I spent three days submerged in Peruvian culture and learned this one crucial thing about love. 

I had the privilege of visiting a dear friend of mine in NYC for three days at the end of July. At the peak of summer, there was a stillness in the air and a growing warmth inside my chest. To be somewhere entirely new excited me—perhaps more than anything else had this summer. Outside the bustling city, hours away from my native suburb, I was reminded of the endless possibilities that life offers to those with extended hands. 

Upon our arrival, my sister and I were greeted with so much care by our friend, Elisa, her fiancé, and their third roommate, all Spanish-speaking and 2/3 Peruvian. Although leading a modest lifestyle, it was immediately clear to me that they were rich in every unseen way. 

Sweetly, they threw a party in our favor. The grill was fired up to make delicious fresh meats—Peruvian-style with plenty of herbs—and a handful of more Spanish folk were invited to visit on their back porch. On a stoop and a patch of grass, we compared our American interests and laughed about the subtle language barrier that forced us to take extra care in our exchanges. We played Charli XCX, Lola Young, and alternative rock, as per their request. It was a joy to connect through melodic language that seemed to tie our cultures together. 

Midway through our five-hour party, gray clouds began to cover the sky, just enough to make the afternoon feel like a feverish dream. All the guests, except my sister and me, began to dance the salsa, flamenco, and tango as we sat and watched in awe.

The Peruvians swayed their bodies in directions we didn’t previously know existed and extended their hands to us, trying in vain to teach the steps and spirit of each dance. 

We weren’t bad dancers, but we obviously lacked the fluidity that the rest of the crowd so naturally displayed. They playfully laughed and teased us. Stiff Americans.

“How do you fall in love in America without dancing?” my friend asked earnestly.

I shouted back, “We don’t!”

Still single, still hopelessly trying to find some answers about love (romantic and otherwise), I held still at this question. 

How do we fall in love in America without unadulterated passion? 

My first thought was that we don’t feel freely enough in our culture. Or maybe we do, but we don’t outright express those feelings without first documenting every possible consequence. 

How much are we able to express? How willing are we to be made fools in the name of connection and love? 

Ancient Greek philosopher Epictetus once said, “If you want to improve, be content to be thought foolish and stupid.” It’s never been clearer to me how right he was. 

After all, isn’t that the whole game of intimacy? Showing parts of yourself uncurated, unoptimized, unchecked? 

Like the Peruvians, we must learn to dance alongside each other if we want to emulate anything resembling true passion.

For me, dancing on my own has always come naturally. It’s easy to make my own rules. It’s comfortable not having to match another’s rhythm. But at some point, I long for a touch outside my own. Anybody’s, really— my sister’s, my friend’s, a romantic interest’s—because some dances are just incomplete without a partner. So I must learn to risk being made a fool of, being off-beat, and making steps that are too big or too little for the sake of experiencing a dance alongside another.

Eventually, I loosened up and embraced the awkwardness that came with trying to blend into this new culture I had never before seen. 

I even danced with a sexy bartender at a Peruvian party in the city, keeping my eyes on his and feeling the music, until I forgot the steps and started to dance.

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The biggest tournament, to date, has made its fair share of memories both on and off the field—notably, the event and its organizer, FIFA, have been repeatedly criticized for recent over-commercialization, pricing out fans and hurting the spirit of the game. Moreover, there is an argument to be made that the tournament as a whole was tarnished, turned into a piece of political theatre by a presidential administration that did not particularly welcome the world to a world championship.

I do not wish to downplay these concerns, given that I strongly agree with them; rather, I intend to examine the tournament defensively. There is a reason we all tune in every four years and care enough to wait another for years after it ends. It is not merely entertainment. Sport is one of the greatest common grounds humanity possesses, using competition to bring people together, rather than turn them against each other. To write off the tournament in its entirety is to abandon this, which, despite the many aforementioned failures, does not feel as though it accomplishes anything. Global events are just as much about politics as they are worldwide works of art, demonstrating our ability to find, produce, and participate in global narratives.

With this in mind, the single greatest thing the World Cup does is force us to look up and acknowledge each other.

I was fortunate enough to attend three games during the tournament across two host cities, Houston and Boston. One immediate takeaway is that the tournament got me out of my house, but more so, out of the suburbs. The tournament pulled me into my community. To participate, I had to utilize public transportation, pulling my car off the road, and myself off the couch. No longer isolated, I found myself having conversations that were previously unimaginable. 

I will never forget explaining what a honky-tonk is to a group of Curacaoan fans who had come to Houston to watch their country play its first-ever match at the tournament. Later, I dusted off Spanish skills that had long been underutilized to communicate with a Portuguese fan, neither of us knowing the other’s language, and meeting somewhere in the middle. While these conversations may appear to be gatekept by high ticket prices, I also had the pleasure of attending Houston’s FIFA Fan Fest watch party on multiple occasions, a free event in which everyone could enjoy not only the games, but also community. Fans from across the globe had the environment to encounter each other with sport as their new common language. Cliché as it seems, you cannot possibly appreciate the power of internationalism until you are high-fiving random strangers upon every goal for a country far from your own. It restored my faith in humanity a bit to see that if we are given a chance to celebrate each other, we can and will.

Visibility is no doubt a huge factor in creating this narrative. In the news, superpowers dominate the cycles, whereas sports allow human stories to take precedent. There is nothing like an underdog run, drawing eyes where they would otherwise not be focused. For small nations and debutants, this carries tremendous opportunity. Certainly, one of the greatest stories to come out of the tournament was Cabo Verde. After a miraculous undefeated group stage run in their maiden tournament, they played a thriller round of 32 match against a heavily favored Argentina, needing three goals and extra time to defeat Cabo Verde. 

The African archipelago won hearts and greatly benefited from the increased visibility, seeing a tourism boost, particularly from Americans with newfound interest in the islands. The potential economic impacts extend beyond merely tourism, however. 

Fellow debutants Curacao, the smallest nation to ever qualify for a World Cup, did not only come to play. Along with their players, the Caribbean delegation included members of the island’s Ministry of Economic Development to network and cultivate stateside connections regarding energy, agriculture, infrastructure, and even music. Sport is vital, but not only because it is a morale booster. It is a uniquely effective medium for international cooperation.

This medium extends to the personal level as well. At times, it feels as if we have never been more divided. There is a desire to turn inward, to forget about the world outside amidst turmoil and struggle. The World Cup encourages us to do the opposite, looking out for others and embracing them. One of my favorite stories, and one that I greatly enjoyed participating in, was hearing how host cities embraced their guests. 

Every day, I would log on to social media and read a new story about a newfound allegiance between the citizens of Lawrence, Kansas, and the Algerian national soccer team. At the same time, I would watch videos of Korean fans dancing with Mexican fans, a particular international fandom alliance that was born several World Cups ago, yet continues to bring people together to dance in the streets. I was fortunate to experience this camaraderie myself, as Houston played host to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. I got to celebrate with Congolese fans after they earned their first-ever point in a shocking draw with the favorited Portugal, memories I will cherish for the rest of my life. I high-fived everyone I could find in blue, taking pictures with strangers as we cheered on Les Leopards. Moments like these are nothing short of precious examples of the best of humanity. 

Goodness still exists, but it does not come from isolation.

Furthermore, for a short month, the World Cup made being American fun again. It is rare to see a country so polarized, often against itself, get behind anything. However, for a brief moment in time, a new American identity was born, one that we could all latch onto. With each playing of the Star-Spangled Banner, there was a shared sense of hope that our country could do something worth being proud of. Suddenly, everyone became an expert, and every screen became prime real estate. There was a feverish desire to be a part of this nationwide community, bringing people together in ways that only cultural institutions can. It felt bittersweet, like watching relatives at Thanksgiving trying to stop fighting for long enough to enjoy one nice meal. Still, the idea that this elusive togetherness is out there brings me hope. 

Far away though it may seem, I believe an America I am proud of still exists.

In a way, the World Cup gives everyone permission to take pride in their national identity, regardless of whether they are even represented at the tournament. I saw just as many jerseys for Guatemala and Jamaica as countries actually competing. 

Of course, it would be malpractice to celebrate traveling fans without acknowledging the bureaucratic elephant in the room, the State Department systemically denying visas to 39 countries and restricting travel from even more. While this is inexcusable and unforgivable behavior from a country that once took pride in being the world’s melting pot, I want to take a moment to highlight the communities that filled stadiums for countries whose citizens could not. 

Senegal, a country that was restricted by the aforementioned travel ban, trained fans from its diaspora in New York to play the drums, bringing Dakar’s atmosphere across the sea. Haiti, another nation under a total travel restriction, saw mass support from its own communities across the Eastern seaboard at each of its three group stage games. 

Under tremendous pressure to assimilate, it feels beautiful that diasporic communities across North America had a moment this summer to see, be seen, and be celebrated. It is a reminder that diversity has always made us stronger and that there is a better world we can build for each other. 

I am now and will forever be embarrassed by our failures. It should be widely accepted that there can never again be such an exclusive World Cup, or we risk losing the very soul of one of the greatest things we come together as humans to do. 

This summer, I waved flags for countries I will probably never get the chance to visit, and yet it still meant something. There is a certain type of magic there that is worth protecting as much as any other piece of precious art. I believe that we cannot ignore the shortcomings of a tournament that has grown too big to avoid politics. However, we must also understand the value of what the World Cup does for us, as well as the good it will continue to do, should we fight to keep it in the hands of those who need it the most: fans.

The 45th Annual Battery Dance Festival marks a milestone moment, honoring 50 years of Battery Dance and the leadership of founder and artistic director Jonathan Hollander. This landmark edition showcases a multicultural lineup of artists, featuring bold voices and movement traditions from across the globe and uniting genres, cultures, and creative perspectives in a powerful celebration of artistic expression. Returning to the stunning waterfront at Wagner Park, the Festival unfolds over a full week of dynamic programming. The festival is free for attendees, in accordance with Battery Dance’s founding mission.

Emad Salem, executive director of Battery Dance, said, “When Battery Dance was founded in 1976 in Lower Manhattan, the goal and the mission of the organization were to provide access to dance.”

The festival highlights the importance of accessibility in the arts, for both the artists and the audience. Each evening offers two exhilarating hours of performances, including the interactive segment Everybody Dance Now, where audiences are invited to move, connect, and celebrate together.

Salem says diversity and accessibility are at the core of not only the festival, but the company’s work, “[There are] beautiful performances on the outdoor festival stage, but equally beautiful is the diversity of the audience that is really kind of reflective of the diverse kaleidoscope of communities that New York City has to offer.”

The Battery Dance Festival began on Aug. 10, 2026, with dynamic community workshops led by selected local dance groups, inviting New Yorkers of all ages to connect directly with artists through shared movement and cultural exchange. Today, the performances officially begin as the Festival proudly celebrates its legacy as New York City’s longest-running free public dance festival. It is an unforgettable annual event that brings together artists and audiences from around the world.

The company has a long history of fostering community in Manhattan and abroad.

“After 9/11, I think the organization really started asking, ‘How can we use dance as a way of bridging divides and bringing people together across borders, across cultures, across languages,’ so that’s when the company started touring internationally.”

Through international tours and inviting artists from around the globe to perform at the festival, Battery Dance has stayed committed to diversifying audiences and bringing various cultural traditions to NYC.

Art is meant to connect, entertain, and create a communal experience amongst viewers, which Battery Dance has been committed to cultivating for the past 50 years.

For more information about the festival, visit Battery Dance’s website.

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CasaFilm Festival was created by Julie Casamonti in collaboration with The New York Company and CasaFilm Anthologies, for local audiences to enjoy a night of musical performances and short film premieres. More than just local entertainment, the film festival’s main purpose was to highlight a pillar of the community: the Center at West Park (CWP).

In 2016, CWP was founded in West Park Presbyterian by a coalition of community members dedicated to revitalizing the church and creating equitable spaces in the community for artistic cultivation. It is an inclusive, multi-generational non-profit organization committed to community, arts & culture, collaboration, diversity, affordability, and accessibility on the Upper West Side and throughout New York City.

The film festival was more than just a space to showcase the creative endeavors of young artists; it was a meeting of the minds. At the intersection of talent and charity, we find adolescents seeking purpose and connection in an increasingly disconnected city. Where developers aim to tear down the West Park Presbyterian Church and destroy the rich cultural heritage of NYC, younger generations fight to save important communal spaces for artists to join and create in, regardless of their background.

West Park was always a space dedicated to inclusivity and community involvement. Since its construction in 1889, this building has been home to countless artists and activists.

In 1978, West Park led the way in openly welcoming LGBTQ+ members as part of the More Light Movement — a nationwide network of congregations and campus groups committed to the full inclusion, celebration, and leadership of LGBTQIA+ people within and beyond the Presbyterian Church in America.

From 1980 to 1985, West Park was home to The Shakespeare Center and the renowned Riverside Shakespeare Company. From 1987 to 1991, God’s Love We Deliver worked out of West Park’s kitchen to serve up to 250 meals per day to people living with AIDS during the height of the crisis.

West Park not only served Manhattan artists from its inception, but also the greater LGBTQIA+ community in Manhattan through acts of service and community involvement. The possible destruction of a cultural institution to create a high-rise apartment building is a microcosm of the trajectory of NYC as a whole. As developers prey on the cities’ most vulnerable communities to line their pockets, institutions that work toward the betterment of their communities are pushed to the wayside.

NYC’s diverse arts and culture landscape becomes more expensive every day for those with a deep appreciation for and connection to the resources that the city has to offer. Young artists are struggling to not only afford rent, but also to afford resources that will further their careers.

Many are aware of the “starving artist” stereotype prevalent in NYC — a supposed enclave for young creatives building a reputation for themselves. Community resources, similar to those offered by CWP, have existed for decades to help young artists achieve their dreams. However, institutions that freely support artists are now few and far between due to the obsessive need to overdevelop neighborhoods throughout the five boroughs.

The creation of art in its many forms has now been commodified by the upper-class, the only people who can afford the increasing ticket prices of events and artistic resources throughout the city. These wealthy artists and patrons of the arts are not the problem; rather, merely a symptom of systemic underfunding of the arts in a city that makes $110+ billion in total economic output annually, according to a 2019 report from the NYC Comptroller.

When funding is lacking, what happens to the artists who cannot afford the art they create?

The answer: events like CasaFilm Festival, where young artists and community members joined together to preserve a cultural institution that they may or may not have personally benefited from.

The festival was a night of vulnerability and care where artists could share their work with a crowd of young New Yorkers to help preserve a cultural mainstay. A stage of their own making in a church that accepts those from all different backgrounds. This is the kind of community New York has craved: those who want to make an impact.

The youth of Manhattan are creating their own spaces to uplift each other. More than uplifting their own projects, young artists are building community and visibility while resisting the companies that believe cultural institutions can be bought and sold to the highest bidder for their latest glass and steel moneymaker.

CasaFilm Festival and other events like it remind us of what the arts and entertainment landscape in NYC can and should look like: a place where artists, regardless of socioeconomic status, can create freely and afford to pay it forward to the next generation.

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Lincoln Center’s summer-long celebration of dance continues in July as the BAAND Together Dance Festival returns for its sixth year, reuniting five of NYC’s most iconic dance companies—Ballet Hispánico New York, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, American Ballet Theatre, New York City Ballet, and Dance Theatre of Harlem—on one stage from July 28th to August 1st, 2026 at the David H. Koch Theater as part of Lincoln Center’s Summer for the City.

Donald Borror, Director of the Pasculano Collaborative for Contemporary Dance at Lincoln Center, said, “The idea of strength in unity is more powerful than ever, and to have [the festival] be something where each year we can gather different artists that you would never normally see on the same stage, and have them working alongside each other in such a beautiful way. I think it definitely tells a great story about the power of moving together.”

This beloved festival offers the rare chance to experience programming curated collaboratively by the artistic directors of each company, including repertory favorites.

Borror said, “The artistic directors of all of these companies are so generous, and that’s part of what makes this festival work: you know everyone’s excited to get in the room together.”

The festival features unique pieces, showcasing the strengths and stylistic diversity amongst the city’s professional dance landscape.

Borror said, “This is dance dim sum. It is small bites, and it is a full meal. You will get five different groups of people with five different feelings.”

The Program:

American Ballet Theatre

Zephyr pas de deux by Claire Davison

Zephyr, meaning a gentle breeze, is taken from the lyrics of Jacques Offenbach’s Barcarolle. Choreographed by American Ballet Theatre corps de ballet dancer Claire Davison, Zephyr is a pas de deux inspired by the wind on a warm summer night, inciting dance and play in everything it touches. It celebrates a fleeting moment of magic, romance, and beauty.

Dance Theatre of Harlem

Passage of Being by Jodie Gates

Fall into the passage of time in Jodie Gates’ new ballet, Passage of Being, an exploration of life’s fleeting moments set on Dance Theatre of Harlem’s extraordinary dancers. This circular, physical work unfolds in three cinematic movements set to the evocative music of Oscar-nominated composer Ryan Lott. Shifting perspectives and the bittersweet beauty of time’s swift journey are brought to life through Gates’ expressive choreography and inventive lighting by Michael Korsch with elegant costumes by Martha Chamberlain. At the heart of this elliptic ballet is the majestic and haunting Son Lux song Don’t Say It’s Too Late. Gates weaves these elements into a poignant reflection on love, connection, and the power of the present. Don’t miss this visually deeply moving new work.

New York City Ballet

Each In Their Own Time pas de deux by Lar Lubovitch

Lar Lubovitch’s Each In Their Own Time is set to selections from Brahms’ Eight Piano Pieces (Op 76), performed by an onstage pianist. The duet was created for New York City Center’s Fall for Dance Festival in 2021 and is the second work by Lubovitch to enter New York City Ballet’s repertory.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater

A Case of You by Judith Jamison

A Case of You is an emotional and sensual duet by Artistic Director Emerita Judith Jamison, performed to Diana Krall’s version of Joni Mitchell’s song of the same title. The duet premiered publicly in 2005 as part of Ms. Jamison’s larger work, Reminiscin’, inspired by Edward Hopper’s famous painting Nighthawks and great female jazz artists.

Ballet Hispánico New York

Trança (Braid) by Cassi Abranches

In Trança, a recent world premiere, individuality and collectivity meet to explore human relationships. Inspired by the ancestral art of braiding, it weaves Brazil’s unique cultural references, creating a living fabric of movement, identity, and community.

For the second year, audiences will get an off-stage perspective of the extraordinary creative collaboration between these five renowned NYC dance companies during a free panel discussion on Tuesday, July 28 at 5:00 pm in the David Rubenstein Atrium, featuring the artistic leaders of all five companies: Eduardo Vilaro, Ballet Hispánico New York; Alicia Graf Mack and Matthew Rushing, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater; Susan Jaffe, American Ballet Theatre; Wendy Whelan and Jonathan Stafford, New York City Ballet; and Robert Garland, Dance Theatre of Harlem, moderated by Donald Borror, Director, Pasculano Collaborative for Contemporary Dance.

Each afternoon, one of the companies brings its unique teaching style to participants of all ages with free dance workshops in the David Geffen Hall lobby. The series will offer a variety of dance forms, appropriate for all ages and abilities.

All tickets are offered for Choose-What-You-Pay, reflecting Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts’ commitment to making world-class artistry as accessible as possible.

The BAAND Together Dance Festival is made possible by CHANEL, a supporter of the festival since its debut in 2021. Among Gabrielle Chanel’s core inspirations was the flexibility of movement—an influence she expressed throughout all her creations, including her collaborations with legendary choreographers during her lifetime. This partnership reflects the House’s long-standing connection to and patronage within the world of dance, which has continued for over a century.

As a new major supporter of the Festival, Chase is proud to champion the world-class artistry of these iconic New York dance companies as they come together on one stage, building on its support of Summer for the City, now in its third year.

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Presented as part of Lincoln Center’s Chinese Arts Week and China Institute’s centennial celebration, About Face: Disrupting Ballet, a new feature-length documentary, spotlights the efforts of former New York City Ballet soloist Georgina Pazcoguin and author, producer, and choreographer Phil Chan as they launch their global Final Bow for Yellowface movement and challenge the dance world to rid ballet of long-standing Asian stereotypes.

Georgina Pazcoguin, “The Rogue Ballerina,” joined New York City Ballet in 2002 and became the first Asian American female soloist in NYCB’s history after her promotion in 2013. In tandem with Chan, she founded Final Bow for Yellowface, which, in addition to challenging Asian misrepresentation in the dance industry, raises awareness and promotes inclusivity through sincere representation of all ethnicities in the performing arts.

At a diversity committee meeting in 2017, the depiction of different ethnicities represented in The Nutcracker arose. Chan received a call from Pazcoguin to discuss the history of Asian representation in many different art forms and how ballet developed as an art form. The research into how European characters in the Nutcracker were portrayed in comparison with the caricatures that manifested in the Arabian Coffee and Chinese Tea roles.

When the NYCB Balletmaster-in-Chief Peter Martins was presented with this information, he knew a change had to be made, but didn’t know how to execute it while preserving the traditional interpretation and protecting one of the company’s largest sources of revenue. The meeting resulted in subtle make-up, choreography, and costume changes.

Chan said to Pazcoguin, “I think Peter [Martins] is willing to change the Nutcracker, and if Peter’s willing to do it at the ballet, what about all the other American companies?”

This began yellowface.org, where companies across the country could make a pledge stating:

“I love ballet as an art form, and acknowledge that to achieve diversity among our artists, audiences, donors, students, volunteers, and staff requires inclusion. I am committed to eliminating outdated and offensive stereotypes of Asians (Yellowface) on our stages.”

As of 2026, every major American and UK ballet company has signed the pledge.

The pair’s work shifted in March 2021 due to the Stop Asian Hate Movement. The companies wanted to do their best to support Asian artists, but didn’t know who to hire or how to find them. Thus, for AAPI Heritage Month in May 2021, Final Bow for Yellowface created the 10,000 Dreams choreography festival, where every single day during May, they featured a different Asian-American choreographer.

The festival resulted in five commissions, four of which went to women. Since 2019, the number of commissions for Asian artists has increased from about five to 34 commissions, increasing exponentially every year.

Outside of capturing the pair’s advocacy work, the documentary also captures the beauty of Chan and Pazcoguin’s friendship. The venue of the documentary’s premiere, Lincoln Center, has a special cultural significance to the pair, in addition to their personal ties to the space.

“The 10,000 Dreams program premiered at the Kennedy Center, and so to be denied the opportunity to go back there and continue the work we built on, to know that we also have a home at Lincoln Center, is deeply meaningful as well,” said Chan.

About Face: Disrupting Ballet will premiere on July 23, 2026, at 7:30 pm in the David Rubenstein Atrium. The screening is free to the public on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information, visit Lincoln Center’s website.

Sam Emerson

The Lost Boys

In a cast full of rock and roll vampires, it is difficult to stand out. However, Benjamin Pajak as Sam Emerson wins over audiences at the Palace Theatre with his gay coming-of-age number “Superpower.” Using superhero metaphors, Sam comes to terms with being gay, finding that being different is not a bad thing. It is refreshing and heartwarming to see a queer youth storyline, as young queer people across the nation find themselves increasingly under attack. While he is only a supporting character, Sam Emerson gets his star turn, telling the world that the real superpower is confidence and self-acceptance.

Frank-N-Furter

The Rocky Horror Show

Is there any character so liberated from gender as Dr. Frank-N-Furter? While there is some debate over his identity, particularly in modern times with an evolved conversation surrounding gender, Frank is, at the end of the day, simply a transvestite from transexual transylvania. Luke Evans plays this exceedingly well, unburdened by the expectations of a world built for his more vanilla peers, Brad and Janet. A mess at the best of times, yet free, Frank exemplifies a kind of queer liberation that preaches what I would argue is the show’s greatest line, “don’t dream it, be it”.

Grizabella

CATS: The Jellicle Ball

Having brought the ballroom to Broadway, CATS: Jellicle Ball is hardly starved of queerness, with legendary names such as Andre De Shields and Junior Labeija bringing a beautiful authenticity to Broadway. However, with queer representation so often limited to men, “Tempress” Chastity Moore’s Grizabella is more than worthy of recognition. Her eleven o’clock number, Memory is, as in many other productions of Cats, a welcome revelation. An already moving scene, the added weight of a transgender woman belting her desire for community is a brilliant singular moment of theatre, perhaps one that was woefully overlooked by the Tony Awards. Either way, we should all feel fortunate to experience such queer excellence.

Mayor Menlove

Schmigadoon!

With a last name like Menlove, seeing queerness afoot is no surprise. Broadway veteran Brad Oscar plays the repressed, closeted mayor of the town of Schmigadoon. He is a familiarly sympathetic character, married to the cruel Mildred Layton, attempting to manipulate her way into power and control over the storybook town. Eventually liberated through the hijinks caused by outsiders Melissa and Josh, he unites with his lover, the Reverend Layton ( who, interestingly enough, is not the only Layton on our list). It’s a fairytale ending that is equal parts goofy and heartwarming, reminding the audience how lucky they are to be able to love freely.

The Iceberg Bitch

Titaníque

Is The Iceberg Bitch canonically a drag performance or the real Tina Turner dressed up like an iceberg? In short, who cares, a wig and heels were worn. Reprising his Olivier-winning role from London’s West End, Layton Williams makes the most of his Broadway debut in an icy blue wig, high heels, and a jacket donned with frozen fractals. Williams stops the show with The Iceberg Bitch’s marquee moment, River Deep Mountain High, in which she makes the entire cast lip-sync for their life(boats) amidst the many high notes of Celine Dion’s greatest ever cover. If I saw The Iceberg Bitch at a drag show, rest assured, I would give her my dollars.

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Welcome back to the age of 1990s heroin chic and Atkins! In case you missed this era the first time around, it has come back with a rebrand and vengeance. However, society has decided to leave heroin behind in exchange for GLP-1s, a prescription injectable most commonly used to treat Type 2 diabetes and obesity. Protein maxxing is the latest diet fad that has taken over the social media wellness landscape as a way to gain more muscle and live healthier.

After almost freeing ourselves from the clutches of diet culture during the self-love and body positivity movements of the past decade or so, it has returned to take away our calories, our carbs, and our corpses.

The use of illicit drugs to encourage weight loss has mostly disappeared in the cultural zeitgeist; rather, prescription weight loss drugs have returned with a fervor unlike any other. GLP-1s are advertised as a pseudo-elixir of life, even for those whose medical profiles do not necessitate their use, but this is compounded by the wellness trends that are contributing to an increased rate of colorectal cancer in young adults.

Diets and weight loss trends are not a modern concept. Women’s magazines specifically have been pushing radical diets onto their readers for over a century, helping women everywhere maintain the “perfect feminine form.” I would argue that the prevalence of the heroin chic aesthetic in the 90s did irreparable and irrevocable harm to those who were held up to the insane beauty standard.

Brittanica defines heroin chic as, “[A]n extremely thin physique paired with pale skin, dark undereye circles, and often disheveled hair and clothing.” This physique was more than a fashion aesthetic; for many models, it was a lifestyle. Heroin became more accessible, in part because of purer, powder versions becoming available at a lower price point, and the more mainstream use of it by celebrities. According to the National Household Survey, in 1997, there were 325,000 current heroin users. Although the illicit drug defined the aesthetic, many acquired the look through eating disorders, which highly contrasts the current landscape.

The FDA approved the use of Ozempic to treat type 2 diabetes in Dec. 2017. In 2021, another GLP-1, Wegovy, was launched to specifically target weight loss. Now, there are 11 FDA-approved GLP-1 receptor agonist medications available by prescription. GLP-1s are not new; the first FDA-approved GLP-1 became available in 2005. However, according to Epic Research, GLP-1 prescriptions among U.S. adults rose from 1,884 to 8,819 per 100,000 patients between the second quarter of 2021 and the first quarter of 2026. The more than fourfold increase was driven primarily by tirzepatide (Mounjaro, Zepbound) and semaglutide (Wegovy, Ozempic, Rybelsus), with use increasing in both diabetic and non-diabetic populations.

As of Nov. 2025, about one in eight adults (over 30 million people) say that they are currently taking a GLP-1 drug such as Ozempic or Wegovy either to lose weight or treat a chronic condition, a KFF Health Tracking Poll finds.

Celebrities such as Amy Schumer, Serena Williams, Charles Barkley, Kathy Bates, Fat Joe, Meghan Trainor, and Oprah Winfrey have publicly discussed their personal use of GLP-1s for weight loss. Meghan Trainor, most notably, received backlash for her use of Mounjaro after the singer based her career on body-positive messaging.

Many women’s bodies became a large topic of discussion during the past awards season for appearing to be dangerously thin. The discussion is a result of, in part, the media’s incessant need to comment on women’s bodies. Another aspect of the conversation is the fear that their looks will become the standard that every woman is held to. After years of seeing celebrities advocate for self-love and body positivity, watching already thin women get smaller strikes fear into the hearts of every woman.

Not only are weight loss drugs wreaking havoc on the “wellness” industry, including the easily accessible GLP-1 patches and weight loss powders available on the TikTok Shop, but diet culture is back with its newest craze: protein maxxing.

The American Medical Association defines protein maxxing as, “a fast-growing social media trend… where users focus on maximizing dietary protein intake to boost metabolism, manage weight, and build muscle.” Yet another health and wellness trend not backed by medical professionals has permeated our culture.

Proteins are macronutrients made up of amino acids that help your body perform its necessary functions. They are extremely vital, “...scientists describe them as your body’s workhorses,” according to the Cleveland Clinic.

There is a healthy threshold of protein consumption for adults, according to Mass General Brigham, “… 72 to 73 grams of protein to prevent deficiency. However, if you exercise regularly, lift weights, or are actively aging, you will need to increase your intake to 109 to 155 grams per day.” Adults with balanced diets consume their regular daily allowance of protein without having to consciously calculate the amount. However, protein maxxers consciously consume protein-packed foods, “between 1.2 to 2.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight daily—often aiming for a target of 1.0 gram of protein per pound of body weight. This roughly translates to 140 to 200 grams of protein per day for a standard 200-pound adult,” according to a study published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Medicine.

This trend has impacted not only social media users, but also the shelves in supermarkets, where you can find protein coffee, popcorn, macaroni and cheese, and more in every aisle. The issue is not that protein is bad for you; rather, the focus on it “… has crowded out a more important message: Diversify your protein sources and eat more fiber-rich foods—which many Americans don’t get enough of,” according to Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The lack of fiber in one’s diet is a possibly life-threatening problem.

Protein maxxers exist largely on, according to Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, “Foods such as chicken breast, steak, salmon, and eggs provide rich amounts of vital amino acids but lack fiber entirely. Leaning too heavily on these often results in the displacement of vital nutrients, leaving daily fiber intake well below the recommended 25 g for women and 38 g for men.” Dietary fiber is essential because the human body cannot digest it, allowing it to clean your digestive tract, regulate blood sugar, and lower cholesterol as it passes through.

Foods such as fruits, vegetables, beans (also a good source of protein), and whole grains are carbohydrates that contain dietary fiber. Although the body cannot use fiber as a fuel source, which is important for many gym goers and athletes, “Fiber slows digestion, helping us feel full longer… because fiber slows digestion, it also may help with blood sugar control,” according to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. More shockingly, however, a diet that lacks fiber might cause cancer.

According to the Cancer Research Institute (CRI), a diet high in processed and red meats and low in fiber, fruits, and vegetables is associated with increased risk of colorectal cancer (CRC). Statistically, younger people are developing colorectal cancer due to improper dietary habits.

“1 in 5 people diagnosed with CRC is under age 55, and it is now the leading cause of cancer-related death among young adults,” according to the CRI. Despite the overall decline in incidences across the population, there is a yearly 3% increase in young adults diagnosed with CRC. The normal age to start screening for CRC is not until 45, but if our diets worsen and the risk increases, young adults may have to start screening for their own protection.

It’s easy to see that the diet and eating disorder culture that ran rampant in the 90s and early 2000s has rebranded as health and wellness. Where Atkins, Zone diets, and Slim Fast used to reign, protein maxxing has now dethroned them. The heroin chic aesthetic was the societal beauty standard. Now that Ozempic and company have taken the place of heroin chic in trying to convince people that being unnaturally skinny and borderline sickly is healthy, it’s important now more than ever to refuse to let wellness propaganda take away your love handles or your life.

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Lake Tahoe Dance Collective will present its 14th Annual Lake Tahoe Dance Festival from July 21 to 24, 2026, featuring artists from New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Broadway, Boston Ballet, Houston Ballet, and more. An opening night gala in Incline Village marks the beginning of the Festival, followed by Kings Beach Community Night, Tahoe City Community Night, and a closing night gala in William B. Layton Park.

Artists featured at the 2026 Lake Tahoe Dance Festival include Sierra Armstrong and Andrew Robare (American Ballet Theatre); Lia Cirio and Paul Craig (Boston Ballet); Taylor Stanley, Indiana Woodward, and Daniel Ulbricht (New York City Ballet); Stephen Hanna (New York City Ballet/Broadway); and Melody Mennite (Houston Ballet).

With a mission to present the finest quality professional dance and dance instruction in North Lake Tahoe, Christin Hanna and Constantine Baecher started The Lake Tahoe Dance Festival in 2013. Lake Tahoe Dance commissions new works, preserves the legacy of rarely seen classics and fan favorites, while offering exceptional artists a creative platform.

“The inspiration for [the festival], of course, was the outdoor stage at Jacob’s Pillow,” said Hanna.

Every summer, the festival provides an accessible and affordable opportunity for families in Lake Tahoe to experience dance at its highest caliber. For many families, it is the only performing arts avenue available to them.

Baecher said the thrill of this work is being able to bridge the performing arts gap in the area, stating, “The new and exciting part is that the majority of people who are in our audience have no exposure to dance. We are their conduit into this whole universe… Lake Tahoe is a beautiful place, a lot of people go and visit, but it doesn’t have major theaters, it’s not on the touring network systems,” said Baecher.

The Lake Tahoe Dance Festival takes place outdoors, Lake Tahoe setting the scene for the stunning works on stage. Although the weather can provide challenges to the programming and sound design, the majesty of the festival’s surrounding area is unmatched and can often work in tandem with the artists.

Despite challenges to hosting an outdoor festival in an area without typical performing arts infrastructure and the financial limitations of being a non-profit, Hanna and Baecher stay true to the reason why they started the festival and dance collective.

Baecher said, “There’s an ethos to the Lake Tahoe Dance Festival: no matter what, we are here to dance for you, and we are going to figure that out. Will some performances be galas where the tickets are higher? Sure, but that will always be matched by a community night days where the tickets are, if not free, absolutely as affordable as we can make them.”

For more programming information and to purchase tickets, visit laketahoedancecollective.org/laketahoedancefestival.

Remember when Broadway felt different?

At the end of every Tony Awards ceremony comes the industry’s marquee moment: a new best musical is crowned, sending all 41 stages into the summer with a wave of much-needed support behind the latest generation of new works. Some shows will certainly close, but a lucky few may be on their way to becoming classics, and the cycle will repeat season over season.

These days, however, those “lucky few” seem to be even fewer and farther between. Moreover, of the shows that do succeed, there is an increasing presence of adaptations, relying on preexisting intellectual property to sell seats to tourists at a premium price. While new pieces struggle to find their footing, not all of the theatrical cannon is facing the same fate. Revivals, especially with star names attached, have quickly become the must-see shows of the season. One could even argue that for the past few seasons, the real Tony race has been for the best revival of a musical.

The numbers look bleak. Of the last 10 Best Musical winners, 5 were adaptations of existing material. Furthermore, Hamilton is notably based on American history, while Hadestown is rooted in Greek mythology. It should be said that we should not vilify adaptations outright. Hamilton and Hadestown, after all, are perhaps two of the strongest new works this century, lauded with critical as well as public acclaim, and long, fortuitous runs.

However, when only 3 winners in the past decade have been entirely original, we can begin to lament the lack of material, particularly in the wake of COVID-19. Since the pandemic, only one original piece of theatre has won the Tony Award for Best Direction, with Best Actor and Best Actress performances each being awarded to only one original musical in each category, respectively. This quietly raises an uncomfortable question: whether there is room enough for originality in this economy, or if we have been sentenced to decades of derivative blockbusters.

As anyone in theatre will tell you, the audience plays a role in every performance. As a result, we must all consider ourselves both consumers and creatives to consider the takeaways. The noticeable financial success of revivals and adaptations indicates that we are most comfortable spending our money when we have a reasonable expectation of familiarity or comfort with the material being performed for us.

There is an argument to be made that we are hiding in nostalgia, using art as an escape rather than to challenge us. While there is value in affirmative art, it creates an environment in which theatres cater to their audience, rather than engaging in a meaningful exchange of thought and energy. Thus, to build a freer, more original Broadway, we must grow comfortable being uncomfortable, taking risks, and escaping the need for familiarity in art. Now more than ever, we cannot allow one award to summarize our valuation of theatre as a whole.

Perhaps this is a tall order for tourists, but if they are to take any cues from the theatre community, then we must lead by example, such as with the apparent renaissance of off-Broadway theatre.

Still, it feels like the main stem formula is unstoppable in its constant regurgitation of the recognizable. With the past year in the rearview and a new season approaching, season announcements indicate trends. Off the heels of two straight revivals, Lincoln Center Theatre is programming its Broadway house with an additional two revivals, relegating new work to its smaller stages.

At the time of writing, Broadway as a whole has only announced six original shows for the upcoming season. With such pale offerings, thinking ahead to the next season does not inspire confidence, but rather forces us to reckon with whether this is truly the best we can do. At the same time, as the industry struggles, it feels cruel to vilify art that is derivative, yet keeps the public engaged. In a sense, we, the public, are both the enemy and the solution. An entire industry parades itself to gain our attention, but if we look away, it will only grow more desperate. Unfortunately for all parties, this charade is expensive, yet the dance continues. Perhaps the best middle ground is not where the stakes are highest.

Peyton List

Heathers: The Musical

Peyton List struck it big with the mouse in the mid 2010’s. For four seasons, List played the eldest daughter “Emma” in Jessie, before reprising her role on the spinoff Bunk’d. Beloved for her portrayal of characters with both sass and intellect, it was thrilling, but not necessarily a surprise, to Disney fans when she was announced as the latest actress to don the iconic red scrunchie. With a run of about three months, Peyton List cemented herself in the history of the cult classic musical.

Karan Brar

Data

Another Jessie alum, Karan Brar, played middle child “Ravi Ross” alongside Peyton List for four seasons, not including his time on the spinoff Bunk’d. Data, a new play at Off-Broadway’s Lucille Lortel Theatre, marked his New York staged debut, having originated the same role out of town in Washington DC. Brar played the role of “Maneesh” in the AI computer science thriller for just under three months.

Olivia Holt

Just in Time

Olivia Holt is no stranger to the Disney Channel, having starred in shows such as Kickin’ It as well as Disney Channel Original Movies such as Girl vs. Monster. Holt made her Broadway debut in 2023 as “Roxie Hart” in Chicago. Fans were no doubt thrilled when her return to the stage was announced, playing “Connie Francis” in the hit musical Just in Time. She took her first bow on May 30, so if you grew up watching her on your TV, might I suggest an evening at the Circle in the Square Theatre sometime soon?

Corbin Bleu

The Great Gatsby

Corbin Bleu is a Disney icon, best known for playing “Chad Danaforth” in the High School Musical trilogy. Since then, Bleu has had a significant stage career, amassing six Broadway credits amongst numerous regional and Off-Broadway productions. Most recently, he originated the role of “Nick Carraway” in The Great Gatsby in London’s West End, earning a prestigious Olivier Award nomination. He is currently reprising this role on Broadway at the aptly named Broadway Theatre. If you loved him in High School Musical, get your head in the game and buy a ticket soon!

Meg Donelly

Moulin Rouge!

Meg Donelly is the next generation’s Disney star, entertaining Gen Alpha in the massive Zombies franchise. Donelly has played the role of “Addison Wells” in four Disney Channel Original Movies and an additional spin-off show. Last fall, fans were thrilled when she was announced as the next “Satine” in Moulin Rouge in a strictly limited engagement. Having starred in several musicals onscreen, Moulin Rouge marked her stage musical debut. Donelly played the role for nearly four months, taking her final bow at the Al Hirschfeld Theater on March 1.

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With Chess’s cult following and history of success abroad, why has the production struggled to maintain a foothold in America?

In the mid-1970s, Tim Rice— long-time lyricist, librettist, and collaborator with Andrew Lloyd Webber— wanted to create a musical about the Cuban Missile Crisis. While this idea never came to fruition, this concept planted the seed for Chess. Years later, Rice decided to create a musical about the Cold War through the lens of the American-Soviet chess rivalry. When he was ready to start production on the musical in 1979, ALW was not available for collaboration due to his work on Cats.

In came Benny Ulvaeus and Bjorn Andersson, ready to commit to work outside of their famed band ABBA, and recommended to Rice by producer Richard Vos. Rice, Ulvaeus, and Andersson began work on a concept album to determine the public’s interest in the project (a strategy proven successful in Rice’s previous two musicals, Jesus Christ Superstar and Evita).

In 1984, the double EP was released worldwide, with One Night in Bangkok reaching #3 on the US Billboard Hot 100. The critically acclaimed album became a Top 10 hit in the UK, West Germany, and South Africa, reaching #47 on the US Billboard 200, #39 in France, and #35 in Australia. It remained at #1 on the Swedish album chart for seven weeks.

Following the concept album’s success, Chess opened in London’s West End on 14 May 1986 at the Prince Edward Theatre. The production was directed by Trevor Nunn and starred the three principal singers from the concept album: Elaine Paige, Tommy Körberg, and Murray Head. The show won the Critics’ Circle Theatre Award for Best Musical and received three 1986 Olivier Award nominations for Best Musical, Outstanding Performance by an Actor (Tommy Körberg), and Outstanding Performance by an Actress (Elaine Paige). The production ran in the West End for three years, closing on April 8, 1989.

Frank Rich, a theatre critic at the New York Times, noted that although Rice released a concept album and retained Elaine Paige from the successful production of Evita, he “failed to provide…a strong or even coherent story that might galvanize the musical’s mixture of flashy show-biz histrionics and political naivete.” Rich’s review continues to note how the musical and its set design elicit feelings of love, loss, and war from the audience, “But the specifics used to dramatize this commonplace notion are preposterous - a romantic triangle involving a Bobby Fischer-like American chess champion (Murray Head), his Soviet challenger (the robust-voiced Tommy Korberg) and a Hungarian refugee (Miss Paige) who unaccountably switches men and ideological allegiances at the drop of a song cue.”

Despite Chess’s commercial success, the reviews suggest issues with the book of the musical that undermine the production’s success as a cohesive story.

In 1988, two years after the production opened in the West End, Chess’s storyline and score were overhauled for its Broadway run. The creative team decided to reimagine the show for Broadway audiences, leading to a second major stage version with considerable differences from the British version in both plot and music. Trevor Nunn brought in playwright Richard Nelson to recreate the musical as a straightforward “book show” for Broadway audiences.

The first preview on April 11, 1988, ran 4 hours with a 90-minute intermission (the stage crew reportedly had problems with the sets); by opening night on April 28, it was down to 3 hours 15 minutes. The Original Broadway Cast starred Philip Casnoff as Frederick Trumper, Judy Kuhn as Florence Vassy, David Carroll as Anatoly Sergievsky, Harry Goz as Ivan Molokov, Dennis Parlato as Walter Anderson, Paul Harman as the Arbiter, Marcia Mitzman as Svetlana Sergievsky, and Neal Ben-Ari as Gregor Vassy, Florence’s father.

The Broadway production did not manage to sustain a consistently large audience and closed on June 25, after 17 previews and 68 regular performances.

Variety’s review of the show states that, “Chess is a show of too many paradoxes: a serious book awkwardly fitted under unserious and lyrically banal songs, a loud, scenically grandiose presentation that’s essentially dull.”

Bjorn Ulvaeus stated of the newly overhauled production that, “When we opened on Broadway, we changed the show so drastically we just wrecked it, which was a pity. Even the score suffered – because it is a very operatic score, which doesn’t need interrupting too much.”

In the following decades, tours, concerts, and various global productions of Chess were staged, many of which were successful. When the Soviet Union fell, attempts at modernizing thematic aspects of the production dissipated.

In 2003, an Actors Fund of America Benefit Concert was given and recorded at the New Amsterdam Theatre on Broadway. The benefit concert was produced without costume changes or a full set, with the orchestra on stage. It was a combination of the American and British versions of the production, noticeably without Florence and her father’s subplot. This staging was directed by Peter Flynn, choreographed by Christopher Gattelli, and conducted by Seth Rudetsky. The cast included Adam Pascal as Frederick, Julia Murney as Florence, Josh Groban as Anatoly, Norm Lewis as Molokov, Jonathan Dokuchitz as Walter, Raúl Esparza as the Arbiter, and Sutton Foster as Svetlana.

In 2008, Chess in Concert was produced by Heartaches and Warner Bros. together with the City of London Philharmonic Orchestra, directed by Hugh Wooldridge at the Royal Albert Hall. This version was adapted by Tim Rice and Hugh Wooldridge with some new lyrics, including almost no dialogue, and substantially following the British version in plot and music.

Tim Rice stated that this version of Chess is the “official version,” after decades of different plot and song combinations. Though the plot and score are almost entirely based on those of the British version, this version also adds in two American-originated songs: Prologue and Someone Else’s Story. The cast included Adam Pascal as Frederick, Idina Menzel as Florence, Josh Groban as Anatoly, Kerry Ellis as Svetlana, Marti Pellow as the Arbiter, David Bedella as Molokov, and Clarke Peters as Walter.

After various productions around the world, a limited-run West End revival began at the London Coliseum on April 26, 2018, through June 2, 2018, officially opening on May 1, 2018. Marketed as the first revival of the show in 30 years, the production was directed by Laurence Connor, with choreography by Stephen Mear. The cast included Michael Ball as Anatoly, Phillip Browne as Molokov, Alexandra Burke as Svetlana, Cedric Neal as the Arbiter, Tim Howar as Freddie and Cassidy Janson as Florence. The production kept the first act in Merano and the second in Bangkok, and included all songs from the concept album, removed the character of Walter entirely, and dropped the final twist of Florence’s father never having been found after all, instead ending on the bittersweet parting of Florence and Anatoly amidst the triumphant crescendo of You And I.

Following the West End revival, Danny Strong restructured the book for a new American revival.

In 2018, the production had a pre-Broadway tryout in the Eisenhower Theater at the Kennedy Center from Feb. 14 to 18. In the Michael Mayer-directed production, the cast included Raúl Esparza as Freddie, Ramin Karimloo as Anatoly, Karen Olivo as Florence, Ruthie Ann Miles as Svetlana, Bradley Dean as Molokov, Sean Allan Krill as Walter de Courcey, and Bryce Pinkham as the Arbiter. This production, though keeping much of the original plot of the 1986 West End production, expanded on it significantly. Each act had a political background: Act One, set in 1979, centered on negotiations for the SALT-II treaty, and Act Two, set four years later, centered on suspicions surrounding the Able Archer 83 exercises.

Post-COVID, Chess was staged in America as a one-night-only benefit concert for the Entertainment Community Fund (formerly the Actors’ Fund) at the Broadhurst Theatre in 2022 and at The Muny in 2023.

Now, we have finally arrived at the first Broadway revival of Chess in 2025, starring Aaron Tveit as Freddie, Lea Michele as Florence, and Nicholas Christopher as Anatoly. The cast also features Hannah Cruz as Svetlana, as well as Bradley Dean, Sean Allan Krill, and Bryce Pinkham reprising their roles of Molokov, Walter, and the Arbiter from the earlier Kennedy Center and Broadhurst Theatre concerts.

It was directed by Michael Mayer and featured a new book by Danny Strong. Strong drew from prior iterations of Chess but did not consult the book of the 1988 Broadway production. The Tony Awards Administration Committee held that the new book was eligible for a Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical. Chess began previews at the Imperial Theatre on October 15, 2025, and opened on November 16, 2025. The production was slated to extend to September 13, 2026, with Lea Michele departing on June 21, 2026, to be replaced by Joanna “JoJo” Levesque.

Weeks later, it was announced that the entire production would close on Lea Michele’s final performance date. The show played 34 previews and 241 total performances. Although this was the longest-running American production of Chess, the reviews were reminiscent of those from 1988.

The New York Times review by Elisabeth Vincentelli is simply titled, “‘Chess’ Review: At Least They Have the Music.” Vincentelli proceeds to describe how Chess’s book has remained elusive to many writers over the last four decades, saying, “Without going into a close reading, let’s just say that Strong’s most notable change is to boost the character of the Arbiter (Bryce Pinkham) from a chess judge into an omnipresent narrator.”

The music is described as the show’s strongest asset, with highly favorable views of Christopher’s, Michele’s, and Cruz’s renditions of some of the show’s most iconic numbers. However, Vincentelli describes the women’s performances as limiting, “... [R]eacting rather than acting, as if lacking agency — which is ironic because in chess the queen is the piece with the most autonomy and power,” an unfortunate result of decisions made by the creative team.

It’s clear that Chess has not yet found a recipe for success. The question remains: Can anyone successfully adapt the book?

Although the Soviet Union has fallen, American tensions with Russia are still present, which makes navigating them on a Broadway stage all the more difficult. Theatremakers, thirty-plus years after the fall of the USSR, still cannot successfully navigate a show that, conceptually, comments on important aspects of American intervention abroad and the effect this has on its people. Do the problems lie in its flawed book or a possibly flawed perception of American sentiment towards our own government?

The future of Chess might be the silver screen, as original creator Tim Rice has always expressed an interest in adapting the show for moviegoers. Let’s hope that filmmakers can bring justice to a show championed by its cult following for the better part of four decades.

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Death of a Salesman (1985)

Death of a Salesman depicts the last 24 hours in the life of Willy Loman, a travelling salesman with rapidly declining mental health. This iconic Arthur Miller play won six Tony Awards, including Best Revival of a Play, at this year’s ceremony. For fans who have never seen it, Death of a Salesman was adapted into a movie in 1985, which stars Dustin Hoffman, Kate Reid, John Malkovich, and Steven Lang. The full movie is available for free on YouTube.

Schmigadoon! (Apple TV+)

Created by Cinco Paul, Schmigadoon! is a musical about a couple trying to save their relationship and accidentally getting trapped in a magical town stuck in a 1940s Golden Age musical. Before it became a Broadway musical, the story first appeared on Apple TV+. The television show’s third season was cancelled, prompting Paul to adapt the show for Broadway. The Apple TV+ series premiered July 16, 2021, starring an ensemble cast led by Cecily Strong and Keegan-Michael Key.

Cats (1998)

In this film, a tribe of cats competes during the annual Jellicle Ball, where one lucky feline will be chosen to ascend to the Heaviside Layer and be granted a new life. The movie is a recreation of the stage musical, with new staging and edits made to reduce the runtime for television. It was filmed at the Adelphi Theatre in London in 1997 with cast members from various international productions of Cats. It is available for purchase on YouTube, Apple TV+, Amazon Prime, and Google Play.

Cats (2019)

Andrew Lloyd Webber may regret the decision to turn the iconic Cats musical into a new movie. For any theatre kids who happen to be Swifties, you can see Taylor Swift as a cat in the non-critically acclaimed movie musical. It is available to stream on Netflix and for purchase on YouTube, Apple TV+, Amazon Prime, and Google Play.

Ragtime (1981)

Before the people called it Ragtime on the Broadway stage, E.L. Doctorow’s book of the same name had been adapted into a movie. Released in 1981, the Ragtime movie adaptation is not a musical. However, it is equally as compelling, with its star-studded cast that includes James Cagney, Mary Steenburgen, Howard Rollins, Brad Dourif, James Olson and Elizabeth McGovern. It is available for purchase on YouTube, Apple TV+, Amazon Prime, and Google Play.

The Lost Boys (1987)

The new movie adaptation, with music by The Rescues, won four Tony Awards. The show is centered around teenage brothers Michael and Sam, who move with their mother to a small town in northern California. When Michael falls in with a group of vampires, Sam and his friends must try to save Michael from the undead. The cast includes Jason Patric, Corey Haim, Dianne Wiest, Corey Feldman, Jamison Newlander, and Kiefer Sutherland, and the full movie is available for free on YouTube.

Fallen Angels (1974)

Fallen Angels is a famous 1925 stage farce by Noël Coward. The story follows Julia and Jane, two wealthy, happily married upper-class women whose lives are thrown into disarray while their husbands are away on a golfing trip. A past lover comes back to visit, resurfacing old emotions, creating new tensions, and necessitating lots of champagne. It was adapted into a British television movie in 1974 starring Joan Collins and Susannah York, and it is available for free on YouTube.

Giant (2026)

Giant is a play written by Mark Rosenblatt, which dramatizes the period in author Roald Dahl’s life in which his 1983 literary review of the picture book God Cried—about the siege of West Beirut by the Israeli army during the 1982 Lebanon War—was deemed antisemitic. On November 19, 2026, the Harold Pinter Theatre version of the West End production will be released in 18 countries and shown in over 900 cinemas worldwide.

*We do not endorse “slime tutorials.” However, you can hypothetically find one for certain shows to watch at your own risk.

3 Broadway Shows Closed Sunday, June 21

Chess

Chess opened on Nov. 16, 2025, at the Imperial Theatre. The production starred Lea Michele as the Hungarian-born immigrant and incredibly talented chess strategist Florence Vessey; Aaron Tveit as the bipolar American-born World Chess Champion Freddie Trumper; and Nicholas Christopher as the Russian-born chess player Anatoly Sergievsky, whose life depends on the game.

The Balusters

Manhattan Theatre Club’s world premiere of The Balusters is written by David Lindsay-Abaire and directed by Kenny Leon. It opened on April 21, 2026.

The Balusters is about a raucous homeowners’ association that squabbles over historically inaccurate porch railings or debates trash can protocol. When a newcomer joins the Vernon Point Neighborhood Association, unthinkable chaos ensues because of a single suggestion: placing a stop sign on the most picturesque block in the neighborhood.

Celebrity Autobiography

Celebrity Autobiography is a comedy featuring a rotating cast of celebrities from TV, film, stage, sports, and even politics, acting out other celebrities’ unintentionally hilarious autobiographies live on Broadway. Celebrity Autobiography began performances on Saturday, May 16, with an opening night on Monday, May 18.

2026 Jimmy Award Winners

The most talented teenagers from across the country took the stage this weekend at the Minskoff Theatre for the 17th Annual Jimmy Awards, hosted by Bowen Yang. The Jimmy Awards is the national talent showcase celebrating high school musical theatre students from across the country and featuring dynamic ensemble and solo performances.

Jake James and Samia Posadas have won Best Performance by an Actor and Best Performance by an Actress.

Jake James hails from Atlanta, GA, and comes to the Jimmy’s following a qualifying win for his portrayal of Jacob in Water for Elephants High School Edition at Milton High School.

Samia Posadas earned her spot at this year’s big show following a qualifying win for her performance as Alice Murphy in Bright Star at Salpointe Catholic High School.

Other finalists included: Langston Casey (The Ken Page Awards), Emersyn Hunt (The Roger Rees Awards for Excellence in Student Performance), London Mays (Heller Awards for Young Artists), Amaya Washington (CAPA Marquee Awards), Jackson Wright (The Jerry Herman Awards), and Josef Wright (Applause Awards).

School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play Casting Announcement

Full casting has been announced for the Broadway premiere of School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play, written by Jocelyn Bioh, and directed by Whitney White.

The production will feature Lucia Aremu as Ama, Denée Benton as Paulina, Patina Miller as Eloise Amponsah, Erin Morton as Nana, Nia Otchere-Sarfo as Gifty, Jordan Rice as Mercy, Jasmine Amy Rogers as Ericka, and Heather Alicia Simms as Headmistress Francis.

The production will begin previews on Tuesday, Sept. 8, and open Monday, Sept. 28, at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre (261 West 47th St.).

A Letter From Moulin Rouge to Paddington

The Al Hirschfeld Theatre has been home to Moulin Rouge since July 25, 2019. Ahead of the show’s closing on Aug. 30, 2026, the production sent a heartfelt letter on social media to Hirschfeld’s next inhabitants: Paddington the Musical. After opening in the West End on Nov. 30, 2025, the production was announced to transfer to Broadway in 2027 at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre, with previews set to begin on March 30 and an opening on April 18.

Lincoln Center Theater Announces 2026-27 Season

On Broadway At The Vivian Beaumont:

A Few Good Men

• By Aaron Sorkin

• Directed by Michael Arden

• Performances of the limited engagement begin on Oct. 8, 2026, for 13 weeks only.

Military lawyer Daniel Kaffee is known for his wit, charm, and uncanny talent for closing cases before they ever get to trial. When assigned to defend two young Marines accused of murder, his typical strategy is upended by Lt. Commander JoAnne Galloway, a sharp attorney determined to prove the men’s innocence. But the evidence soon leads them to a cover-up, putting them on a collision course with the entire chain of command.

Starring Bradley Whitford and Tom Blyth, and directed by Michael Arden, A Few Good Men shows the cost of following your conscience in a system built on secrecy and obedience—and asks us to choose the truth anyway. Gripping, high-stakes, and ultimately hopeful, it reminds us that a country’s ideals are only as strong as our willingness to stand behind them.

The Sound of Music

• Choreographed By Christopher Gatelli

• Directed by Lear deBessonet

• Begins March 23, 2027; 17 weeks only

For the first time in almost 30 years, The Sound Of Music returns to Broadway, directed by Lear deBessonet — Lincoln Center Theater’s Kewsong Lee Artistic Director — and choreographed by Christopher Gatelli. This revival, starring Jasmine Amy Rogers as Maria, finds new power in the intimate story of a family learning to love again, set against one of the most consequential moments of the twentieth century, as the Nazi regime rises to power and authoritarianism encroaches on daily life.

OFF-BROADWAY AT THE MITZI E. NEWHOUSE

The Whoopi Monologues

• By Whoopi Goldberg

• Directed by Whitney White

• July 7 - Aug. 30, 2026

Written by Whoopi Goldberg and directed by Whitney White, The Whoopi Monologues stars Dominique Fishback, Kecia Lewis, Danielle Pinnock, Kerry Washington, and Kara Young.

In 1984, then unknown monologist Whoopi Goldberg premiered her one-woman show on Broadway, torching the rulebook of traditional solo performance in one of the most electrifying debuts of the era. Now, the trailblazing work returns, reimagined for a new generation led by a remarkable ensemble of 5 women bringing Goldberg’s unforgettable characters back to the stage. These nuanced portraits feel as fresh and irresistible today as they were over 40 years ago.

August Wilson’s Seven Guitars

• Directed by Ruben Santiago-Hudson

• Begins Nov. 5; 9 weeks only

August Wilson’s Seven Guitars comes to Lincoln Center Theater in a powerful new revival of one of Wilson’s most lyrical and intimate plays.

Set in 1940s Pittsburgh, Wilson’s haunting drama follows blues musician Floyd “Schoolboy” Barton, a man determined to win back the woman he loves and build a future beyond the limitations of Black life in America. As his friends gather and stories about Barton flow, what emerges is a richly layered portrait of masculinity and ambition, artistry, community, and the collective weight of dreams deferred.

Born in the Dirt

• A New Play by Kimberly Belflower

• Directed by Danya Taymor

• Begins April 14, 2027; 10 weeks only

From the Tony-nominated writer and director of John Proctor is the Villain comes another stunningly fresh, vividly drawn portrait of the American South. Kimberly Belflower’s Born In The Dirt premieres at Lincoln Center Theater, directed by Danya Taymor.

All Maddy Grace has ever wanted is to get out of her tiny Southern hometown. But when her life in L.A. falls apart, she finds herself reluctantly working at the town’s most famous attraction – a whimsical “hospital” that produces hand-sewn dolls for collectors all over the world. But when Maddy Grace sets out to make a documentary about the women behind the dolls, she’ll find there’s more to their story – and to her own – than she ever imagined.

Playing Burton

• A Play by Mark Jenkins

• Directed by Bartlett Sher

• Starring Matthew Rhys

• Dates TBA

Following an acclaimed staging at the Welsh National Theatre, Matthew Rhys makes his Lincoln Center Theater debut with a poignant portrayal of an acting legend.

On the night of his death, iconic stage and screen star Richard Burton offers his final performance: a passionate, poetic reflection on his own legacy. With tenderness, wry humor, and Shakespearean grandeur, Burton recalls a life shaped by love, tragedy, scandal – including his two explosive marriages to Elizabeth Taylor – and his own undeniable gifts.

LCT3: OFF-BROADWAY AT THE CLAIRE TOW

creation stories and all the important importants

• A New Play by Mfoniso Udofia

• Directed by Tamilla Woodard

• Begins Sept. 15, 2026; 6 weeks only

Nigerian playwright Mfoniso Udofia makes her LCT3 debut with the world premiere of creation stories and all the important importants, an intimate, mythic new play from one of the boldest new voices in contemporary theater.

Centering on a midlife Black woman pulled between her many selves—child, future daughter, artist, possible mother—the play pulses with longing as its heroine races against the clock and the limits of her own body. Moving across time and space, from ancestor to AI, from dream cycle to IVF cycle, through music and ritual, Udofia weaves her own surprising folktale on the cost of creation and the impossible work of becoming.

Pretend it’s Pretend

• A New Play by Emma Watkins

• Directed by Annie Tippe

• Begins January 28, 2027; 6 weeks only

Jen teaches third grade and runs on coffee and bad sleep. Arthur designs playgrounds and carries an old grief he cannot shake, while his teenage daughter, Clara, is writing songs she isn’t yet brave enough to sing. Emma Watkins’ Pretend It’s Pretend, directed by Annie Tippe, is a tender, funny, searching new play about the teachers who memorize every name, the fathers who mistake protection for love, and the students who are asked to carry more than they should.

MCC Announces 2026-27 Season

Anon - a tempest at our kitchen table

• By Anne Washburn

• Directed by Anne Kauffman

• Performances Begin Sept. 2026

Anon – a tempest at our kitchen table is a bold new play written by Anne Washburn and directed by Anne Kauffman.

When a gay pride flag is unfurled across the street from Jeanie, an increasingly online TikToker in a suburb in Texas, two seemingly different households…freak out. How well do  you know the people you live among, and with, in an America where the line between fantasy and reality has become increasingly optional?

The Heart Sellers

• By Lloyd Suh

• Directed by May Adrales

• Performances Begin Jan. 2027

The Heart Sellers is a warm and funny story of a chance encounter and quintessentially American connection, written by Lloyd Suh and directed by May Adrales. When Jane and Luna, two immigrant strangers, meet on Thanksgiving in 1973, they decide to spend this strange, new holiday together over an evening full of shared laughs, dreams, and a frozen turkey that refuses to thaw.

What’s Eating Gilbert Grape

• Book by Peter Hedges

• Music and Lyrics by Adrian Enscoe, Christopher Sears, Sydney Shepherd, and Regina Strayhorn

• Directed by Anne Kauffman

• Performances Begin June 2027

What’s Eating Gilbert Grape is the world premiere of a new musical with a book by Peter Hedges based on his 1991 novel of the same name, and music & lyrics by Adrian Enscoe, Christoper Sears, Sydney Shepherd, and Regina Strayhorn. It will be directed by Anne Kauffman.

What’s Eating Gilbert Grape is a fresh look at this beloved story of a small-town life, a family on the edge, and the dream of escape.

In Other Performing Arts News

Theater in a Box - The Ins and Outs of Running a Successful Production

Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU) is in its sixth year of non-stop weekly Community Gatherings, having led over 300 consecutive conversations about aspects of the arts. TRU hosts these gatherings every Friday at 5 p.m. ET via Zoom, originally presented to explore the creation of art and theater in the time of the Covid-19 shutdown, and now to ensure that these crucial conversations continue going forward. Click here to register and receive the link.

These gatherings are a service for the theater community and are offered free for TRU members; we ask that non-members help keep us running by buying a $12 ticket, making a donation, or joining as a member.

In the room: TRU board member John Lant, award-winning director/designer and 18-time off-Broadway lead producer/director & film producer. A Q & A discussion for producers, self-producers, creators around basic bullet point “ins and outs” of what you want, what you thought you knew, and what you really NEED TO KNOW to run an effective production of your work and where it should go. He will share some of the things that a multi-faceted and multi-disciplined producer can bring to the stage and/or the future of your work in the new media outlets.

New York Butoh Institute Announces 2026 Queer Butoh Festival

Vangeline Theater/New York Butoh Institute are excited to announce the 2026 Queer Butoh Festival, set for June 24 through June 27, 2026, at The Brick Theater. Tickets start at $25 and can be purchased here.

Celebrating a decade of radical performance and embodied experimentation, Queer Butoh Festival returns to New York City with four evenings of interdisciplinary performance exploring the evolving landscape of Butoh in NYC and beyond. This year’s festival brings together local and international artists from Mexico, Belgium, South Korea, Singapore, Chile, and across the United States, highlighting Butoh as a global and ever-evolving art form rooted in transformation, experimentation, and radical presence.

For more information, please visit here.

Dates:

• Wednesday, June 24, 2026, at 8 p.m.

• Thursday, June 25, 2026, at 8 p.m.

• Friday, June 26, 2026, at 8 p.m.

• Saturday, June 27, 2026, at 8 p.m.

Please RSVP to Michelle Tabnick: michelle@michelletabnickpr.com, 646-765-4773 to attend.

Broadway Grosses (Week Ending 6/21)

5 Highest Grossing Broadway Shows:

Hamilton: $2,213,196.00

The Lion King: $1,999,620.20

Death of a Salesman: $1,927,109.50

Chess: $1,793,001.86

MJ The Musical: $1,603,789.77

5 Lowest Grossing Broadway Shows:

Celebrity Autobiography: $41,773.25

The Balusters: $351,587.80

Chicago: $470,864.95

The Fear of 13: $509,064.15

SIX: The Musical: $553,191.95

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Last week, I put on my first pair of reading glasses. The experience left me dizzy and disoriented, and as soon as I took them off, I could no longer tell where my feet and the ground met.

That is what dating in my 20s feels like.

Within the past month, I found myself in a romantic entanglement with a good friend of mine. At first, I was sternly against the idea, since I adored our friendship. Why should I risk all that we have? Playing pool on Thursday nights, exploring the rooftops of the apartments in town (he works in property management), and discussing our viewpoints on male and female relationships—it was all insightful, fulfilling, and light-hearted.

But on Cinco de Mayo, after one too many mango margaritas, he kissed me between our pool sticks, bringing light to an attraction that had admittedly been growing on both sides.

So there I was, attracted and interested (which is rare nowadays). Until the next morning, when the hangxiety came on strong. Would I have let him kiss me if I had been sober? What does this mean for our friendship? Could we go back to the way things were if we wanted to?

My mind was infiltrated with fear. It grew even more intense as my friend, we’ll call him Carlos, effortlessly expressed his attraction towards me. The words he chose, I don’t remember. What I do remember is him asking: “What are you thinking?”

Overwhelmed, I replied, “What do you want to know?”

“Everything.”

The truth is, I didn’t know how I was feeling. Did I like him? Sure. I enjoyed running my fingers through his perfectly coiffed hair and wrapping my hands around his rock-hard biceps. We had a connection. I felt seen by him. But his immediate intensity repelled us like two magnets facing north.

Carlos began texting me incessantly. “Good morning”, “good night”, and every sappy Instagram meme in between: “Send this to the most beautiful girl in the world,” “send this to the girl you want to see happy and healthy,” “send this to the girl who- blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.”

I found that as soon as the romantic component began to overshadow our once laid-back, carefree friendship, I clammed up. What rules did this new dynamic have, I wondered. Texting 24/7? Hiding all my not-so-desirable traits? Ceasing to see other people?

I wasn’t ready for any of it. Vision blurred.

Was it my fear of wearing glasses altogether, or was I simply trying to make the wrong prescription work?

By week three, I decided to text Carlos that I needed space. It was fairly painless until I decided to visit a new part of town, and he happened to be there that same day. Figures.

We sat on a bench as I told him the brutal truth: how I was totally icked out by his constant romantic gestures and how I wasn’t ready for something real. He was disappointed, but respectful.

I texted him that night, and he never responded. Instead, he deactivated, then reactivated his Instagram, and reposted Reels claiming he’s in his “no feelings for anyone, peaceful era” and that “once he’s done with someone, he’s done for good.” Just a tad dramatic, don’t ya think?

Another whirlwind romance unfolded and vanished within a six-month period.

Although this experience mirrored many past ones of my young adult life, something about this particular one gave me pause. A long pause. Carlos’s affection for me, although overwhelming, touched me. It made me realize that there are guys out there looking for genuine connection. A relationship in which they can be honest and giving.

I can remember a time when that’s all I wanted. Since then, it’s been tainted by failed attempts and a dash of avoidance.

I remember sitting on that bench where I must have ripped his heart in two, and him saying, “I don’t think women know what they want.”

Gasp.

Annoyed, I replied, “Well, maybe women have more options, so it’s harder for them to choose who they want to be with.”

He grimaced and called my outlook selfish, declaring that you can’t keep waiting for the next best thing and expect to be happy.

Those words are still echoing in my head three weeks later.

Let me clarify, that’s not exactly what I’ve been doing. I’ve tried to feel things for guys, and most of the time, it’s genuinely not a match.

But this little chat got me thinking. Maybe I have occasionally squandered good opportunities that could have turned into great ones. Maybe I have taken them for granted in hopes of stumbling upon something even better.

To be honest, I don’t think this was the case with Carlos. Yes, I was fearful, but we had such completely different love languages that he might as well have been speaking Cantonese.

I ended up calling my optometrist yesterday morning to schedule a follow-up appointment. Because after weeks of trying to make it work, I’m still not seeing clearly. I have no choice but to be hopeful about this next pair.

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P!nk Hosting

P!nk’s tenure as host started off with a bang in her instantly iconic “Leading Lady Marmalade” opening number. Backed by the stars of this Broadway season, she took her position and ran with it, culminating in a fittingly showstopping evening. She even stepped into Chicago for their 30th anniversary performance, silencing the doubters as she showed off her musical theatre chops. Hopefully, this is not the last Broadway will see of P!nk!

2. Historic CATS Win

   

CATS: The Jellicle Ball has been a runaway hit of the season, further cemented by their three Tony wins and jaw-dropping performance. Winning for its costume design, choreography, and direction of a musical, one cannot help but cheer for the entire team bringing the silverware back to the ballroom community. CATS: The Jellicle Ball also made history with costume designer Qween Jean becoming the first transgender woman ever to win a Tony award. That’s something to clap a fan about!

3. Ragtime Wins Best Revival (and More)

   

Ragtime has long been a favorite, and many were overjoyed when the City Center Encores production announced its Broadway transfer. Four wins—including Best Revival of a Musical—later, it is clear that Ragtime is worth the hype. Moreover, Ragtime’s very presence in this time of targeted political attacks, hate, and violence against a litany of minority groups felt like a win in and of itself. Perhaps the biggest takeaway from Ragtime is that the only way forward is to truly hear and see each other. It’s quite fitting, then, that Ragtime is being seen on the biggest stage of all.

4. Liberation Wins Best Play

   

Having already won the Pulitzer Prize, it was not shocking to see Liberation take home Best Play at the Tony Awards. However, in a field so dominated by male playwrights, it was a celebration that was long overdue. Playwright Bess Wohl became the first woman to win the best play since Yasmina Reza for Art in 1998. Furthermore, she became the first American woman to win the award since Wendy Wasserstein’s The Heidi Chronicles in 1989, nearly 40 years ago. Wohl’s win was more than a celebration, but a statement. There can never be such a drought again.

5. Schmigadoon Wins Best Musical

   

Schmigadoon had a big night at the Tony Awards, winning 4 including the marquee category, Best Musical. Creator Cinco Paul took home both Best Original Score and Best Book of a Musical, using his speech to not only support the other nominees but call out Broadway for the alarming lack of new musicals. Based on the Apple TV series of the same name, they even got to poke fun at their catalytic television cancellation in the final speech of the night. Schmigadoon demonstrated its worthiness for theatre’s greatest crown in what felt like a massive win for creatives everywhere.

HM: John Leguizamo’s “Let’s Go Knicks”

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P!nk was announced as the host of the 79th Tony Awards, sparking much chatter among fans. She was always going to be an unorthodox choice to host the awards show, the first in over 60 years to have not performed on Broadway at the time of their hosting.

Abe Burrows was the most recent host without any performing credits, headlining Broadway’s biggest night in 1963. Although he did not have any performing credits, he had some Broadway credits as a playwright and director. Burrows also had the benefit of being a cohost, while the three-time Grammy winner took center stage solo.

While the pop music legend herself has not yet performed on the Great White Way, her music has found its way to the stage in two of Broadway’s biggest jukebox musicals, with songs featured in both & Juliet and Moulin Rouge. Nonetheless, armed with decades of touring experience and inspired by her daughter’s love for musical theatre, P!nk took to the stage amidst doubters and supporters alike.

Fortunately, P!nk has never been one to disappoint. Flying onstage with her signature acrobatics, she immediately set the tone for what was to be an utterly refreshing Tony Awards. P!nk chose not to ignore the criticism surrounding her announcement, but rather, embraced it. Joined by Neil Patrick Harris, Megan Thee Stallion, and the stars of this season’s nominees, her opening number, Leading Lady Marmalade, was a cheeky, tasteful, and altogether fitting opening number, something the Tonys has struggled to produce in recent years.

P!nk playfully made herself the butt of the joke, calling herself the host “for some reason,” and channeling her star power without upstaging the community supporting her. Beyond merely providing entertainment, she used her platform to call out generative AI, speak out for trans rights, and shout out nearly every show of the season, decisively earning her place as host.

Broadly, P!nk’s greatest achievement was the management of her star power. Stepping in as Velma in Chicago’s 30th anniversary performance forged a perfect slot for her to demonstrate her signature vocals without making the night about her. Throughout the evening, she graciously performed fan service, quipping about her iconic aerial choreography, tearaway pants, and her apparent lack of qualifications for this job, all while avoiding the cringe so effervescently present in award shows of yore.

No awards show is perfect. There are questionable wins, teleprompter flubs, and awkward banter. A good host will laugh through the mistakes and play it off. A great host, however, ties the evening together with charisma that surpasses even the most egregious sin. P!nk brought a much-needed new energy to the Tony Awards, and fans will surely be asking for a proper Broadway debut in the coming days. At the tail end of a notoriously dry season, the 79th Tony Awards felt like a win after a long, long stalemate.

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The time is finally upon us: Broadway’s biggest celebrities will gather Sunday, June 7, to celebrate accomplishments on the Broadway stage and behind the scenes. The 79th Annual Tony Awards will take place this weekend with a star-studded lineup of performances and guests. Here are all the details you need to prepare for the occasion!

The 4Ws (Because You Know Why):

Who: P!nk will make her debut as the host of this year’s ceremony. She and Queen Latifah will lead a special 30th anniversary performance of Chicago. Laura Benanti and Titus Burgess will host The Tony Awards: Act One, a live pre-show with exclusive content that is available to viewers for free on Pluto TV beginning Sunday, June 7, from 6:35 to 8:00 PM ET/3:35 to 5:00 PM PT.

What: For those who don’t know, the Tony Awards are the Oscars of the theatre industry. Musicals and plays that have opened on Broadway between April 28, 2025, and April 26, 2026, are eligible for nomination. The Tony Awards Nominating Committee nominates productions and individuals for 26 different categories. The 2026 Tony Award nominations were announced on Tuesday, May 5, 2026.

When: The 79th Annual Tony Awards will take place on Sunday, June 7, 2026.

Where: The Tony Awards will take place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. The ceremony is available to watch live on both coasts on CBS Television Network and will stream live on Paramount+ (8:00 to 11:00 PM ET/5:00 to 8:00 PM PT).

What Shows are Performing at the Tony Awards?

The Lost Boys

Schmigadoon!

Titaníque

Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)

CATS: The Jellicle Ball

Ragtime

Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show

Additional Performances:

The Original Broadway Cast of The Book of Mormon

30th Anniversary Performance of Chicago

A Chorus Line Anniversary Performance featuring Rachel Zegler.

Nominations by Show

The Balusters

Best Play – David Lindsay-Abaire (Author)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play – Richard Thomas

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play – Marylouise Burke

Best Costume Design of a Play – Emilio Sosa

Best Direction of a Play – Kenny Leon

Becky Shaw

Best Revival of a Play – Gina Gionfriddo (Author)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play – Alden Ehrenreich

Bug

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play – Carrie Coon

Best Scenic Design of a Play – Takeshi Kata

Best Lighting Design of a Play – Heather Gilbert

Best Sound Design of a Play – Josh Schmidt

CATS: The Jellicle Ball

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical – André De Shields

Best Scenic Design of a Musical – Rachel Hauck

Best Costume Design of a Musical – Qween Jean

Best Lighting Design of a Musical – Adam Honoré

Best Sound Design of a Musical – Kai Harada

Best Direction of a Musical – Zhailon Levingston and Bill Rauch

Best Choreography – Omari Wiles and Arturo Lyons

Best Orchestrations – Andrew Lloyd Webber, David Wilson, Trevor Holder, and Doug Schadt

Chess

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical – Nicholas Christopher

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical – Bryce Pinkham

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical – Hannah Cruz

Best Lighting Design of a Musical – Kevin Adams

Best Orchestrations – Brian Usifer

Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman

Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre – Caroline Shaw (Music)

Best Revival of a Play

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play – Nathan Lane

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play – Christopher Abbott

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play – Laurie Metcalf

Best Scenic Design of a Play – Chloe Lamford

Best Lighting Design of a Play – Jack Knowles

Best Sound Design of a Play – Mikaal Sulaiman

Best Direction of a Play – Joe Mantello

Dog Day Afternoon

Best Scenic Design of a Play – David Korins

Best Costume Design of a Play – Brenda Abbandandolo

Best Lighting Design of a Play – Isabella Byrd

Every Brilliant Thing

Best Revival of a Play – Duncan Macmillan with Jonny Donahoe (Authors)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play – Daniel Radcliffe

Fallen Angels

Best Revival of a Play

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play – Rose Byrne and Kelli O’Hara

Best Scenic Design of a Play – David Rockwell

Best Costume Design of a Play – Jeff Mahshie

The Fear of 13

Best Lighting Design of a Play – Heather Gilbert

Best Sound Design of a Play – Lee Kinney

Giant

Best Play – Mark Rosenblatt (Author)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play – John Lithgow

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play – Aya Cash

Best Direction of a Play – Nicholas Hytner

August Wilson’s Joe Turner’s Come and Gone

Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre – Steve Bargonetti (Music)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play – Ruben Santiago-Hudson

Best Costume Design of a Play – Paul Tazewell

Best Lighting Design of a Play – Stacey Derosier

Best Sound Design of a Play – Justin Ellington

Liberation

Best Play – Bess Wohl (Author)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play – Susannah Flood

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play – Betsy Aidem

Best Costume Design of a Play – Qween Jean

Best Direction of a Play – Whitney White

Little Bear Ridge Road

Best Play – Samuel D. Hunter (Author)

The Lost Boys

Best Musical

Best Book of a Musical – David Hornsby and Chris Hoch

Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre – The Rescues

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical – Ali Louis Bourzgui

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical – Shoshana Bean

Best Scenic Design of a Musical – Dane Laffrey

Best Costume Design of a Musical – Ryan Park

Best Lighting Design of a Musical – Jen Schriever and Michael Arden

Best Sound Design of a Musical – Adam Fisher

Best Direction of a Musical – Michael Arden

Best Choreography – Lauren Yalango-Grant and Christopher Cree Grant

Best Orchestrations – Ethan Popp, Adrianne “AG” Gonzalez, Gabriel Mann, Kyler England

Marjorie Prime

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play – Danny Burstein

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play – June Squibb

Oedipus

Best Revival of a Play – Robert Icke (Author)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play – Mark Strong

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play – Lesley Manville

Best Scenic Design of a Play – Hildegard Bechtler

Best Lighting Design of a Play – Natasha Chivers

Best Sound Design of a Play – Tom Gibbons

Best Direction of a Play – Robert Icke

Punch

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play – Will Harrison

Ragtime

Best Revival of a Musical

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical – Joshua Henry and Brandon Uranowitz

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical – Caissie Levy

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical – Ben Levi Ross

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical – Nichelle Lewis

Best Costume Design of a Musical – Linda Cho

Best Lighting Design of a Musical – Adam Honoré and Donald Holder (Lighting Design) and 59 Studio (Projection Design)

Best Sound Design of a Musical – Kai Harada

Best Direction of a Musical – Lear deBessonet

Best Choreography – Ellenore Scott

Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show

Best Revival of a Musical

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical – Luke Evans

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical – Stephanie Hsu

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical – Rachel Dratch

Best Scenic Design of a Musical – dots

Best Costume Design of a Musical – David I. Reynoso

Best Lighting Design of a Musical – Jane Cox

Best Sound Design of a Musical – Brian Ronan

Best Choreography – Ani Taj

Schmigadoon!

Best Musical

Best Book of a Musical – Cinco Paul (Book)

Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre – Cinco Paul (Music and Lyrics)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical – Sara Chase

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical – Ana Gasteyer

Best Scenic Design of a Musical – Scott Pask

Best Costume Design of a Musical – Linda Cho

Best Lighting Design of a Musical – Donald Holder

Best Sound Design of a Musical – Walter Trarbach

Best Direction of a Musical – Christopher Gattelli

Best Choreography – Christopher Gattelli

Best Orchestrations – Doug Besterman and Mike Morris

Titaníque

Best Musical

Best Book of a Musical – Marla Mindelle, Constantine Rousoli, and Tye Blue

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical – Marla Mindelle

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical – Layton Williams

Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)

Best Book of a Musical – Jim Barne and Kit Buchan

Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre – Jim Barne and Kit Buchan (Music and Lyrics)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical – Sam Tutty

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical – Christiani Pitts

Best Scenic Design of a Musical - Soutra Gilmour

Best Direction of a Musical – Tim Jackson

Best Orchestrations – Lux Pyramid

Waiting for Godot

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play – Brandon J. Dirden

Nominationless:

All Out

ART

Beaches, A New Musical

Call Me Izzy

Mamma Mia!

Proof

The Queen of Versailles

Noncompetitive Award Recipients

The noncompetitive award recipients are announced ahead of the Tony Awards ceremony and presented in The Tony Awards: Act One, along with many of the Creative Arts awards.

2026 Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre – André Bishop, Jules Fisher, and James Lapine

2026 Regional Theatre Tony Award – American Players Theatre in Spring Green, Wisconsin

2026 Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award – Mary-Mitchell Campbell

2026 Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theatre – 1/52 Project, Jake Bell, Kenn Lubin, and Loren Plotkin.

2026 Special Tony Award – League of Resident Theatres

Excellence In Theatre Education Award – Freddie Hendricks, Theatre Teacher at Utopian Academy for the Arts in Ellenwood, Ga.

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The Italian short film, Sogna, depicts an Italian family hiding out in an abandoned building due to political tensions.

It follows a father (Antonio Pisu), his eldest daughter (Viola Massai), and his youngest daughter (Aleksandria Georgieva Bivolarska) as the trio embark on a journey to escape political tensions and start a new life. This journey, however, is put to an end by the soldiers who discover their hideout.

Throughout the film, the youngest daughter has dreams of girls dressed in white, dancing in the woods. It is not until she witnesses her father and older sister succumb to violence that the film is immersed in her dreamscape.

Director of photography Andrew Kirschenbaum, editor Katherine Huggard, and colourist Vadim Saprykin create dreamy sequences of images which emphasize the natural beauty of the Italian countryside and create visceral sensory details: stunning depictions of dancers in the woods, white rabbits, scenes in a theatre, and a pool scene, complete with her swimming with a brilliant CGI jellyfish. Casamonti’s research into the science and imagery in children’s dreams, funded by Fordham University, allowed her to accurately depict these symbols, which are often present in children’s dreams, especially in times of distress.

Additionally, there is a poignancy to the vague dialogue that sets the scene for the dream sequences. Audience members are immersed in the story of the family, while experiencing brief bouts of the youngest daughter’s dreams and visions, until the visions are all that remain.

Although English subtitles accompany the film’s Italian dialogue for audience accessibility, the film’s content transcends language barriers. While watching it, one is transported to a dreamlike world where childhood wonder roams free, leaving only visions of purity, fear, and curiosity. Bivolarska gives a captivating performance, absorbing the audience in the mind of a child.

Sogna’s ending begs the question: What happens when dreams are the only reality that remains?

Sogna will be screened at the Casafilm Festival on June 4, 2026, located at St. Paul & St. Andrew United Methodist Church on the Upper West Side of New York City. All ticket inquiries should be sent to casafilmstudio@gmail.com.

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I’m sure you’ve heard it all before– the dating advice so generic that you’re left with a zillion more questions than you had before it was given to you:

“It happens when you least expect it,” claims your cool relative who serendipitously met the love of their life right after swearing off the stuff forever.

The standard self-help podcaster whose whole platform is based on putting in the work declares: “You can’t receive something you haven’t asked the universe for.”

So, which are we to bet on, fate or our own pursuits? Drawing inspiration from life itself … the answer is both, right? Recently, though, I’ve begun to ponder where exactly the two forces meet.

Between the ages of twelve and nineteen, I staked my life on the belief that love was, indeed, something fated. That it was destined between two people who are united in the perfect meet-cute and remain together against all odds. In my girlish fantasy, you were either meant for someone, or you were meant for someone else.

It’s no wonder I thought that was, my closest example of love was my parents. They were high school sweethearts and had only ever really been with each other. My second, third, and fourth were every Disney princess movie I had on VHS, played often and watched intently.

My sober-minded, almost twenty-three year-old self has strayed far from this philosophy. Today, I mostly believe in love that unfolds unexpectedly. Why? Because all the meaningful relationships of my young life have sprung from genuine friendships.

In all my best and longest lived experiences when it comes to love, the sequence of events have happened as follows:

I’ve met a guy, I realize I enjoy being around him, and eventually something romantic develops. (I mean, duh, pretty standard, right?)

Sounds easy breezy in theory, but here’s where my downfall has historically begun.

I was always convinced that all those relationships felt like they were missing something.

I recall believing that, despite having a good, even great, foundation with several suitors, I never felt the thing. And no, I don’t mean the extraterrestrial life form from the 1980’s film, I mean the gut-feeling that they were perfect for me. Like they were the only ones I could ever be with. Sure, I’ve loved and have been loved, but have I been able to imagine my entire future with any of these someones? I wouldn’t say so.

Alas, these relationships inevitably fell under my “meant for someone else” column. Perhaps I’ve sabotaged myself, secretly allowing my childhood philosophy of holding out for my perfect other half to remain burning in the back of my brain. Consciously or not, maybe I was waiting in vain for the one who would check every box, have a twinkle in his eye, and break one of my many curses. How realistic.

These days, I consult ancient philosophers in place of cartoon characters. They offer a slightly more informed take on life.

“Do not seek to have events happen as you want them, but want them to happen as they do happen, and all will be well with you,” said Epictetus.

Epictetus makes a great point. And if he were around today, I’m pretty sure he would have told me I’ve been screwing myself over.

And he would probably be right.

Maybe next time fate gives me a chance at experiencing romantic love and connection, I’ll walk the path long enough to see where it goes.

I said maybe!!!

Until next time,

The Self Sabotager

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