Helen Shaw News

SLANTED FLOORS, the site-specific play starring Kyle Beltran and Adam Chanler-Berat, returns to its original Greenpoint apartment for a strictly limited 150-seat engagement, directed by Ryan Dobrin.

The critics are weighing-in on the world premiere of The Balusters, a new play by Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize winner David Lindsay-Abaire, directed by Tony Award winner Kenny Leon. Read the reviews and learn more about this new comedy now at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre in our review roundup!

Don Cheadle and Ayo Edebiri make their Broadway debuts in Proof's first-ever revival. See what 17 critics are saying about this Pulitzer-winning play!

Reviews are in for The Fear of 13, Lindsey Ferrentino’s new Broadway play starring Adrien Brody and Tessa Thompson. Now running at the James Earl Jones Theatre, the production marks the Broadway debuts of both screen actors.

Critics have stopped by the Broadway revival of Death of a Salesman, and the reviews are in! The new production is directed by Joe Mantello and led by Nathan Lane as Willy Loman and Laurie Metcalf as Linda Loman.

CATS: The Jellicle Ball has officially brought its runway to Broadway! The musical revival opens tonight Broadhurst Theatre. Did the critics have a ball at this innovative new production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical classic? Find out in our review roundup!

This week's theater news spans the globe, from a massive outdoor Phantom of the Opera making history on Sydney Harbour to Shakespeare's birthday celebrations in Chicago, a landmark West End awards night in London, and a new home for one of New York's most celebrated Off-Broadway companies. Closer to home, Broadway is reporting record-breaking grosses and attendance even as international tourism dips, while one of the Theatre District's most beloved institutions — Sardi's — prepares for a temporary farewell as it changes hands. And as the world marked World Theatre Day on March 27, the stories this week serve as a fitting reminder of just how alive and far-reaching the art form remains.

The biggest change from prior years is at The New York Times, where Helen Shaw became the first female chief theater critic at the paper of record earlier this year. Previously, The Times has had plenty of female second-string critics, but the top seat was always held by a man.

Reviews are in for GIANT, the Olivier Award-winning play by Mark Rosenblatt, now on Broadway starring John Lithgow as Roald Dahl. Directed by Nicholas Hytner, the production is playing a limited 16-week engagement following its award-winning West End run, where it received three Olivier Awards.

Reviews are in for The Wild Party, currently in performances at New York City Center Encores! See what the critics had to say about the starry new production led by BOOP! star Jasmine Amy Rogers, Jelani Alladin, Jordan Donica, Adrienne Warren and more!

The Broadway premiere of Duncan MacMillan’s EVERY BRILLIANT THING, starring Tony Award winner Daniel Radcliffe opens at Broadway's Hudson Theatre tonight. Read the reviews!

The critics are weighing in on Wallace Shawn’s new play, What We Did Before Our Moth Days, directed by André Gregor, running now at the Greenwich House Theater (27 Barrow St). The production stars Hope Davis, Maria Dizzia, John Early, and Josh Hamilton. Read the reviews.

See what the critics are saying about The Unknown, a new solo show starring Tony, Emmy and SAG Award winning actor Sean Hayes. The new one-man play is written by acclaimed and award-winning playwright David Cale and directed by Tony Award nominee Leigh Silverman.

BroadwayCon has announced additional programming for the 2026 Convention, taking place this week. Learn more about the full upcoming lineup for the event here!

Awards season brings high-profile recognition for acclaimed film and design work, while New York headlines spotlight both expanded access to theater and the loss of a respected arts leader. Elsewhere, major institutions in Chicago and Paris enter new leadership chapters, and a Canadian orchestra announced a significant policy shift.

Happy New Year! This week, we’re catching up on a few different stories that you might have missed while you were out for the holidays - including the ongoing tumult at the Kennedy Center, multiple Broadway box office records, and the controversial reopening of a theatre in Mariupol.

As 2025 comes to a close, New York City's top theatre critics have been taking stock of this theatre season- deciding on their personal choices for their favorite productions of the year. The season has been full of so many stellar plays, musicals, revivals and new works, both on Broadway and off.

This week’s newsletter brings together stories of growth, innovation, and transformation across the theater and performing arts landscape. Inside, you’ll find updates on new BroadwayWorld features and partnerships, strong Broadway attendance figures, and evolving development plans in the heart of Times Square. We also spotlight major real estate and venue news shaping theater communities in New York, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles, alongside a look at artists pushing creative boundaries in dance.

What did critics think of ANNA CHRISTIE, running at Brooklyn's St. Ann's Warehouse, directed by Thomas Kail, and starring Michelle Williams and Tom Sturridge?

Rise and shine, BroadwayWorld! It is December 9, 2025 and it's time to catch up on all of the theatrical happenings you may have missed in the last 24 hours.