By the far, the most important New York theater news this season is the instantly legendary talk-of-the-town runaway smash, Oh, Mary! (Lucille Lortel Theatre, through May 5), written by and starring Cole Escola. While its producers figure out what’s the next in the obviously long life lying ahead for this watershed, you have the golden opportunity to catch in its earliest and most intimate form, Off-Broadway at the West Village’s venerated Lucille Lortel, where such previous groundbreakers as Steel Magnolias, Falsettoland and The Threepenny Opera once packed ‘em in. Maybe you’re already familiar with Cole Escola from Search Party or At Home with Amy Sedaris, or Jeffery & Cole Casserole, or from online, but you’re not prepared to be riveted with laughter and awe as you will be at Oh, Mary! There’s a lot of whispering about the second coming of Charles Ludlam or Charles Busch, and the memory this star-is-born moment brings to mind for me is John Cameron Mitchell’s juggernaut with the original production of Hedwig and the Angry Inch, just a few blocks away. The whole cast is fabulous and Sam Pinkleton’s production is flawless. Beg, borrow, or steal a ticket.
Speaking of they/thems lighting up the Off-Broadway scene, expectations are sky high for RuPaul’s Drag Race double winner Jinkx Monsoon’s imminent turn as Audrey the long-running revival of Little Shop of Horrors (Westside Theatre/ Upstairs, open ended). Someone was bound to follow through on La Monsoon’s triumph on Broadway as Matron “Mama” Morton in Chicago and my hat is off to whoever came up with this casting coup.
An Off-Broadway show opening on Broadway this season, the votes-for-women musical, Suffs (Music Box Theatre, in previews, opens April 18) is sadly far more topical than it ought to be in 2024. Shaina Taub wrote the book, music, and lyrics, and stars as suffragist Alice Paul, making her a strong contender for the Lin-Manuel Miranda historical auteur/actor lane this season. Rounding out the talented cast are Jenn Colella, Nikki M. James, Anastacia McCleskey, Grace McLean, and the great Emily Skinner.
Is it time for another revival of Cabaret (August Wilson Theatre, in previews opens April 21) again? Mein gott, where did the last ten years go? This new production transfers from London, where it’s still running with a revolving cast of replacement stars. On Broadway, though, we’re getting the lead who made it a hit across the pond, Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne in the role that won him London’s Olivier Award, the Emcee. Joining him will be Gayle Rankin (Glow) as Sally Bowles, Ato Blankson-Wood (Slave Play) as Cliff, and Bebe Neuwirth as Fraulein Schneider.
Swanky, sexy, sassy, jazz, that’s what I think of when I think of The Great Gatsby (Broadway Theatre, in previews, opens April 25). Judging by the cast alone, a stone cold skulk of foxes led by Jeremy Jordan and Eva Noblezada, you can check sexy off the list. I’m not one of the intrepids who trekked out to New Jersey to the show’s pre-Broadway engagement at the Paper Mill Playhouse, but reviews and reports were positive. I’m cautiously optimistic, since it feels like a very tricky needle to thread getting the tone right for this material—not to mention musicals are hard AF! At the very least, the costumes should be a treat.
I moved to New York City in 1999, immediately seeing a handful of plays that set the bar so high, most of my theatergoing life has been a disappointment. Chief among those early highlights was Paula Vogel’s The Mineola Twins, starring Swoosie Kurtz and Mo Gaffney. It is an understatement to say I’m excited for Vogel’s newest show, this season’s Mother Play (Hayes Theater, previews April 2), in which she will once again chronicle a pre-Sexual Revolution East Coast matriarchal family in their home. This time, Jessica Lange is the mom, with Jim Parsons and Celia Keenan-Bolger as her teenage (!) children. I cannot wait!
The company of FIVE | Photo: Jeremy Daniel
Off-Broadway at Theatre 555, the new Donald Trump/Six The Musical parody, Five (Theatre 555, through April 21), is playing out its limited run to gales of laughter. If you’re in the camp that’s burnt out on talk of the orange man, you might still enjoy this show, which mostly eschews the former president himself as a topic, focusing instead on the five women in his life a la Six. If, like me, you’re eager for some catharsis after the angst-athon of the previous administration, then this may be your last chance before election day, when we either put the topic aside for a much needed reprieve or enter into a new normal where such satire will be cold comfort.
And if you’re craving something more up close and personal, check out some of the top offerings at New York City’s cabarets:
CAFÉ CARLYLE
- Dianna Agron April 2–6
- Candace Bushnell April 23–27
- John Lloyd Young May 14–18
JOE’S PUB
- Rizo April 11-April 13
- Penny Arcade April 27-May 2
- Justin Vivian Bond May 1-May 5
- Tammy Faye Starlight May 1-May 22
- Betty Buckley May 16-May 18
54 BELOW
- Storm Large April 4-6
- Marilyn Maye April 9-20
- Laura And Linda Benanti May 2-6
- Melissa Errico May 7-9
- Linda Eder May 16-27
THE GREEN ROOM 42
- Jon-Michael Reese & Natalie Walker April 4
- Niki Haris April 6
- Castrata & Kiki Ball-Change April 11
- Lady Bunny April 12-24
- Sis April 14
- John Hill April 15
- Felicia Finley April 21
- Titanique Unplugged April 22
- Josie De Guzman May 4-5
- Travis Moser May 6
- Sutton Lee Seymour May 9-18
- Reeve Carney May 13
- Sally Mayes May 16
- John Coons & Matt Aument May 22
- Andrew Bova May 31
Last modified: April 3, 2024
