Cabaret Roundup: July 28-August 3, 2025- Laverne Cox, Beth Leavel, and More
Some of our top picks for live cabaret shows and events to see in NYC this week
By: Rebecca Kaplan Jul. 28, 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, Orange Is the New Black star Laverne Cox, The Prom and Drowsy Chaperone star Beth Leavel, and more.
54 Sings Wildcat at 54 Below
Mon. July 28 @ 7 pm
In 1960, Lucille Ball, fresh off her enormous success on television with “I Love Lucy,” decided to conquer another medium: Broadway. The result was the musical Wildcat, with a score by Cy Coleman (Sweet Charity) and Carolyn Leigh (Little Me). It tells the story of Wildcat Jackson, a red-haired firecracker who travels to Centavo City, near the Mexican border, with one goal: to strike oil. The original production ran for 171 performances, and gave us the musical theater classic “Hey, Look Me Over!” A cast of Broadway veterans will be on hand to celebrate this underappreciated musical and its globally beloved star. The concert will be hosted and produced by Charles Kirsch, the host of theater podcast Backstage Babble, and musically directed by Michael Lavine.
Tickets: Tickets start at $51.50. There is a $25 Food & Beverage Minimum.
This performance will also be livestreamed. For tickets and more information, click here.
Laverne Cox: Gurrl How Did I Get Here? at City Winery
Mon. July 28 @ 8 pm
Trailblazing performer Laverne Cox invites you on an unforgettable journey through the twists and turns of her life and groundbreaking career with humor, heart, and a few fabulous wardrobe changes. Laverne shares raw stories of love, loss, trauma, triumph and everything in between. From moments that broke her to those that made her, Laverne charts a path of resilience, reinvention, and radical self love. She’s learned a little, laughed a lot, and she’s ready to spill the tea.
Tickets: Tickets start at $45. There is a $25 food & beverage minimum.
Ashley Wool IN THE BROADWAY ERA at The Laurie Beechman
Mon. July 28 @ 7 pm
Sometimes you have to reopen old wounds to break new ground, and be the change you never knew you needed to see...
In her cabaret, The Broadway Era, Ashley Wool shares humorous and heartfelt stories from her unconventional journey to Broadway as one of the original cast members of How to Dance in Ohio, a joyful and groundbreaking musical that marked a watershed moment for neurodiverse representation in the media.
Join Ashley Wool and her chosen family for this musical celebration of the connections, communities, and changes that become possible when we find the courage to live authentically.
(Read an interview with Ashley about this show here.)
Tickets: Tickets start at $24.85. There is a $25 food & beverage minimum.
John Pizzarelli at Birdland Jazz Club
Tues. July 29 to Thurs July 31 @ 7 & 9:30 pm; Fri. August 1 & Sat. August 2 @ 8:30 & 10:30 pm
Guitarist and singer John Pizzarelli has been hailed by the Boston Globe for “reinvigorating the Great American Songbook and re-popularizing jazz.” Established as one of the prime contemporary interpreters of the Great American Songbook, Pizzarelli has expanded that repertoire by including the music of Paul McCartney, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Tom Waits, Antônio Carlos Jobim and the Beatles. In addition to being a bandleader and solo performer, Pizzarelli has been a special guest on recordings for major pop names such as Natalie Cole, Kristin Chenoweth, Tom Wopat, Rickie Lee Jones and Dave Van Ronk, as well as leading jazz artists such as Rosemary Clooney, Ruby Braff, Johnny Frigo, Buddy DeFranco, Harry Allen and, of course, his father Bucky Pizzarelli. He won a Grammy Award in the Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album category as co-producer of James Taylor’s American Standard in 2021. A radio personality who got his start in the medium in 1984, Pizzarelli is co-host, alongside wife Jessica Molaskey, of Radio Deluxe with John Pizzarelli. He has performed on America’s most popular national television shows such as The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Conan, and Great Performances, as well as the talk shows of Jay Leno, David Letterman, Regis Philbin and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Tickets: Tickets start at $45.76. There is a $20 minimum on food or drinks per person
Beth Leavel Sings Sondheim at 54 Below
Thurs. July 31 to Sun. August 3 @ 7 pm
Tony Award® winner Beth Leavel is back to light up the stage at 54 Below with a brand new show celebrating the great Stephen Sondheim!
Beth just finished a triumphant run in Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends on Broadway. You know Beth and her show-stopping belt from such beloved Broadway hits as The Prom and The Drowsy Chaperone. After several sold out 54 Below engagements, Beth is delighted, terrified, and thrilled to now bring Sondheim’s brilliance to 54 Below. Let the storytelling begin.
Leavel is a powerful singer and masterful interpreter of Sondheim's work, with the deft comedic skill and emotional depth needed to nail his songs. Read BWW writer Ricky Pope’s review of the show here.
Tickets: Tickets start at $84.50. There is a $25 Food & Beverage Minimum.
COME FLY WITH Jimmy Van Heusen (songbook sundays) at Dizzy’s Club (Jazz at Lincoln Center)
Sun. August 3 @ 5 & 7:30 pm
This Songbook Sundays spins out Van Heusen hits from Swingin’ on a Star to Call Me Irresponsible, Darn that Dream to Here’s that Rainy Day, Come Fly with Me and more. The prolific songwriter wrote a slew of hits by stars like Crosby and Sinatra.
Hosted and curated by leading American Songbook expert Deborah Grace Winer who provides additional context between songs, the set features Tony nominee Christine Andreas, acclaimed jazz singer Gabrielle Stravelli, with rising star David Marino and acclaimed singer-pianist Billy Stritch, as the evening’s Music Director.
The intergenerational band of all-stars features Mark McLean on drums (Wynton Marsalis, Billy Joel, Diana Krall), Caylen Bryant on bass (Kandace Springs, Broadway’s A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical), and Jarien Jaminila on saxophone (Delfeayo Marsalis, Eric Reed).
Tickets: $50/45, with student tickets available at $25. There is a $21 food/drink minimum.
Rachel Therrien at The Underground at Jaffe Drive (Lincoln Center Plaza)
Sun. August 3 @ 6 pm
Free show; reservations available here.
Soar as trumpet and flugelhorn player, composer, and music producer Rachel Therrien delights audiences with her innovative approach influenced by traditional jazz, Afro-Latin, and global music. Winner of the TD Grand Prize Jazz Award at the renowned Montreal International Jazz Festival, this GRAMMY-nominated champion of the Montreal Jazz scene has a world-class reputation and is considered one of the most promising jazz musicians of her generation. Elevate your summer for an unforgettable evening.
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.
TAIWANESE WAVES: Enno Cheng / ABAO + Nanguaq Girls / Bulareyaung Dance Company (SummerStage) in Central Park
Sun. August 3 from 6 to 10 pm
Free show; details available here.
This showcase of Taiwanese artists is presented in collaboration with Taiwanese Waves, an agency focused on widening people’s perspectives of what music from Taiwan sounds like. This year’s show features the Bulareyaung Dance Company, a troupe founded in 2015 in Taitung by Bulareyaung Pagarlava, an indigenous choreographer from Taiwan. The company trains dancers by working in the mountains, chanting by the waterside; Dancers delve into their indigenous heritage and culture to develop unique body movements and vocabulary. Also performing is ABAO, an indigenous Taiwainese pop singer of the Paiwan people; after debuting with the group Abao & Brandy, she began releasing solo albums in entirely in the Paiwan language, collaborating with her mother on the lyrics. They’re joined by Enno Cheng, a Taiwanese singer-songwriter, author, and actress who also plays in the band Chocolate Tiger. As a solo artist, she writes sparse, airy pop songs centered around the piano, and draws the name of each of her LPs from planets in our solar system.
Tickets: Free. Seating is first come, first served.
Karen Mason: MORE SPF! THE SUMMER CONTINUES at Don’t Tell Mama
Sun. August 3 @ 7 pm
Celebrate summer with legendary musical theater performer and cabaret star Karen Mason. Performances will take place August 3, 6, and 8 at 7 PM at the iconic cabaret club.
Blending classic tunes with heartfelt storytelling, MORE SPF! features summer-themed selections including “Faraway Places,” “When in Rome,” “Downtown/I Know a Place,” and “59th Street Bridge Song.” The evening promises sass, warmth, and signature Mason charm—delivered in the same venue where she was the premiere headline act in 1983.
A Broadway veteran, Mason’s credits include Mamma Mia! (Drama Desk nomination), Sunset Boulevard, Wonderland, Hairspray, Jerome Robbins’ Broadway, and Love Never Dies. She is also a 14-time MAC Award winner and the recipient of the 2019 MAC Lifetime Achievement Award.
Tickets: Tickets are $45 with a $20 food/drink minimum (cash only).
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