T/theater

‘Titaníque’ Review: A Wild Joyride With Celine Dion as Our Kooky Guide

This “Titanic” parody fueled by Dion’s hits, silly ad-libs and pop culture references had the humblest of beginnings. Now the show has docked on Broadway.

‘Paddington’ Wins Big at the Olivier Awards

The hit musical about the beloved bear won seven awards at Britain’s equivalent of the Tonys. “Evita,” starring Rachel Zegler, took home two prizes.

‘Every Brilliant Thing,’ Now Starring Daniel Radcliffe and You

Before each performance, the actor sprints around the Hudson Theater enlisting audience members to take part in the interactive show.

Monthly Report

What can we learn from April, a month of contradictions that never cleanly resolve themselves?

He Changed How Blackness Was Viewed in South Africa. Now He Gets Personal.

Mfundi Vundla spent 21 years in exile and created the popular television show “Generations.” His latest project is a play that explores the imperfections of the fight against apartheid.

A Cold, Perfect ‘Death of a Salesman’ for Our Time

Arthur Miller’s classic tragedy returns to Broadway, starring Nathan Lane and Laurie Metcalf. Yet again, it is a triumph.

A Tony Awards Surprise: This Year’s Host Will Be Pink

Songs by the pop singer-songwriter are part of the Broadway shows “& Juliet” and “Moulin Rouge! The Musical.”

Rosamund Pike to Bring Her London Hit ‘Inter Alia’ to Broadway

The actress, a star of “Gone Girl” and “Saltburn,” will play a judge whose personal experience as the mother of a son tests her courtroom approach to justice.

‘Burnout Paradise’ Takes Its Running Time Literally

In the Off Broadway show, “Burnout Paradise” performers run on treadmills while doing various tasks. The show, and its actors, are slated to run at Astor Place Theater through June 28.

A $100 Million Plan to Make Studio 54 a First-Class Theater

The Roundabout Theater Company stages shows in Studio 54, once a famous disco. It doesn’t have a permanent stage or an orchestra pit.

‘Cats: The Jellicle Ball’ Review: Fanciful and Fabulous

For their 10th life, the cats strut and duckwalk in a reappraisal of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s 1981 musical, which has shifted to the queer ballroom scene.

You Don’t Yell at a Broadway Show. But What if It’s ‘Rocky Horror’?

The new musical is trying to calibrate just how much to rein in the audience participation that longtime fans are used to.

Presto! In Chicago, a High-End Magic Palace Appears

The entrepreneur Glen Tullman is betting people want to dress up and watch magicians in a luxury setting. Either it will work or $50 million will go poof.

Watch the Cats of Broadway’s ‘Jellicle Ball’ Werk

Five of the show’s stars strutted and prowled amid the desks of T Magazine.

Live From the 10th Floor | ‘Cats: The Jellicle Ball’

Cast members from “Cats: The Jellicle Ball” — Jonathan Burke, Dava Huesca, Primo Thee Ballerino, Baby Byrne and Dudney Joseph Jr. — perform a mischievous number called “Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer” in the T Magazine office.

‘Becky Shaw’ Review: Funny vs. Likable? Funny Wins.

Alden Ehrenreich makes a show-stealing Broadway debut in Gina Gionfriddo’s comedy about two old friends, one disastrous blind date and the dicey aftermath.

‘Cats’ Were Always Meant to Vogue

I was onstage for the first Broadway version of ‘Cats.’ A new reimagining showed me something about the show I never expected.

Carol Mullins, Who Illuminated Dance for Decades, Dies at 86

She knew nothing about lighting when the director Robert Wilson asked her to work on his shows, and later spent over 40 years as a designer for Danspace Project.

Chekhov Plays for an Un-Chekhov Time

The directors Michael DeFilippis, Dmitry Krymov and Aleksandr Molochnikov all infuse their current productions with a burning, modern rage.

The Show That Gives ‘Running Time’ a New Meaning

In “Burnout Paradise,” four performers try ambitious tasks while jogging. If they can’t beat their run time goal, the audience gets its money back.

Why Wallace Shawn Stepped in to Play ‘the Other Woman’

When an actress in Shawn’s play “What We Did Before Our Moth Days” got Covid, he took on the role.

Megan Thee Stallion Returns to Broadway Role After Brief Illness

The rapper was back onstage in “Moulin Rouge” two days after being taken to a hospital after becoming ill during a performance.

Fosse! Robbins! Making the Case for Vintage Broadway Dance

Hubbard Street Dance Chicago and the Off Broadway revue “Gotta Dance!” shine a light on repertory that is too often overlooked.

Megan Thee Stallion Cites Exhaustion After Falling Ill on Broadway

The rapper was rushed to the hospital midway through a performance of “Moulin Rouge! The Musical” on Tuesday. She is expected to return to the show on Thursday.

In This ‘Hamlet’ and ‘Titus Andronicus,’ Life, Death and Even Joy

Two Shakespeare adaptations — Teatro La Plaza’s uplifting remix and Red Bull Theater’s gore fest — place very different values on human existence.

‘Romeo and Juliet’: Sadie Sink, Noah Jupe and the Wonder of Young Love

The sincerity of the play’s two stars shines through in Robert Icke’s new London production.

16 Off Broadway Plays and More to Ignite Your April

Jennifer Tilly and Daphne Rubin-Vega in “The Adding Machine,” plus Jane Fonda in an eco-musical and Cecily Strong and Corey Stoll as a couple on their first date.

34 Things to Do in N.Y.C. in April

This month brings Barry Manilow and Martha Graham, Earth Day and Easter, as well as a pickle tour and a little night music.

‘The Book of Mormon’ Is Sorry if You Were Offended for 15 Years

The taboo-busting, gasp-inducing Broadway musical comedy has been a hit with audiences and critics. But could it be produced today?

‘Dog Day Afternoon’ Review: A 1970s Classic, Onstage and Underbaked

A raucous adaptation of a gritty portrait of New York stifles tension with comedy, leaving its stars, Jon Bernthal and Ebon Moss-Bachrach, adrift.

Agosto Machado Is Dead; Artist Memorialized New York’s Avant-Garde

An experimental theater veteran, he collected the ephemera of his friends and colleagues. As they began to die, he made shrines honoring them.

For a High Priestess of Extreme Theater, Death Is Gentler Than Life

In her “Trilogy of Funerals,” the Spanish provocateur Angélica Liddell shows a sense of vulnerability that will surprise longtime watchers of her work.

Making ‘Death of a Salesman’ New, With Help From Something Old

Joe Mantello’s Broadway revival, starring Nathan Lane and Laurie Metcalf, was inspired by a draft with notes by Arthur Miller. Here are some of them.

Symphony Space to Undergo a $45 Million Makeover

The Upper West Side performing arts venue will take its programming across the city while its doors close for a 15-month overhaul.

How to Replace Daniel Radcliffe on Broadway? Call Mariska Hargitay.

Starting in May, Hargitay will make her Broadway debut in “Every Brilliant Thing,” an elastic play that shape shifts to fit a distinctly different star.

Eric Overmyer, Who Wrote for Modern Television Classics, Dies at 74

Trained as a playwright, he got his first TV writing job on “St. Elsewhere,” then worked on “Homicide: Life on the Street,” “The Wire,” “Treme” and “Bosch.”

The Vivacious Play That Started as a Scandalous Poem a Century Ago

One hundred years after it was banned for its depiction of hedonism, the rhythmic, jazz-soaked poetry of Joseph Moncure March continues to find new life.

How Two Stars of ‘The Bear’ Turned to Robbing a Bank … on Broadway

Jon Bernthal and Ebon Moss-Bachrach are both making their Broadway debut in a high-stakes adaptation of the beloved 1975 film “Dog Day Afternoon.”

29 Ways to Entertain Your Kids in New York City This Spring

They can shake off those winter doldrums by hunting for Easter eggs, running the bases at Brooklyn Cyclones’ ballpark or gliding down Slide Hill on Governors Island.

Same Shows, Different Prices: Broadway vs. the West End

Michael Paulson reports from New York, and Alex Marshall reports from London, to compare theater prices for the same shows on both sides of the Atlantic.

Why Are Theater Tickets So Much Cheaper in London Than New York?

For half the price of a great seat at a Broadway show, you can see “Paddington” in the West End (if you can find a ticket) and snack on a marmalade sandwich.

Sardi’s Sells Its Name and Takes a Brief Intermission

The longtime owner of the restaurant, a Theater District mainstay, is bowing out, and the Shubert Organization plans to reopen after a renovation, with the celebrity caricatures intact.

Robert Fox, Acclaimed Producer in Britain and on Broadway, Dies at 73

A favorite of actors like Maggie Smith, he produced dozens of plays, including “The Audience,” about Queen Elizabeth II, which was made into the Netflix show “The Crown.”

Contemporary Opera Doesn’t Need to ‘Challenge’ Audiences

With a musical language they can appreciate, Americans could more easily find opera’s appeal.

‘Public Charge’ Review: The World Is Messy. Being a Force for Good Is, Too.

A new play at the Public Theater written by Michael J. Chepiga and the former ambassador Julissa Reynoso is a diplomatic memoir of sorts, and a meditation on loving one’s country.

A Pop Diva and a Flamed-Out Rock Music Revolution

The singer Self Esteem, aka Rebecca Lucy Taylor, is an incarnation of late 1960s counterculture in a new London production of David Hare’s “Teeth ‘n’ Smiles.”

‘Dog Day’ Drama: Broadway Playwright Briefly Kept Out of Rehearsals

A week before opening night, tensions spilled over offstage, with the show’s producing team temporarily prohibiting Stephen Adly Guirgis from entering the theater.

Larry Reed, Master of Shadow Puppetry, Dies at 81

Entranced by traditional Balinese puppet theater, he developed a modern, multicultural version that he performed around the world.

Comedy’s Most Manipulative Shot … and Its Greatest Weapon

Audience reactions are a staple of standup specials. But they’re a strange device when you take a closer look.

‘Giant’ Review: As Roald Dahl, John Lithgow Is a Study in Monstrosity

In Mark Rosenblatt’s play, a powerful portrayal of the beloved children’s book author who almost gleefully exposes his bigotry.

She’s a 2,500-Year-Old Rebel With a Cause

“Antigone” gave us the original “bad girl,” but its themes go beyond that. How do adaptations keep making Sophocles’ ideas about democracy and theater new?

Why Are We Obsessed With Antigone?

Antigone, an ancient Greek play, is being adapted in several theaters across New York City. Our critic Helen Shaw explains why Sophocles’s anti-heroine is such a relevant figure today.

‘Monte Cristo’ Review: A Tale of Betrayal, on Two Counts

An adaptation has a twist that doesn’t track, and songs that benefit from an excellent cast, including Norm Lewis, Sierra Boggess and Adam Jacobs.

9 Shows Our Theater Critics Are Talking About

Daniel Radcliffe in “Every Brilliant Thing,” “The Wild Party” and two Cold War-era comedy-thrillers: These are productions worth knowing about.

‘Tru’ and ‘The Fever’: The Contagion of the Rich

Two monologue revivals — Jesse Tyler Ferguson as Truman Capote and Wallace Shawn’s solo — reveal how wealth warps our perceptions. Only one pays dividends.

‘The Wild Party’ Has a Ball at City Center

Encores! revisits a Jazz Age tale of debauchery, with showstoppers from Jasmine Amy Rogers, Adrienne Warren, Jordan Donica, Tonya Pinkins and others.

Jane Lapotaire, British Actress Who Won a Tony for ‘Piaf,’ Dies at 81

In a distinguished career in classical and contemporary plays, she drew acclaim on both sides of the Atlantic for her dramatic portrayal of the French singer Édith Piaf.

After Period of Instability, BAM Names New President

Tamara McCaw, a longtime arts leader with experience at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, will lead it with a focus on stability.

‘My Joy Is Heavy’ Review: Hope and Horror Live in the Same House

A full-scale production of the Bengsons’ deeply personal memoir musical is delivered via anthemic songs and remnants of home.

‘Ulster American’ Review: Matthew Broderick as a Star Blinded by Privilege

David Ireland’s satire follows a Hollywood actor whose cluelessness leads to a combustible confrontation.

New York Theater Settles Case That Argued Discounts Were Discriminatory

The lawsuit objected to a “BIPOC night” program at Playwrights Horizons, an Off Broadway nonprofit.

Jonathan Groff in ‘Merrily We Roll Along,’ and More Theater to Stream

Joined by Daniel Radcliffe, Groff stars in the hit Broadway production of the Sondheim musical. And there are (count ’em) three productions of “The Importance of Being Earnest” this month.

African Mean Girls? Fresh Take on Teen Cliques Is Broadway Bound.

“School Girls; or, The African Mean Girls Play,” written by Jocelyn Bioh and directed by Whitney White, will start performances in September.

The Man Who Would Go Anywhere

Is there anyone John Lithgow can’t — or won’t — play?

Trump Defends Need for Kennedy Center Renovation Project

Ahead of a vote on whether to close the center for two years of construction, the president criticized its previous financial management and physical condition.

‘Trash’ Review: Bickering About Chores, in Sign Language

James Caverly and Andrew Morrill star as Deaf roommates in their new comedy at the Perelman Performing Arts Center.

As Regional Theaters Struggle, Some Defy the Odds

Naples, Fla., and Milwaukee are quite different, but have one thing in common: They are home to regional theaters that are thriving.

5 Years After Covid Closed the Theaters, Audiences Are Returning

Broadway is almost back, and pop music tours and sports events are booming. But Hollywood, museums and other cultural sectors have yet to bounce back.

Off Broadway, Labor Tension Heats Up

Stagehands and other backstage workers have gone on strike against a prominent theater, and two productions have been canceled.

Stratford-Upon-Lake-Michigan: Royal Shakespeare Company Plays Chicago

With less touring, it’s been a while since all the world has been its stage, but the troupe is working with the Chicago Shakespeare Theater — where it has family ties.

On Broadway, a Covid Switcheroo: Marsha Mason in for Mia Farrow

Mason, an associate director of “The Roommate,” which opened on Broadway last week, stepped in as Patti LuPone’s counterpart.

Does a Smash Hit Like ‘Lion King’ Deserve a $3 Million Tax Break?

Broadway is still recovering from the pandemic. A state tax-credit program has helped, but watchdogs say it aids some shows that don’t need a boost.

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.