Highlights of events this weekend include Alicia Graf Mack‘s maiden voyage at the helm of Alvin Ailey, and the acclaimed revival of Stephen Sondheim’s “Merrily We Roll Along” hitting movie theaters.
Also, there’s a chance to see a live, star-studded tennis tournament at the Prudential Center and a Sinterklaas celebration in East Flatbush.
Dance
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
New York City Center— 131 West 55th St., Manhattan (Midtown)
Through Jan. 4. Various showtimes.
The curtain has officially risen for Alvin Ailey‘s newest leader, who happens to be one of its brightest stars.
Alicia Graf Mack, appointed six months ago as the fourth artistic director in the prestigious dance company’s near 70-year history, spoke with the Daily News this week about her mission:
“I think the approach is really led by the roadmap that Mr. Ailey set forth so many decades ago, which is to root ourselves in our legacy and our history, but also give a platform for new voices in the field,” she said
The 46-year-old Dance Theater of Harlem and Columbia University alum was once a principal dancer under the late Judith Jamison , Ailey’s muse and the company’s long-serving artistic director. Mack says the founder “always wanted to have a repertory company so that the work represented more than just his voice.”
“So I think that it’s important to expand upon the idea of what an Ailey dancer can do, and I’ve had the great pleasure of co-curating the season with our Associate Artistic Director Matthew Rushing [and] we’ve created quite a powerful season I believe that really stretches the dancers in terms of all the movement languages that they are tasked to perform.,” she added.
Highlights of the season, which kicked off Wednesday night in New York City, include five world premieres: Fredrick Earl Mosley’s “Embrace”; Maija García’s Afro-Caribbean-based “Jazz Island”; Matthew Neenan’s “Difference Between”; Jamar Roberts’ “Song of the Anchorite” and “The Holy Blues” choreographed by Urban Bush Women founder Jawole Willa Jo Zollar, in collaboration with Samantha Figgins and Chalvar Monteiro.
There’s also the company premiere of Medhi Walerski’s “Blink of an Eye” and a new production of Jamison’s moving duet, “A Case of You,” which Mack performed over 15 years ago.
“This piece has been the thing that has marked my time here at Ailey and so I thought it was fitting and very special to have it featured to keep that legacy moving forward.”
Tickets start at $45.
Film
“Merrily We Roll Along”
Regal Times Square — 247 West 42nd St., Manhattan (Times Square)
Through Dec. 18. Various showtimes.
Broadway hits the big screen again with Maria Friedman‘s Tony Award-winning revival of Stephen Sondheim’s glorious “Merrily We Roll Along.”
With Daniel Radcliffe, Jonathan Groff and Lindsay Mendez leading the cast, the acclaimed musical follows the origin story of Hollywood hotshot Franklin Shepard who started as an ambitious composer in New York City with his devoted, inseparable friends: writing partner Charley Kringas and copy editor Mary Flynn.
Based on the original play by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart, the George Furth-scripted “Merrily” spans two decades and is told in flashback as Franklin’s messy marriage to tempestuously toxic Broadway diva Gussie Carnegie (played by Krystal Joy Brown) goes south. The starry-eyed “mover and shaper” contemplates “how did he get to be here” as admits that the worst mistake he made in his life was saying yes when he meant to say no.
Tickets are $22, plus fees.
Music
“All’s Well Sisters: Blanket of Snow”
All Souls NYC —1157 Lexington Ave., Manhattan (Upper East Side)
Sun. Dec. 7, 5 p.m.
The New York City harmony group All’s Well Sisters will perform a throwback of 1930s jazz and swing with a holiday twist. Cofounded by Musica Viva NY soloist Kathryn McCreary and inspired by The Boswell Sisters, they’ll serve up jazz renditions of “A Child Is Born” and “Let It Snow,” original tunes and some fresh takes on “Boswellified” favorites for a late Sunday afternoon of fun.
Tickets are $50.
Family
Circus Vazquez
Citi Field — 123-01 Roosevelt Ave., Queens (Flushing)
Through Dec. 14. Various showtimes.
Circus Vazquez has returned to the Big Apple under the blue-and-white-striped, climate-controlled big top.
Blending the modern with the traditional, this year’s performances include a barnyard pig act called Pork Chop Revue and the world-renowned Flying Caceres trapeze act.
Ringmaster Memo Vazquez leads the fun, which also features Russia’s award-winning clown Boris Nikishkin, a live band and the canine troupe Cartoon Poodles.
Tickets start at $17.23.
Sports
“A Racquet at The Rock”
Prudential Center — 25 Lafayette St., Newark (Downtown)
Sun. Dec. 7, 5:30 p.m.
Although the weather outside is frightful, professional tennis fans can flock across the Hudson to see some of the biggest names in the game for the inaugural event of its kind at the home arena of the New Jersey Devils and the New York Sirens.
Representing the men are 2025 U.S. Open winner Carlos Alcaraz and two-time U.S. Open semifinalist Frances Tiafoe, while 2025 U.S. Open finalist Amanda Anisimova and 2024 U.S. Open finalist Jessica Pegula will compete on the women’s side for the exhibition matchups.
Opening the programming will be a special junior tennis showcase featuring Ronit Karki from New Jersey and Jack Kennedy from New York.
The event will also salute late tennis pioneer and New Jersey great Althea Gibson, who in 1957 became the first African American to win a Grand Slam title.
Tickets start at $31.
Food
“Pinkmas”
Museum of Ice Cream—558 Broadway, Manhattan (Soho)
Through Jan. 19. Various times.
Foodies with sweet teeth can all scream for ice cream with the Museum of Ice Cream’s annual “Pinkmas” celebration.
Aside from the museum’s usual interactive experiences, Pinkmas presents a full immersive experience with activations such as the Pinkmas tree forest, a take-home paper gingerbread house craft activity, and a life-sized snow globe that you can step inside for a photo op.
Tickets start at $42.
Holiday
“Sinterklaas: Saint Nicholas Day!”
Wyckoff House Museum—5816 Clarendon Road, Brooklyn (East Flatbush)
Sat. Dec. 6, 2 p.m.
The oldest historic building in Fidler-Wyckoff House Park is playing host to its 23rd annual St. Nicholas Day event, which includes craft-making, a tree lighting and a special visit from St. Nick.
“This holiday is an old Dutch tradition brought to life in East Flatbush as a treasured event, celebrating the diverse cultures and traditions of our communities, past and present,” the museum’s interim co-director Danielle Hilkin tells The News.
Free.
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.
