‘Ruben & Clay’ Reunites ‘Idol’ Rivals for Christmas Fun
Culture, Yesterday
Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken, who once competed on “American Idol,” banter, sing and try to upstage each other in this holiday revue.
‘Clueless: The Musical’ Review: The Film’s Charm Is Replaced by Sparkle
Culture, Yesterday
Amy Heckerling’s amiable but limp adaptation of her classic 1995 film suggests a peppy fan club putting on its own makeshift show.
Alvin Epstein, Actor, Director and Master of Beckett, Dies at 93
Obits, Yesterday
In a long stage career that took him from Yale to Broadway, he was steeped in the author of “Waiting for Godot,” acting in its Broadway premiere in 1956.
Downward Mobility Is Upward Morality in ‘Fabulation’
Culture, Yesterday
A revival of Lynn Nottage’s 2004 satire puts an unexpected spin on the religion of American reinvention.
Acclaimed ‘Oklahoma!’ Revival Is Coming to Broadway
Culture, Yesterday
The darkly revisionist production, which was staged this fall at St. Ann’s Warehouse, will play the Circle in the Square.
Everything in Life Is Only for Now: ‘Avenue Q’ to Close in April
Culture, December 10
The puppet-filled musical that became an unexpected hit on Broadway in 2003 will be ending its Off Broadway run on April 28.
In ‘Noura,’ an Iraqi Refugee Leaves More Than Home Behind
Culture, December 10
In her new play, loosely inspired by “A Doll’s House,” Heather Raffo is radiant as a New York architect caught between cultures.
In ‘The Prisoner,’ Peter Brook Ponders Crime and Punishment
Culture, December 10
This gnomic tale from the fabled director portrays a man expiating a patricide outside a prison’s walls.
Two Timely Takes on Hans Christian Andersen’s Tales
Culture, December 10
These classics, performed at Theater Row, are not holiday stories per se, but they have much to say about greed and goodness.
Race and Sex in Plantation America in ‘Slave Play’
Culture, December 9
In a staggering professional New York debut, the playwright Jeremy O. Harris unpacks interracial relationships both antebellum and postmodern.
‘The Jungle’ Review: Migrants’ Heartbreaking Search for Home in Calais
Culture, December 9
This extraordinary, London-born work of immersive theater places its audience at the fraught and energetic center of a migrant camp in France.
The Warm-up Master of Amateur Night at the Apollo Is Retiring. Wait, He Changed His Mind.
Metro, December 9
Joe Gray, who revs up the audience at the open-mic talent show, made plans to quit at age 69. Then he did an about-face.
‘Clueless’ Was Amy Heckerling’s Masterpiece. Is She Done With It? As If.
Theater, December 5
Heckerling, the pioneering director behind “Fast Times at Ridgemont High,” is turning “Clueless” into a musical. Will she finally get her due?
Broadway’s ‘Torch Song’ to Close in January
Culture, December 4
The revival of Harvey Fierstein’s Tony-winning play will mount a national tour with Michael Urie continuing in the lead role.
Philip Bosco, Tony-Winning Character Actor, Is Dead at 88
Obits, December 4
A familiar face for years in movies, on television and especially on Broadway, he had a particular affinity for the work of George Bernard Shaw.
Look! It’s ‘The Making of King Kong’! (No, Not That One.)
Culture, December 4
A new play mocks the gender and racial ickiness of the 1933 movie — on a one-paw budget.
The Best Theater of 2018
Arts & Leisure, December 4
It was a year when classics were reincarnated in deceptively modest interpretations, conventional story forms were tossed aside and strong voices roared.
In ‘The Cher Show,’ I Got You, Babe. And You. And You.
Culture, December 3
The three faces of Cherilyn Sarkisian Bono Allman are the subject of a new Broadway jukebox musical that’s big on sequins, low on insight.
Kanye West Called Out (on Twitter) for Cellphone Use During ‘The Cher Show’
Culture, December 3
In the middle of the opening-night performance on Monday, the actor who plays Sonny Bono criticized Mr. West for looking at his cellphone. The rapper apologized.
In ‘The Cher Show,’ I Got You, Babe. And You. And You.
Theater, December 3
The three faces of Cherilyn Sarkisian Bono Allman are the subject of a new Broadway jukebox musical that’s big on sequins, low on insight.
Fact-Check of a ‘Lifespan’
Culture, December 3
What’s it like seeing your misunderstood profession onstage, with Daniel Radcliffe as a version of you?
‘The Hello Girls’ Answered the Call in World War I
Culture, December 2
A new musical illuminates the obscure history of American women who were recruited to the Signal Corps in Europe. It’s rather thrilling, until Act 2.
Reliving a Childhood Interrupted in ‘The Tricky Part’
Culture, December 2
Martin Moran’s radiant memoir of a play recalls an experience of sexual abuse with a sense of luminous mystery.
How 3 Actors Overcame Trump’s Travel Ban to Take the New York Stage
Culture, December 2
Two Iranians and a Syrian were allowed entry to perform “The Jungle,” a play about refugees, after urgings by Sting and an ex-archbishop of Canterbury.
Judge Allows ‘Harry Potter’ and ‘Evan Hansen’ in San Francisco
Culture, December 1
Regional productions of the Broadway hits are the subject of a legal dispute between competing theater operators.
In ‘A Christmas Carol in Harlem,’ Scrooge Wants to Make You Laugh
Culture, November 30
Classical Theater of Harlem reimagines the Charles Dickens tale with the holiday curmudgeon as a real estate predator in need of reclamation.
5 Shows to See in New York: Not Just Cher but Cher Horowitz
Culture, November 30
Off Broadway productions in December consider migrants from Africa, the Middle East and Manhattan, plus one well dressed emissary from Beverly Hills.
Joan Didion’s ‘The White Album,’ Now in Living Color
Weekend, November 29
A gorgeously illustrated stage version of the classic essay about 1960s California ennui may miss the point.
8 Plays and Musicals to Go to in N.Y.C. This Weekend
Weekend, November 29
Previews, openings and some last-chance picks.
‘The Good Swimmer’ Stays Out of the Deep End
Theater, November 29
Heidi Rodewald and Donna Di Novelli’s song cycle at the Brooklyn Academy of Music is beautifully delivered but frustratingly opaque.
Patti LuPone, From Broadway to the Open Road
Travel, November 29
The Tony-winning actress and frequent traveler talks about her favorite vacation spots, where she still wants to go (Bhutan and Tibet are on that list) and why she expects her hotel room to be ready when she arrives at her destination.
If You Don’t Know Your Noh From Your Kabuki, You Can Still Enjoy Japanese Theater
Culture, November 29
The “Japonismes 2018” season in Paris offers an intriguing, if occasionally puzzling, window onto Japan’s rich theater scene.
David Mamet on Ricky Jay, a Great Astonisher and ‘Truest Friend’
Culture, November 28
“He achieved fame,” the playwright says of the master of magic who recently died. “But like the warrior monk or Hasidic master, he sought perfection.”
‘Summer: The Donna Summer Musical’ to Close in December
Culture, November 28
The biographical jukebox musical, which opened on Broadway on April 23, struggled to win over audiences.
How to Be a Stage Mother (No, Not That Kind)
Arts & Leisure, November 28
Stockard Channing, Glenn Close, Rosemary Harris and Mercedes Ruehl on loving fiercely and listening closely in four current plays.
A Playwright Who Won’t Let Anyone Off the Hook
Arts & Leisure, November 28
He’s got two incendiary plays opening in New York. He’s been dressed by Gucci and Thom Browne. But Jeremy O. Harris still has to finish graduate school.
Broadway’s ‘Once on This Island’ Revival Will Close Jan. 6
Culture, November 27
The show won the Tony Award for best musical revival, but was not a financial success.
Anaïs Mitchell’s ‘Hadestown’ to Open on Broadway in April
Culture, November 27
The musical reimagining of the Orpheus and Eurydice myth is now playing at London’s National Theater.
Exploring Addiction in ‘Chasing the New White Whale’
Culture, November 26
The playwright Mike Gorman tries to equate Melville’s “Moby-Dick” with the opioid crisis. The ambition is there, but the play falls short.
‘Head Over Heels’ to Close in January
Culture, November 26
The musical, which opened on Broadway on July 26, had gotten mixed reviews and struggled at the box office.
To Warn or Not to Warn? Theater Fans Respond
Culture, November 26
Should audience get advance word on content that might offend or unsettle them? Opinions differ strongly.
Park Avenue Armory Plans Premieres and Returns
Culture, November 26
The venue has announced its 2019 season, which will include a new play by Christopher Shinn, art by Hito Steyerl and concerts by Barbara Hannigan.
In ‘The Brutes,’ the Actor Who Would Be an Assassin
Culture, November 25
Sara Fellini’s play follows John Wilkes Booth, months before he kills President Lincoln, while he spars with his brothers on and off stage.
In ‘All Is Calm,’ Thrilling Song in the Trenches
Culture, November 25
This World War I-set musical recounts a brief ceasefire when enlisted men on both sides buried their dead and exchanged small gifts.
Trigger Warnings at the Theater: Love ’em, Hate ’em
Letters, November 25
A Broadway producer and a theatergoer take sides.
Theater’s Latest Prompt: Don’t Act Your Age!
Arts & Leisure, November 23
In “Usual Girls,” “Dance Nation” and other plays, actors are playing characters that are sometimes decades younger than they are. Here’s how it works.
8 Plays and Musicals to Go to in N.Y.C. This Weekend
Weekend, November 22
Previews, openings and some last-chance picks.
German Plays Tackle the World’s Woes, Current and Future
Weekend, November 21
Productions in Berlin and Munich grapple with issues that shape our world.
Alabama Shakespeare Festival Aims to Update Southern Canon
Culture, November 21
The company will commission 22 plays, with more than half set to go to female playwrights and playwrights of color, its artistic director said.
‘Bernie and Mikey’s Trip to the Moon’ Is Old-School Drama
Culture, November 21
Scott Aiello’s play about an Italian-American family dealing with a disabled daughter offers no-nonsense American realism.
‘Network’ in an Age of Fake News and Fury
Arts & Leisure, November 21
Even the cast and creators are working out what the stage adaptation of the prescient 1976 film means right now.
Bryan Cranston Wants More of Us to Get ‘Mad as Hell’
Arts & Leisure, November 21
The Emmy-winning actor, who won accolades in London for playing a deranged anchorman in “Network,” isn’t so sure his character is wrongheaded.
A Hip-Hop Sidekick Eyes Center Stage in ‘Hype Man’
Culture, November 20
Idris Goodwin’s energetic but overstuffed play explores race, gender, police brutality and the quest for fame.
Jerry Frankel, Prolific Broadway Producer, Is Dead at 88
Obits, November 20
Mr. Frankel, a former dress manufacturer, produced more than 50 plays and musicals with various partners and won nine Tony Awards.
Rufus Wainwright and Ivo van Hove Talk Politics, Coming Out and Boarding School
T Style, November 20
Two creative people in two different fields in one wide-ranging conversation. This time: the singer and the director.
Tom Stoppard’s ‘The Hard Problem’ Is a Mind-Body Gabfest
Culture, November 19
In this garrulous play of ideas, the author of “The Real Thing” and “The Coast of Utopia” takes on the essence — and ethics — of being human.
Rage and Ritual in ‘What to Send Up When It Goes Down’
Culture, November 19
Aleshea Harris’s remarkable new play brims with an expressly theatrical eloquence and anger.
‘Moulin Rouge! The Musical’ to Head to Broadway
Culture, November 19
After its debut in Boston, the stage adaptation of the 2001 film will arrive in New York next summer.
‘Christmas Spectacular’ Review: Where Rockettes and Drones Dazzle
Weekend, November 19
Radio City Music Hall successfully merges old-fashioned showmanship and state-of-the-art technology in this year’s Christmas pageant.
Tim and Tyne Daly Are Dysfunctional Siblings in ‘Downstairs’
Culture, November 18
Theresa Rebeck wrote her chilling new domestic thriller with the brother and sister in mind.
Brace Yourself in Act II: Trigger Warnings Come to the Stage
Culture, November 18
A number of American theaters are posting specific and comprehensive advisories about sensitive material, while others are resisting the trend.
Brian Tyree Henry Finds Wisdom at an Arcade
Styles, November 17
The actor, known for playing Paper Boi on “Atlanta,” appears in two highly anticipated movies this fall.
Patricia Ione Lloyd, a Playwright With a Taste for Glamour
Arts & Leisure, November 16
The writer of “Eve’s Song” looks back (at an awkward childhood) and ahead (at her inspirations) while scrolling through her Instagram feed.
‘The Prom’ Review: Bringing Jazz Hands to the Heartland
Weekend, November 15
A delicious new musical about Broadway narcissists, Indiana homophobes, the possibility of accommodation — and zazz.
11 Plays and Musicals to Go to in N.Y.C. This Weekend
Weekend, November 15
Previews, openings and some last-chance picks.
Baltimore ‘Fiddler’ Disrupted by ‘Heil Hitler, Heil Trump’
Culture, November 15
A man was removed from the Hippodrome Theater in Baltimore after he loudly yelled pro-Hitler slogans during intermission.
A ‘Chinese Lady’ on Heart-Rending Display
Weekend, November 15
Lloyd Suh’s rich play follows an immigrant and her translator over decades.
‘A Chorus Line,’ Still High-Stepping but Showing Its Age
Weekend, November 15
City Center’s production of the landmark musical from 1975 is a pleasure, an education and a problem.
At the Big Apple Circus, Discs Fly and So Do People
Culture, November 15
The Big Apple Circus returns with oversize airborne cranberries, a steamy aerial ballet and a prancing pig.
A New Theater Opens in Paris. Another Faces Closure.
Theater, November 15
La Scala Paris opened with a production in which the playwright Yasmina Reza also acts. But a theater focused on new writing in French from abroad faces an uncertain future.
Reaching Across Korean Borders in ‘Wild Goose Dreams’
Culture, November 14
Hansol Jung’s industriously imaginative play uses visions of winged flight to explore the loneliness of two ambivalent lovers in Seoul.
Raúl Esparza Becomes a Very Familiar Fascist in ‘Arturo Ui’
Culture, November 14
John Doyle’s inventive revival of Brecht’s 1941 satire about Adolf Hitler is more impressive for theatrical ingenuity than topicality.
Yiddish ‘Fiddler’ to Continue Its Run at Stage 42
Culture, November 14
The unexpectedly popular production has already been extended four times at its original home, the Museum of Jewish Heritage.
Waterwell Names Lee Sunday Evans as Artistic Director
Culture, November 14
Ms. Evans succeeds Tom Ridgely, one of the downtown theater company’s two founders.
‘Fleabag’ to Make New York Debut Next Year
Culture, November 14
The one-woman play by Phoebe Waller-Bridge will have a five-week run at SoHo Playhouse in the spring.
Mike Birbiglia Sounds Off on Cellphones in His Theater
Theater, November 14
Four times recently he’s stopped his solo Broadway show to make his feelings known — gently but firmly. Getting too angry can backfire.
You Can’t Spell Cher Without Her (and Her and Her)
Arts & Leisure, November 14
How three Broadway actresses capture the essence of one superstar: Thank the costumes, “Burlesque” — and white teeth.
Why It Feels Like We’re Trapped in a Pinter Play
Op Ed, November 13
A monthslong celebration of the playwright a decade after his death is both exhilarating and exhausting in its urgency.
Going From Schlub to Slick in ‘The Other Josh Cohen’
Culture, November 12
After eight years of development, a peppy musical about the value of persistence proves its own point.
How ‘A Chorus Line’ Veterans Pass It on to a New Generation
Culture, November 12
New York City Center’s gala production of the musical is being staged by Bob Avian and Baayork Lee, who have been with the show since its inception.
Tim Daly, Sibling Bonds and the Stage
Arts & Leisure, November 12
Daly speaks about “Downstairs,” the play Theresa Rebeck wrote for him and his sister Tyne. He also discusses his life and his arts activism.
Broadway’s Next Evan Hansen? A 16-Year-Old High School Junior
Culture, November 12
Andrew Barth Feldman is to take over the role in “Dear Evan Hansen” on Jan. 30.