Stranger, smaller-room, and in-the-know Scope NYC picks for Monday, October 19, 2026.
Saint Peter’s hosts a free jazz memorial for pianist Keith Ingham, combining music with stories from his community. The 5:30 p.m. gathering is a chance to remember a working musician in the church’s welcoming jazz room.
The Nuyorican Poets Café brings its Monday slam to Bowery Poetry while its home is under construction. Poets have three minutes, the audience supplies judges, and the winner advances to the café’s monthly final; doors open at 6:30.
Berlin’s weekly Code Red turns the venue into a cabaret runway, with a guest opening act before The Cabaret Burlesque’s 8:30 p.m. main show. Expect couture, live performance and a deliberately immersive nightlife frame; doors open at 7.
The Marvelous Manhattan Mandolins gather Ann Klein, Liz Queler, David Mansfield, Rick Snell, John Benthal and Megan Cody at The Bitter End. A rare mandolin-centered ensemble makes this 7 p.m. downtown set a change of texture from the usual guitar bill.
The Twisted Spine celebrates horror imprint Tor Nightfire with author Mathilda Zeller, a listening party, publisher swag and a paint-your-own-pumpkin table. The free 7 p.m. gathering offers a bookstore-sized take on the season’s horror circuit.
Alison Stiel, Maria Mirenzi and The Level share a 7 p.m. Sleepwalk bill. The East Williamsburg room’s small stage suits a three-artist evening that moves through intimate folk songwriting and indie-rock textures.
Close Up’s 7:30 p.m. set brings together Steven Crammer on drums, Evan Main on piano and Walter Stinson on bass. PRAWNTAIL’s original music comes from three players who write for the group and shape the arrangements together.
Cynthia Kaplan’s rock musical Cindy of Arc returns to the Triad for a one-night Monday performance. The show turns its attention to the problem men have with lying; the theater lists tickets from $100, so check the price before planning around it.
Ekaterina Varnava’s Drama Queen fuses cabaret, musical theater, dance and comedy into a visually extravagant performance with original songs and audience interaction. AXS lists the 8 p.m. Town Hall date through its resale marketplace, so compare prices before buying.
Spectacle’s 10 p.m. Lam Ching-ying program pairs a cult Hong Kong/Taiwanese fantasy with a wonderfully strange premise: a warrior’s soul is transferred into an umbrella for revenge thousands of years later. The 1991 film screens in Mandarin with English subtitles.