The Winter's Tale (2026) (The Public Theater)

In my first return to the Delacorte since the renovation (following the blockbuster production last summer we couldn't get tickets to), the theater actually looks largely the same. After all that, they could have added a roof, because it was a rainy night. It rained on and off, light drizzle to a downpour in intermission. And you're not allowed to use an umbrella during the show. You need a good poncho. Not as fitting as when we saw the Tempest, but there is a storm scene at the end of Act I during which it did start raining. We had great seats at the back of the middle section, with no one next to us or in front of us, scared away by the rain. We actually had a little overhang shielding us from the control booth. One of the actors even slipped in the rain. The seats are still super uncomfortable. But beautiful space. 

I had no familiarity with this less frequently performed Shakespeare play. It runs way too long, at nearly 3.5 hours. There are many scenes that play out like a final scene, but then it keeps on going and going. It is neither a tragedy nor comedy nor history play. I guess it's kind of a comedy since it ends in marriage, but it's not really funny. The first act actually plays out more like a tragedy, ending in death. It's all the more jarring that the second act opens with a pastoral scene after that. It's a dialogue heavy play, with not much action or scenery to speak of. And the dialogue is not super easy to follow or understand and it's kind of boring. Act II fast forwards sixteen years but had I not read the synopsis that probably would have been lost on me. There is a small four-piece band that accompanies the cast out of sight. They're the best part. 

Giulia: The Poison Queen of Palermo (PAC NYC) (2026)

In my last season of eligibility for under 30 tickets, I went to the new musical by Jennifer Nettles from Sugarland. I love that there is a cool space to promote new works, even if the new plays aren't that good. The $9 fee, even at the box office, is unjustifiable though! I unfortunately didn't really like the music. It's a lot of kind of samey ballads. Some of the characters have musical inspiration clearly drawn from Hamilton, but not as catchy or clever, looking at the Governatore and to a lesser extent the Cardinal. And the lyrics and themes are kind of lame. Like "what happens next?" That just sets up more telling not showing. The plot is mostly predictable. It's a surprisingly bloodless show considering how many bodies pile up. I think it may have worked better if it leaned into that more, Sweeney Todd-style, punching up the writing with some comedy and gore (even has the icky judge-ward age gap relationship). 

I did like the set. There's a big cabinet with three double doors that are regularly opened and closed to reveal new scenery. There's a very pretty church window, apothecary shelves, and lots of other creative ways to transport the audience. There's also an imposing staircase on stage reminiscent of a dramatic opera. And I liked the choreography of the first murder scene. 

The Wild Party (2026) (Encores!)

Almost immediately you see why this show isn't often revived. We're introduced to one of the main characters, Burr, in blackface doing a minstrel performance. I couldn't really tell from way up in the balcony but in this production both Queenie and Burr are played by black actors passing as white, in comparison to the original production when they were played by the very white Toni Collette and Mandy Patinkin. Oh and there's a black character named Black. So it kind of lost me. If you can get past all that, the show unfolds over the course of one debauched night of partying with Prohibition bathtub gin devolving into an orgy of sorts. The show actually might work as a Safdie brothers Jewish anxiety movie (the show actually features a Jewish producer seeking to change his name to hide his heritage). There's just so much happening on stage for 2 hours, no intermission--lots of blocking and background choreo. The whole first half of the show is one song after another introducing each character; I quickly lost track. I assumed the show actually had no plot because there was nothing happening for so long as partygoers just kept arriving. Almost the whole show is sung through, or sort of spoken-sung over background jazz music. The band was great, featuring just three violins, but a banjo and an extensive brass and percussion section. I liked the set, all laid out in front of us without walls but clearly featuring three distinct rooms (bedroom, bathroom, and the main living room/kitchen). 

Vir Das: Hey Stranger (2025) (Off-Broadway)

Lincoln Center Theater is doing a cool comedy series in the Claire Tow Theater upstairs, an intimate 100-seater room. I brought my favorite Indian-American comic Vivek to see the most famous Indian comic Vir Das do a 90-minute set. Das has a western sensibility, in both his references and in his comedic style. I don't know if his stand-up, which is quite open and vulnerable in the style of modern American Netflix specials, really translates to an Indian audience but I think he's primarily performing for us. Which makes his set all the more poignant, about belonging in America, and his pivotal decision about whether to move back here. It perhaps most reminded me of the kind of quiet sincerity that Hasan Minhaj hits you with in his specials to get a more emotional response out of the audience. And I think it largely works, especially in the confines of a small space. 

We went on Linctix night, which included snacks and drinks after the show. I don't know why we've not gone to that more often. Great perk.