Theater Update: Let this Sondheim song bring you harmony
‘Paddington’; ‘Romeo and Juliet’ onstage and onscreen
Theater Update
June 17, 2026

Dear Theater Fans,

Did you see all of the Broadway love for the Knicks last week? It seemed as if every show, from “The Rocky Horror Show” to “Every Brilliant Thing,” found a way to deliver a special shout-out to the N.B.A. champions. In case you missed the videos that popped up on social media and elsewhere, Playbill rounded up some of the celebratory moments here. Our dance critic, Gia Kourlas, also wrote a delightful piece about the “wave of dance” that swept across the city throughout the Knicks’ championship run.

Let’s continue on the joy parade: Helen Shaw explained how Stephen Sondheim’s song “Sunday,” from “Sunday in the Park With George,” makes order out of mayhem. With Helen as guide, you will block out the city’s hubbub and escape to the sun-dazzled island in the Seine where Georges Seurat painted “A Sunday on La Grande Jatte — 1884,” his enormous pointillist landscape with figures. It’s well worth taking a few minutes to listen.

A show that has been a huge hit across the pond announced yesterday that it will be coming to Broadway next spring: “Paddington: The Musical.” (My daughter literally cheered when I told her!) The show’s producer Sonia Friedman told Michael Paulson that while there are plans to tweak some of the “British references that are not likely to resonate with American audiences” the overall story will remain the same. “We’re not going to suddenly be setting it in Brooklyn,” Friedman told him.

More Broadway news: Christopher Jackson is the latest original Broadway cast member of “Hamilton” to return to the show. Leslie Odom Jr. returned last fall; now Jackson, who portrayed George Washington, will step into the role again starting in September. (Remember, “History Has Its Eyes on You.”)

Thank you for reading us each week! Tell us if you’ve seen something great. Please reach out to us 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

Like this email?

Forward it to your friends, and let them know they can sign up here.

NEWS AND FEATURES

A life-size Paddington bear wears a blue raincoat and red hat as it stands in a room next to a suitcase.

Kalpesh Lathigra for The New York Times

The ‘Paddington’ Musical Is a Hit in London. Next Stop: Broadway.

The show, which revisits the story of a marmalade-loving bear, plans to open next April at the Hirschfeld Theater in New York.

By Michael Paulson

A white marble building with scaffolding.

Alex Kent/The New York Times

Judge Orders Kennedy Center to Make a Plan for Staying Open

As the Trump administration seeks to move forward with renovations at the center, a judge has asked for its programming calendar.

By Julia Jacobs

A line of singers and musicians play in front of a large illustration of a man.

Rachel Papo for The New York Times

Frederick Douglass Asked, What Is Home? New York Teens Answer.

Hunted by slavers, the abolitionist escaped briefly to Britain and Ireland. A new show at the Irish Arts Center combines his speeches with performances by local students.

By Tim Teeman

A man in a blue short-sleeved button-down shirt grimaces and thrusts his hand forward while sitting in a chair. A woman is seen behind him, out of focus.

Sara Krulwich/The New York Times

Broadway Shows Closing Soon: ‘Becky Shaw,’ ‘Giant’ and More

The final curtain is coming down on two Tony Award-winning performances, a reboot of a 1980s musical and one of the best plays in August Wilson’s American Century Cycle.

By Laura Collins-Hughes

THEATER REVIEWS

A young woman and man kneel, looking at each other, as an older man in a clergyman’s black coat and colorful cloak look on.

Sara Krulwich/The New York Times

Review: ‘Romeo & Juliet’ Find Too Little Love in the Park

For the Public Theater’s Shakespeare in the Park, the director Saheem Ali presents a strangely low-energy version of the tragedy.

By Helen Shaw

Three men in suits sit behind a table in a production image.

Marc J. Franklin

Critic’s Pick

‘Are You Now or Have You Ever Been’ Review: Who Is Naming Names?

Anna D. Shapiro revives Eric Bentley’s play about the House Un-American Activities Committee’s investigation of the entertainment industry.

By Laura Collins-Hughes

THEATER GUIDES

A young woman and man kneel in front of each other with a clergyman behind them.

Rob Youngson

Jessie Buckley in ‘Romeo and Juliet,’ and More Theater to Stream

The Oscar winner and Josh O’Connor star in a National Theater production of Shakespeare’s tragedy. Other picks include Matthew López’s “The Inheritance.”

By Elisabeth Vincentelli

A woman in a floral pattern dress leans over a carton and a glass of milk atop a small dining table. A man in a collared shirt and slacks sits next to the table massaging his temple with his hand.

Sara Krulwich/The New York Times

Broadway Shows to See This Summer: ‘Death of a Salesman,’ ‘Schmigadoon!’ and More

A guide to every show on Broadway, including Tony-winning musicals, new dramas, quirky hits and veterans like “Hamilton.”

By Laura Collins-Hughes

Sting sings as he stands onstage with his hands at his sides.

Mark Senior

17 Plays (and 3 Festivals) to Jazz Up Your June

Billy Porter, Wayne Brady, Sting and Suzan-Lori Parks are all slated to star on Off Broadway stages this month.

By Laura Collins-Hughes

OBITUARIES

A man with thinning hair wears a gray suit and is bathed in purple light in a theater production, holding a glass and pointing with the other hand.

Linda Johnson

Dito van Reigersberg, Avant-Garde and Drag Virtuoso, Dies at 53

A co-founder of Pig Iron Theater Company, known for its surre