Meth, Memory, and a Cowboy Hat at Soho Playhouse
A one-man show that starts in a Texas meth lab and ends somewhere stranger, Lost in Del Valle is a gritty, funny, and unexpectedly moving memoir of a life that veered wildly off course and somehow made it back.
Steel and Silence at the Guggenheim
A Guggenheim opening promises access, play, and connection. Outside, protesting workers tell a different story. Inside, Carol Bove’s steel-heavy survey strains under repetition, leaving the museum’s message of openness feeling more performative than real.
At The Surrealist Ball, New York Got Weird Again. Thank God.
At The Surrealist Winter Ball, New York remembered how to be strange in public. Between mimes, corpse poetry, surrealist costumes, and performances that blurred the line between art and spectacle, the night felt less like a party and more like a collective decision to stop being embarrassed about wanting to be all in.
The Party Ends. Then What?
A deeply immersive novel about NYC in your 20s and the quiet, disorienting shift into adulthood. So Old, So Young captures the friendships, choices, and creeping realization that life does not unfold the same way for everyone, and that you may not even notice it happening.
Nicole Travolta Is Doing Meh.
A one-woman show about shopping addiction and spiraling debt promises a redemption arc but delivers uneven pacing, forgotten lines, and a performance that never quite finds its footing. A few celebrity impressions land, but they’re not enough to save a production that feels more forced than fully realized.
Frigid Fringe Dispatch: Book Club Drama and a Very Bad Good Deed
At the Frigid New York Fringe Festival, one play turns a wine-soaked girls’ night into simmering chaos, while another follows a single good deed that spirals wildly out of control. Two very different shows, one shared strength: raw, unpredictable storytelling that reminds you why Fringe still matters.
This Anti-War Play Feels Way Too Familiar Right Now
A revival of Spider Rabbit at La MaMa turns a playful, childlike rhythm into something far more unsettling, tracing how violence is absorbed, normalized, and made into something you can live with.
From One House to Another
At Japan Society, Kawai Kanjirō: House to House unfolds less like a museum exhibition and more like entering a life. What begins as a study of ceramics opens into something larger—an exploration of use, beauty, and what it means to live with intention.
The Fringe Shows We’re Betting On (Part Three)
Frigid’s New York City Fringe Festival is one of the best parts of the year for discovering new theater in New York. It’s where artists take big swings, follow their instincts, and put work on stage that feels fresh, specific, and alive. This is your greatest chance to see the type of theater that we’re all worried about disappearing. We’ve pulled together a few shows we’re especially excited to see and spoke with the creatives behind them.
Heated Rivalry Review: Two NHL Rivals, One Secret Relationship, Zero Stereotypes
Two NHL rivals turn a locker room moment into a years-long secret relationship that slowly becomes something more. Heated Rivalry flips the script on romance, trading meet-cutes for hookups and delivering a story that’s as comforting as it is hot, with two men who feel real, not like a stereotype.
The PushOver Feels Off From The Start
At The Chain Theatre, John Patrick Shanley’s Pushover sets out to deliver danger, desire, and volatility but never quite lands. Despite a compelling premise and a standout turn from Di Zhu, the production struggles to find the heightened tone that defines Shanley at his best, leaving behind a play that feels more confusing than captivating.
Soviet Cinema and the Importance of Local Theaters
A first encounter with Soviet cinema leads to a packed screening of Secret Agent at Metrograph, where stunning visuals, quiet paranoia, and a room full of regulars remind one writer why movie theaters still matter.
Juliette Campbell Of Shanghai Mermaid Isn’t Just Hosting Parties. She’s Curating New York at Its Best
At Estonian House, Shanghai Mermaid transformed a Lunar New Year party into something rare for NYC: an event that was as culturally grounded as it was visually stunning.
The Fringe Shows We’re Betting On (Part TWO)
Part two of our NYC Fringe Festival coverage leans into the personal. From a solo show about learning to drive at 40 to save a marriage, to a darkly funny spiral through alcohol and memory, to a glittering, high-energy love letter to New York and the artists who survive it—these are stories about risk, reinvention, and what it costs to keep going. Meet the creators bringing it all to the stage.
The New York Belly Dance Festival Balances Glamour and Grit
The New York Belly Dance Festival offers a multi-day look into belly dance through workshops, performances, and community-driven events, highlighting both the technical precision and cultural depth of the form.
Kabin, a Scandinavian Bar by Alexandra Tangen, Has Found Its Place in SoHo
A Scandinavian cabin in the middle of SoHo. Kabin, Alexandra Tangen’s cocktail bar, brings Nordic design, inventive drinks, and a surprisingly cozy energy to downtown NYC.
Start Here: The Fringe Shows We’re Betting On (Part One)
Frigid’s NYC Fringe Festival is where new theater still feels risky, alive, and worth showing up for. We’ve rounded up a few shows we can’t wait to see, and talked to the artists behind them. This is Part One.
A Ruthless Female Lead Who Refuses to Be Redeemed: The Favorites Review
An obsessive, cutthroat ice dancer who refuses to apologize for her ambition, The Favorites by Layne Fargo is messy, toxic, and surprisingly compelling, even when it completely exhausts you.
At La Pecora Bianca, Even the Pasta Has Emotional Regulation
At La Pecora Bianca, the food is balanced, the crowd is chaotic, and the sourdough toast might take a tooth. A reliably good Upper West Side spot with just enough edge to keep it interesting.
Body Count at SoHo Playhouse Examines Sex Work Without the Usual Tropes
Body Count at SoHo Playhouse offers a sharp, often humorous look at sex work, challenging familiar narratives while exploring the emotional labor and power dynamics at its core.