If New York theatre has been looking for a way to turn the coming season into an event, it may already have found it. The marquees are beginning to resemble an unusually eclectic awards ceremony, with movie stars, television favorites, Broadway royalty and even a genuine rock god heading for New York stages. Tom Hiddleston, Hayley Atwell, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Ed Harris, Allison Janney, Billy Crystal, Bowen Yang, Tom Felton, Jim Parsons, Jeremy Jordan and Julianne Moore are either already here or on their way. Add Guns N’ Roses legend Slash making his Broadway debut tomorrow night, and the 2026–27 New York theatre season is beginning to look very starry indeed.

Slash

The fun begins immediately. On August 13, Slash is making his Broadway debut in The Lost Boys at the Palace Theatre tonight, joining the musical for a one-night-only appearance. The Guns N’ Roses guitarist already has a connection to the show’s music, having contributed a guitar solo to “Have to Have You” for the musical’s Santa Carla recordings. Now one of rock’s most instantly recognizable figures steps onto a Broadway stage for the first time, giving Michael Arden’s vampire musical an irresistible collision of Broadway and rock-and-roll mythology. The Lost Boys was always going to live or die by its ability to capture the dangerous, sexy, slightly decadent pulse of the 1987 cult film. Putting Slash into that world, even for one night, feels less like stunt casting than somebody finally noticing that he looks as though he should have been living in Santa Carla all along.

Felton is in costume as adult Draco for “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.”Warner Bros., Manuel Harlan

At the Lyric Theatre, Tom Felton has accomplished something equally clever by returning to the character who made him famous. Felton became the first performer from the original Harry Potter films to reprise his role on Broadway when he joined Harry Potter and the Cursed Child as the adult Draco Malfoy. The casting could easily have been nostalgia for nostalgia’s sake, except Cursed Child gives Draco something the films never could: age. Felton is now playing the schoolboy antagonist as a father, confronting both his history and his relationship with his son Scorpius. His engagement has proven so popular that it has been repeatedly extended, with Felton now remaining in the production through January 3, 2027.

John Riddle, Jim Parsons, Melissa Barrera Photo by Evan Zimmerman

Over at the St. James Theatre, Jim Parsons has been enjoying an entirely different sort of transformation in Titaníque, playing Ruth DeWitt Bukater, the imperious mother of Rose, in the deliriously irreverent Céline Dion-infused parody of Titanic. Parsons remains aboard through the show’s September 20 closing. The production has never suffered from excessive respectability, and watching the Emmy and Tony-winning actor surrender himself to its particular brand of lunacy is exactly the sort of theatrical casting that makes New York fun. Parsons is surrounded by a company that includes Marla Mindelle as Céline Dion, Melissa Barrera as Rose, Constantine Rousouli as Jack and Deborah Cox as Molly Brown—a Ship of Dreams considerably more deranged than James Cameron ever imagined.

Then comes Bowen Yang, who begins performances September 15 as Mary Todd Lincoln in Cole Escola’s Oh, Mary! at the Lyceum Theatre. Yang’s Broadway debut feels almost inevitable now that one thinks about it. Escola created a Mary who is vain, frustrated, wildly theatrical, sexually complicated and spectacularly uninterested in behaving like the respectable First Lady history handed us. The role has become one of Broadway’s most delicious revolving doors, attracting actors willing to throw dignity overboard and commit completely to the madness. Yang’s particular mixture of intelligence, absurdity and comic fearlessness should fit Mary like a very badly behaved glove.

Off-Broadway is assembling its own formidable company. At The Public Theater, Ryan J. Haddad’s Good Time Charlie begins performances September 24 in Martinson Hall, with a Joseph Papp Free Performance launching the run. Danny Sharron directs the world premiere, which officially opens October 9 and continues through October 18. The autobiographically inspired play follows Charlie, a man who once dreamed of a theatrical life before his parents steered him toward dentistry. Instead, he poured his love of culture into his nephew Ryan, another gay, theatre-loving kid with Broadway dreams. Spanning more than three decades, the play examines the people who give us permission to imagine lives larger than the ones prescribed for us.

And the cast makes the production particularly enticing. Haddad appears as Ryan alongside Timothy Bagley as Lou, Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winner Michael Cristofer as Sheldon, Tony nominee Beth Malone as Janice, Nael Nacer as Charlie Sr./Bob, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia‘s Artemis Pebdani as Joan/Judy and The Band’s Visit‘s Jonathan Raviv as Charlie. That is an unusually rich ensemble for an intimate Public Theater world premiere, mixing actors from Broadway, television and some of New York’s most interesting recent plays.

Then Broadway brings out the heavy artillery. Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Ed Harris, Allison Janney, Joe Keery and Lily Rabe assemble at the Hudson Theatre for the first Broadway revival of Jon Robin Baitz’s Other Desert Cities, beginning performances September 29. John Benjamin Hickey directs the family drama, which takes place over Christmas in Palm Springs as Brooke Wyeth returns to her politically prominent parents with a memoir threatening to expose a long-buried family secret. The play requires actors capable of making civilized conversation feel like armed combat, and this company certainly qualifies.

Louis-Dreyfus makes her Broadway debut opposite Harris, with Janney entering the family battlefield as Silda. Rabe plays Brooke and Stranger Things star Keery takes on her brother Trip. There is celebrity casting, and then there is assembling three actors of the caliber of Louis-Dreyfus, Harris and Janney in the same living room and allowing them to start disagreeing. Other Desert Cities already contains the ammunition. This cast should have no difficulty lighting the match.

Billy Crystal returns to Broadway October 1 at the Imperial Theatre with 860, a new solo work whose title comes from the address of the Pacific Palisades home he and his family lost in the 2025 fires. Written and performed by Crystal and directed by Scott Ellis, the 14-week limited engagement officially opens October 21 and continues through January 3. The piece looks at family, friendship, love, loss and the memories contained within a home over decades—the seemingly ordinary objects and moments that become irreplaceable only when they disappear.

Crystal has been here before, though never with quite this story. 700 Sundays, his autobiographical exploration of his father and family, became one of Broadway’s most successful and affecting solo shows. 860 begins with another profound loss, but Crystal’s great theatrical gift has always been his ability to let humor and grief occupy the same sentence without diminishing either. At 78, he isn’t returning to Broadway simply to perform another victory lap. He is bringing back something personal.

October then gets considerably more glamorous when Tom Hiddleston and Hayley Atwell arrive at the Winter Garden Theatre in Jamie Lloyd’s production of Much Ado About Nothing. Performances begin October 31, with the strictly limited engagement continuing through January 10, 2027. The two reprise the roles of Benedick and Beatrice after leading Lloyd’s London production, bringing with them one of Shakespeare’s great romantic battles: two highly intelligent people using wit as armor while everyone around them conspires to make them admit the obvious.

Hiddleston already knows Broadway, having earned a Tony nomination for Betrayal, while Atwell makes her Broadway debut. Their screen fame inevitably brings another audience with them—yes, Loki and Peggy Carter are doing Shakespeare—but reducing either actor to Marvel celebrity misses the point. Both have substantial classical theatre backgrounds, and Much Ado lives or dies on whether its Beatrice and Benedick can make language feel like foreplay, combat and self-defense simultaneously. Lloyd has given them a very contemporary playground in which to do it.

Meanwhile, Jeremy Jordan continues his run as Bobby Darin in Just in Time at Circle in the Square through October 18. Jordan stepped into the role following Jonathan Groff, an unenviable succession on paper but a fascinating one theatrically. Bobby Darin requires swagger, musical command and the ability to make the audience believe that the performer needs the stage almost as much as he needs oxygen. Jordan possesses all three. The immersive production, which transforms Circle in the Square into something closer to a nightclub than a conventional Broadway house, also demonstrates that a star-driven musical can survive the departure of its originating star when the replacement has genuine theatrical firepower.

And the stars aren’t disappearing when the calendar turns. Julianne Moore returns to the New York stage in 2027 in the world premiere of Sarah Ruhl’s Faydra, giving the coming season another fascinating collision between one of America’s finest screen actors and one of its most distinctive playwrights. Moore has been away from the New York stage for two decades, having made her Broadway debut in David Hare’s The Vertical Hour in 2006. Her return in a new Ruhl work immediately makes Faydra one of the most intriguing theatrical prospects of 2027.

What is striking about this season isn’t simply the number of famous people involved. Broadway has always used celebrity, sometimes brilliantly and sometimes disastrously. A recognizable name above a title can sell tickets, but it cannot manufacture theatrical presence. The more interesting casting happens when the identity of the performer adds another dimension to the material. Felton confronting Draco Malfoy as a grown man does that. Crystal turning the destruction of his actual home into theatre does that. Hiddleston and Atwell bringing an already-tested Beatrice and Benedick partnership across the Atlantic does that. Slash walking into The Lost Boys does it in the most wonderfully literal rock-and-roll way imaginable.

Even the season’s revolving-door casting is becoming part of the entertainment. Oh, Mary! has discovered that Mary Todd Lincoln can apparently regenerate indefinitely as long as Broadway keeps finding sufficiently fearless people to put on the dress. Just in Time has moved from Groff to Jordan. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, long after becoming an established Broadway attraction, found an entirely new event in bringing one of the original film actors home to his character.

Streaming was supposed to make leaving the house increasingly unnecessary. Instead, theatre appears to be answering by making being in the room the commodity. You can watch Louis-Dreyfus, Hiddleston, Atwell, Moore, Parsons, Yang, Keery or Crystal on a screen whenever you like. You cannot replicate sitting in a theatre while they do something live, eight times a week, with no editing room and nowhere to hide.

That may be Broadway and Off-Broadway’s smartest weapon going into the 2026–27 season. Not celebrity for celebrity’s sake, but event theatre—the sense that something is happening in a particular room, for a finite period of time, and if you aren’t there, you really did miss it.

And if Slash walking onto a Broadway stage tomorrow night doesn’t make that point rather spectacularly, nothing will.

If New York feels impossible right now, that’s because it is. Within a span of weeks, the city has found itself at the center of a perfect storm of culture, sports, entertainment, patriotism, and global attention.

The Knicks have delivered a long-awaited championship. FIFA World Cup fever has brought an international audience to the city. Broadway is overflowing with Tony winners, celebrities, and blockbuster productions. America 250 celebrations are ramping up nationwide. Sail4th 250 is preparing to transform New York Harbor into the largest international gathering of tall ships and naval vessels the city has seen in generations.

In other words, the world didn’t just come to New York. It moved in for the summer.

From Madison Square Garden to Times Square, to Broadway shows to private rooftop parties overlooking the Hudson, athletes, celebrities, investors, dignitaries, influencers, and executives are converging in a city already operating at full capacity.

In the stands for the Wold Cup are Tom Cruise, David and Victoria Beckham, Jay-Z, Katy Perry  Marshawn Lynch, Ciara, Kit Harington, and Eli Manning. Performing Andrea Bocelli, Salma Hayek. Shakira and more. The Final Halftime Show on July 19th tournament finale will feature a co-headlined halftime performance by Madonna, Shakira, and BTS. Where are they all staying …..Manhattan

Then there is the Taylor Swift’s wedding supposably on July 3rd at Madison Square Garden. Mayor Zohran Mamdani confirmed that Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are going to say “I do” in the Big Apple, assuring fans that the Concrete Jungle is prepared for the large event. Mamdani confessed that he will not actually be in attendance, admitting that he hasn’t received an invite.

Hotels are packed. Restaurants are booming. Tourism is surging. Luxury brands are staging splashy activations. Broadway is benefiting from an influx of visitors eager to experience the cultural capital of the world while global eyes remain fixed on New York.

The timing could not be more remarkable. A championship city. A World Cup entry. An America 250 city. A Broadway city.

For one extraordinary summer, New York isn’t simply hosting history. It’s making it.

Tartan and rye at The W

This night, at the W, his expertise turned to amber.

Jefferson’s Ocean Bourbon and caviar pairing

It was in this sumptuous setting that Kentucky’s blue-ribbon whiskey house Jefferson’s Bourbon was hosting a tasting as rich in spirit as it is in its proof. Our whiskey somm (yes, proper descriptive, truncated for brevity) poured Jefferson’s Ocean, “born from a maritime experiment whereas the liquid gold is rocked upon waves while basting in its oaken casks.” The bourbon’s oceanic aging sparked Lowry to muse about “an old salty seaman long at sea…” Which, in turn, inspired a bystander to contribute the closer, “and banging against the wood!” Cue riotous laughter and clinking glasses.

In high Manhattan fashion, the tasting was paired with caviar and was a sensory escapade—glasses brimmed with caviar cups cleverly clamped upon copper clasps, Jefferson’s Reserve Cask Strength reading like poetry at 130 proof. Lowry asked, “If I dipped my polished toenails in that, would the varnish come off?”

“Only at 131,” our petite pourer grinned.

Trey Zoeller and Nicholas D. Lowry

While all this swirled on, dear reader, I confess that I was badly behaved for commandeering Jefferson’s founder Trey Zoeller’s private table to seat Lowry. The latter whom I absolutely needed to interrogate—er, interview—about life at the helm of the largest auctioneer of works on paper in the world. My enthusiasm, I hoped, was its own charm offensive. I introduced the two men. Star power collided. All was forgiven.

Zoeller then left me agog with tales of his ancestor Marian McLain, one of America’s earliest documented women in whiskey—famous for both her bourbon and her police record. Huzzah!

Nicho Lowry and violist Alexandra Andreeva, National Arts Club

Days later, holiday magic lingered as I followed up with Lowry at the National Arts Club. The setting still shimmered in my mind from the Padina Bondar show, where her gowns of melted trash bags stunned with sculptural delicacy. It was there in that lush salon that I’d first spied Lowry and, cheek firmly in hand, called out to him—“How was the boar hunt?”—and he’d glided toward me in full Cambridge scarf and tweed, sealing my fate.

Lowry in auction.

So what does one gift a man of such cultivated taste? Something rare, refined and a touch irreverent: Herdade de Peso’s Parcelas DOC Alentejo, a Portuguese newcomer to NYC. I’d tested their Revelado weeks before—brawny oak, berry and earth. Fantastic. In a flash of inspiration, I decorated the bottle of Parcelas with the streetwise permanence of gold and silver Sharpies, embellishing the estate’s rare Cork Oak heritage by crowning it’s artifact with images of distinctive furry acorns and smooth leaves.

Herdade de Peso enshrined.

Something Lowry could respect and enjoy.

As I await these latest tasting notes and 2026 unwinds before us into the unknown, be sure to balance yourself with both history and imagination. Watch as New York’s own PBS treasure continues to rise, and like me, trail along happily in his stardust.

See more of Nicho Lowry and his storied family’s business at swanngalleries.com and on Instagram at @nicholowry

I attended the staged reading of The People Versus Lenny Bruce at the New York Society for Ethical Culture, presented in association with the Writers Guild of America East and the Society for Ethical Culture. The reading is part of a larger theatrical initiative, All the Court’s a Stage, a series of plays based on landmark cases argued by civil liberties attorney Martin Garbus. Several of these works, including The People Versus Lenny Bruce, are scheduled to open Off-Broadway as full productions in spring 2026.

As a preview, the reading offered a compelling introduction to both the subject matter and the tone of the forthcoming production. The play revisits Garbus’s defense of comedian Lenny Bruce during his highly publicized 1964 New York obscenity trial, situating the case within a broader struggle over freedom of speech, artistic expression, and the limits of state power. The material remains emotionally charged, even decades later, and the reading succeeded in drawing the audience into that historical moment.

Image Credit. Richard Hillman PR. Stephen Dexter-Lenny Bruce, Jack Wetherall – Martin Garbus, Roberta Wallach-Dorothy Kilgallen

Jack Wetherall, portraying Martin Garbus and serving as narrator, delivered a grounded and measured performance that anchored the piece. Stephen Dexter’s portrayal of Lenny Bruce was intense and unsettling, capturing Bruce’s sharp intellect alongside his increasing mental instability during the period. The dynamic between the two characters was presented as deeply personal, suggesting an emotional bond forged through shared resistance against the system.

That interpretation, however, was addressed directly during the post-show panel discussion and Q&A. Garbus himself acknowledged that while the play conveys an emotional closeness between lawyer and client, certain aspects of that relationship were theatrically embellished. He noted that these elements were not necessarily drawn from personal conversations or collaboration during the writing process, but rather inferred from court documents, transcripts, and the historical record. This clarification was important, as it underscored the distinction between legal reality and dramatic storytelling, a balance that most works based on true events must navigate.

Credit: Richard Hillman PR.
Panelists: Martin Garbus, Susan Herman, Liz Garbus, Mike Ogsgood.

The script was written by Susan Charlotte, a veteran New York–based playwright and screenwriter whose work spans theatre, film, and television. She has authored dozens of plays produced nationwide and is the founding artistic director of Food For Thought Productions, a company known for staging historically and politically engaged works.

The staged reading was directed by Antony Marsellis, an experienced theatre and film director who has frequently collaborated with Charlotte and brings a restrained, text-forward approach to historically grounded material.

The panel discussion added valuable context to the evening. In addition to Garbus, panelists included Susan Herman, President Emeritus of the ACLU and Ruth Bader Ginsburg Professor of Law at Brooklyn Law School; Mike Osgood, former Deputy Chief of the NYPD Special Victims Unit; and Liz Garbus, who moderated the discussion. Together, they explored how the issues raised by the play resonate today, while also acknowledging the significant differences between Bruce’s era and our own.

Susan Herman, in particular, articulated the contrast clearly. In the 1960s, speech deemed obscene could lead directly to arrest, prosecution, and imprisonment. Today, controversial speech is far more likely to result in social or professional consequences rather than legal ones. The risk has shifted from the courtroom to the public sphere. While the stakes are different, the discussion emphasized that power now rests more heavily with the public and cultural institutions than with the state. That distinction prevents easy comparisons, but it does not diminish the relevance of the underlying questions about who decides what speech is acceptable.

The presence of Garbus onstage and in the panel lent the evening a sense of authenticity that is rare in theatrical previews. Hearing his reflections immediately after watching a dramatized version of his work reinforced the historical weight of the case, even as it highlighted where art necessarily departs from fact. This dual perspective enriched the experience rather than undermining it.

Another aspect that stood out was the audience itself. The crowd skewed noticeably older, suggesting that those most drawn to these discussions of free speech and ethical responsibility may be from generations that remember a time when such freedoms were actively contested in courtrooms. It raised a broader question about whether younger audiences take these rights for granted, or whether civic engagement around speech has simply shifted into different forms. Either way, the generational gap was difficult to ignore.

Bruce himself is not portrayed as a simple hero. The play presents him as brilliant and fearless, but also deeply troubled. His mental instability during this period is not softened, and the reading made clear that his legal battles came at an immense personal cost. This complexity prevents the narrative from slipping into nostalgia or mythmaking.

As a staged reading, The People Versus Lenny Bruce accomplished its purpose. It was engaging, emotionally resonant, and intellectually provocative. It also benefited from the context provided by the panel discussion, which clarified historical nuances and acknowledged artistic liberties without diminishing the play’s impact.

Based on this preview, the full Off-Broadway production slated for spring 2026 is worth seeing. Not because it offers definitive answers, but because it reminds audiences how recently fundamental freedoms had to be defended in court—and how easily their significance can fade with time.

G.H. Harding

STRANGER THINGS FINALE — OK kids, get ready. Wednesday, at 5:00 PM ET Netflix released the first 4 episodes of their runaway hit Stranger Things.  It’s also their farewell fifth season.

House of Cards

Say what you will about this show, but it (and House of Cards) really put Netflix on the map; and show creators Matt and Ross Duffer portrayed an amazing new universe: terrific plots; interesting characters and brought back to the forefront the likes of Winona Ryder; Matthew Modine and Paul Reiser and formally introduced journeyman actor David Harbour as a provocative and compelling character (I actually first discovered Harbour on a terrific Law and Order/Criminal Intent episode titled Silver Lining). This season they introduce Linda Hamilton (Terminator).

David Harbour

Sure, the show resembled several other shows, R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps included, but the Duffer’s characters had real traction. Hawkins, Indiana was a novel spot for a locale; the so-called parallel universe The Upside Down was awesome; Vecna as a villain was inspired; and the characters like 11, (with telekinetic powers) essayed brilliantly by Millie Bobby Brown, were great.

Deadline’s Gold Derby did a proper-primer for the show’s first 4 seasons and I urge you to read and watch it before unpacking Season 5. It’s a great show for certain.

https://www.goldderby.com/tv/2025/stranger-things-season-1-2-3-4-catch-up-guide/

Rush Hour

NEW RUSH — (Via Deadline) We’ve confirmed with sources that Paramount is releasing the next Rush Hour sequel from Brett Ratner. The studio is distributing on behalf of Warner Bros for a double-digit-percent distribution fee.

Intriguing deal at an intriguing time: The David Ellison-owned Paramount is one of the bidders for Warner Bro Discovery. This is arguably the studios’ first team-up since Ellison took control of the Melrose Avenue lot and follows a moment when all WBD bids were due last week (Netflix and Comcast are the other suitors).

Apparently, a number of studios passed on releasing the new Rush Hour including Warner Bros’ own New Line, the architect behind the Jackie Chan-Chris Tucker franchise that blasted Ratner’s directing career out of a cannon, spawning a trilogy that has grossed $850 million at the global box office.

The first Rush Hour movie was in 1998, the second in 2001 and the third in 2007. Tucker and Chan reportedly are back for Part 4.

Ratner was accused of sexual assault in 2017 by Melanie Kohler. He sued for defamation, and both sides settled in the fall of 2018, agreeing to move on. Ratner, a linchpin of the Warner Bros financing entity RatPac, which funded a portion of several slate titles, recently directed a documentary about First Lady Melania Trump for Amazon MGM Studios that will hit theaters January 30.

On Sunday, Semafor, citing a person familiar with the conversations, reported that Donald Trump pressed the Ellisons to revive the Rush Hour franchise.

How did this all come to be? It was reported in August 2024 that Rush Hour 4 with Ratner attached as director and producer was being shopped around. New Line allowed it to be licensed elsewhere, with Tarak Ben Ammar retaining rights to make the forthcoming sequel under his Eagle Pictures label, one of Italy’s biggest production and distribution companies. Ammar connected with Arthur Sarkissian, the original producer of the Rush Hour movies.

It’s a big deal to bring this series back to theaters when many yearn to see the return of comedies. Sony has been successful with the last two Bad Boy movies — 2020’s Bad Boys for Life ($426.5 million in worldwide box office) and 2024’s Bad Boys: Ride or Die ($404.5M worldwide), proving audiences weren’t hesitant to watch Will Smith after his opening Oscar slap of Chris Rock.

SHORT TAKES — Gary Graff with Micky Dolenz on the ill-fated Monkees tour with Jimi Hendrix in Guitar Player: https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitarists/mickey-dolenz-on-the-time-jimi-hendrix-opened-for-the-monkees…

Freddy Cannon

Freddy Cannon terrific on Bruce Morrow’s WABC talkfest last Saturday promoting his “Red Coat Santa.”‘ And Pat St. John just aired the track on his SiriusXM show … Great piece on Tulsa’s legendary Sanctuary of Sound/Church Studios from MIX’s Clive Young: https://www.mixonline.com/recording/facilities/sanctuary-of-sound-the-church-studio-story-a-mix-book-review … RIP Udo Kier and HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

 NAMES IN THE NEWS — Judy Kaufman; Kimberly Cornell; Tom & Lisa Cuddy; Dan Zelinski; Ilyssa Panitz; Randy Alexander; Lee Jeske; Will Lee; Brecker Brothers; Steve Walter; Douglas Breitbart; Larry Yasgur; Bruce Carbone; Steve Leeds; Linda Ferrando; Patti Conte; Tone Scott; Tony Mandich; Jacqueline Boyd; Tone Scott; Wayne Avers; John Billings; Nancy Schuster; Donnie Lehr; Cori Gardner; Chloe and Cody Gaier; and BELLA!

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