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New York University's independent student newspaper, established in 1973.

Washington Square News

New York University's independent student newspaper, established in 1973.

Washington Square News

New York University's independent student newspaper, established in 1973.

Washington Square News

Performing Arts

People standing in front of a stage with theater decor. There are brown cardboard that have trees and tree branches on them surrounding the stage.

Review: Rattlestick Theater holds first annual ‘Ratcracker’ fundraiser

Taking a comedic approach to a holiday classic, the theater reimagined “The Nutcracker” through the perspective of the ballet’s villain, the Rat King.
Eleanor Jacobs, Contributing Writer December 14, 2023

The Rattlestick Theater on Waverly Place between 11th and Perry Streets is inconspicuous, hidden behind a flight of stairs between taïm Mediterranean kitchen and Saint John’s...

Fake snow falls around a group of ballet dancers dressed in light blue costumes who stand on a stage that is designed to look like a forest covered in snow.

‘The Nutcracker’ is worth your time this December

With its timeless magic and intricate artistry, “The Nutcracker” is a ballet built to be a lasting holiday tradition.
Julia Diorio and Carmo Moniz December 4, 2023

Every time I hear the first few notes of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s “The Nutcracker,” some of the happiest memories from my childhood come to mind. Nights spent doing homework...

A man wearing a top hat being lit up by a spotlight. Around him are various people all looking up toward him.

Review: 2023’s ‘Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street’ revival brings more than blood and guts

The two-time Tony-winning revival’s comprehensive attention to visuals, music and choreography make it an unforgettable spectacle.
Andrea Lui, Dining Editor November 30, 2023

With its stunning 26-piece orchestra, a star-studded cast and some of the grandest stagecraft on Broadway, attending the tale of “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street”...

Two posters, a red one with white text printed on it on the left, and a black one with red and white texts and a black and white portrait on the right, is posted on the entrance of a theater.

Review: ‘All The Devils Are Here’ summons Shakespeare’s villains

Broadway icon Patrick Page masterfully traverses the Bard’s canon to highlight the devil in all of us.
Joseph Paladino, Contributing Writer October 31, 2023

Through “All The Devils Are Here: How Shakespeare Invented the Villain,” viewers are taken on a trek through the horrifying. The reinvigorated Off-Broadway one-man-show explores...

A blue marquee sign with the image of a rainbow outside of the Booth Theatre reading “Kimberly Akimbo.” Below the sign are two smaller signs, the top has a list crediting the creators of the musical and the bottom is a yellow sign that reads “Winner of 5 Tony Awards Including Best Musical”.

Review: ‘Kimberly Akimbo’ tells an unexpected story of teenage adolescence

The Tony Award-winning musical captures audiences with a simple yet heart-wrenching tale of a young girl with a rare aging condition.
Shiphrah Moses, Social Media Editor October 17, 2023

This June, the Tony Awards extended its most prestigious accolade, Best Musical, to an unconventional candidate, “Kimberly Akimbo.” When the show opened last year, Broadway...

An illustration of a human-form collage of arboreal textures and human-figure illustrations.

NYU’s ‘Here Lies Love’ syllabus dives deep into the controversial musical

Two NYC-based professors, one from NYU, collaborated to compile a selection of resources that contextualize David Byrne and Fatboy Slim’s musical.
Ella Sabrina Malabanan, Contributing Writer September 28, 2023

An NYU professor contributed to a public syllabus analyzing David Byrne and Fatboy Slim’s “Here Lies Love,” a controversial disco-pop musical about former First Lady of the...

A group of people wearing black formalwear stands on an opera stage holding bouquets of flowers and clapping around a man wearing a blue suit with his hand over his heart looking up at the audience.

‘Furiosus’: NYU Casa Italiana opera tells a story of love, despair and madness

NYU’s Casa Italiana and its in-house composer, Roberto Scarcella Perino, present the daring opera “Furiosus.”
Samantha Burge, Contributing Writer April 5, 2023

Within the halls of the Kaufman Music Center, professors Flora Gagliardi and Roberto Scarcella Perino came together to present the North American premiere of a historic opera,...

A Playbill with an image of corn on the cover is placed on top of a fabric bag. A button is pictured, with an image of corn and the text, “I got shucked on Broadway!”

Review: ‘Shucked’: How Broadway’s newest comedy subverts theater tropes

The new musical comedy follows a woman investigating the abrupt disappearance of corn from a rural American town. When an entire audience cheers for a plant growing, you know you’re doing something right.
Gillian Blum, Deputy Managing Editor April 3, 2023

In an era of Broadway defined primarily by adaptations and revivals, any wholly original show is bound to stand out. Add to that originality a hilarious storyline and score, a...

An illustration of a person with a blank face, wearing a black turtleneck sweater against a yellow background. There is a red question mark on the person’s face and text “hanksy” next to it. Several abstract patterns are drawn around the person.

The unexpected connection between Adam Himebauch, Adam Lucas and Hanksy

The mysterious Adam Lucas Himebauch might seem like a 1970s visionary and prolific artist from the early ’70s, but he turns out to be much more.
Alia Arafeh, Contributing Writer December 12, 2022

Within the lower level of the Essex Market, there is a display of photographs of Adam Himebauch that explain his history as a prolific artist who lived and worked in the 1970s....

A woman wearing an orange dress sits in a sofa chair on stage in front of a gray backdrop with smudged square patterns on it.

Q&A: Marjan Neshat on ‘Sandra’ and her Iranian identity

The Iranian actress discusses preparing for the one-woman play, and channeling her heritage while performing.
Roksaneh Salartash, Staff Writer December 12, 2022

A spotlight illuminated the Union Square’s Vineyard Theatre stage, revealing only an actress and a single chair. Marjan Neshat is the star of “Sandra,” a one-woman thriller...

A collage of four photos. The top right features a man wearing a mask with kiwis covering the mouth region and a cracker with kiwis covering the eye region. The top left features a man wearing a food mask with multiple slices or bread surrounding the head, leaving the eyes visible. The bottom right features a man wearing a food mask with multiple tomatoes and basil leaves near the head and mouth regions. The bottom left features a man wearing a food mask with a giant cracker topped with strawberries, a leafy green and green paste on top.

Q&A: Foodmasku on channeling emotions into food mask art

Instagram artist Foodmasku on turning isolation into funny food masks, gun violence in America, and his plans for the future.
Alisha Goel, Contributing Writer December 9, 2022

Content warning: This article contains descriptions of gun violence. I first saw Antonius Wiriadjaja, better known as Foodmasku, at The Invisible Dog Art Center located in Downtown...

Two oil paintings on canvas depicting Asian American portraits are hung against a white wall.

Review: Oscar yi Hou’s ‘East of sun, west of moon’ celebrates artistic autonomy

Oscar yi Hou’s debut exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum confronts generalized notions of the global East and West in a celebration of queerness and Asian American communities.
Natalia Palacino Carmago, Books & Theater Editor December 6, 2022

The complexities and intersections of social identities are something that artists often try to explore in their visual work. The viewer's perception of artwork has much to do...