jazz study.
Tickets: Tickets for Reflections on Africa are available now and are Pay-What-You-Choose starting at $20.00. Purchases are limited to two seats per order online, over the phone, and in person at the box office.
(Note: both performances are almost sold out, so act quickly if you want to see this show!)
Jenny Hagel Gives Advice at Joe’s Pub
Sat. July 26 @ 9:30 pm
Jenny Hagel is an Emmy-nominated writer/performer for Late Night with Seth Meyers, and she loves two things: comedy and telling people what to do. In her live show Jenny Hagel Gives Advice, she gets to do both at the same time!
Jenny invites audience members to submit written questions about their relationships, careers, and finances. Then Jenny and a special guest give their best, most professional (not professional at all) life advice. At the end of the show, Jenny invites a *real live therapist* on stage to tell her and her guest star if they did a good job - or if the audience should totally ignore all of the advice they heard over the past hour.
With special guest Justin Guarini ("American Idol," Wicked, Once Upon a One More Time, 3 million other Broadway shows)
Tickets: Tickets are $36 (inclusive of advance phone/web service fee; door price). There is a 2 drink or 1 food item minimum per person.
Femi Kuti & The Positive Force / dead prez / Elida Almeida/ Rich Medina / Maryam Bukar Hassan (SummerStage) in Central Park
Sun. July 27 from 6 to 10 pm
Free show; details available here.
The eldest son of legendary Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti, Femi Kuti continued his father’s legacy by playing with his father’s band, Egypt 80; He went solo in 1986, starting his own band, The Positive Force. His distinct voice and activism has made him a global music icon.. In 2001, he collaborated with a number of US musicians on his album Fight to Win, including Common, Mos Def, and Jaguar Wright; his latest LP Journey Through Life balances the political themes that have defined his career with deeply personal reflections on family, life, and inner growth.
Also performing is the infamous hip-hop duo, dead prez, who have been outspoken against inequality and injustice throughout their career. Across three studio albums and a handful of mixtapes, they’ve championed militant social justice, self-determination, Pan-Africanism, and opposing corporate media. Cape Verdean singer and songwriter Elida Almeida is known for her viral single and album Nta Konsigui. DJing between sets will be Rich Medina, the producer, spoken-word poet, archivist, and journalist who claims both the Rock Steady Crew and the Universal Zulu Nation and is a part of the DJ collective The Originals. Maryam Bukar Hassan, also known as Alhanislam, is a Nigerian poet, human rights activist, and Pan-Africanist renowned for her impassioned advocacy on social issues being recognized as one of the 100 Most Reputable Africans for 2025 and as the United Nations next Global Advocate for Peace. Maryam’s participation is supported by UN Peacekeeping, the United Nations’ Department of Peace Operations.
Tickets: Free. Seating is first come, first served.
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