T/theater

‘Harlequin, Refined by Love’ Review: A French Showman’s First Steps

The revival of a 2006 work by Thomas Jolly, the director masterminding the opening ceremony at the Paris Olympics, shows his gift for visual flamboyance.

‘Forbidden Broadway’ Scraps Summer Broadway Run, Citing Crowded Season

The parody show was scheduled to begin performances in July at the Helen Hayes Theater.

9 New Shows Our Theater Critics Are Talking About

This past week has been jam-packed with openings. Our reviewers think these new shows are worth knowing about even if you’re not planning to see them.

5 Things to Do This Weekend

A selection of entertainment highlights this weekend, including the film “Challengers,” which stars Zendaya.

Office Politics Gone Awry in ‘Jordans’

Alternating between funny and bleak, the Public Theater’s latest production tackles race and the modern workplace.

Putting Sexual Assault on Trial, in a Fraught One-Woman Case

The actress Jodie Comer recasts her Tony-winning turn in Suzie Miller’s hit play “Prima Facie” for a new novelization.

A New ‘Great Gatsby’ Leads With Comedy and Romance

This musical adaptation, now on Broadway, is a lot of Jazz Age fun. But it forgot that Fitzgerald’s 1925 novel endures because it is a tragedy.

In ‘Mother Play,’ Paula Vogel Unboxes a Family Story

Jessica Lange stars as a ferocious matriarch alongside Celia Keenan-Bolger and Jim Parsons in Vogel’s latest family drama.

Steve Carell as the 50-Year-Old Loser in a Comic ‘Uncle Vanya’

Sleek, lucid, amusing, often beautiful, it’s Chekhov with everything, except the main thing.

Carrie Robbins, Costume Designer for Dozens of Broadway Shows, Dies at 81

She made a classic wig and poodle skirt for “Grease” (using a bath mat and a toilet cover) and turned actors into Spanish inquisitors, British highwaymen and more.

How a Broadway Theater Was Remade Into a Queer Cabaret

The set and costume designer Tom Scutt has conjured a surreal, New York-inspired version of the fictional Kit Kat Club for the latest revival of the 1966 musical “Cabaret.”

‘Oh, Mary!,’ a Surprise Downtown Hit, Will Play Broadway This Summer

Cole Escola’s madcap comedy about the former first lady Mary Todd Lincoln will begin performances in June.

‘Orlando’ Review: A Virginia Woolf Fantasy That Plays With Gender

In this revival of Sarah Ruhl’s adaptation of the Woolf novel, now starring Taylor Mac, the flashes of comedy can’t make up for the loss of poetry.

‘Mary Jane’ Review: When Parenting Means Intensive Care

Amy Herzog’s heartbreaker arrives on Broadway with Rachel McAdams as the alarmingly upbeat mother of a fearfully sick child.

In a Pair of ‘Macbeth’ Productions, Only One Does Right by the Lady

One of Shakespeare’s most coveted roles for women gets different interpretations onstage in New York and Washington.

460 Years Ago, Shakespeare Was Born Here. Or Somewhere.

Every year, millions flock to Stratford-upon-Avon, England, to visit the house known as Shakespeare’s Birthplace. But was he really born there? A whole industry depends on it.

It’s All Right to Groove to Huey in ‘The Heart of Rock and Roll’

The new musical doesn’t take itself too seriously and has many winning moments — almost enough to eclipse the weaknesses of its story.

Eddie Redmayne and Angela Bassett Journey to Berlin at ‘Cabaret’ Opening

A party for the buzzy revival of the Broadway musical was held at a theater that has been transformed to look like a 1930s-era nightclub.

‘Patriots’ Review: What Happened to the Man Who Made Putin?

Michael Stuhlbarg and Will Keen shine as a kingmaker and his creature. But in Peter Morgan’s cheesy-fun play, it’s not always clear which is which.

‘Grenfell’ Listens to the Survivors of a Towering Inferno

At St. Ann’s Warehouse, this documentary play about a London fire is blood-boiling and aggrieved.

How ‘Stereophonic’ Made Musicians Out of Actors

The new Broadway play conjures a group as dazzling as peak Fleetwood Mac. This is how five actors with limited training (one never held a bass) became rock stars.

‘Cabaret’ Review: What Good Is Screaming Alone in Your Room?

Eddie Redmayne and Gayle Rankin star in a buzzy Broadway revival that rips the skin off the 1966 musical.

‘Hell’s Kitchen’ Review: Alicia Keys’s Musical Finds Its Groove on Broadway

The retooled jukebox musical, with its top-notch performances and exciting choreography, “stands out as one of the rare must-sees” in a crowded season.

What Began as a War on Theater Won’t End There

The current politically-driven suppression of theater productions in high schools has a grim historical precedent.

Peter Morgan Turns His Pen From ‘The Crown’ to the Kremlin

His new play “Patriots,” now on Broadway, follows Putin’s rise to power and the Russian oligarchs who mistakenly thought he’d be their puppet.

In ‘Still,’ Confessions Doom Two Reunited Lovers

Despite a juicy premise, this Colt Coeur production, starring Tim Daly and Jayne Atkinson, never manages to take off.

Alfred Molina on the Museum He Never Misses When He’s in New York

“Every time I’m in the city, I make a visit,” said the actor, who is performing on Broadway in “Uncle Vanya.”

‘Stereophonic’ Review: Hitmakers Rendered in Sublime Detail

In David Adjmi’s new play, with songs by Will Butler, a ’70s band’s success breeds tension, and punches up the volume on Broadway.

Hillary Clinton and Malala Yousafzai Toast Their New Broadway Show

Dozens of theater, film and media stars turned out on Thursday night for the opening of “Suffs,” a new musical about women’s suffrage.

A Penthouse With a ‘Little Garden of Eden’ Is Listed at Nearly $5 Million

David Saint, a theater director and a producer of the 2021 film version of “West Side Story,” is selling his duplex with a wraparound terrace in the East Village.

In ‘Suffs,’ the Thrill of the Vote and How She Got It

Shaina Taub’s new Broadway musical about Alice Paul and the fight for women’s suffrage is smart and noble and a bit like a rally.

‘Gun & Powder’ Review: Twin Vigilantes Stake Claim to the American West

The musical traces the story of Black twin sisters who pass as white, and exact their own form of justice for the crime of slavery, in 19th-century Texas.

From Debuts to Do-Overs, What It Means to Become an Artist — At Any Age

T’s Culture issue looks at the many ways to begin.

How to Begin a Creative Life

We spoke to 150 artists, some planning retrospectives and others making their debut, to ask about the process of starting something.

‘The Wiz’ Eases Back to Broadway

Almost 50 years after it debuted, this classic Black take on “The Wizard of Oz” tries to update its original formula.

Abe Koogler’s New Play Is an Ode to Intense Culinary Experiences

In “Staff Meal,” in previews at Playwrights Horizons, a restaurant becomes a refuge as the world ends.

In Belfast and Ballybeg, Forging a Bolder Future

“Agreement,” at Irish Arts Center, and “Philadelphia, Here I Come!,” at Irish Repertory Theater, have a timeless feel, rooted in their eras and resonant in ours.

Video Games Are a Playwright’s Muse, Not Her Hobby

In Bekah Brunstetter’s new play “The Game,” women withhold sex from their partners who are obsessed with a Fortnite-like game. Her previous work includes “The Oregon Trail.”

In ‘Sally & Tom,’ Plantation Scandal Meets Backstage Farce

The 30-year relationship between Sally Hemings and Thomas Jefferson is the basis for Suzan-Lori Parks’s hilarious and harrowing nesting doll of a play.

The Snubs and Surprises of the 2024 Olivier Awards

Our theater critics and a reporter discuss the big winner — “Sunset Boulevard” — and the rest of the honorees at Britain’s equivalent of the Tonys.

Beyond Pizza and Yale: What to See, Eat and Do in New Haven

Though the academic scene continues to imbue this coastal Connecticut city with a certain gravitas, surrounding neighborhoods are showing off their own cultural capital in the realms of art, food, music and more.

It’s No Sunday in the Park With ‘Lempicka’

A musical about the groundbreaking Art Deco painter is vocally thrilling but historically a blur.

‘Sunset Boulevard,’ Heading to Broadway, Wins Big at Olivier Awards

The musical, which stars Nicole Scherzinger, won seven awards at Britain’s version of the Tonys. And Sarah Snook won best actress for “The Picture of Dorian Gray.”

Lincoln’s Murder Is Often Re-enacted, but Not at Ford’s Theater

The theater says that allowing the assassination to be recreated there would undermine the gravity and significance of Abraham Lincoln’s death.

In ‘Symphony of Rats’ Revival, a Darkness Goes Underexplored

The Wooster Group’s staging of Richard Foreman’s play operates like a delightful love letter from one giant of experimental theater to another.

‘Player Kings’ Review: Ian McKellen’s Juicy Assignment as Falstaff

In Robert Icke’s adaptation of Parts 1 and 2 of “Henry IV,” the veteran stage actor’s performance belies his age.

In ‘The Outsiders,’ a New Song for the Young Misfits

The classic coming-of-age novel has become a compelling, if imperfect, musical about have-not teenagers in a have-it-all world.

The Playwright Who Fearlessly Reimagines America

In her new play, ‘Sally & Tom,’ Suzan-Lori Parks brings exuberant provocation to the gravest historical questions.

There’s a Bright Spot in New York Theater. It’s Not Where You Think.

Commercial Off Broadway, a long-dormant sector of the city’s theater economy, is having a banner season. But can it last?

It’s April on Broadway. This Man Wants to Sell You on a Show.

Rick Miramontez, a veteran theater press agent, is gearing up for the craziest stretch of the Broadway season.

Huey Lewis Lost His Hearing. That Didn’t Stop Him From Making a Musical.

“The Heart of Rock and Roll,” a Broadway show built around the songs of Huey Lewis and the News, has given the singer a reason to “get out of bed.”

Trevor Griffiths, Marxist Writer for Stage and Screen, Dies at 88

For him, “art played a particular role in social change,” the director Mehmet Ergen said. “Everything was political.”

Nonprofit Theaters Are in Trouble. Lawmakers Are Proposing Help.

Proposed legislation would allocate $1 billion annually for an industry coping with rising expenses and smaller audiences.

‘Eureka Day’ and Sondheim Revue Join Broadway’s Next Season

Bernadette Peters and Lea Salonga will star in Sondheim’s “Old Friends” in Manhattan Theater Club’s Broadway season, which also includes “Eureka Day.”

In an Election Year, ‘Suffs’ Takes a Political Battle to Broadway

As Shaina Taub’s musical opens, the show’s team members, including Hillary Clinton, say they’re ready to give the women’s suffrage movement a bigger platform.

Rachel McAdams Is Not Afraid of the Dark

The actress makes her Broadway debut in “Mary Jane” as the single mother of a seriously ill child. She views her acting choices as expanding her orbit.

Berlin Was a Beacon of Artistic Freedom. Gaza Changed Everything.

The home of boundary-pushing artists from around the world has been upended by debates about what can and can’t be said about Israel and the war.

Howard Atlee, Showman Who Promoted Dramas and Dogs, Dies at 97

As a press agent, he had his first big hit with “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” In dog competitions, his first big hit was a dachshund named Virginia.

With ‘Succession’ Complete, the Roys’ Next Takeover Is the Stage

Audiences are flocking to shows with Jeremy Strong, Sarah Snook and other alums of the acclaimed HBO series.

A Willy Wonka Event Ended in Disaster. From Its Ashes Rose a Budding Star.

The internet latched on to 16-year-old Felicia Dawkins’ performance as The Unknown at a shambolic Willy Wonka-inspired event. This weekend, she’s heading to a bigger and scarier stage in London.

Kate Shindle on Why She’s Stepping Down as Actors’ Equity President

After nine years in the role, she has decided not to seek re-election in May. Her departure comes amid significant turnover in the theater industry.

‘Travels’ Review: A Sonic Flight From Heartbreak

In his new show, James Harrison Monaco blends storytelling and electronic beats in service of curiosity and escape.

Al Franken’s Memories of Christopher Durang

The comedian and former senator writes about the late playwright.

For Len Cariou, Dying Onstage Each Night Has Been ‘Invigorating’

In “Tuesdays With Morrie,” the 84-year-old actor was eager to tackle “a rich role in a show that asks, ‘What if despair and death are not the end?’”

Christopher Durang, the Surrealist of Snark

In works like “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike,” the playwright would force you to laugh, not to dull the pain but to hone it.

Christopher Durang, Playwright Who Mixed High Art and Low Humor, Dies at 75

In a career spanning more than 40 years, he established himself as a hyperliterate jester and an anarchic clown.

Two Shakespearean Triumphs in Paris, or a Plague on Both Their Houses?

New productions of “Macbeth” and “Hamlet” follow a French tradition of adapting familiar works. The results are innovative, and sometimes cryptic.

Michael Stuhlbarg Is Attacked in Central Park Before ‘Patriots’ Debut

The actor was walking on the Upper East Side on Sunday when a man threw a rock at him, the police said. On Monday evening he appeared on Broadway in the first preview of the play “Patriots.”

Barbara Rush, Award-Winning TV and Film Actress, Dies at 97

She received a Golden Globe in 1954 as that year’s rising star and appeared in movies alongside Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra and Paul Newman.

10 Years of ‘Aladdin’ on Broadway

The musical “Aladdin” has been running on Broadway for 10 years, a bright spot in an industry that hasn’t fully recovered from the pandemic. Michael Paulson, a theater reporter for The New York Times, attended the March 28 anniversary performance.

Madonna and Barbra Are Fans. Broadway, Meet Lempicka.

A new musical aims to restore the reputation, in life and art, of the ambitious yet undervalued painter Tamara de Lempicka.

A Warhol Superstar, but Never a Star

Cynthia Carr’s compassionate biography chronicles the brief, poignant life of the transgender actress Candy Darling, whose “very existence was radical.”

‘Bathhouse.pptx’ Review: A Fever Dream, Both Poetic and Mystifying

Jesús I. Valles’s prizewinning play gets a stage at the Flea, but the ambitious work about queer history proves too difficult to wrangle.

Louis Gossett Jr., 87, Dies; ‘An Officer and a Gentleman’ and ‘Roots’ Actor

His portrayal of a drill instructor earned him the Oscar for best supporting actor. He was the first Black performer to win in that category.

5 Things to Do This Weekend

A selection of entertainment highlights this weekend, including Beyoncé's new album, “Cowboy Carter.”

‘Tommy’ Goes Full Tilt in a Relentless Broadway Revival

Will the Who’s rock opera about a traumatized boy hit the jackpot again?

On Broadway, ‘Centering’ Antiracism Is Delightful

Why is it so dreary in universities?

Rebecca Hall Redefines Stardom

How does an actor carve out a career they want? From indies like “Christine” to blockbusters such as the “Godzilla vs. Kong” movies, Ms. Hall may have cracked the code.

Audience Snapshot: Four Years After Shutdown, a Mixed Recovery

Covid brought live performance to a halt. Now the audience for pop concerts and sporting events has roared back, while attendance on Broadway and at some major museums is still down.

Is Earlier Better for Theater Start Times?

In an effort to entice audiences back after the pandemic, Britain’s National Theater is testing a 6:30 p.m. curtain.

Off Broadway, a Vital Part of New York Theater, Feels the Squeeze

The small theaters that help make the city a theater capital are cutting back as they struggle to recover from the pandemic.

Luring Theater Audiences Back After Covid

Readers discuss the decline in theater subscribers after the pandemic. Also: Northern Ireland; food allergies; a Covid playmate; anti-China bias.

72 Regional Theaters, One Shared Crisis

Michael Paulson spoke with producers and artistic directors at nonprofit theaters across the country about the crisis their industry is facing.

A Crisis in America’s Theaters Leaves Prestigious Stages Dark

As they struggle to recover after the pandemic, regional theaters are staging fewer shows, giving fewer performances, laying off staff and, in some cases, closing.

In ‘Plays for the Plague Year,’ the Soundtrack of Our Lives

Suzan-Lori Parks wrote one play a day for 13 months during the pandemic. Those stories come to life onstage in the form of monologues, dialogues and songs at Joe’s Pub.

As Presenters Cut Back on Streams, Some Disabled Arts Lovers Feel Left Out

When shuttered venues embraced streaming during the pandemic, the arts became more accessible. With live performance back, and streams dwindling, many feel forgotten.

‘Covid Vortex Anxiety Opera’ Review: Gloom, Zoom and a New Bloom

The veteran performance artist Karen Finley leads the audience through the troubles that plagued New York City at the peak of the pandemic.

Obie Awards Honor ‘English’ as Best New Play

A ceremony for the awards, celebrating work Off and Off Off Broadway, will be held Monday, but organizers decided to announce the winners in advance.

Broadway Bounces Back With ‘Best Week Since the Before Times’

Broadway shows grossed $51.9 million during the holiday week, the most since 2019, and “The Lion King” set a record for the most earned by any show in a single week.

‘Broadway Rising’ Review: Surviving the Pandemic

Stakeholders including Patti LuPone and Lynn Nottage share their real-time reactions to New York theater’s shutdown and reopening in Amy Rice’s documentary.

Onstage, It’s Finally Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas Again

After one holiday season lost to the pandemic and another curtailed by Omicron, seasonal staples including “The Nutcracker,” “A Christmas Carol” and “Messiah” are back in force.

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.

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.

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.

‘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.