The Best Things To Do In NYC This Week, From '60s Girls Groups To Spaghetti Donuts

Jeff Goldblum & the Mildred Snitzer Orchestra @ Sony Hall

If you don’t already know, Jeff Goldblum has been delighting audiences with jazz for years. A consummate schmoozer, he spends as much time taking selfies with audience members, answering questions, and engaging attendees in absurd trivia as he does playing music. (Speaking of, he's got a new "Goldblumsplaining" show out soon.) But tonight the spotlight is on Goldblum the skilled jazz pianist, and he’ll be joined by his band: John Storie on guitar, Scott Gilman on tenor saxophone, Alex Frank on bass, Joe Bagg on organ, and Kenny Elliott on drums.

Tuesday, November 12th, 8 p.m. // Sony Hall, 235 W 46th St., Manhattan // Tickets: $65–$150

Music from Exile @ Baruch Performing Arts Center

Listen to the sounds of loneliness at Music from Exile, a “sonic exploration of the human response to repression and exile.” String ensemble Daedalus Quartet will be joined by pianist Renana Gutman to perform three pieces: “Babel” by Gabriel Bolaños, who fled Nicaragua with his family in the 1990s; Viktor Ullman’s third string quartet, written in Theresienstadt concentration camp before the composer’s murder at Auschwitz; and a piece by Mieczyslaw Weinberg, which he composed after he escaped the Nazi invasion of Poland.

Tuesday, November 12th, 7:30 p.m. // Baruch Performing Arts Center, 55 Lexington Ave., Manhattan // Tickets: $36

Virgo Star @ La Mama

Queer up the Western at Virgo Star, which “explores and explodes” the myth of American cowboys and cowgirls. Created and performed by Pioneers Go East Collective, a collective of LGBTQ and feminist artists, the work of dance theater fuses storytelling, movement, and video, recreating classic Western tropes from a queer and satirical perspective. The play runs through December 1st; next Monday’s performance will be followed by a discussion with the cast and crew.

Opens Thursday, November 14th // La Mama, 66 East 4th St., Manhattan // Tickets: $26

Boob Trek @ Slipper Room

Live long and prosper at Boob Trek, a sexy Start Trek tribute by Hotsy Totsy Burlesque. The group has previously burlesque-ified Steven King, Harry Potter, and Star Wars; for this show, Commander Riker tries to find Lawxana Troi in the 21st century, in order to bring her back for a diplomatic negotiation with the Ferengi—without being seduced by Cherry Pitz. Performers include Bimini Cricket, Minnie D’Moocha, Candy Apples, Dahlia Dolorosa, Matt Knife, Rosie Cheeks, and more.

Thursday, November 14th, 8 p.m. // Slipper Room, 167 Orchard St., Manhattan // Tickets: $15–$25

She's a Rebel @ Apollo Theater

Go back in time with some bad-ass musical women at She's a Rebel, a panel discussion celebrating music by girl groups of the ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s. The conversation will be moderated by music journalist Christian John Wikane, and the panelists are Joshie Jo Armstead from the Ikettes, Sarah Dash from Patti LaBelle & the Bluebelles, and Martha Reeves from Martha and the Vandellas. They’ll discuss their music industry experiences, their post–girl group careers, and the international impact of their music and style.

Thursday, November 14th, 6:30 p.m. // Apollo Theater, 253 W 125th St., Harlem // Free

Taiten: Noh and Kyogen @ Japan Society

Get a grand taste of Japanese theater at Taiten, a modern noh play written in 1912 to celebrate the enthronement of the Taisho emperor and performed by renowned noh actor Kurouemon Katayama X. Per tradition, it will be paired with a comedic piece, Kagyu (The Snail), a popular traditional kyogen performed by Noritoshi Yamamoto. The performances will be in Japanese with English supertitles; there will be a pre-performance lecture before each show and a soirée prior to the Thursday night performance.

Thursday, November 14th, through Saturday, November 16th // Japan Society, 333 East 47th St., Manhattan // Tickets: $97

Harlem DocFest @ Various Harlem venues

The first-annual Harlem DocFest is happening this week—the weekend-long festival includes a selection of feature-length and short documentaries across Harlem, exploring the neighborhood’s cultural richness and the issues impacting it today. Some highlights include the opening night screening of The Remix: Hip-Hop X Fashion followed by a Q&A with Elena Romero and April Walker of Walker Wear; The Prison in Twelve Landscapes, a film about the prison in which no penitentiary is ever shown; and Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am, an “artful and intimate meditation” on the legendary author.

Friday, November 15th, through Sunday, November 17th // Various Harlem venues // Free w/ RSVP

Schitt's Creek: Up Close and Personal @ Kings Theater

The uproariously hilarious Schitt’s Creek is poised to take over New York. If you can’t wait an entire month for the immersive pop-up coming our way in December, there’s a chance to get your fix sooner at Schitt's Creek: Up Close and Personal, which features the Rose family and friends (Eugene Levy, Catherine O’Hara, Annie Murphy, Emily Hampshire, and Noah Reid). The talkback-style show, in which Dan Levy moderates a conversation with his co-stars, has (unsurprisingly) gotten rave reviews from Austin to L.A. for its merriment, intimacy, and endless laughs.

Friday, November 15th, 7:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. // Kings Theater, 1027 Flatbush Ave., Brooklyn // Tickets: $100 and up (There is also an event in Atlantic City this weekend with plenty of tickets left)

The Color of Power: Heroes, Sheroes, and Their Creators @ Caribbean Cultural Center

Marvel at work by comic artists of the African diaspora at the opening of the Caribbean Cultural Center’s newest show, The Color of Power. The exhibition showcases original work by critically acclaimed graphic novelists, illustrators, and comic book artists, including Afua Richardson, who worked on Black Panther: World of Wakanda; Alitha Martinez, who inked characters from Marvel’s Iron Man to DC’s Batgirl; Nilah Magruder, who has storyboarded for DreamWorks and Disney; and Billy Graham, the first Black artist to draw both Luke Cage and Black Panther. Opening day includes face-painting, a children’s bookshop, guided tours, and other festivities.

Opens Saturday, November 16th, 12 p.m. // Caribean Cultural Center, 120 East 125th St., Harlem // Free with RSVP

Bronx Night Market’s Harvest Festival @ Fordham Plaza

During its 2019 season, the Bronx Night Market brought in more than 100 different vendors representing more than 70 nationalities. And this weekend they’re doing their first-ever Harvest Festival, which they claim will be “the largest celebration of culture and cuisine” in the borough's history. The two-day fest promises more than 60 vendors slinging wild fare, from Pop Pasta’s pasta donuts to Jersey’s Puerto Rican pig-roasters Lechon 4 Life to Matcha N More’s gold leaf–studded matcha ice cream. There will also be live music and performances, kid-friendly activities, pumpkin-carving, a hay maze, and more.

Saturday, November 16th, and Sunday, November 17th // Fordham Plaza, 1 Fordham Rd., Bronx // Free