‘First Love’ Review: Stop and Smell the Corpses
Culture, Yesterday
Bill Camp stars in JoAnne Akalaitis’s creepy, funny streaming production of this Samuel Beckett short story.
Florence Birdwell, Singing Teacher to Broadway Stars, Dies at 96
Obits, February 25
She was a tough yet empathetic voice professor at Oklahoma City University for 67 years. Two of her students, Kelli O’Hara and Kristin Chenoweth, won Tony Awards.
The Birth of ‘Rent,’ Its Creator’s Death and the 25 Years Since
Weekend, February 25
With a virtual performance marking the Broadway musical’s anniversary, original cast and creative team members talk about losing Jonathan Larson and carrying on his legacy.
5 Things to Do This Weekend
Weekend, February 25
Our critics and writers have selected noteworthy cultural events to experience virtually.
When an Actor Calls With a Poem to Share
Culture, February 25
A Paris playhouse has developed a program of one-on-one “consultations,” delivered by its artists while the theater is closed.
You’re New Here, Aren’t You? Digital Theater’s Unexpected Upside
Culture, February 24
Companies and venues that put work online are finding big, new and younger audiences — but little revenue.
It’s Tom Stoppard’s World and We Don’t Live in It
Book Review, February 24
The playwright David Ives reviews Hermione Lee’s latest biography, “Tom Stoppard,” which meticulously recounts an extraordinary life.
Douglas Turner Ward: A Lens on ‘Questions That the Country Wasn’t Asking’
Culture, February 23
Samuel L. Jackson, David Alan Grier, Phylicia Rashad and others remember the Negro Ensemble Company founder.
Douglas Turner Ward, Pioneer in Black Theater, Dies at 90
Obits, February 22
A founder of the Negro Ensemble Company in New York in the 1960s, he was outspoken about limited opportunities for fellow Black actors and directors.
Ex-Artistic Director of Greece’s National Theater Held After Rape Arrest Warrant
Foreign, February 20
The case of Dimitris Lignadis is the most high-profile among the numerous directors and actors to have been named in a torrent of accusations that have rocked the Greek arts world.
Shakespeare Troupe to Go Without an Artistic Director
Culture, February 19
Amid severe budget cuts and complaints about his leadership, Ethan McSweeny, who had run the American Shakespeare Center since 2018, will not return.
Attend the Tale of ‘Anyone Can Whistle,’ Then and Now
Culture, February 19
A sparkling new recording of the 1964 musical makes half the case for Stephen Sondheim’s endlessly inventive score.
The Internet and Real Life Blur in ‘Sin Eaters’
Weekend, February 18
Anna Moench’s play, about a woman working in social media content moderation, begins with dark humor but slides into psychological horror.
A ‘Roman Tragedies’ for the History Books
Culture, February 18
The International Theater Amsterdam presented Ivo van Hove’s exhilarating Shakespeare marathon in a one-off, livestreamed production.
‘Live From Mount Olympus’ Review: Oh My Godsss, Who Am I?
Culture, February 17
This audio series translates the Greek myth of Perseus for teens, making its hero a young man still figuring out his destiny.
Being Emily in ‘Our Town’: Readers Share Why the Role Mattered
Culture, February 17
Embodying the Thornton Wilder character “helped heal something inside me that I hadn’t even realized had been broken,” says one.
Theater to Stream: Revisiting ‘Rent’ and ‘Angels in America’
Culture, February 17
Presentations include the 30th anniversary of George C. Wolfe’s “The Colored Museum”; Andréa Burns in “Bad Dates”; and a solo show by Riz Ahmed.
For My Next Trick … Opening a New Musical in Tokyo in a Pandemic
Arts & Leisure, February 17
Our writer’s adaptation of “The Illusionist” was slated for a tryout run. Lockdown, a tragic death, cancer and quarantine got in the way, but didn’t stop the show.
‘Tom Stoppard’ Tells of an Enormous Life Spent in Constant Motion
Books, February 15
Hermione Lee’s biography of the playwright and screenwriter covers his rigorous research and writing habits, his famous friends and his political thinking.
Two Tales of Disconnection, With One Cicada Cameo
Culture, February 15
Recorded on a Houston stage, “The Book of Magdalene” is theatrically intimate, while “Hotel Good Luck” gets caught up in digital trickery.
Beware the Text, and Other Tales From ‘Smithtown’
Culture, February 14
Four not-very-believable characters in a chain of monologues are rescued by a cast of exceptionally believable actors.
Revel in the Power of Theater
At Home, February 13
Missing live performances during the pandemic? Get your theater fix with a handful of online stellar productions (new and old).
In ‘Tom Stoppard,’ Hermione Lee Takes On a New Challenge: a Living Subject
Books, February 13
The acclaimed biographer’s life of the widely admired playwright and screenwriter follows her works about Virginia Woolf, Edith Wharton and others.
Shakespeare’s Baddies Convene in ‘All the Devils Are Here’
Weekend, February 11
Patrick Page writes and stars in a meditation on the Bard’s villains, moving swiftly through a catalog of characters as if he were a chameleon.
Jean-Claude Carrière, 89, Dies; Prolific Writer of Screenplays and More
Obits, February 11
He was a favorite of Luis Buñuel and other top filmmakers. He also had a fruitful collaboration with the stage director Peter Brook.
5 Things to Do This Weekend
Culture, February 11
Our critics and writers have selected noteworthy cultural events to experience virtually.
Theaters Go Digital to Talk About Life (and Death) in the Pandemic
Culture, February 11
German playhouses are finding innovative ways to forge connections while their doors are closed.
Working in TV, Jen Silverman Wrote a Novel. About Theater.
Culture, February 10
“We Play Ourselves” finds a struggling playwright exiled to Los Angeles and obsessing over New York. Then she meets the manipulative filmmaker next door.
Amber Ruffin to Co-Write Broadway Musical ‘Some Like It Hot’
Culture, February 10
The Emmy-nominated writer and performer will work with Matthew López to adapt the comedy for the stage.
To Love, Honor and Co-Star: Making Room for Two on Zoom
Arts & Leisure, February 10
Hiring couples to act together allows us to see two people in one virtual space. For the couples themselves, though, it can feel like “there’s no escape.”
In Canada, Americans Are Missed, With Limits
Travel, February 10
U.S. visitors usually mean big business for Canada’s tourism industry. But the pandemic has blunted lonesomeness for the country’s best friend.
‘He Missed Nothing’: Nathan Lane, Chita Rivera and Others on Joe Allen
Culture, February 9
The man was taciturn, but his Theater District restaurants were like Broadway clubhouses. Even the posters of flops were placed with affection.
Exploring Race and Resistance for Young Audiences
Culture, February 9
A Harriet Tubman monologue, an animated “Sit-In” and a toy theater short about medical inequity deliver useful messages through varied mediums.
Fathers, but Not Yet Men, in the Prison Drama ‘Shook’
Culture, February 9
Samuel Bailey’s knockout professional debut isn’t so much about the pipeline to incarceration as it is about the toxic masculinity that keeps it flowing.
Moscow Fires Theater Director, Adding to Fears of a Clampdown
Culture, February 9
The director, Kirill Serebrennikov, is known for productions with thinly veiled criticism of the Russian government. His contract at the Gogol Center was not renewed.
Cuomo Announces Pop-Up Performances Across New York
Culture, February 8
“NY PopsUp” will kick off Feb. 20 and run through Labor Day.
Yes, and … Clean Your Room
Parenting, February 8
Improv comedy can help us be more patient and attentive with our kids, and help them be more resilient and open with us.
Second February Snowfall Blankets New York
Metro, February 8
More than six inches fell on Sunday, and more nasty weather is expected this week, with additional snow and freezing temperatures.
Broadway’s Hair Master Puts Away the Wigs
Culture, February 7
Challenged physically and financially, Paul Huntley, a backstage legend whose artistry is demanded in many a star’s contract, says this show will be his last.
Christopher Plummer’s Robust Final Act Crowned a Noble Career
Culture, February 5
At home in the footlights, he knew the power of charm and every trick of the stage trade. But even after a celebrated “King Lear,” there was more to play.
Christopher Plummer, Actor From Shakespeare to ‘The Sound of Music,’ Dies at 91
Obits, February 5
His performance as Captain von Trapp in one of the most popular movies of all time propelled a steady half-century parade of television and film roles.
Federal Aid for Closed Cultural Venues Will Be a Race for Cash
Business, February 4
Tens of thousands of eligible music clubs, theaters, museums and other spaces may overwhelm a $15 billion grant fund run by the Small Business Administration.
5 Things to Do This Weekend
Culture, February 4
Our critics and writers have selected noteworthy cultural events to experience virtually and outdoors in New York City.
With French Theaters Closed, Puppetry Takes Center Stage
Culture, February 4
The art form, usually on the fringes of French theatrical culture, finds itself at a sudden advantage: Puppet shows’ young audiences are still allowed to watch live performances.
Bringing Out the Best of Sondheim, Herman and … Schraubstader?
Culture, February 3
Three new revues offer war horses, showstoppers and standards — but, even better, rarities.
Theater to Stream: Shakespeare Villains and Hot-Tub Dreams
Culture, February 3
Patrick Page looks at bad guys, Steven Carl McCasland gives us literary women, and Jill Sobule mines her own history, including the dreaded seventh grade.
All the World’s a Screen? They’re Used to It
Arts & Leisure, February 3
Is theater even theater when you watch it on your laptop? Ask the artists who’ve blurred the boundaries between live and filmed performance for years.
Bringing Stages to Storefronts in a Theater-Hungry City
Culture, February 2
Miami New Drama gave audiences a window on the “Seven Deadly Sins” when it took over part of a pedestrian mall for a production.
‘Blood Meal’ Review: Just Us, Locked Down in a Dollhouse
Culture, February 2
Cleverly edited and darkly funny, the latest Theater in Quarantine show finds a nervous couple afraid to go out or let anyone in. Sound familiar?
Hal Holbrook, Actor Who Channeled Mark Twain, Is Dead at 95
Obits, February 2
He carved out a substantial career in television and film but achieved the widest acclaim with his one-man stage show, playing Twain for more than six decades.
Seeking a Date but Finding Hypocrisy in ‘Hi, Are You Single?’
Culture, January 31
All Ryan J. Haddad wants is a boyfriend. But his pride — or is it his prospects’ prejudice? — keeps getting in the way.
‘The Poltergeist’ Review: Portrait of the Artist as a Young Madman
Culture, January 29
A breakneck performance by Joseph Potter as an embittered former prodigy carries this unnerving monologue from Philip Ridley.
A Broadway Theater Owner Rethinks Post-Pandemic Ticket Selling
Culture, January 29
Jujamcyn, which operates five of the 41 Broadway houses, said that when theater returns it will use SeatGeek instead of Ticketmaster.
Tonys Voting is Coming Soon. The Awards? We Still Don’t Know.
Culture, January 29
Organizers of the ceremony have firmed up dates for selecting favorites, but won’t commit to an event until plans for Broadway’s return are set.
Sawing Someone in Half Never Gets Old. Even at 100.
Interactive, January 29
The classic illusion is still with us, a century after its first performance.
Playwriting and Bug-Hunting Wed in ‘The Catastrophist’
Weekend, January 28
Pandemics and ordinary tragedies clash in Lauren Gunderson’s overwrought portrait of her husband, the virologist Nathan A. Wolfe.
Great Stage Acting Shines Through, Even From a Laptop Screen
Culture, January 28
The Lessingtage theater festival, held online this year because of the pandemic, shows some of Europe’s finest performers, in classic plays by Brecht, Schiller, Ibsen and others.
A Big List of Podcasts for Little Kids
Interactive, January 21
To keep your little ones occupied, look no further than the world of podcasts. Here are a few ideas for kids ages 2 to 6.
This Year’s Standout Moments in the Arts
Interactive, December 29
Though museums, theaters and galleries were closed, and concerts and festivals canceled, many artists continued creating indelible work.
Our Critics’ Top Picks of 2020
Interactive, December 11
The great film, TV, performance, art and books that emerged in a not-so-great year.
Miss Live Theater? You’re Not Alone.
Interactive, October 15
We miss theater. And we know you do too. So we asked you to share some memories with us.
Performing in a Pandemic
Interactive, September 23
Most professional theater in America has been shut down since March. So how did this production of “Godspell” come together?
The Creative Circles Defining the Culture
Interactive, April 13
Whether united by outlook or identity, happenstance or choice, these communities have shaped the worlds of art, fashion, film and more.
How the 2005 Revival of ‘Sweeney Todd’ Inspired a New Wave in Theater
Interactive, April 13
A minimalist staging by John Doyle of the tale of the barber of Fleet Street emphasized the raw talents of its cast.
Why ‘Hair’ Has Endured
Interactive, April 13
An appreciation of the 1967 love-rock musical, which, against the odds, won over audiences across the world.