Photography by Teddy Wolff

New York has seen just about everything parade through its streets, but on September 18 and 19, 40 life-sized buffalo will thunder through Lower Manhattan and Downtown Brooklyn—without creating so much as a hoofprint.

The extraordinary herd is at the heart of Return of the Buffalo: Tatanka Owe Akupi, a two-day public-art event conceived by Amir Nizar Zuabi in partnership with elders from the Lenape and Lakota communities. Billed as the largest interactive public-art experience in the country this year, the event combines spectacle, history, performance and ceremony while bringing the story of America’s national mammal directly into the streets.

Photography by Teddy Wolff

These are no ordinary puppets. Created by South Africa’s Ukwanda Puppets from recycled materials and assembled locally at St. Ann’s Warehouse in Brooklyn Bridge Park, the buffalo are remarkably lifelike. More than 150 volunteer puppeteers will bring the 40 animals into motion, transforming downtown New York into something between a migration, a theatrical event and a living work of art.

The creative pedigree should sound familiar. Zuabi and many of the artists involved were behind Little Amal, the unforgettable 12-foot-tall puppet representing a young Syrian refugee who walked through New York City in 2022. Amal turned sidewalks into stages and strangers into participants. This time, instead of one enormous child moving through the city, New Yorkers will encounter an entire herd.

Photography by Ant Strack

Beneath the visual spectacle is a much deeper story. The American buffalo was driven nearly to extinction during the 19th century, its destruction inseparable from the devastation inflicted upon Native communities whose lives and cultures were intimately connected to it. Its survival and restoration—due significantly to Native conservation efforts and their allies—makes the buffalo an unusually potent symbol of resilience, reckoning and repair.

New Yorkers aren’t being asked merely to watch from behind a barricade. The audience is invited to join the herd. As the buffalo move through locations carrying their own layers of American history, parks and plazas will become temporary stages filled with tribal ceremonies, gospel choirs, marching bands and live performance.

The impressive roster includes Rhiannon Giddens, Laurie Anderson, Native Pride Dancers, Pilobolus and the all-women Brazilian percussion band Fogo Azul, joined by First Nations tribal elders, civic leaders and additional performers.

On Friday, September 18, the buffalo take Manhattan, beginning at Bowling Green Park at 5 p.m. and making their way through Lower Manhattan before arriving at Foley Square at 7:30 p.m.

The following afternoon, Saturday, September 19, the herd crosses into Brooklyn. The procession begins at Abolitionist Place at 2 p.m. and travels through Downtown Brooklyn before reaching Brooklyn Bridge Park at 4:30 p.m.

Both events are free and open to the public.

There is something wonderfully audacious about releasing 40 buffalo into the visual chaos of New York City. Yet Return of the Buffalo promises considerably more than an irresistible photograph. It places an animal nearly erased from America back into the center of public life while asking us to remember what disappeared alongside it—and who fought to bring it back.

For two September days, New York won’t simply stop traffic. It will stop for the buffalo.

“Dusting off the old robes. New York — see you all in February,” Grint announced on Instagram.

It took 25 years, eight films and one very famous redheaded wizard, but Rupert Grint is heading back to Hogwarts.

Grint, who first became Ron Weasley at just 11 years old, will reprise the role that made him famous in Broadway’s Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Now 38, Grint will play the adult Ron for a four-month engagement at the Lyric Theatre beginning February 2, 2027, through May 30.

There is something deliciously full-circle about the casting. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child begins 19 years after the events of the original Harry Potter story, finding Harry, Ron and Hermione firmly in adulthood. Ron and Hermione are married, have children of their own, and are now sending the next generation off to Hogwarts. Grint, too, has grown up, become a father and built a career beyond the franchise that first introduced him to the world.

“Ron Weasley has been a part of me since I was 11 years old and I can’t wait to meet him again in this stage of life,” Grint said in announcing his return. “There is something so full-circle and so special about stepping back into Ron’s shoes now when we are both fathers; it is somehow both very familiar and completely new.”

For Grint, Broadway itself won’t be new territory. He made his Broadway debut in 2014 in Terrence McNally’s star-packed comedy It’s Only a Play, opposite Nathan Lane, Matthew Broderick, Stockard Channing, F. Murray Abraham and Megan Mullally. His stage work also includes the West End productions of Mojo and For the Love of a Primary School.

Since hanging up Ron’s wand after Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 in 2011, Grint has deliberately moved into decidedly non-Hogwarts territory, with television work including Sick Note, Snatch and M. Night Shyamalan’s unsettling Apple TV+ series Servant. Yet he has never pretended Ron disappeared entirely. Speaking to the BBC last year about remaining associated with the character, Grint was refreshingly uncomplicated: “I’m fine with that. I think it’s great.”

He now becomes the first of the original film’s central trio—Grint, Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson—to reprise his Harry Potter role onstage.

There is another familiar Hogwarts face currently roaming the Lyric Theatre. Tom Felton, who originated Draco Malfoy onscreen, is presently playing the adult Draco in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Alas, anyone dreaming of a Ron-and-Draco reunion will need a Time-Turner: Felton’s engagement ends January 3, a month before Grint arrives.

Producers Sonia Friedman and Colin Callender noted that Grint isn’t simply revisiting his past but continuing a character’s journey with everything he himself has experienced since leaving Hogwarts behind.

And that’s what makes the casting irresistible. Audiences aren’t getting an actor impersonating the Ron Weasley they remember. They’re getting Ron Weasley himself, grown up alongside the actor who created him.

Twenty-five years ago, an 11-year-old Rupert Grint stepped aboard the Hogwarts Express. This February, he’s getting back on—only this time, Ron Weasley has grown up right alongside him.

Broadway history, Marc Shaiman and the man who apparently invented that little tab on your coffee-cup lid walk into a theatre. No, this isn’t the beginning of a joke. It’s what’s happening at AMT Theater this weekend.

On Saturday, August 29 at 6 p.m., Tony and Emmy Award winner and seven-time Oscar nominee Marc Shaiman will lead a post-screening conversation and Q&A following the Peabody Award-winning documentary Broadway Musicals: A Jewish Legacy at AMT Theater, 354 West 45th Street.

The 2013 documentary explores the extraordinary influence Jewish composers and lyricists have had on the American musical—from Irving Berlin and the Gershwins to Rodgers and Hammerstein, Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim and beyond. Joining Shaiman for the conversation will be the film’s producer Al Tapper and historian Laurence Maslon.

At $10, this may be one of the best Broadway bargains currently sitting on West 45th Street.

Shaiman certainly knows something about the musical theatre. With longtime collaborator Scott Wittman, he gave Broadway Hairspray, Catch Me If You Can, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Some Like It Hot. His film credits stretch from When Harry Met Sally… and Sleepless in Seattle to Sister Act, The American President and Mary Poppins Returns. He’ll also be signing copies of his memoir, Never Mind the Happy, following the screening.

The evening serves as something of an amuse-bouche for AMT’s next production, After All These Years: The Musicals of Al Tapper, beginning performances September 9 and opening September 10 for a four-week engagement.

Tapper has one of those résumés that sounds as though several people’s lives were accidentally stapled together. He’s written eleven musicals, hundreds of songs and produced acclaimed films including Broadway: The Golden Age, By the Legends Who Were There and Broadway Musicals: A Jewish Legacy. And yes, according to the production, he invented the little tab on the lid of your coffee cup.

Naturally, somebody decided this man needed his own musical.

Part concert, part comedy and part affectionate roast, After All These Years travels from Stephen Sondheim to Joey Buttafuoco, stopping for Doris Day, Vladimir Putin, teenage lust, middle-aged regret and the occasional dirty martini along the way. Tapper appears onscreen while a live company performs the songs and excavates a life apparently incapable of staying in one lane.

The cast features Lara Allison (Waitress), Emily Taylor Kaufman (Legally Blonde), Dan Olson (Kinky Boots) and Nathan Pecchia (Fly By Night), with Reese Henrick and Lawson Lewallen serving as swings.

Brian Childers directs, with musical direction by David Wolfson. The creative team includes Christian Specht and Samantha Weiser on lighting, Mark Childers on projections, Cathy Small on costumes, Steven Fine on sound and Pete Dorton directing the filmed sequences.

After All These Years plays Wednesdays through Saturdays at 7 p.m., with Saturday and Sunday matinees at 3 p.m., through October 10. Tickets are $50, with $25 tickets available for seniors and students.

But first comes Saturday night: a landmark Broadway documentary, three people who know more than a little about musical theatre, and Marc Shaiman with a microphone.

For ten bucks, that’s a pretty good reason to head to Theatre Row.

September in New York is when the city snaps back to life, and the cabaret rooms and conversation stages are already filling with some seriously intriguing names. Sylvester Stallone, Heated Rivalry, Ariana DeBose, Linda Eder and Tony Danza are among those bringing star power, stories and music to the month ahead. From intimate performances to conversations that take us behind the celebrity curtain, September offers plenty of reasons to pull up a chair and listen. T2C takes a look at who’s talking, who’s singing and where you’ll want to be.

54 Below: 254 West 54 St. 9/8 – 9: Claybourne Elder: Can I Tell You Something?; 9/11-12; Charles Busch Sings Johnny Mercer; 9/13: Ben Franklin In Paris; 9/16: Michael Cerveris: The Other Part; 9/18 -19: Ute Lemper: Celebrating Marlene Dietrich’s 125th Birthday; 9/22: Seth Sikes with Tedd Firth: Together at Last! Feat. Marilyn Maye; 9/23 and 27: Linda Eder; 9/24 and  26: Orfeh: Unbound and 9/29 – 30: Jeanna de Waal: Songs I Love to Sing.

92 Street Y: 1395 Lexington Ave. 9/9: Jaclyn Smith in Conversation: Beyond Charlie’s Angels; 9/17: STARZ’s Outlander: Blood of my Blood; 9/18: Cabaret Conversations: Lindsay Mendez; 9/23: StarTalk Live! with Neil deGrasse Tyson: Lost in Space; 9/27: Gloria Steinem in Conversation with Katie Couric: An Unexpected Life; 9/28: CBS Sunday Morning at 92NY: Sylvester Stallone in Conversation with Tracy Smith: The Steps; 9/29: Harry Connick, Jr. in Conversation — Babe: Elaboratio and 9/30: Fashion Icons with Fern Mallis: Ian Schrager.

Eliane Elias

Birdland Jazz: 315 West 44 St. Every Monday Jim Caruso’s Cast party; Every Monday and Tuesday: Vince Giordano leads The Nighthawks; Every Sunday Gabrielle Stravelli Trio;  9/ 15 – 19: Eliane Elias; 9/21: A Night With Nicole Henry and 9/28: Karen Mason.

Karen Mason Photo by Maryann Lopinto

Carnegie Hall: 881 7th Ave at 57th St.

Chelsea Table & Stage: Hilton Fashion District Hotel, 152 W 26th St. 9/9: An Evening With Mairéad; 9/13: Charlie Romo.

Dizzys Club Coca Cola: Frederick P. Rose Hall, Broadway at 60th Street. 9/4 -6: Ann Hampton Callaway I Get A Kick Out Of Cole.

Don’t Tell Mama: 343 W. 46 St. 9/9 and 16: Jeff Harnar: Blame It On My Youth; 9/10: Tanya Moberly: Repertoire With Sean Harkness; 9/24: Tanya Moberly: Repertoire With Ian Herman; 9/26: Steven Carl McCasland: Everybody Rise!

Laurie Beechman Theatre: at the West Bank Café: 407 West 42 St. 9/5:Lillias White Live At The Beechman; 9/8: Alice Ripley and John McDaniel; 9/12: Andrea McArdle’s Broadway On Demand; 9/16: Lorna Luft; 9/16: Lauren Marcus; 9/24: Lorna Dallas and 9/27:Donna McKechnie.

Donna McKechnie

Madame George: 45 West 45th: Broadway Night Mondays.

Ariana DeBose Photo by Genevieve Rafter Keddy

The Café Carlyle: 35 East 76 St. at Madison Ave. 9/8 – 19: Tony Danza: More Standards & Stories; 9/21 -26: Susanna Hoffs: and 9/29 – 10/3: Ariana DeBose.

Alicia Witt

The Cutting Room: 44 East 32nd St. 9/12: ALICIA WITT; 9/14: BROADWAY TAKES ON THE 80S; 9/17: BROADWAY SINGS ABBA

The DJango: 2 Avenue of the Americas. 9/18: Lee Taylor and 9/29: People of the Earth.

The Iridium: 1650 Broadway. 8/29: Papa Chubby

The Pierre Hotel, Two E Bar & Lounge: 2 E 61st St.

Sony Hall: 235 W 46th St. 9/21: Twin Peaks: A Conversation with the Stars

The Triad: 158 W. 72 St. Street. 9/5L: The Dozen Divas Show

The Town Hall: 123 W. 43 St. 9/27: Roger Daltrey A Great Night Out; 9/28: Stagedoor 50: A One-Night-Only Concert celebrating 50 Years of Stagedoor Manor Benefiting the Entertainment Community Fund and 9/29:  Heated Rivalry! Release

G.H. Harding

A WORLD WITHOUT DOLLY? — Pundit-Roger Friedman may have summed it up the best by saying: It’s hard to imagine but country superstar Dolly Parton has died. The great singer, songwriter, actress, philanthropist was 80 years old. She’d been ill for some time but retained her sense of humor and joie de vivre no matter what.

Tributes have poured in (all the linear networks immediately scheduled specials on her) – including everyone from Elton John; Paul McCartney and Jane Fonda, and Harry Styles in his opening show Wednesday night at his Madison Square Garden residency (30 shows!) did a special tribute to her.

Condolences to her family, friends, and legions of fans around the world. This is a huge loss. Parton was such a monumental fixture in our lives for what seemed like many lifetimes. “Jolene,” Whitney Houston; Dollywood; “Islands In The Stream”; 9 to 5 … the list goes on and on.

When she fell ill and numerous cancellations came in, the writing was on the wall. Trump, in maybe his first good humanitarian deed ever, had all the flags lowered for a week. Here in NYC, the Empire State Building turned its lights pink at 9:25 PM. Get it, 9-to-5.

More to come.

Tim Curry

TIM CURRY PASSES ON WEDNESDAY — If Parton’s passing on Tuesday weren’t enough, the terrific Tim Curry passed on Wednesday. He hadn’t been well since a severe stroke in 2012, but still, what a shock. I must confess, I never really got the whole Rocky Horror thing, but when I finally saw it and him in it, it was pure magic.

Personally, I always thought he was sensational in The Hunt For Red October with Sean Connery and Alec Baldwin. I also enjoyed his 3 albums on A&M Records; especially the third, Simplicity, produced by the late-great Michael Kamen.

What a week!

SHORT TAKES — Last week’s Tornado damage to Long Island beach club Sun and Surf was rather astounding as I really didn’t think they were still a thing. I know PR-pasha David Salidor first saw The Who in 1967 at the Lido Beach Club, but you really didn’t hear all that much about them

Bill Ayres

Bill Ayres, former radio-personality and organizer of WhyHunger -with Harry Chapin- has passed at 85. WOR’s Tom Cuddy first introduced me to him and he was just a delight. All things Must pass for sure. Check out their web-site here: https://whyhunger.org/team/bill-ayres/

Alison Martino (Spectrum 1) will introduce Micky Dolenz at his official 60th Anniversary Show on September 12 at The United Theater on Broadway in LA … (Via Forgotten Hits) Linda McCartney is going to be honored with a series of postage stamps featuring her photos. Now it’s true that Linda DID photograph some of the most important rock stars in rock and roll history, but none of those photos are being featured on the stamps. Instead, we get a series of five different “still” shots with nary a rock star in sight. The stamps will become available on September 25th.

Odd for sure, but at least the cover photo of the McCartney album is included … Kent Kotal’s totally enjoyable Forgotten Hits online-site starts a two-part interview with celebrity-biographer Mark Bego on his 2 Michael Jackson books: Michael! and On The Road with Michael. It might seem that the Jackson-furor has subsided somewhat since the release of that billion-dollar movie in April, but it’s available on cable right now and talk of a sequel remains in play. Check it out here: https://forgottenhits60s.blogspot.com/2026/08/a-forgotten-hits-exclusive-author-mark.html … Say what you will about AARP, but their current issue (with Danny DeVito) on the cover has article about The Triumph Of Discothat briefly recounts its heyday. Interviewed are Nile Rodgers; Howie Casey of KC & The Sunshine Band; Thelma Houston; and a short, but sweet piece on Studio 54 by Ron Tannenbaum. They also reference disco’s biggest hits, including Houston’s anthemic “Don’t Leave Me This Way.” They also mentioned The Village People …  Lindsey Buckingham did a surprise set at L.A.’s Club Largo Wednesday night, He sounded a tad-rusty, but great that he’s back out there again … and Happy Bday Debbie Gibson.

NAMES IN THE NEWS — Bruce Carbone; Anthony Sanfillippo; Perry Cooper; Linda Ferrando; Patti Conte; Steve Leeds; Tom & Lisa Cuddy; Race Taylor; Scott Muni; Dave Mason; Ed Kipling; Bill Ayres; Amanda Naylor; Steve Singer; Thomas Silverman; Thomas Jay; Gayle King; Carlos Santana; Chick Corea; Bruce Haring; Lyndsey Parker; Anthony Pomes; Sting; and Linda Bellamonte; Dan Zelinski and BELLA!

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