Closer - West End Articles Page 13

As 2025 comes to a close, I’ve noticed that the instinct to look ahead feels less urgent than the need to pause. Broadway doesn’t move in neat yearly cycles the way we often pretend it does.

When it comes to being part of a show, there are many things that I have to do before a show starts out of habit, and even out of superstition. Here are some of those things!

Aided by a top-notch band, Justin Been’s potent drama uses moving songs and poignant drama to make Superhero is a thrill-packed adventure.

This February, American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.) will present Paranormal Activity, an original story based on Paramount Pictures’ terrifying film franchise—now unleashed live on stage at A.C.T.’s Toni Rembe.

Next week, 54 BELOW will present some of the brightest stars from Broadway, cabaret, jazz, and beyond, including Matthew Morrison, Norm Lewis, Scott Siegel and more.

PBS has shared sneak peek clips from Happiness, the new musical series airing weekly on the channel. The clips, taken from the third and fourth episodes, are available to watch now.

The Wheeling Symphony Orchestra will perform Her Voice next year. The performance is on Friday, March 20, 2026 at the Capitol Theatre. Learn more about the upcoming concert here!

There is a particular kind of contemporary British play that believes proximity to the dinner table equals profundity. Or human connection. Or a direct line to our stomachs, if not our hearts. It’s never really clear. Sam Grabiner’s Christmas Day (his first play since his Olivier-winning Boys on the Verge of Tears) is delivered under James Macdonald’s taut but ultimately overburdened direction and both fulfils and interrogates that tradition.

Get a first look at Duel Rality at Alliance Theatre, on stage February 5 through March 1st, 2026.

 The Johnson Jukebox will come to The Drama Factory next month. The performance is set for 18 January 2026 at 4pm. Learn more about the upcoming performance here!

HORIZONS VOL #3, the third annual concert series dedicated to the future of musical theatre, will be performed at Crazy Coqs at Brasserie Zedel on Monday 19 January.

An Evening Without Kate Bush, the award-winning cult cabaret made by Sarah-Louise Young & Russell Lucas, will return to London following critically acclaimed sold out tours of Australia and New Zealand.

Apple TV has announced the expansion of Legendary’s Monsterverse with a new untitled Young Lee Shaw prequel starring Wyatt Russell, reprising his role as ‘Colonel Lee Shaw.’

Mrs. Kasha Davis will star as “Edna Turnblad” in its upcoming production of Hairspray, directed by Keely Vasquez, choreographed by Reneisha Jenkins and music directed by Linda Madonia.

Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU) is celebrating its fifth year of non-stop weekly Community Gatherings. Up in December is Produce Yourself in 2026: What's New on the New York Festival Scene?

BAFTA winner and multi-Golden Globe nominee Andrew Scott and Academy Award, Golden Globe and Emmy winner Olivia Colman will lead new film, ELSINORE, directed by BAFTA nominated Simon Stone.

Composers Concordance will present Tasman & Noizepunk, an eclectic electro-acoustic duo exploring bold sound worlds for violin, guitar, and Di.J. (digital jockey). Learn more here!

One of the most effective things the musical gains by moving from page to screen to stage is permission to reframe the story without betraying it. By leaning harder into the Curtis brothers as the emotional spine, the musical clarifies a distinction that’s always been present in the text but rarely foregrounded this explicitly: Darry, Soda, and Ponyboy are family by blood, bound by obligation and grief; while the Greasers are family by choice, bound by loyalty and survival.

Ahead of the new episode of Landman, Paramount+ has shared a sneak preview from the ongoing second season of the hit Western series. Watch a promo for Episode 6 now.

What did our critic think of THE IMAGINING BY AMARI MARSHALL at Powerhouse Arts? Marshall delivers something that truly feels brand new: an immersive, in-the-round dance celebration that positions movement not as an accoutrament, but the main attraction.

PAC NYC will present the U.S. premiere of THE VISITORS, a drama by Jane Harrison directed by Wesley Enoch. The award-winning work arrives in New York as part of PAC NYC’s international programming.

Recorded at Abbey Road Studios with a 14-piece orchestra and featuring Kerry Ellis, Peter Forbes, Claire Moore, Lauren Byrne, Lucie St. Louis and more, Clockwork Christmas is an eight-song concept album for a brand-new Christmas musical.

If I had a nickel for every time that I’ve reviewed the same show, I’d have 2 nickels. Which isn’t a lot, but I’m surprised that it took so long in my reviewing history to happen. It shouldn’t be a surprise, however, that in both cases, they are to review Christmas productions. For the first time since 2021, I’ve been treated with attending TheatreWorks New Milford’s production of Matt Austin’s, What the Dickens. Can we officially call this a Christmas Classic?

The national tour of ELF THE MUSICAL is preparing to bring holiday cheer to Atlanta’s Fox Theatre December 16 - 21 as part of the 2025/2026 Regions Bank Broadway in Atlanta season. To learn more about this special holiday treat, I caught up with Kabir Gandhi, a Duluth native and member of the ensemble, to talk about his journey from Georgia to the stage, the magic of ELF, and what it means to perform for his hometown crowd.

NYT bestselling author Rachel Hawkins will visit The Music Hall Lounge with her new book, THE STORM. The novel is about a Gulf Coast beach motel that has survived a century of hurricanes–and has also been the site of multiple mysterious deaths.