Theater Update: A cold, perfect ‘Death of a Salesman’ for our time
Daniel Radcliffe wants you; ‘Giant’ and Roald Dahl, fact and fiction
Theater Update
April 15, 2026

Dear Theater Fans,

The Olivier Awards, Britain’s equivalent to the Tony Awards, were given out on Sunday and, to no one’s surprise, “Paddington: The Musical” was the big winner. And perhaps to everyone’s surprise (including our critics in London), Jack Holden, a star and co-writer of the small solo show “Kenrex,” beat out the likes of Tom Hiddleston and Bryan Cranston to win the best actor award.

It just so happens that “Kenrex,” a true-crime thriller (more on this one soon), will begin performances tomorrow night at the Lucille Lortel Theater in Manhattan. How’s that for timing?

But that is not the only London transfer about real-life criminal justice playing in New York. “The Fear of 13,” starring Adrien Brody and Tessa Thompson, is based on a documentary about Nick Yarris, a former inmate who was exonerated after more than two decades on death row. The play, which ran in 2024 in London, opens tonight on Broadway. (Be on the lookout for Helen Shaw’s review at nytimes.com/theater.) Interested in seeing Brody and Thompson in action? Check out this video. Or, if you’re curious about the true story, the documentary is on YouTube.

While I’m on the subject of theater plucked from the real world, here’s another one: “Rheology,” Shayok Misha Chowdhury’s follow-up to “Public Obscenities,” which has transferred to Playwrights Horizons from the Bushwick Starr. According to Juan Ramírez, wrote about the show last year, “Rheology” is a sort of performance memoir that Chowdhury created with his mother, the physicist Bulbul Chakraborty. “How this all unfolds is its own delight,” Juan wrote. And then there’s “Dear Everything: A Musical Uprising for the Earth,” in which Jane Fonda will narrate a song cycle exploring how young people are navigating the climate crisis. The one-night-only performance, created by V, Diane Paulus and others, will be performed next Wednesday at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. (Laura Collins-Hughes reviewed an earlier version of the work.)

There’s more: Helen Shaw calls the latest Broadway revival of “Death of a Salesman,” with Nathan Lane and Laurie Metcalf, a “triumph,” and Elisabeth Vincentelli found the Broadway transfer of the “Titanic” spoof, “Titaníque,” to be a bit uneven, perhaps, she wrote, “illustrating the fact that sometimes too much is not enough.”

Also, Alexis Soloski explained how Daniel Radcliffe and his two associates help enlist audience members to participate in his interactive show, “Every Brilliant Thing.” And Sarah Bahr did a deep dive into the archives to separate fact from fiction in the new play “Giant,” which explores Roald Dahl’s antisemitism.

In other news, Michael Paulson reported that Billy Crystal is returning to Broadway next fall in a solo show, “860,” which he wrote after the Los Angeles fires destroyed his home last year. Pink will host this year’s Tony Awards (on June 7), and the legal drama “Inter Alia,” featuring an Olivier-winning performance by Rosamund Pike, will also be coming to Broadway next fall.

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

Like this email?

Forward it to your friends, and let them know they can sign up here.

NEWS AND FEATURES

A man in a black suit jacket and bow tie extends his hands as he talks into a microphone.

Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Billy Crystal Lost His House in the L.A. Fires. He’s Made a Show About It.

The actor-comedian said he will return to Broadway this fall with a new solo show called “860,” named for the address of his destroyed family home.

By Michael Paulson

A black-and-white portrait of a balding man who is wearing a light-colored sweater and looking directly at the camera.

Ronald Dumont/Daily Express, via Hulton Archive, via Getty Images

‘Giant’ and Roald Dahl’s Antisemitism: What’s Fact and Fiction?

Mark Rosenblatt’s Broadway play, starring John Lithgow as the British children’s book author, draws from Dahl’s comments over the years.

By Sarah Bahr

Pink, wearing a pinstriped dress, holds a trophy while standing behind a microphone.

Chris Pizzello/Invision, via Associated Press

A Tony Awards Surprise: This Year’s Host Will Be Pink

Songs by the pop singer-songwriter are part of the Broadway shows “& Juliet” and “Moulin Rouge! The Musical.”

By Michael Paulson

A woman in a white T-shirt and blue slacks stands with her left arm raised high and her hand balled into a fist as she speaks into a pink microphone. Pink yarn is wrapped around her shoulders and hangs down her back.

Manuel Harlan

Rosamund Pike to Bring Her London Hit ‘Inter Alia’ to Broadway

The actress, a star of “Gone Girl” and “Saltburn,” will play a judge whose personal experience as the mother of a son tests her courtroom approach to justice.

By Michael Paulson

Mfundi Vundla sits, holding a water bottle, with a faint smile. He is surrounded by rows of empty black chairs in a dim theater.

Joao Silva/The New York Times

the global profile

He Changed How Blackness Was Viewed in South Africa. Now He Gets Personal.

Mfundi Vundla spent 21 years in exile and created the popular television show “Generations.” His latest project is a play that explores the imperfections of the fight against apartheid.

By Zimasa Matiwane

Article Image

Vincent Tullo for The New York Times

From a Wedding to a School in 90 Seconds: Backstage Magic at the Met

The set of Kaija Saariaho’s opera “Innocence” transforms with astonishing speed. It takes a big, nimble team to make that possible.

By Darryn King and Vincent Tullo

THEATER REVIEWS

Laurie Metcalf, in a floral dress, sits onstage at a table, next to Nathan Lane, who is standing. A vintage Chevy is behind them.

Sara Krulwich/The New York Times

Critic’s Pick

Review: A Cold, Perfect ‘Death of a Salesman’ for Our Time

Arthur Miller’s classic tragedy returns to Broadway, starring Nathan Lane and Laurie Metcalf. Yet again, it is a triumph.

By Helen Shaw