Closer - 2022 - West End Articles Page 1

Second Stage Theater has announced five productions for its upcoming 48th Season, including the Broadway premieres of The Fantasticks and Gloria. Learn more about the full season here!

What did our critic think of MRS. DOUBTFIRE at Fred Kavil Theatre?

Before hitting the road in support of his new music, Tony-winner John Gallagher Jr. spoke to BroadwayWorld about writing and recording 'Almost OK', sharing why he considers it to be a favorite of his own records, and if he has any plans to bring his songwriting to Broadway. 

Broken Box Mime Theater and Dutch Kills Theater Company will present DOUBLE TAKE at Underbelly Bristo Square during Edinburgh Fringe, a wordless two-hander weaving eight short stories through mime, hand puppetry, and physical comedy.

The multi-award winning stage adaptation of Studio Ghibli’s My Neighbour Totoro will extend in the West End for the final time. Learn more about the show here!

As New York prepares for the 2026 Tony Award nominations and honors the recent Lucille Lortel winners, producers are facing tough questions about whether traditional 8 PM curtain times are driving audiences away. The business landscape is shifting heavily behind the scenes, marked by the merger of licensing giants BMG and Concord, looming strike ballots in the West End, and the Kennedy Center's controversial two-year shutdown. Despite these logistical and financial challenges—including a devastating embezzlement case at a Pennsylvania community theatre—there is plenty of positive momentum to report, from the rapid financial recoupment of the Suffs national tour to new initiatives supporting theater education and large-scale playwriting.

The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra will perform Music of This Place at Bunjil Place in Narre Warren, the first of four low-cost community concerts planned across Greater Melbourne in 2026.

Prospect Musicals announced the full line-up for its 2026 Gala & Muse Awards at The Edison Ballroom, honoring LaChanze, Ken Davenport, Lindsay Mendez, Ryan Scott Oliver, and Jose Antonio Vargas.

From Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater suspending operations and Central Works announcing its closure after 36 years, to Duluth Playhouse navigating a leadership transition, regional companies across the U.S. are grappling with the pressures of rising costs and uncertain funding. Across the Atlantic, the UK theatre sector is meeting similar headwinds head-on, with the government distributing £127.8 million to 130 cultural organizations, Stagetext securing funds to expand captioning access nationwide, and SOLT and UK Theatre sounding the alarm over strains on the touring ecosystem.

We learn that the suburban fantasy is not sustainable, primarily because such a fantasy can only ever be a dream. The reality of suburban living, as told by Kimberly Akimbo, shows there is much more nuance to everyday life than the nuclear family with a white picket fence and a wholesome dinner at eight. If everyone got what they wanted, after all, they wouldn’t want for more.

Tony and Emmy Award-winner Billy Crystal will return to Broadway this fall in a new one-man show, 860, written and performed by Mr. Crystal and directed by Olivier Award-winner Scott Ellis. We have all of the details!

BroadwayWorld chats with Bay Area theater icon Robert Kelley about his production of the Tony and Olivier-Award winning musical 'Come From Away' playing April 15th to May 10th at TheatreWorks Silicon Valley in Mountain View

MCC Theater will present the inaugural Judith Champion PlayLabs Reading Series, featuring free public readings of new plays by Justice Hehir, Sam Mueller, and Dhari Noel, running in May.

On April 5, Jackson Wang brought his MAGICMAN 2 World Tour to the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre, returning to Vancouver with a show that felt different from his 2023 stop. The setlist leaned heavily on MAGICMAN 2, released last July, carrying its darker themes and reflective tone into the live performance. Instead of fully depending on big production moments, the show focused on atmosphere and pacing, letting each song tell its own story while giving the night a more personal feel.

Jerry Seinfeld, Bert Kreischer, and Seth Meyers will headline the National Comedy Center's annual comedy festival in Jamestown, New York, August 6–9, 2026, alongside Carol Leifer, Gina Brillon, and others.

Kitchen Sink Theatre Company (Katie Royse Ginther, Artistic Director) will soon present a full staged production of  “BRICKGIRL”, in May of 2026. “BRICKGIRL” is written by Ryan Stevens, directed by Mayah Lourdes Burke and stage managed by Ellie McIntyre (The Untitled Lesbian Project).

Rosie's House, one of the nation's largest providers of free music education, is now enrolling students for the 2026–2027 school year, offering expanded opportunities for children and families from infancy through grade 12.

Many fellowship programs help emerging leaders learn the craft and business of theater, in both nonprofit and commercial spaces. For this article, I spoke with several fellows about five things Broadway leaders don’t often say but that we learned as fellows.

For me, the message of this play is that family is the most important thing. Having, keeping, and surviving those family ties and those memories.

What’s more satisfying than watching six wronged women reclaim their power? Watching them do it in rhinestone corsets, backed by a thunderous girl band and enough LED lighting to short-circuit Times Square. SIX, the British import that’s barreled from university revue to Broadway headliner like a sugar-rushed Spice Girls revival, is a history class... if the lessons were taught in stilettos and unapologetic girl-group glory.

Performances are now underway for  CATS: The Jellicle Ball, which begins preview performances Wednesday, March 18 at the Broadhurst Theatre ahead of a Wednesday, April 7 opening night. Meet the cast here!

GRAMMY Award-winning organist Paul Jacobs will join the Cleveland Orchestra for a series of performances featuring POULENC’S ORGAN CONCERTO. Scheduled for April 2026, these concerts mark a notable return of Jacobs, who is renowned for his mastery in organ music. The event promises to showcase his exceptional skills alongside one of the most respected orchestras in the world, offering audiences a profound musical experience.

Running from 7-30 August 2026, this year's Edinburgh International Festival will present 24 days of world-class performances selected for their artistic and cultural resonance across opera, theatre, music and dance.  

City Lit Theater has revealed programming for the 2026–27 season. The four-play season will include one world premiere adaptation, two world premieres of new plays, and a new staging of August Wilson’s King Hedley II.

Three talented high school seniors from Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts in West Palm Beach have received Palm Beach Symphony's 2026 Lisa Bruna B-Major Award. Violinist Michael Li was awarded first place, pianist Josefina Ezcurra placed second and violinist Elias Cohen placed third.