★★★★☆ The British performer mixes poetry, music, comedy, and piles and piles of orange balloons in his Olivier Award–nominated play
Bernardo
Crumbs From the Table of Joy: A Wonderful but Overlooked Memory Play Lovingly Revived
★★★★☆ Lynn Nottage’s 1950s-set richly crafted coming-of-age play gets its first New York restaging thanks to the Keen Company
Letters From Max, a ritual: A Playwright and Poet Open Their Hearts
★★★★☆ Sarah Ruhl’s newest work proves a deeply moving meditation on life and the afterlife
The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window: An Opaque Revival of an Obscure American Play
★★★☆☆ Lorraine Hansberry’s unheralded, untidy ode to 1960s NYC gets a high-wattage off-Broadway production
Fall River Fishing: Black Comedy With a Side of Bolognese
★★★☆☆ Lizzie Borden, Sharon Tate, and Ibsen (sort of) collide in Bedlam’s period-slash-contemporary piece
The Wanderers: 2 Generations, 2 Couples, 1 Engaging Drama
★★★★☆ Anna Ziegler’s new play tackles identity, religion, career, and marriage
Twelfth Night: A Terrific Trimmed-Down Take on Shakespeare’s Comedy
★★★★★ Classical Theatre of Harlem’s acclaimed summer staging returns for a short winter stint
Endgame: A Fine-Tuned Production of Beckett’s Favorite Play
★★★★☆ Bill Irwin and John Douglas Thompson headline Irish Rep’s revival of the 1957 tragicomedy
Small Talk: Colin Quinn On the Lost Art of Casual Conversation
★★★★☆ In his newest one-man show, the comedian reminds us of the importance of informal in-person interaction
The Appointment: Satire at Its Best on Perhaps the Worst Possible Topic
★★★★☆ A musical satire centered on the abortion debate? Only from the provocative, topical, and always edgy Lightning Rod Special.