Cabaret Roundup: October 6-12- Josh Groban, Rita Rudner, Jeff Harnar & More
Some of our top picks for live cabaret shows and events to see in NYC this week
By: Rebecca Kaplan Oct. 06, 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 star-studded fundraising galas, comedian Rita Rudner, and a tribute to the 1959 Broadway season.
The New York Pops Underground at 54 Below
Mon. October 6 @ 6:30 pm
The New York Pops presents a one night only fundraiser in support of music education! Guests will enjoy a special cabaret performance from Broadway star Jessica Vosk (Hell’s Kitchen, Wicked), who promises an intimate and eclectic evening of songs, like your very favorite curated playlist, with theatrical moments and pop elements. The New York Pops Music Director and Conductor Steven Reineke will serve as host and alumni from the orchestra’s PopsEd programs will provide a special opening act performance.
Tickets: Tickets start at $365. A three-course meal with wine pairings is included for all guests.
Jeff Harnar Sings the 1959 Broadway Songbook at Birdland Jazz Club
Mon. October 6 @ 7 pm
The 1959 Broadway Songbook is a musical collage of the 21 musicals that were playing in New York in 1959. Gypsy, The Sound of Music, Fiorello, West Side Story, My Fair Lady, The Music Man, Flower Drum Song, Bells are Ringing, and Once Upon a Mattress are among the shows in this tribute to an era some have called the twilight of The Golden Age of Broadway. Songwriters represented include Jule Styne, Stephen Sondheim, Rodgers & Hammerstein, Harold Arlen & Yip Harburg, Leonard Bernstein, Comden & Green, and Lerner & Loewe. Over 40 songs are woven together including “Tonight,” “On The Street Where You Live,” “Climb Ev’ry Mountain,” “Til There Was You,” “The Party’s Over,” and “Everything’s Coming Up Roses” in a show that also pays homage to the very structure of a Broadway Musical, including an “Overture,” “Entr’Acte” and an “Intermission,” the latter featuring a humorous nod to pop and Hollywood music and current events of 1959.
Tickets: Tickets start at $35.46. There is a $20 minimum on food or drinks per person
Molière in the Park's OneLove OneTheater Gala 2025 at Littlefield
Mon. October 6 @ 7 pm
Moliere in the Park is a non-profit dedicated to preserving and reinventing Moliere’s work for a 21st century audience, making them as accessible as possible. Support the organization with a special evening hosted by Broadway sensation Sierra Boggess. The night includes live theater and music, a reception where you can mingle with fellow Moliere in the Park supporters and fabulous artists in an intimate setting, and the presentation of their annual Shoulder-to-Shoulder Award. The evening will feature dance, music, and theater performances performed by MIP alumna artists, including hilarious Molière excerpts but also, Broadway hit songs, and sneak peaks at new material developed by friends of MIP, a silent auction including destination getaways in the Alps and more, and a post-show DJ and dancing.
Tickets: Tickets start at $125 and include food and drinks courtesy of Night Kitchen BK. There are just a handful of regular admission tickets left.
Ahrens and Flaherty: On the Wheels of a Dream at Kaufman Music Center
Mon. October 6 @ 7:30 pm
The American Songbook Association (ASA) hosts its fifth annual gala, Ahrens and Flaherty: On the Wheels of a Dream, honoring the multi-award-winning songwriting team of Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty. The show features a star-studded cast including Kate Baldwin, Nikki Renee Daniels, Derek Klena, Lillias White, and more.
Tickets: Tickets start at $79. There are just a handful of tickets left.
Ephraim Sykes: Blessins’ ‘n’ Lessons, feat. Adrienne Warren at 54 Below
Mon. October 7 & Sat. October 12 @ 7 pm
Tony Award® nominee Ephraim Sykes (Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations, Our Town, Hairspray Live!) makes his 54 Below debut in Blessins’ ‘n’ Lessons, a look into his life, loves, and lessons told through the music that carried him throughout his journey thus far. You’ll hear music ranging from Broadway, like Ain’t Too Proud and Hamilton, to hits from artists such as Kendrick Lamar, Frank Ocean, and Donny Hathaway. With dance still being his first language and playing the saxophone, drums and piano being his first love, Ephraim seeks to bare his soul and tell his story in the only way he knows how – music. Featuring special guest appearances from friends and family, this will be a one of a kind show you will not want to miss!
Tickets: Tickets start at $62.50. There is a $25 Food & Beverage Minimum. There is currently a limited amount of subsidized seating for $18 with no minimum; 54 Below encourages you to take advantage of these tickets if their other tickets are cost prohibitive for your circumstances.
Nicole Scherzinger at Carnegie Hall
Weds. October 8 @ 8 pm
Winner of the 2025 Tony Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical, you don’t want to miss your chance to see Nicole Scherzinger, the stunning star of Broadway’s smash hit Sunset Boulevard, performing in her highly anticipated Carnegie Hall debut. The former lead singer of The Pussycat Dolls, Scherzinger is joined by a live band as she performs hits from the worlds of Broadway and pop.
Tickets: Tickets start at $196.
Death of Classical: Relics & Martyrs at The Crypt under the Cathedral of St. John the Divine (UWS)
Weds. October 8 to Fri. October 10 @ 6 & 7:30 pm
Get in the Halloween spirit with this show from Death of Classical featuring the world premiere of a new cantata by composer and double bassist extraordinaire Doug Balliett in the extraordinary crypt under the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. DoC excels at these site-specific concerts putting a modern twist on classical music – and their limited seating means they usually sell out, quickly.
Balliet's work explores the twisted history of relics and martyrs, and will be woven together with selections from Dietrich Buxtehude's Membra Jesu Nostri and Caroline Shaw's to the hands, combining to create a centuries-spanning outpouring of love, longing, and hope that the future will somehow be more just than our past, and our present.
Each performance includes a pre-concert reception with wine, food, and Via Carota cocktails in the spectacular main space of the Cathedral, followed by a walk through the stone quarry before descending to the Crypt.
Tickets: Tickets are $110 including fees.
Find Your Light Benefit Concert for Arts Education at Jazz at Lincoln Center
October 8 @ 8 pm
The second-annual Find Your Light Benefit Concert for Arts Education is a spectacular evening hosted by Josh Groban, featuring unforgettable performances and one-of-a-kind collaborations with some of the world’s most celebrated artists. This year’s lineup includes Norah Jones, Jordan Fisher, Ben Folds, Maleah Joi Moon, Terence Blanchard, Emmet Cohen, Tiler Peck, Elmo and Ernie from Sesame Street and more. All proceeds will support the Find Your Light Foundation and its mission to ensure equitable access to quality arts education programs across the country
Tickets: Tickets start at $250. There are just a handful of tickets left.
Rita Rudner at 54 Below
October 10 & 11 @ 7 pm
A successful actress, author, playwright, and screenwriter, Rudner’s epigrammatic one-liners have filled the London Palladium, the Sydney Opera House, and Carnegie Hall. Now, audiences will have the opportunity to experience her icepick-sharp timing and trademark clever observations up close and personal. Rudner’s unmatched humor and enduring charm will leave you in stitches. Don’t miss the chance to see this comedy legend in a way you’ve never seen her before!
Read a Q&A with Rita Rudner about the show here.
Tickets: Tickets start at $79. There is a $25 Food & Beverage Minimum. There is currently a limited amount of subsidized seating for $18 with no minimum; 54 Below encourages you to take advantage of these tickets if their other tickets are cost prohibitive for your circumstances.
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