Theater Update: The ‘Ragtime’ Actor Bringing Audiences to Their Feet

May 13, 2026

Dear Theater Fans,

The playwright Aleshea Harris is making the leap to the big screen: Her fantastic 2018 play, “Is God Is,” arrives in movie theaters this Friday with the playwright in the director’s chair. “Step aside, Quentin Tarantino and Martin McDonagh,” Ben Brantley wrote in his prophetic 2018 review of the “gratifying, lurid new play.” He went on to describe Harris as a “snarly new master of high-octane carnage” who is “putting her own audacious stamp on that most venerable of pop genres, the old-as-time tale in which getting even comes accessorized with flames, screams and buckets of blood.”

Also coming to movie theaters, in November: The Tony-nominated play “Giant,” which stars John Lithgow. The play was filmed during its run in London, and will be screened in 18 countries.

For your more immediate enjoyment, read Brittani Samuel’s illuminating profile of the Tony-nominated “Ragtime” star Joshua Henry, and watch his acoustic versions of “Wheels of a Dream” and “Make Them Hear You.” That feature is part of a package of articles this week looking at some of this year’s Tony-nominated actors and productions. Our writers also shared some of the season’s scene stealing moments they couldn’t shake, and Brian Seibert took a deep dive into the dance references in “Schmigadoon!” and “Cats: The Jellicle Ball.”

Also: Watch Michael Paulson explain why so many celebrities are now co-producing Broadway productions, and listen to this excellent Daily episode on how “Every Brilliant Thing” has spread joy across the world. As for the written word, Jesse Green has a smart piece about the increasing number of plays — like “Giant” — that incorporate actual speech into their storytelling. He asked, “Why are playwrights now so eager to eavesdrop on reality, offering audiences facts and quasi facts in the form of dialogue?”

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

TONY NOMINEES

A man wearing a black leather top strums a guitar and sings with his eyes closed.

The ‘Ragtime’ Actor Bringing Broadway to Its Feet Every Night

Joshua Henry, a Tony nominee for his thrilling performance in the musical, credits the demanding role with helping him “feel like I have mastered the voice.”

By Brittani Samuel and Vincent Tullo

Sara Krulwich/The New York Times

That Wig, Those Splits: Broadway Scene Stealers, Tonys Edition

Here are some of the brilliant moments our writers can’t shake from this year’s batch of Tony-nominated productions.

By Helen Shaw, Jesse Green, Laura Collins-Hughes, Elisabeth Vincentelli and Sara Krulwich

20th Century Fox; Schmigadoon!

A Guide to the Dance Quotes and Callbacks on Broadway

Breaking down the choreographic allusions in “Schmigadoon!” and “Cats: The Jellicle Ball,” two gotta-dance, Tony-nominated shows.

By Brian Seibert

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NEWS AND FEATURES

Aya Cash and John Lithgow on stage, with Lithgow angrily advancing towards Cash.

Sara Krulwich/The New York Times

Notes on the Culture

On Broadway Stages, a New Kind of Fake News

A genre of plays has emerged in which the characters and events are real — even when the dialogue isn’t.

By Jesse Green

Two shadowy figures, of a man and a woman, are seen, one holding a bat, walking carefully through a home, in a scene from the stage.

Evan Jenkins for The New York Times

‘Paranormal Activity’ to Haunt Broadway This Summer

Inspired by the popular film series, the play has already run in Britain and in four U.S. cities. It arrives in New York in August after a Boston stop.

By Michael Paulson