The Winter’s Tale opens at the Delacorte this week. Daniel Sullivan is directing, Raúl Esparza as Leontes and my long-time favourite, Lily Rabe as Hermione. And it’s free!! And outside!!! There are a few tricky ways to get tickets, so check the website for instructions.

Tin Pan Alley is on at the delightful Little Island, with a five-night run (Aug 12–16). Featuring Cécile McLorin Salvant “curating and performing a week revealing the surprising edges of the popular 20th century hit factory, Tin Pan Alley,” with guests such as Tony winner Lilias White and singer Mikaela Bennett joining her. Just $25.

Real Estate at The Brick closes August 15; Isa Spector's play about two men navigating love through movement and physical theater. Definitely worth catching before it's gone. And benevolent opens this week at IATI Theater: Sophie McIntosh's play about four women stuck on laundry duty at a 1917 reformatory, directed by Nina Goodheart. Helen Shaw called Good Apples Collective "exciting voices in the body-horror / youth-disaffection space." I’m into the prevalence of body-horror in the culture right now. Seems appropriate for the times.

Week of August 10, 2026

59E59 Theaters Hershey Felder: The Piano and Me (through August 23)

59E59 Theaters The Vessel (through August 30)

Artists Space Abasement #89 (August 10)

Cherry Lane Theatre Shifters (through September 13)

Greenwich House Theater Matchbook Fest (through August 21)

IATI Theater benevolent (begins August 14, through September 5)

Joe’s Pub Michael R. Jackson: Wakeup Call (August 16)

Joe’s Pub Yasser Tejeda (August 14)

La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club The Pass (through September 4)

Little Island Tin Pan Alley (August 12 – 16)

Lucille Lortel Theatre Broad Strokes (through September 25)

Signature Theatre An American Daughter (through September 20)

Soho Playhouse We’ve Been Here Before (through August 17)

The Brick Real Estate (through August 15)

The Clemente International Puppet Fringe Festival NYC (August 12 – 16)

The Public Theater / Delacorte Theater The Winter’s Tale (opens August 11, through August 22)

The Tank Lilith (through August 22)

WP Theater Isla (through August 29)

A bit about the listings:

• The events are listed in alphabetical order of theatres. When a show is listed as “through” a certain date, the show has already opened.

• For venues with rotating programming, I’ve only highlighted certain shows and there’s usually a lot more happening. Check the full lineups on their websites.

• I’ve done my best to get everything right, but details can change. Always double-check the official event page for the latest times, dates, and any updates.

• If you’d like to submit a show to be added to Playtime email playtime@substack.com

Subscribe now

Share

This is the final week for clinamen at the Park Avenue Armory (through August 9). Catch Céleste Boursier-Mougenot’s floating ceramic bowls on water, endlessly shifting with ambient chiming before it closes. Also, Shelf Life has one more performance on August 6th, and it’s in a supermarket in Brooklyn. It sounds exceedingly zany, but it could also be totally life-changing.

Woyzeck at Modern Sweater in Ridgewood closes August 15th, and it’s being lauded as one of the most inventive off-Broadway shows of the summer. Woyzeck is Georg Büchner's portrait of class conflict and madness as a horror story through a humanist lens. He didn’t complete it before he died in 1837, which makes this production all the more interesting. Inspiring that you could still get your unfinished work produced posthumously 189 years later.

Week of August 3, 2026

59E59 Theaters Hershey Felder: The Piano and Me (through August 23)

59E59 Theaters Sukkot (through August 9)

59E59 Theaters The Vessel (through August 23)

Atlantic Theater Company / Linda Gross Theater The Saviors (through August 15)

The Brick Real Estate (through August 15)

Cherry Lane Theatre Shifters (through September 13)

Horseradish Market Shelf Life August 6

Joe’s Pub at The Public Theater Are You Having Any Fun? Elizabeth Bougerol Celebrates Tony Bennett at 100 (August 3)

Joe’s Pub at The Public Theater Clarice Assad & Keita Ogawa (August 4)

Joe’s Pub at The Public Theater Kathy, A Cabaret (August 7)

Lincoln Center Theater / Vivian Beaumont Theater Ragtime (through August 16)

Little Island Minimalism (August 5–9)

Little Island Lions and Legends: Folktales and Foodlore (August 6–8)

MCC Theater Birthright (through August 23)

Modern Sweater Woyzeck (through August 15)

Park Avenue Armory clinamen (through August 9)

The Public Theater / Delacorte Theater The Winter’s Tale (through August 23)

The Tank LimeFest 2026 (begins August 7, through August 30)

A bit about the listings:

• The events are listed in alphabetical order of theatres. When a show is listed as “through” a certain date, the show has already opened.

• For venues with rotating programming, I’ve only highlighted certain shows and there’s usually a lot more happening. Check the full lineups on their websites.

• I’ve done my best to get everything right, but details can change. Always double-check the official event page for the latest times, dates, and any updates.

• If you’d like to submit a show to be added to Playtime email playtime@substack.com

Subscribe now

Share

Two openings tonight that I’ve been looking forward to: Broad Strokes opens at the Lucille Lortel, Cat Cohen’s one-woman show about suffering a stroke at 30, turned into a wickedly funny, musical romp directed by Alex Timbers. It sold out its Edinburgh run and The Guardian called it “her best show yet.” I think Cat is brilliant and I’m sure the show is fantastic.

Also opening tonight: The Saviors at Atlantic: Bubba Weiler and Jack Serio reuniting after Well, I’ll Let You Go, this time with Crystal Finn and Stanley Simons in a play about a lost young man who takes shelter in a church and the two altar boys trying to hold themselves together around him. These two have a real thing going as collaborators.

This week only at Little Island: Justin Vivian Bond brings Summer’s Eve to the outdoor Amph, July 29–31. Three nights. Justin Vivian Bond is a downtown institution and a live wire and I genuinely cannot think of a better place to be on a Wednesday in July than sitting outside on the Hudson watching them perform.

And it’s the final week for Chapter Meeting at the Wild Project (closes August 1), What a World! What a World! at The Tank (closes August 2), The Taming of the Shrew (Small Boat Productions at La MaMa’s The Club, closes August 2), and Five Step Skincare Routine at The Tank (through July 31).

Week of July 27, 2026

59E59 Theaters The Piano and Me (through August 23)

59E59 Theaters Sukkot (through August 9)

59E59 Theaters The Vessel (opens July 30, through August 23)

AMT Theater Broadway Bound Theater Festival (through August 16)

Atlantic Theater Company The Saviors (opens July 27, through August 8)

Brooklyn Art Haus Graveyard Shift (July 28)

Cherry Lane Theatre Shifters (through August 30)

HERE Arts Center Bryan Safi: Are You Mad At Me?? (through August 16)

Housing Works Bookstore The Gin Game (through August 9)

La MaMa / The Club The Taming of the Shrew (through August 2)

Lincoln Center Theater / Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater The Whoopi Monologues (through August 30)

Little Island Justin Vivian Bond: Summer’s Eve (July 29–31)

Little Island Qween Jean’s 3rd Annual Summer Legacy Ball (August 1)

Lucille Lortel Theatre Cat Cohen: Broad Strokes (opens July 27, through September 5)

MCC Theater Birthright (through August 23)

Modern Sweater Woyzeck (through August 15)

Park Avenue Armory clinamen (through August 9)

The Drilling Company As You Like It (through August 1)

The Public Theater / Delacorte Theater The Winter’s Tale (through August 23)

The Tank Bananas (July 28–August 1)

The Tank Five Step Skincare Routine (through July 31)

The Tank What a World! What a World! (through August 2)

Wild Project Chapter Meeting (through August 1)

A bit about the listings:

• The events are listed in alphabetical order of theatres. When a show is listed as “through” a certain date, the show has already opened.

• For venues with rotating programming, I’ve only highlighted certain shows and there’s usually a lot more happening. Check the full lineups on their websites.

• I’ve done my best to get everything right, but details can change. Always double-check the official event page for the latest times, dates, and any updates.

• If you’d like to submit a show to be added to Playtime email playtime@substack.com

Share

Subscribe now

Week of June 29, 2026

AMT Theater The Listies (opens July 1, through July 19)

FRIGID NYC Queerly Festival 2026 (through July 3)

Gallery 198 Bird-State: A Performative Reading (June 30)

Greenwich House Theater Dad Don’t Read This (through July 11)

IRT Theater ALab Theater Festival (through July 5)

Joe’s Pub Alice Smith (July 2)

Joe’s Pub Boyband The Musical (July 1)

Joe’s Pub Mary Neely: The Mary Show (June 29)

Joe’s Pub Tal Mashiach: Album Release (July 3)

Lincoln Center Theater / Vivian Beaumont Theater Ragtime (through August 16)

MCC Theater Birthright (opens June 29, through July 26)

New York Classical Theatre The Tragedy of Julius Caesar (through July 5)

Park Avenue Armory clinamen (through August 2)

Perelman Performing Arts Center Giulia: The Poison Queen of Palermo (opens June 28, through July 26)

The Public Theater / Martinson Hall Girl, Interrupted (through July 12)

The Public Theater / Newman Theater Henry VI: A Trilogy in Two Parts (through July 19)

Roulette John Zorn’s Simulacrum (June 30)

Soho Rep The Potluck (begins June 30, through July 26)

The Tank 3 Bucks! 2 Bags! 1 Drag Queen! (June 30)

The Tank A Man Called Paris (July 1 – 3)

The Tank Doll Brawl (through June 29)

Theatre Row Origin Irish Theatre Festival (through July 5)

Under St Marks SCOWL: Queerapalooza (through June 29)

A bit about the listings:

• The events are listed in alphabetical order of theatres. When a show is listed as “through” a certain date, the show has already opened.

• For venues with rotating programming, I’ve only highlighted certain shows and there’s usually a lot more happening. Check the full lineups on their websites.

• I’ve done my best to get everything right, but details can change. Always double-check the official event page for the latest times, dates, and any updates.

• If you’d like to submit a show to be added to Playtime email playtime@substack.com

  Share

  Subscribe now

This week is your last chance to catch Romeo and Juliet with Free Shakespeare in the Park at the Delacorte wrapping up. Right next door at the Newman, Henry VI: A Trilogy in Two Parts just opened — NAATCO’s compression of Shakespeare’s three-parter into two, directed by Stephen Brown-Fried, runs through July.

And at the BRICK Aux, NANCY has a short run this week from June 25-28. I’m not in the habit of posting an entire blurb about a play, but this is too good not too: “A trans agoraphobe strikes up an online correspondence with a Mephistophelean figure named Jack, who promises to rebuild them in his image, before forces both mundane and divine intervene — including a blank verse-speaking Joan of Arc, a neighbor who won’t stop watching Heat (1995), and an archangel with a thousand hands.” Speaks for itself.

Week of June 22, 2026

59E59 Theaters Catch of the Day (through June 28)

59E59 Theaters Youth in Flames (through June 28)

6th Floor Theater Heated Rivalry: The Unauthorized Musical Parody (through September 7)

BAM I’m Almost There (through June 28)

FRIGID NYC Queerly Festival (through July 3)

HERE Arts Center Syrian Soap (June 24 – 27)

IRT Theater LALAHAHA: With Everything Going On Right Now (June 23 – 25)

IRT Theater Queerísimo / Mechanisms of Distortion (June 25 – 26)

Joe’s Pub Black Light (June 26)

Joe’s Pub Classic Whitney: Alive! (June 27)

Joe’s Pub Unscripted Live with Dionne Warwick (June 22)

Lincoln Center Theater A Woman Among Women (through June 28)

Lucille Lortel Theatre KENREX (through June 27)

MCC Theater Birthright (in previews, opens June 29)

New York Classical Theatre Julius Caesar (at Carl Schurz Park, June 23 – 28)

Park Avenue Armory clinamen (through August 2)

Perelman Performing Arts Center Giulia: The Poison Queen of Palermo (begins June 28, through July 26)

Performance Space New York Art Workers Are Artists Too (June 27)

Roulette Kou Records Showcase (June 24 – 25)

SoHo Playhouse Morgan Bassichis: Can I Be Frank? (through June 27)

SoHo Playhouse Pickled Punks Freakshow Extravaganza (June 26)

The Brick + Brick Aux NANCY (June 25 – 28)

The Brick + Brick Aux Queer Butoh Festival 2026 (June 24 – 27)

The Public Theater Henry VI: A Trilogy in Two Parts (through July 19)

The Public Theater Romeo and Juliet (through June 28)

The Tank Face Tape Sketch Comedy (through June 30)

The Tank PrideFest 2026 (through June 30)

Theatre Row Misterman (first preview June 23, opens June 25, through July 5)

A bit about the listings:

• The events are listed in alphabetical order of theatres. When a show is listed as “through” a certain date, the show has already opened.

• For venues with rotating programming, I’ve only highlighted certain shows and there’s usually a lot more happening. Check the full lineups on their websites.

• I’ve done my best to get everything right, but details can change. Always double-check the official event page for the latest times, dates, and any updates.

• If you’d like to submit a show to be added to Playtime email playtime@substack.com

Subscribe now

Share

It’s the final week for Jerome at Playwrights Horizons (John J. Caswell Jr., Dustin Wills directing) and ||: Girls :||: Chance :||: Music :|| at Vineyard (Eisa Davis, Pam MacKinnon directing). Both close Sunday June 21, so this is your last window.

And June 17–20 at HERE Arts Center as part of the Criminal Queerness Festival: faggy faafi Cairo boy, Mariam Bazeed’s dark comedy about a closeted queer son returning to Cairo and his dying father, directed by Shadi Ghaheri. The CQF this year centers Arab queer voices, one of the most vital festival lineups of the summer.

Week of June 15, 2026

59E59 Theaters David Copperfield (through June 28)

59E59 Theaters Youth in Flames (through June 28)

BAM / Fishman Space I’m Almost There (through June 28)

BRIC / Lena Horne Bandshell Celebrate Brooklyn!: Infinity Song, Victory Boyd + Annie and the Caldwells (June 19, free)

BRIC / Lena Horne Bandshell Celebrate Brooklyn!: Wayne Wonder + Lila Iké (June 20, free)

Domino Square Amphitheater Sugar Sugar! presents: HOLE PICS (June 17–18, free)

HERE Arts Center faggy faafi Cairo boy (June 17–20)

La MaMa / Ellen Stewart Theatre 3LD@LA MAMA (through June 28)

Lincoln Center Theater / Vivian Beaumont Ragtime (through June 28)

Lucille Lortel Theatre KENREX (through June 27)

MCC Theater Birthright (in previews, opens June 24)

New York Classical Theatre Julius Caesar (through June 21, Central Park)

Park Avenue Armory clinamen (through Aug 2)

Playwrights Horizons / Judith O. Rubin Theater Jerome (through June 21)

Roulette PJ Vogt, Kristen Roupenian, Emilia Clarke + others reading stories (June 16)

Roundabout Theatre Company / Laura Pels Theatre A Walk on the Moon (in previews, opens June 29)

The Brick The Gay Divorce (through June 20)

The Public Theater / Newman Theater Henry VI: A Trilogy in Two Parts (in previews, opens June 21)

The Public Theater / Delacorte Theater Romeo and Juliet (through June 28)

The Tank PrideFest 2026 (June 19–29)

Vineyard Theatre ||: Girls :||: Chance :||: Music :|| (through June 21)

Wild Project The Family Dog (Clubbed Thumb Summerworks, opens June 18, through June 30)

A bit about the listings:

• The events are listed in alphabetical order of theatres. When a show is listed as “through” a certain date, the show has already opened.

• For venues with rotating programming, I’ve only highlighted certain shows and there’s usually a lot more happening. Check the full lineups on their websites.

• I’ve done my best to get everything right, but details can change. Always double-check the official event page for the latest times, dates, and any updates.

• If you’d like to submit a show to be added to Playtime email playtime@substack.com

Subscribe now

Share

Shakespeare in the Park officially opens this week: Romeo & Juliet opens Thursday at the Delacorte. I think there’s actually nothing better than watching Shakespeare outside. One time I went to see Hamlet in French in Aix-en-Provence, and Shakespeare in French is decidedly more difficult to understand than in English. I still left an entirely different person. Perhaps that will be true for you too.

Also opening this week at Park Avenue Armory: Clinamen, Céleste Boursier-Mougenot’s immersive installation of floating ceramic bowls that drift and collide to make music in the Drill Hall. It looks delicate and strange and a kind of reverie to sink into away from the heat.

Also at HERE: Camping gets its first preview Friday. I saw a workshopped version of this last year and really enjoyed it, so glad it's getting a full production. I’d also check out Moriah Evans’s […/+*^%<>€£¥$&@!!!!^^^] at Chocolate Factory, and Pink Fang’s The Table at Judson Memorial Church. They both have short runs and close June 13 and 14, respectively.

Week of June 8, 2026

59E59 Theaters Catch of the Day (June 10–28)

59E59 Theaters David Copperfield (through June 28)

59E59 Theaters Youth in Flames (June 10–28)

BAM / Fishman Space I’m Almost There (June 12–28)

Chocolate Factory Theater Moriah Evans: […/+*^%<>€£¥$&@!!!!^^^] (through June 13)

Domino Park / Domino Square Julia Antinozzi / Isa Spector (June 10–11)

Gallery 198 An Iliad (June 11-14)

HERE Arts Center Criminal Queerness Festival: Area D (June 10–13)

HERE Arts Center Camping (first preview June 13)

Joe’s Pub Mafer Bandola: Miss Imposible (June 12)

Judson Memorial Church / The Gym The Table (through June 14)

La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club / Community Arts Space Morgan Jenness Playwriting Fellowship Readings (June 8)

Lucille Lortel Theatre KENREX (through June 27)

Minetta Lane Theatre What Happened Was (through June 14)

Park Avenue Armory clinamen (opens June 10, through August 2)

Playwrights Horizons / Judith O. Rubin Theater Jerome (through June 21)

Roulette Cartune Xprez at 20 (June 11)

Signature Theatre / Romulus Linney Courtyard Theatre Animal Wisdom (through June 14)

St. Ann’s Warehouse The Maids (through June 14)

The Public Theater / Delacorte Theater Romeo & Juliet (opens June 11, through June 28)

The Public Theater / LuEsther Hall Judith Champion New Work Series: Foods of the Forgotten War (June 9)

The Public Theater / Newman Theater Henry VI: A Trilogy in Two Parts (first preview June 9, opens June 21)

Vineyard Theatre ||: Girls :||: Chance :||: Music :|| (through June 21)

A bit about the listings:

• The events are listed in alphabetical order of theatres. When a show is listed as “through” a certain date, the show has already opened.

• For venues with rotating programming, I’ve only highlighted certain shows and there’s usually a lot more happening. Check the full lineups on their websites.

• I’ve done my best to get everything right, but details can change. Always double-check the official event page for the latest times, dates, and any updates.

• If you’d like to submit a show to be added to Playtime email playtime@substack.com

Subscribe now

Share

Here are my picks for this week: Jerome opens June 2 at Playwrights Horizons, John J. Caswell Jr.’s play set at the height of the AIDS epidemic in an Arizona ghost town. It’s directed by Dustin Wills, who directed a much celebrated one-man version of Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro in 2024.

The musical version of Girl, Interrupted opens June 4. I’ve said here from the beginning that I’m not sure how that will work on stage, but I have faith because Aimee Mann has done the music.

Also, Joy Guidry will perform this week at the Park Avenue Armory on June 3 and 4. Guidry creates a “a ruminative performance in the spirit of a Southern church revival and based on her ambient album Five Prayers, reimagining it into movements based on different themes of Black American spirituality and artistic expression ranging from jazz and minimalism to opera, ballet, blues, and gospel.”

And it’s the final week for three things worth catching before they close on June 7: This Is Not About Me at 59E59 (Hannah Caplan’s meta-theatrical Brits Off Broadway), Indian Princesses at the Atlantic Theater Company, and Thornton Wilder’s The Emporium at CSC.

Week of June 1, 2026

59E59 Theaters This Is Not About Me (through June 7)

59E59 Theaters / Theater A David Copperfield (through June 28)

Atlantic Theater Company / Linda Gross Theater Indian Princesses (through June 7)

BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! / Lena Horne Bandshell Sheila E. with Leon Knight and DJ Spinna (June 4, free)

Chocolate Factory Theater Moriah Evans: […/+*^%€£¥$&@!!!!^^^] (June 5 – 6)

Classic Stage Company / Lynn F. Angelson Theater Thornton Wilder’s The Emporium (through June 7)

Lucille Lortel Theatre KENREX (through June 27)

Minetta Lane Theatre New Born (through June 8)

Minetta Lane Theatre What Happened Was… (through June 14)

New York Classical Theatre / Central Park The Tragedy of Julius Caesar (first preview June 2, opens June 9, free)

Park Avenue Armory / Artists Studio Joy Guidry (June 3 – 4)

Park Avenue Armory / Making Space Unscripted: Live from the Armory (June 6)

Perelman Performing Arts Center CATS: The Jellicle Ball Benefit Performance (June 3)

Pioneer Works Going In at Pioneer Works (June 6, 12pm – 12am)

Playwrights Horizons / Judith O. Rubin Theater Jerome (in previews, opens June 2)

Roulette Eve Beglarian: The Light is Always Changing / Wolf Chaser (June 1)

Roulette Pi Recordings 25th Anniversary Celebration (June 4 – 5)

Signature Theatre / Alice Griffin Jewel Box Theatre SMALL (through July 25)

Signature Theatre / Romulus Linney Courtyard Theatre Animal Wisdom (through June 14)

SoHo Playhouse Can I Be Frank? (through June 27)

St. Ann’s Warehouse The Maids (through June 14)

Studio Seaview Well, I’ll Let You Go (through June 20)

The Public Theater / Delacorte Theater Romeo and Juliet (through June 28)

The Public Theater / Martinson Hall Girl, Interrupted (in previews, opens June 4)

The Tank KTCO (through June 18)

Vineyard Theatre Girls Chance Music (through June 21)

A bit about the listings:

• The events are listed in alphabetical order of theatres. When a show is listed as “through” a certain date, the show has already opened.

• For venues with rotating programming, I’ve only highlighted certain shows and there’s usually a lot more happening. Check the full lineups on their websites.

• I’ve done my best to get everything right, but details can change. Always double-check the official event page for the latest times, dates, and any updates.

• If you’d like to submit a show to be added to Playtime email playtime@substack.com

Subscribe now

Share

Here are my picks for this week:

This Is Not About Me opens May 28 at 59E59 as part of Brits Off Broadway. Hannah Caplan’s award-winning meta-theatrical play about a spiraling playwright dramatizing the secrets of her broken relationship as passion blurs into obsession, brought over after Edinburgh and Soho Theatre runs. I love anything about obsession :)

Can I Be Frank? is in previews at SoHo Playhouse. The inimitable Morgan Bassichis channels the late queer comedian Frank Maya, directed by Sam Pinkleton (the 2025 Best Director Tony winner). It’s one of the more singular things on right now and if you missed its first run last year, now’s your time.

And at Playwrights Horizons, Jerome is in previews ahead of its June 2 opening — John J. Caswell Jr.’s play set at the height of the AIDS epidemic in an Arizona ghost town, with Stephen Spinella, Tyrone Mitchell Henderson, and Ken Barnett, directed by Dustin Wills. And if you’re a member of TDF, you can get $39 tickets for this week’s performances.

Week of May 25, 2026

59E59 Theaters This Is Not About Me (in previews, opens May 28, through June 7)

59E59 Theaters / Theater A David Copperfield (first preview May 29, through June 28)

6th Floor Theater Heated Rivalry: The Unauthorized Musical Parody (opens May 26)

Atlantic Theater Company / Linda Gross Theater Indian Princesses (through June 7)

Classic Stage Company / Lynn F. Angelson Theater Thornton Wilder’s The Emporium (through June 7)

Lucille Lortel Theatre KENREX (through June 27)

Minetta Lane Theatre New Born (through June 8)

Minetta Lane Theatre What Happened Was… (through June 14)

Playwrights Horizons / Judith O. Rubin Theater Jerome (in previews, opens June 2)

Second Stage / Irene Diamond Stage The Receptionist (through May 31)

Signature Theatre / Alice Griffin Jewel Box Theatre SMALL (in previews, opens May 28, through July 25)

Signature Theatre / Romulus Linney Courtyard Theatre Animal Wisdom (through June 14)

SoHo Playhouse Can I Be Frank? (in previews, through June 27)

St. Ann’s Warehouse The Maids (through June 14)

Studio Seaview Well, I’ll Let You Go (through June 20)

The Public Theater / Delacorte Theater Romeo and Juliet (in previews, through June 28)

The Public Theater / Martinson Hall Girl, Interrupted (in previews, opens June 4)

The Tank I WANTTT A UNICORN FRAPPE! (May 28 – June 21)

The Tank KTCO (May 27 – June 18)

The Tank Mikey! (through May 31)

Vineyard Theatre Girls Chance Music (opens May 28, through June 21)

West End Theatre Othello (through May 31)

A bit about the listings:

• The events are listed in alphabetical order of theatres. When a show is listed as “through” a certain date, the show has already opened.

• For venues with rotating programming, I’ve only highlighted certain shows and there’s usually a lot more happening. Check the full lineups on their websites.

• I’ve done my best to get everything right, but details can change. Always double-check the official event page for the latest times, dates, and any updates.

• If you’d like to submit a show to be added to Playtime email playtime@substack.com

Subscribe now

Share

Here are my picks for this week:

Free Shakespeare in the Park returns to the Delacorte on May 22 with Romeo and Juliet: the lovers speak in Spanish to each other while the rest of the play stays in English. Couldn’t imagine something more romantic for the star-crossed lovers to do.

The Maids just opened at St. Ann’s Warehouse and at CSC, Thornton Wilder’s The Emporium opens tomorrow. It is a production of Wilder’s unfinished final play, completed by Kirk Lynn and directed by Rob Melrose.

Can I Be Frank? returns to Soho Playhouse for another run with Morgan Bassichis performing and channeling the late comedian Frank Maya. I saw this last year and was entranced by the balance of Bassichis’ impeccable comic timing and the beauty and melancholy of Maya’s life story. It’s directed by Sam Pinkleton of Oh, Mary! fame.

Week of May 18, 2026

59E59 Theaters / Theater A Cable Street (through May 24)

6th Floor Theater Heated Rivalry: The Unauthorized Musical Parody (in previews, opens May 26)

Atlantic Theater Company / Linda Gross Theater Indian Princesses (opens May 19, through June 7)

Classic Stage Company / Lynn F. Angelson Theater Thornton Wilder’s The Emporium (opens May 18, through June 7)

Lucille Lortel Theatre KENREX (through June 27)

Minetta Lane Theatre New Born (through June 8)

Minetta Lane Theatre What Happened Was… (through June 14)

Playwrights Horizons / Judith O. Rubin Theater Jerome (in previews, opens June 2)

Second Stage / Irene Diamond Stage The Receptionist (through May 31)

Signature Theatre / Alice Griffin Jewel Box Theatre SMALL (first preview May 20, opens May 28)

Signature Theatre / Romulus Linney Courtyard Theatre Animal Wisdom (opens May 18, through June 14)

SoHo Playhouse Can I Be Frank? (first preview May 21, through June 27)

St. Ann’s Warehouse The Maids (through June 14)

Studio Seaview Well, I’ll Let You Go (through June 20)

The Public Theater / Delacorte Theater Romeo and Juliet (first preview May 22, through June 28)

The Public Theater / Martinson Hall Girl, Interrupted (in previews, opens June 4)

The Tank A Cat in A Box (through May 21)

The Tank Mikey! (through May 31)

The Tank Phases of You (May 20 – 24)

Vineyard Theatre Girls Chance Music (in previews, opens May 28)

West End Theatre Othello (through May 31)

A bit about the listings:

• The events are listed in alphabetical order of theatres. When a show is listed as “through” a certain date, the show has already opened.

• For venues with rotating programming, I’ve only highlighted certain shows and there’s usually a lot more happening. Check the full lineups on their websites.

• I’ve done my best to get everything right, but details can change. Always double-check the official event page for the latest times, dates, and any updates.

• If you’d like to submit a show to be added to Playtime email playtime@substack.com

Here are my picks for this week: It’s the last week for Hamlet at BAM. It closes May 17, and Robert Hastie’s National Theatre production with Hiran Abeysekera is worth making time for. Tickets may be scarce but as of Friday there were tickets available on TDF! As my friend Emily told me recently, “Sold out is never really sold out.”

The Maids begins May 17 at St. Ann’s Warehouse — Kip Williams’ Donmar production is a “wild reimagining of Jean Genet’s masterpiece set for the digital era”. I’ve been waiting for this since they announced it was coming to New York.

Over at the Public, Girl, Interrupted starts previews May 13 in Martinson Hall. Martyna Majok has adapted it with original music by Aimee Mann, choreography by Sonya Tayeh, and Jo Bonney directing; the first preview is a Joseph Papp Free Performance, so worth trying the lottery. Aimee Mann made the (Magnolia) soundtrack to my life between the ages of 13 and 18, and I will always love her for that. Initially I thought a Girl, Interrupted musical was a strange choice but I’m intrigued.

Week of May 11, 2026

59E59 Theaters / Theater A Cable Street (through May 24)

6th Floor Theater Heated Rivalry: The Unauthorized Musical Parody (first preview May 12, opens May 26)

Atlantic Theater Company / Linda Gross Theater Indian Princesses (in previews, opens May 19)

BAM Harvey Theater Hamlet (through May 17)

Classic Stage Company / Lynn F. Angelson Theater Thornton Wilder’s The Emporium (in previews, opens May 18)

Joe’s Pub American Sing Song: Hole (May 12, 13, and 14)

Lucille Lortel Theatre KENREX (through June 27)

Minetta Lane Theatre New Born (through June 8)

Minetta Lane Theatre What Happened Was… (through June 14)

Playwrights Horizons / Judith O. Rubin Theater Jerome (first preview May 14, opens June 2)

Playwrights Horizons / Peter Jay Sharp Theater Rheology (through May 16)

Second Stage / Irene Diamond Stage The Receptionist (through May 31)

Signature Theatre / Romulus Linney Courtyard Theatre Animal Wisdom (in previews, opens May 18)

St. Ann’s Warehouse The Maids (begins May 17, through June 14)

Studio Seaview Well, I’ll Let You Go (in previews, opens May 19)

The Public Theater / Martinson Hall Girl, Interrupted (first preview May 13, opens June 4)

The Tank A Cat in A Box (through May 21)

The Tank Mikey! (through May 31)

The Tank Sex, Camp, Rock ‘N Roll (through May 16)

Theatre at St. Clement’s The Adding Machine (through May 17)

Vineyard Theatre Girls Chance Music (first preview May 12, opens May 28)

West End Theatre Othello (through May 31)

A bit about the listings:

• The events are listed in alphabetical order of theatres. When a show is listed as “through” a certain date, the show has already opened.

• For venues with rotating programming, I’ve only highlighted certain shows and there’s usually a lot more happening. Check the full lineups on their websites.

• I’ve done my best to get everything right, but details can change. Always double-check the official event page for the latest times, dates, and any updates.

• If you’d like to submit a show to be added to Playtime email playtime@substack.com

Read my personal thoughts and god knows what else on my other Substack here.

Subscribe now

Share

Here are my picks for this week: It’s a big opening week — top of my list is Hamlet at BAM Harvey, opening May 4, with Hiran Abeysekera in the title role and Robert Hastie’s National Theatre production crossing over for a four-week run. At Minetta Lane, New Born opens May 8 — three Ella Hickson monologues with Marianna Gailus, Hugh Jackman, and Sepideh Moafi, directed by Ian Rickson, running in repertory with What Happened Was.

La MaMa Moves! wraps its 21st year this weekend, and the closing stretch is the Pioneers Go East Crossroads Series May 8–10 at The Club, four short pieces championing queer and feminist voices. Fun fact: my harmonium is making an appearance at one of the La Mama performances. And over at Joe's Pub, American Sing Song: Hole plays five nights — May 5, 6, 12, 13, and 14. I caught it at Fringe last year and absolutely loved it; thrilled it's getting a Joe's Pub run, and if you can grab a ticket, do.

Week of May 4, 2026

59E59 Theaters / Theater A Cable Street (through May 24)

Atlantic Theater Company / Linda Gross Theater Indian Princesses (in previews, opens May 19)

BAM Harvey Theater Hamlet (first preview April 19, opens May 4)

BAM Harvey Theater Hamlet (opens May 4, through May 17)

Classic Stage Company / Lynn F. Angelson Theater Thornton Wilder’s The Emporium (in previews, opens May 18)

Greenwich House Theater What We Did Before Our Moth Days (through May 24)

Greenwich House Theater Wallace Shawn performs “The Fever” (Sunday and Monday nights through May 24)

Joe’s Pub American Sing Song: Hole May 5th, 6th, 12th, 13th, and 14th

La MaMa / The Club Crossroads Series Pioneers Go East Collective (May 8 – 10)

Lucille Lortel Theatre KENREX (through June 27)

Minetta Lane Theatre New Born (first preview May 1, opens May 8)

Minetta Lane Theatre What Happened Was… (through June 14)

Playwrights Horizons / Peter Jay Sharp Theater Rheology (through May 16)

Second Stage / Irene Diamond Stage The Receptionist (in previews, opens May 7)

Signature Theatre / Romulus Linney Courtyard Theatre Animal Wisdom (first preview May 5, opens May 18)

Studio Seaview Well, I’ll Let You Go (in previews, opens May 19)

The Tank Mikey! (through May 31)

Theatre at St. Clement’s The Adding Machine (through May 17)

West End Theatre Othello (in previews, opens May 10)

A bit about the listings:

• The events are listed in alphabetical order of theatres. When a show is listed as “through” a certain date, the show has already opened.

• For festivals, I’ve only highlighted certain shows and there’s usually a lot more happening. Check the full lineups on their websites. (La MaMa Moves! 2026 closes May 10 with several additional performances at La MaMa.)

• I’ve done my best to get everything right, but details can change. Always double-check the official event page for the latest times, dates, and any updates.

• If you’d like to submit a show to be added to Playtime email playtime@substack.com

  Subscribe now

  Share

  Read my personal thoughts and god knows what else on my other Substack here.

Here are my picks for this week: It's the final week for Seagull: True Story at the Public which closes May 3, and once it goes, it goes. I always say that Chekhov is best in the spring.

Cable Street opens this week at 59E59, a musical inspired by the 1936 Battle of Cable Street in the East End against Oswald Mosley's fascists, in which Jewish, Carribean and Irish communities banded together for a common cause. It’s not a subject I expected to see set to music, but here we are. It played to good reviews in London in 2024.

La MaMa Moves! is in its final stretch, the dance festival wraps May 10, and this week brings Iteration IV (For Allen) April 30–May 1 and BamBam Frost & Ori Flomin's YES May 2–3. And on Thursday, joseph webb & beautiful fire performs at Joe’s Pub at 7 pm. webb’s show is a mix of tap, emceeing/spoken word, and live instrumentation.

Week of April 27, 2026

59E59 Theaters / Theater A Cable Street (first preview April 26, opens May 3)

Atlantic Theater Company / Linda Gross Theater Indian Princesses (first preview April 30, opens May 19)

BAM Harvey Theater Hamlet (first preview April 19, opens May 4)

Cherry Lane Theatre You Got Older (through May 3)

Classic Stage Company / Lynn F. Angelson Theater Thornton Wilder's The Emporium (first preview April 30, opens May 18)

Greenwich House Theater What We Did Before Our Moth Days (through May 24)

Greenwich House Theater Wallace Shawn performs “The Fever” (Sunday and Monday nights through May 24)

Irish Repertory Theatre Ulster American (through May 10)

Joe’s Pub @ The Public joseph webb & beautiful fire, presented in partnership with YoungArts (April 30)

La MaMa / The Club Iteration IV (For Allen) (April 30 – May 1)

La MaMa / The Club YES — BamBam Frost & Ori Flomin (May 2 – 3)

Lucille Lortel Theatre Kenrex (through June 27)

Minetta Lane Theatre Sexual Misconduct of the Middle Classes (through April 30)

Minetta Lane Theatre What Happened Was… (through June 14)

Playwrights Horizons / Peter Jay Sharp Theatre Rheology (through May 16)

Second Stage / Irene Diamond Stage The Receptionist (first preview April 15, opens May 7)

Studio Seaview Well, I’ll Let You Go (first preview April 30, opens May 19)

The Public Theater / LuEsther Hall SEAGULL: TRUE STORY (through May 3)

Theatre at St. Clement’s The Adding Machine (through May 17)

West End Theatre Othello (through May 31)

A bit about the listings:

• The events are listed in alphabetical order of theatres. When a show is listed as “through” a certain date, the show has already opened.

• For festivals, I’ve only highlighted certain shows and there’s usually a lot more happening. Check the full lineups on their websites.

• I’ve done my best to get everything right, but details can change. Always double-check the official event page for the latest times, dates, and any updates.

• If you’d like to submit a show to be added to Playtime email playtime@substack.com

  Subscribe now

  Share

  Read my personal thoughts and god knows what else on my other Substack here.

This is PLAYTIME, a weekly email of theater shows in New York City, put together by me (Nora) and consisting of what I’m paying attention to and excited about.

Here are my picks for this week: If you can manage to get tickets for Hamlet (could be difficult), I would check it out. You Got Older ends in two weeks; get there before it’s gone. KENREX comes to New York on the heels of sold-out runs in London and Sheffield. I’m not usually one for stage productions of true crime thrillers (too much potential for bad theatre/bridge too far). But the idea of Jack Holden, who also wrote the play, playing thirty-five different characters is a fascinating choice.

Week of April 20, 2026

BAM Hamlet (first preview April 19)

Cherry Lane Theatre You Got Older (through May 3)

Greenwich House Theater What We Did Before Our Moth Days (through May 24)

Greenwich House Theater Wallace Shawn performs “The Fever” (Sunday and Monday nights through May 24)

Irish Repertory Theatre Ulster American (through May 10)

Lucille Lortel Theatre Kenrex — (in previews, opens April 26)

Minetta Lane Theatre Sexual Misconduct of the Middle Classes (through April 30)

Minetta Lane Theatre What Happened Was… (through June 14)

Playwrights Horizons (The Peter Jay Sharp Theater) No Singing in the Navy (through April 26)

Playwrights Horizons / Peter Jay Sharp Theatre Rheology (opens May 16)

Second Stage / Irene Diamond Stage The Receptionist (first preview April 15, opens May 7)

Soho Playhouse Ismael Loufti: Heavenly Baba (through April 25th)

The Public Theater / LuEsther Hall SEAGULL: TRUE STORY (through May 3)

Theatre at St. Clement’s The Adding Machine (through May 17)

West End Theatre Othello (through May 31)

A bit about the listings:

• The events are listed in alphabetical order of theatres. When a show is listed as “through” a certain date, the show has already opened.

• For festivals, I’ve only highlighted certain shows and there’s usually a lot more happening. Check the full lineups on their websites.

• I’ve done my best to get everything right, but details can change. Always double-check the official event page for the latest times, dates, and any updates.

• If you’d like to submit a show to be added to Playtime email playtime@substack.com

  Subscribe now

  Share

  Read my personal thoughts and god knows what else on my other Substack here.

This week, my friend Ezra Glenn wrote a guest post for us about attending two back-to-back musicals in a single weekend, which, to me, is very brave. As with everything Ezra does, the essay is thoughtful, funny, and insightful. As always, listings are below. This is our first guest essay and a total thrill.

“Schmigadoon” and “No Singing in the Navy”: Two Golden Age parodies strike opposing chords

Last weekend I traveled to Times Square twice in less than 24 hours to see two pieces of theater about which I knew very little before arriving at their respective theaters. The first was Schmigadoon, based on the 2021 inaugural season of the Apple TV+ series of the same name, which began its run of Broadway previews before my very eyes at the Nederlander Theater on 42nd Street on Saturday night, April 4. I then caught an Easter Sunday matinee of No Singing in the Navy at Playwrights Horizons’ Peter Jay Sharpe Theater on 41st Street, which just announced an extension of its run through April 26.

There were striking thematic overlaps across the productions; both turned out to be new musicals about the joy of song, which leaned heavily on the sound of the familiar. Both have been called parodies of Broadway’s “Golden Age,” the musicals of the 1940s and 50s often championing an “American Dream” of Protestant ideals. The dramaturgical approaches of the two shows and their takeaways for their audiences, however, were diametrically opposed.

I knew nothing of Schmigadoon before I arrived to meet my siblings for the show, nor of Brigadoon, the 1947 musical from which it borrows its name and concept. The contemporary show is about a couple who met at work in New York City and are now engaged, but struggling to make each other happy. Working through their differences brings them to a wilderness couples retreat, where they get lost in the forest and cross a bridge to discover the show’s namesake town, where life is a musical. This is a joy for the female lead, Sarah, who loves musicals, and miserable for her fiancé, Josh, who hates them. In order to cross back over the enchanted bridge and return to their real lives, they must find true love. Their first several attempts to leave together end in failure, putting them right back where they started on the Schmigadoon side of the bridge despite having walked across it. So they split up and look for love among the townspeople, which leads them both to nearly falling for other people and brushes with death. It’s a hokey journey that ends when Josh finally embraces song into his life, realizes he does truly love Sarah, and she loves him back. The end.

“No Singing in the Navy” is the more inventive – and more existential – of the two. Three actors in sailors’ uniforms remain onstage for the duration of the 80-minute piece, alongside a pianist who provides the sole instrumental accompaniment to their (often sung) dialogue as they explore the meaning of life, war, and death. In its opening moments, we learn that these three young Americans, clad in white uniforms and blue neckerchiefs, have been drafted into the Navy and have 24 hours before they are shipped off to war. The sailors are assured they will die at sea regardless of the war’s aims or outcome. One rule is imposed early in the show’s single act by the gnarled captain, played by Sailor 2, swapping out their Dixie Cup for a cocked cap: There will be no singing, and to carry a tune is punishable by death. There is, in fact, a lot of singing (including by the captain, alone in his quarters as he pines for the silly sailors he’s consigned to death), mostly to the tunes of nursery rhymes and simple scales that call to mind various childhood refrains: Miss Mary Mack looms large here. As the players count down the hours remaining until their assured deaths, they harmonize endlessly, wax rhapsodic about their hopes and dreams, and ponder what it means to approach the end of a life where these will remain unrealized. Some of the most poignant moments of the show explore why singing (outside of performance or recordings) is often considered “weird,” “silly,” or for “losers,” and why our teachers, our Captains, and our bullies may try to keep us from that kind of free, joyful expression.

Schmiggadoon’s musical numbers were well performed, if not quite catchy. While its songs are original (mostly adapted from the TV show), they are endlessly referential in tune, lyrics, and themes to shows like Oklahoma, Guys and Dolls, Carousel, and The Sound of Music. The show was a spectacle, but it was not spectacular. Far from transported to the land of Schmigadoon with its trademark corn pudding piled high on every plate, I was all too aware of the narrowness and uncomfortable angles of my velvet seat for the duration of its near 3 hour runtime. I watched the show with the playbill open in my lap, counting the musical numbers as they passed, edging me closer to what I knew early on would be a tiresome and uninspired conclusion.

While No Singing’s original songs also relied heavily on borrowed melodies, there was a freshness and delight to each number. Though the set consisted of only a tinsel-coated perimeter, an onstage costume rack for the actors’ many quick changes as they inhabited a revolving door of side characters (the aforementioned captain, a spirited crab, a long lost love in a lighthouse), and a piano which served as a frequent perch for singing (and drama), clever lighting and winning performances electrified the space, bringing the audience all to sea, to shore, to war, and back again without so much as a fadeout.

Playwright Milo Cramer manages to keep things silly enough while also offering some timely commentary on the American obsession with war, casting a critical and incisive light on the sailor-focused American musicals of the post-WWII “Golden Age” (See: On the Town, South Pacific, Dames at Sea): were these, too, silly love stories on the water, or were they propaganda for the War Machine? Though both shows parody the same source material, Schmigadoon is an embrace of the era in which every story seems to end with a man and a woman leaving city life – or military life – to start a family in the suburbs, while No Singing is a welcome rebuke.

These two shows were never meant to be in conversation, and yet here they are playing concurrently, three blocks apart, referencing the same canon and driving home the same point: song is freedom. Schmigadoon will be up for a Tony or two as one of the year’s “original” musicals, with a threat of a follow-up staging of the TV show’s second season (the third season was written but never aired, and there are whispers of bringing that to Broadway, too). No Singing in the Navy, far more original in its contrasting depth and playfulness, buttressed by a doughty trio of dramatic and vocal performances, is at Playwright’s Horizons through April 26th, and probably nowhere else ever again. There’s as much joy in catching a great, ephemeral performance as there is in singing out loud and proud, if not more.

Week of April 13, 2026

Cherry Lane Theatre You Got Older (through April 26)

DR2 Theater Heartbreak Hotel (through April 19)

Greenwich House Theater What We Did Before Our Moth Days (through May 24)

Greenwich House Theater Wallace Shawn performs “The Fever” (Sunday and Monday nights through April 20)

Irish Repertory Theatre Ulster American (through May 10)

Lucille Lortel Theatre Kenrex — (first preview April 15, opens April 26)

Minetta Lane Theatre Sexual Misconduct of the Middle Classes (through April 30)

Minetta Lane Theatre What Happened Was… (opens April 14)

New York Theatre Workshop My Joy Is Heavy (extended through April 12)

Playwrights Horizons (The Peter Jay Sharp Theater) No Singing in the Navy (through April 19)

Playwrights Horizons / Peter Jay Sharp Theatre Rheology (opens April 14)

Second Stage / Irene Diamond Stage The Receptionist (first preview April 15, opens May 7)

St. Ann's Warehouse SCORCHED EARTH (through April 19)

Soho Playhouse Ismael Loufti: Heavenly Baba (through April 25th)

The Public Theater / LuEsther Hall SEAGULL: TRUE STORY (through May 3)

Theatre at St. Clement’s The Adding Machine (opens April 14)

A bit about the listings:

• The events are listed in alphabetical order of theatres. When a show is listed as “through” a certain date, the show has already opened.

• For festivals, I’ve only highlighted certain shows and there’s usually a lot more happening. Check the full lineups on their websites.

• I’ve done my best to get everything right, but details can change. Always double-check the official event page for the latest times, dates, and any updates.

• If you’d like to submit a show to be added to Playtime email playtime@substack.com

  Subscribe now

  Share

  Read my personal thoughts and god knows what else on my other Substack here.

This week I went to see Heartbreak Hotel, a two-person show that has nothing to do with Elvis, as the name might suggest. It’s about a woman navigating the grief of heartbreak and how very long it can take to get over someone (relatable). She also does brilliant covers of classic break-up songs interspersed with moving and funny storytelling. It’s up until April 19th, and really worth seeing before it leaves.

I also saw No Singing in the Navy at Playwrights Horizons. The website describes it as “a 3-actor, 1-piano attack on the “golden age” of musicals, No Singing in the Navy is a delightfully sardonic explosion of the myth of American innocence.” The play features three “silly sailors” about to be sent off to war and their inevitable death who are determined to squeeze in as much life as possible in 24 hours. I was unexpectedly delighted the whole way through and the music really bangs, as much as you can sincerely use the word “bangs” about a musical.

And run to see Calf Scramble before it leaves next week!

Week of April 6, 2026

59E59 Theaters Calf Scramble (through April 12)

Barbaralee Theater at The Public Antigone (This Play I Read in High School) (through April 12)

Cherry Lane Theatre You Got Older (through April 26)

DR2 Theater Heartbreak Hotel (through April 19)

Greenwich House Theater What We Did Before Our Moth Days (through May 24)

Greenwich House Theater Wallace Shawn performs “The Fever” (Sunday and Monday nights through April 20)

Irish Repertory Theatre Ulster American (through May 10)

Minetta Lane Theatre Sexual Misconduct of the Middle Classes (through April 30)

New York Theatre Workshop My Joy Is Heavy (extended through April 12)

Playwrights Horizons (The Peter Day Sharp Theater) No Singing in the Navy (through April 19)

St. Ann's Warehouse SCORCHED EARTH (through April 19)

Soho Playhouse Ismael Loufti: Heavenly Baba (through April 25th)

The Public Theater / LuEsther Hall SEAGULL: TRUE STORY (in previews, opens March 30)

The Public Theatre/Shiva Theatre JESA (through April 12)

A bit about the listings:

• The events are listed in alphabetical order of theatres. When a show is listed as “through” a certain date, the show has already opened.

• For festivals, I’ve only highlighted certain shows and there’s usually a lot more happening. Check the full lineups on their websites.

• I’ve done my best to get everything right, but details can change. Always double-check the official event page for the latest times, dates, and any updates.

• If you’d like to submit a show to be added to Playtime email playtime@substack.com

  Subscribe now

  Share

  Read my personal thoughts and god knows what else on my other Substack here.

This week, see Cold War Choir Practice or BUGHOUSE before they both close on April 5. I had the good fortune to see Ismael Loufti’s Heavenly Baba last year at The Cherry Lane Theatre. I’m so pleased to see he’s back with a longer run at the Soho Playhouse. It is such a clever, funny, and tender show about family, belonging, grief and Loufti’s extremely eccentric dad, who tried to convert the entire state of Florida to Islam.

I’d also check out no no no please no god no, nevermind i’m fine since it’s playing for one day only and it played to rave reviews at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2024.

Week of March 30, 2026

A.R.T./New York Theatres Mezzanine Theatre no no no please no god no, nevermind i’m fine (Apr 4 only)

59E59 Theaters Calf Scramble (through April 12)

Barbaralee Theater at The Public Antigone (This Play I Read in High School) (through April 12)

Cherry Lane Theatre You Got Older (through April 12)

Greenwich House Theater What We Did Before Our Moth Days (through May 24)

Greenwich House Theater Wallace Shawn performs “The Fever” (Sunday and Monday nights through April 20)

Irish Repertory Theatre Ulster American (through May 10)

MCC Theater / Newman Mills Theater COLD WAR CHOIR PRACTICE (through April 5)

Minetta Lane Theatre Sexual Misconduct of the Middle Classes (through April 30)

New York Theatre Workshop My Joy Is Heavy (through April 5)

Playwrights Horizons (The Peter Day Sharp Theater) No Singing in the Navy (through April 19)

St. Ann's Warehouse SCORCHED EARTH (opens April 3)

Soho Playhouse Ismael Loufti: Heavenly Baba (opens April 2nd)

Teatro la Plaza / Theatre for a New Audience HAMLET (through April 4)

The Shed The Other Place (through April 4)

The Public Theater / LuEsther Hall SEAGULL: TRUE STORY (in previews, opens March 30)

The Public Theatre/Shiva Theatre JESA (through April 12)

Vineyard Theatre BUGHOUSE (through April 5)

A bit about the listings:

• The events are listed in alphabetical order of theatres. When a show is listed as “through” a certain date, the show has already opened.

• For festivals, I’ve only highlighted certain shows and there’s usually a lot more happening. Check the full lineups on their websites.

• I’ve done my best to get everything right, but details can change. Always double-check the official event page for the latest times, dates, and any updates.

• If you’d like to submit a show to be added to Playtime email playtime@substack.com

  Subscribe now

  Share

  Read my personal thoughts and god knows what else on my other Substack here.

This week, I went to see The Fever, written and performed by Wallace Shawn at the Greenwich House Theater. It is a one-man show examining class privilege, the elite who travel to far-off lands to experience culture at the expense of the locals, and serves as a scathing critique of global capitalism. Shawn plays an affluent man recounting various scenes from his “comfortable” life, whilst violently sick in a hotel room in a “poor country”.

Though it was written in 1991, it is, of course, still depressingly relevant today. I highly recommend seeing it; Wallace Shawn’s writing is a delight to the senses, and his performance is as charming as ever. He’ll always be Mr. Hall to me (Clueless, duh), but I am so pleased with his current reign in the off-Broadway world.

I also saw The Reservoir at Atlantic Theatre Company, about a kid who returns home and tries to get sober, and attempts to help his ageing grandparents in the process. I’m not partial to in-depth stories about people getting sober; it’s just not my cup of tea. Much of the crowd was laughing along, but the jokes weren’t hitting for me. Take it with a grain of salt.

Instead, you could see BODYCOUNT written and performed by Issy Knowles at Soho Playhouse through March 29. I’ve recommended it before on Playtime, but it deserves another shout. I also have tickets to see Calf Scramble at 59E59 Theaters, which I’m very excited about. A friend saw it recently and said it was one of the more inventive productions she has seen lately. I’ll report back.

Week of March 23, 2026

59E59 Theaters Calf Scramble (through April 12)

Barbaralee Theater at The Public Antigone (This Play I Read in High School) (through March 29)

The Brick Brave Prince (March 26 - 29)

Cherry Lane Theatre You Got Older (through April 12)

Culture Lab LIC Liberty Scrap (through March 29)

Greenwich House Theater What We Did Before Our Moth Days (through May 10)

Greenwich House Theater Wallace Shawn performs “The Fever” (Sunday and Monday nights through April 20)

Irish Repertory Theatre Ulster American (through May 10)

Joe’s Pub Jane Wickline & Liva Pierce: Dukes (Sat, Mar 28th at 9:30PM)

Lincoln Center Theater Night Side Songs (through March 29)

Minetta Lane Theatre Sexual Misconduct of the Middle Classes (through April 30)

New York Theatre Workshop My Joy Is Heavy (through April 5)

Playwrights Horizons (The Peter Day Sharp Theater) No Singing in the Navy (through April 19)

The Shed The Other Place (through April 4)

Soho Playhouse The Amazing Sex Lives of Rabbits (through March 28)

Soho Playhouse BODYCOUNT (through March 29)

The Public Theatre/Shiva Theatre JESA (through April 12)

Vineyard Theatre BUGHOUSE (through April 5)

A bit about the listings:

• The events are listed in alphabetical order of theatres. When a show is listed as “through” a certain date, the show has already opened.

• For festivals, I’ve only highlighted certain shows and there’s usually a lot more happening. Check the full lineups on their websites.

• I’ve done my best to get everything right, but details can change. Always double-check the official event page for the latest times, dates, and any updates.

• If you’d like to submit a show to be added to Playtime email playtime@substack.com

  Subscribe now

  Share

  Read my personal thoughts and god knows what else on my other Substack here.

This week, I recommend checking out The Reservoir, Mother Russia, and The Monsters. All of these shows close on March 22, so this is your last week to catch them. Run!!!

Week of March 15, 2026

Atlantic Theater Company The Reservoir (through March 22)

Barbaralee Theater at The Public Antigone (This Play I Read in High School) (through April 5)

Cherry Lane Theatre You Got Older (through April 12)

Greenwich House Theater What We Did Before Our Moth Days (through May 10)

Greenwich House Theater Wallace Shawn performs “The Fever” (Sunday and Monday nights through April 20)

House of the Redeemer TRU (through May 3)

Irish Repertory Theatre Ulster American (through May 10)

Joe’s Pub Machine Dazzle: Jonesing (March 19 only)

La MaMa Antigone in Analysis (opens March 20)

New York City Center The Monsters (through March 22)

New York Theatre Workshop My Joy Is Heavy (through April 5)

Pershing Square Signature Theatre Center Mother Russia (through March 22)

Red Bull Theatre Titus Andronicus (first preview March 17)

The Shed The Other Place (through April 4)

Soho Playhouse The Amazing Sex Lives of Rabbits (through March 28)

Soho Playhouse BODYCOUNT (through March 29)

The Public Seagull: True Story (opens March 22)

The Public JESA (through April 12)

Vineyard Theatre BUGHOUSE (through April 5)

A bit about the listings:

• The events are listed in alphabetical order of theatres. When a show is listed as “through” a certain date, the show has already opened.

• For festivals, I’ve only highlighted certain shows and there’s usually a lot more happening. Check the full lineups on their websites.

• I’ve done my best to get everything right, but details can change. Always double-check the official event page for the latest times, dates, and any updates.

• If you’d like to submit a show to be added to Playtime email playtime@substack.com

  Subscribe now

  Share

  Read my personal thoughts and god knows what else on my other Substack here.

This week, I’m coming with lots of Edinburgh Fringe recommendations that have found new life in NYC. My Joy Is Heavy, up at New York Theatre Workshop, is a musical about grief and healing from Abigail and Shaun Bengson. It was a major hit at the Fringe last summer and has come to New York until April.

I also got to see BODYCOUNT at the Fringe, and loved it. It’s a one-woman show from Issy Knowles performing as Pollie, “an OnlyFans star determined to catapult herself to stratospheric fame with her most extreme stunt yet: sleeping with 1,000 of her subscribers on her trip to New York City.” It draws on real-life OnlyFans stars like Bonnie Blue, who famously held various events in which she slept with hundreds of people. It is funny, tender, surprising and has stayed with me for months.

Another Fringe find and one I urge you to see is American Sing-Song: Hole! I’ve rarely seen anything as brilliant and inventive as this “epic love story set in the apocalyptic aftermath of The Great Sucking”. Just trust me on this, see it. The shows this week say sold out but you can always get tickets on the door, or buy tickets for the two shows in May.

Finally, another plug for What We Did Before Our Moth Days, which has officially opened at the Greenwich House Theater to fantastic reviews. I really truly madly deeply love this play, I haven’t been so moved by something in a long time. If you can get tickets, go.

Week of March 9, 2026

Barbaralee Theater at The Public Antigone (This Play I Read in High School) (through March 29)

Cherry Lane Theatre You Got Older (through April 12)

Greenwich House Theater What We Did Before Our Moth Days (through May 10)

Greenwich House Theater Wallace Shawn performs “The Fever” (Sunday and Monday nights through April 20)

Jack EXTRAO1DINARY ALIENS! (March 7-14)

House of the Redeemer TRU (through May 3)

Irish Repertory Theatre Ulster American (through May 10)

Joe’s Pub American Sing Song: Hole! (March 9-12; May 5 & 6)

La MaMa Footnotes (through March 15)

New York City Center The Monsters (through March 22)

New York Theatre Workshop My Joy Is Heavy (through April 5)

Pershing Square Signature Theatre Center Mother Russia (through March 15)

The Shed The Other Place (through April 4)

Second Stage Theater (Irene Diamond Stage) Meat Suit, or The Shitshow of Motherhood (through March 15)

Soho Playhouse The Amazing Sex Lives of Rabbits (through March 28)

Soho Playhouse BODYCOUNT (through March 29)

The Public JESA (through April 12)

Vineyard Theatre BUGHOUSE (Opens March 11)

A bit about the listings:

• The events are listed in alphabetical order of theatres. When a show is listed as “through” a certain date, the show has already opened.

• For festivals, I’ve only highlighted certain shows and there’s usually a lot more happening. Check the full lineups on their websites.

• I’ve done my best to get everything right, but details can change. Always double-check the official event page for the latest times, dates, and any updates.

• If you’d like to submit a show to be added to Playtime email playtime@substack.com

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