|
September 23, 2026 
|
|
|
Dear Theater Fans,
Walking through the Museum of Modern Art a few weeks ago, I was stopped short by Agosto Machado’s “Shrine (White).” It’s a tall bookcase full of talismans of a lost Downtown New York: a cut-out of Ethyl Eichelberger; painted protest signs (Justice for Marsha!); a rubbing from Candy Darling’s grave. It shifted my thinking a little about how art functions. Whatever else artworks do, they also operate as records — as altars — that fight in some small way against loss.
The composer Duncan Sheik died last week, at only 56 years old, and we are left handling his talismans too, contemplating the many works — including two New York fall productions, one a revival of “Spring Awakening” — that will now go on without him. Rob Tannenbaum wrote about him as an “accidental pop star,” who found his true calling in the theater; Elisabeth Vincentelli wrote about her love for his “poisonous confection,” the musical “American Psycho.” Collaborators filled the internet with eulogies.
There was also something of the funeral cortège about “Return of the Buffalo: Tatanka Owe Akupi,” the procession of 40 life-size bison puppets running through the streets of the city. Laura Collins-Hughes wrote thoughtfully about how St. Ann’s Theater brought the memorial herd, designed by Ukwanda Puppets, to life. I can testify to the immense power of seeing them, their shaggy heads nodding gravely, as they moved through Zuccotti Park in Manhattan. It’s the most beautiful public art project I can remember; it was like looking through this reality into another, older one.
It wasn’t all valediction and sorrow this week. There are many wonderful shows to see, some of which are returning after a year or so away. We have a roundup here of five Off Broadway pieces we don’t think you should miss, including a delightful (and free!) Molière in Prospect Park. I admit I wasn’t wild about Simon Stone’s Korean-language “The Cherry Orchard” — it’s not exactly the Chekhov play, but it’s not not the Chekhov play either — at the Park Avenue Armory. I did love, though, Roslyn Sulcas’s searching article on the surreality of Stone’s process.
It’s really and truly autumn now: The wind in New York is turning cool, and by the end of this week, the Broadway schedule will start its own stampede through our days. The “purple summer” is done. So, for a number of reasons, it’s the exact right time to be listening to “Spring Awakening” on your headphones.
I believe I believe I believe
All will be forgiven
Peace and joy be with them
Harmony and wisdom.
Thank you for reading each week! Tell us if you’ve seen something great. Please reach out 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
Like this email?
Forward it to your friends, and let them know they can sign up here.
