The current theater season in New York City features a diverse lineup of productions spanning musicals, dramas, comedy, and experimental works, many of which explore pressing social themes or reimagine classic texts.
Michael Kinnan returns to the stage with “Goodbye Horses: An Unauthorized Retelling of Jonathan Demme’s The Silence of the Lambs,” a solo performance offering a fresh perspective on the 1991 psychological thriller. Running through July 25 at the Brick Theater, the production draws its title from the iconic song featured in a pivotal scene of the original film.
The HOT Festival, held at Dixon Place through July 25, continues to showcase an array of LGBTQ-focused performances including cabaret, comedy, storytelling, theater, and dance. The festival maintains the venue’s longstanding reputation on the Lower East Side for embracing an anything-goes spirit.
Country singer Jennifer Nettles leads and has authored the score and book for “Giulia: The Poison Queen of Palermo,” a new musical inspired by the legend of a 17th-century poisoner. The production, directed by Mary Zimmerman with choreography by Austin McCormick, runs through July 26 at the Perelman Performing Arts Center.
Classical Theater of Harlem is presenting an outdoor staging of Shakespeare’s “Othello” at Marcus Garvey Park’s Richard Rodgers Amphitheater. Running through July 26, the company’s production features James Udum as Othello, Nick Westrate as Iago, and Isabel Arrazia as Desdemona.
Jane Wickline and comedian Livia Pierce bring their blend of comedy and music to “Dukes,” through August 2 at SoHo Playhouse. Wickline, known for her musical segments on “Saturday Night Live’s” Weekend Update, offers a program that fits this month’s trend of hybrid theatrical forms.
Eric Marlin’s “What a World! What a World!,” running through August 2 at the Tank, is a comedic two-person play that reimagines an overheated 1943 melodrama, with performers Queen-Tiye Akamefula and Annie Hoeg.
The Atlantic Theater Company presents “The Saviors,” a drama about altar boys confronting a crisis. The play, by Bubba Weirler and directed by Jack Serio, is staged through August 8 in the converted parish house of St. Peter’s Church.
“Label-less,” a new musical featuring former 98 Degrees member Drew Lachey and choreographer Lea Lachey, incorporates cast members’ personal stories. The show runs through August 29 at the Duke on 42nd Street.
London import “Shifters,” directed by Lynette Linton, explores the complications of young love revisited after time. Heather Agyepong and Daniel Ezra reprise their original roles in the two-hander now staging through August 30 at Cherry Lane Theater.
Comedian and songwriter Cat Cohen presents “Broad Strokes,” a musical performance about her experience recovering from a stroke, directed by Alex Timbers. The show runs on Tuesdays through September 5 at the Lucille Lortel Theater.
In a revival of D.L. Coburn’s “The Gin Game,” real-life spouses Debra Winger and Arliss Howard star in a two-hander set at the intimate Housing Works Bookstore, running through August 9.
“Woyzeck” receives an immersive, rock-infused treatment by experimental ensemble Adult Film. Presented at the former sewer factory venue Modern Sweater in Ridgewood, Queens, the production runs through August 8.
Chloe Troast, another “Saturday Night Live” alum, brings her musical character Pepper Slit to the East Village Basement through August 15.
Andrew Stein’s “Disruption,” exploring the tension between human agency and algorithmic influence, features a cast including Irene Sofia Lucio, Conrad Ricamora, Elizabeth Stanley, and John David Washington. It runs through September 13 at the Pershing Square Signature Center.
La Femme Theater Productions revives Wendy Wasserstein’s “An American Daughter,” a political drama with a reworked second act, starring Montego Glover, Robert Sean Leonard, Mary Beth Peil, and Ryan Spahn. The play continues through September 6 at the same venue.
Shakespeare in the Park presents Daniel Sullivan’s production of “The Winter’s Tale,” with Raúl Esparza as the insecure King of Sicily. This summer outdoor season runs from July 25 to August 23 at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park.
As the season progresses, these varied offerings continue to highlight the rich landscape of contemporary theater in New York City, blending new voices, reinterpretations of classics, and genre-crossing experiments.