Highlights this week include N’yomi Allure Stewart‘s breakout role in Jordan Tannahill’s NSFW-titled, must-see play, the Thelonious Monk Festival and an aerial circus show focused on mental health.
Free events include an immersive roller skating experience and a ‘not-so-spooky’ Halloween-themed puppet show at Hudson Yards.
Theater
“Prince F****t”
Studio Seaview — 305 West 43rd St., Manhattan (Midtown)
Through Nov. 30. Various showtimes.
Jordan Tannahill’s jaw-dropping new drama has a homophobic slur in the title — and that’s not the only provocative or profane thing about it.
British monarchy watchers are sure to clutch their pearls with the play’s main premise about the future king of England being openly gay, having a headline-grabbing romance with an Indian man and performing raw sex acts on stage. But star N’yomi Allure Stewart presents another aspect of royalty and LGBTQ+ culture just as fascinating.
A prominent figure in the ballroom scene, the 27-year-old North Carolina native takes on four different roles in the play: Princess Charlotte, a royal servant, a paramedic and even King James I. She’s been a part of the daring work since Obie Award winner Robert O’Hara was attached to a workshop years before its first sold-out run at Playwrights Horizon.
Stewart tells The Daily News that she has no apprehension about the NSFW title of the show. “As long as I’ve known it, it’s been that, and I’ve never felt any way about it, it kind of intrigued me,” she shared. “I was really intrigued by the title and just the reclaiming of anything. I think I’m typically on the side of reclaiming words for our own usage. I don’t know what makes me feel connected to that, but I do. I think there’s something in a group of people being able to completely reclaim anything. You know what I mean? I think it’s powerful.”
As one of six actors portraying multiple roles, the “mother” of ballroom’s House of Unbothered Cartier, shines brightly closing out “Prince F****t” as she tells her real-life journey as a trans woman.
Before dropping it like it’s hot for a vogueing sequence, Stewart gives a monologue about her own life and relationship to the British royal family, telling the audience: “This whole time you’ve been looking at a princess and you didn’t even know it!”
Tickets start at $69, discounts available.
Circus
“A Little Unwell”
Brooklyn Art Haus— 24 Marcy Ave, Brooklyn (Williamsburg)
Oct. 10 and Oct. 11, Various showtimes.
In honor of World Mental Health Day (Oct. 10), producers Caytha Jentis and Smita Rajgopal Polak will premiere a brand new circus aerial show with an emphasis on breaking the stigma around mental health, featuring performers who used the art in their own healing process.
“It seemed like a good idea to use ours and other performers’ personal stories shared through performance to help others who have had to deal with mental health challenges,”Jentis explained.
A portion of the proceeds will benefit NAMI-NYC (National Alliance on Mental Illness of New York City).
Tickets start at $15.
Music
2025 Thelonious Monk Festival
Smoke Jazz & Supper Club —2751 Broadway, Manhattan (Upper West Side)
Through Oct. 19. Various showtimes.
Four-time Grammy winning jazz drummer Terri Lyne Carrington joins pianist Orrin Evans, saxophonist Melissa Aldana and bassist Robert Hurst for the kick-off the 14th Annual Thelonious Monk Festival, celebrating the late bebop innovator known for his improvisational technique within the standard jazz repertoire.
“It’s always an honor to celebrate his incredible artistry and contributions to the art form,” Carrington told The News. “We’ll be playing some well known and obscure Monk compositions, modern arrangements and new compositions inspired by Monk in the spirit of freedom and the expansive traditions of Black American music.”
The two-week event will also feature a quartet led by pianist Kevin Hays with saxophonists Joe Lovano (Wed. through Sat.) and Miguel Zenon (Sun.), bassist Rick Rosato and Haitian drummer Obed Calvaire.
Tickets start at $25.
Film
“37th Annual New York LGBTQ+ Film Festival”
SVA Theater — 333 West 23rd St., Manhattan (Chelsea)
Through Oct. 21. Various showtimes.
Perfectly timed with National Coming Out Day on Oct. 11, Newfest will host the New York City premiere of “A Deeper Love: The Story of Miss Peppermint” — a documentary examining the “RuPaul’s Drag Race” star’s transformation into a transgender activist and Broadway barrier-breaker.
Produced by Elliot Page and Bob The Drag Queen, and directed by Oriel Pe’er, the film nearly 10 years in the making features appearances by Laverne Cox, Sasha Velour and Michaela Jaé Rodriguez. “A Deeper Love” is a centerpiece of the festival, which shines a rainbow-hued light on the power of queer, trans and nonbinary storytelling.
Richard Linklater’s “Blue Moon” kicked off the hybrid event showcasing 130 films representing 29 countries at the SVA Theatre, The LGBT Community Center, Brooklyn Academy of Music and Nitehawk Prospect Park. The Sydney Sweeney-headlined, real-life boxing drama “Christy” will close it out.
Tickets start at $28.50.
Food
Loxfest at Fulton Fish Market Experience
Pier 16 — 89 South Street, Manhattan (South Street Seaport)
Sat. Oct. 11, Various times.
Something fishy (and delicious) is going on at the South Street Seaport this weekend with Fulton Fish Market’s inaugural event described as a “flavorful tribute to New York City’s historic relationship with lox.”
A curated collection of vendors from all five boroughs — such as 19 Cleveland, Fan Fan Doughnuts, GERTIE, Grillo’s Pickles, Hole In The Wall, The Paris Café, Tompkins Square Bagels, Zucker’s Bagels & Smoked Fish and private chef Crystal Hammonds — will gather showcase the rich culinary tradition of smoked salmon and its many accouterments.
Tickets start at $40.
Outdoors
“Amaze, Vogue, Ascend, Flourish“
Faena New York — 500A West 18th St. Manhattan (West Chelsea)
Sat. Oct. 11 and Sun. Oct. 12, 1 p.m.
World renowned visual artists Assume Vivid Astro Focus (Eli Sudbrack and Christophe Hamaide-Pierson) were tapped by Faea Art to create an installation that organizers said transforms the roller rink experience into a living archive and a celebration of movement, memory, and joy.
Across the street from the former Roxy roller disco, the community-focused experience will offer visitors free skate rentals, entertainment and music from Monday Blue, Kervyn Mark, The Muses, Justin Strauss, Stormin Norman, and drag star Lady Bunny, plus a culinary pop-up collaboration between chef Francis Mallmann and Chef Giapo.
Free, with RSVP.
Family
“Wonderspark Puppets: The Not-So-Spooky Ghost”
The Public Square and Gardens —11th Avenue and, Hudson Blvd E, Manhattan (Hudson Yards)
Sat. Oct. 11 and Sun. Oct. 12, 11 a.m.
Crowd-favorite Wonderspark Puppets are returning to perform “The-Not-So-Spooky Ghost,” an interactive puppet show starring a timid ghost, his skeleton dad and a mysterious scarecrow.
Designed for kids of all ages, organizers describe the show as “the perfect light-hearted way to get in the Halloween spirit.”
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.
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