“Maybe Happy Ending,” which leading up to the Tonys this coming Sunday has won best musical in a slew of other New York theater awards (Outer Critics Circle, Drama Critics Circle, Drama League, last night’s Drama Desk Awards), seems also an apt description for the Broadway season as a whole statistically (e.g. the second best attended season in recorded history, after 2018-2019, at 14.7 million) and, more particularly, even the Patti-Kecia-Audra kerfuffle
(It’s worth noting that “Purpose,” which won for best musical last night, also won the New York Drama Critics Circle and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama)
Incentive to look ahead with hope and purpose.
June 2025 New York Theater Openings
The Week in New York Theater Review and Preview
Blood, Sweat and Queers Review
“Blood, Sweat and Queers” is inspired by the true story of a Czech sprinter who broke world records at the 1934 Women’s World Games in London, and gained world-wide fame when the female athlete whom the Czechs knew as Zdena Koubková became Zdeněk Koubek and began living as a man. Czech playwright Tomáš Dianiška’s riff on Koubek’s life, initially entitled “Transky, body, vteřiny,” is being presented as one of the twelve productions from Eastern Europe in this year’s (largely free) Rehearsal for Truth theater festival.
Tribeca Festival 2025 preview for theater lovers
A “Hamlet” entirely inside his head…and in your ear. The Broadway cast of “The Gilded Age” in person. A documentary about actress Marlee Matlin, a feature film starring Kyra Sedwick and Kevin Bacon, and a short inspired by the real lives of another married couple, Mandy Patinkin and Kathryn Grody. Among the hundreds of offerings at the 24th annual Tribeca Festival, running from June 4 to 15, those dozen or so listed here are likely of interest to theater lovers – either because of the subject or the characters or the cast, or because it’s a live in-person performance
The Week in New York Theater News
Aaron Tveit,Lea Michele,& Nicholas Christopher will lead the 1st Broadway revival of 1988 musical CHESS. Fall 2025 at a Shubert theater yet to be determined. It’s America versus Russia at the World Chess Championship, where espionage and romance are as complicated & exhilarating as the game itself. I’ve added it to my Broadway 2025 2026 Season Preview Guide
Christopher Jackson will join Hell’s Kitchen June 3 in the role of Davis (the father originated by Brandon Victor Dixon) Jackson is probably best known on Broadway for originating the role of George Washington in Hamilton.
Jackson will be one of the Hamilton original cast members performing together for “Hamilten” at the 78th Annual Tony Awards to celebrate the show’s tenth anniversary. The others are: Carleigh Bettiol, Andrew Chappelle, Ariana DeBose, Alysha Deslorieux, Daveed Diggs, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Jonathan Groff, Sydney James Harcourt, Neil Haskell, Sasha Hutchings, Thayne Jasperson, Jasmine Cephas Jones, Stephanie Klemons, Morgan Marcell, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Javier Muñoz, Leslie Odom, Jr., Okieriete Onaodowan, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Jon Rua, Austin Smith, Phillipa Soo, Seth Stewart, Betsy Struxness, Ephraim Sykes and Voltaire Wade-Greene.
Darren Criss and Renée Elise Goldsberry will be the hosts of the live Tony Awards preshow that is available for streaming free on Pluto TV.
Gary Edwin Robinson, head of the Theatre Arts Program at Boys and Girls High School in Brooklyn, N.Y., has been selected as the 2025 winner of the Tony’s Excellence in Theatre Education Award
Buena Vista Social Club will release its Original Broadway Cast Recording digitally on June 6th,
Reminder: CNN will broadcast live the penultimate performance of Good Night, and Good Luck from Broadway’s Winter Garden Theater on Saturday, June 7 at 7pm ET (The run ends the next day — which is the day of the Tony Awards.) It’s also on CNN.com, Can apps, Max. (but not CBS!)
East 9th Street was officially proclaimed Terrence McNally Way in honor of the prolific playwright (1938-2020) who lived for 24 years on the street. The ceremonial unveiling on Friday featured Jonathan Groff reading from And Things That Go Bump in the Night, Francis Jue reading from Love! Valour! Compassion!, and Donna Murphy reading from Master Class. Caissie Levy and Brandon Uranowitz performed “Our Children” from Ragtime and Brian Stokes Mitchell performed “Make Them Hear You” from Ragtime
In Memoriam
Loretta Swit, 87, known primarily for her role as Major Houlihan (although that’s not what anybody called her) on the M*A*S*H TV series, was also a three-time Broadway veteran.
The Week’s Theater Video
Chess and Ragtime promos
Amber Iman in Goddess
