Closer - 2022 - West End Articles Page 2

Lucky Daye released "Fly U Out," a new collaboration with Leon Thomas, offering a preview of his forthcoming album via Warner Records.

Soundstreams will present a free four-concert TD Encounters series in Toronto, featuring world premiere works by André Ristic and Heidi Strauss alongside performances from visiting and local musicians.

SFJAZZ will open its 2026-27 season with a September lineup marking centennials for Ray Brown, John Coltrane, and Miles Davis, featuring Christian McBride, Nduduzo Makhathini, and Paul Cornish.

The Linda Lindas released the single Blood On Our Hands and announced a North American tour beginning September 16, with stops in Brooklyn on October 8 and Los Angeles on November 7.

Directed by Spike Lee, David Byrne’s American Utopia is a filmed version of David Byrne’s Broadway stage show, which itself is inspired by the record of the same name. The show ran twice on Broadway, first from 2019 to 2020 and then from 2021 to 2022. As someone who saw American Utopia ten times on Broadway, I was curious as to what the film could bring to a show I already loved, and ended up being very impressed by the results.

Indonesia has a long history of theatrical forms that integrate musical elements to the performance. From traditional art forms such as Lenong and Ludruk, to the birth of Komedie Stamboel during the colonial era, up to the modern influence of American musical theater, thespians throughout the nation have always been exploring how music can add another layer to theatrical works. 

TikTok singer/songwriter and recording artist Oliver Richman will join the cast as Jonah in Out of the Box Theatrics' Off-Broadway premiere of Soon, a new musical by Nick Blaemire.

Family musicals are often treated as lighter companions to a theatre's flagship productions—pleasant diversions aimed primarily at younger audiences. Every now and then, however, a production comes along that proves a family show can match its larger counterparts in ambition, craftsmanship and sheer theatrical imagination. This summer, the Freilichtspiele Tecklenburg achieve exactly that with Snow White and Me, a visually sumptuous fairy-tale adventure that combines witty storytelling, infectious music and lavish stagecraft into one of the festival's biggest surprises.

Ukrainian cinema is having an unlikely run on the international festival circuit. Even with the industry hollowed out by full-scale war, Ukrainian directors and producers turned up in force at Cannes this May, and earlier in 2026 Kyiv committed roughly 124 million dollars to a new national cultural fund, the Thousand Spring program, part of it set aside for film, as The Globe and Mail reported. Underneath the numbers sits a stubbornly practical question: how does a small, battered national cinema get its work selected by the most competitive festivals on the planet, and then keep it there?

Inflation is rising and hitting New York City especially hard. In May 2026, inflation reached 4.2%, its highest level in over three years. While national inflation cooled slightly in June, NYC-area consumer prices stayed high, with local prices up 4.1% compared to the year before. So, if your pocketbook is feeling squeezed this summer, the numbers back up your economic instinct. But how does inflation affect Broadway? Across the board, everyone is grappling with the economic impacts, from artists and fans to the Broadway productions themselves.

BroadwayWorld is looking back at what the original Broadway cast of Jersey Boys has been up to since the show first opened on Broadway, ahead of its 20th anniversary tour!

New York Festival of Song announced its upcoming season, featuring four mainstage concerts at Merkin Hall co-presented by Kaufman Music Center, plus standalone programs including A GOYISHE CHRISTMAS TO YOU! and a Juilliard collaboration.

East West Players will launch its 61st season by centering female, queer, and marginalized voices, both onstage and off. The mainstage season opens with the Southern California premiere of the comedy Wives by Jaclyn Backhaus.

Overture Center for the Arts announced Fortune Feimster's 'Takin' Care of Biscuits' tour and Indigo Girls with special guest Linda Perry will perform in Madison's Overture Hall.

92NY's Harkness Dance Center announced its 2026/27 Harkness Mainstage Series, featuring Trisha Brown Dance Company, Doug Varone and Dancers, and an inaugural Dance on Film Festival.

Written by Fringe First winning playwright Jack MacGregor, directed by John Byrne Award recipient Fraser Scott, and produced by NTS Producing Fellow Leah Byrne; Prophets will premiere at Assembly Roxy.

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.