The month-long celebration of LGBTQ+ Pride culminates on the last weekend of June, beginning on Friday, June 28 (the 55th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots), and closes on Sunday, June 30, with the NYC Pride March (first organized as the Christopher Street Liberation Day March in 1970, to commemorate the uprising), which was attended by 2.4 million people in 2023. Among the many festivities in New York are concerts and special events featuring stars from Broadway and Off-Broadway, including the following three top picks.
Alex Newell and the Gospel of a Diva – Live on stage at Audible’s Minetta Lane Theatre (18 Minetta Lane) for three nights only from Thursday, June 27-Saturday, June 29, TIME magazine’s 2023 Breakthrough of the Year and the first nonbinary-identifying Tony winner Alex Newell (Broadway’s Shucked and Once on This Island; TV’s Glee) shares previously untold stories of a remarkable life and career, along with a selection of favorite songs in an intimate new show. Breaking barriers and challenging gender norms at a time when the conversation around gender identity was not widely accepted, Newell has remained one of the leaders in Pride and the quest for equality.
Directed by Zhailon Levingston, with music direction by Michael O. Mitchell, the performance will also be recorded live and released on Audible at a later date. For tickets (priced at $71-131, including fees), go online.
Boy Band Brunch – As part of their ongoing bi-monthly residency at City Winery NYC (25 11th Avenue, at 15th Street), on Saturday, June 29, starting at noon (doors open at 11:30), The Boy Band Project serves up the songs, moves, and all the feelings of the popular guy groups of the 1990s, including NSYNC, Backstreet Boys, One Direction, and more, along with a big helping of tongue-in-cheek humor and Pride. You can also enjoy a selection of specialty cocktails and dishes, named after some of the biggest hits of your favorite Boy Bands.
For the upcoming show, the rotating roster of stars from the stage and screen will feature Nathan Cockroft (Jersey Boys), Jonah Mayor (Thriller Live!), Jared Zirilli (Summer: The Donna Summer Musical), and BBP founder, producer, lead, and host Travis Nesbitt (Altar Boyz), delivering sizzling hot vocals, tight harmonies, and high-energy choreography, while getting up close-and-personal with the audience and staying after for photo ops, before they say “Bye, Bye, Bye.” For tickets (priced at $35, plus fees, not including food or drink; no minimum is required), click here.
Pride in Times Square – Playbill and the Times Square Alliance’s third annual weekend-long event invites theater fans to the heart of Broadway to celebrate free performances from Broadway stars, a night-time disco dance party, and more. The event – presented by ViiV Healthcare and NYC Pride, with additional support from SUMMIT One Vanderbilt, The National LGBT Chamber of Commerce, The Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment, and MOTTO by Hilton NYC Times Square – is part of Playbill‘s LGBTQIA+ Pride celebration throughout the entire month of June, during which the iconic yellow Playbill logo is changed to a Pride rainbow on programs handed out on Broadway and at major theaters nationwide. Past Pride in Times Square events have seen nearly 800,000 attendees, with social media coverage getting more than a million hits.
The fun will kick off with the free Broadway Pride Block Party on Friday, June 28, beginning at 5:15 pm, rain or shine, featuring performances and guest appearances from top Broadway and Off-Broadway favorites and other celebrities TBA. On Saturday, June 29, beginning at 2:30 PM, ViiV Healthcare will present Celebrate You!, featuring a lineup of proudly queer talent celebrating and supporting queens everywhere. And starting at 5:15 pm is the return of one of Pride in Times Square‘s most anticipated events, the Big Broadway Disco, so get out your bell bottoms, point a light at the mirror ball, and dance the night away to classic and contemporary Broadway songs and performances with a special disco flare. The weekend will close on Sunday, June 30, as the Playbill Pride Float returns to the NYC Pride March, with supporting partner Heritage of Pride, along with double-decker buses from some of the Pride in Times Square sponsors.
