T/theater

41 Things That Stuck With Us in 2025

Aunt Gladys. Tyler, the Creator. That sex scene in “The Naked Gun.” These are the things Culture staffers couldn’t stop thinking about this year.

This ‘Into the Woods’ Is Not That Deep. That’s What Makes It Great.

A new London staging of the Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine musical makes the most of its comedic elements and delivers a visual treat.

‘Little Bear Ridge Road’ to Close Early on Broadway

The lauded play by Samuel D. Hunter is the first production of Scott Rudin’s comeback season. Despite positive reviews, sales have been soft.

D.L. Coburn, Playwright With a Solo Hit, ‘The Gin Game,’ Dies at 87

His two-character work won a Pulitzer Prize and had a long Broadway run, but he never replicated its success and struggled to get his later work staged.

Our Phones Are Making Us Lonely. There’s Drama in That.

Savvy theater makers are exploring the debasing effects of online culture on relationships.

Why Return to a Christmas Classic? To Find Something New.

Popping up once a year, works like Dickens’s holiday tale, “Amahl and the Night Visitors” and “It’s a Wonderful Life” help us gauge where we are in our lives.

16 Best Theater Moments of 2025

Lea Michele’s star turn in “Chess.” Kara Young as an 8-year-old. A 12-minute monologue delivered from a cloud. These are our favorite scenes from this year.

Jeremy O. Harris Is Released From Custody in Japan

The Tony-nominated playwright was arrested last month on suspicion of attempted drug smuggling. He was released on Monday, Japanese officials said.

‘Marjorie Prime’ Review: A.I. Gave Her Back Her Husband. Was It Worth It?

June Squibb stars in the Broadway premiere of Jordan Harrison’s meditation on grief and the nature of human and artificial intelligence.

From Improv Class to Mayor-Elect: How New York’s Culture Shaped Mamdani

In an interview, he revealed the Indian ragas, indie movies, comedy shows and museums in the city that stayed with him.

The Show-Stealing Dogs of the Big Apple Circus

Copo, Diana, Suzy, Tomasa, Lana, Riso and Charlotte dance and prance inside the big tent.

The 67 Most Stylish People of 2025

They appeared on courts and carpets, stages and sidelines, screens big and small. And they all shaped notions of style and self-expression.

How Clint Ramos, a Tony Winner, Spends a Day Designing Costumes

Mr. Ramos, Lincoln Center’s artist in residence, makes breakfast for his daughter before heading to the Metropolitan Opera House and a photo shoot — and his own birthday celebration.

Netflix Does an About-Face, in a Big Way

The streaming giant has changed its strategy many times over the years. But the decision to get deeply into theatrical releases may be the most startling yet.

‘A Christmas Carol’ Review: A Gentle Interpretation of a Classic

This production, which retains many of the charms of its 2019 Broadway staging, has lost some of its necessary darkness.

What ‘Hamnet’ Lost (and Gained) on the Way From Page to Screen

The filmmaker Chloé Zhao and the novelist-turned-screenwriter Maggie O’Farrell explained the changes they made in the tale of Shakespeare, his wife and their son.

Can a California Director Bring His Sunshine to New York?

Before returning to New York to lead Roundabout, Christopher Ashley is concluding his 18-year tenure at La Jolla Playhouse with the new musical “Working Girl.”

Jeremy O. Harris Is Arrested in Japan on Suspicion of Smuggling Drugs

The Tony-nominated American playwright and actor has been in custody since airport customs officers found Ecstasy in his bag last month.

A Utopian Story That Became a Queer Cult Classic Debuts in New York

“The Faggots and Their Friends Between Revolutions” is a music theater piece based on Larry Mitchell and Ned Asta’s 1970s book.

Drag Antics and ‘a Political Bomb’: Bringing ‘La Cage aux Folles’ Home

The theater that drew acclaim last year for “Les Misérables” is hoping Paris can accept a new “Americano-French musical.”

Holiday Theater: 15 Shows to Spice Up Your Festive Season

Enticements abound in New York City, including Jinkx Monsoon crooning, Dickens reciting Dickens and, for the whole family, the Big Apple Circus.

Sondheim’s ‘Merrily We Roll Along’ Was a Flop, Then a Hit. Now It’s a Film.

The Broadway revival, starring Daniel Radcliffe, Jonathan Groff and Lindsay Mendez, was transformative. Here’s what to know about the show, and the movie.

13 Plays (and 2 Festivals) to Invigorate Your December

Michelle Williams leads an O’Neill drama, Matthew Broderick stars in Molière, and plenty of stages brim with non-holiday fare, Off Broadway and beyond.

Nathan Lane and Laurie Metcalf to Star in Broadway ‘Salesman’

Joe Mantello will direct the next revival of Arthur Miller’s “Death of a Salesman,” opening in April at the Winter Garden Theater.

It’s a Homophobic Slur. What’s It Doing in So Much Theater?

“Prince Faggot,” “Figaro/Faggots” and other productions use the word to shock, provoke, reclaim it for gay men or all of the above. Does that make it OK?

37 Things to Do in December

As the season of Nutcrackers, Messiahs, Scrooges and Santas begins, here are some novel ways to enjoy the holidays, including a poetry weekend and a Coltrane tribute.

As a Script Doctor, Tom Stoppard Was Stealthily Erudite

The playwright won an Academy Award for “Shakespeare in Love.” But he also helped provide dialogue for the likes of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Indiana Jones.

Movies Written by Tom Stoppard to Stream

Spinning off Shakespeare, waltzing through Imperial Russia, bantering about literature or diving deeply into history, Stoppard shared his gifts on the screen.

Glenn Close, Ethan Hawke and Others Mourn Tom Stoppard

Nobody advanced or cherished the English language more than Stoppard, Tim Curry noted. Colleagues and fans agreed.

When Tom Stoppard Confronted His Background in His Final Play

The playwright, who learned about his Jewish heritage late in life, addressed it in the Tony Award-winning drama “Leopoldstadt.”

The Language of Tom Stoppard, Ablaze With Energy and Urgency

In works like “Travesties” and “Arcadia,” the playwright embraced the really big questions and wrestled words into coherent, exhilarating shape.

Tom Stoppard, Award-Winning Playwright of Witty Drama, Dies at 88

Drawing comparisons to the greatest of dramatists, he entwined erudition with imagination in stage works that won accolades on both sides of the Atlantic.

‘Hamilton’ Has Had Quite a Run

Our cartoonist had no idea the Broadway musical he scored tickets to in 2015 would become a cultural phenomenon — and an enduring reminder of battles to be fought.

Every Generation Gets the Shakespeare It Deserves

Our love of his plays have led to a centuries-long fascination with the writer. So why does each new fictional iteration get his life so wrong?

For the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Broadway Hits the Streets

We tagged along to a late-night rehearsal for performers from “Just in Time,” “Buena Vista Social Club” and “Ragtime.”

45 Years of Rock ’n’ Roll Theater at St. Ann’s Warehouse

In shows like “Black Watch,” “The Jungle” and “Oklahoma!,” the institution has affirmed the theater’s singular power to shock and illuminate our world.

With Tom Felton as Draco Malfoy, ‘Harry Potter’ Breaks Its Own Broadway Record

The actor is now playing an adult version of the sinister child he portrayed in the film series.

‘Queen of Versailles’ to Close as New Broadway Musicals Struggle

The show, starring Kristin Chenoweth, will remain open through the holidays. The announcement comes just two weeks after the musical opened.

This ‘All My Sons’ Is Tragedy Done Right

Arthur Miller and Ivo van Hove are a perfect match again, in a new production starring Bryan Cranston and Paapa Essiedu.

5 Minutes That Will Make You Love Musicals

Andrew Lloyd Webber, Sara Bareilles, Joshua Henry, Jeanine Tesori, Jason Robert Brown and New York Times writers and editors pick 13 songs to seal the deal.

Living, Breathing, Seeing and Teaching Theater

James Bundy leads the theater program at Yale while directing his own revival of “Hedda Gabler.” He told us about a week in his cultural life.

‘Gruesome Playground Injuries’ Review: Does It Hurt?

Kara Young and Nicholas Braun star in the Off Broadway revival of Rajiv Joseph’s two-hander about best friends on parallel paths to self-destruction.

Shakespeare Becoming Shakespeare, With Help From His Working-Class Peers

The title of Daniel Swift’s book “The Dream Factory,” about the creative and capitalist conditions of Elizabethan drama, tellingly evokes the commercial aspirations of old Hollywood.

‘Initiative’ Review: High School as an Epic Struggle

A new production at the Public Theater takes up five hours of stage time to tell the story of a group of friends from their first day to graduation.

How 2 New Songs Made Their Way Into ‘Wicked: For Good’

Each witch gets a new number as part of an effort to flesh out the arc of the stage show’s second act.

‘Two Strangers’ Review: Meeting Cute, Toting Baggage

The effervescent musical, a new London import, delivers lavishly on the promise of a rom-com: laughter, escape and fantasy.

Theater as a Safe Space? ‘Practice’ Demolishes That Idea.

Nazareth Hassan’s darkly witty satire follows an imperious director who pushes his eager actors to extremes.

A New York Night Out With Tom Hanks

A crowd that included Meryl Streep, Martin Short and Steve Martin packed the Shed for the actor’s new show, “This World of Tomorrow.”

This Play Recruited Actors With Anorexia. Was That Ethical?

Some psychologists and parents argued that it risked glamorizing the condition, but one performer described the experience as empowering: “Onstage, I can be who I really am.”

The Debate Over Colorblind Casting Isn’t Settled After All

A Black Hedda Gabler on film and a white Korean robot onstage are sending mixed signals about the status of cultural diversity and representation.

‘This World of Tomorrow’ Review: Tom Hanks Is Back in Town

The movie star plays a man from the future at the 1939 New York World’s Fair in an adaptation of some of his stories. Kelli O’Hara shines as his love interest.

‘Meet the Cartozians’ Review: Who Gets to Be White in America?

Talene Monahon’s captivating play uses a 1925 court decision to explore what identity means to Armenians here (a certain reality TV star included).

Obsessed With ‘Wicked’? Try 9 More Songs From Beloved Musicals.

If you’ve got Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande on repeat, add these songs from “Rent,” “Hadestown,” “13” and more to the rotation.

In This Show, Four Years of High School Unfold Over Five Hours

The characters in Else Went’s quiet Off Broadway debut at the Public Theater try to make sense of the world while coming-of-age in the early aughts.

‘25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee’ Review: A Delightful Competition

Adult actors play fierce middle-school spellers in a wonderful revival of William Finn and Rachel Sheinkin’s musical.

A Fats Waller Musical All But Disappeared (Until Now)

The jazz pianist and composer wrote music for the World War II hit “Early to Bed,” which was running when he died at 39. Two concerts will bring its songs back to life.

With ‘Oedipus,’ Robert Icke’s Radical Vision Comes to Broadway

Icke dusts off the classics the way a restorer brightens an old master painting. His latest project stars Mark Strong and Lesley Manville.

What Should I Do With My Playbill?

Readers ask about the most environmentally friendly thing to do with an unwanted program. And by the way, why is it always yellow?

Those Little Chimes That Say ‘Please Take Your Seat’

At New York’s performing arts venues, herding audiences is a melodic mission.

‘Chess’ Review: At Least They Have the Music

This new revival, starring Lea Michele, Nicholas Christopher and Aaron Tveit, is a reminder why the erratic yet rewarding show has endured all these years.

Leslie Odom Jr., Back in the Room Where It Happens

In “Hamilton,” no moment captures the actor’s emotional expansiveness, artistic breadth and vocal depth better than this number.

Lupita Nyong’o in ‘Twelfth Night,’ and More Theater to Stream

This month’s picks include a ravishing Nyong’o in the return of Shakespeare in the Park, and an audio play starring Liev Schreiber and Maggie Siff.

Yvonne Brewster, Godmother of Black British Theater, Dies at 87

When she studied acting in London in the 1950s, she was told she was unlikely to find work. She ended up starting one of the country’s foremost Black theaters.

Elizabeth Franz, Versatile Tony-Winning Actress, Is Dead at 84

She won the award for her performance as Linda Loman in a 1999 Broadway revival of “Death of a Salesman” and played the matriarch Kate Jerome in two Neil Simon comedies.

‘The Seat of Our Pants’ Review: Songs for the World’s End

Ruthie Ann Miles, Shuler Hensley and Micaela Diamond lead a dream-team cast in Ethan Lipton’s musical adaptation of Thornton Wilder’s “The Skin of Our Teeth.”

Have C-Sections Become Too Common?

Readers respond to a front-page article about fetal heart monitoring and C-sections. Also: When Shirley MacLaine was the understudy.

‘Oedipus’ Review: An Election-Night Thriller, Suffused With Dread

Mark Strong and Lesley Manville are superb as a doomed political power couple in Robert Icke’s adaptation of the Sophocles tragedy.

‘Archduke’ Review: Impressionable Young Men

Rajiv Joseph’s farcical play follows the nationalists who carried out the assassination that ignited World War I.

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.