8 / 10
The story’s timeline is not always intelligible—or, for that matter, possible—and Afsoon Pajoufar’s attractively curved Roll-a-Rama set, which employs mirrors very cleverly at one exit, doesn’t do much to define the play’s various physical spaces. But clarity is not exactly the goal. Reddick is not aiming for realism; a bomb in the climatic sequence is just bundled red sticks of dynamite, Looney Tunes style.
7 / 10
Even as individual moments of Cold War Choir Practice continued to charm me, I kept wondering what exactly was preventing me from getting swept up all the way. Part of my stuckness, I think, sprung from Afsoon Pajoufar’s set, which situates the whole play inside the architecture of the roller rink.
Cold War Choir Practice, a play with music by 2026 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize winner Ro Reddick and directed by Tony Award nominee Knud Adams, will have a one-week extension at MCC Theater.
MCC Theater, Clubbed Thumb, and Page 73 are now presenting Cold War Choir Practice, a play with music by Ro Reddick and directed by Tony Award nominee Knud Adams. Check out photos from opening night here!
Cold War Choir Practice, a play with music by Ro Reddick and directed by Tony Award nominee Knud Adams, officially opened on Tuesday, March 10. Read the reviews here!
Grace McLean will be joining the cast of MCC Theater's Cold War Choir Practice as a member of the Choir, reprising her role from the 2025 Summerworks production.
MCC Theater, Clubbed Thumb, and Page 73 have revealed the cast and creative team for Cold War Choir Practice, a play with music by Ro Reddick and directed by Tony Award nominee Knud Adams.
MCC Theater has revealed two new plays for their 2025-26 Season. In February 2026, MCC Theater will present Cold War Choir Practice. Learn more about the season here!
| Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Featured Performance in a Play | Lizan Mitchell |
| 2026 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Music in a Play | Ro Reddick |
| 2026 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Play | Cold War Choir Practice |
| 2026 | Drama League Awards | OUTSTANDING DIRECTION OF A PLAY | Knud Adams |
| 2026 | Drama League Awards | OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION OF A PLAY | Cold War Choir Practice |
| 2026 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | John Gassner Award (for a new American play preferably by a new playwright) | Ro Reddick |
| 2026 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Lead Performer in an Off-Broadway Play | Alana Raquel Bowers |
| 2026 | The Lortels | Outstanding Director | Knud Adams |
| 2026 | The Lortels | Outstanding Featured Performer in a Play | Crystal Finn |
| 2026 | The Lortels | Outstanding Featured Performer in a Play | Lizan Mitchell |
| 2026 | The Lortels | Outstanding Scenic Design | Afsoon Pajoufar |
