“We search the internet everyday looking for the very best of What’s Happening, primarily on Manhattan’s WestSide, so that you don’t have to.” We make it as easy as 1-2-3.
(click on links for more complete event info.)

Have time for only one event today? Do this:
Lorna Luft
Feinstein’s/54 Below, 254 W54th St./ 7PM +9:30PM, $50-$65
“Liza Minnelli gets the lion’s share of public attention, but Judy Garland’s other singing daughter has a better-preserved voice—and one that sometimes eerily recalls that of her matchless mom. In her return to 54 Below, she shares favorites from the Great American Songbook.” (TONY)

Music, Dance, Performing Arts
‘The Pearl Fishers’
Metropolitan Opera House, Lincoln Center,/ 7:30PM, $20+
“Au fond du temple saint,” the gorgeous duet from Bizet’s “Pearl Fishers,” is a concert staple, but the opera hasn’t been staged at the Metropolitan Opera in a century. Penny Woolcock directs a new production set in modern-day Asia and featuring projections and aerialists. Leïla, the Hindu priestess whose beauty causes a rift in the friendship between two pearl divers (the tenor Matthew Polenzani and the baritone Mariusz Kwiecien) is sung by the always-impressive soprano Diana Damrau. Gianandrea Noseda conducts the sumptuously lyrical score.” (Schweitzer-NYT)

George Cables Trio (through Jan. 10)
Village Vanguard, 178 Seventh Ave. S., at 11th St./ 8:30 +10:30PM, $
It can take decades for a journeyman musician to evolve into, and subsequently be regarded as, a near-master: consider the case of the estimable pianist Cables. He’s joined here by the same compatriots—Essiet Essiet, on bass, and Victor Lewis, on drums—who were heard on his most recent album, the celebratory “In Good Company.” (NewYorker)

Marilyn Maye: By Request (thru Jan.10)
Metropolitan Room, 34 W22nd St./ 7PM, $45
“Marilyn Maye’s stellar past includes a string of classy RCA albums in the ’60s and a nearly unequaled number of Tonight Show appearances, but this husky-voiced, earthy belter has never sounded better than she does now (at 87). Astonishingly active lately, she now returns to the Met Room with a set of tunes suggested by audience members when they buy their tickets.” (TONY)
This grand olde dame puts on a wonderful show. She’s 87, better see her now.

Smart Stuff / Other
(Lectures, Discussions, Book Talks, Literary Readings, Classes, Food & Drink, Other)
New York Boat Show (though Jan. 10)
Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, 655 W34th St./ Wednesday through next Friday from noon to 9 p.m.; Jan. 9 from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Jan. 10 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., $
“This exhibition and pop-up sales floor sets the scene for boating culture in 2016, as it has for the past 110 years. The show’s offerings run the gamut, from one-person kayaks to to seafaring yachts. More information is at nyboatshow.com.” (NYT-SpareTimes)

SPECIAL EVENT, A MUST SEE:
Noche Flamenca: Antigona (through Jan. 23)
West Park Presbyterian Church, 165 W86th St./ $25-$60
Mondays through Saturdays at 8PM
“Traditional Spanish dance and ancient Greek theater are an unlikely but well-suited pair in Noche Flamenca’s sharp production “Antigona,” based on Sophocles’s famous tragedy. The dance lights a fire under the play while discovering in itself a knack for narrative drama. In the title role, the powerhouse Soledad Barrio is both fierce and fragile. The century-old church where the performance takes place is filled with striking sets, darkly amorous music played by a live band and a ferocious Greek chorus of dancers.” (NYT-Schaefer)

a personal note:
Noche Flamenca is Spain’s most successful touring company and its greatest exponent of the art of flamenco. Soledad Barrio is a goddess of dance and brings so much passion to her role as Antigona. Two wonderful Spanish guitarists and two vocalists do not get the credit they deserve. Every piece of this performance is outstanding. Go See It!

Bonus-This week’s fave and FREE NYCity App: 
Need to catch your #1,2,3 subway to attend an event? Use the Subway Time app from the MTA to find out when the next train arrives at your station.