Articles

13 Shows Not to Miss in NYC This Winter

As icy winds and sleet descend upon the city once more, New Yorkers are fleeing to warmer temperatures or heading indoors to await the arrival of spring—but now, thanks to these exciting openings and brand-new exhibitions, there are plenty of good reasons to stay inside. From the highly anticipated Frida Kahlo exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum and the arrival of thousands of rare orchids in the Bronx, to performance art collaborations led by top names like Sufjan Stevens and Lin-Manuel Miranda, these are the 13 shows and exhibitions not to miss in New York City this winter.

Contact Indagare to plan a long weekend winter getaway to New York with accommodations at the best hotels and a culture-filled itinerary featuring these shows and other things to do in NYC in the winter.

If you’re dreaming of Mexico City

Frida Kahlo: Appearances Can Be Deceiving

This highly anticipated collection, arriving from London’s Victoria & Albert Museum, presents the largest exhibition dedicated to the Mexican painter and feminist icon to be shown in the United States in a decade. Although the collection is devoted to exploring Frida’s unique—and now legendary—personal style with a display of her clothing and other belongings (which were only uncovered in 2004), the exhibition also features several of the artist’s important drawings, paintings and photographs, as well as pieces from the Brooklyn Museum’s Mesoamerican holdings. The Brooklyn Museum • February 8 – May 12, 2019

Indagare Tip: In case you missed it…The Brooklyn Museum’s Half the Picture: A Feminist Look at the Collection, which opened August 23, 2018, is still on until March 31, 2019.

If you’re desperate for more Hamilton

Freestyle Love Supreme

Conceived in part by Lin-Manuel Miranda and formerly featuring a cast that included Daveed Diggs (Hamilton’s Thomas Jefferson) and Christopher Jackson (Hamilton’s George Washington), this improvisational hip-hop/performance group creates high-energy comedy and song pieces akin to Hamilton’s rap battle scenes—but instead of exploring American history, they are inspired by cues from the audience. Several surprise guests are expected to appear during this season’s run, including the three actors mentioned above. Ars Nova at the Greenwich House Theater • February 12 – March 3, 2019 • Tickets available on a limited basis through lottery

If you want a fresh take on the ballet…

Principia (New Peck 1)

In their fourth collaboration for the ballet, 31-year-old choreographer and dancer Justin Peck and indie-rock/folk/electronic musician Sufjan Stevens (who made a splash last year with his Oscar-nominated tracks for Luca Guadagnino’s Call Me By Your Name) have teamed up again to bring a fresh, earnest, human sensibility to traditional en pointe ballet, which promises to engage dance aficionados and newcomers alike.  New York City Ballet • January 31 –  May 18, 2019

Related: Where to Eat in New York Right Now

If you only see one play…

The Lehman Trilogy

In March, the most coveted ticket in London is coming to Park Avenue. Directed by Sam Mendes (of The Ferryman, Skyfall and American Beauty), The Lehman Trilogy is a three-actor play that recalls the lives of Henry, Emanuel and Mayer Lehman and their firm’s catalytic collapse into bankruptcy generations later. The roles of the three brothers will be reprised by the original West End actors, including Ben Miles (of Netflix’s The Crown). Park Avenue Armory • March 22 – April 20, 2019

Indagare Tip: In case you missed it…Broadway’s The Ferryman, which opened in October 2018 and is also directed by Sam Mendes, has been extended through July 7, 2019.

If you need an exotic escape close to home…

The Orchid Show: Singapore

Singapore’s national flower travels to the Bronx for the 17th annual Orchid Show, which will display thousands of varieties of the elegant, elusive bloom. The exhibition will also bring the Malaysian island’s incredible garden design—including its vibrant Supertrees and famed light shows—to life in the conservatory. A feast for the senses, the Singapore Orchid Show offers New Yorkers a much-needed dose of color and warmth, as part of the Botanical Garden’s 2019 #plantlove campaign, which explores the relationship between society and the environment. The New York Botanical Garden • February 23 – April 28, 2019

If you loved Girls, Nanette or Shameless

Fleabag

After a sold-out run in London, this award-winning comedy starring Phoebe Waller-Bridge (which inspired a hit television show on Amazon by the same name) is coming to the city for just six weeks to tackle trauma and female sexuality with honesty and incisive humor—just in time for season two to air in May. SoHo Playhouse • February 27 – April 14

Related: 3 Reasons to Visit the South Street Seaport, NYC’s Coolest New Neighborhood

If you only see one art show…

Andy Warhol—From A to B and Back Again

There’s still some time left to catch one of the city’s most buzzed-about art exhibitions: the first Warhol retrospective organized in the U.S. since 1989. It is also the largest monographic exhibition ever displayed at the Whitney’s new location, and it will reveal new complexities and motifs present in Warhol’s body of work from the 1950s to the 1980s in the context of the 21st century. The Whitney Museum of American Art • November 12 – March 31, 2019

If you want a fresh take on Shakespeare…

King Lear

In the latest rendition of Shakespeare’s momentous tragedy, the critically acclaimed actress Glenda Jackson—who has won a Tony and two Academy Awards—subverts convention by playing the titular role of the King. Cort Theatre • Preview February 28; April 4 – July 7, 2019

If you love Lord of the Rings

Tolkien: Maker of Middle-earth

One of Manhattan’s great hidden-gems, the preserved personal library of finance giant Pierpont Morgan, does not disappoint with its latest temporary exhibition: the most extensive showcase in decades of original illustrations, maps, draft manuscripts and personal memorabilia of J. R. R. Tolkien, the beloved 20th-century author of The Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit. The Morgan Library & Museum • January 25 – May 12, 2019

Related: The Best Insider Experiences in New York City

If you’re an aspiring photographer…

Implicit Tensions: Mapplethorpe Now

This comprehensive exhibition, which will be displayed over this coming year in two parts, unveils the Guggenheim’s transgressive Mapplethorpe collection. Now a cultural icon, Mapplethorpe shocked late-20th-century sensibilities with his photographs and mixed media projects that explore everything from floral still lifes to New York’s underground S&M scene. The Guggenheim Museum • January 25 – July 10, 2019

Indagare Tip: In case you missed it…The first major solo exhibition of the 20th-century abstract artist Hilma af Klint, Paintings for the Future, has been extended through April 23, 2019.

If you love drama…

Burn This

Starring Adam Driver and Keri Russell, this revival of Pulitzer Prize-winner Lanford Wilson’s 1987 play treats themes of passion, death, romance and sexuality. Hudson Theatre • March 15 – July 14

If you’re a dog person…

The American Kennel Club Museum of the Dog

After a 32-year residency in St. Louis, the museum that celebrates man’s best friend has returned home to display a collection of over 200 pieces that explore canine history in human art and culture—from the evolution of designer breeds to the dogs who served as right-hand companions of presidents and soldiers in world wars. 101 Park Avenue • Open 10am to 5pm, closed on Mondays

If you’re dreaming of Barcelona

Joan Miró: Birth of the World

With the 1925 painting The Birth of the World as its centerpiece, this exhibition of the MoMA’s Joan Miró collection will be supplemented by important loans from other museums to explore the Catalonian Modernist painter’s development between the pivotal period from 1920—when he first visited Paris—to 1950. The Museum of Modern Art • February 24 – June 15, 2019

Related: Hotel Review: The Mark

LOOKING AHEAD

On April 5, 2019, the fast-developing Hudson Yards area will gain a brand-new cross-disciplinary arts center called The Shed, a non-profit cultural organization that will not only stand as an architectural icon in its own right, but will also offer a diverse program of exciting exhibitions and performances in music, theater, comedy, poetry and beyond. Click here to learn more.

Contact Indagare to plan a long weekend winter getaway to New York with accommodations at the best hotels and a culture-filled itinerary featuring these shows and other things to do in NYC in the winter.

– Elizabeth Harvey on February 19, 2019

Interest

Quotable

In New York the opportunities for learning, and acquiring a culture that shall not come out of the ruins, but belong to life, are probably greater than anywhere else in the world.
~ Thomas Wolfe

Related Hotels

Become an Indagare Member Today!

Join

Welcome back,
log in to Indagare

Not a member?

Forgot Password

Enter your email and we’ll send you a link to reset your password.

Type the first 3 letters to begin