T/theater

‘Meat Suit’ Review: Sitting With the Mess of Motherhood

In Aya Ogawa’s compassionate, sharply comical play, the pastel-pink public image of mommyhood doesn’t stand a chance.

A Surprise Move by Megan Thee Stallion: Starring on Broadway

For eight weeks this spring, the popular rapper will be featured as a nightclub impresario in “Moulin Rouge! The Musical.”

Her Post-Soviet Buddy Comedy Was Decades in the Making

Lauren Yee’s boisterous play “Mother Russia,” about the origins of the contemporary oligarchy, has its roots in her San Francisco childhood.

‘You Got Older,’ With Alia Shawkat, Gets a Sharp Revival

Clare Barron’s gorgeous play, about an unmoored young woman returning home to care for her father, finds a new home at Cherry Lane Theater.

‘Mother Russia’ Review: A New Play That’s as Funny as It’s Smart

A strong cast stars in Lauren Yee’s new play, part of a cycle of works about the collisions between 20th-century communism and pop culture.

‘Marcel on the Train’ Review: A Famous Mime’s Little-Known Back Story

This bio play about Marcel Marceau, which delves into his part in the French Resistance, stars Ethan Slater (yes, that’s Boq from the “Wicked” movies).

‘The Waterfall’ Review: A Mother’s Blessing and a Daughter’s Burden

Phanésia Pharel’s wistful two-hander starring Patrice Johnson Chevannes and Natalie Paul looks at a Haitian American family and questions of legacy.

Rose Byrne Can, and Does, Do It All

An Oscar nominee for a movie in which everything crashes down on her (literally), Byrne is shifting gears with the Broadway comedy “Fallen Angels.”

Vampires Won’t Die. What’s Behind Their Bite?

With “The Lost Boys” on Broadway and Cynthia Erivo in “Dracula” in London, our horror expert looks at how bloodsuckers sunk their teeth into pop culture.

Sword Strikes Playgoer During ‘Richard III’ in Berlin

The German actor Lars Eidinger lost control of the weapon in the final scene of Shakespeare’s play.

The Problem With Hot, White Heathcliff

It’s time to end the era of colorblind casting.

12 Steps and Cups of Coffee: Sobriety Has Its Moment Onstage

Plays about addiction are filling Manhattan stages this month, depicting very different places on the recovery spectrum, from harrowing to serene.

Pop Songs, Pink Confetti and Avengers: Shakespeare Returns to Broadway

The Marvel alumni Tom Hiddleston and Hayley Atwell will star in Jamie Lloyd’s mischievous take on “Much Ado About Nothing.”

David Hays, 95, Dies; Top Broadway Designer and Theater of Deaf Founder

He created sets and lighting for dozens of productions, including “Long Day’s Journey Into Night,” and established a new art form with his theater of the deaf, combining sign and spoken language.

In Cynthia Erivo’s ‘Dracula,’ There’s Mirth Amid the Horror

The “Wicked” actress plays 23 roles in a one-woman show on London’s West End.

A Downtown Vibe Comes to Broadway This Spring

Without the usual flood of new musicals, the playwrights of works like “Becky Shaw,” “Dog Day Afternoon” and “Giant” are getting a chance to shine.

What to See in New York This Spring

Onstage, “Cats: The Jellicle Ball” and Adrien Brody in “The Fear of 13.” Plus: Cardi B goes on tour, Lise Davidsen takes on Isolde at the Met, 100 years of Martha Graham and more.

‘Brokeback Mountain,’ ‘Hamnet’ and 14 More Shows to See This Spring

Across the country, a flurry of theater productions, including “Black Swan” and “The Lunchbox,” are mining the movies for material.

‘The Dinosaurs’ Review: Sobriety Seekers, Sisters in Obscurity

Kathleen Chalfant, Elizabeth Marvel, April Matthis and other actors deliver top-notch performances in a play that leaves questions unanswered.

Daniel Radcliffe Wanted a Break From Broadway. Then He Read This Play.

The Tony winner returns to the stage in “Every Brilliant Thing,” an interactive monologue with a message of hope “that might be vital for somebody to hear.”

‘The Tragedy of Coriolanus’ Swerves Off Course

Theater for a New Audience’s reimagining of the Shakespearean tragedy misses an opportunity to engage the play’s many echoes with our own tense era.

Two Icons of New York, Ready for Broadway’s ‘Jellicle Ball’

Fifty years ago, Junior LaBeija couldn’t afford to see André De Shields in “The Wiz.” Now, they’re starring together in a reimagining of “Cats.”

‘The Honey Trap’, and More Theater to Stream

Other picks include the National Theater’s “Inter Alia,” a successor to the acclaimed “Prima Facie”; Anne Gridley’s “Watch Me Walk”; and a Jodi Picoult stage adaptation.

‘Hate Radio’ and Other Transmissions From the Theater of the Real

Milo Rau’s examination of the infamous broadcast that preceded the Rwandan genocide is onstage now. Two other works, including “The Pelicot Trial,” arrive in March.

‘The Unknown’ Review: Sean Hayes Turns One Man Into a Mystery

The chameleonic actor takes on several characters in David Cale’s solo play about a writer in pursuit of his stalker. Or is it all in his mind?

‘Kramer/Fauci’ Revisits a Sparring Match During the AIDS Crisis

At the heart of Daniel Fish’s verbatim staging of a C-SPAN segment is a complex relationship, between Larry Kramer and Anthony Fauci, that “goes from ‘I hate you’ to ‘I love you’ and back.”

‘The Monsters’ Review: A Redemptive Sibling Rivalry

Ngozi Anyanwu’s searing two-hander follows a brother and sister who train in boxing, side by side.

‘The Other Place’ Review: A Psychosexual Update for a Sophocles Tragedy

In Alexander Zeldin’s naturalistic adaptation of “Antigone,” Tobias Menzies and Emma D’Arcy star as a feuding uncle and niece.

What Rhymes With Heretic? A Galileo Musical Is Broadway Bound.

The musical, called “Galileo,” will star Raúl Esparza, and is scheduled to open in December at the Shubert Theater.

Philippe Gaulier, Revered Clown and ‘Tormentor’ of Aspiring Comedians, Dies at 82

Gaulier often insulted his pupils, but many became stars, including Sacha Baron Cohen, Emma Thompson and Rachel Weisz.

They Carry a Cake Onstage, and Share Dumplings Off

Christiani Pitts and Sam Tutty, the stars of the new musical “Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York),” meet for a stroll one blustery afternoon.

Is Wallace Shawn the Only Avant-Garde Artist Who Gets Stopped in Times Square?

He’s most commonly recognized for his screen roles as a plotting hit man and an unlikely Lothario, but it’s his work as a playwright that shows more of his true self.

‘High Spirits’ Review: A Ghostly Delight From Encores!

A revival of a 1964 musical, which puts a supernatural spin on a Noël Coward play, features a starry cast: Andrea Martin, Phillipa Soo, Steven Pasquale and Katrina Lenk.

‘Moulin Rouge!’ Musical Will End Its Broadway Run This Summer

The final New York performance will be July 26, seven years after it opened; international and touring productions continue.

Hollywood Viewed Them as Maids. The Randolph Sisters’ Talent Shone Through.

Watching the dazzling Randolph sisters now offers important lessons — and delightful entertainment.

Tom Stoppard Is Gone. In ‘Arcadia,’ His Wit Still Sparkles.

A new London production of the playwright’s masterpiece has extra poignancy just months after his death.

A Stunning ‘King Lear’ That Reveals, Finally, a King in Full

Ten actors wear the crowns in Karin Coonrod’s production, which is rich with twilight revelation, at La MaMa in Manhattan.

Rethinking Shakespeare in Shanghai

A recent production of “Othello” proves that small creative flowers can grow between the dreary slabs of cultural concrete laid by the Communist Party.

Blanche Marvin, 100, Dies; Critic Was, Maybe, ‘Streetcar’ Inspiration

She was a ubiquitous presence at London theaters and claimed to have inspired the name — and final words — of Tennessee Williams’s Blanche DuBois.

The Actress Who Disappeared Twice

Libby Howes was an imposing presence onstage with the Wooster Group. But after abruptly leaving New York in 1981 she became a theater world mystery. What happened?

How a ‘Harry Potter’ Star Went From PG to B.D.S.M.

The actor Harry Melling shed his image as Harry’s cruel cousin, Dudley Dursley — and his clothes — to star in the queer romance “Pillion.”

Before a Rape Trial, a Theater Piece Passes Its Own Judgment

A new work by the director Lorraine de Sagazan looks at a high-profile case that will soon be heard in a French court.

Can a Solo Show Be Frightening? Sean Hayes Is Up for the Challenge.

In David Cale’s “The Unknown,” the actor plays 11 characters including a writer suffering the horrors of writer’s block and an unraveling mind.

Woodie King Jr., Impresario of Black Theater, Dies at 88

His New Federal Theater in New York provided a rare stage for Black playwrights and emerging actors, among them Denzel Washington, Phylicia Rashad and Chadwick Boseman.

18 Off Broadway Shows (and Some Puppets) to Defrost Your February

Sean Hayes performs a new solo thriller, Alia Shawkat leads a play revival and Ethan Slater stars as Marcel Marceau in a world premiere.

28 Things to Do in New York City in February

This month offers a Valentine’s Saturday, a Fat Tuesday and a month of Black history, plus the Harlem Globetrotters and a last call for Gumby.

The Times Needed Broadway Fans. Enter the Mincefluencers.

The New York Times Magazine gathered nearly 150 people obsessed with the musical ‘Operation Mincemeat’ for a photo shoot in Manhattan.

The Devastating Monologue That Is Leaving Audiences Spellbound

Personal history emerges by painful degrees in “Oedipus,” whose language and story, the actress Lesley Manville says, “wreck me every time.”

Roger Allers Dies at 76; Helped Put ‘Lion King’ on Screens and Onstage

A Disney fan who once “flew” off his couch as a 4-year-old Peter Pan, he was a co-director of the animated film and a co-writer of the Broadway musical, both of them megahits.

Peyton List Steps Into ‘Heathers’ for Her Off Broadway Debut

She watched the movie as a teenager, now the star of “School Spirits” and “Cobra Kai” is playing the acid-tongued queen bee Heather Chandler onstage.

28 Ways to Entertain Your Kids in New York City This Winter

Keep boredom and cabin fever at bay with hot chocolate excursions, Lunar New Year festivities and a sleepover on the Intrepid.

A Beacon of Warmth and Light: Puppets Take Chicago

Crowds are flocking to an annual festival for performances of “A Doll’s House,” a “Macbeth”-inspired witch tale and more featuring puppets big and small.

Forward-Looking Theater Festivals Turn to the Past

“Watch Me Walk,” “Ulysses” and other offerings from Under the Radar and the Exponential Festival engage with personal histories and the works of literary lions.

5 Minutes That Will Make You Love Sondheim

Judy Collins, Mandy Patinkin, Renée Fleming, Michael R. Jackson, Melissa Errico, Tony Kushner, Sherman Irby and New York Times writers and editors pick 14 songs to seal the deal.

En un país devastado por la guerra, los conciertos duran toda la noche

La vida en Birmania se trastornó hace cinco años, cuando los militares tomaron el poder. Ahora, la junta gobernante intenta proyectar una apariencia de legitimidad y normalidad.

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.