All stories by Jonathan Mandell on BroadwayStars

Monday, March 2, 2026

Night Side Songs Review by Jonathan Mandell

“Night Side Songs” is in part an original musical that tells the story of the terminal illness of a character named Yasmine Holly (portrayed by Brooke Ishibashi.)  But it’s also a �…

SOURCE: New York Theater at 10:07AM
Sunday, March 1, 2026

Bigfoot Review by Jonathan Mandell

Bigfoot’s mother, Francine Foot, explains how her big, kind, hairy monster came to be: “You have sex with a carnie next to a nuclear power plant, you end up with a giant son.” That’s…

SOURCE: New York Theater at 09:35PM

Puppetopia: The Magnificent Ms. Pham by Jonathan Mandell

This elaborate, tuneful puppet musical doesn’t just tell the story of the journey of Kim Pham from Vietnamese “hometown girl” riding a water buffalo to young romantic in Saigon to war …

SOURCE: New York Theater at 03:20PM
Saturday, February 28, 2026

Theater Quiz for February 2026 by Jonathan Mandell

How well were you paying attention to the New York theater news, views and reviews in the month of February? Find out with this ten-question quiz, plus a doozy of a bonus question. Loading…

SOURCE: New York Theater at 12:24PM
Friday, February 27, 2026

March 2026 New York Theater Openings by Jonathan Mandell

Below is a day-by-day calendar of selected theater opening* this month in New York, including three starry plays on Broadway: A solo turn by Daniel Radcliffe (opening March 12), a British im…

SOURCE: New York Theater at 04:18PM
Thursday, February 26, 2026

Chinese Republicans Review by Jonathan Mandell

The four power-suited Chinese-American women who work at the same Wall Street bank meet every third Tuesday for lunch at Golden Unicorn in what they call an affinity group. But it doesn’t …

SOURCE: New York Theater at 08:52PM
Wednesday, February 25, 2026

“The scale of the corruption is unprecedented” Democratic Response to the 2026 State of the Union video and transcript by Jonathan Mandell

“Is the president working to make life more affordable for you and your family?” Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger asked in her 12-minute Democratic response to President Trump’s 10…

SOURCE: New York Theater at 04:17AM
Tuesday, February 24, 2026

The Reservoir Review by Jonathan Mandell

Early on in Jake Brasch’s comedy about an alcoholic helped to sobriety by his grandparents, Josh (Noah Galvin), recovering from his latest full-on bender (blacked out, 11 stitches), is com…

SOURCE: New York Theater at 09:15PM
Monday, February 23, 2026

Mother Russia Review by Jonathan Mandell

Near the beginning of Lauren Yee’s dark farce set in Russia after the collapse of Communism,  Evgeny (Adam Chanler-Berat) reunites with his old friend Dmitri (Steven Boyer), reminiscing …

SOURCE: New York Theater at 10:27PM

Snow Day on the Great White Way. #Stageworthy News by Jonathan Mandell

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 fro…

SOURCE: New York Theater at 08:21AM

Marcel on the Train Review by Jonathan Mandell

It’s easy to see how the dynamic physical performer Ethan Slater, Broadway’s SpongeBob and Hollywood’s Boq, would be drawn to the irresistible true story of the world’s most famous…

SOURCE: New York Theater at 01:11AM
Sunday, February 22, 2026

You Got Older Review by Jonathan Mandell

Mae is awkward and messy, and so is the play she is in, a revival that is the second theatrical production at the Cherry Lane Theater under its new owners, the A24 movie studio.  Portrayed …

SOURCE: New York Theater at 12:03PM
Saturday, February 21, 2026

Teatro Fest 2026 by Jonathan Mandell

TeatroFest 2026, a citywide festival of twenty-four productions by the ten member theaters of the Alliance of Teatros Latinos NY , launches February 27 with a free Spring Preview at the New …

SOURCE: New York Theater at 09:09PM
Friday, February 20, 2026

Puppetopia: Parched and Ruby & Charlie by Jonathan Mandell

“Ruby & Charlie,” one of the three works of puppetry at the fifth annual Puppetopia festival presented at HERE,  uses the music of Ray Charles, played by a live band, to chronicl…

SOURCE: New York Theater at 03:02PM
Thursday, February 19, 2026

The 5 Oscar Nominated Documentary Shorts by Jonathan Mandell

A day in an abortion clinic; children killed in Gaza; children killed in school shootings in America; the life and death of a war photojournalist; donkeys in the desert.  These are the sub…

SOURCE: New York Theater at 03:53PM

Watch The 5 Oscar Nominated Animated Shorts by Jonathan Mandell

Alfred Nakache, a swimmer of Algerian Jewish descent who competed for France in the Olympics both before and after he was sent to Auschwitz, might seem an unlikely subject for an animated fi…

SOURCE: New York Theater at 08:57AM
Wednesday, February 18, 2026

The 5 Oscar Nominated Live Action Short Films by Jonathan Mandell

A France in which kissing gets the death penalty; a Palestinian butcher accused by his Israeli co-workers; a spoof of Jane Austin. These are among the five Live Action Short Films nominated …

SOURCE: New York Theater at 01:37PM
Tuesday, February 17, 2026

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

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 o…

SOURCE: New York Theater at 08:11AM
Monday, February 16, 2026

The Dinosaurs Review by Jonathan Mandell

In the middle of the Saturday Survivors weekly recovery meeting that is the heart of Jacob Perkins’ play, Elizabeth Marvel as Joan introduces herself, announces that she is an alcoholic, a…

SOURCE: New York Theater at 09:00PM

Presidents on Broadway by Jonathan Mandell

Only four of the 45 presidents of the United States were born in February, but they include the two most revered, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, who are also the two most frequently …

SOURCE: New York Theater at 09:03AM
Sunday, February 15, 2026

Twelve Minor Prophets Review by Jonathan Mandell

“Twelve Minor Prophets” might sound like a Hebrew School pageant, since it’s an educational and playful stage adaptation based on the last twelve books of the Old Testament. But the pl…

SOURCE: New York Theater at 06:18PM
Saturday, February 14, 2026

On Valentine’s Day 2026, What Broadway Says About Love by Jonathan Mandell

The characters of many of the currently running Broadway shows weigh in on this most nettlesome and sustaining of emotions. A sample below: From & Juliet: Francois: I just proposed to …

SOURCE: New York Theater at 08:41AM
Friday, February 13, 2026

Theater Superstitions on Friday the 13th by Jonathan Mandell

Why are actors told to break a leg? Why is Macbeth called The Scottish Play inside a theater? Why can’t you whistle in a theater? What is the ghost light all about? In honor of Friday the …

SOURCE: New York Theater at 11:00AM
Thursday, February 12, 2026

The Unknown Review. Sean Hayes, Stalked by Jonathan Mandell

WTF? That is how Sean Hayes as Elliott reacts at a startling moment in this 75-minute solo play, and how Hayes as Larry, Elliot’s best friend, reacts to Elliott’s increasingly obsessive …

SOURCE: New York Theater at 10:47PM
Wednesday, February 11, 2026

The Other Place Review by Jonathan Mandell

Theatergoers may identify with Anne (Emma D’Arcy) if they have had to deal with a family member during a crisis who showed no interest in collaboration or compromise, only wanting to be in…

SOURCE: New York Theater at 09:00PM

The Monsters Review by Jonathan Mandell

By the time that Big and Lil are lunging at one another with all the brutal skills they’ve developed as mixed martial arts fighters, we already realize they aren’t monsters at all. They …

SOURCE: New York Theater at 08:50PM
Tuesday, February 10, 2026

Timothée Chalamet’s Off-Broadway Debut by Jonathan Mandell

When Timothée Chalamet made his Off-Broadway debut exactly a decade ago, as a troubled Bronx teenager in John Patrick Shanley’s “Prodigal Son,” I compared him to a young Marlon Brando…

SOURCE: New York Theater at 12:26AM
Monday, February 9, 2026

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

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 fig…

SOURCE: New York Theater at 10:28AM
Sunday, February 8, 2026

Super Bowl LX: Bad Bunny, Lady Gaga, Brandi Carlile, Green Day, Sabrina Carpenter by Jonathan Mandell

It was not necessarily the most exciting football game for many people watching (it did pick up in the fourth quarter), but Super Bowl LX was more than football. Brandi Carlile sang the nati…

SOURCE: New York Theater at 11:47PM
Saturday, February 7, 2026

Gooey’s Toxic Aquatic Adventure Review by Jonathan Mandell

The artist known as La Daniella portrays Gooey, who is billed as “an orphaned sorta mermaid” and dressed in what looks like a fishnet with dredged up detritus from the sea. Her costume l…

SOURCE: New York Theater at 10:51PM
Friday, February 6, 2026

A Look at Black Broadway, 1820 – 2026 by Jonathan Mandell

For every well-known showcase of Black Broadway – “Porgy and Bess,” 1935; “A Raisin in the Sun” 1959; last year’s “Purpose,” winner of both the Tony and Pulitzer — there ar…

SOURCE: New York Theater at 03:14PM

All that Chat

2025-2026 BROADWAY SEASON
Jun 12, 2025: Call Me Izzy - Studio 54
Sep 16, 2025: Art - Music Box Theatre
Oct 08, 2025: Beetlejuice - Palace Theatre
Nov 13, 2025: Oedipus - Studio 54
Nov 16, 2025: Chess - Imperial Theatre
Mar 23, 2026: Giant - Music Box Theatre
Apr 06, 2026: Becky Shaw - Hayes Theater
Apr 16, 2026: Proof - Booth Theatre
Apr 26, 2026: Drama Desk Cut-Off