Five Pieces From ‘Nine,’ and Plenty More From Its Composer
Theater, Yesterday
“Anything Can Happen in the Theater: The Musical World of Maury Yeston” is an old-fashioned revue that ably showcases the Tony-winning songwriter.
‘The Straights’ Review: On the Road With No Sense of Direction
Theater, Yesterday
Amusing monologues and oddball encounters enliven T. Adamson’s overstuffed play that follows two friends on a very long car ride.
Theaters in Hungary Feel the Chill of Viktor Orban’s Culture War
Arts, Yesterday
With new rules on funding, the government has taken a further step in controlling arts in the country, prompting an outcry in Budapest.
Molière’s Still Funny (Even in German)
Theater, Yesterday
Two Berlin productions find different types of comedy in the great 17th-century playwright’s works.
Death Is a Two-Way Door in ‘The Thin Place’
Theater, December 12
Lucas Hnath’s cunning new ghost story, about a psychic and her client, is a twisty yarn that won’t unravel.
Richard Easton, Stage Veteran and Tony Winner, Dies at 86
Theater, December 12
He won theater’s top prize for his performance in “The Invention of Love,” one of numerous Broadway roles.
William Luce, Playwright, Dies at 88; Wrote ‘Belle of Amherst’
Theater, December 12
He specialized in one-character dramas, portraying luminaries like Emily Dickinson, John Barrymore, Lillian Hellman, Zelda Fitzgerald and Isak Dinesen.
Four Plays and Musicals to Go to in N.Y.C. This Weekend
Theater, December 12
Previews, openings and some last-chance picks.
‘One November Yankee’ Review: TV Stars on a Bumpy Flight
Theater, December 12
Harry Hamlin and Stefanie Powers bring a measure of glamour to a patchy two-hander about three sibling pairs and one downed airplane.
‘Judgment Day,’ an Allegory of Blame, Goes Big
Theater, December 11
At the Park Avenue Armory, Odon von Horvath’s 1937 drama gets a rare and physically overwhelming staging.
A Multimedia Excavation of Lispector’s ‘Wild Heart’
Theater, December 11
Video projections help set the mood for an admirable adaptation of the Brazilian writer’s fragmented novel about a woman chafing against society’s restrictions.
Meet the Kids Who’ll Make ‘Sing Street’ Rock
Theater, December 11
One was in “Game of Thrones.” One is still in high school. They all act and play instruments. And in a new show they portray scrappy Dubliners creating a band.
Reeve Carney’s Week: Pedal Boards and Peloton Ads
Arts, December 11
The star of “Hadestown” shares what he watched, read and listened to last weekend.
Counting on Compassion in ‘one in two’
Theater, December 10
Donja R. Love’s powerful play balances tenderness and fury to explore how H.I.V. has become a ”hidden emergency” in the black community.
In ‘42 FT,’ a Circus Shrunk to Fit
Theater, December 10
At the new Cirque Mechanics show, the revolving ring, rotating ladders and spinning swings might not thrill, but the performers do.
Marionettes at Play
Arts, December 10
A Los Angeles institution has a new home. Join us for a behind-the-scenes tour.
‘Halfway Bitches’ Review: A Play as Unruly as Life Itself
Theater, December 9
Stephen Adly Guirgis’s bumpy, vibrant and expansive comic drama about a women’s homeless shelter features a cast of 18 (or 19, counting the goat).
In ‘Greater Clements,’ the Tragedy of a Town that Closed
Theater, December 9
Samuel D. Hunter’s creaky play about the downsizing of the American West features terrific performances by Judith Ivey and Edmund Donovan.
Despite Turnaround, ‘Beetlejuice’ Being Forced Out of Theater
Theater, December 9
The $21 million musical will be hoping for a new home after the Shubert Organization made way for Hugh Jackman and ‘The Music Man.’
‘Keep’ Review: Daniel Kitson Takes Inventory
Theater, December 8
An excursion into the Theater of Lists at St. Ann’s Warehouse proves to be both original and exasperating.
René Auberjonois, a ‘Deep Space Nine’ Star, Dies at 79
Obituaries, December 8
The busy character actor was also known for “Benson,” “Boston Legal” and several Broadway roles.
‘Sleeping Car Porters’ Review: Billy the Kid Meets the Zodiac Killer
Theater, December 8
This cryptic play at the Brick Theater examining a certain kind of mythological American noir is wonderfully flabbergasting, and often genuinely creepy.
Ron Leibman, Tony Winner for ‘Angels,’ Is Dead at 82
Theater, December 6
In addition to his acclaimed turn as Roy Cohn on Broadway, he was known for his work in “Norma Rae,” “Slaughterhouse-Five” and other films.
Holiday Magic: Fooled and Fooled and Fooled Again
Theater, December 6
In its sixth year on Broadway, “The Illusionists” serves up familiar routines, but two smaller shows deliver egghead charm and brainy sleight-of-hand.
With ‘Jagged Little Pill,’ They Finally Fixed the Jukebox
Theater, December 5
Alanis Morissette’s “ironic” fury finds a perfect Broadway musical setting in Diablo Cody’s fiery indictment of, well, everything.
15 Plays and Musicals to Go to in N.Y.C. This Weekend
Theater, December 5
Previews, openings and some last-chance picks.
For Entertaining Musicals, Look No Further Than … Paris
Arts, December 5
The genre has long been seen as minor in the French capital, but a string of English-language productions is creating a pleasingly upbeat dynamic.
Facing Life’s Final Stretch in ‘Harry Townsend’s Last Stand’
Theater, December 4
George Eastman’s Off Broadway play is lifted by its direction and performances, but often feels like a cornball sitcom.
‘Barber Shop Chronicles’ Offers an Exhilarating Sanctuary
Theater, December 4
Inua Ellams’s energizing, globe-traveling play considers the barber’s chair as the black man’s confessional.
The Theater Olympics Bring a World of Drama Together
Theater, December 3
More than 20 countries have sent over 100 productions, including large-scale works by some of the hottest directors. So why have so few heard of the event?
Best Theater of 2019
Arts, December 3
Shows that defied categorization offered a stark choice: Escape an angry world, or face up to its travails. Beyond Broadway, writers explored race, inequality and addiction.
‘Measure for Measure’ Review: No One Is Innocent on Mardi Gras
Theater, December 2
Morals are especially relative in a new production of Shakespeare’s play, set in New Orleans amid the anarchy of Fat Tuesday, 1979.
‘Barber Shop Chronicles’ Gives Black Men Control of Their Story
Theater, December 2
Inua Ellams discusses his surprise hit play, which has its New York premiere at the Next Wave Festival this week.
‘Forbidden Broadway’ to Move to the York Theater Company
Theater, December 2
Expect “some new spoofs on the current theater season” following the departure from the Triad, the show’s creator, Gerard Alessandrini, said.
Visiting Broadway After Dark
Theater, November 29
We sent four photographers to capture scenes beyond the stage in the theater district. Here’s what they saw.
Marion McClinton, Interpreter of August Wilson, Dies at 65
Theater, November 28
He directed numerous productions of Wilson plays, including two on Broadway, but some of his best work was done in regional theaters.
9 Plays and Musicals to Go to in N.Y.C. This Weekend
Theater, November 28
Previews, openings and some last-chance picks.
Muhammad Ali in a Broadway Musical? It Happened
Theater, November 28
Fifty years ago this week, “Buck White” opened, and very quickly closed. What does this footnote to theater history still have to tell us?
Diablo Cody’s Week: ‘I’m a Phone Addict’
Arts, November 28
The Oscar-winning screenwriter and first-time Broadway librettist shares what she watched, read and listened to in a week.
Musicals of Various Shapes and Sizes Arrive on London Stages
Theater, November 28
“Dear Evan Hansen” is the latest Broadway musical to open in the West End, along with the pop bonanza “& Juliet” and nearby, the quietly powerful “Ghost Quartet.”
Samuel D. Hunter’s Own Private Idaho
Theater, November 27
The playwright left his home state 20 years ago. While rehearsing his new play, “Greater Clements,” he drove through the lonesome landscapes that still inspire his work.
Jonathan Miller, Bold Director of Theater and Opera, Is Dead at 85
Theater, November 27
Known for his radical restagings of classic works, Mr. Miller was also a doctor who periodically left the stage to practice medicine.
Ceilings in London Theaters Keep Falling Down
Theater, November 26
A collapse at a performance of “Death of a Salesman,” in which five people were hurt, shone a light on the run-down state of some playhouses in the city.
‘A Bright Room Called Day’ Review: The Playwright Enters the Play
Theater, November 25
In retooling his first produced work, Tony Kushner himself appears as a character in this lumbering portrait of endangered artists in Nazi Berlin.
A ‘Crucible’ for the Modern Mob
Theater, November 25
Eric Tucker updates the allegorical play about the Salem witch trials, directly implicating the audience in its examination of mass hysteria.
‘¡Guaracha!,’ Jubilantly Reclaiming Its Roots
Theater, November 25
This art form, which stems from a classic genre of protest song, gets a new spin in a musical by Pregones/Puerto Rican Traveling Theater.
In This ‘Wolf of Wall Street,’ You’re Part of the Debauchery
Theater, November 25
An immersive theatrical production, based on the books that inspired the Martin Scorsese film, brings make-your-own mischief to a London hotel.
John Simon, Wide-Ranging Critic With a Cutting Pen, Dies at 94
Arts, November 25
Prolific, erudite and caustic in his wit, he surveyed the entire cultural landscape — films, plays, books, art — and saw little that he liked.
Guggenheim Reveals Works & Process Series Lineup
Arts, November 25
The Guggenheim’s performing arts series will host Ivo van Hove, Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker, Anthony Roth Costanzo and more during its upcoming season.
33 Ways to Remember the 2010s
Interactive, November 24
A look back at what we watched, heard, read, liked and shared.
A Heartbreaker Returns in ‘The Young Man From Atlanta’
Theater, November 24
The Signature Theater’s compassionate revival of Horton Foote’s 1995 Pulitzer Prize-winning play takes a slow route to devastation.
The Many Unusual Stages of ‘Fefu and Her Friends’
Theater, November 24
Read and studied for decades, a key work of the American avant-garde finally returns in a major New York revival.
The Pop Musical: Go Big (and Loud) or Go Home
Theater, November 22
It’s time for Broadway to embrace what’s most joyous about songbook shows. Not biography, not coherence, but excess. Even “Moulin Rouge!” doesn’t quite get it right.
Biking Over the Hudson: Why It’s Not Easier
New York, November 22
"I agreed to drop it, reluctantly," said the man who wanted to build a bridge for pedestrians and cyclists from Manhattan to Hoboken or Jersey City.
In ‘The Underlying Chris,’ You Are Who You Were
Theater, November 21
Will Eno’s new play about the many people each person contains is glib at first, but grows, like life, from trick to tragicomedy.
11 Plays and Musicals to Go to in N.Y.C. This Weekend
Theater, November 21
Previews, openings and some last-chance picks.
Six Dancing Eccentrics in Search of Some Seriousness
Arts, November 21
The dance-theater production “32 rue Vandenbranden,” Peeping Tom’s calling card, has a tone of weightless weirdness.
Broadway’s Michael Jackson: ‘Ain’t Too Proud’ Star Ephraim Sykes
Theater, November 21
The Tony-nominated performer will lead the cast of “MJ the Musical,” which is scheduled to open next summer.
Literary Classics, Cut Down to Size
Theater, November 21
Stage productions of “Anna Karenina” and “Don Quixote” turn sprawling novels into gripping theater.
‘Einstein’s Dreams,’ Adapted and Muddled in a New Musical
Theater, November 20
Alan Lightman’s novel loses its charm in Joanne Sydney Lessner and Joshua Rosenblum’s show, which lacks a sense of a sure artistic voice.
‘Pumpgirl’ Review: Gas for Sale but Dreams on Hold
Theater, November 20
An exquisite Irish Repertory Theater revival captures a trio of lost souls aching to connect in their constricting small town.
What Small Theater Does for New York? A Lot, Study Finds
Theater, November 20
Playhouses and troupes beyond Broadway generate $584 million in economic benefit. But dependence on volunteer labor is high.
Building David Byrne’s ‘Utopia,’ One Gray Suit at a Time
Theater, November 20
Bare feet, bare stage, roving musicians — and yes, those suits. Here’s what goes into every performance of the stylish Broadway concert “American Utopia.”
Female Chemistry in ‘The Half-Life of Marie Curie’
Theater, November 19
A new play focuses on the first woman to win the Nobel Prize and her friendship with Hertha Ayrton, a fellow scientist played by Kate Mulgrew.
Mustapha Matura, Caribbean Playwright in London, Dies at 79
Theater, November 19
His often satirical plays spoke for an alienated West Indian population in postwar Britain and for the people he left behind in Trinidad and Tobago.
In ‘Love in Hate Nation,’ the Revolution Will Not Be Scrutinized
Theater, November 19
Joe Iconis’s new musical celebrates women’s prison flicks and girl group harmonies. But his teen rebels could use a cause.
Fleeing Home, but Not Homophobia
Theater, November 18
Two plays based on the autobiographical novels of Édouard Louis put the problem of violence against gay men in a larger social context.
Martin McDonagh’s ‘Hangmen’ to Open on Broadway in March
Theater, November 18
The drama, set in a British pub owned by a onetime executioner, won the 2016 Olivier Award for best new play.
‘The Inheritance’ Review: So Many Men, So Much Time
Theater, November 17
Breadth doesn’t always equal depth in Matthew Lopez’s supersize, vividly painted portrait of gay life in the 21st century, featuring E.M. Forster as a spirit guide.
An ‘Evita’ Newly Tailored for Our Time
Theater, November 15
City Center’s gala production of the 1979 Broadway musical gives our favorite fascist enabler a feminist makeover.
‘Black History Museum’ Review: Learn. Laugh. Suffer. Move Along.
Theater, November 14
An immersive play crossed with an art installation offers sharp angles on race and white supremacy, but is dampened by didactism.
10 Plays and Musicals to Go to in N.Y.C. This Weekend
Theater, November 14
Previews, openings and some last-chance picks.
Strange Plays for Strange Times
Theater, November 14
Several French theater productions are putting dark spins on everyday events.