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October 1, 2025 
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Dear Theater Fans,
This week brought a slew of openings, including star-filled plays (“Waiting for Godot,” “The Other Americans,” “Caroline”), the reimagined musicals (“Masquerade”), and a real-life tragedy (“Punch”).
Laura Collins-Hughes had an insightful take on “Waiting for Godot,” Jamie Lloyd’s “pristinely chic-looking” revival of the Beckett classic starring Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter. She wrote in her review that though the production is missing Lloyd’s “interpretive stamp” and Reeves and Winter appear to be “intimidated” by their characters, there are two bright spots: Brandon J. Dirden as Pozzo and Michael Patrick Thornton as Lucky, who “saunter off” with the show.
Laura also wrote a lovely feature about the true story at the center of “Punch,” a play about a fatal blow and how restorative justice brought healing to the parents and to the young man who threw the punch.
Just on the northern edge of Midtown Manhattan, you’ll whirl from room to room, as Alexis Soloski did, in “Masquerade,” the immersive reimagining of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “The Phantom of the Opera.” This remixed “Phantom” directed by Diane Paulus, Alexis wrote in her review, “is silly, frustrating, ethically dubious and frankly thrilling.”
Elisabeth Vincentelli talked to the comedian Natalie Palamides about her “clowning glory”: Her “hilarious, subversive, mind-scrambling and sneakily emotional” stage shows. She’s currently playing both the male and female characters in “Weer,” a comedy rooted in tragedy that just opened at A24’s Cherry Lane Theater. It’s much-anticipated New York run is already sold out. But good news: One of Palamides’s earlier works, “Nate,” is available for streaming on Netflix.
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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