Sci-fi in December

'Tis the time to do like the characters do in Troll 2: put on fleece and sweaters! Norwegians know what to do when it's cold, or when mythological giants lay waste to their cities. This movie and four others are in my last sci-fi column of the year.

Tartuffe

Thus ends the Molière year in NYC — not an official commemoration, mind you, it's just that there were lots of shows by the French playwright for some reason. Despite cringing every time I heard it pronounced "Tartoof," I kinda liked this production. 

Best genre movies of 2025

As one of the four genre columnists at the Times, I was happy to contribute to this piece about our favorites of the year. I picked three sci-fi movies and they're thematically linked. 

Theater moments of 2025

Happy to be part of this group effort about some of our favorite moments of the theatrical year.

Marjorie Prime

I wasn't a huge fan of Marjorie Prime when I saw it at Playwrights Horizons a decade ago, but this revival on Broadway really worked for me. Here's my review for the Times.

Christine Baranski's Christmas Carol

Few women have performed A Christmas Carol, and frankly it's stunning it took so long for Christine Baranski to do it. So good! We met up at the Morgan Library and gawked at the manuscript. Read all about it here. 

2025 holiday movies

It was a dark and stormy night in 2019 and I thought, Gosh, Netflix has a lot of Christmas movies this year — what if I reviewed them all? This proved so popular that it's become my own December tradition, though we've expanded it to the major streamers, not just Netflix. Ready for a new batch? Here it is.

Some Tom Stoppard movies

Another Times assignment I enjoy, even though it's always preceded by bad news, ie we lost someone. In this case it was Tom Stoppard, so I put together a list of movies he wrote or cowrote. Start here and prepare to stream.

My Ten with Jason Schwartzman

Jason Schwartzman's Top 10 list had to be brought down from 23 items — and one of them was Top 10 lists! I've interviewed a lot of people over the course of my career but it's rare that we end up shooting the breeze the way I did with Schwartzman. Pure delight. Click here for what we ended up with.

The secret life of a ski resort

OMG this one was so much fun to report! I got to watch the sun rise over Mineral Basin and I got to work with the awesome Ruth Fremson: pure heaven. Click here to discover what happens behind the scenes at Snowbird, in Utah.

James Bundy's culture diary

I love doing those Culture Diaries for the Times and I suspect it's because I want those people's lives! My latest is with James Bundy from Yale: thataway for the lowdown on one of his recent weeks.

Initiative

You'd think a five-hour play with extended Dungeons & Dragons scenes would be right up my alley, and you'd be right — in the abstract. As you can tell by my review, Initiative doesn't actually make a good use of its length.

Science fiction for November

Every time I wonder where I'm going to find five new streaming science-fiction movies for the new installment of my monthly column, it turns out I worried for nothing because they keep coming! Click here for the November 2025 selection.

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

This gem of a musical is getting a fab revival at New World Stages. And by revival I mean that the staging hasn't changed much at all, which is OK because the show is all about the casting and this production more than delivers on that front. If you have family visiting for the holidays, make this one a group outing. Click here for my review.

Chess

Seeing Chess on Broadway: at long last! I didn't catch the American premiere way back when and my only live exposure to this show was a concert version eons ago — I mention it in my review of the new revival. Obviously my Abba fandom was satiated, but what about everything else? Read on.

Theater from home in November

Of course I'm really happy the Times has brought back its coverage of theater that people can enjoy from home, either from streaming productions or movies, or listening to audio versions: After all, I started covering this stuff in the Covid era. My selection for November had some great stuff, and I think most are still available.

The Baker's Wife

Or La Femme du boulanger, as the movie that inspired this musical is known in France (the show, naturally, is completely unknown over there). Classic Stage gave it a revival that didn't send me to the nearest bakery, but it had its moments. Here's my review.

Jump into the Predator universe

Here's another dump of links to the 647 articles I wrote for the New York Times these past couple of months. OK, maybe not that many but it felt that way. To celebrate the release of Predator: Badlands, I wrote an explainer to that franchise — not the hippest, but one of my favorites.  

Purple Rain

I went to Minneapolis to check out the stage version of Purple Rain. There were many issues but the one that sticks in my craw a month after seeing the show is that Wendy and Lisa quit the Revolution and join Apollonia 6, which becomes just the Six. Here's my review.

Three plays about Jewish identity

Some shows have themes that interestingly dovetailed last month, and I covered them in a critic's notebook: Hannah Senesh, Playing Shylock and Jewish Plot.

Messy White Gays

 I'm a Drew Droege fan but his new one didn't quite work for me. Thataway for my review.

Romy and Michele The Musical

The curse of Stage 42,  formerly known as Little Shubert, forever known as That Barn on the Corner of W. 42nd St and Dyer Ave, has struck again: This show is already gone — but my review is still up, of course.

Off and Off Off Broadway roundup

So. Much. To. See!  Here was my list for November, with many still playing.

Bat Boy The Musical

What a treat this Encores! revival was! Could Kerry Butler be any more of a national treasure? Click here for my review.

Liberation

I loved Bess Wohl's Liberation when it opened Off Broadway earlier this year, and I loved it just as much when it transferred. Its grosses aren't great right now but the upside is that you can probably score affordable tickets to this terrific production. Here's my review.

Five sci-fi movies to stream in October

The October installment of my sci-fi column came out right on cue…in October. Here it is.

Interview with Tom Morello

November was so crazy busy that I fell way behind on posting links to my articles here. Here's a big dowload, starting with my interview with Tom Morello, whose catalog (outside of Rage Against the Machine) made up the score for the new musical Revolution(s) — which I saw at the Goodman on my Chicago trip.

Blue Cowboy

David Cale's new show is soooooo good! Please go see it. My rave is here.

Paranormal Activity

I love scares at the theater, so it was really exciting to talk with Felix Barrett and Levi Holloway of their new show, Paranormal Activity. Click here for the deets and the cool videos.

Cut for space: Barrett is staging an immersive Arcane in China — yes, based on the Netflix series!

Theater to stream, fall edition

 Tons of great stuff to check out on the streaming-theater front this month! I picked some new (and vintage) releases for your enjoyment, starting with George Clooney's Good Night, and Good Luck.

A link to a podcast for a change

Jesse Green and I were on the Times' Sunday Special podcast to talk about experiencing theater, just not on stage. Yeah, audio counts, too! Here's a link to the link. 

Jen Tullock

I talked to the actress and writer Jen Tullock about her new solo play Nothing Can Take You From the Hand of God. Religion and homosexuality and video: there was a lot to parse. Thataway for the feature.

Kiss of the Spider Woman

The movie based on the musical based on the book that also inspired a play and another movie is finally out! Jennifer Lopez: meh. Yeah, I was surprised, too. My review for the Times is here.

And Then We Were No More

 Like many people, I very much enjoy Tim Blake Nelson as an actor (we don't see him enough in The Lowdown!). But his play And Then We Were No More, at La MaMa, is the kind of hot mess we don't actually see often. My review is here.

James Graham's Punch

I had serious issues with James Graham's play Punch, which is on Broadway. It's tough to do a show about reparative justice without presenting both sides evenly. Click here for my review in the NY Times.

Natalie Palamides

Belatedly posting my profile of Natalie Palamides, whose show Weer, at the Cherry Lane Theater, is one of the hits of the fall here in NYC. I couldn't be a bigger fan.

Fall for science-fiction movies

Er, I'm getting around to posting a link to my sci-fi column for September, just as the one for October is about to drop. It's a time warp! 

Art

The Art section is the only one in the New York Times' culture pages that I haven't written for — is my review of the Yasmina Reza show as close as I'm going to get? "Art" is back on Broadway with Bobby Cannavale, James Corden and Neil Patrick Harris, and I have to admit I was a little surprised by how well the play has aged. My review is here.

Saturday Church

Back in August I talked to several of the people involved in the new musical Saturday Church, which sourced most of its score from Sia's catalogue and processed it through a house filter (joke intended, even if the show doesn't draw from the French Touch but from soulful gospel house). Click here for my preview.

A roundup of Off and Off Off Broadway shows for September

The fall season is a bountiful one for theater in New York, and it's easy to get overwhelmed by the sheer number of shows on offer. I took a whack at a first selection, and I couldn't even fit in everything. Have a look and get your tickets!

Fall is coming so it's time for science fiction

Fine, it's always time for science fiction, not just when the weather starts turning. You can find my latest batch of recommendations for (mostly indie) streaming sci-fi here.

A few thoughts on Mamma Mia! and Abba

Mamma Mia! is back on Broadway so of course I had to write about it, along with the concomitant phenomenon of Abba's eternal returns — and Chess is right around the corner! Here's my critic's notebook about the Abba ouroboros.

Elizabeth McGovern

Elizabeth McGovern takes on not just Ava Gardner but the very idea of biography in her play, Ava: The Secret Conversations. It was an absolute treat to chat with her. Thataway for the story.

Northern Sky

After American Players Theater last year, I returned to Wisconsin for a very different experience at Northern Sky Theater, in Door County. Check out the story here. And yes, dairy and fish boils come up.

Dennis Lim's culture diary

The latest installment in the Culture Diary series for the NY Times is Dennis Lim, the New York Film Festival's head honcho. I don't often say this but I'll have what he's having! Click here for a FOMO-inducing week.

Sci-fi movies for August

I'm starting to cook up what's going to be in my sci-fi column for September and realized I haven't yet linked to the August installment. Here it is.

Joy

I've seen some grousing online about the very existence of a musical about the inventor of the Miracle Mop. As long as there are movies about Beanie Babies and Cheetos, I think we can cope. It's always a pleasure to watch Betsy Wolfe on stage, but I wish I'd liked Joy more. My review is here.

Taye Diggs's essentials

Taye Diggs talked about 10 of his favorite things for the Times. Thataway for the list.

Chris and Paul Weitz talk about Murderbot

I love writing for the recurring series Ask a Showrunner because you get to ask all the super-nerdy questions and you don't have to worry too much about spoilers — if the article comes out pegged to a season finale, of course. Such was the case with the Weitz brothers, who discussed Murderbot. And it's been renewed! Click here for our conversation.

Heathers The Musical

Heathers: The Musical is back where it started — well, where it started its Off Broadway career — and I was there for it. My feature on the story of the musical is full of fun details, which is appropriate for such a fun show.

Off Broadway and streaming theater this month

Two-for-one post as I link to my roundup of Off and Off Off Broadway shows — do not sleep on Out of Order — and picked some streaming theater and theater-related movies you can watch from anywhere.

Science-fiction movies for those hot summer nights

The July installment of my sci-fi column dropped and as usual, it's all over the map — well, the sci-fi map, of course. Thataway.

Some queer shows hit New York

Earlier this month, I caught some queer shows and wrote about them for the New York Times: Beau the Musical, My Son's a Queer (But What Can You Do?) and The Pansy Craze: The Queerest Night on Broadway. Click here for my deeply ambivalent critic's notebook.

Lowcountry

It's ok for a first date to go through twists and turns, but they have to make sense. The ones in Lowcountry don't. My review of this new play at the Atlantic Theater is here.

Passengers

I was watching a rehearsal of the circus show Passengers when things took an unexpected turn. I wrote about it and how the company pivoted in this piece for the NY Times.

Molière is back in town

Molière is having a moment in New York and I'm there for it! I wrote about two shows inspired by the French master, though one of them only bears a very loose connection. Click here for my critic's notebook.

What to Know About 28 Years Later

Danny Boyle and Alex Garland have returned to the franchise they launched with 28 Days Later, and the new movie is a banger! I wrote an explainer about the 28 franchise, with some choice quotes from Garland.

2025 Tonys

I get a kick out of liveblogging events for the NY Times: Eurovision, the opening and closing ceremonies at the Olympics, and of course the Tonys. As usual I contributed a mix of quick takes during the ceremonies, entries in best/worst, and slightly longer pieces, like this one about the four Seymours and one Audrey in competition.

June and sci-fi movies are back

Another batch of five sci-fi movies streaming for your alt-world pleasure — thataway.

Summer theater around the country

I joined forces with the esteemed Laura Collins-Hughes for a roundup of cool theater to see around the country this summer. Get ready for some road trippin'! Click here for the list.

My Heart Will Go On in the Library of Congress

"My Heart Will Go On" was inducted to the Library of Congress' National Recording Registry this year, and it was a great honor to write an essay about the song for the occasion. I started borrowing at the local book van when I was a kid, my work-study job in grad school was at the library, and I currently have cards for the New York, Brooklyn and Queens public libraries, so being a part of LoC is a particular thrill.

Click here for the free link.

The Counterfeit Opera

Off we go: a belated series of links to what I've been up to this past month! I'm basically using this blog as an archive of my work.

Let's start with a preview of The Counterfeit Opera, a very loose adaptation of The Beggar's Opera that recently played Little Island. Story is here.