The new play 'Monsters,' from Manhattan Theater Club, follows a sister looking for mentorship from her estranged brother, a successful Mixed Martial Arts fighter and recovering alcoholic, as they reconnect and uncover what they both inherited from their shared father. Actors Aigner Mizzelle and Okieriete Onaodowan talk about the show, which is running at City Center through March 22.

Photo by T. Charles Erickson courtesy of Manhattan Theater Club

The late 19th and early 20th centuries were a special time for magic in New York, coinciding with the rise of vaudevilles, circuses, and mainstream theaters, as well as innovations in publishing and science. A new exhibit at the New York Public Library, "Mystery and Wonder: A Legacy of Golden Age Magicians in New York City," presents rare items from the NYPL's Library for the Performing Arts. Annemarie van Roessel, assistant curator of the Billy Rose Theatre Division, discusses what's on view, and the long history of magicians in New York.

Image: A promotional photo of Harry Houdini. Courtesy of Billy Rose Theatre Division, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.

Indie music has a long history in New York. Author Ronen Givony has written a new book, Us v. Them: The Age of Indie Music and a Decade in New York (2004-2014), reflecting on a decade of the indie scene in Brooklyn in the 2000s under the Bloomberg administration, the artists who made up the bands, and fans who created the community. Givony, who also is an artistic director at Le Poisson Rouge, discusses writing the book and his memories of the music from that time. Ronen Givony will be in conversation with Nabil Ayers about the book at Greenlight bookstore Thursday night at 7:30.

Cover art courtesy of Abrams Press

This year is the centennial birthday of the late Tony Bennett, who passed away at the age of 96 in 2023. Guitarist and vocalist John Pizzarelli has recorded a tribute album of Bennett's music, Dear Mr. Bennett, from which Pizzarelli performs live in our studio. He also discusses his family connection to Tony Bennett, and preview his residency at Birdland in support of the album through March 7.

Photo by Jessica Molaskey

Musician Courtney Barnett previews her new album Creature of Habit which drops on March 27th.

Album art courtesy of the artist.

The Mexican singer-songwriter Humbe broke through with his hit song "fantasmas," and is making waves in the world of Spanish language music. He performs live from his new album, Dueño del Cielo, ahead of his March 5 and 6 concerts at Brooklyn Paramount.

Photo by Krista Garza

The Whitney Biennial returns this year, surveying the contemporary American art landscape and featuring 56 artists, duos, and collectives. Whitney curators Marcela Guerrero and Drew Sawyer preview the exhibit, which opens to the public on March 8.

Multimedia still image from 'Sanhattan, 2025,' courtesy of the artist, Ignacio Gatica

Screenwriter Robert Kaplow spent years working on "Blue Moon," the new movie that follows lyricist Lorenz Hart on the opening night of "Oklahoma!," the musical written by his former collaborator Richard Rogers. It's a film that relies heavily on the dialogue, written by Kaplow and performed by Ethan Hawke. Kaplow discusses writing for Hawke as part of our ongoing Oscars series "The Big Picture."

Image Courtesy Sony Pictures

Forever Yours: The Farewell Performance captures two concerts from jazz pianist Chick Corea played only months before his passing in 2021. The album recently got a physical release. Collaborator and jazz bassist Christian McBride discusses Corea's legacy. He joined Corea in another posthumous release, Trilogy 3, which earned a Grammy Award this year.

Photo courtesy Christian McBride

Lincoln Center's American Songbook series kicks off March 18. Creative director Clint Ramos discusses the series, along with the Tony-winning Ruthie Ann Miles, who performs live in studio to preview "Perfectly Imperfect," her debut solo concert, on March 19.

Photo courtesy of Lincoln Center

The Power Broker by Robert Caro is one of the defining New York books. Comedian Sam Rogal, who claims he read the book "before it was cool," has created a show that finds the humor in Robert Moses and urban planning. Every month, Rogal puts on "The Power Joker" at Caveat on the Lower East Side, a variety show in which Rogal plays Robert Moses and imagines what would happen if Moses lost his power and ended up as a late night talk show host, with special guests that have in the past included Zohran Mamdani as he was running for Mayor. Sam Rogal discusses his inspiration for The Power Joker and previews the next show on March 22 at 5pm.

Photo credit Dmitry Shein