Step into September this WEEK AHEAD!

Saturday, August 30
GO→ Tony winner John Lithgow and Alfred Molina play longtime lovers in Ira Sachs' new film, "Love Is Strange." Cheyenne Jackson, Marisa Tomei and Charlie Tahan round out the supporting cast of this critically acclaimed indie film about a four-decade long gay relationship and the challenges thrown their way after finally being legally wed. (In theatres. Info.) 

Sunday, August 31
LAST CHANCE→ Emmy-winning "Breaking Bad" star Anna Gunn and Broadway wild child (and Tony nominee) Billy Magnussen star in Laura Eason's Sex With Strangers. "Friends" star David Schwimmer is at the helm of this two-hander about a sex blogger's encounter with an older novelist. (Tony Kiser Theatre, 305 W. 43rd St., at 8th Ave. Info/tickets.) 

GO (FREE, DC)→ The annual Labor Day Concert on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol, produced by the Kennedy Center, promises a program chock-a-block with patriotic tunes and Broadway favorites from Wicked, The King and I and Les Miz. (Dress rehearsal 3:30-6 PM, 8 PM concert, West Lawn, U.S. Capitol.)

Monday, September 1

LAST CHANCE (FREE)→ It's your last chance to check out the Met Opera's free Summer HD Festival, which has quickly become a New York summertime favorite. The last screening of the summer is of the Anna Netrebko-headlined Tchaikovsky opera, Eugene Onegin. (7:45 PM, Lincoln Center, enter at Columbus Ave. and 63rd St., seating is first come, first serve. Info.)  Tuesday, September 2
CASTING→ She's baaaack! Pippin's great flying granny, Andrea Martin, returns to the role that earned her a second Tony Award in Stephen Schwartz's Tony-winning revival. (Through Sept. 21, Music Box Theatre, 239 W. 45th St., btwn. Broadway & 8th Aves. Click here for Playbill Club discount tickets.) 

Wednesday, September 3
GO→ The hilarious "love child of Ethel Merman and Ernest Borgnine," Varla Jean Merman, returns to 54 Below for another ridiculous night of deliciously hammy dragging. Varla is the funniest redhead this side of Lucy. Don't believe me? Watch this promo! (Through Sept. 4, 54 Below, 254 W. 54th St., btwn. Broadway & 8th Ave. Info/tickets.) 

Thursday, September 4
PREVIEWS→ Tom Stoppard makes the first of two stops in New York this season with Indian Ink. In true Stoppardian fashion, Indian Ink examines enigmatic events from two perspectives: their actual occurrences and history's remembrances of them. Golden Globe nominee Romola Garai plays a 1930s free-spirited English poet, while Tony winner Rosemary Harris steps into the story 50 years later to examine the poet's controversial legacy. Officially opens Sept. 30. (Laura Pels Theatre, 111 W. 46th St., btwn. 6th & 7th Aves. Click here for Playbill Club discount tickets.)

Friday, September 5
GO (FREE)→ Capping off an extraordinary Shakespeare in the Park season is the three-day presentation of the Public Theater's Public Works production of The Winter's Tale. Former Wicked stars Lindsay Mendez and Christopher Fitzgerald lead the cast — which is comprised of professional actors, performance troupes (like "Sesame Street" and the New York Theatre Ballet) and members of community organizations (like the Children's Aid Society and Domestic Workers United) — all working in wonderful Shakespearean harmony! (Through Sept. 7, Delacorte Theater, Central Park, entrances at 81st St. & Central Park West or 79th St. and 5th Ave. Info.) 

WATCH→ The mammoth fundraising telecast "Stand Up To Cancer" returns to take over the airwaves with appearances by Gwyneth Paltrow, Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon and Jesse Tyler Ferguson, and performances by Jennifer Hudson, Ariana Grande and Dave Matthews. All major broadcast, cable and streaming networks, including ABC, NBC, FOX, CBS, ESPN, SHOWTIME, HBO, E! Bravo, Netflix and dozens more, will simulcast the commercial-free primetime fundraising special. (8 PM ET/ 7 PM CT. Info.)