#Stageworthy

Proof, Fear, Fallen Angels on Broadway. #Stageworthy News of the Week. Escape or engage? That seems to be the choice in the shows that opened in the past week: You could spend time in an elegant English drawing room or on Death Row. It's more or less the choice that continues this week among the six (!) shows -- two plays, four musicals -- that are opening on Broadway through April 26, finishing up the Broadway 2025-2026 season. Below: This season's Broadway reading list, current theater trends, a glimpse at next season (Billy Crystal's new one-man show, Roundabout's Broadway and Off-Broadway plays and musicals PAC NYC's theater offerings), videos of the Olivier Awards, and a Sunday Morning interview with Don Cheadle and Ayo Edebiri of Proof.

Proof, Fear, Fallen Angels on Broadway. #Stageworthy News of the Week.

Escape or engage? That seems to be the choice in the shows that opened in the past week: You could spend time in an elegant English drawing room or on Death Row. It's more or less the choice that continues this week among the…

Broadway Revisits Cats, Death of A Salesman, Titanique, Becky Shaw. #Stageworthy News of the Week The four shows that opened on Broadway this past week were already familiar to New York theatergoers. Two are revivals; the other two ran Off Broadway. Is this familiarity evidence of producer caution in a challenging economic environment?  Even if so, the new productions of “Cats,” one of the longest running musicals on Broadway, and “Death of a Salesman,” make some bold new choices. The four shows that opened on Broadway this past week were already familiar to New York theatergoers. Two are revivals; the other two ran Off Broadway. Is this familiarity evidence of producer caution in a challenging economic environment?  

Broadway Revisits Cats, Death of A Salesman, Titanique, Becky Shaw. #Stageworthy News of the Week

The four shows that opened on Broadway this past week were already familiar to New York theatergoers. Two are revivals; the other two ran Off Broadway. Is this familiarity evidence of producer caution…

Must Broadway be so expensive? Mariska Hargitay replacing Daniel Radcliffe. RIP Mary Beth Hurt. #Stageworthy News of the Week The high ticket prices on Broadway are an annual and perennial outrage, but maybe more galling as the season wraps up. The hottest ticket on Broadway last week sold for $975. The hottest one in London? The equivalent of $350.  Why Are Theater Tickets So Much Cheaper in London Than New York? The New York Times asked in an article posted on World Theater Day, and answered: "Production costs are significantly lower in London — for everything from actors’ salaries to the cost of wood used to build sets.” So much so that  British producer Cameron Mackintosh, who has produced 19 shows on Broadway (including Tony winners Cats, Les Miz, Phantom, Carousel)  tells the Times he’s staying in London.

Must Broadway be so expensive? Mariska Hargitay replacing Daniel Radcliffe. RIP Mary Beth Hurt. #Stageworthy News of the Week

The high ticket prices on Broadway are an annual and perennial outrage, but maybe more galling as the season wraps up. The hottest ticket on Broadway last week sold for…

Jasmine Amy Rogers, Celia Keenan-Bolger, Anthony Rapp back on stage. Sondheim at 96. Theater on TV. #Stageworthy News of the Week As the Broadway season begins its five final (and busiest) weeks, it’s bracing to learn that live events are booming nationally – all except theater.  People “are spending real money to be in rooms together” for live comedy, concerts, sports. “The audience isn’t gone; it’s just going somewhere else,” Broadway playwright Ayad Akhtar said  in a keynote speech at a national summit in Milwaukee.  The summit focused on regional not-for-profit theaters, which have seen attendance fall by 20 percent and income by 40 percent from 2023 to 2024, but Akhtar’s remarks  feel deeply relevant to New York theater of all kinds.

Jasmine Amy Rogers, Celia Keenan-Bolger, Anthony Rapp back on stage. Sondheim at 96. Theater on TV. #Stageworthy News of the Week

As the Broadway season begins its five final (and busiest) weeks, it’s bracing to learn that live events are booming nationally – all except theater.  People “are…

Broadway at the Oscars. Brilliant, Burnout, Bughouse, Trash on Stage. #Stageworthy News of the Week Theater lovers can point to Oscar wins for Broadway veterans Sean Penn and Amy Madigan, and the moving tributes by Broadway veterans to Broadway veterans: Billy Crystal on Rob Reiner, Rachel McAdams on Diane Keaton, Barbra "Babs" Streisand on Robert Redford. But there were more hidden Broadway connections at the 98th Academy Awareds: Paul Thomas Anderson, director of the night’s big winner,  “One Battle After Another,” has four children with his long-time partner Maya Rudolph, who next month will make her Broadway debut. That may sound like a stretch, especially since that film is among the least likely to be adapted into a play or musical (

Broadway at the Oscars. Brilliant, Burnout, Bughouse, Trash on Stage. #Stageworthy News of the Week

Theater lovers can point to Oscar wins for Broadway veterans Sean Penn and Amy Madigan, and the moving tributes by Broadway veterans to Broadway veterans: Billy Crystal on Rob Reiner, Rachel McAdams…

Tika McLean is Building Community in Art and Every Day This week on Stageworthy, Phil Rickaby is joined by the vibrant and multifaceted Tika McLean. In a conversation that is as funny as it is profound, Tika reflects on her journey from a self-described "shy kid" who once froze during a church solo to becoming a bold, multidisciplinary artist who uses her voice to challenge the status quo.

🎭 "I’m not performing heart surgery... I’m your emotional temporary bandage."

This week, Tika McLean joins #Stageworthy to talk about art as activism, navigating the stage with chronic pain, and her new EP 'Koreaboo, Black Girl Hero.' 🎨🎶

#Stageworthy News, Jonathan Groff edition Jonathan Groff, “matinee idol” (Ben Brantley in the NY Times), heartthrob (Deadline) Broadway conqueror (Town&Country), will perform in a play by William Shakespeare for the first time, which is ostensibly the reason for the rapturous attention. But I think there’s another reason. Yes, it’s an unusual production: He will play Rosalind in Royal Shakespeare Company’s all-male production of As You Like It , but it’s in England in September. In the foreword to a newly published book by his friend and former co-star Lindsay Mendez (see review below), Groff writes: “I love and have always loved doing theater wherever I can – in the middle school play, in a community theater production, in a casino at Christmas while performing on a tour of The Sound of Music, or center stage in a Broadway show.

#Stageworthy News, Jonathan Groff edition

Jonathan Groff, “matinee idol” (Ben Brantley in the NY Times), heartthrob (Deadline) Broadway conqueror (Town&Country), will perform in a play by William Shakespeare for the first time, which is ostensibly the reason for the rapturous attention. But I…

Off Broadway Rules! #Stageworthy News of the Week February ended with a bang, and not just overseas. There were some heavy shows Off Broadway. The six I reviewed just this week are full of sickness and sexism, personal betrayals and public denunciation...And these are almost all comedies! NYC Off Broadway Week continues ro4 ten more days. But March madness will soon take over, in more ways than one. March 2026 New York Theater Openings Theater Quiz for February 2026

Off Broadway Rules! #Stageworthy News of the Week

February ended with a bang, and not just overseas. There were some heavy shows Off Broadway. The six I reviewed just this week are full of sickness and sexism, personal betrayals and public denunciation...And these are almost all comedies! NYC Off…

Snow Day on the Great White Way. #Stageworthy News For the first time in a decade, a blizzard canceled all of Broadway. The Broadway League announced the cancelation of all performances Sunday evening "due to anticipated travel impacts from the impending blizzard and evening travel bans already announced for our surrounding areas." This was in contrast to last month's major snowstorm, when ten shows decided on their own to cancel but most remained open. Operation Mincemeat canceled what was scheduled to be the final performance of its original Broadway cast, and instead live-streamed it on Instagram

Snow Day on the Great White Way. #Stageworthy News

For the first time in a decade, a blizzard canceled all of Broadway. The Broadway League announced the cancelation of all performances Sunday evening "due to anticipated travel impacts from the impending blizzard and evening travel bans already…

Family Trauma on Stage. Robert Duvall (1931-2026). #Stageworthy News February is usually the peak month for SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder), but it’s still striking that four of the five plays I reviewed this past week involve family trauma. Three do offer some hope at least. February is also marked with holidays and anniversaries: Below are takes on Friday the 13th, Valentine’s Day and Presidents Day through a Broadway prism, and the tenth anniversary of Timothée Chalamet’s Off-Broadway debut. Also below: News of the Broadway return of Raul Esparza, and a new musical by Lynn Nottage, as well as new casts of Broadway shows, which should cheer people up.

Family Trauma on Stage. Robert Duvall (1931-2026). #Stageworthy News

February is usually the peak month for SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder), but it’s still striking that four of the five plays I reviewed this past week involve family trauma. Three do offer some hope at least. February is also…

Theater as Resistance. Moulin Rouge closing. Outsiders new cast. #Stageworthy News of the Week. Two of the three shows I reviewed this past week felt like implicit acts of resistance to currently encroaching authoritarian rule. One was modeled on a play by Brecht that he wrote to fight against fascism in Germany, the second focused on a true story from that era of uniformed thugs attacking migrants and claiming self-defense; the connection to recent events was unavoidable, and chilling. Some theater is more explicitly engaged in protest against the Trump administration, as Mallory Carra recounts in The Guardian (“All the world’s enraged: a new era of ‘resistance theater’ is rising as Trump attacks the arts”

Theater as Resistance. Moulin Rouge closing. Outsiders new cast. #Stageworthy News of the Week.

Two of the three shows I reviewed this past week felt like implicit acts of resistance to currently encroaching authoritarian rule. One was modeled on a play by Brecht that he wrote to fight against…

Theater celebrates (Obies, Grammys) and protests! #Stageworthy News of the Week "Buena Vista Social Club" won the Grammy for best musical theater album, Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande won for Best Pop Duo/Group Performances. Nazareth Hassan's "Bowl EP," Carmelita Tropicana and Whitney White were among the Obie winners. Three annual theater awards, including the Tonys, announced their timelines for the year. There is much to celebrate in theater, including a whole new month of exciting shows opening on New York stages: February 2026 New York Theater Openings But the new month also begins in protest. See the video below of the entire eight hours of "The People's Filibuster," a starry procession on the steps of the Public Theater ,"in solidarity with our neighbors in Minnesota and across the country who are angry and grieving…" …

Theater celebrates (Obies, Grammys) and protests! #Stageworthy News of the Week

"Buena Vista Social Club" won the Grammy for best musical theater album, Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande won for Best Pop Duo/Group Performances. Nazareth Hassan's "Bowl EP," Carmelita Tropicana and Whitney White were…

Broadway at the Oscars, in the Snow, at BroadwayCon. Sir Ian on the Edge. #Stageworthy News A record-breaking 11.4 inches of snow reportedly fell on Central Park on Sunday, and the shows went on -- mostly: Ten of the 31 shows currently running on Broadway did cancel. A storm warning remains in effect Monday morning, nly four Broadway shows are scheduled for Monday performances (the others are normally dark on Mondays), and none have yet canceled their performances, but check their websites: Chicago, The Great Gatsby, Maybe Happy Ending, Six, They may not just be open for business but offer a #SnowDayDiscount. Check out my…

Broadway at the Oscars, in the Snow, at BroadwayCon. Sir Ian on the Edge. #Stageworthy News

A record-breaking 11.4 inches of snow reportedly fell on Central Park on Sunday, and the shows went on -- mostly: Ten of the 31 shows currently running on Broadway did cancel. A storm warning remains in…

Broadway Week. Fascist Year. #Stageworthy News Last week was full of theater news, and politics. Hell's Kitchen is closing; Darren Criss is leaving; Adrien Brody is making his Broadway debut. Dylvan Mulvaney is joining the cast of "Six."; Broadway Week begins today. Today also marks the anniversary of the presidential inauguration ("One Year of Trump. The Time to Act Is Now While We Still Can.") Theater can't always escape politics -- see below for the story about a canceled show in the Under the Radar festival. Given what's happening in America, should theatergoers even try to?

Broadway Week. Fascist Year. #Stageworthy News

Last week was full of theater news, and politics. Hell's Kitchen is closing; Darren Criss is leaving; Adrien Brody is making his Broadway debut. Dylvan Mulvaney is joining the cast of "Six."; Broadway Week begins today. Today also marks the…

Mamdani: Free tickets are just the beginning. APAP: “Outrage is not a strategy.” #Stageworthy News At a press conference on Friday announcing 1,500 free tickets to the Under the Radar Festival, Mayor Zohran Mamdani said: “This is just one example of an agenda and an approach that we are going to take to ensure that arts are not simply thought of as a luxury for the wealthy or a treat for the tourists. Arts have to be something that are infused in the lives of everyday New Yorkers. We know that for too long it has felt as if a world away. There are people just a few blocks away for whom this festival was something they hadn't heard of until this announcement was made. 

Mamdani: Free tickets are just the beginning. APAP: “Outrage is not a strategy.” #Stageworthy News

At a press conference on Friday announcing 1,500 free tickets to the Under the Radar Festival, Mayor Zohran Mamdani said: “This is just one example of an agenda and an approach that we are going to…

Broadway Picks for 2026? Theater Survives 2025. #Stageworthy News “We expect greatness from the cooks wielding a thousand spices, from those who stride out onto our Broadway stages, and from our starting point guard at Madison Square Garden. Let us demand the same from those who work in government.” – NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani inaugural address. Will Broadway be great in 2026? It's one of the questions as the year begins. Broadway Poll: Spring 2026 Show You Most Want To See? 10 Questions About Theater in 20261. Will the affordability agenda extend to the theater?2. How will Broadway be shaped by the high costs of putting on a show?

Broadway Picks for 2026? Theater Survives 2025. #Stageworthy News

“We expect greatness from the cooks wielding a thousand spices, from those who stride out onto our Broadway stages, and from our starting point guard at Madison Square Garden. Let us demand the same from those who work in…

The Year in Theater: The Moments, Stories, Books, Lost Lives of 2025. #Stageworthy News How DO you measure a year? New York theater lovers do so in shows, sure (Top 10 Critics' Lists (+ 6) of Top 10 NYC Theater),but not in shows alone. Clockwise from top left: a moment from Masquerade, destruction of (and from) the White House, Tom Stoppard 1937-2025, Theater Kid: A Broadway Memoir by Jeffrey Seller

The Year in Theater: The Moments, Stories, Books, Lost Lives of 2025. #Stageworthy News

How DO you measure a year? New York theater lovers do so in shows, sure (Top 10 Critics' Lists (+ 6) of Top 10 NYC Theater),but not in shows alone. Clockwise from top left: a moment from Masquerade, destruction…

A week of Julio and Henrik, Eisa and Elphaba #Stageworthy “And I am telling you I’m not going…” That’s the best-known lyric from “Dreamgirls,” which will return to Broadway in the fall of 2026, but it’s being sung right now Off-Broadway in a funny, pointed moment in one of the six shows I reviewed last week, all but one of them likely to get less attention than a newly announced Broadway revival of a 45-year-old show opening a year from now. Don’t misunderstand: I embrace familiar old shows – I just reviewed one that’s been running for 22 years (that would be “Wicked.”) And “Dreamgirls,” which was one of the musicals directed and choreographed by Michael Bennett, who had already gained legendary status for “A Chorus Line,” will be directed and choreographed by Camille A.

A week of Julio and Henrik, Eisa and Elphaba #Stageworthy

“And I am telling you I’m not going…” That’s the best-known lyric from “Dreamgirls,” which will return to Broadway in the fall of 2026, but it’s being sung right now Off-Broadway in a funny, pointed moment in one of the six shows I reviewed…

#Stageworthy News from NYC and Edinburgh: Liberation on Broadway. The Bengsons in Scotland. Gay Princes in Both. I’ll start with the two shows about gay royals, both featuring unmentionable titles and intimate kisses. One,  by Jordan Tannahill, ended its run at Playwrights Horizons over the weekend, but announced today it will be transferring to Studio Seaview for a run from September 11 to October 26. The other began its run over the weekend as part of the 2025 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, written and performed by Linus Karp and Joseph Martin (best known in New York for Gwyneth Goes Skiing); the couple announced they will be married on stage later this month, which they believe “will be the first legal wedding with a paying audience in the festival’s 78-year history.”

#Stageworthy News from NYC and Edinburgh: Liberation on Broadway. The Bengsons in Scotland. Gay Princes in Both.

I’ll start with the two shows about gay royals, both featuring unmentionable titles and intimate kisses. One,  by Jordan Tannahill, ended its run at Playwrights Horizons over the…

#TonyAwards highlights, including some great acceptance speeches, some that didn't make it to Prime Time, and videos of all the nominated musicals
Plus other things that happened last week that were #Stageworthy
newyorktheater.me/2025/06/09/t...

2024 in Stage Moments, Broadway Backstage Stories, Theater Books, and In Memoriam. #Stageworthy News How DO you measure a year? Yes, in laughter and strife, and also in nightlife. (New Year’s Eve in NYC Last Minute Guide to Greeting 2025) Theater lovers measure the year in shows, sure (see new Top 10 lists from critics below), but not shows alone.

2024 in Stage Moments, Broadway Backstage Stories, Theater Books, and In Memoriam. #Stageworthy News

How DO you measure a year? Yes, in laughter and strife, and also in nightlife. (New Year’s Eve in NYC Last Minute Guide to Greeting 2025) Theater lovers measure the year in shows, sure (see new Top…