Sunday Scoop Week of 8/30/26 What's Happening This Week and More

A) Beginning Performances

In New York

1) Becoming Hamlet

Five Angels Theatre 9/5 - 10/3

2) The Edge Motel

Theater for the New City 9/4 - 9/13

3) Garry Starr: Classic Penguins

Studio Seaview 9/3 - 10/4

4) Preexisting Conditions

Greenwich House Theater 9/1 - 12/19

5) Queen for a Day

The Tank 9/4 - 9/14

6) Safe House

Theatre Row 9/2 - 9/13

B) Cast Changes

In New York

7) Hadestown

C) Concert

In New York

8) Pucci Amanda Jhones

Dante Park 9/2

D) Recordings

9) Evita

E) Festivals

In New York

10) Citizens Arts International Festival

Astoria Park 9/7

11) Kaatsbaan Cultural Park Annual Festival Labor Day Weekend Programming

F) What Else is Happening

In Pennsylvania

12) Hocus Pocus Speakeasy Opens in Montco

9/12 - 11/8

13) Labor Day Weekend Market

Dilworth Park 9/4 - 9/6

A) Beginning Performances

In New York

Courtesy of JT PR

1) Becoming Hamlet

This production adapts Shakespeare's masterpiece for the modern era by placing the audience inside the play: the play is experienced from a first-person perspective, the audience feels what Hamlet feels and speaks Hamlet's iconic lines, while directly interacting with the other characters. Preserving Shakespeare's language while reinventing the relationship between actor and audience, Becoming Hamlet transforms theatre into an act of collective discovery, where the audience's participation becomes the performance itself.

Five Angels Theatre (789 10th Ave.)

9/5 - 10/3

Opening Night 9/10

For more information or to purchse tickets, visit www.BecomingHamlet.com.

Courtesy of Spincycle NYC

2) The Edge Motel

On a road trip through Colorado, a closeted frat bro and his ex-girlfriend pick up a charming, mysterious hitchhiker. When a blizzard forces them to stop at THE EDGE MOTEL, a troubling secret about the hitchhiker comes to light and sets the stage for a tense night of political debate, private intimacies, and surprising revelations.

Theatre for the New City (155 1st Ave.)

9/4 - 9/13

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.DreamUpFestival.org.

Courtesy of Vivacity Media Group

3) Garry Starr: Classic Penguins

The classics, stripped bare. Winner of Melbourne International Comedy Festival’s top award and ‘Best Comedy’ at Adelaide Fringe and World Fridge, Garry Starr now heads to New York hell-bent on saving books from extinction by performing every Penguin Classic novel ever written in under an hour, (mostly) naked.  Starr takes the audience on a literary adventure through the world’s most iconic works of fiction. From “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” to “Moby Dick” and everything in between, nothing is safe from being lampooned in this “bonkers, ingenious and hilarious” show,

Studio Seaview (305 W. 43rd St.)

9/3 - 10/4

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.garrystarrnyc.com

4) Preexisting Conditions

The play centers on an unnamed woman, brought to life in sequential engagements by the formidable Lupita Nyong’o, Phillipa Soo, Susannah Flood, Hari Nef, and Edie Falco alongside a powerhouse returning cast featuring Dael Orlandersmith, Sarah Steele, and Greg Keller. Staged at the historic Greenwich House Theater, Pre-Existing Condition explores the quiet challenges and everyday indignities of moving forward after a life-altering relationship.

Greenwich House Theater (27 Barrow St.)

9/1 - 12.19

Opening night 9/14

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit  www.preexistingconditionplay.com

Courtesy of Spincycle NYC

5) Queen for a Day

In QUEEN FOR A DAY, American fashion designer Halston is down on his luck. He's packing up his chic-as-hell Olympic Tower office for reasons he doesn't want to discuss. To make matters worse, Elizabeth I is knocking on his door. Yes, Elizabeth I, whose reign as Queen of England ended in 1603. But it's 1984 in New York City. All that time spent at Studio 54 might be starting to catch up to him. Elizabeth I demands that he make her a new gown to die in. Oh, and she needs it by the end of the day. Halston agrees, and the unlikely pair moves forward with the design of a lifetime. That is, until Halston’s best friend, Liza Minnelli, shows up seeking help with her new act.

The Tank (312 W. 36th St.)

9/4 - 9/14

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit thetanknyc.org/calendar-1/2026/9/4/qfad).

Courtesy of Emily Owens PR

6) Safe House

Safe House is a family drama set in the days leading up to a U.S. presidential election. Convinced the second American civil war is imminent, Rock, a father secretly dying of a hereditary neurodegenerative disease, becomes consumed by the need to protect his family. In the basement of his Pennsylvania suburban home, transformed, beam by beam, into a doomsday bunker, he has built what he believes is the last safe place on earth.

But when his estranged teenage daughter returns home pregnant, the tensions that have long simmered beneath the surface of the household break open, and the father’s obsession with safety turns into something else entirely.

What follows is a reckoning with fear, and the consequences of confusing love with control.

Theatre Row (410 W. 42nd St.)

9/2 - 9/13

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit  theatrerow.ludus.com/200539542

B) Cast Changes

In New York

7) Hadestown

Ben Davis Jones the cast in the role of Hades on 9/1.

Following two intertwining love stories — that of young dreamers Orpheus and Eurydice, and that of King Hades and his wife Persephone — Hadestown invites audiences on a hell-raising journey to the underworld and back. Mitchell’s beguiling melodies and Chavkin’s poetic imagination pit industry against nature, doubt against faith, and fear against love. Performed by a vibrant ensemble of actors, dancers, singers, and musicians Hadestown delivers a deeply resonant and defiantly hopeful theatrical experience.

Walter Kerr Theater (219 W. 48th St.)

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit  www.hadestown.com

C) Concert

In New York

8) Pucci Amanda Jhones

Jhones captures your attention in the style of which she tells a story through song. Standing 6'1, she’s a former model that once strutted her stuff internationally on the catwalks. She is a graduate from the New School University of New York and holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in classical and contemporary music. As a well-respected vocalist, Jhones has performed internationally for years in major venues throughout the world.

Dante Park (Broadway between 63rd & 64th)

Wednesday, September 2, 1:30 PM

This event is free.

For more information, visit  lincolnsquarebid.org/2026/05/21/starting-summer-off-on-the-right-note-with-summer-jazz-sensations.

Courtesy of DKC/O&M

D) Recordings

9) Evita

Jamie Lloyd's electrifying West End production of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber's Evita released EVITA: The Full Album as a triple vinyl and digital album. The production made international headlines last summer when it played a sold-out run at The London Palladium and it will transfer to Broadway in Spring 2027.  

BUY THE EVITA FULL ALBUM HERE

E) Festivals

Courtesy of Michelle Tabnick PR

In New York

10) Citizens Arts International Festival

Citizen Arts International Festival kicks off the upcoming 2026 season with a festival launch event set for 12:30PM at Astoria Park on September 7. The event kicks off an inaugural season running through September, featuring contemporary circus, music, dance, and multi-disciplinary performances from around the world, including Direct Action Theatre, James Brandon Lewis and Antoine Le Menestrel, La Compagnie Tilawcis, María José Contreras Lorenzini, MasterVoices, among others! For more information and to RSVP, please visit here.

Join them in Astoria Park to kick off Citizen Arts International with an easygoing afternoon of gathering, connecting, and celebrating performance in public space. Meet the CAI team, get to know some of the artists behind this year’s festival, and connect with others who are part of the vibrant world of performance and public space. Come hang out, share a little time together, and experience the park as a place for art, community, and unexpected encounters. No big agenda—just good company, good conversation, and a chance to get the festival started together.

Citizen Arts International transforms New York City's public spaces into vibrant stages for free international performance, participatory art, and cultural exchange. Bringing art into everyday life across the boroughs, the woman-led festival fosters joy, civic engagement, and social connection.

Courtesy of Michelle Tabnick PR

11) Kaatsbaan Cultural Park Annual Festival 

       Labor Day Weekend Programming

Labor Day weekend programming centers on individual playwrights reading and performing their own works: Rachel Jendrzejewski (through collaborators Terry Hempfling and Lauren Lewis), Jeanette Harrison, Ty Defoe, Vickie Ramirez, Rose Jarboe, Sylvan Oswald, Jim Fletcher, Lucy Sexton, and Adrienne Truscott. A musical double-bill closes out the day with The Bearded Ladies Cabaret sing-along and concert/dance party by CRICKETS (JD Samson, Roddy Bottum, and Michael O’Neill). Books for sale provided by the artists and Oblong Books. Food vendors include Pamana Kitchen’s plant-based Filipino cuisine.

The 2026 Annual Festival also marks the return of Kaatsbaan’s outdoor Meadow and Mountain stages with expansive views of the Catskill Mountains and immersion in the natural beauty of the Hudson Valley. Performances are around an hour, are all ages, and the festival schedule permits an easeful and day-long schedule of art and nature alongside Tivoli’s walkable downtown amenities. Tickets are offered on an incentive-based, affordable structure. Individual tickets and all-day passes and more information are available at https://kaatsbaan.org/performances-festivals.

F) What Else is Happening

In Pennsylvania

Courtesy of Aversa PR 12)HOCUS POCUS SPEAKEASY TO CAST ITS SPELL ON MONTGOMERY COUNTY IN TIME FOR SPOOKY SEASON WITH POP-UP AT MONTGOMERY MALL

Double, double toil and trouble. Fire burn and caldron bubble. Without a Cue Productions and Pops McCann Whiskey will put a spell on you with the debut of the first Hocus Pocus Speakeasy in Montgomery County, outside Philadelphia. This first-ever suburban seasonal pop-up will feature eight bewitchingly boozy weeks of mayhem, mixology and mischief. This new spooky playground will start on September 12 through November 8, 2026 at Montgomery Mall in North Wales, in the former location of Hot Topic (rumored to be haunted by the ghost of teen spirits). Every Saturday at 7:00pm and Sunday at 3:00pm, look for a special Hocus Pocus Experience with the Sanderson Sisters. These wickedly interactive weekly events will feature spellbinding performances, games and access to decorations, photo opportunities and theme “potions." On Freaky Fridays during the run, look for broom making, cabarets and theme nights, such as Hocus Pocus Bingo, Hocus Pocus Broom Academy, Dirty Potter, Mrs. Roper Romp Bingo, Burlesque Bingo and other special events. Costumes for all experiences are encouraged, inhibitions discouraged. For tickets and more information, follow @withoutacue on social media and visit: hocuspocusspeakeasy dot com/philadelphia  

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Courtesy of Aversa PR

13) NEW MADE IN PHILADELPHIA MARKET DEBUTS OVER LABOR DAY WEEKEND WITH 60+ LOCAL MAKERS, DELICIOUS FOOD AND DRINK AND END-OF-SUMMER VIBES

Soak up the final days of summer at the Made in Philadelphia Summer Market 2026, a new Labor Day Weekend celebration coming to Dilworth Park in the heart of Center City Philadelphia. From Friday, September 4 through Sunday, September 6, 2026, visitors are invited to shop small, support local, and enjoy a vibrant open-air market featuring 60+ makers, crafters, artists and small businesses from Philadelphia, the tri-state area, and beyond. Guests can browse handmade artwork, jewelry, home goods, accessories, skincare, specialty foods, unique gifts, and more while enjoying the festive atmosphere of Dilworth Park on the west side of Philadelphia’s City Hall.  The market is no charge, family friendly and rain or shine. For more info, visit www dot madeinphila dot com

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And that's the scoop. Tune in tomorrow for More Theater Monday.

Images used in this post were sent by publicists, artists, and/or  PR firms and are used with permission. Address concerns regarding image usage here.

Stiill More Theatre Saturday - Once in a Lifetime, Again

We received complimentary tickets to Once in a Lifetime Again for review purposes. Any and all opinions expressed here are our own.

What: Once in a Lifetime, Again

Where: AMT Theater 

             354 W. 45th St.

             New York, NY

When: This event took place from August 5 through August 9, 2026

            as part of the Broadway Bound Theatre Festival.

The new musical Once in a Lifetime, Again is the story of a man trying to deal with his grief and move on and perhaps find love again after the death of his beloved wife. The show, while quite touching at times, is also filled with plenty of humor and a score loaded with decent but not especially memorable songs.   Much of the humor in this production came courtesy of the delightful Jenny Lee Stern who played a variety of roles each with a distinctly different accent, including the main character's various dates. Ms. Stern absolutely stole the show, and her performance was the most memotable thing about it. 

And that's our view. For more about this show, visit www.onceinalifetimeagain.com. For more about the Broadway Bound Theatre Festival, go to www.broadwayboundfest.com.

Tune in tomorrow for this week's Sunday Scoop.

Photo credits: 

All Once in a Lifetime, Again production photos provided by the production.

Images used in this post were sent by publicists, artists, and/or  PR firms and are used with permission. Address concerns regarding image usage here.

Theater Thursday - Hungry Women

We received complimentary tickets to Hungry Women for review purposes. Any and all opinions expressed here are our own. 

What: Hungry Women

Where: SoHo Playhouse

             15 Vandam St.

             New York, NY

Who: Recommended for Ages 14 and Up

When: Through August 30, 2026

The play Hungry Women starts with a lot of promise. It has an extremely interesting premise. It imagines a world in which men allegedly no longer exist. Although, spoiler alert, that doesn't turn out to exactly be true. They are still there in some form, and ultimately the women are weak and cannot resist them. They seem ultimately headed to a world not all that different from our own, and in between there is cannibalism and ghostly rapes among other possibly triggering things.

It is billed as dark comedy and can be funny at times. However, it seems more dark than funny. Although it may be recommended for ages 14 and up, it seems more appropriate for older audiences. 

The cast does a good job with the material they are given. The always reliable Julia Lester is the standout of the four. However, ultimately the show is a disappointment. 

And that's our view. For more about Hungry Women or to purchase tickets, visit www.sohoplayhouse.com/see-a-show/hungry-women

Tune in Saturday for Still More Theater Saturday.

Photo credits:

All Hungry Women photos by Rebecca J. Michelson

Images used in this post were sent by publicists, artists, and/or  PR firms and are used with permission. Address concerns regarding image usage here.