Theater Update: How Jonathan Groff became Broadway’s leading man

March 11, 2026

Dear Theater Fans,

Since joining The New York Times in January, our new chief theater critic, Helen Shaw, has been delivering a range of smart criticism and great reads. Now, you can read more about her road to The Times and her philosophy of criticism (she tries “to meet the art where it is,” she said) in this delightful essay for The Times Insider.

Michael Paulson also had an excellent report this week, for which he traveled to London to explore the reasons theater producers from the United States are increasingly heading there to develop new works. It’s all about economics. These days, he told me, he especially wants to dig into “How the challenging financial climate in both the commercial and nonprofit sectors is affecting art and artists (as well as institutions).”

One more great read (and great performance!) you won’t want to miss: Ben Brantley’s beautiful feature enumerating all the ways Jonathan Groff has become Broadway’s leading man. “Few stage stars today transmit and receive such unadulterated joy in live performance,” Ben wrote.

Correction: Last week, I mentioned Jesse Malin’s new show, “Silver Manhattan,” but got the venue wrong. It’s at the new Bowery Palace (not the Bowery Ballroom) through March 29.

Please reach out to me at theaterfeedback@nytimes.com with suggestions for articles or to offer your thoughts about our coverage. And urge your friends to subscribe to this newsletter.

Have a wonderful week,
Nicole Herrington
Theater Editor

A production images shows a man holding a suitcase and yelling.

Joshua Atkins for The New York Times

Fed Up With High Costs, American Theater Takes a Trip to London

Skyrocketing budgets and falling profitability have driven a new form of offshoring, with U.S. producers staging shows across the Atlantic.

By Michael Paulson

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NEWS AND FEATURES

Mohamed Sadek for The New York Times

How Jonathan Groff Became Broadway’s Leading Man

By transmitting his love of live performance, the “Just in Time” actor has completed his ascendance to full musical stardom.

By Ben Brantley and Mohamed Sadek

A woman with a striped umbrella and a gray coat stands next to a brick building with a sign reading “Walter Kerr Theatre.”

Michelle V. Agins/The New York Times

Times Insider

In a Screen-Dazzled World, a Theater Critic Has the Antidote

The Times’s new chief theater critic is taking up the mantle as the industry moves over rocky ground.

By Helen Shaw

A black-and-white photo shows a man in a dark coat standing in a city street.

Ellie Smith for The New York Times

A Fast-Rising American Director Is Wowing the West End

After a prizewinning “Fiddler on the Roof” and a lauded take on Sondheim, Jordan Fein is tackling Arthur Miller’s enigmatic “Broken Glass.”

By Andrew Dickson

In a black-and-white photo, Chadwick Boseman walks along a sidewalk in front of a building with windows and graffiti.

Magdalena Wosinska for The New York Times

Black Panther’s Hip-Hop Play, in Shakespeare’s House

The actor Chadwick Boseman was a playwright, too. At Shakespeare’s Globe in London, his “Deep Azure” is drawing attention to a lost talent inspired by the Bard.

By Alex Marshall

Quentin Tarantino, wearing a tuxedo, waves as he stands amid a large crowd.

Lorenzo Franzoni/Getty Images

Quentin Tarantino Plans ‘Swashbuckling’ Play for London’s West End

“The Popinjay Cavalier,” written and directed by Tarantino, will open next year. It is described as a “rambunctious comedy of deception” set in 1830s Europe.

By Derrick Bryson Taylor

OLIVIER NOMINATIONS

Paddington bear, in a blue coat and red hat, stands beside a suitcase on a stage.

Kalpesh Lathigra for The New York Times

Olivier Awards: ‘Paddington’ and ‘Into the Woods’ Lead Nominations

The two musicals secured 11 nominations each for Britain’s equivalent of the Tony Awards. Cate Blanchett, Bryan Cranston and Rachel Zegler are also among the nominees.

By Alex Marshall

THEATER REVIEWS

Three actors sit in chairs, facing a dimly lit audience, while a man holding a mug and wearing a black leather coat walks behind them in this production image.

Sara Krulwich/The New York Times

Critic’s Pick

Wallace Shawn’s ‘What We Did Before Our Moth Days’ Is Purgatory Done Right

The playwright and his collaborator André Gregory are together again, delivering a sumptuous set of interlinked monologues about life, death and betrayal.

By Helen Shaw

LIZA MINNELLI

A black and white photograph shows a young woman with short black hair and heavy eye makeup. She is wearing a sequined jumpsuit with thin straps and is gazing at herself in a mirror.

Steve Schapiro/Corbis, via Getty Images

Nonfiction

Liza Minnelli’s Memoir Has the Sequins, but Not the Sparkle

“Kids, Wait Till You Hear This!” is a familiar reminder that growing up in showbiz can lead to awards and adulation, but also to heartache.

By Alexandra Jacobs

From left, Bert Stern/Conde Nast, via Getty Images; NBCU Photo Bank/NBC Universal, via Getty Images; Fairchild Archive/Penske Media, via Getty Images; Ron Galella/Getty Images

Liza Minnelli: A Visual Dictionary

The things that make Liza Liza.

By Louis Lucero II

THEATER GUIDES

A man in a black shirt sits on the floor with a young woman wrapped in red coat.

Emilio Madrid