Highlights this holiday weekend include comedy trailblazer Sandra Bernhard‘s 19th year at Joe’s Pub and the last chance to catch Douglas Lyons‘ latest play “Beau The Musical.”
Also, there’s the Kwanzaa Festival at Brooklyn Children’s Museum, Timothée Chalamet in “Marty Supreme” and a free Labubu Rave in Williamsburg.
Cabaret
“Sandra Bernhard: Caught Off Guard”
Joe’s Pub — 425 Lafayette St., Manhattan (East Village)
Through Dec. 31. 7 p.m., 9:30 p.m.
2025 was a whirlwind for Sandra Bernhard, who turned 70 years old in June. Her career hit a hot streak with gigs on “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” the acclaimed Apple+ series “Severance,” Disney’s “Percy Jackson & The Olympians” and the star-studded “Marty Supreme,.”
This weekend, she’s holding court at Joe’s Pub for the 19th year in a row. She said she prefers the venue for its intimacy.
“There’s just something about the energy of [this] particular space,” Bernard tells The Daily News. “It just comes to life for me, and it’s a historical building; the Public Theater, and it’s just that it’s the continuity, over all the years, of such incredible shows that have come out of there, just historical, great shows. And so to be a part of that, it just means a lot to me. And I like to think that I have my place in history and then I can recreate it every year, and that that’s really what it’s about for me.”
Bernhard, who will be accompanied by her longtime musical director Mitch Kaplan and the Sandyland Squad Band, says the name of this year’s show comes from real life.
She explained: “The title is really a personal thing [because] I’m always getting involved in doing favors for friends…and [my wife] Sarah always says to me: ‘Why did you do that? Why did you pick up the phone on the first ring?’ or ‘Call back after you had a chance to think about it?’ And I always say ‘I was caught off guard,’ and she goes, ‘Well, you’re not going to be happy about that the day of.’ And she’s always right, because I’m not. So that’s the personal explanation of that title. But in the same vein, we’re all caught off guard every day by what’s happening to our government, our society, our culture. So it kind of works on two levels.”
Tickets start at $100 (with food and drink minimum).
Film
“Marty Supreme“
IPIC Theaters—11 Fulton St,, Manhattan (South Street Seaport)
Now playing, various showtimes.
Another year and another Oscar-caliber turn for Timothée Chalamet in Josh Safdie‘s period drama about a Jewish New Yorker’s foray into the world of international professional ping pong in the early 1950s. As ambitious shoe salesman Marty Mauser, the “Call Me By Your Name” star takes on his most challenging role to date and aces it.
“Marty Supreme” runs two and a half hours, but the fast-moving film seems half as long. The first-rate cast includes Gwyneth Paltrow, Odessa A’zion, Tyler the Creator, “Shark Tank” mogul Kevin O’Leary, Fran Drescher, Sandra Bernhard, Isaac Mizrahi and Faith Evans’ longtime manager Cheryl Flowers-Briggs.
Tickets start at $19.90.
Music
Damien Escobar
City Winery NYC — 25 11th Ave., Manhattan (Chelsea)
Fri. Dec. 26, 7:30 p.m.
Contemporary soul violinist Damien Escobar will bring his talents to the City Winery this week as he wraps up his six-month “Gemini” tour in support of his latest album.
With the cross-country trek, the Jamaica, Queens native delivered on his promise of an “unforgettable live performance filled with romance and music vibes” throughout the summer and early fall.
Die-hard fans will experience pure delight with Esco performing his single “Taboo,” alongside “Mercury Rising,” “Love Notes,” and some of classics.
Tickets start at $69.60 (with food and drink minimum).
Opera
“Christmas Night Opera Gala”
Carnegie Hall— 881 7th Ave., Manhattan (Midtown)
Sat. Dec. 27, 8 p.m.
Opera singers Sondra Radvanovsky, Thomas Hampson, Asmik Grigorian, Nadine Sierra, Brian Jagde and Anita Monserrat will join the American Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Francesco Lanzillotta, for a concert they hope will become an annual holiday tradition.
The event, produced by Eugene Wintour-Irverstag, will feature overtures from Rossini’s “Guillaume Tell” and Ambroise Thomas’s “Mignon,” as well as arias and ensembles from “Rusalka,” “Il Trovatore,” “Macbeth,” “Rigoletto”and “La traviata,” among others.
Tickets start at $50.
Family
Celebrate Kwanzaa Festival
Brooklyn Children’s Museum — 145 Brooklyn Ave, Brooklyn (Crown Heights)
Through Dec. 30 . 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Friday marks the start of Kwanzaa — the seven-day holiday honoring African heritage — and the kickoff of the Brooklyn Museum’s 18th year of what it designates as the city’s “largest family Kwanzaa celebration.” The five-day event features live performances, drumming workshops and art activities in partnership with the Asase Yaa Cultural Arts Foundation.
“Kwanzaa is rooted in everything we stand for community, culture, and connection,” Asase Yaa’s executive director Kofi Osei Williams said. “Each year, we have the opportunity to share our traditions with new generations and remind families that the principles of Kwanzaa are not just seasonal, but a way of life.”
There will also be daily candle-lighting rituals, a herbal sensory exploration with Brooklyn Supported Agriculture Community and Afrobeat, dancehall and soca dance workshops.
Tickets are $15.
Theater
“Beau The Musical”
The Distillery at St. Luke’s Theatre—308 West 46th St., Manhattan (Midtown)
Through Jan. 4, various showtimes.
There’s just two more weekends to catch Douglas Lyons’ musical in its new uptown home.
For “Beau the Musical,” the award-winning playwright behind Broadway’s “Chicken & Biscuits” and the off-Broadway play “Table 17” collaborated with composer Ethan D. Pakchar for nearly a decade to craft the story of a young queer man in Tennessee who discovers his grandfather, thought to be long deceased, is actually still alive.
Boston Conservatory at Berklee alum Matt Rodin stars in the titular role in the Josh Rhodes-helmed production where audience members find themselves fully immersed in the coming of age story, with a real-life distillery as its backdrop. 2025 Tony Award nominee Jeb Brown, Amelia Cormack, Andrea Goss, Ryan Halsaver, Miyuki Miyagi, Max Sangerman and Derek Stoltenberg round out the diverse cast of eight.
“Part of my inspiration was creating what I call a ‘Rent’ meets ‘Once,’ but queer,” said Lyons. “And this experiment of really trying to find remarkable quadruple threats who can sing, you know, move, act and play instruments was a challenge…And I have so much respect for the actor/musician community … because what they do is, it’s hard.”
Tickets start at $49.
Free
Labubu Rave
The Brooklyn Monarch—23 Meadow St, Brooklyn (Williamsburg)
Sat. Dec. 27. 11 p.m. – 4 a.m.
Labubu, one of 2025’s most viral sensations, is the inspiration for this year-end rave in East Williamsburg.
Fresh off its controversial debut at this year’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, the breakout collectible toy will be the theme for a warehouse party this weekend, soundtracked by K-pop, house and dub music. Party promoters advise you to get there by midnight to get in for free. Otherwise, you have to cough up $12.70. And you must be 18 years old or over.
Free, before midnight with code SANTABUBU.
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.
