Jordan E. Cooper’s face might not look so happy in “Oh Happy Day!” – or, clockwise, Hugh Panaro’s in “Masquerade,” Nichelle Lewis’s in “Ragtime,” Ari’el Stacher’s in “Other.” But most of these shows, reviewed below, try to offer hope in dark and confusing times. As God tells Cooper’s character Keyshawn: “If you can’t own your happy in the dark, it will only be rented in the light.”
Or, to translate to current events, via a report in NPR about the nationwide No Kings protests over the weekend: “In Macon, Ga., protesters belted “The Story of Tonight” from the musical Hamilton — a song about the importance of sacrifice and solidarity today for the sake of freedom tomorrow.”
The Week in New York Theater Reviews
Ragtime
The revival of “Ragtime” has taken on more of the epic feel to which it aspires, thanks to its move from an Encores series concert to a full Broadway production on the Vivian Beaumont’s grander stage, turning an already superb production into a sumptuous spectacle….If anything, this musical adaptation of E.L. Doctorow’s novel about the cultural and political upheavals in the New York of the early 1900s, feels even more timely in the midst of the cultural and political upheavals in the America of 2025.
Oh Happy Day
“Oh Happy Day!” may sound like church: The plot retells the Biblical story of Noah’s Ark; a divinely-dressed trio called the Divines belt out original gospel songs; we hear theological discussions and sermon-like exhortations.
But playwright and actor Jordan E. Cooper peoples his play with a struggling family in present-day Mississippi who are full of angry resentments and bitter memories. And Cooper, whose play “Ain’t No Mo’” on Broadway three years ago presented a collection of barbed satirical sketches, here largely puts drama and trauma center stage.
Other
After Ari’el Stachel won a Tony Award for his charming and hilarious Broadway debut in the role of a sexy Egyptian trumpet player in “The Band’s Visit,” he was made so anxious by all the congratulations that he kept on rushing to the bathroom for paper towels to wipe the sweat pouring down his face. He dramatizes the experience in the first scene of his solo autobiographical show, “Other,” opening tonight at Greenwich House Theater. His performance is impressive, brave and deeply unsettling.
“Masquerade” is sensuous and you-are-there in a way that “The Phantom of the Opera,” the earlier version of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical, was not. The approach that director Diane Paulus et al take in this intricate, intimate, interactive new production could well appeal to audiences who have never seen Phantom, or even those who saw it and didn’t care for it.
The Week in New York Theater News
Broadway Actors Reach Deal, but Musicians Still Threaten Strike (NY Times)
Broadway 2025-2026 season as of now
“All Out: Comedy About Ambition by Simon Rich,” directed by Alex Timbers December 12 – March 8 at the Nederlander Theatre with a rotating cast of four actors reading from Rich’s stories, in a kind of follow-up to All In from last year.
“Punch” , the Broadway play based on the true story of a man who forms a bond with the parents of the young man he killed, will be livestreamed during the final week of its run, October 28 – November 2, through the League of Live Stream Theater. Those interested may purchase a $75 ticket (includes $9 service fee) for one of the performances at lolst.org. Inventory is subject to limited availability.
Broadway Box Office: ‘Hamilton’ Hits High of $4 Million As Fall Season Begins (Hollywood Reporter)
Beloved ‘Hamilton’ wardrobe stylist fired from show after beating stage 3 cancer, lawsuit says (Independent)
The 21st Edition of the Under the Radar Festival will present 32 works from January 7 to 25. Co-Creative Directors Meropi Peponides and Kaneza Schaal join Founder and Artistic Director Mark Russell to form the first of what will be rotating cohorts of festival curators, ensuring that the festival’s programming is ever-evolving and of-the-moment.
Here are two long lists for your perusal (but it makes sense to take the time to look at the individual entries at the UTR website)
List of theater artists: Agrupación Señor Serrano; JoAnne Akalaitis; Anonymous Ensemble; Mario Banushi; j. bouey; Dahlak Brathwaite; Brokentalkers; Kinoshita Kabuki; Elevator Repair Service; Lisa Fagan and Lena Engelstein; Jo Fong and George Orange; Lee Sunday Evans and Elizabeth Marvel; Anne Gridley; The HawtPlates; Sunny Jain; Modesto “Flako” Jimenez; Autumn Knight; Cole Lewis, Patrick Blenkarn, and Sam Ferguson; Cherish Menzo; Moogahlin Performing Arts and Sydney Theatre Company; Narcissister; Quarantine; Graham Sack; Tina Satter and Half Straddle; Kaneza Schaal;Roger Guenveur Smith; Pamela Sneed; The TEAM; Wet Mess; Kevin Matthew Wong; and The Wooster Group with Eric Berryman and Jharis Yokley.
The programming is presented in partnership with cultural organizations including The Chocolate Factory Theater, HERE Arts Center, Irish Arts Center, Japan Society, Joe’s Pub, La MaMa, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, The Leonard & Claire Tow Center for the Performing Arts at Brooklyn College, The Living Word Project, Mabou Mines, Mitu, New York Live Arts, New York Theatre Workshop, NYU Skirball, Onassis Culture, Onassis ONX, Park Avenue Armory’s Under Construction Series, Perelman Performing Arts Center (PAC NYC), Performance Space New York, The Performing Garage, Pregones/PRTT, The Public Theater, Soho Rep, Symphony Space, Waterwell, and Working Theater.
In Working Theater’s 41st season Theresa Rebeck is developing a play that responds to Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman, set for a reading in June, 2026, which is also the month that the theater will present The second annual Stage Left readings.
Ari Emanuel buys TodayTix (NYTimes)
What’s interesting about this article is a description of TodayTix, and how it’s changed and expanded “It now sells tickets, mostly at full price…and accounts for more than 15 percent of all ticket sales on Broadway”
