Theatr Insiders | Happy Tonys and Happy Pride!
Including recs from Theatr Insiders, latest theatre news, funny community comments, and closing shows
👋 Hello and welcome back!
Yesterday members of our team attended the 2025 Tony Awards! What were some of your favorite moments of the night? See the full list of winners here.
👀 What’s new in the theatre world?
Lea Michele, Aaron Tveit, and Nicholas Christopher will lead the Chess revival on Broadway, coming this Fall. Read more.
“God, they didn’t get it.” A site-specific, immersive production of A Chorus Line was announced to take place at The Loft in September, but was canceled later that day due to an issue with the rights to the musical. Read more.
It’s showtime! Beetlejuice the Musical will return to Broadway this fall for a 13-week run at the Palace Theatre. Read more.
📝 What Our Insiders Have Seen Recently
This week we’re sharing reflections from our Theatr Insiders on Broadway and Off-Broadway shows around the city, ha ha ha ha ha ha ha, Beau the Musical, Prosperous Fools, Short Plays Where the Queers Win (Mostly), and Call Me Izzy.
ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
📍The Public Theater
👍 Recommended by Danica
@amazinggoose | Thrifty Broadway Enthusiast
I couldn’t find the words to describe how much I love this show—it’s the perfect mix of silliness and truly magical improv moments. HA HA HA HA HA HA HA is an improv show by Julia Masli. I went in not knowing exactly what to expect just lured by the name; the whole experience is phenomenal. In this divisive world we can’t escape, the show builds a safe space for you to help one another, build trust, and heal yourself just a little. It’s like witnessing many tiny miracles sparked live right in the theatre. In a poetic way, Julia reveals a slice of society through her questions, performance and audience interactions. I’d love to go back and see it again with a different audience. I highly recommend everyone to see it—for the joy, the wildness, and that little trust it restores in both society and humanity. Also pick front seats or aisle seats if you want interaction and you won’t regret it! Read more
Beau the Musical
📍Theater 154
👍 Recommended by Jessica
@jessicasandler | Company Manager & Aspiring Producer
Beau the Musical is a gorgeous queer story, a lovely show during a time we need it most. It was a perfect mix of fun and comedy with dramatic and serious themes. The cast was phenomenal, acting as both the characters and live band. The music was a standout for me, with toe tapping, head bopping numbers that made you feel like you were witnessing the lead of a band taking you on a personal journey. Matt Rodin was a fantastic storyteller with a voice of gold that was the cherry on top of this beautiful piece. I love an immersive production, and the set made the theater transform into a dive bar where actors utilize the whole space. The table seating was a great choice, letting some audience members feel like a part of the show. I only wish the show was fleshed out a bit more because the story felt a little rushed and I craved a little more character development. Otherwise, a beautiful show to see during a beautiful month of LGBTQIA+ love. Read more
Prosperous Fools
📍Polonsky Shakespeare Center
👍 Recommended by Yizhou
@Yizhou_j8z | Theatre and performance scholar
How is theatre possible when funding is pulled everywhere? How is humor possible when we find faults with almost everything? This play answers these questions in a satirical but sincere way. Instead of an adaptation of Moliere’s The Bourgeois Gentleman, think The White Lotus meets Aristophanes (with a healthy dose of parabasis). I especially appreciate the playwright’s efforts to redeem centuries-old comedic genres that many wrongly regard as obsolete and irrelevant. Behind the veneer of cynicism and criticism, this piece is a love song to the theatre. (P.S. the central balcony seats are behind a fuming projector, so avoid those if you can.) Read more
Short Plays Where the Queers Win (Mostly)
📍WOW Cafe Theater
👍 Recommended by Phoenix
@phoenixslemontown | International Actor/Playwright/ASM with expertise in devised and movement-based theater
In a cozy corner on the fourth floor of a building in the East Village, WOW Café Theater holds a series of short queer plays. The vibe of the theater and those that inhabit it form an imitate community focused on creating space for non-binary, trans, and women theater artists and stories. The show runs 90mins long and includes seven short stories of various queer characters and stories. The characters ranged in ages and experiences, which made the overarching collection of stories feel diverse and unique. Each play runs a little over ten minutes, which doesn’t allow the story to become as profound or complex as it could potentially be. That being said, its simplicity definitely struck a chord with the audience as I heard people around me sniffing and getting choked up. The seating is first come, first served, so I would recommend going early to claim your seat. The staging was center-focused with some angling towards house-left. They are also un-miced, so the closer you are to the stage, the better. I would recommend “Short Plays where the Queers Win (Mostly)” if you’re someone who needs a gay pick-me-up—especially in these trying times. Read more
Call Me Izzy
📍Studio 54
👍 Recommended by Aj
@ashowgoer | I’m a longtime arts manager with degrees in directing and producing who has worked with a variety of theatrical and cinematic organization
A stunning performance in a very good, though far from perfect play. Even in the second preview, Smart is giving an incredibly authentic, grounded, layered performance that’s well worth seeing. The audience gets extremely invested in her character, and you forget you’re watching Jean Smart — the sign of a great performance. The play is good, and unlike anything I’ve seen in recent memory. Since the production isn’t giving much info on the show, in a nutshell, Smart plays Izzy, a gifted poet living in a trailer with her physically abusive husband (who clearly suffers from male fragility) who won’t allow Izzy to pursue her dream of being a writer. The play is generally quite good, but suffers a bit from its length and trips over itself in the final 30 minutes, offering about 3-4 false endings. Hopefully they’ll clean it up during the preview period. It’s definitely worth seeing, and while the play itself might not win awards come Tony time, Smart will surely be a contender. One recommendation: Even if you don’t normally need a hearing device, this show works so much better if you wear one. You feel like you’re on stage with Smart. When you don’t wear it, the theatre feels like an echoey cavern — this isn’t the best venue for a small, one-woman show. Read more
🤣 Comments from the Community
Highlighting funny comments that you all have made on currently-running shows — Want the chance to be featured in our newsletter? Post your funniest reaction of a show on Theatr!
Operation Mincemeat
Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends
Death Becomes Her
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💨 Closing in Two Weeks
My Son’s a Queer (But What Can You Do)? | New York City | Closing on 6/15
Sexual Misconduct of the Middle Classes | Minetta Lane Theatre | Closing on 6/18
Creditors | Minetta Lane Theatre | Closing on 6/18
ha ha ha ha ha ha ha | The Public Theater | Closing on 6/22
A Freeky Introduction | Atlantic Stage 2 | Closing on 6/22
Lunar Eclipse | The Pershing Square Signature Center | Closing on 6/22
The Last Five Years | Hudson Theatre | Closing on 6/22
Floyd Collins | Vivian Beaumont Theater | Closing on 6/22