LET’S DO THE TIME WARP AGAIN AND AGAIN A high-energy revival proves this cult classic still knows how to party Unless you grew up in a monastery, had a severely conservative upbringing, or…
ICE FISHING, MALE BONDING, AND ONE VERY TALKATIVE FISH An uproarious and unexpectedly poignant Midwest comedy that finds connection in the unlikeliest of places. “There are only two or thr…
HOLD YOUR HORSES A provocative subject that proves hard to recommend—and harder to ignore Olivia Dufault’s For Want of a Horse tackles a subject most plays wouldn’t dare touch—and to…
A HYMN WITHOUT THE HALLELUJAH A polished, well-acted drama that never quite ignites Hymn by playwright Lolita Chakrabarti is a well-crafted piece, with detailed characters and dialogue that …
DON’T BLAME MILLENNIALS: MILLENNIALS ARE KILLING MUSICALS IS KILLING MUSICALS (OR, WHEN SATIRE EATS ITSELF) An exhausting, vulgar, and unfocused musical that mistakes noise for insight and…
Audiences usually experience productions only in their finished form. Films, television projects, live events, and commercial productions appear polished and seamless once released, which ma…
OUT OF THE CLOSET, INTO THE FIRE A messy, ambitious new musical about divorce lands more as play than score— but still entertains Court Theatre closes out its 2025/2026 season with Out Her…
Ask anyone to talk about the greatest Oscars snubs in history, and you’ll likely get a long litany of grievances. There’s Alfred Hitchcock, five times nominated but never picking up a Be…
PANDORA GOES DIGITAL A visually striking ballet where myth, machines, and modern anxiety collide San Francisco Ballet closes out its 2025–2026 season with Mere Mortals, a contemporary ball…
THE KISS OF DEATH A drama overloaded with “dots” that just don’t connect The Ruskin Group Theatre’s production of Stephen Fife’s Blue Kiss starts off with promise. Todd (Casey Morr…
A NICE JEWISH BOY— OR IS HE? Plenty of laughs and genuine feeling power this crowd-pleasing production Sarah Goldman is a young Jewish Chicago teacher in the late 1900s. Her boyfriend is a…
TOO MANY HANDS ON DECK An inventive but overstuffed adaptation floods the narrative The world premiere of DNAWorks‘ adaptation of Joseph Conrad’s “The Secret Sharer,” directed by Dan…
STOP SIGNS AND SOCIAL SIGNALS Sharp, humane, and richly acted, this new comedy lands with both wit and weight In The Balusters, playwright David Lindsay-Abaire once again proves himself a ma…
THIS SHOW BUGS ME A Southern Gothic that hints at something deeper but never quite gets there For all its promise, Cockroaches, the 2024 Del Shores Foundation Best Play winner by Emma Schill…
FIDDLER, DEVIL, AND A DEAL GONE WRONG Beautifully realized, with narration and music in sync—The Soldier’s Tale is devilishly surprising, if a bit abrupt at the finish Igor Stravinsky co…
FINDING YOUR SONG Debbie Allen’s revival honors Wilson’s depth with a richly realized production The Barrymore Theatre’s revival of August Wilson’s Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, dire…
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE SHOW CAN’T GO ON Spotlight on Safety: Why Stage Managers Are Getting Certified Live performances are entirely unpredictable. While stage managers constantly prepare f…
TRAUMA, TRUTH, AND THE STORIES WE SELL A taut psychological thriller that cuts deep and lingers “Look at this place. Just how rich did our trauma make you?” Of all the devastating zinger…
ICE, LOVE, AND LOOP PEDALS A technically dazzling two-hander that charms with ingenuity Coachella Valley Repertory closes its season with the inventive two-hander Ernest Shackleton Loves Me,…
CRITICISM VS CONFESSION When analysis starts to look like refusal Editor’s note: Jesse Green was reassigned from his role as chief theatre critic at The New York Times in 2025 and now serv…
FENCED IN AND LASHING OUT A powerful touring revival of August Wilson’s enduring drama The Old Globe Theatre is presenting August Wilson’s 1987 drama Fences, part of his cycle of plays a…
I LOVE THE NIGHTLIFE A high-energy 80s mixtape that actually leaves you wanting more For The Record has built a reputation on remixing cinematic nostalgia into immersive, high-octane theatri…
A GEM FINDS ITS VOICE A charming, rarely staged Orff opera gets a smart, scrappy revival Did you know that composer Carl Orff wrote more than Carmina Burana? It’s true. While most audience…
Visual identity is one of the most powerful tools in theatre and film. Before a character speaks a single line, audiences begin forming impressions based on appearance, styling, and visual c…
THE COST OF LOOKING BACK With a soaring first act, I’m willing to pay the price for a second that can’t quite keep up Arthur Miller’s The Price has always been a talky, introspective p…