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March 7, 2026

Welcome back to The Weekender, where you’ll find a batch of the week’s top stories about culture and the way we live today.

Every time Jonathan Groff appears on a screen, someone in my family inevitably asks, “Who is that guy again?” So I start rattling off characters, starting with the ones I know my kids remember. “That’s Kristoff from ‘Frozen’ and the King in ‘Hamilton’!” My younger daughter started watching “Glee” recently, so now I throw in a “Jesse St. James!” But I also need to point out that Groff is currently the showstopping star of “Just in Time” and was in that incredible “Merrily We Roll Along” revival. You might say I’m a fan (I am), but I also think this guy is one very prolific actor who plays iconic roles. Either way, I was very happy to see Ben Brantley trace Groff’s rise to full musical stardom this week. You’ll find his story below.

Also in this edition, we have an investigation into so-called Pizza Hut Classics, Alysa Liu in conversation with The Times’s dance critic, and 58 books to watch for this spring, including new novels by Tana French, Tom Perrotta and Rainbow Rowell. See you next weekend(er).

— Farah

By The New York Times THE LIVES THEY LIVED Let’s look back at a century of women in The Times. →

Noah Kalina for The New York Times A SLICE OF NOSTALGIA That red roof! Those Tiffany lamps! It’s a Pizza Hut from the past. →

Rachel Bujalski for The New York Times LASTING LONGER This is how older adults are improving their “sex span.” →

Mohamed Sadek for The New York Times BROADWAY'S LEADING MAN Here’s how Jonathan Groff completed his ascendance to full musical stardom. →

Jay Lin MOVING ON This bizarre shoe trend has failed to take off. →

Tony Luong for The New York Times PET PERKS Get a dog, live longer? →

Thea Traff for The New York Times BEWARE THE BEAST MrBeast is getting into financial services. Parents should pay attention. →

ON PAPER How exciting can office supplies really be? Ask the Staples Baddie. →

Michael Murtaugh/NYT Wirecutter and Dana Davis/NYT Wirecutter DUPED We hired a lab to counterfeit-test a dozen suspicious beauty products. Every single one had a problem. →

Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images MEDALIST WITH METTLE Alysa Liu talks about dancing her way to gold: “The music carries my body.” →

Eric Striffler for The New York Times REAL ESTATE The Piano Man’s long goodbye to his Long Island estate has finally come to an end. For $14 million under the asking price. →

Kate Warren for The New York Times AGING IN STYLE When life gave her ageism, she created Oldster. →

SPRING PREVIEW

The New York Times FICTION We’ve got your TBR list covered with 32 forthcoming novels … →

The New York Times NONFICTION … and 26 new memoirs, essays and biographies coming soon. →

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This edition of The Weekender was edited by Farah Miller and Kellina Moore. Reach our team at weekender@nytimes.com.

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