Highlights this week include Josh Sharp’s rapid fire PowerPoint play, Eminem passing the microphone to his die-hard “stans” on film, and massive monster trucks doing tricks at the Prudential Center.
Also, there’s a free Celia Cruz centennial celebration in Central Park and a free exhibit shining a spotlight on costumes from The Public Theater’s Shakespeare productions to commemorate the reopening of the newly renovated Delacorte Theater.
Theater
“Josh Sharp’s ta-da!”
Greenwich House Theater, 27 Barrow St., Manhattan (Greenwich Village)
Through Sept. 11, various times.
Josh Sharp of “Dicks: The Musical” fame is making his off-Broadway debut in the autobiographical solo show directed by Tony Award winner Sam Pinkleton — fresh off a 2025 win for Cole Escola’s Broadway smash “Oh, Mary!”
In the 80-minute set, the child musician-turned-Upright Citizens Brigade alum is a standout in this unique production that has been described in press notes as “a one-man comedy show inside of a manic, 2,000-slide PowerPoint.”
Sharp introduces audiences to his bawdy style of humor as he recounts his life — and near death last year in Puerto Vallarta — delivered in a profanity-laced, fast-talking presentation.
“Sometimes I’m not even sure it is a show or just a thing I designed to torture myself,” the funnyman says early on as he goes all in remembering a 180-page script and clicking onto a new slide approximately every 2.4 seconds.
Tickets start at $50.
Music
Celia Cruz Celebration
Rumsey Playfield, East 71st St. Manhattan (Central Park)
Sat. Aug. 9, 7 – 10 p.m.
In celebration of late salsa music legend Celia Cruz‘s centennial (Oct. 21), SummerStage is bringing out the best to channel her spirit for an early birthday party fit for a queen.
Contemporary Cuban musicians such as Issac Delgado, Aymee “La Sonera del Mundo” Nuviola (who portrayed Cruz in the Colombian telenovela “Celia,” Alain Pérez, Brenda Navarrete and Melvis Santana will set the stage ablaze with an all-ages concert.
There will also be a free salsa class, conducted by Talia Productions dancers Adriel Flete and Jordyn Lurie, just as the music gets going.
Free.
Art
The Public Theater’s Shakespeare Costume Exhibit
Shiva Theater, 425 Lafayette St., Manhattan (East Village)
Through Aug. 31, various times.
The Public Theater has opened up its vast wardrobe archives to celebrate the return of Shakespeare in the Park to the newly renovated Delacorte Theater, which kicked off this week with the Lupita N’yongo-headlined “Twelfth Night.”
Curated by Vanessa Watters and Melinda Basaca, the exhibition honors the award-winning arts institution’s origin as the New York Shakespeare Festival and its ongoing commitment to breathing new life into Shakespeare’s work.
Featuring a costume from each of the bard’s 38 plays, produced over the past six decades, the storied Shiva Theater is all decked out with drag worn by the greatest of the greats.
Fans can get an up close glance at costumes worn by performers such as Meryl Streep, Al Pacino, Raul Julia, Viola Davis, Patrick Stewart, Angela Bassett and more.
Free.
Film
“Stans“
AMC DINE-IN Staten Island 11, 2655 Richmond Ave, Staten Island (New Springville)
Through Aug. 11, various showtimes.
Steven Leckart’ helmed documentary “Stans,” about rapper Eminem’s fans, hits the big screen this weekend before heading to Paramount+ at a date to be announced.
The two-hour film takes its title from “Stan,” the hip hop superstar’s 2000 song about an obsessed fan who goes off the deep end with his parasocial admiration. But “Stans” isn’t the typical, self aggrandizing ego bath; the director explores the psychology of hardcore fans from all walks of life and what drives them. It’s also worth noting that the word coined by Eminem was added to Oxford English Dictionary in 2017 and remains current in pop culture.
The Emmy, Grammy and Oscar-winning Detroit native — who admitted to being a stan of rap pioneer LL Cool J — is seen throughout the film in brutally honest interviews about his life, music and substance abuse recovery alongside rare archival footage. But the fans are front and center, telling sincere stories of how they developed their deep affinity for the rap music industry trailblazer.
Some of the most compelling confessionals include a woman who became a waitress at Gilbert’s Lodge where Slim Shady once worked; a passionate Parisian doppelganger; a British woman who set the Guinness record for having the most Eminem tattoos (22!); a transgender man named Marshall; a Russian woman who embarked on a career in fanfiction about the “unwilling cult leader” — and even Grammy-winning pop star Ed Sheeran (a self-described stan). Definitely worth watching.
Tickets are $18, plus fees.
Family
“Monster Jam“
Prudential Center, 25 Lafayette Street, Newark (Downtown)
Fri. Aug. 8 through Sun. Aug. 10, various times
The whole family can come out to experience “the most action-packed motorsports event on four wheels,” for this series of intense shows and interactive pit parties at Newark’s Prudential Center.
Attendees will see daredevil driver athletes “tear up the dirt and compete in intense competitions of speed and skill” as the arena is transformed into a dirt-filled track with obstacles that can withstand the stunts of massive monster trucks.
This year’s truck lineup is expected to include fan favorites such as Grave Digger, El Toro Loco, Sparkle Smash, Black Pearl, Over Bored, Wild Side and the brand-new Bailey Circuit truck — inspired by Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus‘ Robo Puppy.
Tickets start at $35, plus fees.
Free
Summer Jazz: Ghanniyya Green
Brooklyn Museum, 200 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn (Crown Heights)
Sun. Aug. 10, 2–4 p.m.
Ghanniyya Green will serenade the audience with an afternoon of jazz in the museum’s lobby.
With a repertoire that includes standards and classics such as “My Funny Valentine,” “In A Sentimental Mood” and “Here’s To Life, the “I Sing For Freedom” star will deliver her signature style — which has been likened to “a diva’s sense of high drama” by the American Review of Jazz and Blues — at the event presented in partnership with with Jazz Foundation of America.
Free.
Free
“Pickleball in the Hall”
Vanderbilt Hall at Grand Central Terminal, 89 East 42nd St., Manhattan (Midtown East)
Aug.8 through Aug. 11, Various times.
In celebration of National Pickleball Day (Aug. 8), CityPickle has partnered with DoorDash and Major League Pickleball to host a free pop up in the world’s famous train station.
Although its popularity is fairly recent, the tennis-badminton hybrid sport marks its 60th anniversary this year. The event kicks off Friday morning with Major League Pickleball Champion Zane Navratil, NFL star-turned-podcaster Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson and former Wimbledon finalist Genie Bouchard. It serves as a prelude to the Major League Pickleball Finals on August 22–24 in Central Park.
Free, with reservations.
If you have an upcoming weekend event you’d like to submit for consideration in an upcoming roundup, please email: nycevents@nydailynews.com with the full listing details. Consideration does not guarantee inclusion.
