Theatre entertainment in New York City
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Dixon Place
An intimate showcase for experimental theater that began as a reading space in 1985, Dixon Place recently moved from its longtime home – a cramped, apartment-like space with mismatched chairs and couches – to a sleek, brand-new space. It’s fronted by a lovely bar and lounge area for post-show discussions that has performers and audience members breathing a sigh of relief. Luckily, the move hasn’t at all altered the constant flow of exciting shows – brand-new dramas, comedy and readings, often with a queer bent. Its summer HOT! series is a great time to catch the newest works.
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New York Theater Workshop
Recently celebrating its 25th year, this innovative production house is a treasure to those seeking cutting-edge, contemporary plays with purpose. It was the originator of two big Broadway hits, Rent and Urinetown, and offers a constant supply of high-quality drama, including recent works from Rebecca Gilman (The Heart is a Lonely Hunter), Geoffrey Cowan and Leroy Aarons (Top Secret) – and even Samuel Beckett, whose quartet of one-act plays was adapted here by director JoAnne Akalaitis and composer Phillip Glass in Beckett Shorts, starring Mikhail Baryshnikov.
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C
Playwrights Horizons
Sitting on a quiet and windswept stretch of 42nd St is this excellent place to catch a new show that could very possibly be a rising hit. It’s nearly 40 years old and known as a ‘writers’ theater, ’ and is dedicated to fostering contemporary American works. Notable past productions include Saved, a musical by Michael Friedman based on the quirky film, as well as I Am My Own Wife and Grey Gardens, both of which moved on to Broadway.
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D
Delacorte Theater
Every summer the Joseph Papp Public Theater presents its famous and fabulous free productions of Shakespeare in the Park at Delacorte Theater, which Papp began back in 1954, before the lovely, leafy, open-air theater was even built. Thrilling productions mounted there recently, with celebrities in leading roles, include The Merchant of Venice, The Winter’s Tale and Romeo and Juliet.
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E
West Side Story
This beloved revival caused serious buzz when it came back to Broadway for the first time since its last revival in 1980. It’s the classic New York City tale of forbidden love between Maria – sister of the leader of the Sharks gang – and Tony, a member of rival gang the Jets. The show is set to the beautiful Leonard Bernstein score and punctuated by the preserved choreography of Jerome Robbins.
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Wicked
A whimsical, mythological and extravagantly produced prequel to The Wizard of Oz, this pop-rock musical – a stage version of Gregory Maguire’s 1995 novel – gives the story’s witches a turn to tell the tale. Its followers are an insanely cultish crew, attending frequent performances and launching all sorts of fan clubs, fansites and obsessive blogs to keep themselves occupied.
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Performance Space 122
This former schoolhouse has been committed to fostering new artists and their far-out ideas since its inception in 1979. Its two stages have hosted such now-known performers as Meredith Monk, Eric Bogosian and the late Spalding Gray, and it’s also home to dance shows, film screenings and various festivals for up-and-coming talents.
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Chicago
This beloved Bob Fosse/Kander & Ebb classic – a musical about showgirl Velma Kelly, wanna-be Roxie Hart, lawyer Billy Flynn and the fabulously sordid goings-on of the Chicago underworld – has made a great comeback; this version, revived by director Walter Bobbie, is seriously alive and kicking.
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Hair: the American Tribal Love-Rock Musical
After a successful al fresco stint as part of Shakespeare in the Park, this revival of the rock-driven 1968 musical – with its antiwar, anti-conformist message – is still shockingly relevant, as well as great fun, thanks to the exuberant music, dancing and hippie vibe.
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H
Lion King
Known by many New Yorkers as the beast that took away Times Sq’s bite, this Disney musical is a widely-hailed magical story of kings that kids of all ages love. The marvelous direction and design is by Julie Taymor, with an African-beat score by Tim Rice and Elton John.
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Billy Elliot
This kid-filled musical – based on the 2000 film and imported from the London stage – concerns a small-town boy who dreams of being a great ballet dancer. It’s filled with working-class drama, superior dancing and serious passion.
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In the Heights
Winner of the 2008 Tony for Best Musical, this Latin-beat musical tells the story of a hopeful, close-knit Latino community in NYC’s Washington Heights, and is written by a young native of the ’hood, Lin-Manuel Miranda.
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Manhattan Children’s Theater
Geared to kids of all ages, this is a great place to foster your little ones’ love of theater. Recent productions include Click, Clack, Moo; The Snow Queen and The Velveteen Rabbit.
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