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July 2, 2025 
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Dear Theater Fans,
Audra McDonald’s slaying of “Rose’s Turn” at the Tonys. David Greenspan’s shape-shifty virtuosity in Jordan Tannahill’s new play. Bella Coppola’s surprise bang at the end of Act I of “Smash.” Those are among the best moments in theater this year — so far — according to our chief theater critic, Jesse Green. Read his full list of picks here.
Though filled with its own wonders, including Heather Christian’s “exhaustingly beautiful score,” the stage adaptation of Madeleine L’Engle’s sci-fi novel “A Wrinkle in Time” is otherwise “just exhausting,” Jesse wrote in his review of the Arena Stage production in Washington, D.C. Over in the West End, Alex Marshall reported on the buzzy revival of “Evita,” in which Rachel Zegler sings “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina” from the balcony of the London Palladium to the crowds on the streets below (we have video of the performance too). And, in his review of the show, Houman Barekat calls Zegler a “delight in the title role.”
Back in New York, two titans of nonprofit theater are taking their bows. Michael Paulson broke the news last week that Lynne Meadow — one of the most prolific and successful figures in the American theater — plans to step down as the artistic director of Manhattan Theater Club, a role she has held since 1972. “I’m not tired, and I’m not bored, and I’m not depressed, but I’m excited for Chapter 2,” she told Michael. This week André Bishop reflected on his tenure at Lincoln Center Theater after running it for 33 years, producing hundreds of productions and winning 15 Tony Awards. In an exit interview with Michael, he said he will miss “the daily life that goes on in these institutions — first days of rehearsal, closing days of plays, chance encounters in hallways.”
Michael also reported that Taraji P. Henson and Cedric the Entertainer will star on Broadway next spring in a revival of August Wilson’s “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone,” and talked to the producer Jordan Roth about transitions and reinventions as he moves to a “different stage, combining his love of fashion, his hunger to perform, and his taste for storytelling.” (You get to glimpse it, too, in Landon Nordeman’s beautiful photography and videos.)
Note: I’m taking some time off, but Theater Update will be in great hands. My colleague Nancy Coleman will keep you in the loop about all things theater over the next two weeks. (Read her reporting on the Tonys here and here.)
Please reach out to me at theaterfeedback@nytimes.com with suggestions for stories or to offer your thoughts about our coverage. And urge your friends to subscribe to this newsletter.
Have a wonderful week,
Nicole Herrington
Theater Editor
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