I reviewed two big musicals back to back. Well, they are differently big. First was "Chess" on Broadway. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/16/t...

When I started work on my latest book, I joked that in the afterword I would write, "This book was written without the use of AI." Now I'm thinking I really should do it. Not that people will necessarily believe writers when we authenticate work as our own, but it's at least worth a try.

In the middle of a theatergoing marathon, my escape break is the new Ian McEwan novel, “What We Can Know.” High recommend.

One of the many, many ways the World Cup games in the US could be a s—t show. Pay up! (To be clear, the solution isn’t free parking but better public transportation.) www.nytimes.com/athletic/679...

A lot of the short to medium haul flight routes would be better served by train routes anyway but alas unlike Europe, Japan or China, the US killed most of whatever rail network it once had.

My guide to "Predator: Badlands" and what preceded it. I feel Dan Trachtenberg is doing what Russell T Davies did with "Doctor Who" or Jon "The Mandalorian" Favreau did with the "Star Wars" universe. It's good when someone who gets a franchise gets behind the wheel. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/08/m...

“Purple Rain” is in Minneapolis so I went to Minneapolis: www.nytimes.com/2025/11/08/t...

It just dawned on me that the pulpy Netfix thriller "The Woman in Cabin 10" was directed by Simon Stone — the theater director behind "Yerma," "Ibsen House," "Hotel Strindberg" and the current "The Lady From the Sea"!

Today Jordan Litz ran the NYC marathon then he played Fiyero at the matinee and evening performances of "Wicked" on Broadway. I'm a little embarrassed to admit that my first reaction was "Wicked has two shows on Sunday???"

Perfect for Halloween, and the rest of the year: “Bat Boy: The Musical” returns to NYC. Make it a double bill with “Heathers.” www.nytimes.com/2025/10/30/t...

It’s 7:04 at a 7pm curtain and the woman in the middle of my row decided it’s the perfect time to go to the bathroom, which is on another floor. This will not end well.

"Liberation": I'm on board! www.nytimes.com/2025/10/28/t...

"I DON'T NEED YOU TO FUCKING REWRITE WHAT I'VE JUST WRITTEN!"

Absolute pumpkin donut perfection at 7th Ave Donuts & Diner in Park Slope. No notes.

I’ve been listening to a lot of Rage Against the Machine recently (it’s aged really well) to prepare for my chat with Tom Morello, who has a musical in Chicago: www.nytimes.com/2025/10/24/t...

Re-posting because I wanted to mention a cool tidbit that ended up being cut for space: Felix Barrett is staging an immersive adaptation of the Netflix series "Arcane" in China, focusing on Jinx and Vi. (Note to self: how much does it cost to fly there in December?) www.nytimes.com/2025/10/21/t...

David Cale’s new show made my heart burst www.nytimes.com/2025/10/22/t...

"Paranormal Activity" has come to the stage, and there is no found footage! I traveled to Chicago to see how Felix Barrett and Levi Holloway pulled it off. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/21/t...

The Diplomat is very much my thing. You watch an episode and you really want to know what is going to happen in the next one; therefore, you keep watching. This is an interesting approach and I believe more television shows should try it.

Switch the tidy suburbia for rural area and I feel so seen 😬

Settle down for your weekend read: a tale of…is lakefaring a word? It should be. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/10/a...

A superb profile of Tim Curry by @collinshughes.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2025/10/13/b...

I’m up for “Little Shop of Horrors” in Paris and in French (as “La Petite boutique des horreurs,” naturally). youtu.be/1YFXhHSABbQ?...

"Weer" extends until Dec. 21: see it! www.nytimes.com/2025/09/29/t...

Jesse Green and I were on the Sunday edition of The Daily to talk about various ways to access theater — that are not in a theater. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/12/p...

My first draft of my review of "Kiss of the Spider Woman" had a comparatively large section about Cyd Charisse, then I realized I only had 500 words and cut it. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/09/m...

I talked to Jen Tullock of "Severance" and "Perry Mason" about her new play, which is largely inspired by her growing up in an evangelical family: www.nytimes.com/2025/10/09/t...

Shout-out to to WRSU, where I spent many happy hours behind the mic.

"Cabaret" is a hit in London and a failure in NYC: did American audiences just not grasp the radical, transgressive power of a Sally Bowles in Doc Martens — a flourish we hicks had never seen before in a period piece, except in hundreds of shows? observer.co.uk/culture/thea...

Would need to see the wine list, which apparently has a wide selection from the island, but disappointed that the food at new restaurant Ofcorsica is basically Italian: ofcorsicanyc.com/pages/menu

Busy director Whitney White dropped by to talk shop on the podcast. Catch "Saturday Church" at NY Theater Workshop now, then head to Broadway for "Liberation" in a couple of weeks. marksvincentelli.substack.com/p/whitney-wh...

I wrote about Natalie Palamides, whose show "Weer" is at the Cherry Lane Theater: www.nytimes.com/2025/09/29/t...

Jinkx Monsoon dropped by the podcast to talk about "Oh, Mary!" and we ended up with a masterclass about comedy acting. Yesss! marksvincentelli.substack.com/p/jinkx-mons...

"Visitors average eight hours in a theme park but only 10 to 15 minutes on rides." Same idea as an NFL game then, or standing in line for hours for a slice of pizza you saw on TikTok. America is about waiting for something you've been conditioned to pre-enjoy. www.msn.com/en-us/travel...

Brigitte Fontaine's classic 1968 album "Brigitte Fontaine est folle" is getting the deluxe reissue treatment and this instrumental is absolutely sublime: wewantsounds.bandcamp.com/track/une-fo...

When theater and the WNBA collide: Nikki L. James sang the anthem at the Liberty playoff game at Barclays tonight. Love this Venn diagram!

Yasmina Reza's "Art" (technically "'Art'") is aging better than I expected. As for the current Broadway production…read on. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/16/t...

“Britpop’s best foundational band. From day one – in the post-perestroika summer of Italia 90 – their approach to music, lyrics, and films has always crossed borders, been open-minded, and kept time-travelling.” Thank you Jude Rogers. thequietus.com/interviews/s...

Jeff Hiller just won an Emmy for "Somebody Somewhere"! Of course he talked about the show — and a lot more — when was was a guest on our podcast marksvincentelli.substack.com/p/jeff-hille...

Looking at @skiutah-cambot.bsky.social and wondering “how much longer?”

House is in the house! My piece on “Saturday Church,” part of the NY Times’ Fall Preview: www.nytimes.com/2025/09/10/t...

My roundup of Off and Off Off Broadway shows to see in September — though I'll venture that something in an apartment for five people at a time is Off Off Off and possibly into Newton Creek. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/08/t...

The queen of the primal scream will always be Kat Bjelland of Babes in Toyland. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/06/a...

"Arcane" just won Outstanding Animated Program at the 2025 Creative Arts Emmys. You know who wrote a book about that show? Moi! #arcane parents.simonandschuster.com/9798886633351

Rainy day in New York. Time for some Dolores Gray from the perenially underrated "Designing Woman." Dear god, when the bongos come in… youtu.be/cdFJcmWqns4

NYC has three different public-library systems. I have cards for all of them and I use them all: Brooklyn because I live near the central branch, Queens because it offers streaming on Hoopla and Kanopy, and New York for the performing-arts branch.

Kumail Nanjiani about his professional theater debut, which happens to be in "Oh, Mary!" on Broadway: www.youtube.com/watch?v=QoAa...

Am I in a time warp? Am I back listening to "Foxbase Alpha" for the first time? The new Saint Etienne single fills me with joy. @rockingbob.bsky.social youtu.be/_HzZhhXzN48

Apparently the Swedish "cultural canon" stops in 1975 so no Abba (among other head-scratching exclusions): www.theguardian.com/world/2025/s...

Well that made my day: Nicola Roberts, of my favorite girl group ever, Girls Aloud, joins the cast of "Hadestown" in the West End. Now, how much are flights to London this fall…