T/theater

In Lea Michele, ‘Funny Girl’ Has Finally Found Its Fanny

The “Glee” star is stupendous in the role Barbra Streisand made famous, turning the 1964 musical into something better than we know it to be.

A Notoriously Jinxed Concert Hall Is Reborn, Again

David Geffen Hall, the New York Philharmonic’s Lincoln Center home, is reopening after a $550 million renovation aimed at breaking its acoustic curse — and adding a dash of glamour.

Rita Gardner, an Original ‘Fantasticks’ Star, Is Dead at 87

In 1960 she originated the lone female role in an Off Broadway show that became part of theater history thanks to a record-setting run.

‘Bold Enough to Go Full-Tilt’: Gabby Beans Is Playing to the Balcony

The actress, a Tony nominee for “The Skin of Our Teeth,” is bringing her sharp eye for comedy to Atlantic Theater Company’s production of “I’m Revolting.”

Wendell Pierce Fulfills His American Dream: Playing Willy Loman

A Broadway revival of “Death of a Salesman” has a Black lead for the first time, giving Pierce a chance to step into a role he was “born to play.”

‘Sesame Street: The Musical’ Review: Everything’s A-OK

Jonathan Rockefeller’s Off Broadway production blends the charm and wit of the show’s early days with more modern characters.

$500 a Month for an Entire Floor in Brooklyn

Jens Rasmussen and Maria Aparo couldn’t walk away from Mr. Rasmussen’s spacious loft in Greenpoint, which is covered under New York’s 1982 Loft Law.

A Show With a Cryptic Title but No Code to Crack

“300 el x 50 el x 30 el,” the Belgian troupe FC Bergman’s ambitious theatrical installation, will open BAM’s Next Wave festival with an elaborate set that recreates a rural settlement onstage.

Is Little Amal Getting Lost in New York?

The hottest celebrity in town right now is an enchanting 12-foot-tall Syrian refugee puppet. She’s drawing masses of admirers, but that’s not always a good thing.

Lynn Nottage’s ‘Clyde’s’ Is the Most-Staged Play in America

An annual survey, suspended during the pandemic, resumes and finds theaters nationally doing fewer shows and torn between escapism and ambition.

Constance Wu, Fresh Off Her Book

In her memoir, “Making a Scene,” the actress reveals her isolation after those tweets, racism in her career and how she’s moving on.

How Much Would You Pay to Hear Great Music?

With ticket prices for performing arts rising, could fresh approaches like pay-what-you-can increase access and foster more adventurous programming?

5 Things to Do This Weekend

Selections from the Weekend section, including a review of the film "Don't Worry Darling."

Making a Meal of the Philadelphia Fringe Festival

A handful of works deal with the many questions of nourishment and nurture. How we feed. How we are fed.

At the End of Her Reign, the Queen Takes a Bow Onstage

“Handbagged,” a play that opened in London a day after Queen Elizabeth II died, depicts a clever, compassionate monarch. But theatrical depictions haven’t always been so reverential.

Carol Burnett Leading Campaign to Rename Theater for Hal Prince

The Majestic Theater has housed “The Phantom of the Opera,” which Prince directed, for the entire 35 years of its run.

From His Letters, the Dark Side of a Man of Letters

In “Burn,” a one-man dance-theater work, Alan Cumming tries to reveal the inner life of the Scottish poet Robert Burns.

A Welcome Gust of Weird, and Adventures in Shadow Puppetry

“My Onliness” is voluptuous and frenetic, while “This and That” is a slip of a show. Both are pleasingly peculiar.

The Theater at War

In shows like “The Burnt City,” the chaos of war meets the curated artifice of performance, our critic writes. But “Oresteia” took a different view, and the audience was better for it.

In ‘Joyce’s Women,’ 2 Great Irish Writers Square Up

Edna O’Brien’s latest stage work, at the Abbey Theater in Dublin, imagines the inner lives of important female figures around James Joyce.

Royal Shakespeare Company Names Two Directors for Top Job

In an unusual move for a major British theater, Daniel Evans and Tamara Harvey will jointly helm the major British theater troupe.

Mike Birbiglia to Return to Broadway With a New Show This Fall

The comedic storyteller, who previously brought a solo show to Broadway in 2018, has a new act for a new age.

Jack Charles, Grandfather of Aboriginal Theater, Dies at 79

One of Australia’s leading Indigenous actors, he had a resonant voice, a charismatic personality and a troubled personal life that often landed him in jail.

‘Beetlejuice’ to Close on Broadway

The show had a bumpy, boisterous run, and will now begin a tour.

‘Four Saints in Three Acts’ Review: An Opera Becomes a One-Man Show

The actor David Greenspan is a tour-de-force, taking on all the roles of Gertrude Stein and Virgil Thomson’s large-cast opera from 1934, sans music.

Es Devlin’s Next Stage

The British designer, whose new installation will be unveiled at Tate Modern this week, made her name in theater. These days, you’re as likely to find her work in art galleries, stadium gigs and fashion shows.

Waving Goodbye to ‘Dear Evan Hansen’

Sam Primack, the final actor to play Evan Hansen on Broadway, reflects on the musical and clearing out that rack of striped blue polos.

‘Marie It’s Time’ Pieces Together a Woman in Fragments

This three-actor play initiates a dialogue with Georg Büchner’s “Woyzeck,” examining men’s violence against women.

Sean Hayes to Star in Broadway Play About Oscar Levant

“Good Night, Oscar,” by Doug Wright, explores the life of a pianist who became famous as a witty guest and host of midcentury radio and television shows.

After ‘Phantom,’ Which Shows Will Be the Longest-Running on Broadway?

Hints: They both reached for the gun. I’m working on my roar! Everyone deserves the chance to fly. Have fun in hell!

‘The World Has Changed’: Cameron Mackintosh on Closing ‘Phantom’

In an interview, the storied British producer said that weakening box office and rising production costs led to the decision to end the longest run in Broadway history.

La pequeña Amal llegó a EE. UU. con un mensaje de esperanza

La marioneta de 3,6 metros, que representa a una niña refugiada, viajó de Turquía al Reino Unido el año pasado. Ahora pasará casi tres semanas en Nueva York participando en numerosos eventos.

‘Phantom of the Opera,’ Broadway’s Longest-Running Show, to Close

The theatergoing audience has been slow to return after the pandemic lockdown, and the show hasn’t been selling well enough to defray its running costs.

In This Playwright’s Dystopia, Forgetting Is Forbidden

Steven Fechter’s “The Memory Exam” begins with a promising setup, our critic writes, while Grant MacDermott’s marriage story “Jasper” struggles for emotional resonance.

Did Fauci Lead America Astray on Covid?

Responses to an essay that criticized Anthony Fauci’s handling of the pandemic. Also: Migrants as props; abortion rights; David Milch; theater’s lessons.

5 Things to Do This Weekend

Selections from the Weekend section, including a review of "The Woman King."

‘Remember This’ Review: Finding Strength Amid Moral Failure

David Strathairn is remarkable in a solo show about Jan Karski, who was profoundly changed by what he witnessed during World War II.

Eleri Ward Captures the Longing at the Heart of Sondheim’s Work

On her new album, the singer fuses Stephen Sondheim’s emo register with a familiar coffeehouse folk sound.

‘A Perfect Party’ That Celebrates All Its Guests

Trusty Sidekick Theater Company has created an outdoor adventure for young people on the autism spectrum.

‘Heathers: The Musical’ Review: For the Cliques

This musical may lack the 1989 movie’s nihilism, but the gags still work and the songs are great — who are we to quibble?

Plays of Helplessness, and Hope, as the Planet Burns

New works by major German-language dramatists at the Kunstfest Weimar festival tackle ethical questions at a moment of environmental anxiety.

God Loves a Show: Religious Satires Reveal the Art of Acting Faithful

In films like “Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul” and shows like “The Righteous Gemstones,” pageantry is the top priority.

Little Amal Arrives in New York, With a Message of Hope and Humanity

The 12-foot-tall Syrian refugee puppet traveled from Turkey to Britain last year. Now, she will spend nearly three weeks in the five boroughs taking part in numerous events.

Alan Cumming Uses Dance to Get at the Truth of Robert Burns

“Burn” is an unlikely hybrid: A movement-focused show performed by a famous actor with no dance training, about a man whose medium was words.

They Translated ‘Hamilton’ Into German. Was It Easy? Nein.

For the musical’s Hamburg premiere, a team wrestled with language and cultural differences to bring the story alive for a new audience.

Six Lyrics That Show Why ‘Hamilton’ Is Tough to Translate

A direct transfer of words was never going to work for such a complex show. So the team involved got creative.

A Bollywood Favorite Is Remade for the Stage, Raising Eyebrows

Some have taken issue with the reframing of the musical, which now focuses on the love story of an Indian American woman and a white American man.

New Musical From ‘Strange Loop’ Writer to Run Off Broadway

“White Girl in Danger,” a soap opera satire by Michael R. Jackson, will be staged in New York next spring by Second Stage and Vineyard theaters.

Broadway’s ‘Music Man’ Revival Will End Run on Jan. 1

The show’s producers have decided not to recast after stars Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster finish runs of slightly more than a year in the show.

Opening Old Wounds as the Man Who Warned About the Holocaust

In the solo play “Remember This,” David Strathairn portrays Jan Karski, a witness to the Nazi genocide during World War II.

Why Did Instagram Pause This Play? Its Creators Still Don’t Know.

Marion Siéfert’s “_jeanne_dark_,” about a shy teenager beginning to express her sexuality, contains no nudity yet still ran afoul of Instagram’s opaque policies.

Marsha Hunt, Actress Turned Activist, Is Dead at 104

She seemed well on her way to stardom until her career was derailed by the Hollywood blacklist. She then turned her attention to social causes.

Your Friday Evening Briefing

Here’s what you need to know at the end of the day.

‘Burbank’ Review: When Disney’s Animators Went on Strike

Cameron Darwin Bossert’s smart new play fictionalizes a 1941 labor dispute to explore the tension between passions and paychecks.

How Ivo van Hove Turns a Novel Into a Play

We followed the theater director in and around Amsterdam and through rehearsals as he developed a new work, adapted from a book by Édouard Louis.

Some Like It Not: Are Men in Dresses Still Funny?

As “Some Like It Hot” and “Ain’t No Mo’” head to Broadway, following runs of “Tootsie” and “Mrs. Doubtfire,” 10 artists reflect on an enduring trope and how it works, or doesn’t, today.

Lillias White Finds Her Goddess for ‘Hadestown’

The Tony Award-winning actress will step into the role of the musical’s narrator, now known as Missus Hermes.

An Inscrutable Monarch, Endlessly Scrutinized Onstage and Onscreen

Queen Elizabeth II was portrayed in plays and highbrow films, in made-for-TV movies and broad comedies and, of course, in “The Crown.” Many sought to answer the question: What was she like?

New York City Center Taps Veteran Arts Administrator as Its Next Leader

Michael S. Rosenberg, the managing director of the McCarter Theater Center, will succeed Arlene Shuler as the City Center president and chief executive.

Meet Four Theater Artists to Watch This Fall

We spoke to three actors and a playwright — Gregg Mozgala, Bonnie Milligan, Solea Pfeiffer and Noah Diaz — who are taking big shots this season.

More Than 60 Plays and Musicals to Take In This Fall

From a stage adaptation of “Wuthering Heights” to a Neil Diamond biomusical, the theater calendar this season stands out for its variety and energy.

A Last Taste of Summer Theater, as Paris Heads Back to Work

As offices and schools reopen, ParisOffFestival brings a carnival atmosphere to an area of low-income housing in the city.

In ‘Kate,’ Tracing the Tears of a Clown

The comedian Kate Berlant’s latest experiment, directed by Bo Burnham at the Connelly Theater, positions her as an actress with a semi-traumatic origin story.

One Actor in 50 Roles: A New ‘Christmas Carol’ for Broadway

Jefferson Mays will bring his adaptation of the Charles Dickens classic to the Nederlander Theater starting in November.

On the Scene: Lea Michele in ‘Funny Girl’ 🎭

On Tuesday evening, Lea Michele took the stage for the first time as Fanny Brice in the Broadway revival of “Funny Girl” at the August Wilson Theater. Here’s what it looked like.

Tom Stoppard Finally Looks Into His Shadow

After years of living “as if without history,” the playwright belatedly reckons with his Jewish roots, and his guilt, in “Leopoldstadt,” his most autobiographical play.

‘1776’ in 2022: Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of a Dual Reality

A revival of the classic musical offers a fresh twist on the founding for the post-“Hamilton” era.

Josh Groban to Star in ‘Sweeney Todd’ Revival on Broadway

Groban, playing the title character, will be joined by Annaleigh Ashford in a production scheduled to open in March at the Lunt-Fontanne.

Lea Michele and the Question of Second Chances

What happens when a canceled star makes a comeback?

To Mask, or Not to Mask: Theaters and Concert Halls Face a Dilemma

Some audience members are turned off by mask mandates. Others won’t attend indoor performances without them. Arts presenters are taking different approaches this season.

7 Musicals Head to Broadway This Fall, but 100 More Lie in Wait

Behind every new New York season are a lot of wannabes, also-rans and hopeless cases to keep track of.

Shakespeare or Bieber? This Canadian City Draws Devotees of Both

For nearly 70 years, Stratford, Ontario, has attracted legions of theater fanatics to its Shakespeare festival. About a dozen years ago, a very different type of pilgrim began arriving: Beliebers.

Richard Roat, Seen on ‘Cheers,’ ‘Friends’ and ‘Seinfeld,’ Dies at 89

A familiar TV face for years, he appeared on many of the most popular prime-time shows of recent decades.

In Familiar Works, a Chance for Black Film and TV Actors to Shine

On Broadway this fall, it’s less about new playwrights making their debuts and more about established stars giving the stage a shot.

Your Friday Briefing

President Biden speaks on democracy.

In ‘On That Day in Amsterdam,’ a Traveler Becomes a Tourist

Two young men wander the city before they both must say farewell and return to very different lives.

At Shakespeare’s Globe, a Nonbinary Joan of Arc Causes a Stir

Even before the production debuted, it had inflamed a rancorous debate about sex and gender that plays out almost daily in Britain.

Michael Schultz Broke the Mold for Black Directors. He’s Not Done Yet.

At 83, the filmmaker behind “Cooley High” and “Car Wash” may be the longest-working Black director in history. His own story is a Hollywood epic.

Lea Michele Is Well Aware That the Pressure Is On

She’s landed her dream role in “Funny Girl.” Now she’s tasked with rescuing the faltering Broadway show and proving that she is not the person she once was.

At the National Theater, Love Redeems, in Various Ways

Two productions at the London playhouse feature heroines who, reluctantly, allow transformative characters into their lives.

At the National Theater, Love Redeems, in Various Ways

Two productions at the London playhouse feature heroines who, reluctantly, allow transformative characters into their lives.

In ‘Once Upon a (korean) Time,’ Bedtime Stories to Keep You Up at Night

Daniel K. Isaac’s stylistically daring play at La MaMa doesn’t quite fulfill its promise, but it suggests the playwright has more stories to tell.

‘Los Otros’ Review: A Slow-Burning Tale of Melancholy

Michael John LaChiusa’s delicate new musical starts in Depression-era California and follows two people across six decades.

Robert LuPone, Actor Who Became a Behind-the-Scenes Force, Dies at 76

After playing a critical Broadway role in “A Chorus Line,” he helped start the vibrant Off Broadway MCC Theater. TV watchers knew him from “The Sopranos” and “Law and Order.”

Ars Nova Introduces a Name Your Price Ticketing Model

For its upcoming season, audiences can pay what they wish. Tickets will start at $5 and increase in $5 increments up to $100 per ticket.

Is Harry Styles Co-opting a Queer Identity?

Readers respond to a guest essay about the singer’s use of queer symbols. Also: Gorbachev’s death; filling empty theater seats.

After a Long, Starring Run, Will Racism at Last Get the Hook?

We can no longer ignore the theater’s systemic inequities. But leaving them behind may remake the industry in unexpected ways.

Finding Community in ‘As You Like It’

This shimmering Shakespeare adaptation at the Delacorte Theater retains the outline of the original, while making space for songs. You don’t have to sing along, though you may want to.

‘It’s My Tradition Too’: A Town’s Centuries-Old Passion Play Evolves

After a two-year pandemic delay, villagers in the German town of Oberammergau are once again re-enacting the story of Jesus’s life and death, with some changes.

On Broadway, One Show Decides to Keep Masks. No, It’s Not ‘Phantom.’

“American Buffalo,” at Circle in the Square, is sticking with masking till it closes, July 10, citing the “proximity of the audience to the actors” and “the staging in the round.”

You Don’t Want to Wear a Mask? Do It for Hugh Jackman

Beginning in July, Broadway will no longer require audiences to mask up. Actors and theater workers aren’t loving the idea.

You Don’t Want to Wear a Mask? Do It for Hugh Jackman.

Beginning in July, Broadway will no longer require audiences to mask up. Actors and theater workers aren’t loving the idea.

Broadway Will Drop Mask Mandate Beginning July 1

Most theaters stopped requiring proof of vaccination this spring. Now they are going “mask optional.”

‘A Strange Loop’ Wins Best Musical as Tonys Celebrate Broadway’s Return

“The Lehman Trilogy” won best play, “Company” won best musical revival and “Take Me Out” won best revival of a play at the 75th Tony Awards.

‘Come From Away’ to Close, the Latest Broadway Show to End Run

The musical, which opened in 2017, is the third to announce a closing in two days, as many shows struggle in a pandemic-softened marketplace.

Broadway theaters will continue requiring patrons to wear masks at least through June 30.

The decision comes at a time when New York City has declared a “high Covid alert.”

The Twisting Trail to the Tonys: ‘Can You Believe That We’re Here?’

At times it felt like a game of survival. But during a Broadway season unlike any other, productions showed their resourcefulness while learning how to live with Covid.

‘Mrs. Doubtfire’ to Close on Broadway, After Reopening

The musical, which shuttered temporarily in January as the Omicron variant spread, has struggled with the slow return of tourists to the theater.

Your Monday Evening Briefing

Here’s what you need to know at the end of the day.

Most Broadway theaters have ended vaccination checks as coronavirus cases are rising.

Most of Broadway Ends Vaccine Checks as Cases Rise in New York

While for-profit theater owners and operators agreed to stop checking proof of vaccination this week, several nonprofit Broadway theaters continue to require it.

Manhattan Springs Back to Life

Broadway enthusiasts, art aficionados and food lovers will find new offerings in and around Times Square and in neighborhoods below 42nd Street, heralding the promise of a vibrant recovery.

‘For Colored Girls’ to Close on Broadway, Reflecting Tough Season

The revival, directed by Camille A. Brown, received strong reviews but struggled to attract audiences and overcome challenges posed by Covid.