Helen Shaw
Helen Shaw joined The New Yorker as a staff writer in 2022. Previously, she was the theatre critic at New York magazine and also its culture vertical, Vulture. She has also written about theatre and performance for 4Columns and Time Out New York and contributed to the New York Sun, American Theatre magazine, the Times Book Review, the Village Voice, Art in America, and Artforum. She was co-awarded the 2017-18 George Jean Nathan Award for Dramatic Criticism.
Did This Writer Actually Know Tennessee Williams?
James Grissom says that he met the playwright and his famous muses, and quoted them extensively in his work. Not everyone believes him.
Summer Theatre Preview
David Byrne and Fatboy Slim’s “Here Lies Love” on Broadway, Ato Blankson-Wood’s “Hamlet” in the Park, Robert Icke’s “The Doctor,” and more.
“The Phantom of the Opera” Takes a Final Bow
Vinson Cunningham, Helen Shaw, and Michael Schulman revisit Andrew Lloyd Webber’s mega-musical.
A More Congenial Spot
In a new production of “Camelot,” reimagined by Aaron Sorkin and directed by Bartlett Sher, Arthur is more perfect than ever. But this iteration of the hero’s kingdom isn’t worthy of him.
Soap Operas as Guiding Light
Experimental theatre and soap tropes commune in Julia Izumi’s “Regretfully, So the Birds Are” and Michael R. Jackson’s “White Girl in Danger.”
A Sonically Thrilling Revival of “Sweeney Todd” on Broadway
Sondheim’s music and lyrics gleam as bright as ever, even when the production loses its edge.
History Repeats Itself in the Broadway Revival of “Parade”
Ben Platt stars as the doomed Leo Frank in Alfred Uhry and Jason Robert Brown’s all too relevant musical tragedy.
Jessica Chastain’s Close Listening in “A Doll’s House”
Jamie Lloyd’s ascetic production of Ibsen’s 1879 drama eliminates nearly every conventional marker of character, location, or gesture.
A Minor Play by Lorraine Hansberry Gets Lost in a Major Revival
Oscar Isaac and Rachel Brosnahan star in “The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window.”
“Pictures from Home” Loses Focus on Broadway
Nathan Lane and Danny Burstein rely on shtick in Sharr White’s adaptation of Larry Sultan’s book, while Norbert Leo Butz can’t save the musical “Cornelia Street.”
Mikéah Ernest Jennings, Prince of a Lost World
The actor, a fixture of New York’s experimental-theatre scene, did not “become” his characters; he stood, somehow, next to them, amused and delighted.
The One-Person Show, Served Three Ways
In “Small Talk,” “Without You,” and “cryptochrome,” Colin Quinn, Anthony Rapp, and Evan Silver take the mike.
New York’s Theatre Festivals Imagine a World After Mankind
Recent shows’ visions of the future haven’t exactly been post-apocalyptic, with the violence and darkness that term implies. Instead, they have delighted in our disappearance, savored it.
Three London Productions Stretch the Boundaries of Reality
Getting lost with “Orlando,” “My Neighbour Totoro,” and “The Burnt City.”
A Witching Hour with Sarah Ruhl
The playwright and author discusses preshow rituals, throbbing anger, tenderness, and her new play, “Becky Nurse of Salem.”
“Merrily We Roll Along” and “Some Like It Hot” Bring Blockbuster Energy to the Stage
Brilliant casting and a palpable sense of joy make old stories feel new.
The Most Memorable Theatre of 2022
The shows we couldn’t stop thinking about had a way with words.
“Evanston Salt Costs Climbing,” a Pitch-Dark Comedy About Municipal Workers on the Brink
Will Arbery tackles the climate crisis with a funny nightmare about human and environmental fragility.
The Destabilizing, Electrifying Perfection of “Catch as Catch Can”
Mia Chung’s drama, by turns comedic, bitter, and ineffable, shows how racism soaks through an American family.
Did This Writer Actually Know Tennessee Williams?
James Grissom says that he met the playwright and his famous muses, and quoted them extensively in his work. Not everyone believes him.
Summer Theatre Preview
David Byrne and Fatboy Slim’s “Here Lies Love” on Broadway, Ato Blankson-Wood’s “Hamlet” in the Park, Robert Icke’s “The Doctor,” and more.
“The Phantom of the Opera” Takes a Final Bow
Vinson Cunningham, Helen Shaw, and Michael Schulman revisit Andrew Lloyd Webber’s mega-musical.
A More Congenial Spot
In a new production of “Camelot,” reimagined by Aaron Sorkin and directed by Bartlett Sher, Arthur is more perfect than ever. But this iteration of the hero’s kingdom isn’t worthy of him.
Soap Operas as Guiding Light
Experimental theatre and soap tropes commune in Julia Izumi’s “Regretfully, So the Birds Are” and Michael R. Jackson’s “White Girl in Danger.”
A Sonically Thrilling Revival of “Sweeney Todd” on Broadway
Sondheim’s music and lyrics gleam as bright as ever, even when the production loses its edge.
History Repeats Itself in the Broadway Revival of “Parade”
Ben Platt stars as the doomed Leo Frank in Alfred Uhry and Jason Robert Brown’s all too relevant musical tragedy.
Jessica Chastain’s Close Listening in “A Doll’s House”
Jamie Lloyd’s ascetic production of Ibsen’s 1879 drama eliminates nearly every conventional marker of character, location, or gesture.
A Minor Play by Lorraine Hansberry Gets Lost in a Major Revival
Oscar Isaac and Rachel Brosnahan star in “The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window.”
“Pictures from Home” Loses Focus on Broadway
Nathan Lane and Danny Burstein rely on shtick in Sharr White’s adaptation of Larry Sultan’s book, while Norbert Leo Butz can’t save the musical “Cornelia Street.”
Mikéah Ernest Jennings, Prince of a Lost World
The actor, a fixture of New York’s experimental-theatre scene, did not “become” his characters; he stood, somehow, next to them, amused and delighted.
The One-Person Show, Served Three Ways
In “Small Talk,” “Without You,” and “cryptochrome,” Colin Quinn, Anthony Rapp, and Evan Silver take the mike.
New York’s Theatre Festivals Imagine a World After Mankind
Recent shows’ visions of the future haven’t exactly been post-apocalyptic, with the violence and darkness that term implies. Instead, they have delighted in our disappearance, savored it.
Three London Productions Stretch the Boundaries of Reality
Getting lost with “Orlando,” “My Neighbour Totoro,” and “The Burnt City.”
A Witching Hour with Sarah Ruhl
The playwright and author discusses preshow rituals, throbbing anger, tenderness, and her new play, “Becky Nurse of Salem.”
“Merrily We Roll Along” and “Some Like It Hot” Bring Blockbuster Energy to the Stage
Brilliant casting and a palpable sense of joy make old stories feel new.
The Most Memorable Theatre of 2022
The shows we couldn’t stop thinking about had a way with words.
“Evanston Salt Costs Climbing,” a Pitch-Dark Comedy About Municipal Workers on the Brink
Will Arbery tackles the climate crisis with a funny nightmare about human and environmental fragility.
The Destabilizing, Electrifying Perfection of “Catch as Catch Can”
Mia Chung’s drama, by turns comedic, bitter, and ineffable, shows how racism soaks through an American family.