On Sundays Gothamist runs opinion pieces relevant to life in New York and reviews of recent books and performances. The judgments expressed below are entirely those of the author. more ›

So many long-hyped shows are in the giddy last throes of previews on Broadway, we’re a bit afraid it might just pop and cover everything in its surrounds with tiny microphones and flakes of pancake makeup. Better stay far away – philosophically if not physically. 61 Dead Men looks like a great way to do so. It’s the first show we’ve ever seen billed as an “improv tragedy,” and that alone piques our interest. Janus Surratt developed and directs the production, which has as its center an artist named Haml who decides creation is the wrong way to go about changing the world, and that destruction is the way to go. That’s the anti-Broadway spirit we like! more ›

American Theatre of Actors // 314 W. 54th St. // Through May 28, Tues.-Sat. 8pm, Sat.-Sun. 3pm, Sun. 7pm // Tickets via Theatermania more ›

As we try to get over the possible snub of NYC by Matthew Bourne’s adaptation of Edward Scissorhands, at least we can console ourselves with the usual mind-bending assortment of theater that’s definitely here now. more ›

It’s almost April, do you know where your Broadway mega-shows are? Cate Blanchett and Hedda Gabler got things off to a smash start, and the rest of the big guns are revving up: Tarzan, Lestat , Julia Roberts in Three Days of Rain, Ali MacGraw and Julianna Margulies in Festen…and more. We’ll spare you (and ourselves) the wallet strain and the eye-rolling – there are plenty of worthy littler shows crying out to be seen. more ›

On Sundays Gothamist runs opinion pieces relevant to life in New York and reviews of recent books and performances. The judgments expressed below are entirely those of the author. more ›

While we wait impatiently for some real improvement in the temperature, theater companies are heating up the late winter with scores of new productions. A warning, though: maybe it’s just the mood we’ve been in, but everything that most appealed to us this week is pretty dark/serious. For that reason, we’ll start off with Ensemble Studio Theatre’s company of emerging playwrights, youngblood, which is having its annual “Asking For Trouble” series this week. Each playwright (10 of them) drew a cast and director randomly and had a short time to create a nine-minute play with them; the results are at the Kraine this week, and even if some of the plays are dark, as some undoubtedly will be, it will at least be uplifting to see new playwrights having their work produced. more ›

Maybe it’s just us, but even with spring’s approach an unusual degree of anomie seems to be hanging over everything, slightly twisting and darkening many of the new season’s shows. Not all of them, of course; it is possible to still to see truly lighthearted fare on stage. So do you want to see something that matches the prevailing mood or challenges it? Here are a few options that go both ways: more ›