AJ Chronicles: This week’s stories — When Spectacle replaces Authority by Douglas McLennan

My weekly essay reflecting on arts stories of the past week.

This Week on Broadway for February 8, 2026: Tim Weil by James Marino

James Marino and Michael Portantiere chat with Tim Weil about his new book “Making Rent: The Story Behind the Music that Changed Broadway”. Peter Filichia reviews Ivanov @ Royal Family T…

Your Travalanche Daily Digest for February 8, 2026 by Trav S.D.

Today’s new Travalanche posts for February 8, 2026 are about music producer (and Doris Day son) Terry Melcher; and early movie actors Hallam Cooley and Doris McMahon. It’s also National …

Hallam Cooley and Doris McMahon by Trav S.D.

February 8 was the birthday of early screen star Hallam “Hal” Cooley (Hallam Burr, 1895-1971). Cooley claimed to have been a relative of Aaron Burr’s, hence, I surmise, the name change…

Dance of Death review – spark and mischief as humorously horrible couple wish each other dead by Arifa Akbar

Orange Tree theatre, LondonRichard Eyre’s adaptation brings comedy and tenderness alongside Strindberg’s original savagery August Strindberg’s portrait of marriage is unremittingly ble…

RED ROSE CHAIN AND JOANNA CARRICK by Libby Purves and Friends

This is an adapted version of a piece I wrote for The Times on 19 January. Following Joanna Carrick’s funeral on Friday, it seems right to put it up here, because theatre pioneers and proj…

The Days and Nights of Terry Melcher by Trav S.D.

Today we treat of show business legend Terry Melcher (Terrence Paul Jorden, 1942-2004). Melcher’s legacy has had the misfortune of being overshadowed by two larger personalities who intere…

The Gambler review – kooky dancing and onstage rock in dizzying Dostoevsky adaptation by Lucinda Everett

The Coronet theatre, LondonJapanese company Chiten abandon naturalism for rhythmic dialogue and highly stylised movements – but there is much invention to admire Dostoevsky wrote his 1866 …

How to Break in a Glove: Meaty Complex Tale of Family Secrets by Bill Hirschman

City Theatre’s 30th season begins with an emotional and touching premiere of Chris Anthony; Ferrer's How to Break in a Glove about an intergenerational Cuban-American family, bringing tear…

The model railroad world feels a pinch from global trade uncertainty by Jeff Lunden

Model railroaders convene each year to celebrate their hobby. But this year they're wondering about the impact of tariffs on the foreign companies that make a lot of the products they collec…

Poll: Would You Attend a Sing-Along Performance of a Broadway Show?

Scheduled sing-along performances are a growing trend among Broadway musicals. While singing along is prohibited during regular performances, some productions announce scheduled performances…

A celebration of Black hair: Kenya Mahogany’s ‘Happy 2B Nappy’ premieres in Aurora by Alex Miller

Inspired by her daughter's experience, playwright creates intergenerational theatrical journey through Black hair history

Mars: A New Play

Gold Medals and Grit: Secrets and Lies

She Shaped the Seaport: Secrets and Lies

ANGEL STREET (GASLIGHT)

‘Godspeed’ reshapes the Western revenge epic by Toni Tresca

Terence Anthony's world premiere at the Denver Center is a gripping, if slightly disjointed, story about freedom in the uneasy aftermath of slavery.

Happy 70th Birthday, Emo Phillips by Trav S.D.

Today we celebrate the birth of New Vaudeville comedian Emo Philips (Philip Soltanec, b. 1956). To those too young to process the designation — we do not mean that Philips sports a hat and…

Arcadia, Old Vic review - Tom Stoppard's masterwork gets a masterly revival by Matt Wolf

Isis Hainsworth makes a dazzzling Thomasina Coverly in director Carrie Cracknell's resplendent revival of Tom Stoppard's finest play, here co-starring Tony-winner Stephen Dillane's son, Seam…

“Mexodus” Returns Off-Broadway, Looping History Back Into the Present by Ross

Frontmezzjunkies reports: Off-Broadway’s Mexodus Returns By Ross When Mexodus first landed at Audible Theater last fall, it didn’t arrive quietly. It arrived with urgency, sweat, and an …

Broadway on Ice: Iconic Figure Skating Routines Set to Showtunes

As the Olympic flame is lit and the world turns its eyes to the ice, we’re celebrating one of our favorite intersections of athleticism and artistry: figure skating set to Broadway music. …

Actor Michael Keaton honored as Man of the Year by Harvard’s Hasty Pudding theater group by Associated Press

Hasty Pudding Theatricals gives out its Man and Woman of the Year awards to people who have made lasting and impressive contributions to the world of entertainment. The post Actor Michael Ke…

OEDIPUS Plays Final Performance Today

Today, February 8, Robert Icke’s new adaptation of Oedipus on Broadway, starring Mark Strong and Lesley Manville, concludes its limited run after playing 14 previews and 100 regular perfor…

Guidelines review – teens try to escape the aftermath of a murder filmed on a phone by Kate Wyver

New Diorama theatre, LondonJames Nash’s doomscrolling play unpacks social media and the violence it hosts We piece together fragments. Distorted voice notes, the depths of the comments sec…

CT ballet company’s ‘Be My Valentine’ part of a dance-filled cultural love fest by Christopher Arnott

Connecticut Ballet offers a mix of classical and modern dance on Valentine's Day weekend in Hartford, along with shows from Hartford Symphony Orchestra and Hartford Ballet.

Is Wallace Shawn the Only Avant-Garde Artist Who Gets Stopped in Times Square? by Susan Dominus

He’s most commonly recognized for his screen roles as a plotting hit man and an unlikely Lothario, but it’s his work as a playwright that shows more of his true self.

Accomplished actress moves to CT, finds herself starring in ‘The Counter’ at TheaterWorks Hartford by Christopher Arnott

Diner drama "The Counter" by Meghan Kennedy brings TheaterWorks Hartford board member and New York transplant Justis Bolding onto its stage Feb. 12 through March 15.

The Cry of the Butterfly by Darryl Reilly

Nicholas Ray’s daughter’s autobiographical fantasia chronicles her dysfunctional upbringing. James Dean also appears in this theatrical presentation. The post The Cry of the Butterfly a…

The 2026 Kleban Prize Awards by Andrew Poretz

By Andrew Poretz, with photos and videos by Melissa Griegel Photography The 2026 Kleban Prize winners were presented at February 2nd at ASCAP’s Manhattan headquarters, with a tasty spread.…

San Jose Woman’s Club

Newport Art Museum

Fiesta Mansion Event Center

The Green Ridge Club

Darlington Farmers Market

Station No. 2

ArtsAltoona

The Globe Theatre

433 Bishop

Stanly Hall Ballroom

Valencia Ballroom

I’m Mom

The Word on 163rd March

Blackout Songs: More Than Addiction — A Mirror of the Loops We Can’t Escape by Suzanna Bowling

Addiction is the vehicle, but the destination is something deeper….something older. Joe White’s Blackout Songs, now making its New York debut at MCC Theater after an acclaimed U.K. run, …