Theater

theater review

‘Kramer/Fauci’ Walks Out of the Archives and Into Our Heads

 A ripped-from-the-headlines play … except those headlines are 40 years old and freshly relevant. By Sara Holdren
stage whisperer

A New Clown Comes to Town

 British theater-maker Elf Lyons brings her buzzy one-woman show to New York, complete with spaceships, operatic flourishes, and a Pagliacci. By Georgie McKeon
theater review

Deep in an Irony Spiral, Slam Frank Struggles to Show Its Center

 It’s hard to say with certainty just where its creators’ beliefs finally land, if they land anywhere at all. By Jackson McHenry
  1. stage whisperer
    A New Clown Comes to TownBritish theater-maker Elf Lyons brings her buzzy one-woman show to New York, complete with spaceships, operatic flourishes, and a Pagliacci.
    By Georgie McKeon
  2. theater review
    ‘Kramer/Fauci’ Walks Out of the Archives and Into Our HeadsA ripped-from-the-headlines play … except those headlines are 40 years old and freshly relevant.
    By Sara Holdren
  3. theater review
    Deep in an Irony Spiral, Slam Frank Struggles to Show Its CenterIt’s hard to say with certainty just where its creators’ beliefs finally land, if they land anywhere at all.
    By Jackson McHenry
  4. theater review
    Still Stoking the Class Struggle: O’Neill’s The Hairy ApeA swift, sturdy production, fresh after a century, at the Irish Rep.
    By Sara Holdren
  5. theater review
    Yes, It’s Tough to Be a Playwright: creation storiesMfoniso Udofia’s play spends a lot of its time agonizing over whether it should be one—which doesn’t make for great theater.
    By Sara Holdren
  7. theater
    Jocelyn Bioh Goes Back to School GirlsThe playwright reflects on reviving her 2017 play on Broadway: “People are more educated now about what colorism is.”
    By Jason P. Frank
  8. x-mas
    Celebrate Christmas on Broadway With Lisa Rinna and Harry HamlinThey’ll star in a radio-play version of It’s a Wonderful Life alongside Andrew Rannells, Megan Hilty, and Tituss Burgess.
    By Jason P. Frank
  9. the maria bamford questionnaire
    Gardening Is Audra McDonald’s Anti-Anxiety Medication“I love it, and I’m terrible at it, and I don’t know what I’m doing.”
    By Hershal Pandya
  10. theater review
    Theatrical Performancemaxxing at DegeneratesElse and Emma Rosa Went’s production is a super-intense dive into the darkness of the incel life.
    By Sara Holdren
  11. theater review
    Beauty Is Unbecoming: Jocelyn Bioh’s School GirlsJocelyn Bioh’s 2017 play is partly about the urge to chase celebrity and fame—and, up on Broadway, that gives it extra depth and richness.
    By Sara Holdren
  12. theater reviews
    My Play, Myself: How Shakespeare Saved My Life and Arias With a TwistHow much true life does a life story owe us onstage?
    By Sara Holdren
  13. theater review
    Tension and Release: The Holes and America, Who Hurt You?Max Wolf Friedlich and Sarah Jones see a nation’s broken people very differently.
    By Jackson McHenry
  14. theater review
    How Much Did I Love The Invention of Love?Theaterlab’s production of Stoppard’s favorite among his own plays, led by David Greenspan, left me fizzing and invigorated.
    By Sara Holdren
  15. tributes
    The Cast and Crew of Spring Awakening Remember Duncan SheikTributes came from Steven Sater, Lea Michele, and more.
    By Bethy Squires
  16. rip
    Duncan Sheik, Rocker and Spring Awakening Composer, Dead at 56Spring Awakening, a touchstone for generations of theater kids, has a revival slated to premiere Off Broadway.
    By Jason P. Frank
  17. theater review
    Chekhov and the Chaebol: A Korean Cherry Orchard at the ArmoryA smart reinterpretation set in Korea’s corporate power centers has a touch of the boardroom’s chill.
    By Sara Holdren
  18. first person
    The Role That Changed EverythingGetting cast as Jesus in Godspell, I recognized that my life would never be the same.
    By Victor Garber
  19. close read
    The Game of Thrones Stage Play Attempts to Justify the Series FinaleThe Mad King adds enough context to the final season that its more questionable choices start to make sense.
    By Rafael Motamayor
  20. i <3 ny
    Oh My God, We Get a New Star-to-BeAnnie is returning to Broadway to celebrate its 50th anniversary, directed by Sam Pinkleton.
    By Jason P. Frank
  21. theater review
    Good News: Pre-Existing Condition Has RecurredMarin Ireland’s 2024 play about domestic violence, at the moment starring Lupita Nyong’o, has lost none of its power.
    By Jackson McHenry
  22. thank u next
    Cancel Your Date in the Park With GeorgeWithout Ariana Grande and Jonathan Bailey, the West End production of Sunday in the Park With George is canceled.
    By Jason P. Frank
  23. mother!
    HBO Is Supporting the American Theater (Filmed in Britain)Cole Escola’s Oh, Mary! is coming to HBO in 2027.
    By Jason P. Frank
  24. fall preview 2026
    Carly Rae Jepsen’s Staying PowerAt 40, the pop star is a new mother, writing for Broadway, and making some of the best music of her career.
    By Katie Heaney
  25. give my regards to…
    Julia Roberts Will Make Small Mouth Sounds on BroadwayTwo Scott Rudin plays are coming to Broadway, both with Joe Mantello attached to direct.
    By Jason P. Frank
  26. fall preview 2026
    22 Plays and Musicals We Can’t Wait to See This FallIncluding Julia Louis-Dreyfus’s Broadway debut and the return of Spring Awakening and In the Heights.
    By Sara Holdren and Jackson McHenry
  27. fall preview 2026
    Not That Kind of Mean GirlIn a thorny new play, The Gilded Age’s Denée Benton is a Regina George type you can root for.
    By Jason P. Frank
  28. stage whisperer
    Jason Blum Takes BroadwayThe horror mogul helped bring Paranormal Activity to the theater. Could a M3gan musical be next?
    By Jason P. Frank
  29. around town
    What Will Become of the Ed Sullivan Theater?There’s an opportunity, post-Colbert, for it to become a Broadway house once again.
    By Christopher Bonanos
  30. tributes
    Watch Broadway’s Frank-N-Furters Pay Tribute to Tim CurryPaul Soileau, Luke Evans, and Jake Shears sang “I’m Going Home” together at Studio 54.
    By Bethy Squires
  31. theater review
    Don’t Overthink Paranormal ActivityThe stage version of the horror classic knows what its audience wants, even if the experience feels a bit too normal at times.
    By Jackson McHenry
  32. stage whisperer
    Into the WoodsA caravan of Broadway stars found themselves in upstate New York for a weekend of musical theater outdoors. What could go wrong?
    By Julia Edelstein
  33. musical the-a-ter
    All-Star 10 Things I Hate About You Musical Aims for BroadwayLena Dunham and Carly Rae Jepsen’s collaboration is set to premiere one year from now.
    By Jason P. Frank
  34. a long talk
    Cat Cohen Needs People to Tell Her She’s CrazyShe levels up with her new Off Broadway show, Broad Strokes: “I’m thrilled, but I want so much more.”
    By Jason P. Frank
  35. theater review
    The Winter’s Tale Ambles Onstage, Accompanied (Briefly) by a BearDaniel Sullivan’s Shakespeare in the Park production is smooth and well-executed but rarely urgent.
    By Sara Holdren
  36. good news
    Ayo! Edebiri! Is! Snoopy!In the Encores! production of You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown.
    By Jason P. Frank
  37. way down hadestown
    Hadestown Recasts Its HadesGeno Segers is out after his controversial opinions about the LGBTQ community and women’s rights went viral.
    By Jason P. Frank
  38. exclusive
    Bowen Yang Will Star in Oh, Mary! This FallThe SNL alum is the latest coup for the production, which has a knack for making savvy casting choices.
    By Jason P. Frank
  39. west end
    Sunday in the Park With George Confirms Ariana Grande Will Be Recast“We know this cannot have been an easy decision, and she makes it with our complete understanding and support.”
    By Alejandra Gularte
  40. ai music
    Boy George Departs Jesus Christ Superstar After AI-Generated Pro-Israel SongHis manager, RHOBH’s Paul “PK” Kemsley, said “it was right to step aside, allowing the production to remain the focus.”
    By Jason P. Frank
  41. stage whisperer
    New York City Has Javert FeverEager superfans, a surprise Patti LuPone appearance, and questionable teddy bears: Les Misérables at Radio City has it all.
    By Fran Hoepfner
  42. announcements
    Introducing How to Watch, Read, and Love Shakespeare, by Sara HoldrenCritic-director Sara Holdren’s guide to the greatest English playwright, from line to stage.
    By Sara Holdren
  43. theater review
    Main-Character Energy: Cat Cohen’s Broad StrokesHer new show at the Lortel is informed by an intense medical experience.
    By Jackson McHenry
  44. give my regards to broadway
    Purple Rain Heads for the Great White WayThe stage adaptation has a new creative team after being ravaged out of town.
    By Jason P. Frank
  45. theater review
    Past As Prologue: The Whoopi Monologues and The PotluckA reinterpretation of Whoopi Goldberg’s astonishing 1984 breakthrough show and a meta-musical about turning awful history into good theater.
    By Jackson McHenry
  46. theater review
    Giulia: A Baroque-Era Poisoner’s Tale all’AmericanaJennifer Nettles writes and stars in a Sicilian pop-eretta.
    By Jackson McHenry
  47. theater review
    Taking the Long View, Brilliantly: Birthright and CampingTwo powerful new works trace the way we grow up and draw closer — or come apart.
    By Sara Holdren
  48. stage whisperer
    Jimmy Award Winner Samia Posadas Is Ready to WorkThe musical theater wunderkind is off to college, unless the right job comes along: “Of course I’m going to take it.”
    By Jason P. Frank
  49. new york new york
    Lin-Manuel Miranda and Eisa Davis’s Warriors Musical Is Broadway BoundIt’s not about the cats.
    By Jason P. Frank
  50. stage whisperer
    The Best Play You Can Find in a One-Bedroom Greenpoint ApartmentThe buzzy Slanted Floors is being staged for six people per night — carrot stew included.
    By Jason P. Frank
  51. marmalade news
    Paddington Sails to AmericaThe long-rumored transfer of Paddington: The Musical will finally debut on Broadway.
    By Jason P. Frank
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