New York

POWER, CONTROL, AND WHAT LURKS BENEATH Shanley’s psychological thriller simmers with tension, even when it overreaches John Patrick Shanley digs back into power and vulnerability in The Pushover, a world premiere now at the Chain Theatre. Directed by Kirk Gostkowski, the play feels like a ring where everyone is both throwing punches and asking for…

CHEKHOV, REIMAGINED IN BEAUTIFUL CHAOS Dmitry Krymov turns a classic into a surreal theatrical hallucination There are many ways to stage Anton Chekhov. You can do it the traditional way with period furniture, carpets, painted trees, or take a turn toward symbolism, expressionism, even full-on tragicomedy. But Uncle Vanya, Scenes from Country Life at La…

A DANGEROUS STORY, TOLD FROM THE OTHER SIDE A provocative two-hander that shifts the lens onto the older man in a fraught relationship Teacher-student affairs are a classic subject of drama for novels, stage, screen, and beyond, from works like The History Boys to Parallel Lines to Notes on a Scandal. First staged in 2020…

FEAST ON THIS: BLOOD, REVENGE, AND A SHOCKINGLY GOOD TIME A ferocious, darkly funny take that makes Shakespeare’s grisliest play thrillingly alive (Back) Anthony Michael Martinez, Zack Lopez Roa, Howard W. Overshown, Blair Baker, (front) Enid Graham, Anthony Michael Lopez, Matthew Amendt, Patrick Page, and Francesca Faridany The new Titus Andronicus from Red Bull Theater makes…

SAILORS, SILLINESS, AND A SHADOW ON THE HORIZON Quirky musical comedy drifts between charm and fatigue before finding a quietly haunting final note When it comes to musical theater, writer Milo Cramer seems to have a particular affinity for sailors—think On the Town, where three sailors spend a 24-hour leave in New York City, singing…

CHEKHOV IN EXILE—AND IN REVOLT A vivid, self-reflexive journey where art, politics, and survival collide Developed by En Garde Arts prior to its premiere at La MaMa ETC in May 2025, Seagull: True Story returns in a well-deserved encore production from The Public Theater and the Mart Foundation. Created and directed by Alexander Molochnikov, the…

LOVE, LOSS, AND LOOPING PATTERNS A quirky, performance-art breakup tale that charms before it overstays its welcome Created by New Zealand’s EBKM, Karin McCracken investigates the pangs of romantic grief as both playwright and performer in the two-hander Heartbreak Hotel, now at Off-Broadway’s DR2 Theatre. Part performance art, part play, the piece begins with Karin…

A FEMINIST REFRAME Peculiar Works Project’s ambitious reimagining offers striking ideas but struggles to make its case with uneven execution Alessandra Lopez There’s an ancient folktale of a hero who arranges a proper burial for a corpse, whose spirit—the “grateful dead”—would later come to the hero’s aid. A common story passed around to emphasize the…

A HANDSOME, AMBITIOUS REVENGE MUSICAL TAKES SHAPE Strong design and performances elevate Dumas’ tale, even as tonal shifts occasionally blur its focus The York Theatre’s ambitious world premiere of the new musical Monte Cristo stages Alexandre Dumas’ revenge-driven tale of Edmond Dantès (Adam Jacobs), an innocent man wrongfully imprisoned by a corrupt system and betrayed…

GETTING OLDER NEVER SOUNDED SO GOOD A richly satisfying Maltby and Shire revue finds warmth, wit, and wisdom in growing older Lynne Wintersteller, Sally Wilfert, Allyson Kaye Daniel While it may be true that getting old (excuse me, getting older) is no picnic, a taste of that period of life is more palatable—even sweet—when accompanied…

BIGFOOT! BRINGS DOWNTOWN MUSICAL MISCHIEF UPTOWN A raunchy, campy comedy with big laughs, big fur, and a surprisingly sharp anti-capitalist bite It’s not every day downtown theater energy comes uptown; when it does, it’s almost always sanitized and robbed of the charm and authenticity that made it so deliciously twisted in the first place. Luckily,…