7 Things to do in NYC, May 31-June 2

This weekend’s events include a unique way to experience one of the world’s most popular sports; a new twist on a nearly 200-year-old Italian opera; and the kick-off of a free traveling puppet show.

Sports

Though second only to soccer among the most popular sports in the world, cricket is somewhat mysterious to most Americans. Well, curious neophytes and die-hard fans alike can enjoy public viewings of the Cricket World Cup 2024 matches at the Port Authority’s World Trade Center Campus starting Saturday with the U.S. vs. Canada match.

This year’s tournament, which is hosted by the U.S. and West Indies, will feature matches throughout the month of June hosted at cricket stadiums from Dallas to Barbados. (Several matches will take place on Long Island at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium.)

A large screen will be set up on the plaza, where viewers can order food and drink from the nearby Oculus Beer Garden and Westfield World Trade Center shops and restaurants. Fan activities are planned for each game day, including face painting, sign making stations, cricket simulators, and appearances by cricket players and mascots.

More Information on these free fan events and the tournament match screenings can be found at the Port Authority World Trade Center Campus website.

Theater

“Sally & Tom”

The Public Theater — 425 Lafayette St. Manhattan (East Village)

Through June 2. Various times.

The latest work from Tony Award winner Suzan-Lori Parks is “an edgy dramedy that celebrates the craft of theater while taking a hard look at history,” producers say.

The “Topdog/Underdog” playwright returns to her artistic home with a story about an off-off-Broadway theater company mounting a production about the scandalous relationship between Thomas Jefferson and his enslaved servant Sally Hemings. The production’s writer, portrayed by Sheria Irving, is cast as Sally while her real-life white lover, the director played by Tony winner Gabriel Ebert, is cast as Tom. Racially-charged drama — both onstage and off — ensues.

“Thoughts of a Colored Man” director Steve H. Broadnax III helms this New York premiere work described as a “funny, ferocious new work is about art, politics, and the contradictions that make all of us.”

Tickets are $85.

Music

“Tony Danza: Standards & Stories”

54 Below — 254 W 54th St, Manhattan (Midtown)

Fri. May 31, Sat. June 1. 7:00 p.m.

The TV star known for “Taxi,” “Who’s the Boss” and most recently “Power Book III: Raising Kanan,” continues to flex his muscle as a renaissance man. Tony Danza is back in his hometown with his four-piece band for a string of shows at the lavishly decorated cabaret hotspot located under Studio 54. With “Standards & Stories,” the Brooklyn-born former boxer will mix personal stories with music from the American Songbook — and even some ukulele performances.

Ticket start at $84.

Comedy

Janeane Garofalo

EastVille Comedy Club — 487 Atlantic Ave, Brooklyn (Boerum Hill)

Fri. May 31. 8:00 p.m.

Janeane Garofalo continues holding court for a night of “Prime-Time Comedy” featuring other jokesters at this 120-seat Brooklyn venue known as the spot where celebrity comedians pop in for impromptu sets. Fans can expect the comedian to deliver humor with well-informed opinions and unflinching honesty that has become her trademark.

Tickets start at $30.

Opera

“The Young Artists Series: G. Donizetti’s L’Elisir D’Amore”

The Flea Theater — 20 Thomas St., Manhattan (Tribeca)

Sat. Jun1 1 at 1:00 p.m., Sun. June 2 at 7:00 p.m.

Emerging talent put a new twist on the Italian 1832 opera “Elisir d’Amore,” kicking off Teatro Grattacielo‘s 30th anniversary season. Helmed by Stefanos Koroneos, the production will feature Camerata Bardi International Academy 2024’s young artists conducted by Maestro Jason Tramm with choreography by Anna Laura Miszerak.

The young artists — Pedro Barrera, Victoria McGrath, Megan Dobbs, Tiernan Chase, Maia Gonzalez, Yoonji Kim, Henry Hyunsoon Kim, Bryan McClary, Logan Dooley, Natasha Scheuble, Nicole Silva, Valia Karagiorga, Elizabeth Barsalou and Taylor Consiglio — are mostly in their 20s. The melodramatic comedy will be sung in Italian with English supertitles.

Tickets are $50.

Family

“Cinderella Samba”

Herbert Von King Park — 670 Lafayette Ave, Brooklyn (Bed-Stuy)

Sat. June 1. 1:00 p.m.

The return of the CityParks PuppetMobile will kick off this weekend in Von King Park. This year’s free original marionette production, “Cinderella Samba,” offers a contemporary twist on the classic fable — but set in Brazil during Rio de Janeiro’s biggest carnival. The expert puppeteers from Central Park’s Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre are the artistic visionaries behind this family fun, featuring original commissioned music and handcrafted “Carnaval” festival floats on parade. CityParks PuppetMobile will travel to all five boroughs in New York City to perform 30 more shows through late August.

Free.

Outdoor

Rooftop Summer Party

Randolph Beer — 82 Prospect Street 12FL, Brooklyn (Dumbo)

Sat. June 1. 7:00 p.m.

Stretch Armstrong will provide the tuns for this spacious Dumbo brewery’s third season summer kick-off party. Starting at 3 p.m., attendees can enjoy beers brewed at Randolph’s on-site microbrewery, draft cocktails and eat light bites. Then, watch the sunset from the rooftop — with views of both the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges — before one of New York City’s best DJs takes over the turntables. Arcade games and feather bowling lanes are also on deck at the multi floor venue.

Free.

If you have an upcoming weekend event you’d like to submit for consideration in an upcoming roundup, please email: nycevents@nydailynews.com with the details. Consideration does not guarantee inclusion.