Ethan Li, Deputy Managing Editor
Review: A mother and son experiment with death in ‘Rheology’
At Playwrights Horizons, writer-director Shayok Misha Chowdhury teams up with his actual mother, a physicist studying sand, to explore how humans react to devastating pressures.
Q&A: Japanese director on cinema that defies explanation
Sho Miyake spoke with WSN about his latest film, “Two Seasons, Two Strangers,” an ethereal vacation adventure adapted from two short manga.
4 theater gems that never made it to Broadway
What’s our favorite show? It’s really underground, you’ve probably never heard of it.
Review: Rose Byrne and Kelli O’Hara get sloshed to the heavens in ‘Fallen Angels’
The two veteran comedic actors shine in Noël Coward’s 100-year-old British farce, playing two married wives awaiting their premarital beau.
4 books to grow your green thumb this Earth Day
From science fiction epics to novels about trees, here’s how we’re honoring Mother Earth this April 22.
On the Street: After hours
On the Street is WSN’s photo column, published biweekly.
7 deluxe albums that elevate their source material
Sometimes, the best songs on an album are the ones that almost weren’t released at all.
Q&A: A Russian director on staging his life before exile
Aleksandr Molochnikov spoke to WSN about his urgent political satire “Seagull: True Story,” playing at The Public Theater.
Review: Meet ‘Becky Shaw’ — she’s sweet, funny and just a bit insane
Gina Gionfriddo’s Pulitzer-finalist comedy, now on Broadway with a scene-stealing Alden Ehrenreich, explosively attacks modern dating.
Hypnotic pasts and romantic futures at this year’s New Directors/New Films
The emerging filmmakers’ festival, whose alumni include Spike Lee, Steven Spielberg and Christopher Nolan, will play at Film at Lincoln Center and MoMA from April 8-19.
Review: Obama-era international relations are restaged in ‘Public Charge’
Former U.S. Ambassador Julissa Reynoso’s political play at The Public Theater clunkily dramatizes a more hopeful time.
5 fictional musical artists we wish were real
From singing animals to heartthrob popstars, these musicians shine across the screen.
Q&A: Tisch alum on embodying a revelatory Antigone
Susannah Perkins spoke with WSN about modern adaptations of Greek tragedy and leading “Antigone (This Play I Read in High School)” as a gender-nonconforming actor.
WSN’s favorite Oscar-nominated short films of 2026
From hand-painted animation to absurd romances, here’s the best that the upcoming 98th Academy Awards’ shorts categories have to offer.
Liked this musical? Read this play
Check out these play recommendations if your latest theater outing left you wanting more amazing stories with a little less tap dancing.
Review: ‘Mother Russia’ serves a twist on post-Soviet history
In Lauren Yee’s absurd dark comedy, three Russians in 1992 St. Petersburg grapple with a new, capitalist world.
The case against ‘Hamnet’
Tisch alum Chloé Zhao’s Oscar-nominated historical drama is Shakespeare slop.
5 of our favorite Shakespeare adaptations
Because sometimes, you can outdo the doer.
Off the Radar: ‘Who by Fire’ traps male egos in the Canadian forest
Writer-director Philippe Lesage’s ensemble drama is one of last year’s most underappreciated films.
5 can’t-miss performances in NYC this spring
Watch comedy stars lead revivals of classics, triumphant Broadway returns, neoclassical ballet pieces and more onstage this semester.
Off the Radar: The Wooster Group’s vision of the future
More than two decades ago, this experimental theater company brought screens to the stage in a way that recent Broadway productions have echoed.
Must-see theater in NYC this fall
From politically charged ballads to original comedies, here’s what’s onstage on and off Broadway.
18 alumni take home Tony Awards
NYU alumni scored 22 awards in seven categories at this year’s ceremony, including best play and best new musical.
New eats near NYU: A restaurant-turned-bakery serving bold Taiwanese flavors
Win Son Bakery, known for creative dishes like its scallion pancake-wrapped bacon, egg and cheese, opens a new location in the East Village after years of operating in Williamsburg.
TikTok songs we actually like
When was the last time you listened to these viral tunes in their entirety?
Review: A ‘Black Mirror’ season with fragmented love and throwbacks
Keep an eye on your smart devices, the technology-driven anthology series is back.
Review: ‘Stranger Things: The First Shadow’ exists as just a live television episode
The spectacle-filled prequel to the series, better fit for a theme park than Broadway, arrives with enough fog to fill the entire Marquis Theatre.
Review: ‘John Proctor is the Villain’ wages war on the male abuser
Open up your SparkNotes: Kimberly Belflower’s new play stages a reexamination of Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible.”
Review: ‘The Wedding Banquet’ subverts farcical formulas with a fruity, modern twist
In Andrew Ahn’s reimagining of the classic Ang Lee film, four LGBTQ+ friends find that marriage isn’t the solution to all their problems.
Remembering William Finn: Finding joy in pain, at NYU and on Broadway
The composer-lyricist and Tisch professor was widely known for the award-winning Broadway musical “Falsettos” and nurturing young writers.
Off-Third: Mills to star in Broadway bio-musical, tickets start at $1099
Move aside Jake Gyllenhaal and Denzel Washington: A new celebrity star is making her mark on the New York stage with “Linda! The Untold Story of NYU’s Diva.”
Review: Cursing, cutthroat comedians duke it out in ‘Glengarry Glen Ross’
Despite its cast of award-winning actors led by Kieran Culkin and Bob Odenkirk, this revival of David Mamet’s tragicomedy about real-estate agents lands unevenly on Broadway.
Review: ‘Purpose’ stages a contemplative family reunion
Two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist and playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ new dramedy explores the tensions within a politically powerful Black family.
Review: ‘Operation Mincemeat’ fails its mission
The WWII historical comedy is crossing the pond after its Olivier win for best new musical.
Review: Japanese Breakfast’s newest album is not just ‘For Melancholy Brunettes’
Led by singer-songwriter Michelle Zauner, the band’s fourth album beautifully lives between two worlds: joyous celebration and sorrowful contemplation.
Spring break adventures
WSN makes it out of Third Avenue North's basement.
Review: Passionate music takes center stage at ‘Buena Vista Social Club’
The new musical, inspired by the Grammy-winning album of the same name, spotlights the fiery music of Cuba.
8 of our favorite film scores
Because music is as good a narrative device as any.
Review: In ‘English,’ the fight to learn a new language perseveres
Sanaz Toossi’s Pulitzer Prize-winning comedy explores the hardships four Iranians go through to learn English.
Inside the Boxd: Winter break watches
Inside the Boxd is a column documenting WSN staffers’ recent film reviews on Letterboxd. Grab some popcorn and get that watchlist ready!
Review: ‘Oh, Mary!’ brings unhinged comedy to Broadway
Cole Escola’s fictionalized biographical play is both wickedly funny and surprisingly smart.
