This ‘Elephant Room’ Sequel Is a Goofball Epic
Weekend, Today
The interstellar adventure deftly mixes the lo-fi aesthetics of budget science fiction with dopey humor and experimental theater’s sensibility.
7 Things to Do This Weekend
Weekend, Today
Our critics and writers have selected noteworthy cultural events to experience virtually or in person in New York City.
‘Romantics Anonymous,’ a Challenge to Your Sweet Tooth
Weekend, Today
A musical about two French chocolatiers may satisfy the hunger for live song and dance, but keep the insulin handy.
Solo Plays for Anxious Times
Culture, Today
The Bridge theater in London has resumed performances after the coronavirus shutdown with a series of monologues by David Hare and Alan Bennett.
Performing in a Pandemic
Interactive, Yesterday
Most professional theater in America has been shut down since March. So how did this production of “Godspell” come together?
Theater to Stream: Catty Birthdays and ‘Lessons in Survival’
Culture, Yesterday
In a fall season without many live shows, everything is up for grabs. That includes the canon of classics — and where Bill Irwin might be performing.
‘He Never Quit’: Nick Cordero’s Widow on Grief, God and Perseverance
Culture, September 22
Amanda Kloots kept the world informed while her husband, a Broadway actor, lost a battle with Covid-19. After many grueling months, she’s trying to look ahead.
Bryan Fonseca, Independent Voice in Indianapolis Theater, Dies at 65
Obits, September 22
He directed unconventional works and championed diversity, both in the material he staged and in the actors performing it. He died of the coronavirus.
‘The Humans’ Review: Surviving in a New World and New Medium
Culture, September 22
Stephen Karam’s celebrated play about economic distress looks very different in 2020 than it did in 2015 — and streaming is only part of the change.
Playing Jesus in a Pandemic Summer
Culture, September 21
Nicholas Edwards starred in the closely watched “Godspell” production. “Usually the stage is a safe place,” he said, “but it became a place where I was anxious all the time.”
How ‘Sophocles in Staten Island’ Gains in Translation
Culture, September 21
This comic short about an actor and his kids staging Greek tragedies under lockdown slyly comments on links between the politics of the family and the state.
‘Faith Healer’ Review: Michael Sheen Stirs the Embers in the Ashes
Culture, September 20
In this enthralling streaming production of Brian Friel’s 1979 play, an itinerant miracle worker is grounded in a gritty reality.
‘Zero Cost House’ Review: Could Thoreau Save Us Now?
Culture, September 20
In the dreamscape of Toshiki Okada’s play, the American philosopher is a 21st-century presence, and an author meets his younger self.
Anchor the Week With Audre Lorde and Chinese Lute Music
At Home, September 19
You could also check out a Sims-inspired art show, get the expert take on Fashion Week or try a TrapAerobics class.
‘Static Apnea’ Review: Breathing Together, Remaining Apart
Culture, September 18
In this brief but eerie installation, one viewer and one performer, separated by glass, share the feeling of being trapped underwater.
New York City Center to Revive a Pair of Musicals About Black Lives
Culture, September 18
“The Life” and “The Tap Dance Kid,” which focus on people of color in Manhattan, are planned for the 2020-2021 season of Encores!, the center’s popular series.
The Nigerian-British Writer Putting Black Joy on Stage and Screen
Foreign, September 18
“There’s so much more that comes with being Black apart from dealing with racism,” says Theresa Ikoko, a Londoner whose movie “Rocks” opened this week.
Steve Carter, Playwright in a Black Theater World, Dies at 90
Obits, September 17
He emerged from the Black Arts movement and the famed Negro Ensemble Company, writing dramas and satires about the Black and Caribbean-American experiences.
‘Hidden or Niche’ Productions Shine at Venice Theater Biennale
Culture, September 17
This year’s edition of the festival, held under social distancing measures, is devoted to works made on a limited budget by under-the-radar Italian theater-makers.
Art About Waiting — and What It Takes to Endure
T Style, September 17
In a time of crisis with no end in sight, durational performance, or endurance art, surfaces in our consciousness. Is this the art of our age?
For Kara Young, a Zooming Career is Followed by a Zoom Role
Culture, September 16
Before lockdown, she won praise for three fierce Off Broadway performances. Next: starring in an online reading of a rarely seen Pulitzer Prize finalist.
‘In Love and Warcraft’ Serves Romance for Noobs
Culture, September 16
A naïve young woman struggles with the pitfalls of intimacy in the digital age, on and off the battlefield of a multiplayer online game.
Looking to Past Pandemics to Determine the Future of Theater
T Style, September 16
Throughout most of Western history, plays typically went on hiatus when plagues hit. But could contemporary designers, or perhaps outdoor settings or spaced-out seats, provide novel solutions?
Let’s See: Outdoor Theater Is Welcome, but Sightlines Are Vital
Culture, September 15
It might seem churlish to criticize productions improvising through a pandemic. But for audiences taking the chance, design makes a difference.
Tales of Brutality From ‘Twelve Angry Men … and Women’
Culture, September 14
This brilliantly designed performance, staged for a live audience in Brooklyn and filmed for YouTube, is an urgent response to police misconduct.
West End Shows Announce a Return, Even as U.K. Coronavirus Cases Rise
Culture, September 14
“Six,” the hit musical, will start an 11-week run in November, with other shows including “The Mousetrap” also slated to resume soon.
Four Intimate Screen Encounters (One From Far Away)
Culture, September 13
The second grouping of these excellent “Here We Are” monologues includes a raucous report from outer space and a small gem from Lynn Nottage.
A Family Gropes for Words in ‘Incidental Moments’
Culture, September 11
Richard Nelson’s profound conclusion to his Zoom-format trilogy about the Apple siblings examines the perils of conversation in 2020.
Investigating the Killing of Breonna Taylor
Podcasts, September 11
Piecing together new details of her life and death through audio.
Fauci Says It Could Be a Year Before Theater Without Masks Feels Normal
Culture, September 11
Dr. Anthony Fauci said a vaccine would need to exist for nearly a year before people might feel comfortable returning to theaters unmasked, which he said would likely be mid- to late 2021.
For These Shows, Take a Hike
Culture, September 11
If you participate in a sound walk and no one is there to applaud, does it count as theater? Our critic argues that it does. Or at least that it can.
How to Birth a New American Theater
Arts & Leisure, September 11
Six months dark. Thousands of artists out of work. Could this disaster have a surprise ending? Five critics on what must change, onstage and off.
20 Theater Figures on How to ‘Revolutionize’ Their World
Arts & Leisure, September 11
End unpaid internships. Set term limits for leaders. Get real about inclusion. Take performances to the streets. Say yes to joy, and no to couch plays.
Ronald Harwood, Oscar-Winning Screenwriter, Is Dead at 85
Obits, September 10
A prolific writer of books and plays as well as screenplays, he won an Academy Award in 2003 for “The Pianist.”
When the Audience Is Stuck at Home, the Play Is in the Mail
Weekend, September 10
That package in your hallway may be an exciting new theatrical experience. Or maybe not.
7 Things to Do This Weekend
Weekend, September 10
How can you get your cultural fix when many arts institutions remain closed? Our writers offer suggestions for what to listen to and watch, as well as see in person at a gallery.
Pulitzers to Consider Canceled Plays and Streamed Productions for 2021 Prize
Culture, September 10
The coronavirus pandemic has prevented most in-person theater this year, so the prize board is changing the eligibility rules for its annual drama honor.
Diana Rigg, Emma Peel of ‘The Avengers,’ Dies at 82
Obits, September 10
Ms. Rigg also played many classic roles onstage in both New York and London and, late in her career, found new fans on “Game of Thrones.”
In Berlin Theaters, the Curtain Rises on a ‘Corona Season’
Culture, September 10
Some of the city’s major playhouses are presenting pandemic-delayed premieres in sparsely populated auditoriums, with much of the seating removed.
Theater to Stream: More Fringe and a Noël Coward ‘Party’
Weekend, September 9
The Billie Holiday Theater offers a live performance of “12 Angry Men…and Women: The Weight of the Wait” in front of a Black Lives Matter mural.
‘I Knew All the Words’: Your First Favorite Musicals
Culture, September 9
Readers said “Sweeney Todd” and “Wicked,” among other classics, made them fall in love with musicals. One sheepishly confessed: “Starlight Express.”
T.S. Eliot’s Estate Donates ‘Cats’ Royalties to Brontë Museum
Culture, September 8
A gift of 20,000 pounds will help sustain the Brontë Parsonage Museum, which is facing mounting losses because of the coronavirus.
In ‘Three Kings,’ Hot Priest Sheds His Cassock
Culture, September 6
The “Fleabag” star Andrew Scott is the entire brilliant cast of a penetrating play about toxic fathers and sons.
She Gave Up a Lot to Play Othello
Culture, September 4
Thrilled for the role, needing a paycheck and confident that the theater was safe, Jessika D. Williams left the actors’ union to take the part.
A Pandemic ‘Othello,’ Socially and Otherwise Distant
Culture, September 4
The actors quarantined together all summer to produce Shakespeare’s tragedy safely. But they can’t overcome the remove of a camera.
Salome Bey, Soulful Singer, Actress and Playwright, Dies at 86
Obits, September 4
Ms. Bey, known as “Canada’s first lady of the blues,” broke ground in her adopted country by creating opportunities for Black people in the theater.
Bringing the Theater Back to Life
Podcasts, September 4
When the pandemic hit, shows across America went dark. A regional theater in New England thinks it has found a way back.
This Labor Day, These Workers Are Trying to Stay Afloat
Weekend, September 4
The coronavirus pandemic has brought various hardships. An artist, bookseller, comedian and five others share their stories of how they are coping with all the uncertainty.
What Was Your Gateway Musical?
Culture, September 3
Our critic confesses she discovered musicals via the widely panned film adaptation of “Rent,” a flop. We want to hear from readers: What was your first favorite?
What Is Your Gateway Musical?
Theater, September 3
Our critic confesses she discovered musicals via the widely panned film adaptation of “Rent,” a flop. We want to hear from readers: What was your first favorite?
7 Things to Do on Labor Day Weekend
Weekend, September 3
How can you get your cultural fix when many arts institutions remain closed? Our writers offer suggestions for what to listen to and watch.
The Joy of Just Good Enough Theater
Culture, September 3
Most plays aren’t masterpieces. As audiences emerge from lockdown and return to normal, there’s comfort in seeing a show that may not be great, but isn’t bad, either.
Why ‘Rent,’ the Movie, Was My Gateway Musical
Culture, September 3
It was a flop, but the film adaptation of the Broadway smash turned me on to theater. And those starving artists made me want to make art too.
‘Sleepless’ Revives London’s Pandemic Musical Scene, if Only Just
Culture, September 2
Based on the hit 1993 hit film “Sleepless in Seattle,” the production is London’s first fully staged indoor musical in months. Applause for that, at least.
When the Wrong Singer for the Song Is Just So Right
Arts & Leisure, September 2
Thrice-delayed and now virtual, this year’s scrambled show-tune revue “Miscast” has to entertain while recognizing that casting is political.
5 ‘Miscast’ Numbers That Will Play With Your Preconceptions
Arts & Leisure, September 2
Jonathan Groff tapping a tribute to Sutton Foster? Lin-Manuel Miranda singing Anita’s part in “West Side Story”? Watch these videos and see what’s possible.
Howell Binkley, Who Sculpted Broadway Hits in Light, Dies at 64
Obits, September 2
An in-demand lighting designer, he won Tony Awards for “Hamilton” and “Jersey Boys.”
There’ll Be a Theater Season. But How and Where and When?
Culture, September 1
Announcing stage productions, and timing, has become a matter of wishful thinking, guesswork and experimentation. Case in point: the no-show plan.
In Europe’s Theaters, Outsiders Tread a Tricky Path
Culture, September 1
The firing of the British artistic director of one of Paris’s most famous venues exposes fault lines between globalization and local tradition.
Love Theater? Jesse Green Recommends Streaming Options
Arts & Leisure, September 1
The Times’s Culture editor has questions. Our critic has answers.
Determined to Salvage the Fall, Cabaret Plots Its (Outdoor, Online) Return
Culture, September 1
Making performances more accessible to audiences is part of the mission. Presenting shows that reflect the moment is another.
It’s Just You and Me and the Modem in ‘Here We Are’
Culture, August 31
Theater for One was built on the idea of face-to-face encounters. Moving it online could have been a disaster, but instead it’s a heartbreaker.
Bringing Borges to Life in ‘Footnote for the End of Time’
Culture, August 30
Theater in Quarantine’s latest small-scale, digitally savvy production is an adaptation of a Borges story about a man stopping time to stare down death.
Chloroform, Lies and Racism Fire Up ‘The Jacksonian’
Culture, August 28
This streamed reading of Beth Henley’s slice of Southern noir offers scorching portraits of bad faith from Ed Harris, Amy Madigan and Bill Pullman.
Director of a Storied Paris Theater Is Fired
Culture, August 28
After Ruth Mackenzie was accused of bullying employees, the Théâtre du Châtelet said she would no longer lead the prestigious venue.
Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival Finds First Permanent Home
Culture, August 26
Thanks to a donation of land, the staple of New York summer theater will move to a nearby location. Riverside views will remain.
A Beginner’s Guide to the Golden Age of Live Theater on TV
Arts & Leisure, August 26
Today we stream what shows we can find. Back then: James Dean, “Twelve Angry Men” and conclusive proof that Kim Stanley was one of the all-time greats.
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.