What I’d See – Best Bets: October 26th – November 1st

I can make a few promises about Best Bets: October 26^th – November 1^st. There are no tricks, just treats. There’s nothing particularly spooky about them. There are multiple world premieres. You don’t have to leave home for two of them.

RENT 30^th ANNIVERSARY CONCERT AND LIVESTREAM – Richard Rodgers Theatre – New York, NY – October 26^th

When I attended The Festival in upstate New York this summer, I got to experience a reunion and conversation with most of the cast of the original Broadway production of Rent.

Monday’s benefit concert for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS has the original cast and then some.

This includes original cast members (including Idina Menzel who wasn’t at The Festival) plus special guests including Norbert Leo Butz and Will Chase (both of whom were understudies for Roger and Mark), Neil Patrick Harris (who played Mark on tour), Aaron Tveit and Rachel Zegler (upcoming as Evita!).

The Gates Foundation is matching, up to $525,600 (you know where they got that number), for every donation received from each livestream ticket purchase.

For livestream tickets and more details, please go HERE.

A FEW GOOD MEN – Vivian Beaumont Theater – New York, NY – Now – January 10, 2027

OPENING NIGHT: October 29th

This is the first Broadway revival of Aaron Sorkin’s play that gave the world (and Jack Nicholson in the film) the line, “You can’t handle the truth!”

It’s a military courtroom drama with two young Marines on trial for murder. Lawyer Daniel Kaffee (Tom Blyth) and Lt. Commander Joanne Galloway (Krysta Rodriguez) who are defending the men.

But they have very different approaches. What starts as a commonplace trial becomes something much bigger. Bradley Whitford plays Colonel Nathan Jessep (Nicholson’s part).

Whitford was in the original production having joined in 1990, first as Lt. Jack Ross and later that year as Kaffee.

Michael Arden directs.

For tickets and more information, please go HERE.

1972: A ROCK OPERA – A.R.T. at Farkas Hall – Cambridge, MA – October 27^th – November 22^nd

OPENING NIGHT:  November 1^st

I didn’t think a rock opera about an underground network that helped women, pre-Roe v. Wade, obtain abortions, would already be nearly sold out.  Then again, I’m not familiar with the Boston-based bands DISPATCH and State Radio.

1972 is written by Chadwick Stokes of both bands.

Jessie Nelson (who wrote the book for Waitress with Sara Bareilles) co-wrote the show and directs.

In this rock opera, Hannah, a 19-year-old girl finds herself in an abusive relationship and pregnant. When she gets away, she encounters The Janes. That’s the network that helps her in her time of need. Gracie McGraw plays the role of Hannah. She is the daughter of Tim McGraw and Faith Hill.

The website says there is very limited availability and to check back often.

To do so, perhaps land a ticket or two and get more information, please go HERE.

HELLO, AMERICA: WE GATHER HERE – American Composers Orchestra – Carnegie Hall – New York, NY – October 27^th

You know I can’t resist a world premiere. This concert has three of them, plus one US premiere and a New York premiere.

They include Deliverance by Mali Irene (don’t expect banjo music, but she will be singing vocals during her piece).

Also on the program are ngủ ngon by Oswald Huỳnh; Fantasme No. 2 by Alexander Timofeev; Tfiles by Alex Weiser and America, To US? by Daniel Bernard Roumain. Only the latter composer is familiar to me, so this should be quite interesting.

Kendrick Armstrong conducts the ACO who specialize in new music.

For tickets and more information, please go HERE.

PHILIP GLASS AT 90: A CELEBRATION – Nova Linea Music – Guarneri Hall – Chicago, IL – October 28^th

Guarneri Hall in Chicago is one of the city’s best kept secrets, particularly for those who enjoy contemporary classical music.

This celebration of composer Glass is not filled with all the usual suspects. In fact, I like the program for how unique it is.

Amongst the pieces being performed are Arabesque in memoriam, Taoist Sacred Dances, No. 3 and Love Divided By.

The program is scheduled to include Darius Milhaud’s Sonatina for Violin and Cello and (here I go again) the world premiere of Alex Weston’s Through Philip and Lou.

I know who Philip is. My guess about Lou is Lou Harrison. But who is Lou in Weston’s piece? Since he’s doing a Q&A after the performance, that is likely going to be the best way to find out.

The music will be performed by violinist Rabia Brooke, pianist Nathanael Canfield, flutist Demarre McGill, violinist Desirée Ruhstrat and cellist Wendy Sutter.

For tickets and more information, please go HERE.

JIMMY WEBB: AMERICAN SONGWRITER – PBS Great Performances – October 30^th (check local listings)

Do you know the songs Up, Up and Away, By the Time I Get to Phoenix, Galveston, Wichita Lineman and MacArthur Park? They were all written by Jimmy Webb and became hugely successful for him and the artists who recorded them. You know, people like The Fifth Dimension, Glen Campbell, Richard Harris for one generation and Donna Summer for another.

Webb’s work is celebrated in this concert that has some documentary components (archival film clips of artists singing his songs) that was recorded in February.

Joining Webb on stage are Ashley Campbell, Vince Gill, Lyle Lovett, Ryan Shaw and Sheléa.

In addition to watching on your local affiliate, you can watch this on the PBS app and at pbs.org/gperf.

I had the privilege of seeing him perform solo at a charity event several years ago. He was terrific. This is well worth watching.

THE MANY DEATHS OF LAILA STARR – Minnesota Opera – St. Paul, MN – October 31^st – November 8^th

There aren’t many operas that can claim they combine EDM with Konnakol (South Indian vocal percussion) and Raga (an Indian classical music framework) with contemporary classical music.

Kamala Sankaram wrote the music and Minita Gandhi wrote the libretto. The premise? The goddess of Death is sent to Earth and assumes the name Laila Starr.

She must live as a regular ol’ human being. Imagine the many ways in which things start to blur, both musically and in the story, over the course of this 2-1/2-hour world premiere opera.

Yup, guilty as charged. Another one!

For tickets and more information, please go HERE.

HAMLET HAIL TO THE THIEF – Barbican Theatre – London, England – October 31^st – January 23, 2027

My favorite play by Shakespeare is Hamlet. (Did anyone else see Ralph Fiennes on Broadway as the troubled Dane?) One of my favorite rock bands is Radiohead. Combine the two and you practically have me on a plane to London already.

Radiohead’s Hail to the Thief album came out in 2003 and was the band’s indictment of President George W. Bush.

Remember, this was in the post-9/11 world and leading up to the invasion of Iraq.

How does Hamlet fit into this? I have no idea, but I can’t wait to find out.

Samuel Blenkin plays Hamlet, Ami Tredrea plays Ophelia, Paul Hilton plays Claudius/Ghost and Claudia Harrison plays Gertrude.

Both Blenkin and Tredrea were part of the show’s sold-out performances in 2025 at Aviva Studios in Manchester and at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon the same year.

The show is the brainchild of Christine Jones with Steven Hoggett. They share directing credits.

Thom Yorke did the orchestrations.

Suffice to say, this would be the show I’d want to see most!

For tickets and more information, please go HERE.

Those are my Best Bets: October 26^th – November 1^st.

Main Photo: Hamlet Hail to the Thief (Photo ©Manuel Harlan/Courtesy the Production)