Dear Theater Lovers, The midway point of the year gives us a chance to look back at what we’ve been amazed by so far — as July approached, my list making certainly got more intense, and the hard choices for my Top 10 started to come into play. I was particularly struck that the first part of 2026, which has been so full of revivals of great dramas, often contained elements that shifted the accepted ground under these classics. In “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone,” for instance, one performance altered my understanding of that play for good; the same goes for both “Othello” and “Death of a Salesman.” So for this midyear check-in, I decided to reflect on the most mind-altering moments of the year so far — I feel confident that these performances and stage images will be what I forever remember from this season. My article published on the New York Times’s site this morning, and several people immediately commented on the high price of tickets. Some of my favorite productions were Off and Off-Off Broadway, which means those tickets were more accessible — though, for the most part, those shows are also now closed. The summer is a time of quick (and sometimes abbreviated) theater possibility: Already many of the shows we wrote about in our “8 Must-See Off Broadway Shows” have finished their runs, though it’s worth noting that one of those productions, “Dad Don’t Read This,” just extended to July 18. We learned from Malia Mendez that Little Island has significantly pared back its artistic programming, which is a disappointment (and seemingly a change in direction). But there’s still a lot to see! Elisabeth Vincentelli has written about the Off and Off Off Broadway July offerings — she’s found a great deal of potentially exciting work, most of it at modest prices. As for the Broadway stuff that’s still running, I’ve been suggesting shows to friends — personalized recommendations are a critic’s love language — so I’ve been looking around for cheap seats myself. My first tip: Always check bwayrush.com, which lists options for things like digital rush, standing room, age-based discounts, etc. Last-minute tickets are also available on the Theatr app, where tickets can be resold at face value or less, rather than at a markup. (Here’s more advice for scoring cheap Broadway tickets.) Writing about one of the shows on my Top 10 list has made me want to see it again, and I can assure you, I will be paying the tiniest possible price I can find. Maybe I’ll see you there? Thank you for reading us each week! Tell us if you’ve seen something great. Please reach out to us 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. Yours, Helen Shaw Like this email?Forward it to your friends, and let them know they can sign up here.
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