5,762 stories by "Jonathan Mandell"
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 gran…
 "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 theolo…
Midway through "Masquerade," the Phantom of the Opera himself suddenly grabbed hold of me, his touch light and electric, and pushed me aside. The masked musician and magician had crept up be…
How do you respond to a creeping authoritarian takeover? Resistance takes many forms. This coming Saturday, people will take to the streets throughout the country for "No Kings" protests. Th…
What's surprising about the fight over Christopher Columbus is not that this year's official White House proclamation about Columbus Day crudely attacks "left-wing arsonists" for tryin…
Election Day in New York is Tuesday, November 4, 2025, for mayor of New York and other city-wide and local offices, as well as six ballot proposals. Here is what you need to know in order to…
Diane Keaton, who died today at the age of 79, made her Broadway debut in the original company of "Hair" (above is a publicity photograph of her for the musical.) But the actress who went on…
What goes into the making of a musical theater production? The process, from audition to curtain call, is presented in verse and illustrations about the people involved, from director to …
After an alarming vacation in Germany, British writer Sally Carson wrote "Crooked Cross" about the rise of Nazism as told through its effect on one ordinary German family.  It was publ…
"Art" is not about art, and it's not really about friendship. If it's about anything at all, the Broadway revival of Yasmina Reza's 30-year-old play is about the celebrity of Bobby Cannavale…
Dylan Mulvaney has chosen an obviously ironic title for her extravagantly staged solo show about her viral life story as a targeted trans social media celebrity. But she also exudes an innat…
Last week, four new Broadway shows announced their dates and venues for Spring 2026:Â Dog Day Afternoon, opening March 30. Fallen Angels, April 19. Schmigadoon, April 20. The Rocky Horror …
In her hour-long solo show, Abby Wambaugh both spoofs and nails a wide variety of comedy styles, from standup to slapstick to Moth-style storytelling to musical comedy. At various times, she…
In its thrilling opening rap, "Mexodus" gives an overview of the little-known history of Mexico as a refuge for thousands of escaping American slaves before the Civil War. Rhythmic, uncommon…
Elizabeth Marvel has been summoned to an ominous-looking room by a uniformed official; she doesn't know why,  and the chatty official keeps her (and us) in suspense. She is the lawyer …
Below is a calendar of New York theater opening* in October, including three opening on Broadway. "Ragtime" originated at the Encores concert series, "Liberation" had a brief run Off-Broa…
The first month of the Fall theater season is coming to an end with disparate worries " that "the Broadway musical is in trouble" and that there's a "fascist takeover of the American theater…
In one of the most moving scenes that I've ever witnessed in a theater,  Jacob finally meets the parents of the young man whom he killed. Making an extraordinary Broadway debut, Will H…
"Back to back like in the good old days," Keanu Reeves as Estragon says to Alex Winter as Vladimir; then they shout something together that makes the audience explode in cheers and laughter.…
In the first play officially opened to the public at the Cherry Lane under the ownership of movie studio A24, Natalie Palamides portrays a man and a woman simultaneously,  an exercise …
How well were you paying attention to the theater in September? Answer these ten questions, plus a bonus question, to find out. Loading…
"Sixties Surreal," a just-opened exhibition at the Whitney Museum, offers some 150 works (paintings, sculptures, photographs, illustrations, films, collages, assemblages, an album cover, a n…
John Leguizamo's new play is a sober family drama inspired by some of the same people and places from Leguizamo's past that powered "Freak" and the five other solo stage comedies he has writ…
"This show is not important. What is important is that we get to live in a country that allows us to have a show like this," Jimmy Kimmel said in his opening monologue below, when his late n…
By Jonathan Mandell. Xhloe and Natasha made Edinburgh Festival Fringe history with three consecutive award-winning shows, but even the most successful Fringe acts struggle to break even.
