Theater

Highlights

In ‘Life and Trust,’ the Details Are in the Devil
A new immersive piece of theater from the producers of “Sleep No More” transports visitors to the Gilded Age through a retrofitted skyscraper in Manhattan.
By Alexis Soloski and Hiroko Masuike
Credit
Critic’s Pick
Review: What Makes ‘Oh, Mary!’ One of the Best Summer Comedies in Years
Cole Escola’s dragtastic White House farce asks the immortal question: Besides that, Mrs. Lincoln, how did you like the play?
By Jesse Green
CreditSara Krulwich/The New York Times
1. Melding 3 Ancient Versions of the Ultimate Greek Tragedy
  At the Salzburg Festival, a new adaptation of “The Oresteia” will put a classic story of war, democracy and revenge into a modern context.
  By David Belcher
  CreditArmin Smailovic
2. ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ Review: Sprinkling Magic Under a Night Sky
  Fun is the main point of Carl Cofield’s stylish outdoor staging of Shakespeare’s comic fantasy for the Classical Theater of Harlem.
  By Laura Collins-Hughes
  CreditRichard Termine

The Five Women Who Started a Secret Theater Society
Years before they ascended to influential leadership roles, they worked at the Public Theater and became cheerleaders for each other’s professional dreams.
By Peter Marks
CreditYe Fan for The New York Times
2 Russians Found Guilty of ‘Justifying Terrorism’ in Their Play About ISIS
A theater director and playwright were sentenced to prison, a stark indication of the increasing suppression of free speech since Russia’s attack on Ukraine, their lawyers and critics say.
By Valerie Hopkins
CreditAlexander Zemlianichenko/Associated Press
A Red-Carpet Star Is Born
Cole Escola is dressing the part of fashion plate after achieving a new level of fame with the play “Oh, Mary!”
By Christopher Barnard
CreditYael Malka for The New York Times
At Avignon Festival, Theater’s World Gets Wider
Under its new director, the event is shining a spotlight on countries and performers rarely represented on the biggest European stages.
By Laura Cappelle
CreditChristophe Raynaud de Lage/Festival d'Avignon
Critic’s Notebook
15 Summer Theaters for That Nearby, Out-of-Town Experience
Easygoing days of drama and comedy are just a few hours away (or even closer) in New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts.
By Jesse Green
CreditJeremy Daniel
Critic’s Notebook

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Do You Know These Movies Based on Shakespeare’s Plays?
Try this short quiz on modern films that drew their inspiration from classic works written for the stage hundreds of years ago.
By J. D. Biersdorfer
A Queer Mountain Lion Leaps From the Page to the Little Island Stage
Henry Hoke’s 2023 novel, “Open Throat,” narrated by an animal in peril in the Hollywood Hills, is adapted for a staged reading.
By Juan A. Ramírez
Critic’s Notebook
Resisting the Far Right at a Festival of French Theater
Tiago Rodrigues said the Avignon Festival, which he leads, would become “a festival of resistance,” juggling activism with the premiere of a new play.
By Laura Cappelle
Shay Youngblood, Influential Author and Playwright, Dies at 64
She wrote memorably about her upbringing by a circle of maternal elders and the life lessons they imparted, and of her yearning for the mother she lost.
By Penelope Green
‘Starlight Express’ Review: The Gravy Train Rolls On
Nostalgia will undoubtedly lure many to a London revival of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical. It has more in common with a theme park than with theater, our critic writes.
By Houman Barekat
Review: ‘Dämon: El Funeral de Bergman’ Brings Electricity to Avignon
The Spanish director and performer Angélica Liddell elicited a standing ovation at the Avignon Festival in spite of her attacks on critics.
By Laura Cappelle
Brooke Shields Has Worn Many Hats. Now She’s a Labor Boss.
The model-turned-actress-turned-businesswoman is the new president of Actors’ Equity. In an interview, she explained what she’s doing there.
By Michael Paulson
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Critic’s Notebook
Where Can Sondheim’s Operatic Musicals Find a Home?
Jonathan Tunick, Stephen Sondheim’s longtime collaborator, unveiled a grand orchestration of “A Little Night Music” that deserves more than a concert.
By Joshua Barone
Experimental Films Fuel ‘Slave Play’ Documentary
The playwright Jeremy O. Harris’s “Slave Play. Not a Movie. A Play.” wears its intellectual references on its sleeve.
By Annie Aguiar
‘N/A’ Review: For Nancy Pelosi and A.O.C., It’s a House Divided
Is moral leadership possible without parliamentary power? Two very familiar congresswomen battle it out onstage.
By Jesse Green