Theater Update: ‘Dog Day Afternoon’ drama offstage
‘Antigone’; ‘Giant.’ ‘The Wild Party.’
Theater Update
March 25, 2026

Dear Theater Fans,

This morning, Michael Paulson broke the news that following a heated argument with Broadway producers on Friday, the Pulitzer-winner Stephen Adly Guirgis, who has written a stage adaptation of “Dog Day Afternoon,” was temporarily prohibited from entering the August Wilson Theater, where the play is now in previews. In a statement, the producers and Guirgis chalked it up to the “passionate” process of producing a new play and said they were “committed to maintaining a respectful environment for everyone involved and remain very proud of what’s onstage.”

Also on Broadway, at the Music Box Theater, another heated debate is taking place — on the stage. This one has a towering figure: John Lithgow as the children’s book author Roald Dahl in a “psychologically deft, if dramatically blunt, play” that imagines “the moment of discovery” of Dahl’s antisemitism, Helen Shaw wrote in her smart review. As Dahl, Lithgow is excellent: cantankerous but lovable one moment and, then by the end, a “fascinating study in monstrosity.”

Talking about towering figures: Sophocles’ Antigone is the 2,500-year-old ancient Greek heroine whose story never gets old. “She might be our most adapted mythic figure,” Helen argues, pointing to at least four different stage adaptations in New York this spring. It’s a gem of a piece, exploring why “we return obsessively to ‘Antigone’” and offering some of the clues that Helen and others “have used to try to unravel her.” (The reader comments offer even more insights.) Bonus: Take a tour with Helen by watching this video in which she seeks out Antigone across Manhattan.

Please reach out to me at theaterfeedback@nytimes.com with suggestions for articles or to offer your thoughts about our coverage. And urge your friends to subscribe to this newsletter.

Have a wonderful week,
Nicole Herrington
Theater Editor

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NEWS

A production image of two men, both in 1970s clothing, stand onstage. One man has a gun tucked into his pants, and another man is talking on the telephone.

Sara Krulwich/The New York Times

‘Dog Day’ Drama: Broadway Playwright Briefly Kept Out of Rehearsals

A week before opening night, tensions spilled over offstage, with the show’s producing team temporarily prohibiting Stephen Adly Guirgis from entering the theater.

By Michael Paulson

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Brooklyn Academy of Music

After Period of Instability, BAM Names New President

Tamara McCaw, a longtime arts leader with experience at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, will lead it with a focus on stability.

By Adam Nagourney

THEATER REVIEWS

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Sara Krulwich/The New York Times

Critic’s Pick

‘Giant’ Review: As Roald Dahl, John Lithgow Is a Study in Monstrosity

In Mark Rosenblatt’s play, a powerful portrayal of the beloved children’s book author who almost gleefully exposes his bigotry.

By Helen Shaw

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Marc J. Franklin

Critic’s Notebook

‘Tru’ and ‘The Fever’: The Contagion of the Rich

Two monologue revivals — Jesse Tyler Ferguson as Truman Capote and Wallace Shawn’s solo — reveal how wealth warps our perceptions. Only one pays dividends.

By Helen Shaw

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Hiroko Masuike/The New York Times

Critic’s Pick

Review: ‘The Wild Party’ Has a Ball at City Center

Encores! revisits a Jazz Age tale of debauchery, with showstoppers from Jasmine Amy Rogers, Adrienne Warren, Jordan Donica, Tonya Pinkins and others.

By Helen Shaw

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Evan Zimmerman

‘Monte Cristo’ Review: A Tale of Betrayal, on Two Counts

An adaptation has a twist that doesn’t track, and songs that benefit from an excellent cast, including Norm Lewis, Sierra Boggess and Adam Jacobs.

By Elisabeth Vincentelli

THEATER GUIDES

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Sara Krulwich/The New York Times

9 Shows Our Theater Critics Are Talking About

Daniel Radcliffe in “Every Brilliant Thing,” “The Wild Party” and two Cold War-era comedy-thrillers: These are productions worth knowing about.

By Charlotte Dulany

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Sara Krulwich/The New York Times

Broadway Shows to See This Spring: ‘Every Brilliant Thing’ and More

A guide to every show on Broadway, including Tony-winning musicals, new dramas, quirky hits and veterans like “Hamilton.”

By Laura Collins-Hughes

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Sony Pictures Classics

Jonathan Groff in ‘Merrily We Roll Along,’ and More Theater to Stream

Joined by Daniel Radcliffe, Groff stars in the hit Broadway production of the Sondheim musical. And there are (count ’em) three productions of “The Importance of Being Earnest” this month.

By Elisabeth Vincentelli

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Emilio Madrid

24 Off Broadway Shows to Catch in March