Dear Theatergoers, Several important shows are closing next month, so scamper over to “Cats: The Jellicle Ball” (closing Aug. 8), “Every Brilliant Thing” (closing Aug. 9), “Ragtime” (closing Aug. 16), and “Moulin Rouge!” (closing Aug. 30). Aaron Tveit will be rejoining “Moulin Rouge!” from Aug. 18-29, if that’s the sort of news that will galvanize you into action. “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone” closed this past weekend, but you can still read Maya Phillips’s beautiful investigation into the Romare Bearden artwork that inspired August Wilson to write the play. She takes us through the Bearden collage “Mill Hand’s Lunch Bucket” detail by exquisite detail. In a quiet week of openings, Laura Collins-Hughes talked to the married stars Debra Winger and Arliss Howard about acting in a surprisingly intimate staging of “The Gin Game,” while Michael Paulson got us amped for next spring’s Broadway production of “Purple Rain,” the overhauled jukebox musical based on music by Prince. And Alexis Soloski talked to the many young hopefuls at the open call auditions for a revival of the rock musical “Spring Awakening,” which will be directed by the “teen whisperer” Danya Taymor. Jason Zinoman reports back from “Cat Cohen: Broad Strokes” at the Lortel, where the noted comedian transitions from her early cabaret stylings into what Jason calls a “flashier theater of the macabre.” I saw “The Saviors,” which has an astonishing set of performances by two young actors, and “A Chorus Line,” which I enjoyed very much in Pittsfield, Mass. My favorite theater writing in the paper this week was actually Elizabeth Williamson’s account of a near empty theater: The Kennedy Center in Washington. She takes a tour of its quasi-abandoned halls with Sandy Weiswasser, one of the few remaining volunteer docents, who keeps showing up to work even as the Center slides into decline. The article reads like a play … or the first pages of a crime novel. And speaking of eerie underworlds, the filmed live capture of the musical “Hadestown” will now extend its run after performing above expectations; it has so far grossed more than the live capture of “Hamilton” — not that it’s a competition. Chris Azzopardi reviewed it and raved, calling the pro-shot “its own kind of triumph.” The “Hadestown” producers said it would stay in movie theaters “indefinitely,” but just to be safe, I’d get tickets soon. You know, don’t look back … 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. Have a wonderful week, Helen Shaw Theater Critic
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