June 2026 - 1 Minute Critic

Megan Mullally (center) and the cast of "Iceboy!"

‘Iceboy!’ at the Goodman: two Emmy winners and one very cold script

Lauren Emily Whalen Jun 30, 2026 0

Megan Mullally and Nick Offerman headline 'Iceboy!' at Chicago's Goodman Theatre, but the show around them never quite thaws.

(l-r) Zoë Winters, Eli Gelb, Molly Ranson, Nate Mann, and Hale Appleman in "Birthright."

Reviews

‘Birthright’ reveals what 18 years does to the people who know you best

Matthew Wexler Jun 29, 2026 0

Jonathan Spector’s Birthright opens with a disappearance and ends with one. In between: three hours and twenty minutes of the…

Reviews

‘A Walk on the Moon’ packs an Apollo-sized budget but forgets the oxygen tank

Matthew Wexler Jun 29, 2026 0

The musical "A Walk on the Moon" spends like NASA but can't generate the oxygen to bring its own story…

Betsy Wolfe and Jennifer Simard in "Death Becomes Her."

Hot Sec

The $31.5 million question: Will ‘Death Becomes Her’ find life on the road?

Matthew Wexler Jun 29, 2026 2

"Death Becomes Her" has closed on Broadway, but it wasn't a verdict on the show—it was math. The national tour…

(l-r) Anna Bortnick, Max Thomas, Riley Woollen, Chas Lilly, Annie Sullivan, and Kennedy Baldwin.

Reviews

In ‘Reality Detox,’ The Second City turns audience confessions into comedy gold

Lauren Emily Whalen Jun 27, 2026 0

Real audience secrets fuel the comedy in The Second City's "Reality Detox." Plenty of laughs and a few misses.

An illustration featuring fangs, a microphone, and city skyline in red, yellow, and blue.

Hot Sec

Spring 2026 in culture: the 5 stories you couldn’t keep scrolling past

Matthew Wexler Jun 26, 2026 0

Vampires bit back on Broadway and beyond, Eurovision sparked debate & Frida Kahlo is having a moment. Your spring 2026…

Lauren 'Lolo' Pritchard and Stephen Michael Spencer in "Music City."

Reviews

‘Music City’ screams Nashville until one performer just lives it

Lindsay B. Davis Jun 25, 2026 0

In "Music City," a scrappy, Nashville-inspired Off-Broadway jukebox musical oversells its opening, then Lauren "LOLO" Pritchard arrives.

Billy Porter and the cast of "La Cage aux Folles."

Reviews

Wayne Brady and Billy Porter find the heart of ‘La Cage aux Folles.’ Everything else needs a little more mascara

Matthew Wexler Jun 24, 2026 0

Billy Porter and Wayne Brady anchor 'La Cage aux Folles' at Encores!. But the direction and design drift far from…

Denise Burse, Charlayne Woodard, an dDeborah Joy Winans in "Angry, Raucous, and Shamelessly Gorgeous."

Reviews

‘Angry, Raucous, and Shamelessly Gorgeous’ asks who owns an artistic legacy

Steven Vargas Jun 23, 2026 0

Pearl Cleage's comedy at Geffen Playhouse explores fame, legacy, and artistic succession with humor and heart.

Music Take 5

Sound check: free outdoor concerts take over NYC this summer

Matthew Wexler Jun 20, 2026 0

New York City has hundreds of concert venues across the five boroughs. But some of the best live music this…

‘Iceboy!’ at the Goodman: two Emmy winners and one very cold script

‘Birthright’ reveals what 18 years does to the people who know you best

‘A Walk on the Moon’ packs an Apollo-sized budget but forgets the oxygen tank

The $31.5 million question: Will ‘Death Becomes Her’ find life on the road?

In ‘Reality Detox,’ The Second City turns audience confessions into comedy gold

Spring 2026 in culture: the 5 stories you couldn’t keep scrolling past

‘Music City’ screams Nashville until one performer just lives it

Wayne Brady and Billy Porter find the heart of ‘La Cage aux Folles.’ Everything else needs a little more mascara

‘Angry, Raucous, and Shamelessly Gorgeous’ asks who owns an artistic legacy

Sound check: free outdoor concerts take over NYC this summer

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40 buffalo puppets are about to go free-range across New York City

The scariest thing in ‘Paranormal Activity’ isn’t the ghost

John Turturro and Paul Giamatti go head-to-horn in A.R.T.’s ‘Rhinoceros’

What a Sara Bareilles listening event taught me about grief